al ship's top 50 rap/r&b crossover singles of the 00s -- which is your favorite?

this might pertain to the interests of posters in this thread: http://www.southernhospitality.co.uk/blog/?p=10629

i wish i could find marcello carlins review of that album... which is also magnificent

― Michael B, Monday, 9 August 2010 00:24 (15 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Happy to oblige.

this might pertain to the interests of posters in this thread: http://www.southernhospitality.co.uk/blog/?p=10629

― لوووووووووووووووووووول (lex pretend), Monday, August 9, 2010 3:30 AM (8 hours ago) Bookmark

there's some joints on here that would've made my list -- there's also some utter crap, but i'm gonna download

yeah that mix has some jams besides the 4 that are also on my list, but it's also full of the sort of stuff i strenuously avoided and could've written essays about why they aren't on the list

the only song I really hate on this list is Luv You Better, cuz I can just imagine LL Cool J performing it with a single tear like the Indian from that one old commercial...

btw there are some good mixtapes out there with every Fabolous R&B feature, every Jadakiss R&B feature, etc.

isnt the song called 'addictive'?

― max, Monday, August 9, 2010 2:31 AM (10 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

if im voting 'favorite' than yeah that but in terms of 'best rap/r&b crossover'... i dunno man that doesnt feel like a crossover, rakim owns that track so hard he makes all of truth hurts verses sound like an extended intro

― max, Monday, August 9, 2010 2:32 AM (10 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

yeah i fucked that up, i always think Rakim is saying "addicted" in his verse and get the title wrong. anyway there's a lot of stuff on this list that doesn't totally jibe with the overall concept and spirit but i just kind of kept to the basic frame of a) i like it and b) it features an R&B singer singing and a rapper rapping (only abandoned this for the Snoop and Cee-Lo songs where they rap and sing, and the Diddy/Keyshia song where they both just sing). a lot of songs COULD have fit on here and been interesting conversation pieces but i just didn't like them enough.

oh i wasnt criticizing it being on the list it definitely counts, i was making a more general point about the extent to which rakim murders that shit

totally disagree that rakim steals the show from truth hurts, it's a great verse but her performance is amazing too

yeah idk, i feel like she's window dressing for dope production and an amazing guest verse

nah not at all, relistening now and she's definitely as much the focal point as anything else - those words could be performed in so many ways along the ingénue/dominatrix spectrum and she pitches it perfectly between in-charge feline prowling and on-edge creeping powerlessness. the way she ups the ante on every line of the second verse alone is awe-inspiring - if anything's the climax of the song it's that verse.

Voted for "Slow Jamz," although reading this thread the other day put "Can't Let You Go" in my head.

yeah i had forgotten how much i love "can't let you go"

lex are u really trynna argue that effin truth hurts was on par with rakim

thats like hearing a bleek guest verse on a mary j blige song & saying he holds his own

that rakim verse is stupid. cannot in anyway get along with his rakim escobar change up.

hop out the suicides lookin so cobain

― J0rdan S., Monday, August 9, 2010 1:47 AM (19 hours ago)

not to get all shippers up in here but the suicide/cobain pun is approaching "bullshit"/"pulpit" levels

i mean granted the song is from a few years ago now

yeah but that's a dope use of it

the best fab line in years is from TNIC when he goes "i'm in the car, mellow, fuckin with that la la"

Is it funny that I sort of want to vote for Young Gunz?

I wanna be all devil's advocate but the top two are pretty great imo

hip-hop songs that reference nirvana or kurt cobain

good looking out on that folder j0rdan. i typed this already but i guess i put it on the wrong thread or something.

lex otm about "addictive". great performance, great tune. obv rakim is great on it too, but some of you are paying more attentionto the names involved than the actual song

i thought truth hurts performance was a lil over the top & silly -- its sorta telegraphed by how hugely wide her mouth opens in the video

not kidding!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTjPmgN98H8

like shes hyper-enunciating/acting the singing

yeah her/the song is kinda weird and campy. it works, but it also makes total sense that she was a one hit wonder, have no idea how that approach would work more than once.

agreed

after i reviewed keyshia cole for stylus back in the day i got sent a copy of her follow up album. p unlistenable

yeah i was just basing my reaction to rakims verse on his name and not on the fact that it fucking slays... great name though

it does fucking slay! i didn't deny that

oh i didnt notice i was too busy reading his name over and over

i love the "k" especially, its great

yeesh. that wasn't even in reference to you, really

im taking it very personally

yeah her/the song is kinda weird and campy. it works, but it also makes total sense that she was a one hit wonder, have no idea how that approach would work more than once.

i never did pick up TH's album...really kinda intrigued by it now though. the closest comparison point i'm coming up with is the similarly campy blu cantrell, who never really worked over a whole album either.

keyshia cole is different surely, the reason she's never clicked for me outside of a few singles and guest appearances is that she always comes across as a b-grade mary j blige. not bad or ineffective exactly, but just...too similar and just not quite as good.

obv rakim's verse slays, and truth hurts' vocals slay, and the beat slays, the entire song slays and that's why it's here right? i just don't think any of its components outshine the others.

i guess rev was talking about me and yeah i guess i am in the minority finding rakim's attempt in his 40s to suddenly pretend he is scarface a smh moment.

neither t.hurts nor rakim woulda had a hit there without each other, they're perfectly balanced to the beat. such be the typical synergy dummies appear not to fathom on a rap/rnb crossover list thread.

although yeah deej was right the first time with the 'paid in full' throwback observation - rakim's effect is in sheer presence, as well as complimentary vocal timbre, rather than hm having like a notably hot 16 or whatever

bleek analogy is completely nonsensical so i dunno what to say about that

and double yeah, truth hurts is awesome on that shit fuiud

as the person who started this disagreement let me be clear: fuiud

truth hurts iirc

"b-grade mary j blige" is giving Keyshia Cole WAAAAAY too much credit

i have been listening solely to these songs since this thread was created; it is v pleasant

"b-grade mary j blige" is giving Keyshia Cole WAAAAAY too much credit

i was being kind, i did waver over whether to type b or c

I'd say maybe x, and that's ONLY because I didn't want to strangle her on "Last Night"

so does that make k.michelle b-grade kc or z-grade mjb...?

yahhh k. cole is insufferable

keyshia has some joints

she also needs a lozenge in the worst way

so in "let it go," she should really be singing about mucus, is what you're saying?