On its most basic level, “Juicy” is a rags-to-riches story, a classic American genre that’s certainly been amply represented in hip-hop. If many of the other rap or rap-adjacent tracks on this list are in some way hedging their proximity to the form, “Juicy” is a rap song that’s obsessed with rap itself, a bizarre and somehow completely organic mix of swagger and unrepentant nerdiness. “Juicy” is in many respects a deeply weird song, a nostalgia trip of such relentless specificity it can sometimes feel like consuming a Ken Burns documentary on 20 years’ worth of NYC hip-hop in the span of four minutes. There’s no rap equivalent to “Wagon Wheel” or “Wonderwall,” for instance, and thank God for that.īut all this is just the tip of the iceberg as to why “Juicy” is such a remarkable presence here. Furthermore, rap is by and large an openly unsentimental form that tends to resist the calculated emotionalism and centrist earnestness that so often prevails in contexts like weddings and proms. Many of the greatest hip-hop tracks have been obsessively studio-based affairs, forged from materials (turntables, samplers, drum machines) that defy easy or impromptu re-creation. For starters, rap doesn’t lend itself to covers, which many of the songs on this list do. There are any number of reasons for this. Carl Wilson The History of the Cover Song, and Why It May Be Making a Comeback Isabelia Herrera How Much of the New American Songbook Will Be Sung in Spanish? Slate Staff The New American Songbook: The Ballots Slate Staff What Will Be the Oldies of the Future? Introducing the New American Songbook. (Make a song with abundant references to sex, alcohol, and birthdays invest the proceeds in a fledgling beverage company enjoy your money sandwich.) Even “In Da Club,” an incredible song that to my mind ought to be ranked at least 10 spots higher than it is here, feels like a track devised in a laboratory with the express purpose of ending up on a list like this. Instead there are great nonrap songs by otherwise great rappers (“Hey Ya,” “Hotline Bling”), second-tier works by first-tier MCs (“Lose Yourself,” “Empire State of Mind”), and a handful of hybrid rap/R&B tracks that are probably more beloved for their singing than their rapping (“Crazy in Love,” “Doo Wop (That Thing),” “Empire State of Mind” again). For starters, there’s no Kanye, Weezy, Nicki, or Kendrick, artists responsible for some of the most commercially and critically successful music of the 21 st century.
It’s not that rap is unrepresented or even necessarily underrepresented-it accounts for three of the top five songs and roughly a quarter of the collection overall-but rather that it’s just represented weirdly. songs remixed as a deep house track? Well here it is, sped up, warped, and very suiting for the song’s main objective.One of the most intriguing aspects of this list is the apparently precarious position of hip-hop, the most dominant musical form of the past quarter century. Who’d ever imagine one of the most memorable Notorious B.I.G.
The beat doesn’t distract from the MC’s storytelling in anyway, making it a solid remix. This DJ recreates the rapper’s Hot Rap Songs chart topper by combining elements of soul and tropical. Juxtaposing the acapella chorus of “that’s not all, MCs have the gall to pray and pray for my downfall” with chilled out vibes, DJ ANIKA transforms one of the most introspective Notorious B.I.G. songs into a bizarre deep house jaunt. Although none of his vocals are on this particular dubstep track, the ominous sentiment of the diss can still be felt. In 2015, DJ Fletch released a goliath mix-tape of 40 chopped and screwed songs from the MC. This particular track heeds some of the MC’s best advice in a style similar to J Dilla‘s. Wanting to honor the rapper’s street anthems with a soulful vibe, DJ House Shoes released a 10 track mix-tape in 2013 titled House Shoes Presents: DREAMS – B.I.G.