RSSBest Rap Singles Of 2005
#1 Shirt of 2005
At this time of year there’s always a some chatter about how bad of a year it was for hip hop because nobody made a good cohesive high concept rap album. But really, there’s about a three year span of the genre’s thirty year existence where any emphasis was put on the quality of an album and not just dope singles. Listen to the classic artists of the late 80s – shit like “ain’t no half steppin” was shoved between bad r&b love ballads and token hip house cuts. You just only remember the good parts. Just because De La Soul and Public Enemy managed to make a few albums that were dope top to bottom, it’s hardly fair to expect the same from all rap artists. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have three minutes of jaw dropping brilliance than 80 minutes (fucking shit are albums long these days or what?) of consistency. I wonder if dudes who listen to like dancehall stress over a lack cohesive albums. It’s a genre of mostly party music, you can’t play high concept albums in the club. If you think that’s a fucked up way of thinking, then you’re wrong.
I honestly didn’t think there was a single great rap album this year, and I don’t mind that. I liked Beans, I liked Triple Six, I liked Z-Ro, I liked Geto Boys, I even liked Cage, but since i can’t call any of them album of the year, I won’t. So for this years “hey I’m still needlessly obsessing over rap music and i crave the validation of other internet rap nerds” list, I’m just listing the top 50 singles/songs of the year (it’s usually singles, but there are a few album/mixtape cuts that i really loved that made the list). Let’s go!:
1. Three Six Mafia f/ Young Buck, Eightball & MJG- Stay Fly
2. Keak The Sneak – Super Hyphy
3. Juelz Santana – Mic Check
4. Mac Dre & Mac Mall f/ E-40 – Dredio
5. Jay-Z – Dear Summer
6. Ghostface f/ Raekwon – Kilos
7. Geto Boys (Scarface) – G Code
8. Slim Thug – Diamonds
9. Z-Ro f/ Juvenile & Devin – The Mule
10. Paul Wall – Sittin’ Sideways
11. Ying Yang Twins f/ Mike Jones – Badd
12. The Game – Hate It Or Love It
13. Beanie Sigel f/ Grand Puba & Sadat X- Bread & Butter
14. Z-Ro f/ Paul Wall & Lil Flip – From The South
15. Juelz – Whistle Song
16. Bubba Sparxx, Killer Mike & Cool Breeze – Claremont Lounge
17. Young Jeezy f/ Jay-Z – Go Crazy Remix
18. Mistah FAB f/ a gang of fools – Super Sic Wid It Remix
19. Purple Ribbon Allstars – Kryptonite
20. Kanye West – Crack Music
21. Kinsmoke f/ Federation & Rick Rock – On One
22. Juvenile – Get Your Hustle On
23. Z-Ro – Goin Platinum
24. DJ Shadow f/ Turf Talk & Keak – 3 Freaks
25. Young Jeezy – And Then What
26. 50 Cent – Ski Mask Way
27. Fat Joe – Safe 2 Say
28. Kanye West f/ Jay-Z – Diamonds Remix
29. Common – The Corner
30. Busdriver – Unemployed Black Astronaut
31. Lil’ Wayne – Fireman
32. Geto Boys (Bushwick) – Dirty Bitch
33. Turf Talk f/ E-40 – Turf Talk Is Back
34. P.E.A.C.E. – Fuck Y’all
35. The Coup – My Favorite Mutiny
36. The Team f/ HAMMER and some other dudes – It’s Gettin Hot Remix
37. Cage – Good Morning
38. Bun B featuring H-Town All Stars – Draped Up Remix
39. B-Legit & E-40 – Guess Who’s Back
40. Hip Hop Kclan – Sounds Like
41. Federation – Only Wear My White Tee Once
42. Chamillionaire f/ Bun B – Picture Perfect
43. Messy Marv f/ everybody- Get On MY Hype Remix
44. Frayser Boy f/ Mike Jones & Paul Wall – Got Dat Drank
45. Busdriver f/ Ellay Khule – Map Your Psyche
46. Nump f/ Federation – Got Grapes
47. Geto Boys – Yes Yes Y’all
48. Witchdoctor – Best Year
49. Wise Intelligent – Still Black
50. Young Dro – Gangsta
Note: I will delete any “i heard that song december ‘04 you’re out of touch” comments.
PS: I’m selling off a huge collection of Rap Tapes on the cheap!! Check it out, something for everybody.
51 Comments, Comment or Ping
Joey
No “Be Easy”?
Dec 17th, 2005
noz
is that the other ghostface song with the pete rock beat? i wasn’t into that. it wasn’t a bad record, but i didn’t think it was too crazy.
Dec 17th, 2005
dodger
Drive Slow, homey
Dec 17th, 2005
noz
now that i think about it, i don’t really think juicy’s skulls shirt is really seeing the stop snitching or snowman shirts as far as impact goes.
it’s been a great year for t-shirts.
Dec 17th, 2005
noz
also i can’t forget the warn-a-brothas
Dec 17th, 2005
david spade
and drive slow? more like drive no. i liked that song better when it was a tupac song. and i don’t like tupac.
Dec 17th, 2005
nocal
I like most of these, but I *hate* that “Whistle” song. Sometimes a rap track hits it big, and I can’t for the life of me figure out why.
Also, I think the pic at the top of the page is broken right now.
Dec 17th, 2005
noz
my mom loves the whistle song.
what pic would that be?
Dec 17th, 2005
nocal
The #1 shirt pic…it’s broke for me in Firefox; when I right click and say “View image,” it says it can’t be displayed because it contains errors. Maybe it’s just me.
Dec 17th, 2005
noz
fixed
Dec 17th, 2005
Anonymous
no Zion I?
Dec 17th, 2005
ana
why do people like zion i so much? i never got that.
Dec 17th, 2005
Jayou
No Frontline?
39
Dec 17th, 2005
dodger
what do u mean you liked the song Drive Slow better when it was a Tupac song?
Dec 17th, 2005
anon E. Muss
no damian marley? i thought that album was off the hook!! oo yeah and whats up with young jeezy? he is whack “Patty cake Patty cake microwave” what is that??
Dec 17th, 2005
noz
i love jamrock, but marley is not a rapper. this isn’t an “urban” chart, it’s rap singles.
Dec 17th, 2005
Anonymous
@ana go listen to one of their albums
Dec 17th, 2005
noz
i don’t like “bang it” at all. did they release another record this year i’m forgetting?
Dec 17th, 2005
charlie
When I first heard Three-6, I loved Stay Fly, but around here, it is played 3 times an hour and after hearing it that much, I don’t know if I want to hear the song when I play the cd.
Dec 17th, 2005
TOmatt
1. Get Throwed, 2. Stay High, 3. Kryptonite
Dec 18th, 2005
k street sportcoater
2005 was definitely a great year in t-shirts…. that is the truth right there.
Dec 18th, 2005
propaganda_life
Damn thanks for the list, it’s amazing how much stuff I had forgotten about.
Dec 18th, 2005
David
Good list – not really feeling “Whistle Song” but yeah.
Dec 18th, 2005
Joey
Yeah, it was that Pete Rock joint. I thought that “Be Easy” was this rollicking good time; a track with incredible energy. Different tastes, I guess.
Nice list, Noz.
Dec 18th, 2005
Ben
What did anyone think about that Quik/B-Real track ‘Fandango’?
Dec 18th, 2005
noz
joey – did you think it was frolicking though?
ben – yeah, fandango was an oversight, i liked that record.
k st. – “healthcoster” may just break top 5 shirts.
Dec 19th, 2005
jose g.r.
most boring years of rap:
1. 2005
2. 2004
3. 2003
4. 2002
5. 2001
6. 2000
Dec 19th, 2005
dodger
I like the “I got it 4 cheap” and the “thank god 4 the block” shirts
Dec 19th, 2005
oliver
Regional bias.
Dec 19th, 2005
Anonymous
I don’t think Ghost rides a Pete Rock beat well. It doesn’t even sound like a single to me. But people liked it so I guess that’s aite.
Nice to see Yes Yes Y’all made the list, I thought I was the only one that thought that was a good single..
Jim Jones – Harlem is missing from the list.
Dec 19th, 2005
jose g.r.
what about the “whisper” remix by chingo bling and pitbull?
Dec 19th, 2005
jose g.r.
you gotta know spanish for that one i guess…
Dec 19th, 2005
dodger
still tippin should be on that list
Dec 19th, 2005
BR
Still Tippin first came out in like 03 or 02 or something. It’s reaaaally old
Dec 19th, 2005
k street sportcoater
paul oakenfold t-shirst for hella cheap. holla.
Dec 19th, 2005
Durand Macklin
Endless props for mentioning each of Superhyphy, Dredio, From the South, Super Sic Wid It, Sounds Like, and Get On My Hype…among other oft-overlooked gems.
The big one you’re missing though is Trae’s Swang.
Another might be Juvenile’s Sets Go Up.
And fools be trippin on the Zion I hate.
Dec 19th, 2005
Joey
> Rollicking: To behave or move in a carefree, frolicsome manner; romp
I suppose it could have been a sonic frolic. LOL.
Ghostface was great in ‘05. I loved Be Easy, I really like Kilos (don’t know how I missed it until this weekend), and I thought his guest spots on Prefuse and DangerDoom were each the best highlights of those respective albums. Add to that a joint like “Cocaine Trafficking” and it was a pretty good year for a guy who didn’t even put out a record.
Dec 20th, 2005
dstill808
Nice list. Not that I’m taking issue with its lack of inclusion, but I would definitely put 50 f/ Mob Deep- “Outta Control” remix.
Dec 20th, 2005
james
Thanks for the list
You not feeling?:
Ohmega Watts:
That Sound (Quantic Soul Orchestra Mix)
download here
also Edan’s ‘Rock and Roll’
Dec 20th, 2005
thanks, friend
valid statements!
Dec 20th, 2005
David
Nice to see Yes Yes Y’all made the list, I thought I was the only one that thought that was a good single..
Nah it just came out in ‘04.
I forgot to complain about “Dear Summer.” Wack.
Dec 21st, 2005
jjjjjjl
Disliked most of your list, but your blog is always the shit!
Dec 23rd, 2005
dj mirateck
you forgot the bay area tear the club up anthem:
bailey- fuck yo couch
church!
Dec 28th, 2005
DJBigDaddy
I thought this was pretty interesting list. I cant hate on it. There is definitly some I would have added and some i would have taken off but overall nice list.
Loving Online Hip Hop Radio
Dec 30th, 2005
Xandre
dodger,
The sample on Kanye West’s “Drive Slow” is by jazz alto saxaphonist Hank Crawford, a cut called “Wildflower.”
It was used originally for 2 Pac’s song “Shorty Wanna Be a Thug” from Book 2 of “Al Eyez On Me.”
Jan 2nd, 2006
510
step your fucking game up! if you’re gonna rep the bay then rep the bay with some pride. putting “f/ a bunch of folks” is lazier than mf doom’s flow
it really is funny tho..agreeing with wang, this is everyone else’s year-end list with bay slaps distributed evenly throughout…a la the timeless advice from 40 himself: “sprinkle me”
well done, i hope in 06 you actually rep that bay instead of just liking it because it isn’t on anyone else’s radar, thus making you (like me) feel all tingly inside.
Jan 5th, 2006
Archibald Nemesis
does it have to be an official single?
definitely missing:
50 Cent – Outta Control (remix) ft Mobb Deep.
Bun B – Get Throwed or Keep Pushin
Game “Runnin” ft Tony Yayo
Jan 5th, 2006
noz
busdriver was on everybody else’s list? wise intelligent? bubba/breeze/mike? geto boys? young dro? lets be honest, with any of these lists there’s going to be several omniprescent records, i think anybody would have a hard time denying something like “stay fly”.
and i put on the bay records i liked. those fools dropped like 6000 records this year, it’d be hard not to like ten of them.
the “a bunch of folks” was purely a space issue, it would’ve probably swung over to another line had i done otherwise. Plus i PUT ON THE HAMMER, and thus i WILL BE REWARDED.
Jan 7th, 2006
the human trumpet solo
Mr. Macklin (and whoever else was sticking up for Zion I): Amp Live knows what he’s doing on the ones and twos (and Planet Asia stops by occasionally to lace them with a beat, which is terrific when he contributes something as impressive as “Critical” from (I believe) their second LP but not so pleasant when, you know, he raps on it… although at least (to get back to topic) it’s a respite from Zion, who… well, I’m trying really hard to think of an inventive putdown, but I’m not feelin’ too literary this evening; all I can say is I’ve heard maybe four or five worse MCs in my entire life. Guy’s lyrics sound like someone done went ahead and clubbed Talib Kweli in the back of the head with a baseball bat, stuck a clothespin on his nose, slammed his face into a bucket of cold water, tied him to a tree, and -then- handed him a mic. Aesop Rock spends all that time kicking around on abstruse, often barely-listenable but at least inventive Def Jux and Jux-flavoured shoesnudes, and then when he finally decides to pop up on some old-style boom bap, he needs to go and pick THIS man (not to mention fuckin’ Rasco) to work with? I know for certain… everything ain’t right.
Glad to see someone who’s as on-point with salvos against major indie talking-point rap went easy on Edan (I say the kid can rap) and didn’t instantly write off the ridiculous Busdriver. Surprised you didn’t think the stirring “Be Easy” was some of the best shit of the year– I certainly did. Ghost’s hunger is unmatched, and it’s the best thing I’ve heard from Pete Rock in an absurdly long time.
And there was some cat who requested that you cover the Goats? Not to be pushy, but that’d be dope. What a fucking rap group.
I’m 17 and don’t really know my shit; I just discovered this site about that many seconds ago and damned if I don’t wish I’d discovered it sooner. Mother of ass, this place is the joint. Thank you Mr. Noz.
Jan 18th, 2006
TradRudeBoy
Yo…
Wait a minute before you talk shit about Zion I. First off, see him live before you call him one of the worst. Second, he’s an MC, not a rapper. Nelly is a rapper, get the difference? Third, have you ever known Lyrics Born to make a mistake about who he records and puts out on Quannum? I haven’t. To compare Zion to a beaten, cloistered, Talib Kweli is just evidence that you need to let go of your own bias and maybe listen to a song or two.
Also, “Cocaine, Blunts & Hip Hop Tapes” is rediculous. Way to perpetuate the stereotype of MC Sambo dancing in the club with his thugs, guns, and drugs, just waiting until he can dance for massah, or maybe get a shiny new “grill.” While you’re at it, just name the site “We Beat Down Bitches and Steal Cars.”
Get a clue.
Jul 11th, 2007
Anonymous
Hey look at this–KIIS FM has an awesome section on the real names of most well-known rappers. Check it out!!
http://www.kiisfm.com/cc-common/gallery/display.html?album_id=123659
Jul 30th, 2008
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