After my tape deck crapped out in 1997, I was stuck listening to either the radio or full albums in whatever order the artist intended. That all changed in 2001, when the new-fangled MP3 technology got combined with my new CD burner.
In addition to the occassional series of CDs I had burned in order to keep abreast of new music, I had created a bunch of genre-specific mixes that could be used both in the car and at the gym. This week we will take a look at the first disc covering the world of rap and hip hop music, both current at the time and spanning back to the 1980s. I now bring you Rap, volume 1.
Eve featuring Gwen Stefani – Let Me Blow Your Mind
The team-up won the first Grammy Award Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and took home the 2001 MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video.
iTunes stats: 10 plays, most recently on 9/21/2012
2Pac – Keep Ya Head Up
The song, considered by many to be one of the deepest rap songs ever made, topped the U.S. Rap chart, the Hip Hop/R&B chart and the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
iTunes stats: 5 plays, most recently on 8/16/2011
Maestro – Table Dance
An ode to the black man having a good time at the local gentleman’s club.
iTunes stats: 3 plays, most recently on 9/1/2011
Cypress Hill – Insane In The Brain
The song, a diss song aimed at Chubb Rock, was a surprise crossover hit, reaching #19 on the Billboard Hot 100.
iTunes stats: Never played
Afroman – Because I Got High
Picked out of obscurity by Kevin Smith for inclusion on the Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back soundtrack
iTunes stats: 10 plays, most recently on 7/30/2012
NWA – Fuck Tha Police
Ranked #417 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, despite not having been released as a single.
iTunes stats: 6 plays, most recently on 10/23/2012
Warren G – Regulate
The breakout single for both Warren G and Nate Dogg, the track appears on both the soundtrack to the film Above the Rim and Warren G.’s debut album.
iTunes stats: 16 plays, most recently on 1/28/2013
Biz Markie – Just A Friend
Ranked 81st on VH1’s 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders in 2000, and later as number 100 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop in 2008.
iTunes stats: 7 plays, most recently on 4/1/2012
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As they finish polishing up the statues for tonight’s ceremony, it’s time to finish up our predictions with the major categories for the 96th Academy Awards. So, without further ado, we begin with: