[Editor's Note: My inner rap Nerd is about to rear its ugly head. You were warned.]
Group Home - "Superstar"
Few songs epitomize the good and bad of classic 90's New York Timbs & Hoodies music more than Group Home's "Superstar". I've heard this song at least 2 million times, and every listen reveals something new and magical about this Preemo track. Seriously, does this song define the term "banger" or what? The Special Ed vocal sample, the futuristic, yet simple loop. It's the sort of beat I'd make if I had talent and ProTools, and the ability to do nifty scratching for the hook. Classic. Sadly, it can't all be good, as Lil' Dap and Melachi set new standards for the term "weak rap". Imagine if Biggie, or Nas, or Jay-Z, or some other marginally talented artist (hell, even Guru) had gotten ahold of this track instead.
Tony Yayo & 50 Cent - "So Seductive"
Remember how 50 used to brag about how Tony Yayo was supposed to be G-Unit's real star? Remember when Yayo finally got out the clink? Remember this banger that hardly got 3 weeks of airplay? I can't really explain why this song didn't work out. Perhaps it's the fact that even though this was Yayo's lead single, 50 ruins it with his lazy verse, bogarting the track barely 4 bars in. Maybe it's this ultra corny video with Buffie The Body, the lazy "plot", and that stoopid "I can't feel my face!" dance. Maybe it's cause Yayo looks like a frog and really wasn't all that talented anyway. In any event, this song is the rare accident of G-Unit brilliance. The hook, the manic beat, and the odd Gregory Abbott sing-a-long all seem to work, even though it sounds bad on paper. This song sorta makes me wish I still clubbed. Sorta.
Intelligent Hoodlum - "Arrest The President"
Ok, this song isn't new eiether. It is random though, as I hadn't heard this in a over a decade till it came on Shade45 the other day. I had to go dig up my old Intelligent Hoodlum CD just to keep it goin'. Man, the production on that jawn (does that sound like early QwestLove or is it just me?) is absolutely grizzly. I don't remember this song knockin' that much in the early 90's when it first dropped, but then again I didn't have a car with a reputable sound system them. I don't follow 90% of what this guy's saying, but all I know it it's sad he ended up turning into some QB SuperThug when the whole "conscious rapper" thing went South. And that's a shame, cause Tragedy Khadafi has nothing on The Intelligent Hoodlum.
Question: Got any good songs you can't get out your head? Remember any of the tracks I just listed?
