1. Lyric: Eric B & Rakim – “Paid In Full”
To beat the lyrics to “Bring The Noise” to the top spot would surely take something a bit special? Yes, and so it’s obviously got to be something obscure so that I can[…]

2. Lyric: Public Enemy – “Bring The Noise”
Is “Bring The Noise” one of Public Enemy’s best tracks? Yes. Is it one of Chuck D’s best raps? Oh yes. Every time I rediscover “It Takes A Nation Of Millions T[…]

3. Album: Snoop Dogg – “Tha Last Meal”
The most talked-about unreleased album in hip hop is set to be released next week. Too late for the Christmas market, too late for the end-of-year polls, too early for the post-Christmas lull, […]

4. Song: The Souls Of Mischief – “’93 Till Infinity”
Like almost all the best music, this song defies adequate description short of demanding that anyone with the slightest interest in hip hop must have a listen. The Souls Of […]

5. Genre: Bounce
With the exception of K Gee’s minor success with his single “I Don’t Really Care”, bounce is generally unheard of in the UK. K Gee will also probably be aware that the success of his single had very little to […]

6. Lyric: Jeru Tha Damaja – “One Day”
Based on a similar premise to Common Sense’s “i used to love h.e.r.”, “One Day” clocks in at just over two minutes long and in that time summarises the current stat[…]

7. Films: “Shao Lin san hih liu fang” & “Shao Lin yu Wu Dang”
I’d like to claim there was a great significance to these films. I’d like to claim that seeing them changed my life. I’d like to claim they&#[…]

8. Lyric: Notorious BIG – “Juicy (DJ Premier Remix)”
After DJ Premier’s subtle tweaking, “Juicy” was the track it should originally have been. The slightly more propulsive beat allowed the rhythm and phrasing of Bi[…]

9. Songs: Led Zeppelin – “When The Levee Breaks”, Black Sabbath – “The Wizard”
However unlikely it may seem to him, there may come a time when Jimmy Page’s income comes mainly from royalties derived from hip […]

As part of a short series, the first entry in my Current Top 10 Of Hip Hop
(Note: “top 10” does not imply “top 10 songs”.)
10. Song: 2Pac – “Do For Love”
As Jeff Chang discusses in this archived article from […]