The Very Best of Erykah Badu

Can’t quite believe it’s taken this long; but after 23 Best Of’s, it’s time to cover my first female. It was definitely worth the wait though, because I have decided to pay tribute to my favourite female artist of all time, Ms. Erykah Badu. Since the release of Baduizm in 1997 she has been at the forefront of R&B/Soul music with her eccentric, cerebral musical stylings and sense of fashion. Although she has never received a great deal of mainstream success, the amount of respect and appreciation she has gained along the way has been quite incredible. Working with the likes of Dilla, ?uestlove & Madlib throughout her entire career also shows the effect she has had on other genre’s away from soul music. She is a revolutionary artist who in the future will be seen as one of the most important figures to come from our generation. I can’t explain how much love I have for this woman - I urge you all to listen to this and appreciate one of the greatest and most consistent artists of the past 20 years. You should also go and buy New Amerykah, Pt. 2 - Return of the Ankh too, because it’s still the best R&B/Soul album of 2010, by quite a long way. Tracklist and download link after the jump.

Tomorrow: The Notorious B.I.G. & 2Pac.

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The Very Best of The Pharcyde

Today I’m going to pay tribute to one of my favourite and one of the most under-rated Hip-Hop groups in the history of the genre. Many people only know The Pharcyde for their 2 or 3 ‘big hits’ and overlook the rest of their discography, which for me is just as good, if not better, than most other groups. All four of them have incredibly unique vocal tones and with forward thinking production from themselves, Jay Dee, SlimKid 3 and J-Swift; it allowed them to create a distinctive sound, which had never been heard before. A lot of people who visit my blog may not know a great deal about these boys, but if you like Hip-Hop then I can guarantee that you will appreciate this package. Bizarre Ride II was a superb debut; however it was Labcabincalifornia that made people sit up and take notice of them - unfortunately they have never followed that up with enough quality material, which has led to them slowly slipping off the radar. Some of the tracks in this Best Of are some of my favourite tracks of all time, so I hope you enjoy. Tracklist and download link after the jump.

Tomorrow: Erykah Badu.

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The Very Best of D'Angelo

Time for a super smooth session on this gloomy saturday night. Although he has only released two studio albums; D’Angelo’s impact on Soul/R&B and my life has be quite incredible. For me, he has the greatest voice of all time -granted he hasn’t released enough material to be compared with the likes of Marvin or Stevie, but it just seems so effortless for him and he is the definition of soul music. A lot of people feel as though Voodoo is the better of his two albums; however I believe Brown Sugar is THE best soul album to ever be released - it has everything and is an album that never fails to lift my spirits when I’m down. I don’t really know or care about what has been going on in his private life throughout the past 10 years; I just hope that he pulls himself together and finishes his long awaited 3rd album, because I need some new D’Angelo in my life. I advise you all to download this and save it for that special moment with your loved one, if you know what I mean. Tracklist and download link after the jump.

Tomorrow: The Pharcyde.

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The Very Best of NaS

Today it’s time to pay tribute to a man who many regard as the best rapper of all time. Although he’s not my number 1; I can appreciate anyone who has him at the top, because his discography is second to none and his impact on Hip-Hop has been simply incredible. Throughout his 16 year career the message has always been a positive one and he has genuinely tried to make a difference through the power of music, which is something not enough rappers seem to do these days. He has released some very average albums (Untitled, Nastradamus & I Am…) along the way; however albums such as It Was Written, God’s Son and Illmatic are true Hip-Hop classics and albums that changed the face of the genre. Along with Jay, this was probably the most difficult to keep to 30 tracks purely because of the amount of quality music they’ve both released. If you’ve never really got into NaS or understood what all the fuss is about, then I urge you to listen to this. Tracklist and download link after the jump.

Tomorrow: D’Angelo.

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The Very Best of Eminem

Time to get back to it. Today is another important one, because Em is pretty much the sole reason why I got into Hip-Hop/Rap. Back in 2000 my mum bought me Stan on cassette (after much persuasion) and I remember being simply mesmerised by what I was listening to. I then got the Marshall Mathers LP on CD and became Em’s biggest fan overnight. His impact on the music world has been simply mind-blowing and I know there are so many people my age (20) that will have very similar stories/feelings regarding Mr. Mathers. Although I wouldn’t personally regard him as one of my top 10 favourite rappers any more; I will never forget the impact he has had on my life. Recently his concepts and lyrics have become too predictable and boring at times; however his flow and rhyming scheme are something that can never be questioned or scrutinised. Encore and Relapse were low points in his career/discography, but he definitely pulled himself together for Recovery and ended up releasing one of the best RAP albums in years. Without Eminem my musical taste/knowledge would have been very different, so this is my way of saying thank you to him for the music. Tracklist and download link after the jump.

Tomorrow: NaS.

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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 G-Unit

A lot of people who follow my blog may be surprised by this choice; however it makes a lot of sense to me, because I have a lot to thank 50 and G-Unit for. During a 3-4 year period at High School they played a huge part in my life and are one of the main reasons why I got into Hip-Hop. Granted none of them are the greatest lyricists of all time and in the past 3 years they have released nothing but complete and utter garbage, but you can’t take away the impact they’ve had on the world of music - whether it be positive or negative; everyone has an opinion on 50 Cent. Beg For Mercy and Get Rich or Die Tryin’ are also two Hip-Hop records that I still value very highly and enjoy regularly. Doing this Best Of was genuinely like going back in time. I remember on holiday about 6 years ago I was obsessed with them and went to town one night and came back to the apartment with an XXL G-Unit top that cost £40, which never has and never will fit me. Dedication to the cause. Tracklist and download link after the jump.

Tomorrow: The Streets.

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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 Marvin Gaye

Today it is time to take a step back in time and pay tribute to possibly the smoothest guy to ever pick up a microphone. For as long as I can recall; Marvin Gaye has been an artist who my mum and dad have always played around the house and that has seemingly rubbed off on me, as I would now say that he is one of my favourite artists of all time. He definitely has the best voice I’ve ever heard anyway - it’s so pure and comes across as being so effortless for him. Something that upsets me is that a lot of people (my age) don’t know much about him past his ‘big hits’ (Sexual Healing & Let’s Get It On), when his entire discography is a thing of beauty and something that should be celebrated a lot more than it is. However; even though he is not with us any more, his legacy will live on forever through his own music and that of others too, as he still remains to be one of the most frequently sampled artists in both Hip-Hop and House. I really need a woman in my life to share these 30 tracks with. They don’t make artists like this any more. Tracklist and download link after the jump.

Tomorrow: Wu-Tang Clan (Group)

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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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