Top 100 Rap Songs of 2008

British hip-hopper Estelle dreams up a world where cross-cultural love is the norm, while her American collaborator Kanye cracks wise like a guy about to get laid. [Video]

Sometimes it's necessary to step away from a work of art and observe it from a distance in order to offer the best possible creative criticism. That’s exactly what Murs has done here. He took time off from rap and watched the game from the sideline. That translates into sharp, informed criticism of the hip-hop culture he loves so much on "Can It Be?"

Whenever Jay-Z and Nas team up for a collaboration, something special always happens. This standout track from Luda's Theater of the Mind is no exception.

Like he does on much of Death of Adam, 88 Keys keeps his sound drenched in atmospheric production and witty rhymes. This is the illest ode to the blue little pills yet. [Live Video]

Armed with a ferocious Best Kept Secret beat and flanked by two veterans, Wale turns in one of the year's best odes to unparalleled superflyness. [Audio]

Fonzworth Bentley, who was introduced to the MTV audience as Diddy's umbrella-wielding butler on Making the Band, has quietly crept in through the doors of hip-hop. His Sa-Ra-produced single strikes a balance between funky and improvisational sensibility. The video is reminiscent of OutKast's "Hey Ya!" [Video]

It's not unusual to hear Lil Wayne rapping about how awesome Lil Wayne is. But what makes "Damn I'm Cold" great is that Weezy actually sounds awesome on this.

Jeezy and Yeezy merge forces on this chart burner from The Recession. [Video]

"My Uncle," off Ill Bill’s The Hour of Reprisal, takes an uncompromising look at his relationship with one of the most influential individuals in the MC's life: his drug-addled Uncle Howie. [Video]

Masta Ace and company daydream about "ass-watching" and turning New York streets into a block party.