Andre' Benjamin Been Jammin' - 3000 Out

Well...we all know who Andre' Lauren Benjamin is...we all know what the man is capable of...whether witty punchlines or distinctive metaphors that make you press rewind until you actually catch the message..3000 just delivers every single time. We could debate all day as to WHY Andre' 3000 IS the best rapper alive. We could debate all day as to WHY Outkast with a K is the most influential and diverse group in all of hip-hop. But that's not what we are here for. Below I will give 5 Andre Benjamin verses. ENJOY! Comments are necessary! That's the point of blogging.

1. "Gangsta Shit" - from the album Stankonia

"Outkast wit a K. Yeah them niggas is hard. Harder than a nigga tryin to impress GOD. We'll pull your whole deck. Fuck pullin' a card.."

Andre' 3000 came off incredibly aggressive on track 20 from the Stankonia album, while poking fun at "wannna-be gangsters." It is now understood why 3000 rapped last on this song...it's because he literally smoked everyone on this beat. Listen below starting at the 3:35 mark.



2. "Return Of The G" - from the album Aquemini

Let's talk about time travelin', mind javelin..somethin mind unravelin'. GET DOWN

3 Stacks was feeling the fire on this song. It's evident he was frustrated with certain questions regarding his sexuality, career and what he was trying to accomplish. So in 1998, he answered and shut up every critic who had anything negative to say. Not to mention, "Return Of The G" was a great way to start off the classic album Aquemini.




3. "What A Job" from Devin The Dude's Waiting To Inhale album

I know you're sayin' "they won't know. They won't miss it. Besides, I ain't a thief. They won't pay me a visit."

3000 once again showcased his versatility by stealing the show on Devin's "What A Job." This track also featured Snoop Dogg but he could have been left off (in my opinion). Dre' tells a story of how the rap game is his job. Hence the title. Dre's verse starts around the 3:10 mark.




4. "Ain't No Thang" from the album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik

A yo! This Andre'. Can yo' punk ass come out to play???

This is off the debut 1994 album when Andre actually rapped about keeping a pistol. My oh my, how far we've come....



5. "Synthesizer" from the classic Aquemini

Synthesizer..microwave me..give me a drug so I can make seven babies...

This has to be one of my favorite Outkast songs. Period. Point blank. The verse in debate begins around the 2:05 mark. Andre 3000 had to have been visualizing today's generation of women....



*These verses in question may not be the absolute best, but are very thought-provoking coming from the artist in question. Feedback is necessary!*

Throwback Jam Of The Day : Hip-Hop Edition

Here you go! Something for the real "hip-hop heads"! BOSS - Deeper. "I don't really wanna feeeeeeelllllll like I'm in a daze..." If you need the MP3 of this, just send me an email and I'll get it to you.

Throwback Jam Of The Day : R&B Edition

Today's throwback jam of the day is GUY - GOODBYE MY LOVE! One of my favorite Teddy Riley productions of all time. ENJOY!

Albums Of The Decade : 2002 (Pt. I)

1. Scarface - The Fix. I mean..hey...Scarface is my favorite rapper. Did you really think "The Fix" wasn't going to make my list? Although some of the beats weren't really made for Face's flow, the production was still absolute fire nonetheless. Before "The Fix", Scarface was known for his deep rhymes and sometimes psychopathic flow but on this album, he showcased his relationship with God. "What Can I Do", which featured Kelly Price, touched you through the speaker. He dropped a classic verse along with Nas on "In Between Us". "In Cold Blood", "Safe" and "Sellout" which is my personal favorite, are all standout tracks. Scarface let it be known that he never changed his game...HE CHANGED THE GAME. Oh and did I mention that EVERY song on this album is a banger?

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

2. Eminem - The Eminem Show. The Em Show was the biggest selling album of 2002 with 8.7 million units sold. TES is my personal favorite from Eminem because it was a more personal album. "Cleaning Out My Closet" in which he aired out his mother's dirty laundry, "Square Dance" in which he spoke on terrorism and "White America" are standout tracks on this album. "The Eminem Show" was the first album in which Shady produced himself and it was the first release on Shady Records.

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

3. The Roots - Phrenology. "Phrenology" experimented with jazz, rock and hip-hop music. The Roots literally tried to analyze the mind and turn it into a musical sound. "Water", "Complexity" and "Break You Off" are my favorites off the album. The album was highly anticipated because the recording process took two years but it was only certified Gold by the RIAA. But socially conscious music rarely sells off the charts so what would we expect? I have this album (along with every other Roots release) in my collection. If it wasn't for Eminem and Scarface, this would have been my number one album of 2002.

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

4. Cee-Lo - Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections. Judging from the album cover, you could see that Cee-Lo was already on the deep end. Following in the footsteps of Andre 3000, Cee-Lo took this album a bit further. Showcasing his lyrical ability on tracks such as "One For The Road" and "Big Ole Words (Damn) with words such as "No need for the dramatics and systematics..simplicities strictly like science and mathematics." Then he flirted with the pop side of things with "Gettin' Grown" but he managed to keep it socially conscious. Then Cee-Lo harmonized on "Basehead Jazz"...OMG. I'm just realizing all over again how well put together this album was. "Closet Freak" is still one of my favorite songs to this day. Buy this album, cherish this album because no one makes this kind of music anymore. Period.

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

5. Nas - The Lost Tapes. TLT was a compilation of unreleased material that was recorded between "I Am..." and "Stillmatic". Most of the times when we hear "unreleased" material, we only find one or two songs that really sound good. This 12-track album was incredible from start to finish. Again, we hear Nas at his finest telling stories of adultery, drugs, violence and social commentary. It's a shame that Nasir's unreleased material was better than some of these artists' albums. Think about it...

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Albums Of The Decade : 2002 (Pt. II)

6. Nas - God's Son. Originally titled "Nasir Jones : God's Son", this album was released on December 13th of 2002. The album was critically acclaimed due to Nasir's lyrical ability but received some criticism on the production side. This album is recognized as a more personal perspective of Nas due to the untimely death of his mother and the ongoing feud with Jay-Z. Nas spoke of religion, violence and emotional turmoil on "God's Son" which further helped my argument on Nas being one of the greatest of all time. Although the album had similar themes, each track is distinct in its own way which gave "God's Son" a "narrative" feel. This album has been in my personal collection since 2002 and that is where it will stay.

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

7. Clipse - Lord Willin'. Produced solely by The Neptunes, The Clipse shined brightly on their debut album. It was certified Gold by the RIAA quickly after its release in October of 2002. Malice and Pusha T received commercial success with the singles "Cot Damn" and "Grindin". "Virginia" is my favorite song. As soon as I heard the introduction of "Lord Willin'", I fell in love with these guys. I don't know whether it was the dark tales of the drug game or Malice's witty punch lines. "Lord Willin'" is a hip-hop classic.

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

8. Devin The Dude - Just Tryin' Ta Live. We all know Devin for his "pussy, weed and alcohol" tales, but on this release, he showed more of a conscious side. Receiving production from greats such as Raphael Saddiq, Dr. Dre and DJ Premier, Devin shined on the majority of this album. Highlights include "Who's That Man, Moma" and "Just Tryin' Ta Live". The Dude tickled us with a story of a broken down cadillac on "Lacville '79" with lyrics such as "I go about 47 in a 55. Fuel injected niggas be honkin' but fuck it, my shit is fine." Then he lifted us up with songs such as "It's A Shame" and "Just A Man." Overall, I personally gave this release 4.5 stars. If you haven't added this to your collection yet, then its obvious you're still asleep.

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

9. Jay-Z - The Blueprint 2 : The Gift & The Curse. Although this album was criticized for its pop appeal, I appreciated Jay-Z for going against the grain. He had a plethora of different artists on the album including Outkast, Lenny Kravitz, Pharrell, Dr. Dre, Rakim and a few others. "Meet The Parents", "Somehow Someway", "Excuse Me Miss" and "All Around The World" were my favorites. I do believe that if Jay would have made this one disc, it would have been another classic album. Nonetheless, it was still better than 85% of the releases in 2002. Hate it or love it.

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

10. Talib Kweli - Quality. This was Kweli's first solo album and it was released under the now defunct Rawkus Records. It gained some commercial appeal with the song "Get By" which was produced by Kanye West. Quality was certified GOLD by the RIAA. This album is a true Hip-Hop classic featuring collaborations with Xzibit, Mos Def, Cocoa Brovaz, DJ Quik and a few others. "Guerrilla Monsoon Rap", "Good To You" and "Where Do We Go" are my favorites off the Quality album. This was BACKPACK RAP at its finest.

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Albums Of The Decade : Year 2001 (Pt. II)

6. Wu-Tang Clan - Iron Flag. The Wu experimented with different sounds on this album, rather than stick to the same formula as its predecessors. This album was one of the better Clan releases. Ghostface and Rae shine very brightly on each track they were featured on *note "Babies"*. Iron Flag was different from other releases at the time, only having 12 tracks. "You've Been Warned" and "Babies" are my favorites off the album. I was having difficulty figuring out if I wanted to include this in the list, but after looking at every Hip-Hop and R&B release of 2001, I thought it was one of the best.

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

7. T.I. - I'm Serious. Now that Mr. Harris has solidified himself as a major player in the industry, it was only right that I include his debut album. Any true T.I. fan knows that his first album was his best. He came into the game proclaiming himself as "King Of The South" and years later, he proved it. This album was a banger from start to finish. "Still Ain't Forgave Myself", "Dope Boys", "Hotel", "I Chooz U", and "What's Yo Name" are classics. I'm Serious featured Too Short, Beenie Man, P$C and Pharrell. He chose great production at the time ranging from Jazze Pha to the Neptunes. T.I. also revealed his chemistry with producer DJ Toomp. It's a shame that this wasn't a commercial success but little did we know that this T.I.P. would take off like a rocket in 3 years...

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

8. Beanie Sigel - The Reason. 2001 was a great year for Roc-A-Fella Records being that "The Reason" came first then Jay-Z dropped on Sept. 11th. "Nothing Like It" was a wonderful way to begin the album where Sig dropped lines like "Pick you apart like you niggas is transparent...I spit words that skip through air..." Just Blaze sampled a classic EPMD record for "So What Cha Sayin'" where Beans and Bleek sparred with each other making a lovely combination. Then Beans showcased a more personal side with the legend Scarface on "Mom's Praying". Scarface clearly outshined the younger Sigel but the track showcased the chemistry between the two that would show in the future. "The Reason" also featured Jay-Z, Tha Dogg Pound and State Property. Overall, the album was showing Beanie Sigel's growth as an artist and it couldn't have come at a better time in Hip-Hop.

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

9. Ludacris - Word Of Mouf. WOM was Luda's best selling album to date selling almost 4 million copies. It was released early due to piracy issues but what else is new. Ludacris had incredible word play and said things that would register a few seconds late like "wait...what did he just say? Play that again." He saw his biggest success off the album with Nate Dogg on "Area Codes" which became a suburban favorite. He collaborated with Twista, Jagged Edge, Three 6 Mafia, Nate Dogg and Sleepy Brown on this album. Luda began to show the world with this album that he was a respectable lyricist with a nact for creating appealing music. I personally purchased "Word Of Mouf" twice as it is my favorite Ludacris release along with "Theater Of The Mind".

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

10. 2Pac - Until The End Of Time. This was the third posthumous album from the late, great Tupac Shakur. It featured original and remixed versions of songs Shakur recorded before his untimely death. In my opinion, this was the last acceptable release of 2Pac material. Everything after is completely remixed and watered down with collaborations from artists 2Pac didn't even like. UTEOT also featured production from his main producer Johnny J which made this release have an authentic feel. "Breathin'", "Happy Home", "My Closet Road Doggz" and "Last Ones Left" were standout tracks on "Until The End Of Time." 5 years after his death, his music was still relevant to the Hip-Hop culture.

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

SIDENOTE : BLOGGER NEEDED

I need a person to blog with me! So if you like my site so far and feel that you can be a worthy, unbiased contributor then email me @ mimisdaddy@gmail.com. I'm open and available to discussion. Thanks a lot. Now back to the second half of the 2001 list.