Aughts pt.9-2008

1. Soldier-Erykah Badu
Basic back beat and Erica Wright's keen sense of talking to tha people.
"To my girls in therapy, see, Imma tell ya this for free. To my folks on the picket lines, don't stop 'til ya change their minds. Got love for my folks, baptized when the levees broke. They be trying to hide the history, but they know who we are."

2. Announcement-Common
Com & Pharrell's ode to Biggie got missed by too many of y'all. Cranks at any club or party.

3. Heartless-Kanye West
One of the less experimental, but focused compositions of 808s & Heartbreak, it flows well after "Liquid Swords" by Gza.

4. Stay With Me (By the Sea)-Al Green & John Legend
This was actually #1 for 2008, but since pushed down a bit behind Soussi dj-ing. I felt the Re'um Al didn't write enough for the Lay it Down. He came in and kinda "freestyled" or ad-libbed most of his lyrics. Considering the pains Quest, Spanky & Poyser went through to re-create the authentic Green/Mitchell sound of the 70s, he could've given us at least one fully fleshed out "song" like "Let's Stay Together" or "What a Wonderful Thing." Here he's saved by Corinne Bailey's lyrics and John Legend finally using a different tone. Glad this one won him his first R&B Grammy. Well deserved.

5. Take Off the Blues /Something to Behold-The Foreign Exchange
What a statement was Leave it All Behind when a rapper has to construct a better R&B album than any singer in the past 3 years. Phonte's vocals and layering shoulda woke up that hibernating PK from Richmond.

6. Green Light (featuring Andre 3000)-John Legend
A sign of change for Legend, this dance oddity broadened his palette and brought in naysayers (myself included) for the killer album Evolver was.

7. Johnny Is Dead-Q-Tip
So many years of waiting for Kamal the Abstract to be released, we forgot how dope of an emcee Tip was. Best lead off track since Midnight Marauders.

8. The One Pt. II-Sol Edler
Ok, so my good friend Rick White asked my lil' brother to voice the first single of his Quincy-like Guilty Pleasures project. We had this and then an upgraded version with more background arrangements a cool year before the album was officially released. Get your step on to this brilliant production and lyrical twist on "close but not quite" relationships.

9. Discipline/Can't B Good-Janet Jackson
Janet delivered when most had counted her out. Ne-Yo did his damn thing delivering the customary Janet closing sexy gem and an R&B standard tailor made for her or her brother.

10. It's Over (feat. Kanye West)-John Legend
One more to establish Legend was expanding. With the Sugar Hill intro, it should've set off many a party.

11. One More Drink (Co-Starring T-Pain)-Ludacris
Classic Luda. Classic comedy. Most don't even get the end of the hook as the music is so good. "You too."

12. No Matter What-Heavy D
Yes, the bum-diddly-diddly-dee dropped a reggae album that made the Marleys regroup.

13. Paranoid (feat. Mr. Hudson)-Kanye West
80s groove buried in 808s & Heartbreak that even with a dope video didn't get the exposure it deserved.

14. Miles Away-Madonna
Leave it to the '58 sister to have the last music relevant in the Aughts. Her bros MJ & Prince were pretty dormant by this point and she didn't just languish in the Tim, Justin or Pharrell capable hands-she contributed herself fully making Hard Candy un-ignorable. This one ranked highest for me hands down.

15. That Was Then/1 Mile-Lalah Hathaway
Newly added to the reborn Stax roster, the Tone queen gave a few upgrades to her indie gem Outrun the Sky. These two were chambers not accessed on OTS and filled out what already seemed a full palette.

16. Can't Believe It (w/Justin Timberlake)-T-Pain
Don't know where you can find this version, but please do. Justin, of course adds a polish Lil' Wayne could not. Auto-tune don't make non-singers sing and it doesn't shake a real vocalist.

17. Fade Into The Background-Ne-Yo
I know "Closer" set off many a club, but this one stood out from the rest of the album for me. I was told it sounded like a ZWEi song. Hmmm...perhaps.

18. Nothing Left To Say-Mint Condition
Though their 2nd independent album paled in comparison to Livin' the Luxury Brown, this cut was desrvedly their biggest hit in nearly a decade.

19. Everyone Nose (Remix)-N.E.R.D. ft. Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, Pusha T
Somebody please tell me what the original was. Hilarious twist on nose candy.

20. Magic-Robin Thicke
Dance classic that also had me questioning Maxwell's return. Flows well with Curtis' "Move on Up."

21. Everybody (feat. Kanye West & Andre 3000)-Fonzworth Bentley
The butler came with a jam. Blame it on Sa-Ra or Andre, but it was hot. So was the video.

22. A Little Better-Gnarls Barkley
Their follow-up got completely ignored, but it might've been more cohesive than their debut minus "Crazy."

23. We Fight/WeLove-Q-Tip feat Raphael Saadiq/Believe-Q-Tip feat D'Angelo
Tip was just in a zone the whole album. His guest stars added just what they were supposed to, but never outshined his emceeing. That's what made Renaissance the best rap album in '08 or '09.

24. Champagne Chronik Nightcap w/ Lil Wayne-Solange
A bonus cut not even included on her album, it further validated baby sis' "artistic" efforts superseded her older sister's.

25. Rising Up Feat. Wale & Chrisette Michele-The Roots
Go-go finally back on the main stage STILL got ignored. Props to the Roots for even giving it a shot.

26. The Man Who Can't Be Moved-The Script
She knows. What a rare find. It never gets one spin. A brilliant lyric from a group I'm near-clueless about.

27. Prayin' For You/Superman-Anthony Hamilton
This might be a bit too country for most, but it was proof AHam was bold, black and bayou enough to go against the grain and render all else pedestrian in the "soul" game.