Every year I compile what I believe to be the true voice of the very best that Hip-Hop has to offer over the last 12 months. These aren't necessarily the biggest hits according to Billboard or 106 and Park, but rather the songs that speak to the very heart of what Hip-Hop is all about and the evolution of the culture. The following list is in order of how this year's honorees should be listened to in order to gain the best musical listening experience:
1) Lupe Fiasco, "I'm Beaming"
2) Diddy Dirty Money feat. Rick Ross, "Angels (Remix)"
3) Reflection Eternal (Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek), "In This World"
4) Juvenile feat. Gucci Mane, "Gotta Get It"
5) Yo Gotti feat. Gucci Mane, Trina, and Nicki Minaj, "5 Star Chick (Remix)"
6) Drake, "Over"
7) Wale feat. Gucci Mane, "Pretty Girls"
8) Fat Joe feat. Young Jeezy, "Ha Ha"
9) DJ Khaled feat. T-Pain, Rick Ross, Ludacris, and Snoop Dogg, "All I Do Is Win"
10) Rick Ross feat. Ne-Yo, "Super High"
11) Nicki Minaj feat. Sean Garrett, "Massive Attack"
12) Lloyd Banks feat. Juelz Santana, "Beamer, Benz, and Bentley"
13) Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg, "Kush"
14) Big Boi feat. Vonnegutt, "Follow Us"
15) Lil Wayne feat. Eminem, "Drop The World"
16) Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys, "Empire State of Mind"
17) Wiz Khalifa, "Black and Yellow"
18) Kanye West, "Power"
19) K'naan, "Wavin' Flag"
20) Jay-Z feat. Swizz BEats, "On To The Next One"
21) Cam'Ron feat. Vado, "Speakin' Tongues"
22) Little Brother, "Curtain Call"
23) Snoop Dogg feat. Jay-Z, "I Wanna Rock (Kings G-Mix)"
24) Kanye West feat. Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, Jay-Z and Bon Iver, "Monster"
25) The Roots, "Dear God 2.0"
Keep a look out for the follow-up posts where I discuss each song in depth and the overall year in Hip-Hop. But for now enjoy The Word on the streets!
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