So there’s a grip of artists that I’d lvoe to do lists for but don’t feel like I know enough to do the list properly. I mangled a couple already, so I’m not going to make that mistake again. Instead, I’m going to take 25 acts I really, really dig and list my favorite of their songs. This could be a fun one.
Artist–2Pac
Song–Me and My Girlfriend.
Yeah, you can say this song was made once by Nas–“I Gave You Power”–and another time by Organized Konfusion–“Stray Bullet”–but this was one of the rare times Pac really rode a metaphor. Shit, forget rode a metaphor. Just used one at all.
Artist–A Tribe Called Quest
Song–Scenario
If I have to explain, I can’t help you.
Artist–Aerosmith
Song–Janie’s Got a Gun
I remember seeing once on Pop-Up Video that the label referred to this as “Steven’s Masterpiece.” And considering this was written by someone that has four, maybe five, songs that don’t involve getting laid and/or high, that’s pretty accurate.
Artist–Al Green
Song–For the Good Times
There are a million directions I could go here. I’m really partial to “Simply Beautiful” and “Funny How Time Slips Away,” but I’ll go with “For the Good Times” simply because I’ve seen it, time and time again, paralyze a car full of people, keeping us in the car until the song was over even though we were running late.
Artist–Anthony Hamilton
Song–Float
My favorite singer of today. Straight kills this one.
Artist–Aretha Franklin
Song–Ain’t No Way
I tend to associate this song with an ex-girlfriend–which lends a spectacular irony, lemme tell ya–but it’s still incredible. For me, it’s so interesting how much I dig the song, believe every word…and still, I’m exactly the kind of dude Aretha’s singing about.
Artist–Beatles
Song–While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Yeah, my favorite Beatles joint is the one written by Harrison with Clapton on guitar. It might be the least Lennon/McCartney song in the catalog.
Artist–Bill Withers
Song–Make Love To Your Mind
Big problem, though. You better be ready to make an honest woman outta this one, Bill. If you make love to the mind, then properly do the same with the body, you’ll never be able to shake her. Never.
Artist–Black Sabbath
Song–War Pigs/Luke’s Wall
Perhaps Geezer’s best written song, maybe the most effective groove…just a great political statement from a group most wouldn’t expect one from.
Artist–Bob Dylan
Song–Hurricane
So many directions to go, but I’ll go with one of the harder rocking and driving cuts in the catalog. Plus, he’s just about as concise as he’s ever been, given this topic.
Artist–Bruce Springsteen
Song–Rosalita
Back when Bruce was still fairly optimistic. By the time “Born to Run” came around, he’d sold his folk out. That’s fucked up, Bruce.
Artist–Busta Rhymes
Song–Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See
If you were a college freshman in 1997, please stand up and let ’em know about this one.
Artist–Curtis Mayfield
Song–Choice of Colors
It’s got some strange moments, but I just love this one to no end.
Artist–David Bowie
Song–The Man Who Sold the World
I really, really wish I’d written this one.
Artist–The Doors
Song–People Are Strange
Really weird, but it explains why so many dudes are messed up about women. Sayeth the Lizard King, “women seem wicked when you’re unwanted.”
Artist–Dr. Dre
Song–Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang
Top 5 hip hop single of all-time. Period.
Artist–Earth Wind and Fire
Song–I’ll Write a Song For You
Not the biggest EWF fan, but this is flawless. Great song, great melody, and the best of Philip Bailey’s falsetto.
Artist–Eightball and MJG
Song–Space Age Pimpin’
Literally flawless.
Artist–Erykah Badu
Song–Booty
I prefer “Other Side of the Game,” but it had to be said that this song begins to explain how she does it to these dudes.
Artist–Juvenile
Song–Juvenile on Fire
So many dreadful things to say about this one. But it’s dope. Hate me if you want.
Artist–Led Zeppelin
Song–Trampled Under Foot
Really, who knew Zeppelin could do funk?
Artist–Living Colour
Song–Solace of You
LC was so friggin’ versatile. If only Vern was a better guitar player. Yeah, I said it.
Artist–Nas
Song–NY State of Mind II
That verse about his friends is real, heartfelt, and incredible. Technically magnificent, too.
Artist–Notorious B.I.G.
Song–Niggaz Bleed
There’s a lotta ways you can go on here and still be in the clear. But since I couldn’t choose between the two versions of “One More Chance,” I went with the best story he ever told. Well, there’s “I Got a Story to Tell.” Yeah, this one’s hard. Lemme get back atcha.
Artist–Pink Floyd
Song–Wish You Were Here
First, it’s one of the few Floyd songs that’s best enjoyed on terra firma. Second, it’s Roger Waters’ masterpiece. Third, just go listen to it. I swear you’ll be glad you did.
Wow, that’s 25 already. Pick this up again next week?

As not to offend anyone, I’m no longer calling these album retrospectives “Old School” or whatever the hell I was calling them before. Got the feeling a few of you were feeling kinda old hearing records that came otu when they were in grad school “old school.” Face facts, pimpin–you’re gettin old!
Anyway, it’s not called Take It Back. I should try to get a sponsor like EJ’s Neat-O Stat of the Night or something.
The other way, Big Walt told me he went about copped UGK’s Ridin’ Dirty. Many of you know I’m a big fan of Walt’s, so I was glad to see that he’d copped one of the albums that rocked my adolescence. But then I thought that maybe I should listen to the album again and see if it still hit me as hard as it did when I was 15.
And it does. But in more than one way.
Save for the OutKast collection, there’s an argument that Ridin’ Dirty is the greatest record the South has ever produced. It’s better than anything Scarface did, much better than any of the four Goodie Mob albums…just a magnum opus.
It’s also spectacularly misogynist. I mean really bad. But in nearly all cases, the misogyny is executed flawlessly. I’ll get back to that in a few.
The hook of UGK has always been that they’re uncompromisingly gangsta lyrically and spit over hardcore funk beats. But two things–the beats tend to have an infectious melody and almost always have a sing-songy hook. The trick is that neither sounds pretentious or soft. It’s the path that Dr. Dre really broke with The Chronic, but UGK brought that to the South and did that with a less poppy sound than the G-Funk stuff from the early ’90s.
Oh yeah, and Bun-B is one of the baddest mu’fuckas on planet Earth. Pimp C might be the most influential Southern producer ever. They also have the greatest chemistry outside of Atlanta. They might even have more chemistry than OutKast, but in a less impressive way since Bun and Pimp are different in style but not in subject matter (unlike Dre and Big Boi, who are entirely different).
But it’s on Ridin Dirty that they’re in perfect sync. And it’s on Ridin’ Dirty that Bun went from just being nice to being stratospherically good. Pimp’s beats were never better, which is key because he made a big stylistic shift between the previous record, Super Tight… and Ridin’ Dirty. Super Tight… was grounded in what was his trademark then–fire organ licks. Ridin’ Dirty leaves the organ alone and goes all over the place, much of which comes since Pimp outsourced a lot of the production to N.O. Joe.
(I’m rambling because I could talk about this record forever…moving on.)
I was going to start this look at the record by going through the standout tracks, but I really can’t think of how to pick out just a couple of those. “One Day” is great, even though it’s not breaking any new ground (and does not list Ron Isley in the liner notes, so I don’t believe that’s him on the hook). “Diamonds and Wood” is great for summertime riding, but not great for any reason in particular. Just works, yanno? “Good Stuff” samples the R&B classic of the same name to make a danceable record that compromises absolutely nothing, can make asses shake, and will make a system knock.
There are two absolutely spectacular moments on here, though–“Hi-Life” and “Murder/Pinky Ring.” The former is Pimp’s shining moment and the latter Bun’s.
A frequent criticism of UGK is that Pimp C is little more than a passable emcee. I can’t agree with that. But I also say that as someone who firmly believes Too $hort is one of the greatest rappers of all-time. It has nothing to do with his dexterity with words or his ability to craft a spectacular narrative. What makes Pimp so good is that he’s so self-assured and believable on every track–check “Short Texas” on Too Hard to Swallow for one of the best examples–even though he’s usually saying something I find morally reprehensible. “Hi Life” showed an extension that few would have expected. His verse about everything from dealing with his family to frustrations with church to being afraid of having AIDS is sweeping, scattered brilliance. And it’s all because he doesn’t seem to be faking anything. If he is, he’s a helluva fuckin’ actor. Without question, his verse overshadows Bun’s, and Bun’s is pretty good.
But here’s the thing–Bun dropped a verse on “Murder” that may be one of the greatest ever by anyone from anywhere. It’s rapid fire, it’s got a trippy rhyme scheme, it’s powerful, and it’s absolute genius. I can’t take a quote from it because you can’t take one line and not use another. Plus, dictating it would totally strip the power of hearing it. If you wanna hear the verse, I’ll help you get the song. Good lord.
“Pinky Ring” comes next. I look at them as the same song because the transition between the two is seamless, almost as though Pimp meant for them to be seen as one song. In fact, they’re on the same CD track on Trill Azz Mixes, the mixtape that was released while we were all waiting on Dirty Money. Between these two songs, you see why Bun is so revered. Where he’s overpowering on “Murder,” he’s loose and bouncy on “Pinky Ring” while being no less effective, interesting or amazing. Because of these two tracks, Bun’s performance on Ridin’ Dirty is up there with any spectacular one-man performance you can name. And it is easily the greatest improvement a rapper has ever shown from a previous album. If a home run hitter made that kind of improvement, we’d think he started using HGH. It’s that damn good.
There’s one more moment that has to be mentioned, and it’s the one that really makes me thnk about some things. “Fuck My Car” is about chicks that want cats for their cars and not their personalities. Musically, it’s brilliant. N.O. Joe ripped this on the boards, and Pimp and Bun are as passionate and genuine as ever.
The problem, of course, is this is ridiculous misogyny to the nth degree. But goddam, it’s so well written and well-produced that I’d be lying if i didn’t say it was worth praise. The only problem is that it’s not. Pimp offers “unless your pussy makin ten thousand dollars a week/the only way I’ll see you in my passenger seat/you bitch!” Bun’s not so bad, but he’s got a couple moments.
Oh, and I agree with a lot of what they say on here. Not denying it. Not so keen on how all of it’s said, but there’s truth in the madness.
What does that say about me? Good question.
Looking back, this record is better than I thought it was in ’96. In ’96, I didn’t know what Bun would sound like on an album without Pimp. Pimp is to UGK what Dre is to NWA and all them other cats he works with. He sets the tone. But it’s more with Pimp because he structures the songs, comes up with most of the hooks, and establishes a foundation that Bun can run wild over. A better analogy might be that Pimp is to UGH what Townshend is to The Who. It’s always been Pete’s band and Pete wrote most of the songs, but he did so in a way that allowed Enwistle and Moon to run wild over his rhythms. He’s in charge but not in a egomaniacal sort of way.
Trill showed that Bun needed that. He sounded so restrained at some moments on his solo debut. He got cliche on many moments. He didn’t take a single chance, and the album suffered as a result (still really good, though). Listen to Ridin’ Dirty then listen to Trill. Just that quickly, you’ll be able to see how important Pimp C is, even if you think his flow is simple.
So that’s it. Ridin’ Dirty will still set off whatever you’ve got going. It’s flawed in some of its messages, but it’s flawless in its execution. It deserves to be on any list of classic hip hop albums, great albums of the ’90s, or whatever you’ve got. Unfortunately, there are moments where it feels like I’m imploring people to praise A Birth of a Nation.
But I’d be lying if I didn’t say it was incredible. I’ll let you know when I figure out what that says about me.

I’m a big fan of that new Busta Rhymes. I’ve been meaning to write about it for about the last three weeks, but you know how it goes. I’ve heard mixed reviews of it, but I’m incredulous about those folks that don’t dig this one. The beats are killer, and Busta finally has what he needs to really make things happen–a guiding hand. He’s no different than LL Cool J in that he needs someone to help him focus his energy into something that works in an album format. Cuz as dope as we all know Busta is, he’s only had one really good album (Extinction Level Event).
Well, make that two.
Anyway, that got me thinking about the hip hop albums that have dropped this year. It’s been a relatively slow year–especially compared to the great year that was 2005–but there have been some really great records to drop so far. I talked on here about how much I love the Tip, Ghost, Juve and–never thought I’d live long enough to say this–E-40. I dig One Hunnid from The Product. I’m also hearing word that the new Mr. Lif is hot, but I haven’t gotten around to it. Maybe another day.
But which has been the best so far? At the year’s halfway point, I figure we’re at the right point to start thinking about these things. So here are my five best records of the year, offered with the caveat that I’m not on top of new music like I once was and am open to any listening suggestions.
5. E-40 – My Ghetto Report Card. In ten years, this one may be on the top of the list for 2006. That’s dependent on this hyphy thing blowing up, though. If it does, it’ll be impossible to deny that this record is a perfect introduction to the scene. And the best part–40 spends a lot less time talking in riddles and rips damn near very track with power and brevity. I honestly didn’t know he had it in him.
4. Ghostface – Fishscale. Just three months ago, I had this chalked up as the best record of the 2006. It hasn’t gotten any worse to me, but I’ve reconsidered some other albums. It’s classically soulful Ghostface, full of all his invigorating and disturbing sincerity. “Back Like That” is probably still the best single of the year, though.
3. Juvenile – Reality Check. If you’ve never heard an old school New Orleans album, this is something you must hear. The tracks are fire and the rhymes are what we’ve come to expect from Juve–very matter of fact stuff from the Scarface lineage. Juve’s caught a lot of hell for the line about using FEMA checks to buy cocaine, but it’s unfair to look at that line separate from the thought process he’s been spittin’ since ’98. His thought is that people should do whatever they must do to get out of poverty, even if that means selling dope. I don’t necessarily agree with that, but that’s pretty easy for me to say from my upper middle-class background. But that line shows that Reality Check is a continuation of his extended treatise on poverty and, like it or not, it’s hard to say he’s not compelling. Check the videos for “Ha” and “Get Your Hustle On” if you need to see more. Oh yeah, “Addicted” is the most unexpected song of the decade.
2. Busta Rhymes – The Big Bang. You know the most interesting thing about this record to me? I learned just how important the mix is on a beat. Pretty much every beat sounds like a Dre track, even the ones that aren’t. The reason is that Dre mixed every song. That’s why every snare snaps, every key hits just right, all of that. Dre made his mark on the record from the background, and that’s really impressive. As for Busta, I shouldn’t have to say anything. Check the record and enjoy. Just try to ignore the mindlessness of “I Love My Bitch,” which proves again that Kelis is the chick to call when you need someone to ride along with gratuitous use of the “bitch.”
1. T.I. – King. You knew this would be on the top. The Big Bang and King are the only records on this list that improved to me after the first listen. My first run through King wasn’t unimpressive, but it wasn’t what I expected. Then I bumped it at the gym and was amazed. There are a couple of disappointing moments–“Front Back”–but the heat is incredible. Mannie Fresh puts his foot in “Top Back” and Young Dro used that song to get me hype for his album. “What You Know” is incredible. “Live in the Sky” hits me in a special way. “Get It” has proven that Swizz Beats is really back. “Hello” is vulnerable without being totally simpish. “Ride With Me” is cool, if for no other reason than shouting out lots of neighborhoods in Atlanta you should work to avoid (thank goodness Little Vietnam is gone). I could go on and on about this one, but I’m not sure who anyone could argue is, right now, the King of the South other than ol’ Clifford. And he’s only 25 years old. More is coming.

Got an e-mail this morning from the wonderful Emma Whittle in London. Emma’s a researcher for Iambic Productions, the company that produced a documentary on Michael Jackson I did a few interviews for. She let me know that the documentary, titled “The Michael Jackson Story,” will air in the US on August 4th on A&E. Check your local listings.
It’s been about three years since I shot the first segments for the film, enough time that my world has been shaken upside down since this first came up.
Here’s the story…
…

See Baba on TV August 4th!Read More »