A few months back, my school held a job fair and Pitchfork set up a booth. I saw this as a perfect opportunity to live a dream I’d had for a couple of years. I coolly walked over to the booth and introduced myself, telling them I write for TSS. Things were cordial for a second until Hip-Hop entered the equation.
Me: Yea, you guys need a little help with your Hip-Hop coverage.
Pitchforkian: Actually we’re here looking for a marketing person moreso than a writer.
Me: Oh. Ha. Oh no, I’m not trying to work for you guys. I just…you guys just need to do something about your Hip-Hop coverage. That’s all. Good day.
I used to go to Pitchfork for reviews, but their endless praise of Cam’ron (Purple Haze as a top 10 album of 2005?), shoddy lists and questionable reviews have rendered the site an afterthought to me.
The Pitchfork braintrust has tried to test fates with another list, this time highlighting the so-called best songs of the 2000s. One thing to note: when people make these “best song” lists, they mean best song that has been on the radio and has an accompanying video. So just off top, it’s skewed as singles are rarely, if ever, the best songs on any album.
With that being said, the choice for top spot is not that far off.
Ladies and gents, Outkast’s “Bombs Over Baghdad” is the best song of the 2000′s, according to Pitchfork.
Name a song like “B.O.B.” Two of the best to ever do it spit verses of a lifetime over a blitzkrieg of synths, guitar riffs and video game effects. But you already know how great the song is. I read the list fully expecting to hate the top choice, but I must say it could have been worse. So I doff my cap to you, Pitchfork.
Oh yeah, the rest of the list is bullfuck.
![[avatar]](http://p.uproxxcdn.com/global/images/default-avatar.jpg){kind=avatar}
![[image]](http://cdn.tss.uproxx.com/TSS/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2012/02/Selector-Mixtape-Back-cover-150x150.png)
![[image]](http://cdn.tss.uproxx.com/TSS/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2012/02/top-30-fictional-rap-women-main-150x71.jpg)
Eff Pitchfork.
Yeah, they pissed me off when they gave Ode To The Ghetto 4.5/10. Hip-hop definitely isn’t their strong suit though they do get one right occasionally: Madvillainy – 9.4/10.
I can’t front though, their indie rock is dead on for the most part. That’s where I go when I go through my monthly “no hip-hop” phase which lasts 2 or 3 days.
1. They do need help with hip hop writing.
2. This list is mostly ass.
3. They got #1 right.
Kinda like the tree in the forest… If you get the top song right, does the rest of the list even matter?
@MZ, yes I think it does make a noise when it falls.
I still bump this song at least once or twice a week lol
How the hell do you even make a listen like this? I can’t even begin to think what the song of the decade is.
This will suffice though.
Purple Haze is Cam’s best album. Even without “Lord You Know”.
And Pitchfork may suck but that Untitled review was dead on.
“Though many view Illmatic as the gold standard for hip-hop albums, it’s abundantly clear that Nas is better off doing anything but trying to recreate it. His best work of the past decade ironically goes against the very concept of traditional album-making (The Lost Tapes, The Nigger Tape). When caught up in the increasingly antiquated promotional cycle, Nas is more likely to rely on ugly manipulation of people who tend to care way more about his work than he apparently does, and accomplish the exact opposite of what he presumptively set out for”
W.O.W
wavy over water
jaywest03 Says:
And Pitchfork may suck but that Untitled review was dead on.
“Though [...] he presumptively set out for”
^they don’t listen music here; they listen the marketing !!!
‘Distant Relatives, on the way !!
Nasir’s Tenth Album then…
God’Son’s Return !
A friend told me about this and I was pretty happy. I think the top choice is spot on. You can hear B.O.B’s influence in every attempt at an electro crossover hit. Sadly it’s one of those Grover Washington Jr. influencing Kenny Rogers kinda things.
i’ll maintain that they had the right band, wrong single at #1… how is hey ya! only #12
Thats the whole point Greums. His music has BECOME marketing. Nas plays on the Illmatic worshippers, backpackers and conspiracy theorists the same way the ringtone rappers angle their shit to the 12 yr olds. it’s image and posturing over substance.
how long til David D. spurns the smoking section to write for $$$?
music IS Market. she IS marketing. U sell something, it’s marketing!!!
Illmatic wasn’t marketing cuz that Era wasn’t the massive marketing era. MJ’s music Was The Most Marketable Successful Thang but was still dope. And i promess that Nas’ music iz less marketing than the jigga’s, luda’s, wayne’s, t.i’s and the rest of all these “famous” rappers. So, be mainstream and rich Or underground n real ? nah come on…
in the case of the Untitled lp, i mean, maybe the promo was a controverse, HHID album too ; but i see more that like concept album, subject album than a conspiration and a fake thing. the music inside was “relevant” and that’s it. after that, u like or not the music. but u must to judge the music by the songs, their subjects, the atmosphere etc and not created a review about the artwork, the controverse and the medias. sorry but reviews are more like newspaper’s articles right now, that’s sad.
huh?
Gruems the bottom line is that the majority of the music on that album was wack. Same as the last several albums before it.
that’s ya opinion. but wack is a too much term.. so déjà, u have a bad commencement in ya idea about these albums. music and lyrics was in adequation, maybe u don’t like that.
i agree, that was WACK commercial music ! i agree
I was just at the park running to B.O.B. a few minutes ago. That’s probably the most listened-to song on my iPod right now.
However they may feel of Nas, to rate untitled (near unanimously praised by the hip hop community) 3.8 was spitting in the face of hip hop fans. At his worst Nas is a premier lyricist, whether he is being real or fake (how many rappers are “real”?). At worst Untitled was better than the carter 3 and at best it was a top ten release last year. They rated HHID better and i thought that was worse. “Fried Chicken” alone increases the minimum score on Untitled.
Pitchfork is confused when it comes to hip hop. They also managed to rate Q-Tip and Elzhi’s album worse than the mediocre carter 3 last year. How can they be so spot on with say, madvillainy and then be so wrong with something like Untitled or even the new Slaughterhouse. Tell me 5.5 isn’t a piss take! Even those who dont feel SH respect them.
Have to say that Purple Haze still rides out [II].
Untitled was wack as shit though. a 3.8 was generous
BS, untitled is > a 6
Pitchfork is far too wrapped up in being Pitchfork to actually do their job anymore. They’ve never really had much objectivity, but in the past few years, it’s dwindled to zero. They cover the same bands over and over, and only appreciate certain types of rock and hip hop, while throwing the rest under the bus. The website has a superiority complex and needs to be knocked down a few pegs.