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50 Incredible Rap Songs (11-20) · by R.H.S.
Phat Tuesday Edition (11-20)
We started things off with the shot heard ‘round the blogosphere in the form of our Manic Monday Megamix. Today we bring you more of the same and then some, just as promised: Texan free spirits, a Lefrak City punchline technician, a Bronx truth seeker, some Strong Island representers, a criminally minded duo from New Jeruz, Harlem’s greatest shit talker, a trio of mischief makers from Corona, a West Coast crew with a lot on their mind, and one of Compton’s more outspoken advocates. Really, does music get much better than an incredible rap song?
Download All Ten Songs As A .zip File
11. Devin the Dude – “Do What You Want” (Rap-A-Lot, 1998)
Amidst the brew drinking and weed smoking, rap’s Big Lebowski occasionally finds the time to drop a few words of wisdom. A funky rebuttal to overbearing elders, “Do What you Want” doesn’t just rage against the establishment, it dismisses it entirely. Shrugging and sighing at those who criticize his inebriated lifestyle, Devin explains his live and let live philosophy over N.O Joe’s slippery G-funk. Devin’s laidback apathy stands in definite contrast to today’s money-motivated thugs as he dismisses status and celebrity for a couple of tall cans and an ounce of ‘dro. Who can argue with that kind of thinking? – Sacha Orenstein (OhWord.com)
12. MUCH Posse – “On Fondren” (Take a Sip, 1992)
Long lost H-Town anthem. I posted this on my website a few years back and I still get emails about it pretty regularly, from aging Houston residents, not just creepy overseas record collectors. Just goes to show that random rap ain’t really all that random. As I understand it, one third of MUCH is currently serving a lifetime bid for murder. – Noz (CocaineBlunts.com)
13. Akinyele “Checkmate” (Interscope, 1993)
Even though Ak’s vocal gimmick of lowering his voice at the end of each line wore a little thin over the course of the ill Vagina Diner LP, his unique method of constructing punchlines and refreshingly gruff delivery shone through over one of Large Pro’s dopest beats of all-time, while Rob Swift’s cutting displays only serve to fuel the onslaught. – Robbie Ettelson (Unkut.com)
14. Nine “Lyin’ King” (Profile, 1996)
Nine takes up the common lament about rappers posing like they hard when we know they damn card, but brings a surprising realism to the table in detailing the Fake Emcee’s crimes and their consequences. The song’s structure is also interesting. Even though the end of the song starts to sound like an extended freestyle, the beginning is well-constructed to convey the escalation of Nine’s anger. The song is not so much an enraged challenge as a resentful lament – Nine is incredulous at the audacity of his foes. – David (OhWord.com)
15. The UN “Golden Grail” (456, 2004)
You like it raw? These under-appreciated LI representatives have released some of this decade’s hardest rap material, as they decimate a granite-heavy drum track and wafting strings with advanced flow techniques and impressive vocab displays. Pity they were the guniea pigs on Carson Daley’s attempt to wet his beak in the record game. – Robbie Ettelson (Unkut.com)
16. Real Live “Ain’t No Love” (Big Beat, 1996)
Over a decade ago, New Jerseyans Larry-O and producer K-Def recorded The Turnaround LP as the duo Real Live. Today their collabo sounds fresher than the dozens of albums that have since tried and failed to reproduce its sound and mobster motif. On “Ain’t No Love” K-Def combines the sprawling ethereality of his brilliant work on Da Youngstas’ “Mad Props” (a track originally intended for Nas’ Illmati) with the dense yet iridescent vibes of his remix of Tragedy’s “Grand Groove” into one balanced piece. Larry-O delivers his empathetic observations on struggle and loss with sufficiently cool detachment. Profound noir. – R.H.S. (OhWord.com)
17. Big L – “Dangerzone” (Columbia, 1995)
Big L quickly put to rest inevitable comparisons to Lord Finesse with double-take inducing bars of fury like those found on “Dangerzone.” Over a chilling Buckwild beat, L takes rap’s brief obsession with the supernatural ((see: D’Evils, Suicidal Thoughts, Eye for An Eye, Murder was the Case) to its illogical extreme with straight-faced lyrics of nearly unprecedented nihilism like “every Sunday a nun lay where my gun spray” and “they say a real man won’t hit a girl, well I ain’t real cuz I beat bitches up”. This is shock rap that succeeds thanks to L’s vicious, deadly serious delivery. – Sacha Orenstein (OhWord.com)
18. Beatnuts “Reign of the Tec” (Relativity, 1993)
The song emanates grime from the first note – a rude sounding horn dances fatly underneath the drums while Juju introduces himself as a “hard little pistol-packing punk dope smuggler.” The rest of the song continues in the same vein, and even Psycho Les’s clumsy eight bars do not interrupt the rowdy exuberance. It’s almost impossible to listen to the hook, which combines sure-fire chant with a Sadat X sample, without getting it stuck in your head. – David (OhWord.com)
19. Funkytown Pros “Satisfaction” (Island Records, 1991)
Emcee Boiwundah and producer Devastatin’ The Rhythm Fluctuator are the duo Funkytown Pros, remembered mostly for their “White Green” single/video taken from their LP Reachin’ A New Level Of Assassination. “Satisfaction” is a confounding stew thickened by dirty samples and unsettling effects. Between the smugly delivered rhymes, a subtext of darkness pervades the song’s lyrical content as well as its sound; Boiwondah’s sardonic breakdown of the hook’s larger implications makes for a horrifying punchline. While “Satisfaction” is not the most instantly likeable song on our list, it may be the most difficult to ignore or stop humming. Scary, powerful stuff. – R.H.S. (OhWord.com)
20. Tweedy Bird Loc – “Fuck The South Bronx (Nigga This Is Compton)” (Par, 1992)
Rarely mentioned installation in the first wave of east/coast west coast beef courtesy of one of Compton’s unheralded shit talkers. This is, of course, a response to Tim Dog and when you get right down to it Tweedy Bird was a good West Coast counterpart to Tim Dog. Except more vulgar. – Noz (CocaineBlunts.com)
OMGWTFBBQ!
THE TEN-SONG ZIP FILE ISN’T WORKING!
PLEASE FIX IT! I NEEDZ MAH HIPHOP IN ONE LUMP DOWNLOAD!
— pileofshirt69 Feb 13, 06:53 PM
works for me…
— David Feb 13, 06:58 PM
“Golden Grail” is such a great song. Props.
— The ILLatino Feb 13, 10:22 PM
it’s pretty good, but “Ain’t No Thang” still remains the U.N.’s greatest song and shoulda been on there instead.
p.s. i’m not “hating” but recognize part 1 destroyed this part
— drew Feb 14, 12:23 AM
Drew – I know you ain’t hating, but as I’ve stated before, this isn’t a list nased on superlatives. For those uninitiated to the UN, which is most of the population of earth, “Golden Grail” is a great introduction.
Also, while I agree that the first 10 had more “rare” songs, the list as a whole was not meant to one-up every crate digger out there with shit only Swedish record collectors know about. “Reign of the Tec” might be familiar to us aging rap fiends, but it’s pretty much superior to almost any obscure b-side you can dig up, and again, most people on earth haven’t heard it anyway.
In any event, I do appreciate your feedback and you are welcome to submit ideas and content for future lists if the collabo bug has bit ya.
— R.H.S. Feb 14, 12:29 AM
Oh hell yes. The mets hat is clutch
— green hornet Feb 14, 01:18 AM
Clicking on the link reveals this notice: “The file has been deleted. Unfortunately, it did not comply with the terms of service.”
Damn, I wanted to check that Funkytown Pros.
— Steezel Feb 14, 01:19 AM
^You can click on the songs individually to listen/download. We’ll try to get the .zip file up through a different service ASAP.
— R.H.S. Feb 14, 01:24 AM
Zip file should be back up now.
— David Feb 14, 03:33 AM
Zip file is back up, thank you very much.
— pileofshirt69 Feb 14, 03:40 AM
re: the Akhaha joint… you mention “Ron Swift” but isn’t it X-man “Rob”?
— rio rocket Feb 14, 09:34 AM
^ good catch. fixed.
— rafi Feb 14, 09:52 AM
Good looks on the re-up. Thanks.
— Steezel Feb 14, 11:51 PM
ill
— concerned hater Feb 15, 11:34 PM
Yep, Golden Grail, what a heater. One of those tracks I keep playing again and again.
— Drew Huge Feb 16, 05:48 AM
lol this crapp is full of shit comon weres my kind of songs
— pimping go round Mar 10, 09:51 AM
y0… somehow, someway i gotz to get a copy of M.U.C.H. Posse’s “On Fondren” someone please send me an email if you have this track, been looking everywhere for it
hold.my.own713@gmail.com
— h01dmy0wn Apr 12, 09:34 AM
man i thought id never find “on fondren” .. aah the sweet memories.. a young thug with beef with the SWC (southwest cholos)or cheerios as many of us called them xD .. sweet post
— Rey_M Jul 5, 07:48 PM
hold.my.own: the ZIP file is still working at the megaupload and rapidshare locations if you click the link above
or
http://rapidshare.com/files/16387042/50_Songs_Tuesday.zip
— David Jul 5, 10:46 PM
YO THIS IS PAIN OF MUCH POSSE,IM NOT DOING LIFE.IM OUT NOW DOING MY THING AS ONE OF THE HOST ON HOT T.V,MY ALBUM “U GON KNOW MY NAME” AND PROMOTING HOSTIN MIC NIGHT AT ARTHURS SPORTS BAR. THANKS FOR EVEN MENTIONING AH NIGGA THOUGH , DO YA THANG, ONE PAINKILLA AKA PAIN
— PAINKILLA OF MUCH POSSE Aug 8, 06:01 PM
Beautiful collections here.
How ‘bout using something like DivShare as the golden standard though? This Sharebee nonsense is bollocks, blood.
Thanks for the tracks though. Mad nice.
— U MONRO Jan 19, 03:53 PM
Listern everyone dmx-where the hood at and we in here r the hardest rap songs ever just face it
— Joshua Hine Jul 31, 04:51 PM