Peace everybody. I'm finally back with part 4 of my Top 50 Non-GangStarr DJ Premier-produced songs of all-time. Life has been hectic the past couple of months, with school starting and work and what not but with one semester down at school, I feel like I've settled into a groove and should have more time for the blog from here on out. As far as the list goes, we're really getting into some all-time hip-hop classic songs now that we have hit the top 20, so without further ado, let's get started:
20) COMMON featuring BILAL-"THE SIXTH SENSE"
Album: Like Water For Chocolate (2000)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTGxPiEg7iM&ob=av2e
Common has always been one of my favorite emcees and with the exception of his last album (Universal Mind Control or whatever it was called) has always been very consistent from song-to-song and album-to-album in my opinion. 2000's Like Water For Chocolate is damn near a classic in my book and "The Sixth Sense" is for sure one of the highlights. Primo's beat is simple but banging, with sick flute and piano chops (from The Intruders' "Memories Are Here To Stay") over crispy, banging drums and Common is right on the mark with his lyrics, featuring quotable after quotable. In my opinion Com Sense is one of the most versatile emcees in the game, and he showcases all of his abilities on this track. Bilal's singing on the chorus, while very simplistic, really fits in well with the track. His voice over this beat gives me the chills almost every time I listen. All the elements of a classic track are in place on this one.
19) JAY-Z-"A MILLION AND ONE QUESTIONS"
Album: In My Lifetime Vol. 1 (1997)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbS3MJ59CBQ
One of only two Premier/Jay-Z collabs to make the list (a couple of others narrowly missed), "A Million And One Questions" is the opening track to Jay's 1997 album In My Lifetime, Volume 1. The version on the album is shorter, prompting the extended remix, which was released in 1998. The beat is backed by a ridiculous piano sample, as Primo takes a two-second clip from the beginning of Latimore's "Let Me Go" and chops it into an insanely dope beat. I always felt like Primo's beat stole the scene just a little bit on this one, as it's just so damn dope, but Jay definitely does do it justice in retrospect. This is just one of those beats that's so dope it's undeniable and with an emcee like Jay-Z over it, you know you've got a classic.
18) TERMANOLOGY-"WATCH HOW IT GO DOWN"
Album: Politics As Usual (2008)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dB5SkzCUes
"Watch How It Go Down" was the first song I ever heard by Termanology when it was released as a single in 2006, and to this day I don't think I've heard a better overall song from him. That's not to say that Term's not a dope emcee or hasn't made good songs since then, but he really hasn't reached the level of greatness that he showed on this track. A lot of it has to do with the beat, which is a banger of epic proportions with soulful strings, hard-hitting guitars and slamming drums complete with a chill-inducing breakdown. I feel like this beat really brought out the best in Term, as he lyrically destroys the track, both with his flow and his words. The M.O.P. scratch in the hook fits perfectly with the track as well. All the makings of a great hip-hop song here.
17) NAS-"REPRESENT"
Album: Illmatic (1993)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKYkDwzi-FI
I've already talked here about the big role that DJ Premier played in Nas' renowned classic debut album Illmatic and "Represent" is yet another example of that. Primo blesses Nas on this one with a slamming beat that's led by hardcore drums and a rolling bassline over top of a sick sample of Lee Erwin's "Thief of Baghdad" (which was released in 1927). Let me reiterate that-the sample that Premier used as the basis for this beat was from a song released in 1927!! Only Premier could take something from 1927 and give it the necessary swing to make it a hip-hop classic. Nas' lyrics are top-notch on this one as well, with most of his talk about representing the Queensbridge projects where he came from.
16) O.C.-"MY WORLD"
Album: Jewelz (1997)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7dHzjxH2VI
"My World" is the second song to make this list from O.C.'s 1997 album Jewelz, displaying just how in the zone Premier was with beats in the mid-to-late 90's. Primo comes a very hypnotizing beat on this one, using a whistling sample from Love Unlimited Orchestra's "Killer's Lullaby" and turning it into a downright sinister track. O.C. also drops many jewels on this one (hence the name of his album), definitely doing the beat justice. I always really liked the hook as well. "It's my world and I won't stop and if you stand in my way you're bound to get dropped." Very, very simple hook but it fits perfectly with the track and the beat.
15) NAS-"NEW YORK STATE OF MIND PART II"
Album: I Am (1999)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZSODfefzlE
While Nas' 1999 album I Am was largely a disappointment (at least beat-wise), it was also an example of the undeniable chemistry that exists between Nas & DJ Premier. "New York State of Mind Part II" is a very worthy sequel to the classic "New York State of Mind" (which will show up later on this list, I promise) from Illmatic. Very rarely is the sequel nearly as good as the original, in the movies or music, but this is one case where the sequel comes very close. Premier comes with a sick, sick, sick piano sample and it brings the best out of Nas lyrically, as his vivid tales of NY street life are a perfect accompaniment to the beat. The track is vintage New York-one that sounds great out of the IPod while you're walking through New York (trust me, I know). This also features one of my favorite Nas lines of all-time (which is saying a lot for me as big of a Nas fan as I am): "Mama should have cuffed me to the radiator-why not? It might have saved me later from my block." You can feel the realness.
14) KRS-ONE-"P IS STILL FREE"
Album: Return Of The Boom Bap (1993)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSsf8JpSAfM
The fact that the first KRS & Premier song to make this list is all the way up at #14 should tell you just a little bit about the quality of music that these two hip-hop titans have made together. "P Is Still Free" was one of six tracks that Primo produced for Kris' classic 1993 opus Return Of The Boom Bap and what a fine track it is. A sequel to "P Is Free," which appeared on BDP's Criminal Minded album, this one is another example of the sequel being as good or better than the original. Primo's beat is backed by a slick stand-up bass sample and chopped drums from the infamous Joe Tex song "Papa Was Too." The beat has a very hypnotizing quality to it: it's so simple but yet I could listen to it over and over and over (kind of like mostly all of the beats on this list). KRS' lyrics are both entertaining and educational at the same time, as he tells of the evils of crack and women who will go to any lengths to get it. Definitely a personal classic for me.
13) NOTORIOUS B.I.G.-"KICK IN THE DOOR"
Album: Life After Death (1997)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNwvHEme_JE
Everybody loves them some Biggie, myself included (although I would argue that he's NOT the greatest rapper of all-time like some think) and "Kick In The Door" is by far one of my favorite B.I.G. songs of all-time. Though it's hard to tell exactly who the lyrics are aimed at, there's no denying that this is some of Big's hardest lyrical work. The beat is sparse and simple yet banging, led by a horn sample from Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put A Spell On You" (which is a great song in its own right) and Premier's trademark bassline and slamming drums, providing the perfect backdrop for Biggie's lyrical venom. Interviews with others who were around Big when he made the song say that Nas, Raekwon, Ghostface & Jeru The Damaja were all targets of the lyrics on this one and they all make sense considering the climate at the time. I also remember reading in an interview that Puffy didn't like this beat when Primo first gave it to him, but when Biggie heard it, he recorded over it anyway and Puffy admitted later that he was wrong and that it took Big flowing over the beat for him to really appreciate it. Let's just say that I find that story funny and I'll leave it at that.
12) ROYCE DA 5'9"-"SHAKE THIS"
Album: Street Hop (2009)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpcaKGcRqro&ob=av2n
A personal favorite of mine for many reasons, "Shake This" features a very rare departure from DJ Premier's normal formula. I would have to say that the main reason for the change in format is the utter dopeness of the song he sampled for this track, "Holy Thursday" by David Axelrod (which I used to have on my answering machine back in the days). Instead of doing his normal chopping, Primo doesn't do anything but loop the beat from the Axelrod song but what really makes this beat different from most Premier tracks is that he didn't even add drums to it. And he really didn't need to because this beat bangs! Not only that, but it's the perfect backdrop for Royce's reality raps describing his life situation before, during, and after his 2007 jail sentence. All this combined with a dope hook equal a modern hip-hop classic.
11) AZ-"THE FORMAT"
Album: The Format (2006)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hl9NzwTZwXs
I discussed previously about how I believe AZ to be one of the most consistent emcees in the game, and he's also one of the most slept-on. 2006's The Format, which featured this title track, is a classic in my opinion though it was largely slept-on just like so many of his other albums. This track is ridiculous, as Premier chops up a Roberta Flack sample from the Dirty Harry soundtrack and makes it all his own with more of his signature dirty drums and thumping basslines. However, what really makes the beat for me is the sneaky xylophone stabs. The beat is just insane and the way that AZ flows in the pocket on it is like icing on the cake. This track really was made for AZ to rhyme over, as his voice and flow sound perfect over it. I can't ever get enough of this track and while it may not be well-known in the mainstream, it is definitely a classic to me.
Well, now we've reached the top 10. I'm excited to reveal them to you and I'll do that in my next post. Until then, one love to all.
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