Lotus
06-03-2005, 02:47 AM
Yes, so the countdown is winding down. The goal is to try to make 10-1 my 3,000th post. But that probably won't happen; I'll probably end making some spam topic giving myself a pat on the back for taking almost 5 years to reach 3,000 posts. Anyways, back to the countdown:
30. Zion I- Trippin' (Fall 2001): I'm a pretty huge fan of these guys, mainly because they bring a trip-hopish sound to the game, some of the time. But their best songs, I believe, are the ones with more hip-hop beats. This is one of them. The beat in this song is unbelievable, and the subject matter and lyrics are good enough to not bring the beat down. Though the other aspects are pretty good, the production carries this song. And the chorus is really tight as well. Hip-hop heads should check these guys out. Their 3rd CD, "True and Livin'", just came out. It's alright, but "Temperature", "Bird's Eye View", and "What You Hear" make the CD worth buying. OK, enough promotion. Next song.
29. Gang Starr- Full Clip (February 2002): The first time I heard this song was when I bought the "Full Clip: a Decade of Gang Starr" CD. I had only heard a few of their songs before this CD, but this CD made me a fan for life. And this was the first song on the CD. Of course, DJ Premier makes this song what it is, but Guru holds his own as well. I don't know if there is anything else to say about this one; it's just sick.
28. DMX- Slippin' (Spring 1999): This was DMX's 2nd song that I heard, just after "Ruff Ryders' Anthem". So I was kinda into him, so when I saw this song on MTV, I thought, "Damn, this song is pretty nice". I'm a sucker for melancholy rap songs by commercial artists, or at least rappers who don't do that "back-packing" bullshit rap. Anyways, DMX pretty much sucks as a lyricist, but on this song, he is able to tell a great story. Also, the music video is very good- I like the darkness in it; fits well with the theme of the song.
27. Gang Starr- You Know My Steez (February 2002): Overall, I think Guru is one of the worst lyricists out there, but I guess he gets a pass because he is old school and you didn't have to sound so complex to be considered any good. But on this song, Guru brings it. He doesn't have his usual "wow- how did this guy ever get signed?" lines in this song. He just straight flows on this track. While the beat is one of Premo's best production jobs, Guru shines on this one. He flows perfectly to the beat and he actually has great lyrics. Not just good, GREAT. This is the best I have ever heard Guru rap, and he probably won't do this good ever again.
26. Cranberries- Zombie (Fall 1996): I had almost forgot about this song. I don't think it even made the list I put out here in September 2001. But damn, I remembered one day that I used to love this song, and then I downloaded it, and soon fell in love with it again. At one time, I had this song as high as 9th, but then reality hit, I guess. The music video is pretty tight, but what really makes the song is the singing. Now that's something I don't usually say (I'm not that big on singing). But her singing of "But you see, it's not me, it's not my family, In your head, in your head, They're fighting! with their tanks, and their bombs, and their bombs, and their guns, In your head, in your head, they're crying!" is simply masterful. Usually, I'm not a fan of lyrics in rock songs, but the lyrics in this song are just great. The violence, causes silence.... It's the same, old thing, since 1916.... In your head, in your head... They're dying.....
25. Unknown Artist- Right Here (Spring 2001): My computer says this song is by Tru Mobbizm, but every other song I've heard by them totally does not sound like the rapper in this song. At the end of the song, the guy says "The Nomads (or Nomans) is here to stay y'all", but every search I have done with that has come up empty. I've been listening to this song for over 4 years, and I still don't know who it's by. The only reason I have this song is because I was trying to download "Right Here, Right Now" by Fatboy Slim, only I didn't know it was by Fatboy Slim back then. So I downloaded every "Right Here" that I saw. This happened to be one of them. And boy am I glad to have come across this song. This song probably has my favorite message in any song: loyalty to friends, almost to a fault. That's how I am, and while this song is a little more thuggish, I can still relate to it when it talks about friendship. It's a 2-verse song, the first verse pretty positive, and the 2nd verse exactly the opposite. The song has a great melancholy piano in it. This is one of those songs that creates an atmosphere. And I always feel like I'm in this certain urban squalor whenever I hear this song. It's simply great, and more people should hear this song.
24. D-Star/MC Steele- Mirror Image (November 2000): When I used to do the whole e-fed thing back in 2001 and 2002, I used this song as my theme song for my Lotus character. I remember the first time I heard this song was when I was breaking in my "This is Jungle Sky Vol. 7: Jungle in America is Here" CD while playing Crash Bandicoot 3. It was getting dark and I was just finishing playing the game for that session, and I remember hearing this song come on, and going, "holy shit". I couldn't move. I just sat on my bed and listened to the whole thing. When I was in 5th Grade (1997-1998), I would always hum this melody to myself that I thought would be the most mind-blowing melody put on any song ever. The melody that I hummed to myself was pretty similar to the one on "Mirror Image", during the instrumental part of it. And I had the longest eargasm of my whole life. No song like that has ever "froze" me in awe.
23. Q-Tip/Raphael Saadiq- Get Involved (April 1999): The first time I heard this song was when I saw the music video on MTV, which was promoting the claymation show "The PJ's"- a great show that didn't last more than 2 or 3 seasons. In it, everybody had a TV set for a head, so it kinda distracted me from the song. But after a few listens, I realized that this song is just unbelievably great. The singing is great, Q-Tip sounds nice, the chorus is fantastic, and the song has a great melody. It's one of those songs that has a "chillax" beat. And like I said earlier, I'm a sucker for those kind of beats. I plan on making a CD full of those kind of beats. But back to the point: this song is great.
22. Tupac ft. Outlawz- Baby Don't Cry (January 2001): This song was originally at 14th, and maybe 22 is still even a little too high. However, this song definitely deserves to be in the Top 25 regardless. Also known as "Keep Ya Head Up Part II", it is a more-than-worthy sequel, though it doesn't come close to the original. While Tupac's verse is by far the best on this song, the Outlawz shine as well. Obviously, I think the beat is very tight (if I didn't, it wouldn't be this high on the countdown). But as I listen to this song now while I'm writing about, I realize just how good this song is. I was thinking about moving it down until now. Great song, one of Tupac's best, and definitely the Outlawz' best.
21. Amber- I'm a Dreamer (Fall 2000): Originally, I had this song at like 66. And then one day, I didn't even hear the song, I was just thinking about it, and I'm like, "why the hell is it so low on my countdown?" This is like my 3rd favorite dance/house song of all-time. It is just so perfect. The bass, the singing, the keyboard, the synths. Yes. Fantastic. The little segment where it goes from Amber saying "I'm a Dreamer" or some variety of it at the beginning to the true melody of the song is just mind-blowing, and might be my favorite 2 seconds out of any song ever. That's how good that little segment is. Wow. Great. The only thing that holds this song from being higher is that about a minute of it is just fucking drums and her saying "am I a dreamer", 30 seconds at the beginning and 30 seconds at the end, or at least around that. I guess it's necessary for the song (at least the beginning), but I would like to hear more of the melody. Nevertheless, it's pretty much untouchable.
Alright guys, that's it for now.
30. Zion I- Trippin' (Fall 2001): I'm a pretty huge fan of these guys, mainly because they bring a trip-hopish sound to the game, some of the time. But their best songs, I believe, are the ones with more hip-hop beats. This is one of them. The beat in this song is unbelievable, and the subject matter and lyrics are good enough to not bring the beat down. Though the other aspects are pretty good, the production carries this song. And the chorus is really tight as well. Hip-hop heads should check these guys out. Their 3rd CD, "True and Livin'", just came out. It's alright, but "Temperature", "Bird's Eye View", and "What You Hear" make the CD worth buying. OK, enough promotion. Next song.
29. Gang Starr- Full Clip (February 2002): The first time I heard this song was when I bought the "Full Clip: a Decade of Gang Starr" CD. I had only heard a few of their songs before this CD, but this CD made me a fan for life. And this was the first song on the CD. Of course, DJ Premier makes this song what it is, but Guru holds his own as well. I don't know if there is anything else to say about this one; it's just sick.
28. DMX- Slippin' (Spring 1999): This was DMX's 2nd song that I heard, just after "Ruff Ryders' Anthem". So I was kinda into him, so when I saw this song on MTV, I thought, "Damn, this song is pretty nice". I'm a sucker for melancholy rap songs by commercial artists, or at least rappers who don't do that "back-packing" bullshit rap. Anyways, DMX pretty much sucks as a lyricist, but on this song, he is able to tell a great story. Also, the music video is very good- I like the darkness in it; fits well with the theme of the song.
27. Gang Starr- You Know My Steez (February 2002): Overall, I think Guru is one of the worst lyricists out there, but I guess he gets a pass because he is old school and you didn't have to sound so complex to be considered any good. But on this song, Guru brings it. He doesn't have his usual "wow- how did this guy ever get signed?" lines in this song. He just straight flows on this track. While the beat is one of Premo's best production jobs, Guru shines on this one. He flows perfectly to the beat and he actually has great lyrics. Not just good, GREAT. This is the best I have ever heard Guru rap, and he probably won't do this good ever again.
26. Cranberries- Zombie (Fall 1996): I had almost forgot about this song. I don't think it even made the list I put out here in September 2001. But damn, I remembered one day that I used to love this song, and then I downloaded it, and soon fell in love with it again. At one time, I had this song as high as 9th, but then reality hit, I guess. The music video is pretty tight, but what really makes the song is the singing. Now that's something I don't usually say (I'm not that big on singing). But her singing of "But you see, it's not me, it's not my family, In your head, in your head, They're fighting! with their tanks, and their bombs, and their bombs, and their guns, In your head, in your head, they're crying!" is simply masterful. Usually, I'm not a fan of lyrics in rock songs, but the lyrics in this song are just great. The violence, causes silence.... It's the same, old thing, since 1916.... In your head, in your head... They're dying.....
25. Unknown Artist- Right Here (Spring 2001): My computer says this song is by Tru Mobbizm, but every other song I've heard by them totally does not sound like the rapper in this song. At the end of the song, the guy says "The Nomads (or Nomans) is here to stay y'all", but every search I have done with that has come up empty. I've been listening to this song for over 4 years, and I still don't know who it's by. The only reason I have this song is because I was trying to download "Right Here, Right Now" by Fatboy Slim, only I didn't know it was by Fatboy Slim back then. So I downloaded every "Right Here" that I saw. This happened to be one of them. And boy am I glad to have come across this song. This song probably has my favorite message in any song: loyalty to friends, almost to a fault. That's how I am, and while this song is a little more thuggish, I can still relate to it when it talks about friendship. It's a 2-verse song, the first verse pretty positive, and the 2nd verse exactly the opposite. The song has a great melancholy piano in it. This is one of those songs that creates an atmosphere. And I always feel like I'm in this certain urban squalor whenever I hear this song. It's simply great, and more people should hear this song.
24. D-Star/MC Steele- Mirror Image (November 2000): When I used to do the whole e-fed thing back in 2001 and 2002, I used this song as my theme song for my Lotus character. I remember the first time I heard this song was when I was breaking in my "This is Jungle Sky Vol. 7: Jungle in America is Here" CD while playing Crash Bandicoot 3. It was getting dark and I was just finishing playing the game for that session, and I remember hearing this song come on, and going, "holy shit". I couldn't move. I just sat on my bed and listened to the whole thing. When I was in 5th Grade (1997-1998), I would always hum this melody to myself that I thought would be the most mind-blowing melody put on any song ever. The melody that I hummed to myself was pretty similar to the one on "Mirror Image", during the instrumental part of it. And I had the longest eargasm of my whole life. No song like that has ever "froze" me in awe.
23. Q-Tip/Raphael Saadiq- Get Involved (April 1999): The first time I heard this song was when I saw the music video on MTV, which was promoting the claymation show "The PJ's"- a great show that didn't last more than 2 or 3 seasons. In it, everybody had a TV set for a head, so it kinda distracted me from the song. But after a few listens, I realized that this song is just unbelievably great. The singing is great, Q-Tip sounds nice, the chorus is fantastic, and the song has a great melody. It's one of those songs that has a "chillax" beat. And like I said earlier, I'm a sucker for those kind of beats. I plan on making a CD full of those kind of beats. But back to the point: this song is great.
22. Tupac ft. Outlawz- Baby Don't Cry (January 2001): This song was originally at 14th, and maybe 22 is still even a little too high. However, this song definitely deserves to be in the Top 25 regardless. Also known as "Keep Ya Head Up Part II", it is a more-than-worthy sequel, though it doesn't come close to the original. While Tupac's verse is by far the best on this song, the Outlawz shine as well. Obviously, I think the beat is very tight (if I didn't, it wouldn't be this high on the countdown). But as I listen to this song now while I'm writing about, I realize just how good this song is. I was thinking about moving it down until now. Great song, one of Tupac's best, and definitely the Outlawz' best.
21. Amber- I'm a Dreamer (Fall 2000): Originally, I had this song at like 66. And then one day, I didn't even hear the song, I was just thinking about it, and I'm like, "why the hell is it so low on my countdown?" This is like my 3rd favorite dance/house song of all-time. It is just so perfect. The bass, the singing, the keyboard, the synths. Yes. Fantastic. The little segment where it goes from Amber saying "I'm a Dreamer" or some variety of it at the beginning to the true melody of the song is just mind-blowing, and might be my favorite 2 seconds out of any song ever. That's how good that little segment is. Wow. Great. The only thing that holds this song from being higher is that about a minute of it is just fucking drums and her saying "am I a dreamer", 30 seconds at the beginning and 30 seconds at the end, or at least around that. I guess it's necessary for the song (at least the beginning), but I would like to hear more of the melody. Nevertheless, it's pretty much untouchable.
Alright guys, that's it for now.