Top 10 Pimp C Tracks

R.I.P.

1. UGK - Diamonds and Wood
Even though he never shied away from gangster-boasts on his verses, Pimp C also often offered an incredible insight into the life of a drug-dealer. The final verse of Diamonds and Wood is easily Pimp C's best ever. I won't quote much here, you should just go listen to the track, from "Ridin' Dirty". When he repeats "I'm smokin' skunk and poppin' the trunk to make me feel good" as the hook kicks in for final time, he completes his perfect verse. P.S. It also just happens that the beat is one of greatest southern beats of all time - and yep, it was co-produced by Pimp C himself.

2. UGK - One Day You're Here
Another Pimp C production, this is the stunning opening track to "Ridin' Dirty." The instrumental is incredibly chilled and, coupled with Ron Isley's magical singing, takes you away from whatever is on your mind and transports you to Houston, Texas, where you will remain for the remainder of the album. Pimp also spits another great verse to finish this track.

And then when I got on my knees that night to pray
I asked God why he let these killas live and take my homeboy's son away
Man if you got kids show em you love em cuz God jus might call em home
Cuz one day you here but baby the next day you gone

3. Pimp C - Slow Down feat. Cory Mo
This is another awesomely chilled beat. Perhaps one of my favourites of all time. Pimp plays it perfectly too... "I used to sell weed, then I sold crack / I used to ride in a old-school gold 'llac" he informs us. Word em up...that's hood.

4. UGK - International Players Anthem feat. Outkast
This track, this time produced by Three 6 Mafia's Juicy J and DJ Paul, is many fans' favourite hip-hop single of the year 2007; and for good reason. Andre opens the track with an incredibly inventive verse, and then as the drum beat kicks in over the chorals we hear "Sweet Jones" and C proceeds to absolutely rip up the track:

My bitch a choosin' lover, never fuck without a rubber
Never in the sheets, like it on top of the cover
Money on the dresser, drive a Kompressor
Top notch hos: get the most, not the lesser

5. UGK - It's Supposed to Bubble
The amount of insanely high quality southern chilled beats Pimp C was involved in is staggering. Seemingly everything he touched, turned to gold. This is another prime example. If we are naming the top hip-hop producers of all time on quantity of quality beats, Pimp C is easily top 5.

6. UGK - Shattered Dreams
This track is also on UGK's latest album "Underground Kingz." Pimp gives a couple of highly positive verses right here, reminding prostitutes that it is never too late to change your ways, and encouraging youngsters to go for their dreams.

7. Jay-Z - Big Pimpin' feat. UGK
This has to be on this list doesn't it? UGK's relationship with Jay-Z (don't forget Jay quoted Pimp C on "99 Problems") was an important relationship in UGK's career and in the history of hip-hop. What you get here from Pimp C is a short verse, but typically Pimpalicious shit.

Uhhh, now what y'all know bout them Texas boys
Comin down in candied toys, smokin weed and talkin noise

8. Pimp C - Swang Down / 10 A Key
On this one Pimp came with a more intense type of track. And it's ill, with Chad flippin the classic "Swing Down Sweet Chariot" hook of Parliament's. Then mid-track the whole beat changes and Pimp starts declaring "Sixteen five, bitch that's too high." Oh shit, you better rethink that...

9. Pimp C - Young Prostitute
Word em up. C lays down his shit here, telling us "I need a prostitute". So you'd think it would be a dark track huh? Nah, he then adds that it needs to be a "clean" prostitute...and the almost inconceivably celebratory beat continues on its merry way. This is how Pimp C always did it. Turning a negative into a positive. Dude was a hedonistic mutherfucker.

10. UGK - Heaven
I wonder if there is a heaven up there for real Gs. I fucking hope so...Rest In Peace.

Worst 10 Dr. Dre Tracks of All Time

Constructive Criticism? That's all...

Ok, Dre is at least top 3 producers of all time no matter who you ask. Dude is a living legend. I have already done a post about his top ten tracks. But dude is human after all. I thought I'd look at his worst tracks...

10. Eve - That's What It Is

The production qualities on this track are superb. I mean, Dre produced it, come on! Unfortunately though, it feels like it was just "mailed in". It's too obvious. You could pick that this a Dre track from a mile away...sometimes that can be a good thing but in this case it is not.

9. 50 Cent - Straight to the Bank

This new track from 50 Cent has kinda again a "mailed in" feel. Although this time, the beat is worse. Nice bass line though. But how many 4/4 Synth Orchestras do we need? Here he can't even give us a Orchestra Chord...just a solitary note repeated over and over. Then he brings in that cool sounding "Ass Like That" string instrument but the damage has been done already...

8. Jay-Z - Thirty Something

This track is pretty terrible. Hand claps. Check. Bass line. Check. Orchestra progression at end of ever loop. Check. Dope beat...uhm, nah. It just doesn't sound that good. And Jay-Z trying to prove he is still fresh by telling us how grown up he is (?) isn't really helping.

7. Busta Rhymes - Don't Get Carried Away

Nah, its not working. Dre goes for simplicity...one heavy bass "d-d-d-duh" then raise the tone "d-d-d-duh." Add, oh yeah, a handclap again. Add some creepy chords over it and even a female keyboard choir "Ah Ah Ah!" Argh indeed...

6. The Firm - Firm Family

This one I'll excuse. Dre was obviously trying something here and it didn't really work out. At all. That is a real weak beat...

5. D-12 - Ain't Nuthin But Music

Yeah this beat ain't really doing anything. It's just...there. On an album. And with D-12 over it. I don't think Dre was trying anything here and he didn't really achieve anything.

4. Eminem - My Daddy's Gone Crazy

This is just a stupid song. It's not really Dre's fault. He probably gave Eminem exactly what he wanted. He probably should've avoided getting his name on that beat, though. Maybe coulda said Eminem produced it...wouldn't be too far fetched.

3. Xzibit - Choke Me, Spank Me, Pull My Hair

What the fuck happened here? Club bangers can be dope. But if they fail, they can be absolutely horrible. Ok...so this is a failed club banger.

2. Dr. Dre - Pause 4 Porno

Lol. Do I really need to listen to this? Props to him for trying to bring porn away from the screen and into the speakers. But I prefer just watching the fly babes in your music videos to get a hard on.

1. Eminem - Just Lose It

This was just a ridiculously bad beat. I don't know how Dre managed to produce this one. What's worse, is that it is a lead-off single for an album. Actually, I really just don't want to talk about this beat...

Greatest Hip-Hop Songs

If it's gritty street shit, the chances are I like it.

It's kinda in a rough order...but that said, most songs here just came to my head so no doubt I would've missed a few of my favourites. The human brain has a habit of forgetting shit so yeah...

1. Shook Ones, Part II

In this list I'm putting songs here that just are hip-hop. Like KRS-One reckons he is hip-hop, I reckon these songs are hip-hop. This is the most hip-hop song. The piano sends chills down your spine. Dunno why. There's something about a melancholy piano line that does it for me (see Dead Presidents II). For that matter, theres something about songs with "II" in the title that does it for me too...

But anyways, fuck KRS...Prodigy and Havoc are hip-hop on this.

"Meanwhile back in Queens the realness and foundation / if I die, I couldn't choose a better location / when the slugs penetrate, feel a burning sensation / getting closer to God...in a tight situation now..."

Wow...the whole song is like that.

2. I Used to Love H.E.R.

Over a minimalist, eerie beat, Common drops an incredible tale, seemingly about a girl. He goes into incredible detail in this girls history. As we all know, turns out this "girl" is hip-hop. When you find out at the end of the song, you're like "NO SHIT!" and it's an amazing feeling you will never ever get back. That's it. Once you know, you know...

The thing is, listening to the lyrics you realise that, even though the title of the song says Common "used to love her," he actually he still does love her. He always will, no matter what happens. This positivity is what we should all try and grasp on to. It is now well over a decade since this song dropped, but it is still topical. No matter where hip-hop is, or goes in the future, let's try and remember Common's last line and remain positive...

"But I'm a take her back hoping that this shit stop - cos who I'm talking about ya'll is hip-hop"

3. Respiration

Common on another song here. With Mos Def, Kweli and Hi-Tek. This is an amazing beat right here. Hi-Tek really does convey the image of the city breathing. And Mos, Kweli and Common drop some of their best ever verses over the stunning instrumental.

There's Mos: "Skyscrapers' is colossus, the cost of living is preposterous / stay alive, you play or die, no options / No Batman and Robin, can't tell between the cops and the robbers / they both partners, they all heartless...with no conscience"

There's Talib: "Some cats be emceeing to illustrate what we be seeing / Hard to be a spiritual being when shit is shakin what you believe in / For trees to grow in Brooklyn, seeds need to be planted / I'm asking if y'all feel me AND THE CROWD LEFT ME STRANDED"

There's Common Sense: "Ask my God how he thought travellin the world sound / Found it hard to imagine he hadn't been past downtown / It's deep...I hear the city breathe in its sleep / Of reality I touch, bot for me it's hard to keep"

Poetry.

4. Dead Presidents II

This joint doesn't feature life-changing lyrics. But Jay-Z comes so damn nice on this. His word play is insane. The cat was on top of his game back here. And Ski came up with such a mad beat again. Yes, a melancholy piano riff again! Here's a video of how he laced up the beat. Sampling Nas on the hook is also just cool as...

When Jay drops lines like this throughout, you know its over: "My doe flip like Taek-won / Jay-Z the icon / Baby you like Dom / Maybe these cristals'll change your life, huh? "

5. South Bronx

Is KRS-One hip-hop? If he says he is, I understand what he is saying. It's like, it's a culture. You can't define it with just words. It's a whole culture. KRS-One could be seen as an example of that culture. So he is hip-hop in a way...cos he helped define it with songs like this. Just that first trumpet "dun" that Scott La Rock and Ced Gee cued up and repeated throughout the song, when you hear it, that short sound could actually represent hip-hop itself.

You talking about the history of hip-hop - the culture of it...you talking about this song. KRS-One represents his hood, his people. The Juice Crew didn't actually mean Queensbridge started hip-hop - it was a misunderstanding. But that doesn't matter. This was expression through song...a response through song: one of the first. Add some James Brown samples over the top and you have the epitome of hip-hop.

"Many people tell me this style is terrific / it is kinda different, but lets get specific / KRS-One: specialise in music / I only use this style of music when I choose it"

6. C.R.E.A.M.

Two ill verses. First Raekwon, then Inspectah Deck. Again, when MCs are telling me about the streets, I'm definitely listening. This is actually about the streets. No, not those streets you hear everyone these days claiming they're from. The real streets. And the ease with which these two MCs share their tales is incredible.

Deck: "Though I don't know why I chose to smoke sess / I guess that's the time when I'm not depressed"

7. One Love

Again, a rapper really lets us into their world. Through an open-letter in this case - that is some real shit. Q-Tip laces up a truly ill beat here that is perfect for Nas to exhibit his street-concerned ramblings to an unfortunate friend in jail over. Sometimes, you feel like you are that friend in jail, and appreciate Nas for his "One Love" sign-offs. The way Nas tells his anecdotes effortlessly through street slang is a testament to language in itself.

"So I comes back home, nobody's out but shorty doo-wop / Rollin two phillies together in the Bridge we called 'em oowops"

8. Nuthin but a G Thang

Illest beat ever. I've said it before. Most chilled beat ever. And most chilled song ever. A quite simply perfect song. Sometimes those deep songs are too much, and you need songs like this.

9. Time's Up

I'll throw an obscure one in here. O.C. came direct on this incredible beat. A beat made for hip-hop. Made from hip-hop. Give Buckwild credit for that one. The song is directed at fake gangsters and thus is appropriate to consider when talking about real hip-hop songs. O.C. really just keeps coming on this. Line after line is hard felt and directed at these posers. He has many great lines here. The Slick Rick sample in there is really cool too!

"Of course we gotta pay rent, so money connects, but uhh / I'd rather be broke and have a whole lot of respect"

10. T.R.O.Y.

A typically souled out Pete Rock beat here with those horns. And CL Smooth proves he actually is smooth on this. He reminisces about his fallen comrade "Trouble" T-Roy from Heavy D and the Boyz and his love for his family. An extremely positive song: very important, considering it is concerned with death.

"Positive over negative for the woman and master / Mother Queen's risein a chapter / Deja Vu, tell you what I'm gonna do / When they reminisce over you..."