HHC Top 100 rap singles 40-31

#37 & 31 - NWA

*Please, please, please use the zshare links or else I won't be able to post properly once my bandwidth is used up on fileden.*

The tunes are getting bigger now yet there are probably still a few that you don’t have. I’ve been wondering what purpose this top 100 has been serving for people. Has it been a trip down memory lane? Has it been an opportunity for you to fill in gaps in your collection? Has it been an educational experience? Drop me a comment so I can understand more about my visitors. Today’s selection is particularly good:

40. Big Daddy Kane – Ain’t no Half Steppin’ (zshare) – 1988 – Long Live the Kane (buy album here)
In 88 this must have sounded a couple of years ahead of the game. A very laid back track with numerous samples, the strangest one being the serial killer with a knife sound effect.

39. Gang Starr – Mass Appeal (zshare) – 1994 – Full Clip (buy album here)
DJ Premier is one of those producers who will never be accused of whackness. He’s consistent on the whole and even when he makes a weak track the strength of his back catalogue holds him up. Him and Guru were a perfect pair, this track embodies the character of their music.

38. Eminem – Stan (zshare) – 2000 – The Marshall Mathers LP (buy album here or borrow it from your sister)
This is the track that sadly, you are most likely to have heard. Yes it is great, flipping Dido and kick starting her career was a great move and served its purpose well. I grudgingly accept that in fact, this does deserve to be here.

37. NWA – Express yourself (zshare) – 1989 – Straight Outta Compton (buy album here)
Ahhh, the first NWA track I heard and nothing but positive vibes from the boys. The critics of the time obviously overlooked this when they labelled NWA as troublesome, angry, vile and unsuitable.

36. Public Enemy - Public Enemy #1 (zshare) – 1987 – Yo! Bum rush the Show (buy album here)
A brilliant intro here, mimicked by Karl Hinds on ‘You don’ Know’ and the forerunner of tracks like ‘Super Sharp Darts’. Chuck’s distant vocals hit hard as usual.

35. Ultramagnetic MC’s – Watch Me Now (zshare) – 1988 – Critical Beatdown (buy album here)
‘Watch me now’ seems to sum up everything that Hip Hop had become in the late eighties. Funk samples and breaks, fast tempos and boastful rhymes.

34. Ice Cube – It was a good day (zshare) – 1993 – The Predator (buy album here)
This is another tune for a sunny day, perfectly mellow and uplifting, suited for a BBQ in the yard.

33. Public Enemy – Welcome to the Terrordome (zshare) – 1990 – Fear of a Black Planet (buy album here)
Wooooooo! This is music to go wild to! Contains the immortal line ‘Hear the drummer get wicked’.

32. De La Soul – Plug Tunin’ (zshare) – 1988 – Three Feet High and Rising (buy album here)
Why wasn’t this on the greatest hits? Weird.

31. NWA – F*** the Police (zshare) – 1989 – Straight Outta Compton (buy album here)
Ooof. Now that’s why those critics, politicians and anyone with white skin were scared of NWA, now that’s attitude.

Right, I'm off camping now so pray the sun shines for me.