The Very Best of The Foreign Exchange

This is a Best Of that I was going to leave till the very end (because it’s probably the best I’ll do); however, after receiving a postcard from Nicolay this morning, I thought it would be the perfect time to publish it with the release of their 3rd album rapidly approaching. The story behind the creation of The Foreign Exchange is definitely the most special in modern day music and is something that you should research if you don’t already know about it. Throughout the past 6 years they have become my favourite group/label in the world and the chemistry between Phonte and Nicolay has produced some of the greatest music of all time. Yes I said it - all time. Connected was a revolutionary album for both Hip-Hop & Soul; however Leave It All Behind is one of the most incredible albums I’ve ever listened to and one day I can see it becoming my favourite album of all time. They make timeless music from the heart that I can enjoy with my mum, dad, sister and gran - that is a very rare quality in music these days. Zo!, Yahzarah and Darien Brockington all play a huge part in making the FE family so special and 2 of them have already released albums this year, which are streets ahead of any other R&B/Soul music that is out there at the moment. I could honestly talk all day about these guys, but it’s sometimes best to just let the music do the talking. Cannot wait to hear Authenticity next month. Hopefully you all fall in love with their music like I have. Tracklist and download link after the jump.

Friday: Eminem.

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The Very Best of The Streets

Mike Skinner, aka The Streets, is a pioneer of UK Rap Music and has become one of the most well respected artists in the country throughout the past 10 years. His unique production style along with the spoken-word flow that he uses made him completely different to any other artist out there and it was something that was embraced by people of all ages and backgrounds. The merging of Hip-Hop, Grime and UK Garage was a sound that had never been heard before and it helped open doors for a number of artists who have recently gained recognition and respect from a much wider audience. Unfortunately I feel as though the quality of the albums have gradually decreased as time has gone on; however there have been classic tracks on every release and I still find the time to listen to them regularly today. Original Pirate Material is one of the most important albums in my life and shall forever be seen by many as a piece of work that changed UK music, for the better. Looking forward to hearing his final release as The Streets later on this year/early next year. Tracklist and download link after the jump.

Tomorrow: Special surprise. My favourite group in the world. People who know me well enough may be able to guess.

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The Very Best of The Roots

Didn’t really expect it, but this has probably been the hardest Best Of that I’ve had to do. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy with 9 spectacular albums under their belt, but it was only as I started putting it together that I realised how many classics they have actually released. Lyrically there is no-one who has been as consistent as Black Thought throughout the past 17 years; and this along with ?uestlove’s unique production style has meant that they have created a sound which (for me) never has and never will be bettered by any other group or artist. A lot of ‘modern day rappers’ need to have a proper listen to Thought and take note of his concepts and what he is saying in his lyrics, because too many people these days are rapping about meaningless issues. The Roots have always had a positive and intellectual message, which makes for a much more enjoyable and thought-provoking listen. My original tracklist consisted of 60 tracks, so there are a lot of tracks which didn’t make the final 30, which some people may consider to be their best - sorry. How I Got Over is still one of my favourite albums of 2010 and Wake Up! with John Legend is no doubt going to be a revolutionary project. Tracklist and download link after the jump.

Tomorrow: G-Unit (shocked?)

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The Very Best of Gang Starr

This is a very sad Best Of for me to be doing after everything that has happened in the past 12 months. Premier and Guru are two of the most influential characters in Hip-Hop and their work together as Gang Starr will forever be seen as some of the greatest and most important music to ever be made within the genre. I was going to do a best of for Premier’s production and Guru’s solo work too, but decided against it, because I thought it best to just pay tribute to their best material as one of Hip-Hop’s most iconic duo’s. I honestly have no idea what actually happened with these two and Solar throughout the past couple of months of Guru’s life, but I’m not too sure I want to either. I will always remember Guru for his time during Gang Starr and the impact his Jazzmatazz series had on the world of Hip-Hop. This is a ridiculous package and something that every Hip-Hop fan should have in their iTunes library. Tracklist and download link after the jump.

Tomorrow: The Roots.

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The Very Best of Pharrell Williams

It’s time for the Ice Cream Man (aka Pharrell Williams). I actually can’t explain how much love I have for this guy and the music that he has given us in the past 16 years. He is probably the coolest man in the world and his work ethic is something that cannot be matched by any other artist/producer. I could have done 3 different Best Of’s for him and they all would have been as good as each other - his work with Chad as The Neptunes has raised the bar when it comes to Hip-Hop production and N*E*R*D are the most unique group the genre has ever seen. He is constantly pushing the musical boundaries and creating new sounds that nobody ever knew or thought were possible. Looking forward to hearing the new N*E*R*D album a lot, because everything I’ve heard so far sounds like classic Pharrell and this is very good news. For now, it’s time to pay respect to a modern day legend. Tracklist and download link after the jump.

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The Very Best of Wu-Tang Clan

RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa and the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard are 9 names that will forever be etched into Hip-Hop history due to their overall impact on the genre and culture that I have grown to love throughout the past 10 years. Although I have never thought of them as my favourite Hip-Hop group of all time; their discography is second to none and they are the only group that I will be doing two best of’s for, which says A LOT. To have 9 men who are all as talented as each other releasing top quality music constantly for the past 17 years is something that is unheard of and in my opinion; it will never happen again. Anyone who doesn’t know much about Wu-Tang needs to listen to these 30 tracks and educate themselves. Tracklist and download link after the jump.

Tomorrow: Pharrell

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The Very Best of Common

This is probably the strongest ‘Best Of’ that I have done so far - for as long as I can remember I have always thought of Common as one of my favourite rappers; after doing this it has made me realise that he is definitely my number one. His discography is absolutely ridiculous and I would have to say that he has released more classic Hip-Hop albums than any other artist. Universal Mind Control is probably the only weak point in his entire career and even that album has some brilliant tracks on it. His choice of production, concepts and lyrics are second to none and that alone makes him stand out from every other rapper out there. Like Water For Chocolate and Be are two of the best Hip-Hop albums of all time and I’m pretty sure he has a lot more classic material to release before he’s finished. The fact that I had to do 35 tracks instead of 30 says a lot about my feelings towards Mr. Lonnie Rashied Lynn, Jr. A true legend. Tracklist and download link after the jump.

Monday: Off to Leeds for the day/night.
Tuesday: Marvin Gaye.

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The Very Best of Snoop Dogg

Time to enter the Dogg house. For the past 20 years Snoop has been one of THE iconic figures in Hip-Hop; however he has never been someone who I would class as one of my favourite rappers. That is the beauty of doing this ‘best of’ series though, because it makes you realise how great some of these artists really are. Granted he has made some average albums and has been part of some awful collaborations, but on the whole his discography is absolutely incredible. Doggystyle is one of the best Hip-Hop albums of all time and all of his other albums have been sprinkled with some classic tracks. He really is the OG. Tracklist and download link after the jump.

Tomorrow: Common

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The Very Best of Example (2003-2009)

This is definitely the most personal ‘Best Of’ that I am going to do. Back in 2005 I discovered Example’s music and instantly became his biggest fan – never did I imagine that 5 years later we would be good mates and doing this together after a year where he has had a countless hit singles and 3 top 10 albums. This is my way of saying thank you to him for the music and everything that he has done in the past couple of years – he has opened a lot of doors for me and for that, I will be forever grateful. For his ‘old skool’ fans; this can be seen as a celebration of the deserved success he has achieved this year. For his newer fans; this will show you the very best of his back catalogue and prove that a lot of time and effort has gone into getting us to where we are today. This package includes material from his first album, both mixtapes, a few remixes and even a couple of unheard demos. Tracklist and download link after the jump.

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The Very Best of Lupe Fiasco

Ever since hearing the Fahrenheit 1/15 Mixtape series; Lupe Fiasco has been a very important figure in Hip-Hop for me and someone who I feel has ALL the attributes to be the perfect MC. He makes rapping sound so easy and in my eyes he is lyrically better than anyone else. A lot people just know him for Food & Liquor and The Cool; however he is the mixtape messiah and his discography is a lot bigger than people realise. For me he is one of the best rappers out there and is forever pushing the boundaries when it comes to flow, concepts and style. Lasers should be simply incredible. Tracklist and download link after the jump.

Tomorrow: Example

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The Very Best of A Tribe Called Quest

Here we are; the hardest Best Of that I’ve had to do thus far. Since 1991, Tip, Phife & Ali Shaheed have had created a flawless discography which made it rather difficult to pick 30 tracks that I would class as their best. Doing this confirmed in my mind that they are the greatest Hip-Hop group of all time and made me realise how much I wish they were still together. Don’t need to say a lot else. Sometimes it’s just best to let the music do the talking. Tracklist and download link after the jump.

Tomorrow: Lupe Fiasco

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The Very Best of Ty & Mystro

Here we are - the Sunday special. Today is all about my two favourite UK MC’s, Ty and Mystro. A lot of people won’t know who they are due to the lack of mainstream coverage they have received; however anyone who knows anything about Hip-Hop will know that they are both very important figures within the genre. Luckily throughout the past 12 months I have got to know them both thanks to Twitter and it has been quite surreal for me because I have always seen them as two of my favourite artists. They are both top guys and it has been a pleasure getting to know them both. Tracklist and download link after the jump.

P.S. The quality of these tracks are between 128-190kbps. I have purchased 90% of both their discography’s, but don’t want to give away HQ versions of their tracks, because I want people to support their music. This is purely showcasing the best of their discogs and hopefully getting more people into their music.

Tomorrow: A Tribe Called Quest.

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The Very Best of Jay-Z

Yesterday was Mos Def. Today is Jigga man. This guys influence on Hip-Hop and on Music as a whole is second to none. Doing this has made me realise how good he really is. Picking 30 tracks from 11 number one albums is no easy task. Banger after banger. Classic after classic. Hov is a God. Tracklist and download link after the jump.

Tomorrow: Stevie Wonder.

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The Very Best of Mos Def

So yeah; this is the new weekly daily feature, which will be going on for as long as possible. The idea of it is to pay homage to my favourite artists by posting their 30 ‘best’ tracks, to show the impact they’ve had on music.

First up is the mighty Mos Def. One of the most distinctive voices in Hip-Hop and probably the best singing rapper of all time. Not the biggest discography in the world, but definitely a very strong one. Tracklist and download link after the jump.

Tomorrow: Jigga man.

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