1. KRS-One & Marley Marl - "Hip-Hop Lives"
[ Listen ]KRS-One and Marley Marl ascend to the top position with their first collaborative effort. Hip-Hop Lives (due out May 22) marks the end of one of the genre's more famous beefs. In 1985, Marley Marl released "The Bridge," which claimed Queensbridge, NY as the birthplace of hip-hop. KRS-One responded with "South Bronx" and "The Bridge Is Over" to prove that the Bronx was, in fac, hip-hop's true place of origin.
2. Black Milk ft. Royce da 5'9" & Guilty Simpson - "Sound the Alarm" (Rmx)
[ Listen ]Asked to name Detroit's 5 best MCs ever, legendary rapper Phat Kat ranked Royce da 5'9" the city's second best rapper. No arguments there.
3. Devin the Dude ft. Snoop Dogg & Andre 3000 - "What A Job"
[ Listen]Devin Copeland and friends keep things interesting at No.3 with one of the most remarkable rap songs of 2007. "What A Job" is featured on Devin's new album, Waiting to Inhale.
4. Kanye West, Nas, Rakim, KRS-One - "Classic"
[ Listen ]Kanye West is hard at work on his forthcoming Graduation LP and Common's Finding Forever project. Forever is set for a summer date. Graduation is expected to follow in the winter. Both albums are among our 27 Albums to Watch in 2007.
5. Jin - "Rain Rain Go Away"
[ Listen ]"Rain Rain Go Away" is Jin's heartwarming tribute to victims of the Virginia Tech massacre that claimed 32 lives on April 16th, 2007. Too bad the song didn't leave the studio early enough to make our "Top 10 Songs About Grief & Loss" list.
6. DJ Jazzy Jeff ft. Big Daddy Kane - "The Garden"
[ Listen ]As if it's not enough that Jazzy Jeff is set to bless us with another thoroughly enjoyable album, The Return of the Magnificent, the revered disc jockey is reportedly planning a reunion tour with erstwhile partner Will Smith.
7. Brother Ali - "Truth Is"
[ Listen ]"Truth Is" appears on Ali's Undisputable Truth, which shifted over 10,768 units in its opening week.
8. T.I. - "Big Things Poppin'"
[ Listen ]"Big Things Poppin" is the lead cut from T.I. vs. T.I.P.. In an interview with MTV News, T.I. described it as a response to naysayers.
9. 50 Cent - "Straight to the Bank"
[ Listen ]Dr. Dre and Ty Fyffe produced this banger for 50 Cent. It's the first single from his eagerly awaited third album, Curtis (yep, you read that right).
10. Talib Kweli ft. Jean Grae - "Say Something"
[ Listen ]The official release date for Ear Drum remains a mystery, but Kweli keeps the street buzzing with songs like "Listen!!!" and "Say Something."
