Saturday, December 31, 2005

Casa del ionesco's 100 Greatest Hip Hop Tracks 1-25

1 - Public Enemy ~ Fight the Power
2 - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five ~ The Message
3 - Latryx ~ Lady Don't Tek No
4 - Dr. Dre ~ Nuthin' But a" G" Thang
5 - N.W.A. ~ Straight Outta Compton
6 - Public Enemy ~ Rebel Without a Pause
7- Sugarhill Gang ~ Rapper's Delight
8- Eric B & Rakim ~ I Know You Got Soul
9 - Gang Starr ~ Full Clip
10 - Public Enemy ~ Public Enemy No. 1
11 - Incredible Bongo Band ~ Apache
12 - Kurtis Blow ~ The Breaks
13 - Ice Cube ~ It Was a Good Day
14 - Schooly D ~ Am I Black Enough For You?
15 - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five ~ Adventures on the Wheels of Steel
16 - Public Enemy ~ Don't Believe the Hype
17 - Eric B & Rakim ~ Follow the Leader
18 - Blackalicious ~ A to G
19 - Souls of Mischief ~ 93 'til Infinity
20 - EPMD ~ Strictly Business
21 - A Tribe Called Quest ~ Electric Relaxation
22 - Tupac ~ California Love
23 - Gang Starr ~ Jazz Thing
24 - Notorious B.I.G. ~ Hypnotize
25 - A Tribe Called Quest ~ Scenario

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Notorious B.I.G only makes one appearance on your list?!

And the Beastie Boys? They don't appear at all and they've made some pretty impressive contributions to the canon of hip hop.

And where are the women rappers? Salt-n-Pepa and Missy Elliot?

Well, at least 50 Cent doesn't appear. God bless you heartily for that.

Ewan M said...

Yeah, it's just my opinion. I happen to think Notorious B.I.G. was vastly over-rated and I've never liked The Beastie Boys: they seem to be the "hip-hop" group of choice for people who don't like hip-hop.

I did think about including "Bite This" by Roxanne Shante, which is probably my favourite track by a female rapper, but it just missed out and I didn't want to include it merely as a token gesture.

Salt-n-Pepa were never my thing and while there's a lot to admire about Missy Elliot, I just don't enjoy her music.

Jean Grea is an excellent lyricist and a couple of her tracks were floating around the periphery of my top 100. I'd say she's the female artist most likely to break into my top 100. I adore "Ego Trip by Nikki Giovanni" from Blackalicious' "Nia", but she's primarily a poet who occasionally records in the hip-hop idiom. "Ego Trip...", like "Bite This", just missed out.

I've just realised that there is one glaring omission from that list: Dana Bryant's rap on Ronnie Jordan's "The Jackal" should have made the top 100, and with a very high ranking at that. I'll revise my list accordingly.

Anonymous said...

Ok, I hear you, I hear you.

And, actually, Salt-n-Pepa would have been a token gesture for me too (but I guess token gestures are sort of pointless on a Top 100 list based on personal opinion).

The Beastie Boys, I suppose, are an acquired taste, especially once the novelty wears off (I still think they're pioneers, though).

I respectfully disagree with you about Notorious B.I.G. being vastly over-rated. Check out the Ready To Die album again. If you listen to it uninterrupted from beginning to end, you'll really appreciate the story arc of the album. I'm telling you, it's his A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

Happy New Year!

Ewan M said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Ewan M said...

"I respectfully disagree with you about Notorious B.I.G. being vastly over-rated. Check out the Ready To Die album again. If you listen to it uninterrupted from beginning to end, you'll really appreciate the story arc of the album. I'm telling you, it's his A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man."

OK, Marie, after your recommendation I'll do just that. I seem to have a blind spot when it comes to Biggie, as I know many others rate him highly. I think it comes down to aesthetics: I just don't particularly enjoy the sound of his voice. I'd rather listen to the mellifluous tones of Guru, for instance, though there's little doubt that Biggie was a more gifted lyricist.

I also tend to prefer the West Coast sound to the East Coast, though again that's both a subjective preference and a facile generalisation. I admire the Wu-Tang Clan, for instance, but I don't listen to them very much.

Happy New Year from Casa del ionesco, Marie.