44. Yung Berg feat. Junior
"SEXY LADY"
from Look What You Made Me (Epic)
A modern-day post-thug love song: He gets his diva to smoke weed, but really, he's just as preoccupied with being pretty as she is. And in bed, "we both kept on our Pradas." Rich.
43. MIMS
"THIS IS WHY I'M HOT"
from Music Is My Savior (Capitol)
Craven to the core, this still felt like a revelation: contained, arrogant, and hypnotic. But in the end, MIMS was a self-fulfilled prophesy — so hot, so fly, he ain't gotta rap.
42. Elliott Yamin
"WAIT FOR YOU"
from Elliott Yamin (Hickory)
Often a better Thicke than Thicke himself, American Idol coulda-been Yamin surprised with this Stargate-penned stunner. He's got a delicate, evocative tone, but is composed enough to contain all his anguish in the form of a perfect pop song.
41. Plies
"100 YEARS"
from The Real Testament (Slip-N-Slide/Atlantic)
Maybe the angriest song of the year, Plies rallies against America's increasingly harsh minimum-mandatory sentencing policies. Shockingly moving and terrifying at once.
40. Collie Buddz
"COME AROUND"
from Collie Buddz (Epic)
Freckle-faced Bermudan soundboy serves up a rugged "ganjaman tune" with nuff pomp and circumstance — and a few blasts of airhorn for good measure. His skin may be white but his lungs must be smoke-black.
39. Omarion
"ICE BOX"
from 21
(Epic/Sony Urban)
Call it R&Bemo: Omarion's emotional candor trumped fall-out boys everywhere with this melodramatic ballad. Timbaland's fragile chorus — "I'm so cold, I'm so cold, I'm so cold" — was just the icing on the cake.
38. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony feat. Akon
"I TRIED"
from Strength & Loyalty (Full Surface/Interscope)
Admit it: You couldn't help but hum the Akon-sung hook to the Cleveland rap vets' heartfelt 'hood spiritual. Too bad ex-member Bizzy Bone wasn't along for the ride.
37. Prodigy
"MAC 10 HANDLE"
from Return of the Mac (KOCH)
After a G-Unit disaster, Mobb Deep's Prodigy unexpectedly dropped one of the year's darkest, toughest albums. This lead single, so dank and guttural, sounded like the musings of a wounded man.
36. Chris Brown feat. T-Pain
"KISS KISS"
from Exclusive (Jive)
Stage-bopping pretty boy Chris Brown gets "a little mannish" with "nappy boy" T-Pain. The result: An electro ditty, ingeniously entertaining enough for the Chuck E. Cheese crowd and the stripper set.
35. Alicia Keys
"NO ONE"
from As I Am (J Records)
On this reggae-inflected arena anthem, it's apparent Alicia is no longer content with just being a celebrated, but safe star. This is a sexier sound for an artist once reluctant to show herself.
34. Lil Mama
"LIP GLOSS"
from Voice of the Young People (Jive)
This Brooklynite's infectious all-ages anthem repped for late-'80s babies while extolling the appeal of applying lip-shellac at the locker. Super-cute, but not a novelty: The 17-year-old can spit.
33. Timbaland feat. Keri Hilson
"THE WAY I ARE"
from Timbaland Presents Shock Value
(Mosley Music/Blackground/Interscope)
Timbo morphs the hooks of Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It" and J.T.'s "SexyBack" into his definitive electro-pop construct. But the true genius is spotlighting ingénue Keri Hilson.
32. Lil Wayne
"FEEL LIKE DYIN'"
from mixtapes
After a year full of euphoric adulation, Wayne's downtempo depression and looming drug issues dazzlingly materialize in this eerie ode to the scariest high of all: The letdown. This is the real detox.
31. Musiq
"TEACHME"
from Luvanmusiq (Atlantic)
After ages of emotional politeness, Musiq got complicated this year. This was his most vulnerable moment, but it never felt weak — here was a man strong enough to ask how to do better, and then, to maybe even follow through.
30. Playaz Circle feat. Lil Wayne
"DUFFLE BAG BOY"
from Supply & Demand
(DTP/Def Jam)
These DTP also-rans scored an epic banger, thanks to Lil Wayne's achingly arrogant hook — "If I don't do nothin' I'ma ball" — which rang out from cars all year.
29. Richie Spice
"YOUTH DEM COLD"
from In The Streets to Africa
(VP)
Producer Bobby Konders gives Studio One's classic "Truth And Rights" riddim a pulsing update. But what sets this apart is the outrage and compassion in Spice's vocals.
28. Lloyd feat. Lil Wayne
"YOU"
from Street Love
(The Inc./Universal)
There was no lusher love song this year. Lloyd is sublimely soft, a pleader slick enough to know his worth, and Wayne whisper-flirts, knowing the lower he goes, the closer she gets.
27. M.I.A. feat. Bun B and Rich Boy
"PAPER PLANES (REMIX)"
from mixtapes
Over a dazed Clash sample and 9 milli blasts, the British agitprop star decries poverty and advocates vigilante justice. But it's Bun B's fiercely resonant verse that speaks real truth to power.
26. Cassidy feat. Swizz Beatz
"MY DRINK N MY TWO STEP"
B.A.R.S. The Barry Adrian Reese Story
(Full Surface/J)
Club jams don't always aspire to emo-depth, but because Swizz and Cassidy are taking each other so seriously right now, Cass is rapping between Swizz' choruses like rapping feels good — and like his life depends on it.
25. Ciara
"LIKE A BOY"
from The Evolution
(LaFace/Jive)
Sick of creeping dudes and half-committed booty calls, Ciara is ferocious on this not-quite-feminist anthem about dating double-standards. "Wish we could switch up the roles and I could be that," she sings. Thing is, she can.
24. Gorilla Zoe
"HOOD FIGGA"
from Welcome to the Zoo
(Block Ent./Atlantic)
An authentic Southern anthem, free of frills, foolishness and, most importantly, dance steps. Zoe's slate-gray rasp is among the most arresting new voices in hip hop.
23. Hurricane Chris
"AY BAY BAY"
from 51/50 Ratchet
(Polo Grounds/J)
Hurricane Chris's lyrical dexterity leaves something to be desired, but the baiting chorus, a rattling tribute to Shreveport, La.-based DJ Bay Bay, is just too hard to throw back. We were hooked all year.
22. The Fixxers
"CAN U WERK WIT DAT"
from The Midnite Life
(Universal)
Longtime homies DJ Quik and AMG take one look at snap music and master it in, well, a snap. "I got some grown man game for your Bluetooth," AMG smoothly raps. Old dog, meet new tricks.
21. The-Dream
"SHAWTY IS A 10"
from Love/Hate
(Def Jam)
The-Dream mastered crossover pop&B by writing Rihanna's ubiquitous "Umbrella," but his was the sleeper hit: An altar made of piano chords and heavenly falsetto, breathlessly worshipping the girl next door who grows up to be a goddess.
20. Foxx feat. Lil' Boosie and Webbie
"WIPE ME DOWN"
from Survival of the Fittest
(Trill/Asylum)
Shoulders. Chest. Pants. Shoes. The Trill trio stay fresh from head to toe over producer Mouse's kinetic jam. But Boosie outdoes his counterparts, rapping, "Fresh fade, fresh Js, on the corner playin' spades/I'm an ordinary person but I'm paid." Cha-ching!
19. Justin Timberlake
"WHAT GOES AROUND…COMES AROUND"
from FutureSex/LoveSounds
(Jive)
It clocks in at an epic seven minutes and 28 seconds, a lifetime for a done-me-wrong pop single. Good thing Timbaland and Danja arm Timberlake with an infectious, but somber Bhangra-style groove.
18. Swizz Beatz feat. Lil Wayne, R. Kelly, and Jadakiss
"IT'S ME BITCHES (REMIX)"
from One Man Band Man
(Universal Motown)
Was there a weirder, more electrifying song this year? With a beat made from what sounds like a maniacal xylophone, this is Wayne's triumph of peculiarity and Swizz's high watermark in a big year.
17. Amy Winehouse
"LOVE IS A LOSING GAME"
from Back To Black
(Republic)
This heartbreaking ballad's aching vocals are the stuff dreams (or rather, nightmares) are made of. That's how this drug-addled tabloid fixture earned the praise of everyone from Jay-Z to Prince.
16. Common feat. Lily Allen
"DRIVIN' ME WILD"
from Finding Forever
(Geffen/G.O.O.D. Music)
Lily's tickly trill almost upstages Common's flow on this campy track, until the blithe shadow boxer unleashes a barrage of punch lines as thoughtful as they are witty.
15. Ne-Yo
"BECAUSE OF YOU"
from Because of You
(Def Jam)
They don't make 'em like this anymore. An ace songwriter, subtle phrase-ologist and unmannered vocalist, Ne-Yo is on full display on this midtempo gem, just another brick in his growing wall of elegant, old-fashioned R&B.
14. DJ Unk feat. Andre 3000 and Jim Jones
"WALK IT OUT (REMIX)"
from mixtapes
(Oomp Camp/KOCH)
DJ Unk's "Walk It Out" was a roiling dance anthem. But this delightfully twangin' remix had a one-up: Andre 3000's opening verse, which re-announced Dre as one of the best MCs alive.
13. UGK feat. Outkast
"INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS ANTHEM (I CHOOSE U)"
from Underground Kingz
(Jive)
Whether Andre 3000's wide-eyed wonder or Bun B's sage street talk, these four grown men put a little romance in rap the only way they know how: talking grown and being themselves.
12. R. Kelly feat. T.I. and T-Pain
"I'M A FLIRT (REMIX)"
from Double Up
(Jive)
The consummate '07 R.Kelly track: Piano production plinking like a brazen wink, Kells not giving a damn if that's your girl. In light of all the drama, the crooner remains a seductive force.
11. Keyshia Cole feat. Missy Elliott and Lil Kim
"LET IT GO"
from Just Like You
(Imani/Geffen)
The ultimate conclusion to Keyshia's heartbroken debut: A female-power anthem advising soon-to-be-singles to take no shorts. Missy's juicy Mtume backtrack beat amps Keyshia's early '80s soul-star harmonies.
10. Robin Thicke
"LOST WITHOUT U"
from The Evolution of Robin Thicke
(Nu America/Star Trak/Interscope)
As perfect for a slow grind as it is for an apology mixtape, Thicke's languid falsetto and flamenco guitar are as alluring as his muse, wife Paula Patton, herself.
9. Rich Boy
"THROW SOME D'S"
from Rich Boy
(Zone 4/Interscope)
By coupling producer Polow Da Don's slick sample of Switch's "I Call Your Name" with Rich Boy's rabblerousing lyrics, this high-octane club anthem about keeping shoes on the 'Lac rides dirty in any system.
8. DJ Khaled feat. Akon, T.I., Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Birdman, and Wayne
"WE TAKIN' OVER"
from We The Best
(KOCH)
Danjahandz's boomeranging synths, five captivating verses and that thrilling feeling of event only a massive posse cut exudes all thrive here. Effortlessly explosive.
7. J. Holiday
"BED"
from Back Of My Lac
(Music Line/Capitol)
If R&B has successfully transitioned from subliminal suggestions to cut-and-dry admissions, J. Holiday hit the nail on the head with "Bed." Here he fearlessly and gorgeously boasts he wants to, "love you 'til your eyes roll back." Damn.
6. T-Pain feat. Yung Joc
"BUY U A DRANK (SHAWTY SNAPPIN')"
from Epiphany
(Konvict/Jive)
T-Pain made a mint in 2007 with frozen, auto-tuned hooks and deceptively sweet advances. "Buy U A Drank" was merely a prelude to his deluge of smashes, but it's also his most perfect: Sticky, never icky.
5. Soulja Boy Tell'em
"CRANK THAT (SOULJA BOY)"
from souljaboytellem.com
(ColliPark/Interscope)
Perfect emptiness here — chants and shouts and a steel-drum rhythm that are, together, shockingly intuitive. It's all peaks, no valleys. But Soulja Boy's ascent to the top of the pops was so rapid, it's easy to forget this record was crucial to both the kids and the streets.
4. Rihanna feat. Jay-Z
"UMBRELLA"
from Good Girl Gone Bad
(Def Jam)
Pop's ruling queen spent the summer perched at the peak of the Top 40, rebelliously banging her bobbed head and flashing a well-manicured, horned hand. This single's unshakable nursery rhyme-style chorus stormed the airwaves and Rihanna's been reigning ever since.
3. Kanye West feat. T-Pain
"GOOD LIFE"
from Graduation
(Def Jam)
So hot it should have been a summer single. This breezy, sun-kissed joint is pure joy, from 'Ye's gleeful mic presence to T-Pain's glossy hook to producer Toomp's ingenious "P.Y.T." sample. It's the sound of West, perpetually searching for his own star, and finally earning it.
2. 50 Cent
"I GET MONEY"
from Curtis
(G-Unit/Interscope)
Curtis was hardly the boon most expected but the tenacious "I Get Money" landed like a deathblow. Booming and utterly New York, 50 hasn't been this gleefully funny ("I took quarter waters, sold in bottles for two bucks") or cruel ("I got rid of my old bitch") in ages.
1. Fabolous feat. Ne-Yo
"MAKE ME BETTER"
from From Nothin' to Somethin'
(Def Jam)
A genetically engineered hit — both Fabolous and Ne-Yo are masters of precision, surgically back-and-forthing over Timbaland's swelling, dignified production. It's a knowing seduction — maybe a bit too much so — but certainly intoxicating.
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Comments
1.
chitwnmami06 says:
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TRU TRU
May 29, 2008 at 3:23 pm
2.
chitwnmami06 says:
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TRU TRU
May 29, 2008 at 3:23 pm
3.
Chief84 says:
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Yo Playaz Circle should be number 1!!!!!
May 21, 2008 at 2:39 pm
4.
qtdaqt says:
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Wait till a rapper from VA name Que come out. I had a premonition. He will make History
March 29, 2008 at 11:02 pm
5.
breezy says:
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what is chris brown's nationality
jamacian and ????
February 10, 2008 at 1:52 pm
6.
strawberry1 says:
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I LOVE ALL OF THESE ARTISTS THEY ALL MAKE HOT MUSIC. SO THE ARE ON TOP.
January 13, 2008 at 10:18 pm