Track 1
Song: We Got It For Cheap [Intro]
Artist: Clipse
Originally On What Album: Hell Hath No Fury
Clipse may rap a lot about drugs and guns and other cliche rap subjects, but their lyrics are so hot I just can't hate. I mean, "It's like trying to fly, but they clipping you're wings/and that's exactly why the caged bird sings. Who can nickname it, the shame rings true, seems to me reparations are overdue," damn! This was the intro to their first album after a long delay due to various label-changes and legal issues with song rights. I feel it is a good start to my playlist/mix too.
Track 2
Song: Chopped N Skrewed
Artist: T-Pain Featuring Ludacris
Originally On What Album: Three Rings
I don't care if people tend to hate him, I enjoy T-Pain. People say he is lame, and he faces that by rapping about how lame he is! This whole song is about being shut down by various women after trying to pick them up! It also is a clever reference to the music style of Chopped-And-Screwed where a song is slowed down and cut-up, which this song simulates with its jumpy beat and altered voices (so that's clever). Ludacris also turns in a nice rap to finish the song expertly.
Track 3
Song: Last Living Souls
Artist: Gorillaz
Originally on What Album: Demon Days
Probably my favorite Gorillaz song, it opens with a light beat before seguing into a quiet bit with Damon Albarn (as 2D) singing like Elvis Costello before the earlier beat comes back but now morphed into violins! It is hard to describe but great to listen to.
Track 4
Song: Walk On By
Artist: George Benson
Originally On What Album: Giblet GravyA stunningly smooth jazz version of the famous song Walk On By. The only version I maybe like more is Issac Haye's 12-minute or so cover that turns it into an emotional ballad. That is pretty long though and I want to have a lot of songs on my mixtape so I'll go with this version.
Track 5
Song: Ghetto Music
Artist: Bizzare Featuring Swity Stic. Man and King Gordy
Originally On What Album: Hannicap Circus
On his debut album Bizarre often was busy trying to be funny. It worked sometimes, but his humor was really twisted. Apparently his later albums took it even further. The thing about this song, is he has his somewhat funny opening verse, but the other guest rappers turn in rhymes that are not really funny, just solid and clever raps. One raps about smoking weed, but he is so clever it actually works, "If you ain't Clinton you inhaling that," just makes me crack a smile, and the other does a genuinely touching verse about the inner-city, it's youth and what the future may hold for them. It's a good song.
Track 6
Song: Rumpshaker
Artist: Wreckx-N-Effect
Originally On What Album: Hard Or Smooth
Yes, this track pretty much objectifies women, is all about bottom-shaking, and is crass. That Saxophone and beat are just so hot though, and the rhymes may be silly but have a slight cleverness to them--however minimal. This track may be a guilty pleasure, but it still is just plain fun.
Track 7
Song: If You Leave Me Now
Artist: Chicago
Originally On What Album: Heart of Chicago
Yeah, I like Chicago, what of it? I think this song about not wanting someone to leave because you love them is the perfect opposite of the previous song all about booty-shaking and sex. It creates an interesting dichotomy when you put these two tracks together. That, and I just really like this song for some reason.
Track 8
Song: Lost Love
Artist: Hollyweerd
Originally On What Album: Edible Phat 2.0
Amazing independent rap group Hollyweerd remind me a lot of OutKast--which is a good thing. I've loved some of their albums and been colder on others, but this newest one is pretty solid, with this short track serving as a good interlude for my mix.
Track 9
Song: What's It Feel Like To Be a Ghost?
Artist: Taking Back Sunday
Originally On What Album: Louder Now
It was a fight between this song and "MakeDamnSure" for going on my playlist as I love both, but this track won thanks to its awesome quiet part that is just so pretty and stands in stark contrast to the loudness of the rest of the song. The loud parts of the song are great too, it's just that the quiet and loud combined make a stellar song.
Track 10
Song: American Dream Prelude
Artist: Killer Mike
Originally On What Album: Pl3dge
The spoken-word intro to an amazing track by Killer Mike, I find you need this bit to get the full impact of the song so I'm including it. Plus it segues perfectly into the song itself.
Track 11
Song: American Dream
Artist: Killer Mike Featuring Big Meech
Originally On What Album: Pl3dge
I enjoy political rap when it is done well. Dead Prez do a good job, for instance. David Banner has done some political stuff I've liked. I own Killer Mike's first album and it is decent, but nothing on it is as utterly amazing and insightful as this track. Pretty much every lyric he says is clever, opinionated, and just dynamite.
Track 12
Song: Slow Jamz
Artist: Kanye West Featuring Twista and Jaime Foxx
Originally On What Album: The College Dropout
This is the extended version of the popular song, while the version you've heard on the radio is decent, this is even better. It has beautiful slow-jammy-style parts where the beat fades and its just the melody and the voices of the singers. It's quite nice.
Track 13
Song: Everygirl In The World
Artist: Young Money
Originally On What Album: We Are Young Money
Yeah, I can't even think of any excuses for why I like this song. It is essentially a song about how some men want to have sex with every woman in the world, how much more misogynistic could you get? It's just that some of the lyrics are so clever and the singing parts are so good-sounding, and I love the beat and general sound. I'm sorry, but I like this song, even if it is so wrong to. Yeah, I may be a hypocrite enjoying this and decrying other people as ruining rap, but whatever, I'm going to hit replay.
Track 14
Song: French Navy
Artist: Camera Obscura
Originally On What Album: My Maudlin Career
This song is so peppy and fun I challenge you to listen to it and not feel like smiling (Note: Challenge not valid if you dislike indie-rock with a folk-twist).
Track 15
Song: That Lady
Artist: The Isley Brothers
Originally On What Album: It's been on a bunch, but I got this from the Greatest Hits CD
The Isley Brothers have voices silkier than cloth, smoother than butter, and uh....you get my point. Those voices combined with a great melody and a killer guitar solo makes for one hot track.
Track 16
Song: Viva La White Girl
Artist: Gym Class Heroes
Originally On What Album: As Cruel As Schoolchildren
A fun rap-rock group, with this song actually having no rapping. Depending on who you ask this song is about cocaine, how the music industry is like a drug, or Hollywood's obsession with white women. "We'll get high, and hide, we all lust, to the glamorous white girl," you decide. I myself like the idea that it is mocking Hollywood and Gym Class Heroes have enough of a bitter, dark, and cynical sense of humor that it would make sense.
There you go, my mix for moving, driving, packing and what have you.
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