The 100 greatest Hip-Hop songs of the 2000's: 21-30

21: "Oh Boy" - Cam'ron feat. Juelz Santana

If things had worked out differently, Cam'ron could have been 50 Cent, the Diplomats could have been G-Unit. Cam was cursed with bad luck, his group dissolved around him, Rocafella dropped him, and his stock in the rap world plummeted. This doesn't mean Cam'ron didn't produce some of the most interesting rap of the decade; both Come Home With Me and Purple Haze are stellar albums. What it does mean is that we may have had a chance to have a lot more Cam'ron in our lives, which wouldn't have hurt anybody.

22: "Ms. Jackson" - OutKast

In the year 2000, OutKast was the best band in the world. That statement isn't really debatable, as the music scene at the turn of the millennium was bleak as hell. In a sea of Creed and N*SYNC, OutKast were some of the only people doing anything interesting. With "Ms. Jackson", they let the world know they had skill. The song hit number one and earned the duo a Grammy, launching OutKast into the pantheon of rock critic favorites. The fact that they haven't given us a song like this every year since then is a fact we have to live with.

23: "Jesus Walks" - Kanye West

The complete absence of spirituality in popular music can't be denied. That's why its no surprise that "Jesus Walks" garnered some much attention. Kanye dared radio to play the song, and they did in droves. Critics applauded the song while religious leaders saw it as an amazing call the Christ. Even the Stellar Awards, the biggest gospel recognition award, came close to nominating The College Dropout for best gospel rap album, until someone noticed that it wasn't gospel at all. Perhaps most importantly, "Jesus Walks" gave us the first indication that West was destined for mega-stardom, someone who could say unpopular things and still have people listen.

24: "In Da Club" - 50 Cent

What a great idea. Take Eminem's massive fan base of new Hip-Hop listeners and package them an inner-city rapper ready to further the Shady empire. His debut album sold 872,000 copies in its first week, thanks to scores of white kids. 50 was able to dominate the rap scene for the first half of the decade, being THE rap superstar. Unfortunately those white kids didn't stay loyal for long, and his black listeners began to see through his facade and nine bullet holes. 50 Cent will always be a millionaire, but he might not sell a million copies again.

25: "One Mic" - Nas

When rap was in its golden age, it had the potential to change the world. MCs like KRS-One saw themselves as teachers trying to uplift their people. I don't have to tell you again that that is no longer the case. Yet the idea still influences modern rap, the position of MC as inspiration still exists. While underground of independent Hip-Hop still clings to that ideal, mainstream rappers seem to ignore it. Nas is a special breed though, a relic from the New York hardcore days that knows what it means to be an MC. You have to pair the tales of the streets with the hopes of the heart. Emotion needs its place in rap music, and power and dominance aren't emotions. Let's hope that Nas stays visible amongst the herd.

26: "Still Tippin'" - Mike Jones feat. Slim Thug & Paul Wall

Wanna know what Houston sounded like in 2005? Well, here you go. I don't think a specific city's music scene exploded into national consciousness like this since Seattle in 1991. If that's true, then this is Houston's "Smells Like Teen Spirit"; three of its best MCs over an archetypal Swishahouse beat, dripping with southern swag.

27: "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" - Jay-Z

Timbaland and Jay-Z make quite the team. Together they made "Big Pimpin", which if it wasn't released on December 28, 1999 would be near the top of this list. "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" is a different animal, full of swirling synths and dramatic drum programming. The whole thing feels easily executed and nonchalant, perfect for 2003.

28: "Bring 'Em Out" - T.I.

Sometimes when you listen to a song, you want it to energize you, to get you out of your seat and get to clappin'. This is one of those. T.I.'s first crossover hit is a stadium ready banger, and is played at almost any NBA game you go to. Built around a Jay-Z vocal sample, producer Swizz Beatz creates a cavalcade of horns, sirens, and whistles; the song literally sounds like half time. Jock Jams for the 21st century.

29: "Touch The Sky" - Kanye West feat. Lupe Fiasco

Soul is always welcome in Hip-Hop, and Kanye was the main purveyor of Soul Rap during the last decade. Produced by Just Blaze and centered around a killer Curtis Mayfield sample, "Touch The Sky" oozes with 70's bump and funk (and it's not just due to the Evel Knievel inspired video). Add a fresh-faced Lupe to the mix and those horns are gonna stay with you all day.

30: "Fix Up, Look Sharp" - Dizzee Rascal

From across the pond came Dizzee, a mushmouthed East London rapper with one hell of a debut album. Boy In Da Corner sounded like nothing we'd ever heard in Hip-Hop, and frankly its still ahead of its time. The minimalist laptop beats were like nothing in rap at the time, leading to the album topping many critics year-end best of lists. Yet the album didn't make much impact on American Hip-Hop loyalists, with this song being the exception. Build around a bombastic Billy Squire sample, "Fix Up, Look Sharp" got your attention. The song grabs you and holds you close, your ears wanting to recoil as youstrain to make out Dizzee's garbled lyrics. A sensory assault of the finest kind.

The 100 greatest Hip-Hop songs of the 2000's: 41-50

41: "We Takin' Over" - DJ Khaled feat. Akon, T.I., Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Birdman, & Lil' Wayne

I don't really know what DJ Khaled does exactly, besides screaming at the beginning of every song. He doesn't produce any of his hits and packs them to the brim with thug rap's finest. As far as a great posse cut goes though, you can't really compete with this one, with Akon belting to the heavens over a Timbaland-meets-Miami beat.

42: "All Caps" - Madvillain

MF DOOM's creative output during the 2000's was copious, varied, and often brilliant, and Madvillainy might be his highpoint. With venerable producer Madlib channeling a superhero and mid-century obsessed RZA, DOOM spits his usual brand of monotonic mutterings with a sneering swagger.

43: "Get Low" - Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz feat. Ying Yang Twins

Perhaps the most ubiquitous Hip-Hop song of the decade, few people would argue that "Get Low" is high culture worthy of much respect, but those people are idiots. The song that made "Crunk" a household name is not just culture but art; perfectly crafted and masterfully honed to instill booty-shaking and junk-grinding in its audience. Is the mark of art not that of conveying a feeling? Does Lil Jon not hold his pimp cup the way Raphael grasped his brush?

44: "Encore" - Danger Mouse feat. Jay-Z & The Beatles

I'm not sure, but I think when Jay-Z decided to release an a capella version of The Black Album, he must have known that it would fuel the fire that was the internet remix and mashup community of the early 2000's. Some mashup releases spawned from the internet had gotten mainstream press, but when Danger Mouse created The Grey Album he became the first mashup superstar. He also deepened the sense of what a mashup album could be, paving the way for more elaborate experimentations with sampled pop music.

45: "Throw Some D's" - Rich Boy feat. Polow da Don

This song exemplifies the reasons for the South's dominance in Hip-Hop during this decade. It blends soul samples, a southern staple, and the electronic-based bubblegum chirps and thoomps that drive the hits of everyone from Nelly to T.I.. The fact that its coming from Drumma Boy and Polow, two of the best contemporary hip-hop producers, and features the energetic barking of Rich Boy lauding another dirty south stable, his cars, makes it classic.

46: "Takeover" - Jay-Z / "Ether" - Nas (Tie)


Bad blood in Hip-Hop is generally good for a couple of good dis songs, but the feud between New York legends Jay-Z and Nas was good for the two most epic battle raps ever. Jay made the first move, with the first track off The Blueprint being a swaggerific attack aimed at Mobb Deep and Nas fired off over a haunting and powerful Doors sample. The irreverence with which the song was delivered begged response, so Jay couldn't have been surprised when "Ether" was released a few months later, beginning with gunshots and the words "Fuck Jay-Z". Where "Takeover" was taunting and even puerile, "Ether" was angry and venomous and pulled no punches. Despite the two titans having reconciled, most fans agree that Nas won this round.

47: "Gold Digger" - Kanye West feat. Jamie Foxx

Coming off the hipster/backpack rap that was The College Dropout, Kanye West had all the critics loving him, and could have recreated that album over and over for similar success. Being a critic's darling was never in Kanye's plan though, and "Gold Digger" was the first sign that West was much more interested in pop perfectionism. The song thumps and bumps and stays with you for days, a skill that Kanye has only improved upon.

48: "So Fresh, So Clean" - OutKast feat. Sleepy Brown

It seems that as we stand in 2010, smoothness has been delegated to our R&B superstars, while a rapper's most important job is to be "hard". For someone to get this smooth now, they'd have to call in a favor from Trey Songz. OutKast didn't have to try to be smooth, they just were, and this song is the silkiest thing to get on the radio of the whole decade.

49: "Deception" - Blackalicious

If rap could have had a motto for the 2000's, "don't let money change you" might be apt. As Hip-Hop became more mainstream and more commercial it became increasingly difficult to find any of the social commentary or cerebral thinking that made so much of 90's rap so interesting. As mainstream rap became more prevalent, alternatives to that mainstream became scarce. This song got some national attention when it was released in 2000; if it had been 2009 it probably would have been a different story.

50: "Georgia...Bush" - Lil' Wayne

No cause gathered as much attention from the rap community in the last decade as much as helping victims of Hurricane Katrina, not just because of New Orleans's vibrant Hip-Hop scene but also because of the underlying feelings of racism that surrounded the issue. When Kanye West famously declared "George Bush doesn't care about black people", it was fueled by emotion and the weight of the moment. When Lil' Wayne decided to make his comment on Bush, it was collected, coherent, and almost free from emotion. It plainly stated the facts of the failure of Katrina, all while presenting a feeling that New Orleans was already recovering. It's hate and hope all in one song.

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.