With so many rap tunes raining down on us like confetti, it's often challenging to wrap our hands around the hottest songs out there. Not to worry, I've compiled a list of the ten songs that are incinerating charts and ears everywhere. The weekly Top 10 is based mainly on aesthetic value, relevance, and performance on various charts.
1. Lupe Fiasco - Kick Push
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Chicago wonderboy, Lupe Fiasco, ascends to the top spot with his stunning first single, "Kick Push." Lupe's Food & Liquor is one of the most anticipated albums for the remaining half of 2006.
2. Rhymefest - Dynomite (Going Postal)
After a month-long reign, Rhymefest has relinquished the #1 position to fellow Chicago-an, Lupe Fiasco. Look for Rhymefest's Blue Collar album early next month.
3. Gnarles Barkley - Crazy
Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse help keep things going ga-ga on the charts with their blazing single, "Crazy." Their brainchild, St. Elsewhere, was made available to digital downloaders a week prior to its official store release date.
4. T.I. - What You Know
T.I. recently lost his personal assistant (Philant Johnson) in a Cincinnati shootout. The rapper recently told his hometown newspaper that the loss has forced him to rethink his career.
5. Fort Minor - Where'd You Go
Fort Minor makes his debut with this melodic gem from the slow-selling The Rising Tied.
6. Kanye West ft. Twista & Keyshia Cole - Impossible (Theme Song for MI: 3)
With stellar production like this, Kanye West may soon become a staple in the movie soundtrack department. Kanye's friends - Twista and Keyshia Cole - help add flavor to the MI:3 score.
7. Soul Position - Hand-Me-Downs
RjD2 whips up a slap-happy beat while emcee Blueprint laments the complacency infesting today's hip-hop, "Rap nowadays is by a bunch of ignorant cats, no young gifted and black, just guns b*****s and crack." Don't let the album art fool you, these young fellas are really hip-hopppers.
8. Yung Joc - It's Goin' Down
The emergence of artists like Yung Joc further certifies Atlanta as the motown of the south. The rap newbie shows that it's possible to make great music without going either the snap or the crunk route. Joc is also part of T.I.'s tour entourage.
9. Mobb Deep - Put 'Em In Their Place
Mobb Deep's recent release, Blood Money, divulges a downward spiral in creative content, but "Put 'Em In Their Place" is still enjoying major airplay.
10. Rick Ross - Hustlin'
You can't help but love Rick Ross' catchy hook here. Contrary to popular belief that the voice in the chorus was sampled, it's an actual recording by an artist named Bezy. He's also responsible for the hook on Lil' Wayne's "Money On My Mind"
