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CATEGORY: AUDIO, Everything Else, GENERAL, MUSIC, MUSIC VIDEO, SMOKE BREAK, STRAY SHOTS | TAGS: Aftermath, Ant, Atmosphere, Big L, Brother Ali, Dido, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Ghostface Killah, Immortal Technique, Jay-Z, Joe Budden, Ludacris, Lupe Fiasco, Mark Ronson, Mary J. Blige, Nas, Nate Dogg, Obie Trice, Raekwon, Saigon, Tech N9ne, Wax & EOM, Wu-Tang Clan, Young Jeezy
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I know you may not have wanted to repeat, but “Yolanda’s House”?
runaway love is off of release therapy not theater of the mind
cool article though
Nas and Ghost own this category.
Yolanda’s House is amazing…
I had no idea that wasn’t Saigon’s song.
Notorious B.I.G. – Somebody’s Got To Die, I Got A Story To Tell, etc.
Slick Rick needed a track in here. Snoop, too.
Good post..the new generation are killing the story telling element of hiphop
Not a fan of Meet The Parents.
Jay tried to do what Nas does and failed.
Rest of the list is straight.
3 Sides To A Story >>>>
Notorious B.I.G. – Somebody’s Got To Die, I Got A Story To Tell, etc.
Slick Rick needed a track in here. Snoop, too.
^^^
From this decade.
Not a fan of “Meet The Parents”?
That’s a personal favorite from Jay in my book.
Notorious B.I.G. – Somebody’s Got To Die, I Got A Story To Tell, etc.
Slick Rick needed a track in here. Snoop, too.
^^^
From this decade.
==============
Same thing I said but B caught me w/the “this decade” real quick.
“Meet The Parents” is a good tale but the beat is a microwaved “Lyrical Exercise.”
And “Maxine” birthed Yolanda['s House]
With that said G and TC, damn.
Cosign Amp on everything.
Nas>>Jay
not sure why but it feels like somethings missin on this list…
Yeah, the beat did temper “Meet The Parents effect a bit, but not much. The storyline also reminds me of Ursula Rucker’s “Return To Innocence Lost” @ the end of Things Fall Apart.
well damn TSS…can we get any love for Killer Mike’s “A Dope Story”…im assuming it was an honest oversight.
Good list. I realized that most of the picks are from early in the decade. Not saying that’s bad but maybe there’s a trend there or I’m prolly just grasping at straws.
Funny that I just got done listening to Gihad while writing this comment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H_x0NaIRDE
my bad…didnt mean to sound ungrateful…good read…but im sticking with my statement…hahhahah
sheek louch-354 Tarrentino
One of sheeks best songs from his first LP
Warren G don’t want none (inside joke)
Well brother Mo, i got several that could’ve been added as we all do. Personally, I know every single syllable to that Mike track so you know where it stands w/me lol. But these are young B’s. Feel free to throw your logs onto the fire.
Rewind might just be the best of this decade imo, it is a remarkable song. Nas and Ghost definitely rule this category over the past decade. If only nas had consistently dope beats…(i guess thats why the acappella on HHID was so dope).
Biggy – Somebody’s Got ta Die
J.Rawls – Great Live Caper
Ghost – Alex (Stolen Script), Miguel Sanchez, and a ton others
PS- Never got into Stan like that.
uncommon valor vietnam story – Jedi mind tricks ft. ra da rugged man
jake one ft. blueprint – scared
story tracks that came to mind
how you come up with some of those horrible songs for this topic? to much radio?
Mr. Complex – Visualize
yeah uncommon valor was jaw dropping. crazy shit is its about rugged man’s own father. Stoupe is very very underrated on the beats. Story songs are the greatest. Im releasing a rap mini novel with artwork for some of the scenes one day. Im three songs deep into it. But I cant just write to anything, the beats got to go along with the theme. So its gonna take a while
The Hilton is perfect storytelling.
TO everyone that debates these picks…
while some of them might not be the best songs, they were storytelling songs nonetheless and radio hits MORESO. the fact they’re BOTH is good enough to make the list IMO, because the combo is heard very infrequently.
a lot of the ones some of yall are mentioning….i havent heard of the songs, and in a few cases…even the artists. i think ya’ll might be stretching….but i knew you would.
@ Maurice….
never heard that killer mike track. i blame Gotty.
http://smokingsection.uproxx.com/TSS/2007/12/uncommon-valor-the-story-of-staff-sergeant-john-a-thorburn-and-ra-the-rugged-man
Slow your roll w/all that noise. B said he hadn’t heard it. He’s one man of many on the team. Check the track record.
B – tsk tsk lol. I have to say that may be THE song that flipped the switch for me listening to Mike post-Outkast era.
and this is all another reason why I say that “best of” lists are all shitty. Everybody’s got their opinion and they just knooow it’s right lol.
“Bury Me A G” was that shit.
Forgot it even had a video for it.
Man I’ve listened to 3 Sides twice and can’t listen to it again. Shit makes me sick. That’s a great story… It’s like a movie that you know the ending to but in your head you’re hoping it doesn’t end that way. Good shit, Joey.
ghostface_killah-guest_house_ft._fabolous…….
Yolanda’s House > most of the shit on this list. Stan Is probably the greatest rap song of all time (in Kanye’s voice).
J-Live- One for the Griots
What about Bushwick Bill’s Ever So Clear?
That’s a real story layed down on wax in the dopest way.
there is no excuse for not knowing certain songs if youre a hiphop head, radiohead yeah i’ll understand…..just admit your taste doesn’t exceed video commercial crap
^ who died and left you the crown? You’re one of those who seems to think your idea of rap should be everyone’s idea of it. Fallacy.
There’s a “X” up there in the top right corner of your screen. Might come in handy and in helping you gain your grip on reality.
“Bury Me A G” was slightly slept-on IMO. If he had nailed the chorus, I think it would’ve gotten more ground w/purists b/c the actual verses were sharp.
fuck a screen. X out of life ….lol
I like “Little Weapon” but my favorite story-telling song by Lupe has to be “The Cool” off Food & Liquor.
Los says:
December 31, ’09 at 8:51 am
J-Live- One for the Griots
___________________________________________________________________
Yep, Yep.
That 2 part joint Royce had on Street Hop. Best Story song(s) of 09.
Wax & EOM – “The Adventures Of Larry & Tina
===============================================
I tried but I couldn’t make it past the first verse.
@haxz75…
i’ll admit i’ve NEVER considered myself a hip-hop head. no problem.
how bout some bold statements?
DJ Premier is not in my top 5 producers.
The only Rakim CD i own is the one with “Guess Who’s Back?” and I don’t even the know it’s name.
I haven’t listened to any WU-Tang related CD in over two years.
And guess what…i don’t care.
Great songs on the list but Nas is that dude when it comes to this.
And yeah I was expecting to see Killer Mike on here as well. I still get all hype when the how my hair look skit comes on, good bye bood bye
Interesting article.
‘Cool’ from Lupe’s first album, Food & Liquor, is his BEST STORYTELLING track. (the song is based on his whole second album and titled the same)
I haven’t listened to any WU-Tang related CD in over two years.
==============================================================
You lost for this one lol.
OB4CL2 >>>
Haha Beware just lost some avid readers with that comment right there!
Fabolous- I miss my love.
janozch says:
December 31, ’09 at 3:41 am
ghostface_killah-guest_house_ft._fabolous…….
========================================
that’s my shit, but I think that Fabolous- I came for the money, is one of the most vivid hood tales ever.
Hello i just received a alert from my firewall when i opened your blog do you happen to know how come this occured? Could it maybe from your ads or something? Thanks, really strange i pray it was harmless?
What? Little Weapon and no The Cool??
Hip-Hop Saved My Life >> Little Weapon
And Stan is one of most overrated songs on the inna-nets…
scared ft. blueprint by Jake One
1. Eminem – Stan
2. Jay Z- Meet the parents
Rewind was incredibly clever but it just didn’t deliver a powerful message like Stan or Meet the Parents. So I wudn’t put it second tbh
Technique did not rape anyone. If he said anything of that sort, he was being sarcastic at the fact that anyone would assume he would do anything of the sort.
Where’s “Once upon a time in the Projects?” Ice cube was such a dope story teller.
To me “A Dope Story” isn’t even Mike’s best story track.
“Deuce’s Wild” ftw.
A List without Slick Rick’s Children Story is indeed not a list at all
Reading Is Fundamental…. Totally Missed the part about “the past decade”…. My Apologies