44. Yung Berg feat. Junior
"SEXY LADY"
from Look What You Made Me (Epic)
A
modern-day post-thug love song: He gets his diva to smoke weed, but
really, he's just as preoccupied with being pretty as she is. And in
bed, "we both kept on our Pradas." Rich.
43. MIMS
"THIS IS WHY I'M HOT"
from Music Is My Savior (Capitol)
Craven
to the core, this still felt like a revelation: contained, arrogant,
and hypnotic. But in the end, MIMS was a self-fulfilled prophesy — so
hot, so fly, he ain't gotta rap.
42. Elliott Yamin
"WAIT FOR YOU"
from Elliott Yamin (Hickory)
Often
a better Thicke than Thicke himself, American Idol coulda-been Yamin
surprised with this Stargate-penned stunner. He's got a delicate,
evocative tone, but is composed enough to contain all his anguish in
the form of a perfect pop song.
41. Plies
"100 YEARS"
from The Real Testament (Slip-N-Slide/Atlantic)
Maybe
the angriest song of the year, Plies rallies against America's
increasingly harsh minimum-mandatory sentencing policies. Shockingly
moving and terrifying at once.
40. Collie Buddz
"COME AROUND"
from Collie Buddz (Epic)
Freckle-faced
Bermudan soundboy serves up a rugged "ganjaman tune" with nuff pomp and
circumstance — and a few blasts of airhorn for good measure. His skin
may be white but his lungs must be smoke-black.
39. Omarion
"ICE BOX"
from 21
(Epic/Sony Urban)
Call
it R&Bemo: Omarion's emotional candor trumped fall-out boys
everywhere with this melodramatic ballad. Timbaland's fragile chorus —
"I'm so cold, I'm so cold, I'm so cold" — was just the icing on the
cake.
38. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony feat. Akon
"I TRIED"
from Strength & Loyalty (Full Surface/Interscope)
Admit
it: You couldn't help but hum the Akon-sung hook to the Cleveland rap
vets' heartfelt 'hood spiritual. Too bad ex-member Bizzy Bone wasn't
along for the ride.
37. Prodigy
"MAC 10 HANDLE"
from Return of the Mac (KOCH)
After
a G-Unit disaster, Mobb Deep's Prodigy unexpectedly dropped one of the
year's darkest, toughest albums. This lead single, so dank and
guttural, sounded like the musings of a wounded man.
36. Chris Brown feat. T-Pain
"KISS KISS"
from Exclusive (Jive)
Stage-bopping
pretty boy Chris Brown gets "a little mannish" with "nappy boy" T-Pain.
The result: An electro ditty, ingeniously entertaining enough for the
Chuck E. Cheese crowd and the stripper set.
35. Alicia Keys
"NO ONE"
from As I Am (J Records)
On
this reggae-inflected arena anthem, it's apparent Alicia is no longer
content with just being a celebrated, but safe star. This is a sexier
sound for an artist once reluctant to show herself.
34. Lil Mama
"LIP GLOSS"
from Voice of the Young People (Jive)
This
Brooklynite's infectious all-ages anthem repped for late-'80s babies
while extolling the appeal of applying lip-shellac at the locker.
Super-cute, but not a novelty: The 17-year-old can spit.
33. Timbaland feat. Keri Hilson
"THE WAY I ARE"
from Timbaland Presents Shock Value
(Mosley Music/Blackground/Interscope)
Timbo
morphs the hooks of Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It" and J.T.'s "SexyBack" into
his definitive electro-pop construct. But the true genius is
spotlighting ingénue Keri Hilson.
32. Lil Wayne
"FEEL LIKE DYIN'"
from mixtapes
After
a year full of euphoric adulation, Wayne's downtempo depression and
looming drug issues dazzlingly materialize in this eerie ode to the
scariest high of all: The letdown. This is the real detox.
31. Musiq
"TEACHME"
from Luvanmusiq (Atlantic)
After
ages of emotional politeness, Musiq got complicated this year. This was
his most vulnerable moment, but it never felt weak — here was a man
strong enough to ask how to do better, and then, to maybe even follow
through.
30. Playaz Circle feat. Lil Wayne
"DUFFLE BAG BOY"
from Supply & Demand
(DTP/Def Jam)
These
DTP also-rans scored an epic banger, thanks to Lil Wayne's achingly
arrogant hook — "If I don't do nothin' I'ma ball" — which rang out from
cars all year.
29. Richie Spice
"YOUTH DEM COLD"
from In The Streets to Africa
(VP)
Producer
Bobby Konders gives Studio One's classic "Truth And Rights" riddim a
pulsing update. But what sets this apart is the outrage and compassion
in Spice's vocals.
28. Lloyd feat. Lil Wayne
"YOU"
from Street Love
(The Inc./Universal)
There
was no lusher love song this year. Lloyd is sublimely soft, a pleader
slick enough to know his worth, and Wayne whisper-flirts, knowing the
lower he goes, the closer she gets.
27. M.I.A. feat. Bun B and Rich Boy
"PAPER PLANES (REMIX)"
from mixtapes
Over
a dazed Clash sample and 9 milli blasts, the British agitprop star
decries poverty and advocates vigilante justice. But it's Bun B's
fiercely resonant verse that speaks real truth to power.
26. Cassidy feat. Swizz Beatz
"MY DRINK N MY TWO STEP"
B.A.R.S. The Barry Adrian Reese Story
(Full Surface/J)
Club
jams don't always aspire to emo-depth, but because Swizz and Cassidy
are taking each other so seriously right now, Cass is rapping between
Swizz' choruses like rapping feels good — and like his life depends on
it.
25. Ciara
"LIKE A BOY"
from The Evolution
(LaFace/Jive)
Sick
of creeping dudes and half-committed booty calls, Ciara is ferocious on
this not-quite-feminist anthem about dating double-standards. "Wish we
could switch up the roles and I could be that," she sings. Thing is,
she can.
24. Gorilla Zoe
"HOOD FIGGA"
from Welcome to the Zoo
(Block Ent./Atlantic)
An
authentic Southern anthem, free of frills, foolishness and, most
importantly, dance steps. Zoe's slate-gray rasp is among the most
arresting new voices in hip hop.
23. Hurricane Chris
"AY BAY BAY"
from 51/50 Ratchet
(Polo Grounds/J)
Hurricane
Chris's lyrical dexterity leaves something to be desired, but the
baiting chorus, a rattling tribute to Shreveport, La.-based DJ Bay Bay,
is just too hard to throw back. We were hooked all year.
22. The Fixxers
"CAN U WERK WIT DAT"
from The Midnite Life
(Universal)
Longtime
homies DJ Quik and AMG take one look at snap music and master it in,
well, a snap. "I got some grown man game for your Bluetooth," AMG
smoothly raps. Old dog, meet new tricks.
21. The-Dream
"SHAWTY IS A 10"
from Love/Hate
(Def Jam)
The-Dream
mastered crossover pop&B by writing Rihanna's ubiquitous
"Umbrella," but his was the sleeper hit: An altar made of piano chords
and heavenly falsetto, breathlessly worshipping the girl next door who
grows up to be a goddess.
20. Foxx feat. Lil' Boosie and Webbie
"WIPE ME DOWN"
from Survival of the Fittest
(Trill/Asylum)
Shoulders.
Chest. Pants. Shoes. The Trill trio stay fresh from head to toe over
producer Mouse's kinetic jam. But Boosie outdoes his counterparts,
rapping, "Fresh fade, fresh Js, on the corner playin' spades/I'm an
ordinary person but I'm paid." Cha-ching!
19. Justin Timberlake
"WHAT GOES AROUND…COMES AROUND"
from FutureSex/LoveSounds
(Jive)
It
clocks in at an epic seven minutes and 28 seconds, a lifetime for a
done-me-wrong pop single. Good thing Timbaland and Danja arm Timberlake
with an infectious, but somber Bhangra-style groove.
18. Swizz Beatz feat. Lil Wayne, R. Kelly, and Jadakiss
"IT'S ME BITCHES (REMIX)"
from One Man Band Man
(Universal Motown)
Was
there a weirder, more electrifying song this year? With a beat made
from what sounds like a maniacal xylophone, this is Wayne's triumph of
peculiarity and Swizz's high watermark in a big year.
17. Amy Winehouse
"LOVE IS A LOSING GAME"
from Back To Black
(Republic)
This
heartbreaking ballad's aching vocals are the stuff dreams (or rather,
nightmares) are made of. That's how this drug-addled tabloid fixture
earned the praise of everyone from Jay-Z to Prince.
16. Common feat. Lily Allen
"DRIVIN' ME WILD"
from Finding Forever
(Geffen/G.O.O.D. Music)
Lily's
tickly trill almost upstages Common's flow on this campy track, until
the blithe shadow boxer unleashes a barrage of punch lines as
thoughtful as they are witty.
15. Ne-Yo
"BECAUSE OF YOU"
from Because of You
(Def Jam)
They
don't make 'em like this anymore. An ace songwriter, subtle
phrase-ologist and unmannered vocalist, Ne-Yo is on full display on
this midtempo gem, just another brick in his growing wall of elegant,
old-fashioned R&B.
14. DJ Unk feat. Andre 3000 and Jim Jones
"WALK IT OUT (REMIX)"
from mixtapes
(Oomp Camp/KOCH)
DJ
Unk's "Walk It Out" was a roiling dance anthem. But this delightfully
twangin' remix had a one-up: Andre 3000's opening verse, which
re-announced Dre as one of the best MCs alive.
13. UGK feat. Outkast
"INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS ANTHEM (I CHOOSE U)"
from Underground Kingz
(Jive)
Whether
Andre 3000's wide-eyed wonder or Bun B's sage street talk, these four
grown men put a little romance in rap the only way they know how:
talking grown and being themselves.
12. R. Kelly feat. T.I. and T-Pain
"I'M A FLIRT (REMIX)"
from Double Up
(Jive)
The
consummate '07 R.Kelly track: Piano production plinking like a brazen
wink, Kells not giving a damn if that's your girl. In light of all the
drama, the crooner remains a seductive force.
11. Keyshia Cole feat. Missy Elliott and Lil Kim
"LET IT GO"
from Just Like You
(Imani/Geffen)
The
ultimate conclusion to Keyshia's heartbroken debut: A female-power
anthem advising soon-to-be-singles to take no shorts. Missy's juicy
Mtume backtrack beat amps Keyshia's early '80s soul-star harmonies.
10. Robin Thicke
"LOST WITHOUT U"
from The Evolution of Robin Thicke
(Nu America/Star Trak/Interscope)
As
perfect for a slow grind as it is for an apology mixtape, Thicke's
languid falsetto and flamenco guitar are as alluring as his muse, wife
Paula Patton, herself.
9. Rich Boy
"THROW SOME D'S"
from Rich Boy
(Zone 4/Interscope)
By
coupling producer Polow Da Don's slick sample of Switch's "I Call Your
Name" with Rich Boy's rabblerousing lyrics, this high-octane club
anthem about keeping shoes on the 'Lac rides dirty in any system.
8. DJ Khaled feat. Akon, T.I., Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Birdman, and Wayne
"WE TAKIN' OVER"
from We The Best
(KOCH)
Danjahandz's
boomeranging synths, five captivating verses and that thrilling feeling
of event only a massive posse cut exudes all thrive here. Effortlessly
explosive.
7. J. Holiday
"BED"
from Back Of My Lac
(Music Line/Capitol)
If
R&B has successfully transitioned from subliminal suggestions to
cut-and-dry admissions, J. Holiday hit the nail on the head with "Bed."
Here he fearlessly and gorgeously boasts he wants to, "love you 'til
your eyes roll back." Damn.
6. T-Pain feat. Yung Joc
"BUY U A DRANK (SHAWTY SNAPPIN')"
from Epiphany
(Konvict/Jive)
T-Pain
made a mint in 2007 with frozen, auto-tuned hooks and deceptively sweet
advances. "Buy U A Drank" was merely a prelude to his deluge of
smashes, but it's also his most perfect: Sticky, never icky.
5. Soulja Boy Tell'em
"CRANK THAT (SOULJA BOY)"
from souljaboytellem.com
(ColliPark/Interscope)
Perfect
emptiness here — chants and shouts and a steel-drum rhythm that are,
together, shockingly intuitive. It's all peaks, no valleys. But Soulja
Boy's ascent to the top of the pops was so rapid, it's easy to forget
this record was crucial to both the kids and the streets.
4. Rihanna feat. Jay-Z
"UMBRELLA"
from Good Girl Gone Bad
(Def Jam)
Pop's
ruling queen spent the summer perched at the peak of the Top 40,
rebelliously banging her bobbed head and flashing a well-manicured,
horned hand. This single's unshakable nursery rhyme-style chorus
stormed the airwaves and Rihanna's been reigning ever since.
3. Kanye West feat. T-Pain
"GOOD LIFE"
from Graduation
(Def Jam)
So
hot it should have been a summer single. This breezy, sun-kissed joint
is pure joy, from 'Ye's gleeful mic presence to T-Pain's glossy hook to
producer Toomp's ingenious "P.Y.T." sample. It's the sound of West,
perpetually searching for his own star, and finally earning it.
2. 50 Cent
"I GET MONEY"
from Curtis
(G-Unit/Interscope)
Curtis
was hardly the boon most expected but the tenacious "I Get Money"
landed like a deathblow. Booming and utterly New York, 50 hasn't been
this gleefully funny ("I took quarter waters, sold in bottles for two
bucks") or cruel ("I got rid of my old bitch") in ages.
1. Fabolous feat. Ne-Yo
"MAKE ME BETTER"
from From Nothin' to Somethin'
(Def Jam)
A
genetically engineered hit — both Fabolous and Ne-Yo are masters of
precision, surgically back-and-forthing over Timbaland's swelling,
dignified production. It's a knowing seduction — maybe a bit too much
so — but certainly intoxicating.
