The 100 greatest Hip-Hop songs of the 2000's: 31-40

31: "Don't Say Nuthin'" - The Roots

Making a more commercial sounding album isn't necessarily a cop-out, especially if it gets you working with Scott Storch. No one delivers inner-city anxiety like Black Thought, and here his murmurs and threats seem sinister, but the beat calms us back down, reminding us that for the moment its only a song, not the truth.

32: "Ridin'" - Chamillionaire feat. Krayzie Bone

A hit song has always had the ability to become larger than life, but in the 2000's there were so many more venues and outlets. Because of this song Chamillionaire was recognized by the RIAA as the first multi-platinum ringtone artist ever. Sometimes these things just happen; release a catchy hip-hop classic right when ringtones are at their zenith and reap success. Listening to "Ridin'", its pretty clear luck had little to do with it.

33: "Work It" - Missy Elliot

Missy's 2002 album Under Construction set the stage for the rest of the decade in many ways. Timbaland's beats had always sounded great paired with Ms. Elliot's raps, but the new pseudo-dancefloor grooves were prime for the big time. Timbaland's cache would only increase over the next years, his success tied to this song and his longest collaborator.

34: "Lose Yourself" - Eminem

If I had to categorize Marshall Mathers's musical output during the last decade, the word I would use is "disappointing". After exploding into American consciousness with 1999's The Slim Shady LP and The Marshall Mathers LP released a year later, Em retreated more and more from the limelight as his work's quality decreased. By the time he released Encore in 2004 he was panned and ignored, after many music magazine's declared him the next Elvis. His shining moment of the 2000's was certainly this song, a companion to his auto-biographical film but more an ode to his humble beginnings and love of Hip-Hop. There have been some recent indications that perhaps Eminem has more to offer us. This song is a reminder that once he offered us greatness.

35: "Welcome to Jamrock" - Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley

Dancehall was another style that was supposed to take over America last decade, yet apart from some infectious Sean Paul we didn't really get too close. Jamaican elements definitely found their way into our pop, just listen to Rihanna's "Pon De Replay". "Welcome to Jamrock" is not really dancehall, though, and bears little similarity to relentless danceability of Beenie Man. Rather, Damian Marley is doing American Hip-Hop filtered through the Jamaican soundsystem, and the result is intoxicating. It's slow, syrupy, easy-going and evil all at the same time. Art is all about contradictions.

36: "Blinded By The Lights" - The Streets

Personal emotion statements are infrequent in modern Hip-Hop, hidden behind a near-impenetrable wall of machismo. Mike Skinner's 2005 album under The Streets name was full of them. Told as a first person narative from track to track, Skinner loses money, gets a girl, loses said girl, and finds said money. We see the MC through the whole album with no facade or persona, Mike Skinner as Mike Skinner. The highlight, both musically and emotionally, is this song, a horrid night of drugs and revelation set to pounding nightclub synths. Its incredibly haunting and touching, and it's sense of helplessness stays with you.

37: "Kick, Push" - Lupe Fiasco

"The Rapper" has become a trope, a stereotype to conform to. Those that do can achieve a lot, simply by association with the culture. When an MC comes along that makes a point of avoiding the type we listen a little keener. When unknown talent Lupe Fiasco made a song about a skateboard instead of a Maybach, he made it clear his voice would be easily deciferable from the herd. The song refuses to be complacent, reveling in its uniqueness.

38: "Ante Up" - M.O.P.

Hardcore New York Hip-Hop was the 90's forte; artists like Wu-Tang and Busta Rhymes made in-your-face rap music that didn't make any concessions for the dancefloor. We can't say the same for the 2000's, but at least we have "Ante Up". Sneaking out in 2000, this song is so hard it might loosen your bowels. The fervor with which the Mash Out Posse scream out their rhymes is infectious; you literally want to hit the streets and jack some jewelery. Get up off your goddamn diamonds.

39: "Testify" - Common

Common wasn't really poised to make a big impact in the last decade. He was a remnant from the Soulquarians, a neo-soul based collective that included Erykah Badu and Talib Kweli. They were the self-conscious rappers that were supposed to change the game, but they were done by 2001. Luckily for Common, a young fellow Chicagoan by the name of Kanye West was willing to resurrect his career, and 2005's Be did just that. Built entirely from West's beats, the album was just what Common needed, and this song of deceit and betrayal is its best track.

40: "Cherchez LaGhost" - Ghostface Killah feat. U-God

As any douchey college professor will tell you, great art is all about contrast. Contrast like taking a nerdy disco hit and pairing it with Ghostface's free association raps. Contrast like soft singing and U-God's condom-breaking dick. Imbue something sweet with something sinister.

The 100 greatest Hip-Hop songs of the 2000's: 71-80

71: "How We Do" - The Game feat. 50 Cent

Dr. Dre made a huge impact with 1999's Chronic 2001, and just like its title Dre's style overflowed into the next millennium. The early part of the century was dominated by Dre and his proteges, and "How We Do" is all about Dre. Game's Compton flow is the best think to come out of Cali in a long time, and 50 is still operating at his zenith. A dynamic duo that we'll see again on the countdown.

72: "Lean Back" - Terror Squad

Hip-Hop didn't used to have songs like this. Songs that become ubiquitous, that dominate all forms of media for an epic amount of time. "Lean Back" was a number one hit that refused to go away, a position usually reserved for mind-numbing pop songs. Just more proof of Hip-Hop's popularization and gentrification during the 2000's.

73: "Move Bitch" - Ludacris feat. Mystikal & I-20

Atlanta was crucial for the rise of regional rap during the last decade, and "Move Bitch" is one of Luda's most defiantly southern songs, with a greasy and powerful beat and the slurring twang of Mystikal and I-20. They create something that is at the same time cathcy and menacing, and as Chris Rock said, increasingly harder to defend. "Well as you can see, there's a bitch in his way that he needs to move. Thus the term: Move bitch, get out the way. You need to open your eyes so you can get the bitches out of your way!"

74: "Acid Raindrops" - People Under the Stairs

California Hip-Hop never really got over Death Row and Dr. Dre. The rest of the country we're huge contributes to the modern rap scene while the West Coast became less and less of a player. Indie Hip-Hop found its niche in California though, with groups like Jurassic 5 and People Under the Stairs. The songs were light, uplifting, drenched in SoCal sun and marijuana smoke, and hearkened back to the Native Tongues of the early 90's. They were also infectious. (Ignore the white guy in the video, who is probably from Cali and thinks this video was a great idea.)

75: "Back Like That" - Ghostface Killah feat. Ne-Yo

The Hip-Hop/R&B collaboration was perfected and proliferated during the 2000's, so much so that there's a new Grammy category for them. The massive success of songs like Usher's "Yeah" showed us that this was the new way to pop perfection, and "Back Like That" is a power pop tour de force. Ghostface spits the story of a breakup that has clearly given him pain, all while Ne-Yo delivers a hurricane of a hook.

76: "What's Golden" - Jurassic 5

At one point in the late 90's, Jurassic 5 and people like them were touted as the future of Hip-Hop, underground rap that was self-conscious and intellectual. As we'll see later in this list, the lofty goals set for underground Hip-Hop in the 90's were never manifested in the next decade. This was as close as we got, a J5 song that got moderate airplay. The group that was supposed to change the game would be disbanded in 2007.

77: "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" - Soulja Boy

The Soulja Boy story is certainly one that could only happen in the internet age. A young kid from Atlanta puts a simple rap song he made himself online, accompanied with a dance that goes along with it. Its a formula that's been exploited for success countless times, but never by such a complete outsider with no connections to the music industry. The result? Seven weeks at number one and instant fame for the young star.

78: "Hustlin'" - Rick Ross

Authenticity has always been a source of controversy in Hip-Hop, and its importance has always been debated. You'd have to be a fool to think that the majority of contemporary MCs murder people on a regular basis, yet "realness" is still to many the ultimate judge of a rapper. If this is the case, Rick Ross probably isn't your favorite. A former prison guard who took the name of a famous cocaine trafficker, Ross caught a lot of flack for being a phony. Who are we kidding? Hip-Hop is now Pop, and Pop is and always will be superficial. So go ahead, enjoy your fake gangsterism and fictional thuggery. Everybody else is.

79: "Ch-Check It Out" - Beastie Boys

The Beastie Boys are rap royalty, and their future at the moment seems tenuous with MCA's fight with cancer ongoing. 2004's To The 5 Boroughs was a testament to the city that birthed them and the old school sound of Golden Age Hip-Hop in NYC. Hopefully we will get a chance to see the Boys change their style once again, but in the meantime we can listen to them gracefully pay homage to a style that is long gone.

80: "Hot In Herre" - Nelly

Nelly + Neptunes = cultural phenomenon. Songs that get spread around everywhere lose some of their power, but listening to this track you can still here what it was that caused the commotion. Nelly is the party rap king, and over an irreverent Pharrell beat he created the song you play at a party that lets everyone know they're at a a party.

The 100 greatest Hip-Hop songs of the 2000's: 91-100

91: "Run" - Ghostface Killah feat. Jadakiss

A frantic, paranoid urban drama from Ghostface's smoothest album. A reminder that with all the gloss and glamour in modern rap, New York is still cops and robbers for some.

92: "Walk it Out" - Unk

Regional rap exploded in the 21st century, and Walk it Out is one of its most energetic jams. All you need is some hometown flavor and dance moves and you can have a national radio hit. So much for East Coast/West Coast.

93: "Make it Rain" - Fat Joe feat. Lil' Wayne

Anytime a song introduces a term into the Hip-Hop lexicon we take notice, especially when its being done by Lil' Wayne. As the originator of "Bling Bling" and "Drop it like it's Hot", Wayne adds "Makin' it Rain" to his personal dictionary.

94: "Mr. Me Too" - Clipse feat. Pharrell

The Neptunes dominated the 2000s; their sound unmistakable. It might be said that no other MCs sounded better over the Neptunes than Clipse, their oldest recording partners. Listen to Hell Hath No Fury and you'll swear you've never heard anything like it, despite their stranglehold on Top 40 radio.

95: "I Ain't Heard of That" - Slim Thug feat. Pharrell & Bun B

The Neptunes are all over this list, mostly because of their captivating list of collaborators. They produced the majority of Slim Thug's major label debut, and in the process made the most interesting record of the Houston rap wave of 2005.

96: "Stand Up" - Ludacris

Over a conservative Kanye West beat Ludacris cements his position as the decade's premier practitioner of Hip-Hop pop. Funny, catchy, and non-threatening, Luda became the everyman's (i.e. the white man's) favorite rapper.

97: "I Hate My Job" - Cam'ron

Recession-era rap from one of Hip-Hop's fallen stars. Cam may have lost the Diplomats and the purple minks, but even a dead end job can't stop him from waking up every morning.

98: "Hero" - Nas

Polow da Don is a Pop-producing god. "Love in This Club" is one of the most danceable pop songs ever, but here Polow pairs his grandiosity with one of the finest wordsmiths around to create a searing serenade to swagger.

99: "On Fire" - Lloyd Banks feat. 50 Cent

If you asked 50 Cent I'm sure at some point he thought he would define this decade and the next. Fiddy's cache has faded for sure, but a few gems shine through as exceptional. Together with G-Unit costar Banks and Eminem producing they created a beat that never leaves your head.

100: "Lip Gloss" - Lil Mama

Hip-Hop is no longer separate from the mainstream, it is the mainstream. Hip-Hop informs and influences nearly every form of music now, most notably Pop music. "Lip Gloss" is pure bubblegum filtered through finger snaps and handclaps. Removing the Hip-Hop from Pop and R&B isn't likely to happen anytime soon.