Hip hop took over the Billboard charts in the 2000s. Sometimes offensive, sometimes insightful, but always entertaining, rap music produced a ton of memorable hits. Here’s one opinion of the top 10 rap songs of the 2000s.
Top 10 rap songs of the 2000s:
10 Good Life, Kanye West featuring T-Pain, 2007
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=su_zrW9WBVk
This wasn’t Kanye’s biggest hit song, but it was his most fun. Featuring a cute sample from Michael Jackson’s “P.Y.T.” and vocals from an auto-tuned T-Pain, “Good Life” was a celebration of success and of life in general. T-Pain memorably bragged, “Now my grandmama ain’t the only girl calling me baby,” while Kanye provided advice that surely came from experience: “If they hate, then let them hate and watch the money pile up.
9 A Milli, Lil Wayne, 2008
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTF6N7EWzOA
In the second half of the 2000s, Wayne started showing up on pretty much every rap song released. Tha Carter III made him the biggest name in rap in 2008. “A Milli,” one of the few songs in which he did not collaborate with another artist, was one long freestyle that just never seemed to end. It earned Lil Wayne a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance.
8 Work It, Missy ‘Misdemeanor’ Elliot, 2002
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi7cLZqJa8c
Missy Elliot was the hottest female MC of the 2000s and “Work It” was her most memorable hit, a song so full of sexual imagery it’s almost comical. Produced by hitmaker Timbaland, “Work It” tied the all-time Billboard record by spending ten weeks at #2 without hitting the top spot.
7 Move Bitch, Ludacris featuring Mystikal & I-20, 2002
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFU6ONiTO-g
Chris Rock famously mocked this song during his stand-up bit about how he loved rap music despite the genre’s inappropriate lyrics. “It’s hard to defend ‘Move bitch, get out the way!'” he declared. And he’s right. But this song isn’t misogynistic – it’s about a madman behind the wheel: “I’m doing 100 on the highway/ So if you do the speed limit get the f— out of my way!” It’s a completely ridiculous idea for a song, but the music (and that whistling) is so irresistible, it works.
6 Live Your Life, T.I. featuring Rihanna, 2008
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFknBy7F2R8
Live Your Life” opened with an inspired sample from a Moldovan song called “Dragostea din tei,” followed by T.I.’s shoutout to the soldiers in Iraq, and a verse from Rihanna advising everyone to ignore the haters and keep on getting your paper. By the time T.I. finally began rapping, 75 seconds in, it was already clear this was going to be one of the classic rap songs of the 2000s.
5 Gold Digger, Kanye West featuring Jamie Foxx, 2005
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU13MRtSD7E
Kanye originally wrote “Gold Digger” from female’s perspective and gave it to R&B; singer Shawnna, but, incredibly, she opted not to record it. West re-worked the song, brought in Jamie Foxx, who had just achieved massive success in the film Ray, and the rest is history. “Gold Digger” became one of the most memorable hip hop songs of the 2000s.
4 In Da Club, 50 Cent, 2003
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPR6AntOJ2k
50 Cent’s monotone rapping style got old quick, and his subsequent singles never reached the heights of “In Da Club.” But on this track he was the king. In Da Club” managed to be both party and thug at the same time, showing off 50’s arrogance and ambition. It helped make 50 Cent’s debut Get Rich or Die Tryin’ one of the biggest-selling debut efforts ever.
3 Ms. Jackson, OutKast, 2001
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPb2ZuvQxcA
Real life drama found its way into OutKast’s art when Andre 3000 wrote a song about his baby mama, Erykah Badu, and her mother. “Let her know her grandchild is a baby, not a paycheck,” the duo sang defensively. The song ran the gamut of emotions, with the chorus serving as an apology to Ms. Jackson, but other lyrics proving to be more aggressive, like “You can go and get the hell on, you and your mama.” It was conflicting and confusing, just like the real-life breakup that inspired it.
2 Stan, Eminem featuring Dido, 2000
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snHfdV3gw9Q
“Stan” was a chilling tale of an overzealous fan who became obsessed with his hero. When his letters to Eminem went unanswered, Stan got more angry. “All I wanted was a lousy letter or a call,” he screamed, before driving off a bridge in anguish. In the final verse Eminem began to write back to Stan, before realizing it was too late – Stan was the guy he’d read about in the papers who had committed suicide. One of the most unique and thought-provoking rap songs of all-time.
1 99 Problems, Jay-Z, 2004
Topping the list of the top 10 rap songs of the 2000s is this classic by Jay-Z. It’s a testament to Jay’s creativity that he chose to work with rock producer Rick Rubin on this track. The first five seconds alone are epic – Jay-Z raps a capella, reminding us that he has a girl and we don’t, and then a guitar riff explodes and he begins unleashing his fury. There’s a fascinating clip on YouTube showing Jay-Z and Rubin creating the track in the studio.
Sources:
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1522995/20060201/story.jhtml
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2498
http://www.everything-outkast.com/Outkast-Ms-Jackson.html
