The Best Hip-Hop Songs & Albums: 2002

Alright, I said I’d be quicker getting these lists out, and it’s been just the opposite. Sorry about that. Just been busy and needed a little inspiration to write. Listened to the Best of 2002 mix I made in early ’03 and decided it was time to get back to this. Lots of great songs in 2002. Although album-wise it was a little bit of a down year. Not to say there wasn’t some dope shit, including one of my personal favorites, but not every disc was as complete as in prior years.

Let’s start the show…

Best Songs

20. “Fame” – GZA
The Genius released his third solo album in 2002 (technically his fourth solo album, but third Wu solo album) and brought another topic-based song. Like “Labels,” and “Publicity” before it, GZA cleverly weaves his lyrics around a running theme, this time choosing celebrities. There are plenty of great lyrics here, including “Used Bernie’s Mac to search Veronica’s Web.”

19. “Suite For Beaver Pt. 1” – People Under The Stairs
Thes One and Double K dropped another solid album in 2002 with O.S.T. Some regard it as their best album, however I’m partial to Questions In The Form of An Answer. Regardless, this song knocked. Great beat as per usual as Thes and Double K rhyme about a fun-filled party night. This is some feel good hip-hop to listen to when you’re having a shitty day.

18. “God Loves Ugly” – Atmosphere
The title-track from Atmosphere’s terrific album. There were plenty of great tracks to choose from off this disc, but this is my favorite. It starts with some self-deprecation, which Slug excels at, as a girl says Slug is “so fuckin’ ugly.” Slug then proceeds to talk about his place in hip-hop, all the while breaking down his own self-image. Ant’s beat on this is my favorite from the album as well, which pushed this over “Fuck You Lucy” as my selection from Atmosphere.

17. “Rock The Mic” – Beanie Sigel & Freeway
This shit was our anthem at one point during my senior year of college. We loved it. I remember going to the local bar and pestering the DJ until he finally played it. I think my roommate and I were the only one’s to get excited when it came on, but it was definitely worth it. Beans ripped the second verse. One of my favorite verses of the year.

16. “Sing It Shitface” – Edan
This song is so off the wall, but so great it’s ridiculous. Edan’s Primitive Plus was a throwback to the old school, and when I say old school I’m talking early-to-mid ‘80’s, not ‘90’s hip-hop. But this track, well I’m not sure there’s any genre or time period it belongs to. It is its own entity. Edan raps about harassing kids at a spelling bee, taking a shit that smells up the entire house and having weird Japanese kids sing his hook instead of R&B singers. You really just need to listen to it and enjoy. Words don’t do it justice.

15. “Cot Damn” – The Clipse feat. Ab-Liva & Roscoe P. Coldchain
“Grindin’” was the huge single for the Clipse off 2002’s Lord Willin’, but this song was easily my favorite. The beat, courtesy of the Neptunes of course, is sensational. One of my favorite beats of the year without question. The track was remixed in 2003 and called “Hot Damn” with new lyrics including some rhymes from Pharrell, but the original is the best.

14. “Satisfied?” – J-Live
You want lyrics? Put your headphones on and listen to a J-Live record. The dude is a tremendous lyricist. He’s also a great storyteller. On this one, Live weighs in on 9/11, President Bush, and the violent shooting of Amadou Diallo, among other things. The hook is terrific, as J-Live spits, “The poor get worked, the rich get richer/The world gets worse, do you get the picture?/The poor get dead, the rich get depressed/The ugly get mad, the pretty get stressed/The ugly get violent, the pretty get gone/The old get stiff, the young get stepped on/Whoever told you it was all good lied/So throw your fists up if you’re not satisfied.”

13. “Don’t You Even Go There” – Demigodz feat. Louis Logic
A lyrical tour de force as Louis Logic, Apathy and Celph Titled deliver punchline after punchline. Louis starts the track off in fine fashion and Apathy is tremendous as per usual, but it’s Celph’s verse that is my favorite. I hadn’t heard Celph Titled before this EP dropped and he gained a huge fan after hearing him on this disc. His best line comes at the end of the song as he spits, “Certified officially, we got the ill flow/And make headlines like a corduroy pillow.” That shit is dope!

12. “Special Delivery (Remix)” – G. Dep feat. Ghostface Killah, Keith Murray & Craig Mack
First of all this track starts perfectly with Ghost spitting the opening verse. Great choice. Dep then shows his talent with a solid second verse and then Diddy surprised us all bringing in a newly free Keith Murray and his former Bad Boy signee Craig Mack. All four verses are terrific, with Murray bringing the most fire lyrically, but I can’t lie, I was geeked when I heard Mack on this for the first time. No, it’s not the remix of “Flava N Ya Ear,” but it’s still dope.

11. “Guess Who’s Back?” – Scarface feat. Jay-Z & Beanie Sigel
A certain up-and-coming producer named Kanye West produced the track and it’s fantastic. After making a huge splash with his work on The Blueprint, Kanye was a popular producer for 2002. He brings another great beat here as Beans, Hov and Face all let loose on it. All three bring it, but Face’s verse is my favorite. This shit is so smooth. I’ve played this consistently since it dropped in ’02 and I’m not sure I’ll ever get sick of it, it’s that good.

10. “Get By” – Talib Kweli
Kanye on production for one of the finest beats of the year and of course Talib gets super lyrical all over it. “We sell crack to our own/Out the back of our homes/We smell the musk at the dusk in the crack of the dawn/We go through Episodes II like Attack of the Clones/Work ‘til we break our back and you hear the crack of the bone.” Love the hook as well, great message. The remix with Jay-Z, Mos Def, Kanye and Busta Rhymes was fantastic as well.

9. “Good Times” – Styles P.
“I get high/I get high” – C’mon you can hear that sample in your head right now and it’s making you smile. Admit it. This song was my favorite at one point during 2002. The production is tremendous and the sample for the hook is among the most catchy you’ll find. Styles spends the track paying homage to one of his loves in life – weed. I’m not a smoker, but if I were, this would be my smoking anthem.

8. “U Don’t Know (Remix)” – Jay-Z feat. M.O.P.
How do you take a great track from the classic Blueprint and make it better? Add M.O.P. As the newest signees to Roc-A-Fella records, Lil’ Fame & Billy Danze bring the fire to Just Blaze’s banger and then Jay caps it off with a stellar closing verse. Fame spits, “Your tracks need tune-ups/Lil’ niglet, what the fuck you recordin’ for, Nick Jr.?/The game ain’t changed, it just got harder/Plus we sponsored by Laze, Dame Dash and Mr. S-dot Carter.”

7. “Boom” – Royce Da 5’9
The greatest solo track of Royce’s career right here. Nickel-Nine unloads over a DJ Premier banger. So many great lines on this one. He finishes the track with some real hotness, “Niggas say I found God with the flow/Bring the police to the studio and bring the bomb squad to the show/Ain’t a nigga touching mine/When you listen to my shit, you don’t chew, you don’t breathe, you don’t miss a fuckin’ line/Every time I spit, I tick to show you it’s hot/Leave me in the deck too long I blow up your box/Boom!”

6. “The Seed 2.0” – The Roots feat. Cody Chestnutt
Probably the most loved and most popular Roots song ever. People who know nothing about hip-hop and nothing about The Roots even love this song. And it is great. Of course little do they know that it was originally recorded by Cody Chestnutt, hence the “2.0” in the song’s title. But the Roots put their own touch on the track and make it an all-time great. Not much else needs to be said. Everyone knows this song and it will live on forever.

5. “It’s Time (An Ode To Breaking Atoms” – D-Tension feat. Encore
I tried to hear this song for over a year. Seriously, I couldn’t find it anywhere. Finally I found D-Tension’s compilation album and bought it immediately. This song was worth the wait. I had Encore’s Self-Preservation album, which showed what a talented MC he was, especially on the song ".084", but this took him to another level for me. He absolutely owns this track and that’s saying something because the production on this track is top of the line. A lesser MC would’ve been outshone by the production.

4. “What’s Golden” – Jurrasic 5
J5 has made it a point to stick to the formula of old that made hip-hop music what it was back in the day. In the face of all the commercial bullshit, Jurassic 5 stayed true to their sound and delivered this ode to the days of feel-good, boom bap rap. Soup opens the track in grand fashion, but it’s Chali 2na that steals the show, which is no surprise for a J5 record. “Well it’s the verbal Herman Munster/The word enhancer/Sick of phony mobsters controlling the dance floor.” Comparing himself to Herman Munster is priceless.

3. “Made You Look” – Nas
Oh dear God was this song awesome! Salaam Remi and Nas make a great team. This is like a throwback to Illmatic Nas. Dude was untouchable on this one. The remix with Jadakiss and Ludacris was hot too, but the original was an “Oh Shit!!!” moment for me the first time I heard it. When that gun shot goes off to start the track I get amped every time. Nas didn’t need to prove he was one of the greatest of all-time, but if there was any doubt he put those doubters to bed with this one.

2. “The Life” – Styles P. & Pharoahe Monch
Styles P. makes his second appearance on this list with a song that would probably be No. 1 for me in several other years. And no, I didn’t break my own rule of one song per album. This was originally found on the Soundbombing III album, and then was included on Styles’ Gangster and a Gentleman, so technically it counts. Good thing because I’d have a tough time leaving “Good Times” off the Best of ’02 list. But there was no way this song wasn’t making it. This was one of the songs, along with “Cross The Border” that I listened to before every game of the ’08 Phillies postseason run. Styles is very good on both verses, but it’s Pharoahe’s hook that pushes this song towards the top for me.

1. “’Till I Collapse” – Eminem feat. Nate Dogg
For me this is the measuring stick that all Eminem songs should be measured against. Everything is perfect here. The production, Nate Dogg on the hook and Em’s ferocity on the mic are all sensational. This is the same year that “Lose Yourself,” the most famous song of Em’s career was released. That song won an Oscar for goodness sakes. But “’Till I Collapse” has even more energy, more intensity and is Em at his sharpest on the mic. He leaves his soul on the track, much like a soul singer would hit that other level. And at this point in his career, Eminem had pretty much given us an inside look into his entire life, but never did I expect him to rank himself among other rappers and rate himself 9th. I love how earnest he is spitting, “Cause I’m at the end of my wit’s with half the shit that gets in/I got a list, here’s the order of my list that it’s in/I goes Reggie, Jay-Z, 2Pac and Biggie/Andre from Outkast, Jada, Kurupt, Nas and then me.” And Em, I hate to break it to you, but your list is off base. No way is Jada, Kurupt or Redman ahead of you. Can’t say I’d put Andre 3000 ahead of Em either. The Kurupt thing still doesn’t make sense to me, but again, that’s part of what makes Em great. He says what he feels, without caring what others think.

Best Albums

10. All The Above – J-Live
I said it above, but I’ll reiterate it here, if you want lyrics, listen to J-Live. Lots of tremendous songs here as J-Live is an MC in every sense of the word. Whether it’s storytelling (“One For The Griot”), getting political (“Satisfied”), showing love to the ladies (“Like This Anna”) or just flexing his lyrical muscle (“MCee”), J-Live is razor sharp on every cut. The production is solid, which is always a concern when dealing with super lyrical artists (see: Canibus, Ras Kass, etc.), and meshes well with J-Live’s style.

9. Blazing Arrow – Blackalicious
Let me preface this by saying that this album disappointed me. But that disappointment stems from the excellence of Nia, more than it represents the quality of this disc. This is still really good hip-hop music. Nia, the group’s previous effort, simply spoiled me. Lots of gems on this disc, including the title track, “First In Flight,” “4000 Miles” featuring the great Chali 2na, “Paragraph President” and “Make You Feel That Way.” Gift of Gab further cemented his status as one of the best MCs in hip-hop on this disc.

8. Quality – Talib Kweli
After teaming with Mos Def for the fantastic Black Star album and following it up with DJ Hi-Tek as Reflection Eternal to drop the terrific Train of Thought, Kweli went solo for the first time. The result: more top notch hip-hop music. Kweli has always been an underground hero and rightfully so. He respects the craft and has never let it get the best of him (i.e. making a bullshit radio song just to try and garner commercial success.) The production on this disc is top notch, with contributions from Megahertz, Kanye West, DJ Scratch, Ayatollah, Super Dave West and Dilla. The only misstep for me was the DJ Quick produced “Put It In The Air.” Kanye produced my three favorite tracks on the album in “Get By,” “Guerrilla Monsoon Rap” which features Black Thought and Pharoahe Monch, and “Good To You.”

7. The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse – Jay-Z
This couldn’t live up to The Blueprint. There was just no way that was going to happen. But the choice to make this a double disc further hurt Hov’s chances of releasing consecutive classics. If this had been a single disc, it would be a serious contender for album of the year. When it’s good, it’s really good, but there’s just too much filler considering both discs weigh in at 25 songs total. As for the good, there was plenty to celebrate such as the Kanye produced “A Dream” featuring Faith Evans and Biggie’s first verse from “Juicy,” “The Watcher 2” featuring Dr. Dre & Rakim and served as the sequel to the Dre song from 2001, “Poppin’ Tags” featuring Big Boi, Killer Mike & Twista, “Diamond Is Forever,” “U Don’t Know (Remix)” featuring M.O.P., “Some People Hate,” “Bitches & Sisters” and the tremendous title track, which you’ve probably all heard in a recent commercial.

6. Phrenology – The Roots
The Roots never disappoint, but coming off of 1999’s Things Fall Apart, I was curious to see what direction the group would go with this disc. One review summed this album up perfectly saying it was the group’s hardest-hitting album, “partly because it’s their most successful attempt to recreate their concert punch in the studio.” That comment struck me because the more I thought about it, that’s a great way to describe this disc. “Rock You” and “The Seed 2.0” are both perfect examples of that “concert punch” as they bring a ton of energy. “Thought @ Work” is one of the best displays of Black Thought’s abilities as an MC and “Break You Off” featuring Musiq served as a smart choice as the lead single, following the success of “You Got Me.”

(On a side note, I’d like to take this opportunity to apologize to Black Thought. I met the Roots at the Jeffrey Lurie Super Bowl Afterparty in Jacksonville after the Eagles lost to the Patriots and suffice it to say I had had about one too many Heinekens at that point. The liquid courage was in full effect so I decided to try and talk hip-hop with Black Thought. Of course the thing I wanted to know was what ever happened to his solo album, Masterpiece Theater. Now Black Thought had released the first single off that album, called “Hardware.” But in my inebriated state, I kept calling the first single “Water,” which Black Thought assured me wasn’t a solo song, but was released on Phrenology. I argued with him that he was wrong about his own music and told him to stop messing around with me because I was a real fan. I told him I knew what I was talking about and that it was cool, he could talk hip-hop with me. He was none too amused and pretty much ended the discussion on the spot. The next morning I woke up and the first word that popped in my head was “Hardware,” the actual name of the first single that I was referring to as “Water.” I had the right song in my head, just the wrong title. I never felt like such an ass in all my life. So Black Thought, if you ever get the chance to visit the Writer’s Block and find yourself reading this post, I’m sorry. I truly am. Now when is Masterpiece Theater coming out?)

5. Power In Numbers – Jurassic 5
This album was a great example of what hip-hop heads want. It featured MCing, DJing, underground favorites and no cookie cutter b.s. The production was handled almost entirely in house between Cut Chemist and DJ Nu-Mark, except for two tracks from the Beatnuts’ Juju and one from Sa-Ra Creative Partners. The guest spots are underground favorites Kool Keith, Juju, old school hero Percee P, the legendary Big Daddy Kane and a surprising appearance from Nelly Furtado (who turned out to be the perfect choice for the excellent “Thin Line,” a song about the difference between being lovers and being friends.) Other standouts include “If You Only Knew,” “A Day At The Races,” “Remember His Name,” “What’s Golden,” “One of Them,” and “I Am Somebody.”

4. The Fix – Scarface
Many regard this as a hip-hop classic, as it received 5 mics in The Source and topped lots of lists for Album of the Year. I’m not ready to deem it a classic, but it is really, really damn good. Kanye was an extremely busy producer in 2002, bringing heat for Jay, Talib and Scarface among others. His production on “In Cold Blood,” and “Guess Who’s Back” is excellent, while the guest spots from Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel, Nas, Kelly Price, Faith Evans and WC all bring value to the album. I’ve always liked Scarface’s music and I’d rank this one just behind The Diary for my favorites of his work.

3. God’s Son – Nas
This album starts so strong with “Get Down,” “The Cross,” “Made You Look,” and “Last Real Nigga Alive,” but then hits a major hiccup with “Zone Out,” and “Hey Nas,” which pretty much sums up this album. When it’s on, it’s among some of Nas’ best work. When it misses, it misses badly. But the majority of the disc is on the good side, including the uplifting “I Can,” the heartfelt “Dance” which is an ode to his late mother, and the inspirational “Warrior Song” featuring Alicia Keys. I listened to this disc again recently and it will hold up over time. It’s just got a few flaws that stop if from being on the level of Illmatic or Stillmatic.

2. God Loves Ugly – Atmosphere
This is the first Atmosphere album I owned. I had a loose compilation of the songs from the Lucy Ford EPs, but didn’t have the official release yet, but I found this disc sitting in the bin at a local music store and scooped it up without hesitation. Listening to this and putting on 2011’s The Family Sign, the growth in Atmosphere’s music is extremely noticeable. But that’s not to say this isn’t good hip-hop. It’s raw, at times very bare bones and it’s clear that Slug and Ant put their all into the disc. After a little bit of a slow start, songs 4-10 are all terrific. That span of songs are among the best songs the group’s ever released including “Fuck You Lucy,” the title track, “A Song About A Friend,” “Saves The Day” and “Lovelife.” The rest of the album is also chock full of solid music with the likes of “Vampires,” “Modern Man’s Hustle,” and “One Of A Kind.”

1. The Eminem Show – Eminem
I know I’m in the minority here, but this is my favorite Em album. The Marshall Mathers LP is great, hell it’s a classic, as is The Slim Shady LP, but this is the most open look into Marshall’s life that we’ve ever had. “Cleanin’ Out My Closet,” “Say Goodbye To Hollywood,” “Hailie’s Song,” and “’Till I Collapse” are as personal as any record Em has every released. Em brought some humor on the disc, not completely ditching the Slim Shady character on songs like “Without Me” and “My Dad’s Gone Crazy.” But it’s when he brings his sheer emotion that he’s at his best (see: “Soldier” & "'Till I Collapse"). The whole album is excellent. Even songs like “Drips” and “Superman” which aren’t quite up to par with the rest of the disc are still entertaining and serve their purpose on the album. Em hits on every topic from fatherhood, to his childhood, to the impact hip-hop music has on white society, to his legal troubles stemming from an assault, all the while he finds time to take shots at Canibus, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Moby, Kim Mathers and of course his mother. Every song is delivered with some purpose, instead of just sticking to the formula of rapping over a beat. I listened to this album ad nauseum when it came out and I still enjoy it every time I put it on now. Oh, and there’s some Dr. Dre production on here as well which of course is fantastic.

That'll do it for 2002. I do want to give special notice to Mr. Lif's I Phantom. The album and in particular the song "Success" is tremendous, but I slept on it and have just recently started relistening to it. I couldn't bump any of the Top 10 albums as I have much more history with them, but Mr. Lif definitely deserves some props here.

2003 is obviously up next. Another classic album on the way, as well as some tremendous underground hip-hop. Hopefully I'll be able to get it up quicker this time. 'Till next time...