If You Wanna Go To War…
We’re back again with another Complex/Vh1 Top 25, this time looking at the Rap-A-Lot legacy. I work in a field where I’m often asked to write lists and this was probably the hardest one I’ve ever had to put together. The RAL catalog is just so incredibly deep and rife with more fan favorites than really obvious megahits. In fact for a long time they weren’t even dropping many singles, but six track “Hot Club Wax” samplers, which left DJs to their own devices as far as what would become the hit. Already in looking it at it I’m noticing omissions. But what am I gonna do? Cry? No, instead I wrote a list of 25 mo’ good ones from off the top of my head after the jump. Look them up on Youtube and collect them all. Also be sure to hit the old Tumblr for more RAL randomness.
26. Raheem – “5th Ward”
27. Scarface – “I Seen A Man Die”
28. Geto Boys – “Do It Like A GO”
29. Devin The Dude – “See What I Can Pull”
30. Geto Boys – “The World Is A Ghetto”
31. OG Style - “Know How To Play Em”
32. Big Mello - “Funkwitchamind”
33. Geto Boys – “6 Feet Deep”
34. Menace Clan – “What U Sayin”
35. Yukmouth – “Still Ballin”
36. Trae – “Swang”
37. The Terrorists – “Blow Dem Hoes Up”
38. Z-Ro f/ Devin & Juvenile – “The Mule”
39. Gangsta Nip f/ Geto Boys – “Actions Speak Louder Than Words”
40. Big Mike – “Playa”
41. Z-Ro f/ Trae & Hawk – “Still Livin”
42. 5th Ward Boyz – “G Groove”
43. Geto Boys – “G Code”
44. Willie D – “Clean Up Man”
45. Seagram – “The Ville”
46. Blac Monks – “Secrets Of The Hidden Temple”
47. Choice – “The Big PaybacK”
48. Raheem – “The Vigilante”
49. Big Mike “Burbans & Impalas”
50. Ghetto Boys – “Be Down”
Tumblin' Erb
May 26th, 2010 at 1:22 am
i can only imagine the difficulty of putting a list a best RAL songs…but i gots to get some Zro-”I hate U Bitch,” Bun B “The Story” and Mr. 3-2 “Hit The Highway” on there mayne
but all in all…very pleased to see Big Mike “Havin Thangs” at #3…that is perhaps the greatest “Southern” Hip Hop beat ever made.
May 26th, 2010 at 1:25 am
haha…and oh yeah, what does it say about Tela that not one song from his three RAL releases get mentioned. Piece of Mind >>>>
Now Or Never woulda been just as good had he trimmed the fat off of it.
May 26th, 2010 at 1:42 am
you know to be fair i don’t think i’ve ever actually heard those tela albums. i’m sure there is some good shit on there. same goes for the late dirty albums that ral put out.
May 26th, 2010 at 1:54 am
much love to big mike @ the number 3 spot with “havin thangs”
man, I was bumpin that shit back ’96 at the tender age of 11 years old… thought that soundtrack was the greatest thing I had heard in a hot minute.
The rappin 4 tracks! coolio! missy eliott! ughhhhhh
May 26th, 2010 at 1:59 am
noz how much u get paid for makin these lists…u da man
May 26th, 2010 at 2:23 am
and the menace clan “da hood” video on the tumblr…
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhshit!
May 26th, 2010 at 7:04 am
Wood Wheel should’ve been in the top 10, but an otherwise stellar list.
Someone needs to sell me the RNDS sampler EP because i really, really, really need Wood Wheel on wax to play it out but i’ve never seen that shit show up on Discogs or eBay.
The sampler EP for Yukmoth’s Godzilla with Stuntastic, which is pretty much the best Neptunes knock-off beat ever, on it would be nice too.
May 26th, 2010 at 10:20 am
good list mayn…but Swang HAS to be in the top 25 at least. I wud uv put it at like 6
May 26th, 2010 at 2:56 pm
Scarface – Now i feel ya
I wonder how people feel about this song, it’s probably my favorite one…
May 26th, 2010 at 7:23 pm
Anu: The production on Now I Feel Ya is too distracting for me. I don’t know if the song was put out as a single but it suffers from the imitation G-Funk sound that a lot of cuts from the 93′ era suffered from. It sounds dated and a little corny, but that is just my opinion.
May 26th, 2010 at 7:25 pm
Another thing, why isn’t this song on the list? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZNxWQYCHxQ
May 26th, 2010 at 8:03 pm
Where’s “Why Hate Me” (Poppa LQ) or Raheem’s Dance Floor?
Cosign on “swang” and “gangsta funk”
May 26th, 2010 at 8:53 pm
Mad CJ Mac feat. Poppa LQ – Come & Take A Ride
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DYRIHu3WXw
May 27th, 2010 at 2:18 am
dope as list, but “Swang” and “Playa Playa” would make my list. Along with “Straight Gangstaism.”
May 27th, 2010 at 2:19 am
oh, dang. Now I see the rest of the list. Good stuff.
May 27th, 2010 at 8:42 am
From my perspective :Dirty lacking, Mr 3.2 Lacking, Tela lacking-
I don’t see how anything from restless should be up there apart from Swang, its a decent album but its nowhere near Losing Composure or Same thang different day, or the GM ABN records either. I know you can’t pick those though, but that just means Trae haven’t done his best Shit on RAL.
Z-Ro I would like maybe “that’s who I am” from Life of….
and “everyday samethang” from LEt the truth.
Big ups for Po Pimpin (not a shock , but still) and Big Mike .
some good underground stuff and a lot of good Geto boys. Nice list.
May 27th, 2010 at 9:43 am
Menace Clan is freaking awful. I honestly thought their album was supposed to be parody.
May 27th, 2010 at 9:48 am
Also, no “BoneHardZaggin’” by Big Mello or “South Park Coalition” off of the Terrorist album? IMO, “BoneHardZaggin’” is one of the hardest and best jump off tracks in hip-hop history.
May 27th, 2010 at 2:42 pm
Blah. I agree with you on the Big Mello joint…
although, my favorite Mello cut I would’ve like to see is “What Goes Around”… such an anthem…
Also, I too think Menace Clan was pretty awful except for “Da Hood”… I bought that tape as a kid and thought it was so hard, especially Bill’s verse.
May 30th, 2010 at 9:50 pm
Facemob – “Other Side of The Law”
June 10th, 2010 at 10:07 pm
im from houston and a lot of people talk shit about ral not promoting and but i forget the catalog they have. that shit is amazing.