Hey. It's the first of the month so I slapped together an hour worth of songs to help you slosh through that terrible spring weather.
Flatbasset - April '09
As always, click the link, put in the number/letter combo that proves you're living, click download now and there you are.
Flatbasset - April '09 Track List (click the track name to download)
01. Dillinger Four - A Jingle For The Product
The first track of the new Dillinger Four album C I V I L W A R. I've never been the biggest D4 fan, but I've been listening to this album a lot since I got to NY. These guys don't change the formula that often, so it feels new, but it feels like home.
02. TV On The Radio - Hours (El-P Remix)
I put this track on here mainly because I dig El-P's work. TVOTR tends to squeeze their songs somewhere between twitchy and celebratory. El-P's production tends to fit between paranoid and terrifying. I feel like TVOTR could use a good dose of paranoia every now and then.
03. Sims - Like You Mean It
Every time I see Sims live he's better than the last time. They were selling his new False Hopes EP on the Never Better Tour. It features a couple tracks that are going to be on his new full length The Veldt. Remarkably, this track didn't make the cut. What makes the motherfucker so damn fresh?
04. Art Brut - The Replacements
I've been on an Art Brut kick since they announced they were going to have a five night residency at the Mercury Lounge the first week of June. Sarah and I have tickets for the Friday night show. Should be a good time. Funny how every indie kid in the Midwest knows who The Replacements are by the time they're 12 years old, but poor Eddie Argos didn't find out until his late 20's. Tough break.
05. Abstract Rude - Rejuvenation
Rhymesayers.com leaked this track a couple weeks ago. It's the first track from Rude's new album Rejuvenation. I only know two Abstract Rude tracks, this one and the one he leaked back on election day (The Government (November 4th Mix)). After hearing both of these songs, I'm fully prepared to buy and love Rejuvenation when it is released.
06. Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
I've been aware of this album for years. It always turns up on those indie rock/90's "best of" lists, but I hadn't really listened to it until just this month. Not to knock it (I think it's a fine album), but if it had come out in this climate of pitchfork/bittorrent/nextbigthing, I think it would have garnered a 7.5 and been forgotten in 6 month's time.
Also, now I know where Colin Meloy got every idea he ever had ever.
07. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Indiana
Speaking of that Pitchfork culture, I downloaded this album after it got a "best new music" recommendation. I know, I'm part of the problem. Anyway, the album is a sprawling, enjoyable, fuzzed out mess. Every so often, these little pop gems burst through the hissing and wheezing. Not the most original template, but good times.
08. Stereolab - People Do It All The Time
I realize this song is ten years old, but it's probably my favorite Stereolab song. I like when they try to wrap pop hooks around their dancy/baroque/glitchy... you know what I mean. Just a couple days after I broke this album out the group announced they were taking an indefinite hiatus. Beat.
09. Jaydiohead - No Karma
Minty Fresh Beats dropped this Jaydiohead album a couple of months ago. Obviously, mashing up Jay-Z and anybody is an old trick. Especially Radiohead, since Girl Talk mashed up "Roc Boys" and "Paranoid Android' last year. However, I like the beat Minty Fresh construct from "Karma Police" and I like Hova claiming "I don't need no hook for this shiiiit" over what is probably the best known hook in the Radiohead catalog.
10. Deer Tick - These Old Shoes
I saw Deer Tick about a month ago at The Bowery. They're out of Rhode Island and proud of it. Their album wears a little thin, but this one stands out.
11. Felt - 20 Answers
Murs. Slug. Ant. The joke's on you, jack!
12. The Hold Steady - Yeah Sapphire
I've been really into websites trying to break down The Hold Steady's narrative over the last month. This song is a big part of tying together the parts of the story told on Stay Positive. Plus, the idea of relocating to St. Paul because the city you're in is too small cracks me up. Big up, StP.
13. Frank Black - Go Find Your Saint
This track's off Honeycomb, the album Frank recorded in Nashville with a bunch of session players. It's a lovely little record. It's not exactly alt-country, but not exactly pop. Just like pretty much everything Frank Black does, it's difficult to classify but thoroughly enjoyable.
14. The White Stripes - Little Room
Hard to believe that that little room once contained just Jack and Meg. Now the room contains Jack, Meg, Holly Golightly, a couple of Greenhornes, Brendan Benson, that girl from The Kills, Regulo Aldama, a supermodel wife, Conan O'Brien, and the city of Nashville. The amount of self-awareness possessed by Jack White circa 2001 is scary.
15. Mobius Band - Say You Will
I know I've been on a Kanye West kick for a while now, but I thought it was amazing how quickly songs from 808s started being covered by indie bands. Remember when everyone was covering "Hey Ya!?" And then how quickly everyone started covering "Crazy?" Well, here we have a whole album built for indie rock covers. Kanye West: The gift that keeps on giving.
16. Jeff Buckley - Your Flesh Is So Nice
Honestly, the weight that has been posthumously assigned to Grace makes that album almost unlistenable. For that same reason, Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk is so much fun. It reminds us quite bluntly how mortal Jeff Buckley was. It's nearly impossible to attach any meaning to this fuzzed-up mess. It's just power chords and Jeff Buckely trying to get some play. Just stupid fun.
17. Mos Def - Sunshine
I put this one on here because it's the start of spring. I know my friends back in MN are getting snowed on right now, but that sunshine's coming.
Speaking of Kanye West, he brings out the best in Mos Def on this track (whereas Mos brought out the worst in Kanye on "Drunk And Hot Girls"). At least 85% of the tracks Mos Def puts out are a total waste of time, which is why songs like this are so frustrating. Just try a little harder, man. Trust me, you could have passed on The Italian Job.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Traffic Lights And Sloppy Left Turns...
I'm sure most of you know my brother Will. If you don't, he's my brother and he's like a funnier, more talented, better looking, less obscene version of myself. Seriously. Check out HIS blog if you don't believe me.
I got an e-mail from him today. Turns out he put some of that talent to use and wrote, recorded, and released a two song digital EP called "High Times At Blue Moon."
Now, I know a lot of the labels he's been talking to were like, "No, don't give it away for free! These songs are gold! Let us give them a proper release and we'll all be rich!" But Will was like, "Ya industry's dying, son. Ya business model's flawed and I'm not about climbing aboard sinking ships. I saw TLC's Behind The Music. They sold 10 million records! Now they're broke and Left Eye's dead! No dice. The people want the songs, the people get the songs. I'm out. Peace."
So hear they are. I highly suggest that you download them, put them on your iPod, scrobble them, put them on mixtapes and give them to girls you like, impress your indie/hipster/fuckstick friends by playing something they haven't heard of yet, post up on the block and blow out the subs in your Escalade... You know, whatever you do.
Tiny Little Town
Minnesota Winter
As always, just click the link, type in the letter/numer combo on the right, wait 45 seconds, click "regular download," open and enjoy!
I got an e-mail from him today. Turns out he put some of that talent to use and wrote, recorded, and released a two song digital EP called "High Times At Blue Moon."
Now, I know a lot of the labels he's been talking to were like, "No, don't give it away for free! These songs are gold! Let us give them a proper release and we'll all be rich!" But Will was like, "Ya industry's dying, son. Ya business model's flawed and I'm not about climbing aboard sinking ships. I saw TLC's Behind The Music. They sold 10 million records! Now they're broke and Left Eye's dead! No dice. The people want the songs, the people get the songs. I'm out. Peace."
So hear they are. I highly suggest that you download them, put them on your iPod, scrobble them, put them on mixtapes and give them to girls you like, impress your indie/hipster/fuckstick friends by playing something they haven't heard of yet, post up on the block and blow out the subs in your Escalade... You know, whatever you do.
Tiny Little Town
Minnesota Winter
As always, just click the link, type in the letter/numer combo on the right, wait 45 seconds, click "regular download," open and enjoy!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Homey, This Shit Is Basic...
In honor of Kanye West's "Storytellers" premiering on VH1, I thought I'd put together a list of Kanye's top 10 songs.
It should be noted that this list is not a matter of personal opinion, but rather scientific fact. Research was conducted by myself, Margo Basset, Lil' Squawk Box, Sarah, Pheezy, Emily Love, a Ford Taurus, a Ford Focus, the Target Center, and the Herkimer jukebox.
This list is based solely on Kanye West's four proper albums (The College Dropout, Late Registration, Graduation, and 808's & Heartbreak). It does not contain any material off mixtapes, nor does it contain any collaborations off other people's albums (sorry, Swagger Like Us).
Click the track title to download the song.
First, 5 tracks that just missed the cut:
15. Barry Bonds (w/Lil' Wayne) (Graduation)
14. Celebration (Late Registration)
13. All Falls Down (The College Dropout)
12. Say You Will (808's & Heartbreak)
11. Jesus Walks (The College Dropout)
Top 10:
10. We Don't Care (The College Dropout)
The first track off The College Dropout serves as the perfect intro to what Kanye West is all about. It paints a picture of the world Kanye's trying to get away from, it's funny, it remarks on dropping out of college, plus, it's a mission statement: "Stack ya money 'til it gets sky high." It's Kanye (circa 2004) in his own words. Plus, it's the perfect song for the kiiidz.
Key line: "We never had nothin' handed/Took nothin' for granted/Took nothin' from no man/Man, I'm my own man."
09. Amazing (w/Young Jeezy) (808's & Heartbreak)
808's & Heartbreak is a tough album to place. At this point in his career, Kanye has started at the bottom and climbed to the top of the mountain with Graduation. How does he follow it up? With a auto-tune drenched, emo album. Don't get me wrong, I still think it's genius, but admittedly, a bit of a curveball.
"Amazing" is the first instance on the album of the old, ego-maniacal Kanye turning up. I mean, the song opens with the line, "It's amazing/I'm the reason/everybody's fired up this evening." It's also the first instance of overt hip-hop, with Jeezy turning up to throw in a few "Yeah" 's and a verse that includes the line, "I'm at the podium/I'm trying to watch my sodium" Yeah, Jeezy, let's get it! Unless "it" has MSG.
Key Line: "No matter what you'll never take that from me/My reign is as far as your eyes can see/It's amazing"
08. Flashing Lights (Graduation)
One of the main components of the Graduation album was Kanye's use of keyboards to construct his beats. Nowhere is that more evident than on "Flashing Lights." The bouncing keyboards and reverb-drenched chorus make for a great pop hook.
Lyrically, the track takes aim at Kanye's longtime nemesis, the paparazzi (Damn, these niggas got me/I hate these niggas more than a nazi). It also provides a portrait of the complications that arise from dating Kanye West (You more like love to start shit/I'm more of the trips to Florida) which, in hindsight, makes it an interesting preface to the whole 808's & Heartbreak album.
Also, he made three equally inexplicable videos for the song.
On a personal note, this song has some great memories attached to it. Pheezy, drop those keyboards!
Key line: "And the weather's so breezy/Man, why can't life always be this easy?"
07. Never Let Me Down (w/Jay-Z) (The College Dropout)
Before Kanye's relationship with Jay-Z deteriorated into some kind of crazy inferiority complex, they put together this standout off The College Dropout. Oddly, Young Hov gets two verses on the track, sandwiched around Kanye's. While this no doubt contributed to the complex, the fact that Jay uses the first verse to boast (When you're hot, I'm hot/And when you're feet are cold, mine is sizzlin') forces Kanye to take a more reflective approach with his verse (Niggas can't make it to ballots to choose leadership/But we can make it to Jacob's or to the dealership). This, of course, plays to Kanye's strengths and makes this one of the best collaborations on any Kanye album.
Key line: "I get down for my grandfather who took my mama/And made her sit in that seat where white folks ain't want us to eat/At the tender age of 6 she was arrested for the sit-ins/And with that in my blood I was born to be different"
Honorable Mention: "I know they don't want me in the damn club/They even made me show ID to get inside of Sam's Club"
06. Good Morning (Graduation)
Whether it's a remarkable amount of self-awareness or just another example of his unstoppable ego, "Good Morning" is clearly made the opener of Kanye's third album with the intention of proclaiming Kanye's greatness compared to, um, every other rapper ever. The track opens with a very sparse beat and a couple of "Uh" 's from Kaney before the keyboards kick in.
Kanye spends the first couple of verses bringing us up to speed (From the streets to the league/From an eigth to a key/But you graduate when you make it up outta the streets). Then, in one of the more brazen moves in pop music, he ends the third verse with the line, "After all of that you receive this..." and then he samples Jay-Z's opening lines from "The Ruler's Back" off The Blueprint.
I could probably throw out about 500 words on this, so I'll try to be brief. This is so remarkable because it is basically Kanye proclaiming he does not play second fiddle to anybody. Jay-Z, at the time, was pretty much considered the best MC alive. To sample his voice, after spending three verses claiming you've got the credentials to do so, is pretty goddamn ballsy. Also, the ties to The Blueprint are pretty clear. It's basically the record that pushed Jay-Z over the top and into the mainstream. It is also an album produced mainly by a young and hungry Kanye West. At the end of Graduation Kanye spends a whole song (Big Brother) explaining how complicated his relationship is with Jay-Z. Once you have the whole story, the fact that he sampled his voice to open the album is a proven to be a bold move.
Key Line: "Scared of the world/Complacent career student/Some people graduate but be still stupid"
05. RoboCop (808's & Heartbreak)
While most of the 808's album is spent inside Kanye's head, he lets his guard down and has some fun on two consecutive tracks in the middle of the album, Paranoid and RoboCop. RoboCop starts out with those sweet 808's and turns into a full on pop song. Kanye is getting on a "spoiled little L.A. girl's" case for trying to keep tabs on him, wagging his finger and claiming, "I don't need no RoboCop/When did you become a RoboCop?" He even manages to sound like Morrissey, lauging mockingly, "You're kidding me?/Haha, that was a good one/You're first good one in a while."
Key Line: "'Bout the baddest girl I ever seen/Straight up out a movie screen/Who knew she was a drama queen/That would turn my life to Stephen King's?"
04. Homecoming (w/Chris Martin) (Graduation)
Alright, obviously, I'm a Kanye West fan. I'm also a Coldplay fan. No, I'm not a 16 year old girl, but thanks for asking. I'm also a fan of just about any song where people big up there hometown. Kanye has obviously never shied away from mentioning Chicago, but this is his first song that is overtly about his city. Oddly, in the first verse, he addresses Chicago as a woman who showed him the ropes (I met this girl when I was three years old/And what I learned first she had so much soul). However, he spends the second verse just being straight with it, passionately ranting directly to and about his hometown. Honestly, that second verse is probably my favorite verse in the Kanye catalog.
Of course, wrapping up the whole package is Chris Martin's piano-banging beat. He delivers a ridiculously catchy chorus, which is the exact opposite of the bizzarely ambient "Beach Chair" off Jay-Z's Kingdom Come record. He actually has my favorite line in the song, "Baby, do you remember when/Fireworks at Lake Michigan?" Easily his best work since "The Scientist."
Key line: "Every interview I'm representin' you, making you proud/Reach for the stars so if you fall you land on a cloud/Jump in the crowd, spark your lighters, wave 'em around/If you don't know by now, I'm talkin' 'bout Chi-Town!"
03. Champion (Graduation)
When I started making this list, I had this song way back in the five that just missed the cut. As I started analyzing the, "Which song made me turn up the volume in my car when it came up on shuffle?" data, I found that "Champion" was one of my favorites. It's got a great, synthesizer-driven hook wrapped around a Lauryn Hill sample (cleverly referenced IN the song when Kanye says, "Lauryn Hill claimed her heart was in Zion/I wish her heart still was in rhymin.") and a couple of beautifully ego-driven verses from Kanye.
Does Kanye West realize he's a champion? What do you think he's going to say?
Key Line: "I don't see why I need a stylist/When I shop so much I can speak Italian"
02. Touch The Sky (w/Lupe Fiasco) (Late Registration)
As you can probably tell from the list, I'm not the biggest fan of Late Registration. It's just not solid all the way through, and it's got three stellar albums to compete with. That being said, "Touch The Sky" nearly topped my list. This is as close to a perfect hip-hop/pop single as I think I've ever heard. The fact that Kanye had to wait until "Stronger" to actually receive that validation still surprises me.
This track serves as Kanye celebrating the success of The College Dropout, obviously a well-deserved victory lap. Bringing Lupe Fiasco along for the ride and wrapping up the whole package in some Curtis Mayfield horns? Good choice.
Also, this shit was great on the Glow In The Dark tour. Bringing out Lupe to do the third verse live was pretty cool.
Key Line: "Before anybody wanted K. West beats/Me and my girl split the buffet at KFC/Dog, I was having nervous breakdowns/Like, "Damn, these niggas that much better than me?"
01. The Glory (Graduation)
And here we have it, number 1 on the list. "The Glory" is Kanye brining us up to speed with where the story's at so far (2007). What makes this song great is the fact that Kanye's position in the rap world circa 2007 feeds directly into what he's been telling us all along, that he's the best and he's going to be on top of the world. No wonder he freaked out after this record and put out 808's.
Kanye spends the whole track bragging about his shoes, his hat, being pop, being hood, the fact that the paparazzi is always on his ass, his propensity for talking lesbians into his tour van, the fact that it doesn't matter to him how much new homes cost, and how good he looks in real life (evidently, it's "better"). This is Kanye at the height of his commercial power & letting his ego do all the talking.
Plus, the beat is as close to "bangin'" as anything Kanye's ever put on one of his albums. Plus, it even has one of his old trademark sped-up soul samples, just to bring it all back home.
So, there you have it. The data is indisputable. If you need to see the raw numbers, I'll dig them out, but why would I lie to you? I'm outta here, baby.
It should be noted that this list is not a matter of personal opinion, but rather scientific fact. Research was conducted by myself, Margo Basset, Lil' Squawk Box, Sarah, Pheezy, Emily Love, a Ford Taurus, a Ford Focus, the Target Center, and the Herkimer jukebox.
This list is based solely on Kanye West's four proper albums (The College Dropout, Late Registration, Graduation, and 808's & Heartbreak). It does not contain any material off mixtapes, nor does it contain any collaborations off other people's albums (sorry, Swagger Like Us).
Click the track title to download the song.
First, 5 tracks that just missed the cut:
15. Barry Bonds (w/Lil' Wayne) (Graduation)
14. Celebration (Late Registration)
13. All Falls Down (The College Dropout)
12. Say You Will (808's & Heartbreak)
11. Jesus Walks (The College Dropout)
Top 10:
10. We Don't Care (The College Dropout)
The first track off The College Dropout serves as the perfect intro to what Kanye West is all about. It paints a picture of the world Kanye's trying to get away from, it's funny, it remarks on dropping out of college, plus, it's a mission statement: "Stack ya money 'til it gets sky high." It's Kanye (circa 2004) in his own words. Plus, it's the perfect song for the kiiidz.
Key line: "We never had nothin' handed/Took nothin' for granted/Took nothin' from no man/Man, I'm my own man."
09. Amazing (w/Young Jeezy) (808's & Heartbreak)
808's & Heartbreak is a tough album to place. At this point in his career, Kanye has started at the bottom and climbed to the top of the mountain with Graduation. How does he follow it up? With a auto-tune drenched, emo album. Don't get me wrong, I still think it's genius, but admittedly, a bit of a curveball.
"Amazing" is the first instance on the album of the old, ego-maniacal Kanye turning up. I mean, the song opens with the line, "It's amazing/I'm the reason/everybody's fired up this evening." It's also the first instance of overt hip-hop, with Jeezy turning up to throw in a few "Yeah" 's and a verse that includes the line, "I'm at the podium/I'm trying to watch my sodium" Yeah, Jeezy, let's get it! Unless "it" has MSG.
Key Line: "No matter what you'll never take that from me/My reign is as far as your eyes can see/It's amazing"
08. Flashing Lights (Graduation)
One of the main components of the Graduation album was Kanye's use of keyboards to construct his beats. Nowhere is that more evident than on "Flashing Lights." The bouncing keyboards and reverb-drenched chorus make for a great pop hook.
Lyrically, the track takes aim at Kanye's longtime nemesis, the paparazzi (Damn, these niggas got me/I hate these niggas more than a nazi). It also provides a portrait of the complications that arise from dating Kanye West (You more like love to start shit/I'm more of the trips to Florida) which, in hindsight, makes it an interesting preface to the whole 808's & Heartbreak album.
Also, he made three equally inexplicable videos for the song.
On a personal note, this song has some great memories attached to it. Pheezy, drop those keyboards!
Key line: "And the weather's so breezy/Man, why can't life always be this easy?"
07. Never Let Me Down (w/Jay-Z) (The College Dropout)
Before Kanye's relationship with Jay-Z deteriorated into some kind of crazy inferiority complex, they put together this standout off The College Dropout. Oddly, Young Hov gets two verses on the track, sandwiched around Kanye's. While this no doubt contributed to the complex, the fact that Jay uses the first verse to boast (When you're hot, I'm hot/And when you're feet are cold, mine is sizzlin') forces Kanye to take a more reflective approach with his verse (Niggas can't make it to ballots to choose leadership/But we can make it to Jacob's or to the dealership). This, of course, plays to Kanye's strengths and makes this one of the best collaborations on any Kanye album.
Key line: "I get down for my grandfather who took my mama/And made her sit in that seat where white folks ain't want us to eat/At the tender age of 6 she was arrested for the sit-ins/And with that in my blood I was born to be different"
Honorable Mention: "I know they don't want me in the damn club/They even made me show ID to get inside of Sam's Club"
06. Good Morning (Graduation)
Whether it's a remarkable amount of self-awareness or just another example of his unstoppable ego, "Good Morning" is clearly made the opener of Kanye's third album with the intention of proclaiming Kanye's greatness compared to, um, every other rapper ever. The track opens with a very sparse beat and a couple of "Uh" 's from Kaney before the keyboards kick in.
Kanye spends the first couple of verses bringing us up to speed (From the streets to the league/From an eigth to a key/But you graduate when you make it up outta the streets). Then, in one of the more brazen moves in pop music, he ends the third verse with the line, "After all of that you receive this..." and then he samples Jay-Z's opening lines from "The Ruler's Back" off The Blueprint.
I could probably throw out about 500 words on this, so I'll try to be brief. This is so remarkable because it is basically Kanye proclaiming he does not play second fiddle to anybody. Jay-Z, at the time, was pretty much considered the best MC alive. To sample his voice, after spending three verses claiming you've got the credentials to do so, is pretty goddamn ballsy. Also, the ties to The Blueprint are pretty clear. It's basically the record that pushed Jay-Z over the top and into the mainstream. It is also an album produced mainly by a young and hungry Kanye West. At the end of Graduation Kanye spends a whole song (Big Brother) explaining how complicated his relationship is with Jay-Z. Once you have the whole story, the fact that he sampled his voice to open the album is a proven to be a bold move.
Key Line: "Scared of the world/Complacent career student/Some people graduate but be still stupid"
05. RoboCop (808's & Heartbreak)
While most of the 808's album is spent inside Kanye's head, he lets his guard down and has some fun on two consecutive tracks in the middle of the album, Paranoid and RoboCop. RoboCop starts out with those sweet 808's and turns into a full on pop song. Kanye is getting on a "spoiled little L.A. girl's" case for trying to keep tabs on him, wagging his finger and claiming, "I don't need no RoboCop/When did you become a RoboCop?" He even manages to sound like Morrissey, lauging mockingly, "You're kidding me?/Haha, that was a good one/You're first good one in a while."
Key Line: "'Bout the baddest girl I ever seen/Straight up out a movie screen/Who knew she was a drama queen/That would turn my life to Stephen King's?"
04. Homecoming (w/Chris Martin) (Graduation)
Alright, obviously, I'm a Kanye West fan. I'm also a Coldplay fan. No, I'm not a 16 year old girl, but thanks for asking. I'm also a fan of just about any song where people big up there hometown. Kanye has obviously never shied away from mentioning Chicago, but this is his first song that is overtly about his city. Oddly, in the first verse, he addresses Chicago as a woman who showed him the ropes (I met this girl when I was three years old/And what I learned first she had so much soul). However, he spends the second verse just being straight with it, passionately ranting directly to and about his hometown. Honestly, that second verse is probably my favorite verse in the Kanye catalog.
Of course, wrapping up the whole package is Chris Martin's piano-banging beat. He delivers a ridiculously catchy chorus, which is the exact opposite of the bizzarely ambient "Beach Chair" off Jay-Z's Kingdom Come record. He actually has my favorite line in the song, "Baby, do you remember when/Fireworks at Lake Michigan?" Easily his best work since "The Scientist."
Key line: "Every interview I'm representin' you, making you proud/Reach for the stars so if you fall you land on a cloud/Jump in the crowd, spark your lighters, wave 'em around/If you don't know by now, I'm talkin' 'bout Chi-Town!"
03. Champion (Graduation)
When I started making this list, I had this song way back in the five that just missed the cut. As I started analyzing the, "Which song made me turn up the volume in my car when it came up on shuffle?" data, I found that "Champion" was one of my favorites. It's got a great, synthesizer-driven hook wrapped around a Lauryn Hill sample (cleverly referenced IN the song when Kanye says, "Lauryn Hill claimed her heart was in Zion/I wish her heart still was in rhymin.") and a couple of beautifully ego-driven verses from Kanye.
Does Kanye West realize he's a champion? What do you think he's going to say?
Key Line: "I don't see why I need a stylist/When I shop so much I can speak Italian"
02. Touch The Sky (w/Lupe Fiasco) (Late Registration)
As you can probably tell from the list, I'm not the biggest fan of Late Registration. It's just not solid all the way through, and it's got three stellar albums to compete with. That being said, "Touch The Sky" nearly topped my list. This is as close to a perfect hip-hop/pop single as I think I've ever heard. The fact that Kanye had to wait until "Stronger" to actually receive that validation still surprises me.
This track serves as Kanye celebrating the success of The College Dropout, obviously a well-deserved victory lap. Bringing Lupe Fiasco along for the ride and wrapping up the whole package in some Curtis Mayfield horns? Good choice.
Also, this shit was great on the Glow In The Dark tour. Bringing out Lupe to do the third verse live was pretty cool.
Key Line: "Before anybody wanted K. West beats/Me and my girl split the buffet at KFC/Dog, I was having nervous breakdowns/Like, "Damn, these niggas that much better than me?"
01. The Glory (Graduation)
And here we have it, number 1 on the list. "The Glory" is Kanye brining us up to speed with where the story's at so far (2007). What makes this song great is the fact that Kanye's position in the rap world circa 2007 feeds directly into what he's been telling us all along, that he's the best and he's going to be on top of the world. No wonder he freaked out after this record and put out 808's.
Kanye spends the whole track bragging about his shoes, his hat, being pop, being hood, the fact that the paparazzi is always on his ass, his propensity for talking lesbians into his tour van, the fact that it doesn't matter to him how much new homes cost, and how good he looks in real life (evidently, it's "better"). This is Kanye at the height of his commercial power & letting his ego do all the talking.
Plus, the beat is as close to "bangin'" as anything Kanye's ever put on one of his albums. Plus, it even has one of his old trademark sped-up soul samples, just to bring it all back home.
So, there you have it. The data is indisputable. If you need to see the raw numbers, I'll dig them out, but why would I lie to you? I'm outta here, baby.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
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