Without looking, 2004 felt like it would be a down year. I remember Kanye being everywhere in ’04, but I couldn’t think of many other breaking artists or major projects that year. Upon further review, I found my initial feelings to be pretty spot on, but there is still plenty of quality music to celebrate from 2004.
I'd like to preface the Best Songs list by telling you that Jadakiss's "Why?" was considered for this list, but I still have a little bit of bitterness towards that track because I actually wrote a song called "Trivial Pursuit" that used the same exact concept back in 1999. Of course I'm the only one that heard that song, but it does exist and I still have the lyrics to prove it. So for jackin' my idea, I left "Why?" off the list. Sour grapes, yeah, you could say that. But it's my list, so too damn bad.
Let's get into it...
Best Songs
20. “Mockingbird” – Eminem
I’ve always liked Em’s music best when he’s sharing personal stories. This is a very heartfelt dedication to his daughters. I remember the first time hearing Encore and thinking what the hell happened to the introspective Em from The Eminem Show? Then this song came on and it was so refreshing, especially considering the songs like “Puke” and “Big Weenie” that preceded it on the album.
19. “Warrior” – Lloyd Banks
“On Fire” was the song that jumped Banks’ solo career, but it was the b-side to that single that got my attention. The beat was dope on this. I also like Banks’ opening line, “You heard right muthafucka/Grandmama’s daughter ain’t raise no sucka.” It’s simple yet effective.
18. “Stay Cool” – The Roots
The Legendary Roots Crew flip the same sample that De La used on “Ego Trippin’” and Black Thought sounds so dope over it. The Tipping Point remains a very underrated album and there were several songs I could’ve picked from that disc for this list, but this was my favorite when I first heard the album and remains so to this day (although “Star/Pointro” is definitely a close second).
17. “I Try” – Talib Kweli
Here’s the first entry from Kanye West in ‘04, as he produces another banger for Kweli. Lyrically, Talib is on his game on this track and the use of Mary J. Blige on the hook was the perfect touch. She raised this song up a level. So many great lines on here and a truly uplifting song. “Try to bring the struggle to light/The label want a song about a bubbly life/I have trouble trying to write/Some shit that bang in the club through the night/When people suffer tonight/Lord knows I try.”
16. “Drop It Like It’s Hot” – Snoop Dogg
I’ve got almost every Snoop album and with each release I expect less and less, but I realize what kind of music he’s out to make and I’m okay with it. Snoop has a niche and at this point in his career there isn’t much point in trying to reinvent the wheel. We ain’t getting the Snoop of The Chronic or Doggystyle back and the sooner you come to terms with that, the sooner you’ll be able to sit back and enjoy his music for what it is. This song was an absolute banger and is one of his biggest songs ever. The Neptunes brought a classic beat for this track and Snoop is at his entertaining best spitting over it. It’s fun hip-hop and there’s no need for it to be anything more.
15. “Way Of The Light” – Gift of Gab
This song was used for a soda commercial, so some of you may know the beat and hook from that, but this song is soooo much more than a damn soda commercial (although I’m sure Gift of Gab got paid for that commercial, so I’m cool with it). If you are in a bad mood, if it’s a rainy, shitty day outside or if you’re low on energy, just put this song on. It’s impossible not to boost your energy and spirits listening to this song. It has such a positive vibe. I love Gift of Gab. Dude remains one of the most underrated MCs in hip-hop.
14. “If It Wasn’t For You” – Handsome Boy Modeling School feat. De La Soul
Speaking of positive vibes, this song makes my head nod and puts a smile on my face instantaneously. The beat on this song is absolutely terrific. And then there’s De La who did this song justice. Pos rhymes about the effects of fame, while Dave gives an ode to his pen and then Pos spits a verse dedicated to his daughter. Great lyrics and great wordplay throughout the song.
13. “Appreciate” – Pete Rock & CL Smooth
The Chocolate Boy Wonder and Caramel King reunite for Pete Rock’s Soul Survivor II. Thank you to the both of them for this one. Love when hip-hop acts come back together and make more classic music together. We need another Pete Rock & CL Smooth album stat! Pete Rock has made a career out of producing some of the illest beats hip-hop fans have ever heard, but no one and I mean no one sounds better over Pete Rock production than CL Smooth.
12. “Get Back” – Ludacris
The video for this song absolutely slayed me. Luda walked around with popeye arms and starting whooping asses. Along with Busta, Luda makes the best videos out there. The production on this track is some rah-rah shit and Luda brings the energy to match on the mic. I just watched the video again while writing this and it really is the best. “I came, I saw, I hit ‘em right dead in the jaw.”
11. “Got It Twisted” – Mobb Deep
Mobb samples Thomas Dolby’s “She Blinded Me With Science,” an ‘80’s electro song and completely kick the shit outta it. Seriously, spitting some street shit over this beat is sick. Prodigy brings some heat on this one, “It’ll be a manslaughter right in front of my kids/A little blood get on my daughter, it’s nothing she’ll live.” Love that line. The remix with Twista was pretty good as well.
10. “Hip-Hop” – Royce Da 5’9”
Royce linked up with Premo for this one. Only great things happen when those two connect. This isn’t quite on the same level as “Boom,” but it’s still incredibly nice. Premier definitely brought it with this beat and of course Royce was up to the challenge. Three verses of venom and a terrific hook to go with it. Royce’s flow is perfect throughout the entire song.
9. “Down & Out” – Cam’ron feat. Kanye West
Mr. West is back in the building, this time lending his production as well as his voice for the hook. I’m not the biggest Cam fan in the world, but he has had his moments over the years. This is his best song ever. This is one of the best beats of the year and Cam’s lyrics kill me. He ain’t Canibus or Chino XL, but his lyrics absolutely work on this track. “Now a nigga got bacon to bake/Harlem shake naw, I’m in Harlem shaking awake/Shaking to bake/Shaking the jakes/Kill you, shoot the funeral up and Harlem Shake at your wake.” Hahaha, that shit is so ill!
8. “Breathe” – Fabolous
I discussed this in the Best of 2001 column, but I’ll reiterate it here: I am not a Fabolous fan. But the kid does have the potential to get on my good side if he’d just release more music like this. This song is undeniable, Fab fan or not. The beat, courtesy of Just Blaze, is an absolute banger and F-A-B-O brings so much fire on here it’s not even funny. So many great lines to pick from. C’mon Fab, less “Can’t Let You Go” and “Throw It In The Bag,” more “Breathe” and “Keepin’ It Gangsta,” please!
7. “Run” – Ghostface Killah feat. Jadakiss
I got used to Wu songs without RZA production, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t always hoping for more RZA production. He brings the rawness for this track for Ghost and ‘Kiss to spit over. One of RZA’s best beats in years. Jada’s verse is terrific detailing a foot chase with the cops and spittin’, “Rather it be the streets than the jail where I die at/And I’m asthmatic, so I’m looking for somewhere to hide at/But they too close/And I got this new toast/Imagine if I would’ve let off a shot or two/You know what I gotta do.”
6. “Thief’s Theme” – Nas
Salaam Remi brought the heat with this one. Flipping “In A Gadda Da Vida” was such a great idea, Nas used the shit twice (which will be discussed further for “Hip-Hop Is Dead”). Nas brings the “Nasty,” Illmatic style back for this one. This is one of his hardest records. Nas drops so many ill lines here that I can’t pick a favorite. It’s just too nice.
5. “Rock Co.Kane Flow” – De La Soul feat. MF Doom
All three MCs go back-and-forth sharing the mic on this one to outstanding results. Doom was a great choice for this track as his style fits the production just right. Doom may be a bit abstract, but he can bring the lyrics as evidenced here, “Said it made him tougher than a bump of raw medicine.” Love Pos’ line saying “We De La to the death, or at least until we break up,” as an ode to the group’s longevity. Think about it, Tribe broke up, as did Organized Konfusion, Artifacts, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, EPMD (who have since reunited), and countless others. But De La has stayed together to give hip-hop fans great music for over 20 years. Thank you De La!
4. “Through The Wire” – Kanye West
I heard about Kanye ad nauseam from a guy at work before The College Dropout came out. He kept talking about how dope Kanye was and how he had this song where he rhymed with his mouth wired shut. Then I heard the track and became a believer. It’s crazy to think where Kanye’s career as a rapper started and where he is now. He went from making mixtapes featuring underground favorites Mos Def and Talib Kweli, to becoming an international superstar. This song was the true Kanye sound when he first dropped, sampling an old soul record (Chaka Khan’s “Through The Fire”) and speeding it up, and then laying down some real life shit. I love this record. “But I’m a champion, so I turn tragedy to triumph/Make music that’s fire/Spit my soul through the wire.”
3. “This Way” – Dilated Peoples feat. Kanye West
This is the fourth song on this list that had Kanye’s fingerprints on it. (Originally there were five with Mos Def’s “Sunshine” on the list, but it got bumped) I absolutely love this song. I love the lyrics and I especially love the hook, “This time I made up my mind/This time I’m back on my grind/I know there’s things in my life that I’ma let go starting tonight.” All three verses are terrific, but it’s Kanye that steals the show, “I’m a Chicagoan/’Til Chicago wins/’Til we blow like Chicago wind/I don’t know what’s better, getting laid or getting paid/I just know when I’m getting one, the other’s getting away.”
2. “It Takes A Seven Nation Army To Hold Us Back” – Apathy
Holy SHIT! The first time I heard this I was blown away. Ap absolutely destroys this White Stripe’s track. This is so sick, it’s not even funny. You gotta peep this if you’ve never heard it. “Better get the best shit you wrote that makes them go wild/Shit that you’ll put up in an AOL profile/Download it, burn it and ship it to Kansas/To a cousin that’ll pump it on a college campus/Play it at dances/And translate it to Spanish/So foreign exchange motherfuckers’ll understand it/Shit that’ll make them chicks send you their panties/And fight with their families/Like, ‘You don’t understand me!’”
1. “Afterparty” – Method Man feat. Ghostface Killah
So much disappointment associated with Meth’s Tical O: The Prequel. But this song made it all worth while. This song is my shit! Ghost and Meth absolutely kill it on this one. The beat is phenomenal and Ghost and Meth flow back-and-forth effortlessly. The first verse is tremendous as Meth and Ghost rhyme about the day after a house party. If you’ve ever attended or thrown a massive house party, you’ll be able to relate to this easily! There are so many quotables on this track. And although it’s called “Afterparty,” this is an absolute party starter and party necessity. Makes me want to have a beer and a car bomb and maybe a shot and play some beer pong or flip cup, I mean DAMN, this song just makes me want to party. And of course that brings a lot of happy memories for me!
Best Albums
10. A Job Ain't Nuthin' But Work - J-Zone
I love J-Zone's shit. Dude doesn't take himself too seriously, but he does concoct some of the best and original beats you'll find. His music doesn't sound like everyone else's and that's a good thing. Lots of humorous tracks here such as "Kill Pretty," "Baldylocks" and "Disco Ho." He also flips it on NBA stars that want to enter the hip-hop game, by braggin' about his hoops skills compared to other MC's. It's really fresh. And then there's the Celph-Titled collabo "Spoiled Rotten," where the two try to outdo one another with punchline after punchline. Zone brought it for sure with this disc.
9. Encore – Eminem
I’m so torn on where to stand on this album. It has three parts, 1/3 good, 1/3 awful and 1/3 great. It’s the good and great stuff that puts this disc on the list. “Never Enough,” “Like Toy Soldiers” and “Mosh” all got the album off to a good start, but it’s tracks 7-14 that the album takes a turn for the worse. It’s all garbage and doesn’t live up to Em’s body of work. Fortunately, he regains his form with the final five songs, including the aforementioned “Mockingbird” and the Dr. Dre and 50 Cent assisted title-track. I can’t front, I’m a huge Eminem fan, so I’m probably a little too kind with this ranking, but I still like half the album and it’s more memorable to me than say Jadakiss or Mobb Deep’s albums (both of which were good, but nothing to write home about. I also debated keeping Encore off the list and replacing it with Foreign Exchange’s Connected, but that would’ve been dishonest as I’ve only really listened to Connected about 3 times. I know, I messed up with that one. But I gotta stay true to how I’ve done all of these lists).
8. The Beautiful Struggle – Talib Kweli
The highlights from this album are some of the best of the year. “Going Hard,” “I Try,” “Around My Way,” “Ghetto Show” and “Black Girl Pain” are all fantastic. Songs like “Back Up Offa Me,” “Broken Glass,” “We Know” and “We Got The Beat” didn’t hold my attention as much, which knocks the album down a few notches for me.
7. The Hunger For More – Lloyd Banks
This disc featured every member of the G-Unit (including The Game) but Banks holds his own. “Warrior,” “On Fire,” “Warrior Part 2,” “Karma,” “When The Chips Are Down” and “South Side Story” are all great tracks. Damn, this album was even better than I remember. The Game has a show stealing verse on “When The Chips Are Down,” and Em brings it on “Warrior Part 2.” But my three favorite tracks on the album are all Banks solo joints (“Warrior,” “Karma” and “South Side Story”) which solidified Banks’ spot as one of the best newcomers in ’04.
6. Street’s Disciple – Nas
Biggie released a double disc, as did 2Pac, Jay-Z, and Wu-Tang, so Nas decided it was his turn to join those legends in putting out a double CD. But like Jay’s Blueprint 2, Street's Disciple would’ve been better left as a single disc. There are plenty of highlights on here, but 25 tracks leaves too much room for filler. Nas could’ve condensed this and had another near classic on his hands. Here’s how I would’ve broken this into a 13-song album: 1. Nazareth Savage; 2. These Are Our Heroes; 3. Disciple; 4. Sekou Story; 5. Just A Moment; 6. Suicide Bounce; 7. Street’s Disciple; 8. U.B.R.; 9. Virgo; 10. Bridging The Gap; 11. War; 12. Me & You; 13. Thief’s Theme.
5. The Pretty Toney Album – Ghostface Killah
When it comes to solo albums, Ghost is easily the most consistent member of the Wu. He delivers another gem with this disc. 2004 was a huge year for Ghost, as he was also on my favorite song of 2004 (Method Man’s “Afterparty”) and was the driving force behind the excellent Theodore Unit mixtape. I love that Ghost decided to rhyme right over some classic R&B/soul records instead of sampling them on “Save Me Dear” and “Holla.” The album also features the excellent “Biscuits,” “Metal Lugnies” featuring Sheek and Styles P., “It’s Over,” “Be This Way,” and “Run” featuring Jadakiss.
4. The Tipping Point – The Roots
In the grand scheme of things, this will probably be towards the bottom of The Roots’ catalog, but that’s only because their other albums are so damn good. Personally, I’m a huge fan of this disc. “Star/Pointro” kicks off the album in grand fashion, “Don’t Say Nuthin’” was a tremendous lead single, I discussed “Stay Cool” above, and “Why (What’s Goin’ On?)” is among my favorites Roots tracks. The legendary Roots crew delivered again in 2004.
3. Madvillainy – Madvillain
Madlib and MF Doom team for one of the underground’s favorite projects of all-time. The two make a great team, as Madlib’s production and Doom’s sometimes non-sensical lyrics go hand-in-hand. Most of the songs are relatively short, allowing us to enjoy 22 songs, but as the saying goes, it’s short but sweet. “Operation Lifesaver aka Mint Test” finds Doom discussing halitosis, while “Rhinestone Cowboy” is my favorite track on the disc as Doom has firm control of the mic. Both bring their alter-egos in for the fun as well, as Madlib transforms into Lord Quas on “America’s Most Blunted,” and “Shadows of Tomorrow,” while Doom’s Viktor Vaughn character joins the fray on “Fancy Clown.” It won’t be for everyone, but if you want something completely different, turn to this album. You won’t regret it.
2. The Grind Date – De La Soul
I discussed De La’s longevity above, but it bears repeating, they deserve a ton of credit for staying together for so long and continuing to bring us top notch hip-hop music. This disc featured fantastic production from Supa Dave West, J Dilla, Madlib, 9th Wonder and Jake One. De La also enlists the talents of Carl Thomas, Ghostface Killah, Common, Flava Flav, Butta Verses and the incomparable MF Doom. There really is no filler here, with the true highlights being the title track, “He Comes,” “Days Of Our Lives,” “Come On Down,” “No,” and “Rock Co.Kane Flow.” It’s great hip-hop from one of the greatest groups to ever do it and a true testament to their terrific career.
1. The College Dropout – Kanye West
Truthfully, I didn’t love a lot of the albums of 2004. There were some good albums and some really, really good albums, but it didn’t have the multiple greats that other years had. It did, however, have a classic in Kanye’s debut album. His career has really changed since this disc dropped, but this remains an absolute staple in his now legendary career. Where do I start with this one? “All Falls Down,” “Jesus Walks,” “Slow Jamz,” “Through The Wire,” all classic singles. Not to mention the non-singles like “Never Let Me Down” featuring Jay-Z, and “Family Business” which are my other two favorites on the album. And then there’s “Two Words” with Mos Def and Freeway – damnit there’s just too many great songs. I could list the entire album. I still remember hearing this album for the first time. I listened to it like crazy when it came out. The music on this album has held up over the past 7 years, and I’m sure it’ll still be one of my favorites 10 years from now. Kanye may be an asshole, but his music is outstanding. He’s definitely the best producer of the ‘00’s, hands down. And 2004 was such an amazing year for him, as he produced songs for Jadakiss, Mobb Deep, Dilated Peoples, Cam’ron, Mos Def, Twista (“Overnight Celebrity” almost made the Best Songs list), D12, Slum Village (“Selfish” was another last second cut from the Best Songs list), Talib Kweli, damn near everyone in the game, not to mention R&B greats Janet Jackson and John Legend. It was Kanye’s year, but his crowning moment came with The College Dropout.
I’ve been ready to finish this now, but have struggled to post the final version because I’m not entirely happy with the Best Albums list. I feel like something’s missing. Brother Ali’s Champion EP deserves mentioning here, but it’s not a full-length so I didn’t include it. Murs and 9th Wonder’s Murs 3:16: The 9th Edition and Foreign Exchange’s Connected also deserve their due here as both projects were excellent. I just didn’t include them because they were sort of an afterthought for me in 2004. I don’t know why, but I listened to both of those albums a few times and then put them aside. It wasn’t until last week that I picked up Connected again and gave it a thorough listen and I haven’t listened to 3:16 in forever, although I do love Murs’ music. MF Doom’s Mm.. Food probably deserves a closer look as well, but I was such a fan of Madvillain’s album, that I didn’t devote any real time to Doom’s solo project in ’04. And finally to Masta Ace, I have failed you. I remember Long Hot Summer getting a ton of praise when it dropped, and yet I never picked it up, so I couldn’t cheat and include it on this list. I’m sure it deserves to be there, but I can’t put it on the Best Albums list based on its reputation. I need to hear it first.
So in hindsight maybe it’s not the albums of 2004 that failed me, maybe it’s me who failed to pay closer attention to some of the best hip-hop to drop that year. I promise you this is the only time you will find that to be the case as I break down each year, but I had to confess to you, my readers, that I struggled a little with the Best Albums of 2004 because I was missing a few key albums from my rotation. Sorry. (But College Dropout is still a classic and still worthy of the No. 1 spot regardless of what other albums I neglected!)
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