Aughts pt. 5

1. Twist Ya Body‑213
If only it'd dropped a little earlier...Snoop, Nate & Warren G delivered on the group project they sang of as their origin for over 10yrs, but waited 'til there was no Death Row, G‑Funk or support of either around to cash in on it. Nevertheless, the album was some of Warren's best beat making ever and this one should've had a shot at the charts. Maybe it would've if Snoop hadn't nullified the entire project with his biggest solo single ever just a few months later.

2. Sean‑Aya
The voice of Sweetback's Stage 2 released one album of her own containing the duality Sade's music always won with‑save for one twist. Though they share the one punch in the sensual side, the two punch where Sade makes you cry, Aya makes you dance. "Sean" (and its 21 remixes) hits the sweetest chord on a brilliant electronica anomaly called Strange Flower. The dance floor gets no sexier than when Aya's serenading it.

3. Who Is She 2 U‑Brandy
Some thought B‑Rocka belonged with Darkchild and dismissed her Timbo album as Aaliyah's leftovers. I remind them all that Full Moon's best cut was not by, Mr. "Say his name all over your album" Jerkins. This track was undeniable, no matter whom it was intended for and Ms. Norwood handled hers on it and does Babygirl proud.

4. Know It's Alright/The Baby Maker‑Carl Thomas
Ahh the "voice" returns. I had to include the interlude as the production under Malik Yusef's spoken work was the slickest of the entire album. Carl handed in a traditional soul gem tailor made for a classic balladeer, however, with "The Baby Maker." It sounds so familiar, you'll spend half the time wondering where he got it from and the other trying to keep it from living up to its title.

5. All Falls Down (Self‑Conscious)/Spaceship/Jesus Walks‑Kanye West
They share the spot as they all got nearly the same run on the old pod for different reasons. "Self‑Conscious," as. AFD was originally titled, gets included as it contains (even in spoken word form) his most poignant lyrics of the entire Dropout album. "Spaceship" is that hungry anthem we can all relate to and the track and guest spots from GLC & Consequence were killer. "Jesus Walks," while the sentiment goes down in history as the only hip hop ever banged in a club on purpose, has the production/tracking/programming stuff of architects. Kanye is in a class by himself as a producer for moments like these. This isn't a production. It's direction.

6. You Make Me Feel Alright‑Raul Midon
A rich tone that could sustain album just fine before you get to the insane guitar technique (youtube him) or the trumpet thing he does with his mouth. When I finally got past WATCHING homeboy I realized how much I really dig the song too.

7. Outrun the Sky(album) Better & Better/More‑Lalah Hathaway
My girl took the reins and rode that buck 'til she broke it. My pride in an artist I'd followed 14yrs taking over her career direction & album production aside, these are the 3 cuts I played most from the album I played 2nd most in '04. "Outrun" is as dreamy as its lyric, "one day I'm gonna..." Optimistic and hopeful, the title alone is a mantra. "Better," is one of the banginest tracks adult radio was fortunate enough to spin. In a better music industry, it would've been a mainstream hit & roller skating anthem. "More" is the most played song of the year for me. I have no more words to tell you how good it is.

8. The Begger‑Mos Def
From one of the absolute worst follow‑ups in rap history, this SONG (not rap) let us know that Mos wasn't completely incapable of greatness, just not caring enough to give us an album's worth of it anymore.

9. The Marrying Kind/If I Was The Man in Your Life‑Prince
In his last relevant moment as an artist let alone icon, Musicology got Prince back on radio with "Call My Name" and pleased the long time fans with a triple dose of vintage and new Minne-funk/rock. This pair (easily mistaken for one song) was the most focused I've seen/heard him since "I Hate You." The story, with its humor, and the killer drums and guitars was a good enough close to his career for me. Y'all can have 3121, Planet Earth and Lotus.

10. After Hours (album)/The Best‑Rahsaan Patterson
2nd most played album of the year. "The One for Me" resurrected from Steve Harvey's compilation, "April's Kiss," "Sometimes You Gotta Let Go" and the tearjearking "Don't Run So Fast" were the honorable mentions. But this Van Hunt collaboration reigns supreme for lyrical poignancy.

11. Star/Pointro‑The Roots
Doubling as the best track one of any Roots album and their contribution to Sly Stone's Different Strokes tribute album, this interpolation of Everybody is a Star mixed with Thought's commentary on fame chasing, foolery and monkey-shines atop Quest's always underrated production made it top spin from Tipping Point.

12. Drop It Like It's Hot‑Snoop Dogg
And here's the song that killed 213. But you couldn't be mad at Snoop for too long as the song was the best shit he ever made. As simple as the beat was and the lil' wayne line from like 10 years before, it worked. Man, did it work. In the clubs, cars, jeeps, clock radios, etc it worked. Pharrell's verse (despite ELGIBLE) and chords just iced what was already and undeniable beat.

13. Just Another Way‑Trina Broussard
Rahsaan Patterson, Van Hunt and Ms. Broussard compositionally and comprehensively crushed this. Van’s wah-wah’s and funk pocket with Rah & Trina’s show-off backgrounds made for one gritty spot on Trina’s otherwise smooth R&B album.

14. Overnight Celebrity‑Twista
My absolute favorite song of the year. The flipping of Lenny Williams in a different time signature, Twista's one-of-a-kind flow and hilarious lyrics, and Miri's violin on the last verse, man I couldn't be happier.

15. Confessions(album)/Follow Me‑Usher
Most played album of the year. I can honestly say, however, that it was not due to the singles. The beauty of the album is in the countless album cuts that never got releases. "That's What It's Made For," "Throwback," "Simple Things" and this one right here ranked over the hits for me. The unexpected wizard of oz on “Follow Me” is actually Dre & Vidal who were flipping their Touch of Jazz neo-style to tracks like this and Ciara’s “Oh.”

16. Superstar‑Tye Tribbett
Hand delivered to me by Eric Roberson for us to sing background on, it's the most humble thing an artist could say to God of his own talent. After a tear-filled delivery for an encore, this track has never left my heart or "most played" list on a pod.

17. Bullet & A Target-Citizen Cope
To see the club erupt in on-beat applause when the cut drops was something else. 9:30 Club when Clarence Greenwood Sessions dropped and see one of DC's sons welcomed home, I realized "local" had a whole new meaning. I also realized I was about to miss something. I knew Cope's name from ads and trades but didn't even know he was from here until I saw the hometown love he got that night. The lyric, vibe and simplicity of the pocket hits just right.

18. Dust/Down Here in Hell‑Van Hunt
One of the most underrated writers/composers/producers, but overrated artists of the 00s. As talented as Van is, until he finds a voice completely his own, his audience is limited. Is he Curtis, Lenny or Sly today? All that aside, these two cuts I felt no ambiguity-just good music.

19. Daily Bread/Rise‑Martin Luther
One got its bang largely due to Nona Gaye being in the video. Can't front. But the song was hot too. Couple extra layers you might've missed with the horns and funk vamp on the end. But "Rise" is what makes Martin Luther as revolutionary as his name.

20. If You Wanna Feel Alright/I Might do Something Wrong‑Tortured Soul
Got admit, seeing TS live will make ya a bit biased. Not too often you see the drummer up front singing lead, let alone singing lead on club beats and rocking an entire house simultaneously. Christian’s vocals also often mirror Maxwell’s tones , so a tune like “If you Wanna Feel Alright” hits a soul spot left open in Max’s absence at the time.

21. I Can't Wait‑Sleepy Brown featuring Outkast
Yeah yeah, "All praise due to Andre." Having said that, one verse every few months SHOULD make you crucial. Track was hot-pass the baton to Sleepy on that.

22. Selfish‑Slum Villiage, John Legend & Ye'
2 members light, SV got bailed out of the underground buckets by Kanye and John. This time flipping Aretha's "Call Me," the fresh hook and three decent verses made SV's only major hit. Ye's verse has no business being the best on the track, but umerah...

23. Desperation Days‑Wayna
DC Indie by way of Ethiopia, Wayna dropped yet the next level of production quality with her debut. This was my favorite cut. A seemingly dual-themed tune about self-love surviving despair (whether in love or career). The backups on the 2nd verse give me that babyvoiced tone of Wayna's I love most.

24. Lean Back‑Fat Joe
Scott Storch had a few moments in the Aughts, but this one he actually got full credit for. Joe and Remy's verses were adequate enough not to kill the beat. Joe's dig at the Bloods and Crips for letting their signs and steps become pop culture was hilarious. The dance anthem for the non-dancers. Hot.

25. Free Yourself‑Fantasia
Truth Is and this one along with Lalah's "Forever, For Always, For Love" and Kem's "I Can't Stop Loving You" dominated adult black radio in '04. This one got the most spins from me, validating the Missy pen still reigned Timbo beat under it or not. I also realized with this that a arrangement/layering style I thought was Tweet's was actually Missy's.