Let’s be specific (peace Funkmaster Flex), the other day I dropped my 10 most underrated rappers of 2011, so it only made sense to drop my best rapper too. This isn’t an all-time list, it’s current and I could only award this to a rapper who is, well current. Andre 3000, you might be on another level and universally accepted as the greatest rapper living and who am I to disagree? You are, but these once every few years cameos on these bullshit R&B tracks ain’t cutting it.

It ain’t Jay, shame on you for even thinking that. It isn’t his apprentice Mr. Electronica, who by the way he should be dropping his once-a-year track in December to continue giving your iTunes blue balls. His lack of new material and a Saigon(ish) career pattern is not helping matters. I can you assure you it’s nobody who would rock a smedium t-shirt. Nobody that you would consider a hipster or vegan. It isn’t a new radical skater. It isn’t lazy self-absorbed artists who continues to produce lo-fi albums for your listening displeasure.

Who does it leave then? Nas, maybe, but we all know he lost a step or two over the years. Could it be Jada? Sure, Jadakiss is like the New York Jets, he looks great on paper but when it comes down to business he can’t close and I’m still waiting on that great album from him. So the argument could come down to Pusha and the man who I awarded it to. Pusha is just getting better with age, but when you see who is #1 it’s hard to dispute facts.

Maybe 2012 will be different but there isn’t a rapper IMO who has deliverer quality time and time again than this man. I hate the word swag, so I will just say this man’s style is just too damn cool. It sounds effortless like the way DOOM spits, but it’s extremely layered with witty lyricism and tons of rewind material   If the Dos Equis guy was a rapper he’d be this one. –Philaflava

Click to see who is the best rapper of 2011.

Some bonus mp3s courtesy of the great people of Philaflava.

Download Zip File 1

Will Vill – Not a Game ft. Roc Marciano
Wu-Tang Clan – The Black Diamonds (Ghostface, Roc Marciano & Killa Sin)
Random Axe – Chewbacca ft. Roc Marciano
Meyhem Lauren – Crossroads ft. Roc Marciano
Ray West – Move Back ft. Roc Marciano & A.G.
Roc Marciano – Scarface (3:33 Remix)
Sick Team – Lyrical Assassins ft. Roc Marciano
Beneficence – Monetary Policy ft. Roc Marciano
The Planets – Sound Clash ft. Roc Marciano
Arch Druids – Scorched Earth Policy ft. Roc Marciano & Planet Asia
Sean Price – How the Gods Chill (Remix) ft. Roc Marciano & Meyhem Lauren
A.G. – Marcberri

Download Zip File 2

Sketch – Chain Smoking Remix Feat. Roc Marciano and Reef
Roc Marciano – The Prophecy Oxidation Remix
Roc Marciano- Snow Remix Feat. Sean P
Roc Marciano- Slugs Thru Ya Papaya Feat. Killah Priest
Roc Marciano – Scarface
Roc Marciano- My Persona
Roc Marciano- MVG
Pollyn- Cold Sweat Feat. Roc Marciano
MMG – Helpless Dreamer Feat. Roc Marciano, XO and Tranquill
J- Love- Tricks of the Street Feat. G Rap, Cormega and Roc Marciano
Blaq Poet- Bushmaster Remix Feat. Roc Marciano and Wais P

A 10min documentary clip dropped yesterday promoting the much anticipated Kanye West and Jay-Z collabo album Watch the Throne. Directed, edited and photographed by Robert Lopuski, it features shots of recording & listening sessions in Australia, general brainstorms and throwback visuals of Kanye before the hype. Collectors can check out the doc in a downloadable avi file right here.

- CC

With Christmas just around the corner, this is the time of year I like to pretend I have more of a disposable income.  Usually I’ll spend some extra dough on family and friends, but chances are the price tag won’t put a hole in my wallet and I won’t suffer any serious consequences as a result.  If I had a larger bank account, I’d probably end up buying dumb, expensive gifts for everyone, because that seems like the thing to do if you’ve got cash.  That being said, I’d be interested to see a report on rapper gift-giving for the holiday season, Brother Ali and The Beastie Boys excluded, based on what some of them buy throughout the year.  Rappers buy some really dumb shit…

Drugs

You know what I love?  Sprite.  And Jolly Ranchers.  And cough syrup if I’m feeling congested.  All three at once, I’m not so sure.  What do you think DJ Screw?  Big Moe?  Fine, don’t answer me, see if I care.  Pimp C?  No response.  I guess it must be that sleep apnea acting up again.  As much fun as it is to stumble out of the dentist’s office and listen to the batteries die in my walkman, it’s only fun in moderation.  Even then, I’m not exactly cheating death when I get my wisdom teeth removed.  I don’t understand the appeal of purple drank on a weekly (nightly?) basis, and I especially don’t understand the appeal of dying in my sleep from sippin’ on syzzurp.  Paying to die in my sleep is definitely not in my favorite past-times.

Maybe I just haven’t experimented enough yet, since smoking weed a variety of drugs is pretty much the norm in rap circles nowadays.  Some of my favorite tracks are about weed, so I’m all for using it if it results in better music.  Besides, odds are that your favorite rapper, at the very least, smokes weed recreationally. And while buying $10,000 worth of weed per month may not be the smartest business move, especially when accompanied by a ridiculous amount of tweets, to each his own.  Even if it does get you arrested.

But if it doesn’t, you can always get creative. I loved playing cops and robbers as much as any other kid growing up, but when smoking crack leads you to impersonate an FBI agent; especially somewhere you’re likely to get caught, like, oh, let’s say an airport, that’s where I draw the line.  DMX does not.  Because hey, at least he didn’t REALLY think he was a fed.  I mean it’s not like he was high on PCP in the middle of the street screaming, naked and covered in blood, after eating part of his roommate’s lung; know what I mean Big Lurch?

Things That Tell Time

When was the last time a rapper was on time?  For anything?  Ever?  Probably never.  Flava Flav might have the biggest clock collection in the world, and he probably can’t even tell time.  Even if he can, it’s probably wrong since he’s always reading it upside-down – that must be tough.  So I ponder how punctual Rick Ross is when he says something like

“Look at Haiti, children dyin’ round the clock nigga/ I’d send 100 thou but that’s a decent watch nigga.”

I’d be willing to bet RickyRickyRicky a pretty sweet Timex he hasn’t been on time for anything in a long time.  So why the expensive watch, Officer?  You no longer need to clock-in for the nightshift at the DoC.  Are the batteries dead?  Made you look!  My 1996 Timex Ironman may not be in the 24 karat, diamond encrusted, hundred-thousand dollar range that you’re used to, Mr. I’m-always-on-time-for-everything-ever, but it sure does tell time well. Plus it’s digital, and much easier on the eyes.

Cosmetic Surgery for your Mother

How’d that work out for you Kanye?  I understand how important an MC’s image is to modern hip hop.  As much as I don’t agree with it, I understand.  It’s part of the reason why Nicki Minaj is popular right now; because every male that’s heard of her wants a piece, even Regis. So, if she did get ass implants as rumored, I’m not mad at her.  I doubt, however, that your 58 year-old mothers’ image matters much at all.  It’s a loving gesture to do something for your mom to show you care: a phone call, a nice pair of earrings, or something people do all the time, like record a song.  So that tummy tuck she asked for, you know, the one you paid for from the surgeon with numerous malpractice suits; it probably could’ve been avoided without much resistance.

Really, Really Dumb Tattoos

Tattoos are pretty awesome.  Sometimes they turn out really dope.  But sometimes they turn out really bad, and that makes them way better for just about everyone else.  As cool as I thought tattooing a butterfly on the side of your face would be.  Sometimes you can be pretty sure a five year-old was involved.  But a five year-old wouldn’t know how to spell the word “slaughter,” would they Crooked I? Sometimes they’re just weird, like looking at a portrait tattoo of your six year-old daughter will be once she’s in her late teens.  Essentially, a lot of rappers get bad tattoos, and a lot of rappers get a lot of tattoos.  I know, I know, nothing is better than a neck tattoo; it’s only hidden when you’re rocking that new turtleneck, but it’s unfortunate that when you’re 40 and have spent all your hard-earned money, NOBODY WILL HIRE YOU, so you can’t go back to work at footlocker to keep up with that shoe collection.

Chains

If there’s one thing I can reference in absolutely any situation (seriously, try me), it’s The Simpsons.  That being said, it’s probably not something I want to brag about in public, and it’s definitely not if my girlfriend is reading this, which she almost certainly is.  Gucci Mane is clearly a braver man than I, and I assume that he can recite every episode in his DVD collection on demand (because he owns them all) from memory by the way he proudly wears his neck charm. For that I applaud you, my fellow Simpson aficionado.  Just imagine if Gucci Mane and Soulja Boy got to hang out for an afternoon.  Gucci would be all like “We could totally watch ALL of season 7 of The Simpsons.  Right.  Now!”  To which Soulja Boy would naturally respond, “Yay!  We can even take the RC diamond encrusted Lamborghini off my chain for playtime!” Completely ignoring his mother’s requests by the way.  It’d be nothing but LOL’s and smiley faces all day.

A Minority Share in a Professional Sports Organization

Buying a minority share in an NBA team seems like a pretty sound investment on the surface, but I don’t think rappers necessarily understand the corporate side of the league.  For example, the Charlotte Bobcats have consistently had terrible attendance since expansion in 2004.  But let’s give Nelly the benefit of doubt; there probably were no signs that a professional team would do poorly in Charlotte.  Oh wait, yes there were.  For starters, the team is based in a city that already saw one team, the Charlotte Hornets, move away just two years before.  Residing in a state dominated by college basketball, the Bobcats should consider themselves lucky if they’re the 4^th favorite team in North Carolina (see: UNC, Duke, NC State).  Those two factors alone would be enough to scare me off as a potential owner, but maybe Nelly really wants basketball to exist at a professional level in Charlotte.  Too bad about all those recent contraction rumors going around. Look on the bright side Cornell, not everyone can say they put their court to good use.

You don’t buy into a five-star restaurant with the expectation that you can persuade Gordon Ramsey to work in your kitchen.  Sports are no different, so it’s never a wise move to buy into a team on the premise you can convince a star player to come play for you, especially when it isn’t for a major market team.  Face it, Hova.  You expected LeBron to come to New Jersey as an unrestricted free agent, and in hindsight, you’d be in a not-so-good situation if Captain Save-A-Hov didn’t come to the rescue.  But the most important thing to remember is that you’re not Usher; so LeBron hasn’t already abandoned your franchise that was about to fold before his rookie season, you’re probably not going to lose millions of dollars, and Mikhail Prokhorov is not Dan “Comic Sans” Gilbert.

Honorable mentions: Tickets to the Mike Tyson/Bruce Seldon fight in Las Vegas, Items designed to look like your face, Videos directed by Kanye West, $75,000 worth of your own music on iTunes.

Only four weeks of summer left officially, so make sure you bang it out with the sixth installment in the SLS series. Somethin’ for your car, somethin’ for your hangout spot, or just somethin’ for you to chill to. Hella shouts to dirt_dog from TROY for the artwork. Download link, tracklist and links to the rest of the series after the jump.

— Snoop Bloggy Blogg

Sounds Like Summer – Volume Six

Download Now

01 Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock – It Takes Two
02 Digital Underground – The Humpty Dance
03 Coolio – Fantastic Voyage
04 Rick Ross – Push It
05 Snoop Dogg – Drop It Like Its Hot ft. Pharell
06 Nas – It Aint Hard To Tell
07 Big Pun – Im Not A Player
08 Beatnuts – Watch Out Now
09 Dj Quik – Quiks Groove 5
10 The Pharcyde – Passin’ Me By
11 Jay-Z – Big Pimpin’ ft. UGK
12 Drake – Friends With Money
13 Petey Pablo – Raise Up
14 Dr. Dre – The Next Episode ft. Snoop Dogg, Kurupt and Nate Dogg
15 Souls of Mischief – 93 ‘Til Infinity
16 2Pac – Bury Me a G (original solo mix)

The fourth installment in our Sounds Like Summer series. Somethin’ for your car, somethin’ for your hangout spot, or just somethin’ for you to chill to. Hella shouts to dirt_dog from TROY for the artwork. Download link, tracklist and links to the rest of the series after the jump.

— Snoop Bloggy Blogg

Sounds Like Summer – Volume Four

Download Now

01 Ice Cube – It Was a Good Day
02 Nate Dogg ft Warren G – Nobody Does It Better
03 Ras Kass – Marinatin’
04 LL Cool J – Loungin’ (Who Do Ya Love)
05 Snoop Doggy Dogg ft Daz – Gin and Juice
06 The Pharcyde – Runnin’
07 Jay-Z – Dear Summer
08 DJ Quik – Quik’s Groove
09 Del tha Funky Homosapien – Dr. Bombay
10 X Clan – Funkin’ Lesson
11 EPMD – Crossover
12 Naughty By Nature – Hip Hop Hooray
13 Skee-Lo – Superman
14 Suga Free – On My Way
15 Luniz – Playa Hata
16 2Pac ft CPO and Big Syke – Picture Me Rollin’

(click pics for links)

R.Dot (aka the SMS Intern) crafted my favorite G-Side song since Hunstville International and for this he deserves some attention. Here are two of his patented IvyLeague remixes. Honestly I’m not too crazy about the Jay-Z one, it’s a little anemic for my taste but I can see others enjoying it. On the other hand, his transformation of Weezy’s dense stomper into a breezy stroll is a big success.

DOWNLOAD: Jay-Z – Party Life IvyLeague Remix.mp3

DOWNLOAD: Lil Wayne – A Milli Ivyleague Remix.mp3

via SouthernHospitality

1. Jay-Z

The MC from Marcy Project that went on to become the most successful rap artist of all-time

Material – 9-10 – Jay-Z began his career in a very uneventful fashion as a back up to Jaz-O, as one of the Originators in the 1980s. After that didn’t work, Jay revamped his style from 1993-1995, until it was fully developed. He released his classic album Reasonable Doubt, which got rave reviews when it debuted, but still kinda flew under the radar, even though his single did go Gold, and the LP went Gold later that same year. His display of unmatched wordplay all the while talking about his tribulations in the drug trade made for one of the more introspective, and lyric heavy albums of the 1990s. He moved on to his second LP the In My Lifetime, which was him moving to a more pop appeal, however, he still managed to spit some of his best verses ever, even though some of the beats lacked the street appeal that his debut album had. He continued on to release more commercial material, especially his break out LP Hard Knock Life, which sold 5 Million, and catapulted him into the biggest rap star in the game, a title he has basically held on to since. His next few albums were all critical and commercial successes, and developed his brand even further, and helped establish his legacy. Then, the release of the BluePrint, quiet arguably, the best rap album of this decade. While taking on more diverse subject matters, and dealing with beefs with Nas, DMX and Mobb Deep, he released his most soulful and unique album of his career. While his other Blueprint albums haven’t reached the critical acclaim as his first, they were still good albums. And albums like American Gangster show that on the mic, he’s still significantly above the majority of his peers.

Influence – 10-10 – No rapper in history has ever had the influence of Jay-Z. No matter what coast, or age group you’re talking about, Jay-Z is who most rappers want to emulate their careers after. Rather it be starting as an independent rap label, and building from the ground up into a half a billion dollar business mogul; or just being considered by their peers to be the most complete MC in the game, rappers have looked up to Jay-Z as the pinnacle of what it is to be a success. Everyone from Lil Wayne, to T.I., to Jadakiss, Fabolous, etc..the list is long of rappers over the years who have taken an followed in Jay’s footsteps. And it’s passed just rappers, look around and you see the influence he has on mainstream and urban America. Jay-Z is the only artist I know that can basically make or break a product by merely stating if he thinks it’s passé or not.

Longevity – 10-10, Jay has been rapping for over 20 years, and is still, either the biggest or second biggest rap artist in the game today. That is unheard of. In a business where fame is usually here today, gone tomorrow, Jay has been able to maintain the ears of listeners for over two decades. Has he latched on to other people’s popularity at times? Certainly. However, that is the sign of someone who is aware of how fickle the game cane be, and adapts accordingly. Jay-Z is the only rapper that debuted in the 1980s that still goes platinum every go around, can sell out arenas in every big venue in the U.S., and across the globe.

Mic Skills – 10-10 For all the talk of Jay-Z’s success, his marriage to Beyonce, his business deals, at the end of it all, he is still one of the most gifted MCs to ever grab the mic. There isn’t anything Jay can’t do when it comes to rap. He has spit some of the most complex metaphors in rap history, all while displaying the best flow in the game. There isn’t a beat or a style of rap Jay hasn’t perfected. His cadence is, delivery, and pocket game are all top notch as well. There really is no flaws at all to his rapping ability when he is completely focused. The ONLY gripe you could possibly have is, that at times, Jay does tend to dumb down his lyrics for his audience to understand him. I, personally, don’t think that is a flaw, it’s a smart way to maintain a larger audience.

Score 39/40

Best Song: D’Evils
Best Album: Reasonable Doubt

Sonic is back and it’s…. actually not bad? After takin’ more Ls than broke Chicago folk last year, Charlie’s album with Interscope was indefinitely put on hold while he seemingly disappeared from the limelight. Returning recently with a new blog and six mixtapes, he also dropped a shot at some guy who cried his way through Michael Jackson karaoke and a guy who’s about the same age as Michael Jackson. Mashin’ up Rihanna’s “Lemme Get That” for a crazy beat, sounds like someone’s lookin’ for a lil attention. “This nigga just started smellin’ his own piss/ deckin’ his chick over some cellular phone shit [....] You were born to a groupie you stupid mothafucka/ you lucky I ain’t have my niggas chew you up at Rucker” and “Apparently, you don’t know nothin’/ You can’t run a town that you don’t show up in/ So what? There’s a J on your roster that’s nicer than you…” Well damn.

Charles Hamilton – Good Guy Goes Off (Chris Brown and Jay-Z diss)
Download Now

— Snoop Bloggy Blogg

Time to pick up the pace on our SLS series with a new edition. Somethin’ for your car, somethin’ for your hangout spot, or just somethin’ for you to chill to. Hella shouts to dirt_dog from TROY for the artwork. Download link, tracklist and a re-up of Volume One with proper artwork after the jump.

Sounds Like Summer – Volume Two

Download Now

01 DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – Summertime
02 LL Cool J- Jingling Baby (Remixed But Still Jingling)
03 Hieroglyphics – Oakland Blackouts
04 Jay-Z – I Just Wanna Love U (Give it 2 Me)
05 TI – What You Know
06 Above The Law – Black Superman
07 Masta Ace – Good Ol’ Love
08 Warren G & Nate Dogg – Regulate (G-Funk rmx)
09 DJ Quik – Quik’s Groove 2
10 The Roots ft Raphael Saadiq – What They Do
11 Ahmad – Back In The Day
12 Domino – Sweet Potato Pie
13 Luniz – I Got 5 On It (Bay Area Ballas Rmx)
14 Jurassic 5 – Concrete Schoolyard
15 Treacherous Three – Feel The Heartbeat
16 De La Soul – A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays

Sounds Like Summer – Volume One

Download Now

01 E-40 – Nah Nah ft Nate Dogg
02 3xKrazy – West Coast Shit
03 Da Brat and The Notorious BIG – Da B Side
04 Erick Sermon – Music
05 Snoop Dogg – Lets Get Blown
06 Kilo Ali – Love in Ya Mouth ft Big Boi
07 King Tee – Dippin (rmx)
08 Dam Funk – (My Funk Goes) On & On
09 Scritti Politti – Tinseltown to the Boogiedown ft Mos Def and Lee Majors (Ali Shaheed rmx)
10 2Pac – To Live and Die in LA
11 Ice Cube – You Know How We Do It
12 Boogiemonsters – Honeydips in Gotham (Monster rmx)
13 The Dove Shack – Summertime in the LBC
14 Big Mike – Burban & Impalas
15 Rich Boy – Boy Looka Here
16 Big Tymers – Still Fly