I heard “Tie My Hands” for the first time in a minute and it really has aged incredibly well as a biting political commentary. With everything going on in this country right now it feels just as relevant today as it did in 2008 when Weezy released his post-Katrina anthem to New Orleans.
They try to tell me keep my eyes open My whole city under water, some people still floatin’ Then they wonder why black people still voting, Cause your presidents still chokin’
Take away the football team, the basketball team Now all we got is me to represent New Orleans No governor, no help from the mayor Just a steady beatin’ heart, and a wish and a prayer
But the song isn’t meant solely to look back and mourn whats already happened. With the help of Robin Thicke’s silky vocals, Weezy turns it into an optimistic ode; something for people still reeling from a tragedy to look forward to.
And if you come from under the water then there’s fresh air Just breathe baby, gods got a blessing to spare Yes, I know the process has so much stress But its the progress that feels the best Cause I came from the projects straight to success And your next, so try they can’t steal your pride its inside Then find it and keep on grinding Cause in every dark cloud there’s a silver lining
With that we’re left with one of Lil Wayne’s more underrated tracks, which is easy to forget in an album like Tha Carter III that’s littered with monster hits.
I was watching the new season of Umbrella Academy last night, which after watching the opening scene of Season 2 I am still all in on, and I heard this cover of “Crazy.” My brain was hearing this and all it could think was wait, wait don’t tell me don’t tell me. A soulful acoustic cover of a Gnarls Barkley song is never something I thought I would ever be into, but this song is incredible. Start your week off with some Monday Morning Music. And then go watch Umbrella Academy.
A song that dropped back in 2012 and is one I only stumbled onto after it was used on Toucher and Rich as a bed coming back from commercial. Love the old school Mos Def/Talib Kweli sound and style. But this is what I love about hip hop man, this beat just sounded familiar to me so I was trying to track down the sample and it led me to this artist/producer Alien Folk Urban Aire / Kankick, which led me to the original sampling of this Latin jazz artist, Airto. Unreal. Thats exactly why Kanye will forever be one of the best producers to ever lay down a beat. The samples the man was able to repurpose are just absurd.
It would seem like these guys never really popped mainstream, but as we all know you can make a hell of a living as an indie rapper these days. So I may be nearly a decade late on these guys, but better late than never.
For a white kid from the burbs, this album was like being transported to another world. I love Jay-Z, but was probably just a little too young to really understand what The Blueprint was about when it was released. When Curtis Jackson came out of nowhere in 2003, co-signed by Eminem, he took off like a rocket because he was authentic with a wild origin story to back him. In what is nearly an urban myth at this point, 50 cent was shot 9 times and lived to tell the tale.
There were FIVE singles from his debut album, three of which I’ve heard on the radio within the last week – 17 years after their release. Get Rich or Die Tryin’ had one of the greatest B-sides of an album I can remember too. What Up Gangsta, Patiently Waiting, High All the Time, Heat, Like My Style, Don’t Push Me, Life’s On the Line are all still bangers to this day. I feel like I forgot about a lot of these early 2000s albums once they stopped putting CD players in cars. I have like 50 CDs in my trunk with no way to play them. Damn technology.
Em dropped his new album “Music to Be Murdered By” in the middle of the night a couple weeks back and it definitely shows that Shady’ still got the juice as it hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts. There aren’t any instant classic singles here nor are there many radio friendly tracks, but there is a ton of elite rapping. Eminem shows off his unmatched lyrical dexterity while recruiting some big names to fill out the album’s 20 songs. Ed Sheeran returns for his second Eminem collab on “Those Kinda Nights,” he brings out old friend Royce Da 5’9″ for a few songs, as well as the likes of Skylar Gray, Anderson .Paak, Q-Tip, Joell Ortiz and more. The song everyone is going to remember from this album though is the incredibly morbid track “Darkness” where Em raps from the perspective of the Las Vegas mass shooter. The song is more “Encore” than “The Eminem Show” and whether it’s profound or tasteless is up for debate, but it’s definitely an engrossing track that samples Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sounds of Silence.”
I don’t know what kind of obscure demographic/psychographic research you have to cross into as a fan of watching YouTube music videos, Rap, Logic, and The Sandlot…but shit thats me. Either way, the song is fire flames, but this music video shouldn’t work. It looks like a drunk MadLib on paper. So we’re going to have a music video that features zero artists performing with Squints from the Sandlot rapping and Eminem being played by Chris D’Elia while he raps in a murder cabin.
That sounds like someone watched Em’s 3 AM video while high and then tried to recreate it for a student film with C list actors, but IT WORKS. Doesn’t hurt that the song bangs and oh ya Squints is a dead fucking ringer for Logic. Like Bobby might want to keep Squints on retainer for mall autograph sessions or to be his fall guy.
I am in a full blown tailspin of nostalgia today after hearing songs I haven’t heard in years. 1999 had some BANGERS from the wildly popular bands like Blink-182 to the groups people don’t like to admit they actually enjoy like Limp Bizkit to the one hit wonders like LIT. It was an awesome year for angsty kids. Lets take a look at SPIN’s 69 best songs of 1999 as I pick out the best songs I liked the most from the list.
1999 was a simpler time and was the absolute height of music videos. Record labels and it’s artists poured a shit ton of time and money into making these 4-minute movies so we’ve got highly produced vids to go with each song. Enjoy wasting the next 20 minutes of your day with me.
It probably helps that all of these songs came out in my most formative years, but a ton of them were also featured in the video games I played endlessly so these songs are burned into my brain. Featured at No. 34 on this list, remember Powerman 5000’s “When Worlds Collide”? No? How about now?
No. 65 – Smashmouth – “All Star”
Smashmouth really is peak 90s as they were poppy and bubbly, but still sang/rap about getting blackout drunk. All Star was a mega hit before becoming a legitimate meme after being featured on the Shrek soundtrack. Also, shoutout to Dane Cook making an apperance in the All Star video as he was the King of the early 2000s when he was a comedy god.
No. 30 – Sugar Ray – “Someday”
I’m still beyond jealous that Papa Giorgio has seen Sugar Ray in concert not once, but multiple times and has even received a high five from Mark McGrath.
No. 29 – Kid Rock – “Cowboy”
Before Lil Nas X made rapping about cowboys and country cool again, Kid Rock invented the entire style. Never forget the pioneer that Robert Richie was in the 90s.
No. 26 – Creed – “Higher”
Surprise of the century is that Scott Stapp is still touring. I saw he
No. 25 – Limp Bizkit – “Nookie”
I vividly remember how big of a deal it was when “Nookie” beat out the Backstreet Boys for the No. 1 spot on TRL. Holy shit do I feel old having just written that sentence.
No. 24 – The Offspring – “The Kids Aren’t Alright”
These guys vanished into thin air, but not after dominating MTV and becoming the soundtrack for basically every movie made in the late 90s/early 2000s like American Pie 2, Orange County, The New Guy, Tomcats, Idle Hands, Varsity Blues, and The Faculty. I challenge you to show me a better run from that era because you can’t.
No. 20 – Santana feat. Rob Thomas – “Smooth”
20 years later and this song still fucks.
No 18. – Beastie Boys – “Alive”
I feel like this will wind up being one of those groups that I opine about the older I get and the more I start to despise the popular music of today because the Beastie Boys changed the damn game.
“While it’s not as flashy or seminal as singles like “Intergalactic” or “Sabotage,” the understated majesty of “Alive,” from their two-CD anthology, showcases the consistent brilliance of the crew as talented MCs, feeding off each other like they share one brain.”
No. 16 – Sugar Ray – “Every Morning”
Absolute kings of 1999.
No. 15 – Blink-182 – “What’s My Age Again?”
So Papa Giorgio and I actually saw Blink twice in the span of a week back in senior year of college and its one of the few bands that I would ever do that. These guys have 20+ years of hits to pull from and I mean this in the best way, but it feels like you’re back in high school any time you throw them on. Unlike just about every artist on this list Blink has found their stride with excellent new music to ride out the second act of their career. They even remade the same goddamn video with a slight twist.
No. 14 – Korn – “Freak on a Leash”
Korn was a clear line of demarcation between kids in high school. Freak on a Leash was a banger, but it was definitely the single that crossed over because I was never a huge Korn guy until I heard this single. Even better though is the Korn rap crossover with Dem Franchise Boyz on “Coming Undone With It” because the early 2000s were a breeding ground for mashups that in theory sound like an abomination, yet somehow work.
No. 12 – Kid Rock – “Bawitdaba”
If you had the Kid Rock CD in middle school you were definitely already rolling blunts before you could drive. Dope song though.
No. 9 – Foo Fighters – “Learn to Fly”
Full disclosure, Foo Fighters is my favorite band of all time so I stan for Dave Grohl. Hell I had them on the Must Play List at my wedding. So I’m glad to see this song so high up on the list. If you haven’t seen the video of them playing this live alongside a thousand people simultaneously, stop whatever you’re doing and watch it right now. Incredible.
No. 8 – Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Scar Tissue”
I don’t know why, but the SPIN description of this song hit the nail right on the head.
“As with many great Chi Peps tunes, Frusciante provides a cover for all of the band’s worst instincts here: His guitar and background vocals manage to make Anthony Kiedis’ lyrical gibberish ring true and forlorn, transforming the track into a classic of late ’90s rock ballads.”
No. 7 – Lit – “My Own Worst Enemy”
I vividly remember the teenage, probably drunk, camp counselors blaring this on the bus every goddamn day at Summer Camp when I was a kid, which is probably why its worked its way into my brain and never left.
No. 5 – Fatboy Slim – “Praise You”
Not my favorite song to be honest, but you’re lying if you don’t *taste* 1999 when you hear this song.
No. 4 – Len – “Steal My Sunshine”
Another cringeworthy level of 90s nostalgia, this song was a massive hit in 1999, but probably wouldn’t get played anywhere other than Soundcloud if released today. Also, this video always creeped me out because the Canadian brother-sister duo just seemed a little too close. Even the front man didn’t love the album, but this song popped.“Some of it’s terrible. A lot of it’s terrible,” Marc said about Bum Rush, but hit single “Steal My Sunshine” was huge with fans and critics alike.
No. 3 – Eminem – “My Name Is”
Hi kids, do you like violence?
Massive Eminem fan here so shoutout to Marshall for making No. 3 on the ALT ROCK list as a rapper from Detroit. That my friends is what they call crossing over and I’m not talking about that shitty TV show where John Edward conned grieving people into believing he was talking to their dead relatives. But I digress, this along with The Real Slim Shady is when Eminem exploded onto the scene as the angry yet funny white guy who could rap better than anyone I’d ever heard. The Real Slim Shady video that doesn’t even try to hide the fact that its ripping on Tom Green, another MTV darling in 1999, probably didn’t hurt either.
No. 2 – Blink-182 – “All the Small Things”
I’ve already said my piece on Blink, but aside from the actual music these guys just knew how to make a video that would get played all day on TRL. This looks incredibly dated now, but it was massive at the time because it poked fun at the way too serious slo-mo boy band videos of the era.
No. 1 – Fiona Apple – “Fast As You Can”
Fiona Apple is the soundtrack for any movie scene where the main characters are strung out doing heroine, not the No. 1 alt-rock song of 1999. I reject this.
Anyways, you’re welcome for this trip down memory lane now excuse me while I go grab my chain wallet and slip into my JNCO jeans.
Draft day, Johnny Manziel Five years later, how am I the man still? Draft day, A. Wiggins Fuck that other side, bitch we stay winnin’ Aw man, you know I had to do it for you You know I had to do it for you Yeah, suits and ties yelling out, “Pay the guys”
It’s NFL Draft Day baby so what other song could I possibly have gone with today? A little Throwback Thursday Drizzy to go with your morning coffee.
Switching things up a bit today and rather than picking just one song for #RushHourRap I’m giving you a full album because its that good. Logic released the experimental Supermarket recently, but it isn’t just an album, its a soundtrack to a NOVEL he wrote and dropped from the clouds. My guy Bobby Tarantino is a five tool player it would seem.
Supermarket is yet again another departure from what you would expect from Logic. He’s made lyrically stunning rap albums, trap albums, conscious social issue albums, and now he’s created something that I can only describe as a mid 2000s alt rock album, but in the best way. A lot of crooning, piano and acoustic guitar make this sound like something you could just as easily hear in a swanky lounge as you would on HotNewHipHop.
Although it got crushed by outlets like Rolling Stone, I dig it. I’m partial to the titular track “Supermarket” but this entire album is excellent. Check out a few that I picked out below.
The 300s 