1. "Daylight" by Aesop Rock (Listen!)Aesop Rock is one of those white rappers that I frequently hear people cite when they say "I don't like rap except for (rapper)." I hear that about Eminem a lot too. Although the only similarity the two they have is their skin color and their occupation.
2. "Distorted Prose" by dälek (Listen!)
The beat of this song is so noisy and industrial and gives it this really eerie post-apocalyptic feel, which isn't something I often expect from a hip-hop song. But then again, I don't know anything about hip-hop. This is definitely mood music.
3. "Magic Number" by De La Soul (Listen!)
I love Schoolhouse Rock, and the fact that much of this is lifted from "Three Is a Magic Number" made me ecstatic on the first listen of it. I made sure to play it for everyone who knows Schoolhouse Rock. Oh and De La Soul were this seminal hip-hop group from the late eighties and they're pretty darn influential on the whole darn thing.
4. "99 Problems" by Danger Mouse (Listen!)
Jay-Z rapping and The Beatles sampled for the beat. I shouldn't have to explain anything about this. "99 Problems" has the catchiest chorus ever and has been embedded in our culture since its release.
5. "9 to 5" by Lady Sovereign (Listen!)
If introducing this woman's music to someone I describe her as that "British teenage lesbian. How's that for averting rap stereotypes?" but that really marginalizes how enjoyable this is. It's catchy and she's funny. Kinda upset that she didn't develop at all.
Vessel is one of my favorite albums so far this year. Just needed a track from it as an example of its excellence.
7. "Dark Skin Girls" by Del tha Funkee Homosapien (Listen!)
I don't actually agree with the views presented in this song but it has me singing, "Dark skin girls are better than light skin; Light skin girls ain't better than dark skin," all day long when I hear it. Del is impressive in that he can find four minutes of reasons why dark skin girls are better. In rhyme.
8. "Inherited Scars" by Sage Francis (Listen!)
This song is about cutting and came out in 2002 so Francis got labeled as an "emo rapper" for no good reason. I mean the whole mainstream emo trend led to people not realizing that self-harm is kind of a big fucking deal. The song is probably the most personal of everything on this playlist. Everything this guy says just makes me go, "Shit that's tough."
9. "Accordion" by Madvillain
10. "Bird Flu" by M.I.A (Listen!)
I think M.I.A. is at her best when she's doing bizarre incorporations of world music in her raps. The percussion on here is so good.
11. "Purexed" by P.O.S. (Listen!)
P.O.S. was into hardcore punk before he started rapping and that intensity definitely carries over from his previous musical interests into his hip-hop. This song's message is something to consider too.
12. "Plastic" by Prefuse 73 (feat. Diverse) (Listen!)
Glitch and guest rappers. It just sounds too cool to ignore.
13. "Rhinestone Eyes" by Gorillaz (Listen!)
Easily my favorite song on Plastic Beach. Hope it's released as a single. Not a rap tune. The vocals are just a little creepy, which is my favorite thing about Damon Albarn in Gorillaz' stuff.
14. "I Luv U" by Dizzee Rascal (feat. Jeanine Jacques) (Listen!)
Dizzee Rascal is just awesome. His British accent allows him to slur just about anything and make it rhyme. There's some pretty original social commentary here. The beat is loud and incessant and I love it.
15. "Future Dads (Platinum Edition)" by Super Mash Bros. (Listen!)
Mashups are made to amuse pop music consumers. And it works. These guys get lots of understandable comparisons to Girl Talk: the samples fly by as they try to combine everything with everything. I favor Super Mash Bros. slightly since they're so obviously in it for the novelty of the genre. I laughed out loud on first listen.
16. "Juicy-r" by wait what (Listen!)
"Juicy" by The Notorious B.I.G. vs. "VCR" by The XX. I like both of those artists. Make of this what you will.
17. "Thou Shalt Always Kill" by Dan Le Sac VS Scroobius Pip (Listen!)
This is a little dated. I don't care; I only recently discovered it. Scroobius Pip is more of a spoken word poet than a rapper, and Dan Le Sac provides glitchy beats for him. Scroobius kinda just throws a bunch of shit at the wall and hopes that some of it has meaning. It amuses me.
18. "Pursuit of Happiness" by Kid Cudi (feat. MGMT and Ratatat) (Listen!)
Someone put this on a CD they burned for me and I thought, "Wow, this makes a great closing track." The production on Kid Cudi's stuff is more interesting than the lyrics.
If anyone wants me to upload this playlist, just ask. Too lazy to do it now.
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