99 Problems

-
These little treats from Ali Graham's 99 Problems Tumblr just make my day. I hope he stretches this out to be more like 999 problems.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Top 10 Rap Songs About New York City

-
Image
Jay-Z's "Empire State Of Mind" , featuring the vocal stylings of Alicia Keys is a big wet kiss shout out to New York City. Extolling all that is righteous about New York, Jay's occasionally clever punchlines save the track from itself when it threatens to go from anthemic to sappy. Seeing Jay-Z perform this song several times over the past few weeks got me to thinking about the many other rap songs that have been dedicated to rappers' love of the big city. Ever since the dawn of hip hop, MC's have felt the need to confess their love for the city that invented the art form. Jay-Z himself has dedicated a half-dozen or so songs and countless verses to his beloved Brooklyn. Verbally representing one's borough has become so ingrained in rap vernacular that we no longer even notice this peculiar form of civic pride. Why are all these rappers trying to one-up the next man on how oppressive and bleak their home towns are? Is this really something to be proud of? I...
Read more

The 10 Greatest Lyrical Performances Of All Time

-
Image
Lamont’s Lists June 2009 What’s up peeps. Here is my attempt at capturing the 10 greatest lyrical performances of all time. This was really an impossible task. Clearly I have not heard every rap song ever recorded. So I am sure I have missed quite a few gems from lesser-known artists and from B-Sides material from some of my favorites MC’s. I also realize that this is a highly subjective exercise. What sounds fresh to one person may be absolutely grating to the next. But I am taking a stab nonetheless. Somebody has to do it, so why not me? There are a few important ground rules to note however: These are not the BEST SONGS ever made (that list would surely include “Nuthin’ But A G-Thang” and “Top Billin’) - These are just songs that contain the best lyrics These are SOLO PERFORMANCES – Group efforts and cameo appearances are excluded To avoid the “fallacy of recency” (I made that up). I have excluded songs that were released after 2006.  Remember what constitutes great ...
Read more

Lamont's Lists: My Favorite Hip Hop Songs Of 2024

-
Image
Well 2024 is a wrap, and I'm so happy to report that the rumors of hip hop's so-called demise were once again greatly exaggerated. For all of you who, just a year ago, were gleefully citing hip hop's declining streams and airplay as evidence of everything from a lack of creativity, to rampant commercialism, to too much mumble rap, and all manner of other "it ain't what it used to be" nonsense, let me be the first to say "STFU".  As I knew it would, the culture has once again proven to be resilient. There was so much great music released in 2024 that it was hard to keep pace with. From ratchet to righteous, boom bap to trap, and party starters to thought starters...the sheer breadth and diversity of the tunes offered something for every eardrum.  Yes, shots were fired and beefed settled, but there were also calls for peace, perseverance and power moves. Above all else, the music compelled us to put on our headphones or hit the dance floor or rap along...
Read more