The Best Hip-Hop Songs & Albums: 2003

2003 was a great year for underground hip-hop. I found a lot of new artists that are still among my favorites today. It also brought us some familiar faces, including a “retirement” and the return of one of hip-hop’s most controversial rappers who was ready to drop a classic on us. Without further adieu, here’s the Best of 2003.

Best Songs

20. “Stay Real” – Black Moon
The beat on this track is so nice, it will make its way on this list twice. While the other variation is one of my favorites ever, Buckshot rips this beat as well. Interestingly Da Beatminerz get credit for this production, while Just Blaze takes the production credit for the other. Clearly great minds think alike.

19. “High School Reunion” – Pigeon John
One of the many new artists that I discovered in 2003. I picked up his album, Pigeon John Is Dating Your Sister, at a CD shop on a whim because I thought the title was clever and I saw Murs, Mikah 9 and Abstract Rude all featured on the album. John debuted the year before, but I wasn’t aware of him until this disc dropped and I’m so happy I picked it up. This song shows his comedic side as John discusses going to his high school reunion without a dollar to his name. This is the opposite of the glitzy, braggadocio hip-hop that gets so old and repetitive after a while.

18. “God’s Work” – Murs
This is the second new artist I discovered in 2003. Love the vivid lyrics Murs provides on this track. He breaks down what we’ve all experienced at one point in our lives, going to a job we hate with a horrible hang over. Murs wakes up hung over, foggy on what went down the night before, is stuck in traffic, and debates calling out instead of facing another day in customer service. Verse 2 describes his life as a rapper on the road and what they have to go through night after night to try and make a living. Not the glamorous life we would expect for a rapper, that’s for sure.

17. “Love Joint Revisited” – Little Brother
Artist No. 3 that I discovered in 2003. Told you ’03 was a big year for new underground favorites. This song has so many great lines and of course top of the line production from 9th Wonder. Big Pooh and Phonte give a run down of all the things they love, including the clever line “I love Philly’s and cheese steaks,” playing on the City of Brother Love’s famous sandwich as well as the choice tool for blunts. I also love the following line, “I love Macho Man Randy Savage screamin, ‘Elizabeth come and take a ride on my Slim Jim.’”

16. “#1” – Joe Budden
Jersey’s own Joe Budden dropped his solo debut in ’03 and garnered some mainstream attention with his singles “Pump It Up” and “Fire.” But it was his rendition of the Boogie Down Productions classic that was the true gem of his album. Joe takes us on a journey back to the old school and the hip-hop era as he knew it as a kid. He references everything to Pumas and low top Converses to Flavor Flav clocks and the Ultimate Warrior. Made me wax nostalgic for sure.

15. “Deliverance” – Bubba Sparxxx
I liked “Ugly” and I was a fan of Bubba’s first album. I didn’t think he was the next big thing, but I thought he had some decent ability on the mic. His second album showed more growth as an artist and this track was a great example of an artist sticking to his roots. Sure, it’s hip-hop. But it’s backwoods hip-hop. Timbaland brings the perfect sound for Bubba’s country tales.

14. “Up To No Good Again” – Tame One
I really liked Tame One’s When Rappers Attack album. I wanted to include it in the Top 10 albums list, but it got bumped when I realized I had left off another album. From front to back it’s very good and this is easily my favorite song on the disc. Tame attacks right off the bat on a really ill beat and never lets go.

13. “The Way You Move” – Outkast
I’ll go more into depth on Speakerboxxx/The Love Below later on, but I’ll be the first to say that this song didn’t live up to “Hey Ya” when the two were released. After hearing “Hey Ya” a million times, it was nice to hear this song instead. This is a great party/club beat and Big Boi showed he was ready to hold the mic on his own. The chorus and horns are tremendous as this song brings a great energy and makes you want to move (obviously).

12. “Don’t Come Down” – Obie Trice
The sped up sample to start this song grabbed me the first time I heard it and made me a fan instantly. It sounds like something Kanye would produce for The Blueprint. Obie talks about being a problem child and living under some harsh conditions as a kid. It’s an introspective, heart tugging song that just so happens to have a head nodding beat along with it.

11. “A.D.I.D.A.S.” – Killer Mike feat. Big Boi
I love this beat. I loved it when I first heard it and I love it to this day. Killer Mike made a splash on Outkast’s “Whole World,” and then dropped the stellar “Akshon,” before unleashing this ode to the ladies alongside ½ of Outkast. Mike had to step up to the plate rhyming alongside greats like Andre 3000 and Big Boi and once again he proves he’s up to the challenge.

10. “Runnin’” – 2Pac & The Notorious B.I.G.
Produced by Eminem and featured on the soundtrack for Tupac: Resurrection, this song takes the vocals from the song of the same title that was released on the One Million Strong soundtrack. The original also featured Stretch and Dramacydal, but wasn’t as dope as the version that Em cranked out in ’03. I had the original version, so I was skeptical about the remake but it certainly outdid the original thanks to the Edgar Winter “Dying To Live” sample.

9. “What We Do” – Freeway feat. Jay-Z & Beanie Sigel
Damn does this shit bang! I mean really bang. Just Blaze brings one of the best beats of ’03 and Free gets loose on it. Beans also brings it, but it’s Jay’s verse I like the best. “Bang like T-Mac, ski mask air it out/Gotta kill witnesses, ‘cause Free’s beard sticking out.” I wish Philadelphia Freeway had more bangers like this. Then again, this probably set the bar too high for me going into the album, so maybe I set expectation that were too high to meet. Hmm…..

8. “Rite Where U Stand” – Gang Starr feat. Jadakiss
This song is fantastic. A Premo banger laced by Guru and ‘Kiss, what more can you ask for? This is one of my favorite Gang Starr songs of all-time and that’s saying something. Jada says, “Kiss keep funeral homes open.” That is just nasty. Guru finished the song in fine fashion, opening the third verse with, “I see you got the fear of God in you/We’ll tear your heart in 2/Too bad you didn’t know what you got into.”

7. “If I Can’t” – 50 Cent
The beat on this track is my favorite on the whole album. I know “In Da Club” is the smash record on this CD, but this song was a better representation of the album as a whole. I originally tabbed “Many Men” for my Best of ’03 mix made in early ’04, but it has since been replaced by this banger. 50 drops some gangsta shit over another classic Dr. Dre beat. Shit is a definite head nodder.

6. “Diablos” – Louis Logic feat. Celph-Titled
Lyrically, this has some of my favorite lines of the year. This serves as a sort of throwback to the shock value of early Eminem and Cage records. Lou opens the record with threatening lines like, “The torturous, I’ll see to it you’re finished/Leave your unfortunate seed in an orphanage,” and then Celph takes the reins in verse 2 spitting, “Slice the throats of your whole click till my palms hurt/And it’ll be more rednecks than a Willie Nelson concert.” But my favorite line comes at the end of the song as Celph drops, “My dick get hard when I pull the rifle and spray shots/And leave your whole crew shakin’ worse than Michael J. Fox.” That shit killed me the first time I heard it and I’ve loved the song ever since.

5. “Trying To Find A Balance” – Atmosphere
Of all of Atmosphere records, Seven’s Travels ranks towards the bottom, ahead of Overcast! It was a really good album, but not what I was expecting after God Loves Ugly. I should probably go back and listen to it again since their catalog of music has greatly expanded, but I remember being left a little disappointed when I first heard it. This song, however, is one of my favorite Atmosphere songs ever recorded. Musically it’s a tour de force and only Slug could do the production justice. His lyrics on this song are tremendous. And I’m not sure Slug has every brought so much energy on a track. He just rips this song apart.

4. “Stand Up” – Ludacris
Guess who brought another outstanding beat? Mr. Kanye West. Remember when he was just a producer. Seems crazy now given his track record as a rapper, but before College Dropout launched Kanye made a living conjuring tremendous beats like this for MCs to spit on. And Ludacris is game for the challenge. I wasn’t much of a Ludacris fan at this point in his career, but when this song dropped it changed things for me completely. This song made me a Ludacris fan. Great party track and the video slayed me. “How you ain’t gone fuck? Bitch I’m me.” Can you think of a better line to open a song?

3. “X Gon’ Give It To Ya” – DMX
This shit got me so amped when I first heard. I still go crazy when this song comes on. This is what DMX does best, make in your face, upbeat, ferocious songs. For me, this is as good as X has been since It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot. Some consider this the staple song of X’s career, and I’d be hard pressed to argue it. (Although I’ll always take “Ruff Ryders Anthem”).

2. “Public Service Announcement” – Jay-Z
I don’t know how and I don’t know why, but I overlooked this song when The Black Album dropped. Perhaps I was too caught up in the great songs like “99 Problems,” “Lucifer,” “Moment of Clarity,” or “Threat.” Truthfully, I don’t have an answer. But when this was released in a small dose as part of the video for “Dirt Off Your Shoulder,” it grabbed my attention and made me go back and listen to it. Damn is this song great! This is easily one of my favorite Jay-Z songs ever recorded. Just Blaze brings an absolute banger (but who stole from who? Beatminerz or Just Blaze? This is the same beat I referred to earlier for Black Moon’s “Stay Real”). This became the unofficial anthem of my old house and was played during every house party, beer pong game, dart game, whatever the hell was going on, this song was playing. “Allow me to reintroduce myself, my name is Hov.”

1. “Forest Whitiker” – Brother Ali
When I first heard of Brother Ali, an albino rapper, I was intrigued. When I first heard his music, I was a fan instantly. This dude is a serious force on the mic. One of the best MCs in the game, PERIOD. His debut album was fantastic and this track remains one of my favorites ever recorded. I’d love to quote the whole song, it’s just that good. Ali talks about all his imperfections (his skin, his wardrobe, his lazy eye, a “neck full of razor bumps”) and glorifies them all. “You might think I’m depressed as can be/But when I look in the mirror I see sexy ass me/And if that’s somethin’ that you can’t respect then that’s peace/My life’s better without you actually/To everyone out there who’s a little different/I say damn a magazine, these are God’s fingerprints/You can call me ugly, but can’t take nothing from me/I am what I am, doctor, you ain’t gotta love me.” The song is only one verse and a tremendous hook, but it says all you need to know in that one verse.

Best Albums

10. The Listening – Little Brother
The hype surrounding this group when they first dropped was a new-school Native Tongues. Some heralded them as the next A Tribe Called Quest. While those descriptions are accurate, it doesn’t tell the whole story. Little Brother, whose name is an ode to those great groups, showed how talented they were. 9th Wonder’s production was reminiscent of Pete Rock or DJ Premier and was the perfect sound for Phonte and Big Pooh to rhyme over. Phonte remains one of the most slept on MCs in the game today.

9. The Ownerz – Gang Starr
This is the final studio album from Gang Starr, which makes it a little bitter sweet for me. The thought of no more Gang Starr music now that Guru has passed just doesn’t seem right. This disc is not the group’s best, but it’s still Guru and Premier, which automatically makes it better than the majority of hip-hop out there. Lots of quality songs to choose from here including “Put Up Or Shut Up” featuring Krumbsnatcha, “Rite Where U Stand” featuring Jadakiss, “Skills,” “Who Got Gunz” featuring Fat Joe & M.O.P., “PLAYTAWIN,” “Riot Akt,” and the title track.

8. The End of the Beginning – Murs
John Bush of Allmusic called this “one of the most refreshing rap records in years,” and I have to agree. It has a great sound, some real life rap and a lot of personality from Murs. With production from Blockhead, El-P, Oh No, RJD2, and Ant among others, there was a great variety of sounds for Murs to rhyme over. “Transitionz AZ A Ridah” was a play on 2Pac’s “Ambitionz Az A Ridah” but from a skate boarders perspective, “Risky Business” features Shock G. & Humpty Hump as Murs throws a house party when his parents leave town, “God’s Work” deals with the doldrums of working in a cubicle and “BT$” deals with Murs’ spending habits, including blowing his money on Star Wars toys.

7. 8 Million Stories – Soul Position
RJD2 and Blueprint dropped an EP in 2002 under the name of Soul Position. In ’03 the two were back at it releasing a full length disc. This album absolutely surprised me. I was familiar with RJ thanks to his fantastic Dead Ringer, but I wasn’t sure what Blueprint could bring to the table. This disc was the perfect marriage between the two as RJD2 brings more top of the line production and Blueprint provides some great commentary. “The Jerry Springer Episode,” “Just Think,” “Fuckajob,” and “Look of Pain,” are all terrific, but it’s the second half of the album with standouts like “Run,” “Right Place, Wrong Time,” and “No Excuse For Lovin’” that made me love this album. “No Excuse For Lovin’” is the most haunting track on the disc with Blueprint describing an abusive relationship over dark, trippy production from RJ. The third verse is extremely vivid and makes the listener uneasy and feeling helpless to help the main character who is in peril.

6. Cheers – Obie Trice
I love Obie Trice. Wish he never got released from Shady Records. From all the signees Em’s had, Obie has been my favorite (although Slaughterhouse will probably change all of that). Obie certainly gets some assists on this disc with production from Em, Dr. Dre and Timbaland and appearances from Em, 50 Cent, Nate Dogg and Busta Rhymes. But Trice holds his own and makes a superb debut. There are a lot of good moments on this album, including the Em assisted “Lady,” the Dre produced “Set Up” featuring Nate Dogg on the hook, “Shit Hits The Fan,” which features Dre sounding off on Ja Rule, the Busta Rhymes assisted “Oh!” and the tremendous “Don’t Come Down.” The missteps are few and far between as Obie showed a lot of promise on the strength of his debut.

5. Speakerboxxx/The Love Below – Outkast
This will be sacrilegious to some, but I don’t care. To me this was one disc of hip-hop and one disc of funk/R&B. It was a terrific effort from Big Boi and Andre 3000, but I always have and always will like my Outkast with Big Boi and Andre rhyming together. To me this doesn’t touch Aquemini or Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. I know musically it was a risky move and I applaud them for taking the risk as it resulted in a Grammy for Album of the Year. And musically it probably was the best album of 2003. But from a pure hip-hop standpoint, only Speakerboxxx was a true hip-hop disc. The Love Below is the part of the album that garnered the most praise, but it’s pop/funk/soul/jazz/hip-hop all in one. This is super hard for me to rank because I wasn’t sure where to stand on this, but I think placing it in the middle is fair given the context of this blog and the way I’ve ranked other albums. Remember, I didn’t include The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill on my Best of ’98 list because it wasn’t a pure hip-hop album, and I see The Love Below in the same light.

4. Shadows On The Sun – Brother Ali
Brother Ali showed how good of an MC he was with this disc. From the incredible storytelling on “Room With A View,” to his battle rhyme style of “Champion,” his comedic style of “Prince Charming” and the introspective, but celebratory “Forest Whitiker,” Ali shows his range and always comes with potent lyrics. “Dorian” is one of the best stories you’ll hear, as Ali describes a confrontation with his neighbor over domestic abuse, resulting in a surprising arrest to finish the song. “Picket Fence” is another amazing song as Brother Ali tugs on your heart strings describing a childhood of abandonment and overcoming the tests God puts in front of us. This is music that any person can relate to and is delivered in a way that sets Ali apart from any other hip-hop artist.

3. Sin-A-Matic – Louis Logic
I ordered this CD off of Hiphopsite.com, back when they sold CDs, and I couldn’t be happier with the decision. I had heard Lou on the Demigodz EP and was familiar with “Loud Mouth” and “Factotum,” but that was about the extent of my experience with his music. Lou did not disappoint with this disc. JJ Brown and the Avid Record Collector bring the goods from a production standpoint, but it’s Lou’s lyrics that steal the show. Lou also runs the gamut on topics, ranging from failed relationships, “Idiot Gear,” internet rap fans “Fair Weather Fan,” a disgruntled employee on “Postal,” and dealing with alcoholism on “Dos Factotum.” The true highlight of Lou’s ability as a lyricist comes on “The Ugly Truth,” in which Lou comes across as one of the biggest racists/homophobes you’ll find before it’s revealed he’s delivering his rhymes from inside the mind of George W. Bush. It’s a “Holy Shit!” moment and true testament to Lou’s abilities to deliver more than just humorous rhymes.

2. The Black Album – Jay-Z
This was Jay-Z’s “retirement” album. How’d that whole retirement thing turn out? The original concept was to be a 12-song album with 12 different producers, but that didn’t quite happen. Regardless, Hov brings another excellent effort. There are some that name this as Jay-Z’s best album, however, I whole-heartedly disagree. I’ll take The Blueprint any day of the week. In fact, I rank Reasonable Doubt ahead of this album as well. But that’s not to say it’s not great. The producers Hov did enlist all bring their “A”-game for the most part, with the only song that doesn’t hold up being “Justify My Thug,” the DJ Quick produced track that jacks Madonna’s “Justify My Love.” The Neptunes’ “Change Clothes” also doesn’t do it for me, but the rest is terrific. I discussed some of the standouts during the Best Songs portion, but need to also mention “December 4th” and “What More Can I Say?” This disc also helped make Danger Mouse a household name with his brilliant The Grey Album which mashed up The Beatles’ classic White Album with Jay’s Black Album.

1. Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ – 50 Cent
I am disappointed with how 50’s career has panned out, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise given the overexposure that followed his classic debut. Think about it, after this album dropped, 50 got his own movie, released a book, got in the Vitamin Water game, released the G-Unit album and dropped his sophomore album all within a 2 year span. That’s a little oversaturation of 50 Cent if you ask me. But this album was a classic. It was a throwback to the mid-90’s thug rap that Mobb Deep, Nas, 2Pac, Smif-N-Wessun and others made famous. 50 had already stirred up a lot of controversy with “How To Rob,” but it took being shot 9 times that started to build 50’s legend and caused heaps of anticipation for his solo debut. Add Eminem and Dr. Dre backing the project and you had the recipe for a classic. 50 didn’t disappoint. This album doesn’t have the creativity of Brother Ali’s, or the variety of Murs’ disk, it was just some old fashioned gangsta shit, but for what it was worth, it was the best “gangsta” album since 2Pac’s All Eyez On Me. This disc took over every house party/bbq in 2003, and every club, radio station and music station played 50’s music non-stop. This had “In Da Club,” “Wanksta,” “P.I.M.P.”, “21 Questions,” “Many Men,” “If I Can’t,” “Patiently Waiting,” “What Up Gangsta,” “Back Down,” hell I could list the whole album. I didn’t even buy 50’s last album, but I’ll never deny how great this album was and still is.

So that’s it. Looking back there was a lot of great music in ’03 and as I stated earlier, it was a great year to discover new artists. To get debut albums from Little Brother, Murs, Soul Position, Obie Trice, Louis Logic (kind of), Brother Ali (again, kind of) is a helluva year in its own right. Add Gang Starr’s final studio record, Jay-Z’s “retirement” record which is better than anything he’s dropped since coming out of retirement, 50 Cent’s debut classic and of course the 2003 Grammy Award Winner for Album of the Year from Outkast and I’d say it was a very good year for hip-hop.

Time to start putting together the Best of '04 list. I already know the Album of the Year for 2004, but what else is there? Until then...