R.I.P. DMX

05/12/98. I was wrapping up my senior year in high school, a few weeks away from graduating. So basically, I wasn’t doing shit. I had finished most of my classes so my biggest priority on this day was to go to HMV on 72nd and Broadway (the OGs will know what I’m talking about) and cop “It’s Dark & Hell Is Hot”, the debut album from DMX. His first single “Get At Me Dog” had dropped a few months prior and I needed to see what X was capable of doing with a full album. He had a lot of the intangibles that are critical to being a hip-hop star: he was energetic, charismatic, and he possessed a once-in-a-lifetime voice that added edge to his signature growls. The anticipation was high and I wanted to be one of the first to capture the experience.

If me mentioning HMV, a music store that hasn’t been in business for around 45 years wasn’t enough to date me, me telling you that after I bought the CD, I popped it into my portable CD player is sure to get the job done. I remember listening to it on the bus on my way to school, and then finishing the album once I left. I also remember thinking to myself, “this mfer did it”. Historically, when a hip-hop artist generates the type of buzz that X had before a debut album, the odds of disappointment are sky high. Although it’s unfair to the artist, it’s reality. If you drop a song or two and they hit big, you are now equipped with the nearly impossible task of creating a damn near flawless masterpiece that’ll leave your listeners satisfied. This challenge has severely damaged the careers of many rappers, who despite giving it their best shot, ended up coming up short, much to the chagrin of their (now former) fan base.

X did the impossible, however. “Get At Me Dog” was an energetic, boastful, three minute display of X’s talents, but it didn’t give too much insight into the type of artist he might be. The song mostly associated with his debut album, “Ruff Ryders Anthem”, wasn’t too different on the surface, so up to this point, X was still a bit of a mystery. All those questions were answered with “It’s Dark & Hell Is Hot”, a 65-minute journey into the mind of a man chasing angels and battling demons. DMX wasn’t just a dude barking on tracks, or a guy using his trademark voice as a crutch. He had one of the rarest gifts a hip-hop artist can have: he had depth.

For those that don’t know, I had my own TV show for many years and starting in 1997, I had started getting opportunities to interview artists. For a teenager, this was fuckin’ mind-blowing, and looking back at it now, it’s still incredible. A few days, and several spins of the album later, I was contacted by a representative at Def Jam records who had an open press spot available... to interview DMX. As poised as I was back then, this got my adrenaline rushing. Some of the artists I had interviewed up to this point were either new/up and coming, ones I had no interest in musically, or more often than not, a combination of the two. Clearly, this was not going to be one of those times.

There was a packed house that day, with various members of local media all waiting to speak to the man who just dropped an instant classic. When I got my chance, I walked my boney-ass frame in my oversized gap tee over to DMX and introduced myself. Interestingly enough, the guy that X portrayed himself as in his music wasn’t a portrayal at all, as his energy that day was consistent with everything I had heard to that day. The highlight of the interview was when I told him to forget about the interview, that as a fan of hip-hop, I appreciate his album and I really enjoyed it. Out of everything we spoke about that day, that remark was the one that seemed to resonate the most with X. He nodded his head in agreement and told me he understood what I meant because at the end of the day, he’s a fan of hip-hop as well.

I could’ve written this article a while ago. 1998 was over 20 years ago. I didn’t. What caused me to reflect on this memory is that today, 4/9/21, DMX passed away. While it’s true that people usually don’t get their flowers until they can’t receive them, I can say I gave X his flowers when I met him, and for that, I am forever grateful.

Since the day I met him, DMX went on to become one of the biggest artists on the planet, achieving superhuman feats like dropping two number one albums in the same calendar year. He went on to act in a few films, wrote a book, and completely takeover songs he was featured on. Unfortunately, he also seemed to struggle with some of the same themes he so eloquently rapped about on his debut album. Chasing angels and battling demons.

Rest Easy X

My least favorite songs of 2015

Greetings, mutants!

As you may (or should) have read by now, my favorite 30 songs of 2015 are in the books. Awesome anthems like 'Bad Blood', 'I Can't Feel My Face' and 'Uptown Funk' made last year magical. But not magical enough. Sadly, musical geniuses like Taylor Swift, The Weeknd and Bruno Mars were outnumbered by tone deaf trolls who continue to pollute the airwaves with their over-saturated tunes.

In an effort to highlight the biggest offenders, last year I began to list my LEAST favorite songs of the year. Because they need some love, too. And I'm not gonna lie... I am starting to enjoy this more than listing my actual favorites. This is like my therapy... being able to pound on the keyboard and shit on all these scam artists posing as recording artists.

Well, my friends, this year will be no different. My wrath will be unleashed once again! *clears throat* OK quick reminder... I only focused on songs that were mainstream relevant. No need to point the finger on some fucktard's mixtape that he's harassing tourists to buy in Times Square. The bigger the impact these songs made, the more likely they were to piss me off.

It's go time. I present to you... my least favorite songs of 2015.

Fetty Wap 'Trap Queen'
From the moment I heard this travesty, I knew it would be on this list. The fact that this is arguably one of the biggest hits of 2015 is an indictment on how dumbed down the audience has become. Fans of this trash are going to say I am unreasonably sour on this song but tell me, what do you like about it? Is it the off-key belting? Or maybe it's the solid content, praising birds who handle drugs for their scumbag boyfriends? Oh, that's right... it's catchy. If you have this on your playlist, there's a warm place in hell for your tasteless ass.

Pitbull feat. Ne-Yo 'Time Of Our Lives'
After appearing on my top songs of the year list repeatedly, Pitbull appeared on the worst song list last year for his collaboration with that skank Ke$ha. Now he drags poor Ne-Yo into the mix with one of the worst written songs of '15. Here's the gem of a chorus:

I knew my rent was gon' be late about a week ago
I worked my ass off, but I still can't pay it though
But I got just enough to get up in this club
Have me a good time, before my time is up

Wonderful message. Hey kids, fuck your rent... go to the club and waste your money on overpriced alcoholic beverages while you listen to rubbish like this!

Meghan Trainor 'Dear Future Husband'
I really wanted to put anything this culture vulture sings but I will narrow it down to one of her corny ass songs. Ever since I heard 'All About That Bass', I knew this snowflake was up to no good, defacing old school soul music by slapping a big, fat pasty face on it. It's a shame we struggle to highlight black soul singers but are quick to promote melanin-challenged muthafuckas like this who are nothing but cheap imitations. Speaking of which...

Charlie Pugh feat. Meghan Trainor 'Marvin Gaye'
You thought you were off the hook, Meghan? Well not so fast! Now your equally annoying sidekick is gonna get some, too. It's one thing ripping off black music, but then having the audacity to use a legendary black singer as the title of the song? Oh no he didn't. Yeah, I know Charlie, you were aight on that Wiz track and maybe your chorus made a few folks shed some tears for Paul, but that doesn't earn you a 'get out of jail free' card. 'Let's Marvin Gaye and get it on?' Both of you, go somewhere deserted and take your watered down, soul-lacking 'soul music' with you.

Usher feat. Juicy J 'I Don't Mind'
Just when you thought Pitbull & Ne-Yo had the 'worst written song of the year' award wrapped up, here comes this little gem. So apprarently, this song is about dating a stripper and being able to see past the obvious obstacles because, despite her shaking her culo in front of a bunch of derelicts, she's still leaving the club with you. And you know what? I'm willing to look past that, because there are a handful of dancers who are swallowing their pride so they can put themselves through school or feed their kids. But here's the problem...

'I make enough for the both of us, but you dance anyway'

Yes, that's an actual lyric from this shit-fest of a song. Ursher makes it clear that his income can comfortably support himself and this trick, but she still chooses to drop down and get her eagle on for singles. And here I thought stripping was a last resort to make some money. How foolish!

Rihanna & Kanye West feat. Paul McCartney 'Four Five Seconds'
Kanye West is married to Kim Kardashian... and I HATE Kim Kardashian. That association alone could land this song on this list. The biggest reason? Kanye's awful singing. Look, everybody can't be Drake. And really, why would someone as talented as Kanye want to follow that blueprint anyway? That singing shit ain't for everyone. To make matters worse, Rihanna slayed the track. Take out Yeezy, factor in the Beatles connection and RiRi might be taking home a grammy. You hear that, Kanye? You just cost Rihanna a grammy. Selfish prick.

Drake & Future 'Jumpman'
Speaking of Drake, what the fuck was this? Is this what the kids are listening to now-a-days? This is another case of addition by subtraction. Admittedly, this song would've avoided this list with just Drizzy. But just like practically everything in life, Future ruins it. What is the obsession with this dude? He sounds like someone with down syndrome being autotuned. Google the lyrics to this rubbage and tell me if I'm missing something. I know style has always played a big part in rap music but when it's 95% style and 5% substance, something has gotta change.

I think I got enough off my chest for one year. Let this be a message to all artists, regardless of genre... I'm watching you. Drop some basura in 2016 and I'm gonna be on yo' ass. GeeQue, out.

My favorite 30 songs of 2014

...and here's the BIG ONE!

Hmm... you don't look excited :-/

While you build up some energy, I'll say this: As the new year approaches and everyone prepares their resolutions that won't last until February, I salivate at the chance to display my favorite songs to the entire universe. Or my mom. Whatever. I love making this list. I love sharing this list. I love reading it more times than I'm willing to admit after it's done. I just love it.

A refresher for those who haven't read this post before... this is a list of my favorite songs of the past year. See that word there? Favorite? That's the key word right thurr (#chingy). My favorite songs are not always the best songs. Shit, I would argue they hardly ever are. But I am an equal opportunity song selector, so along with your usual high-quality jams, you'll get some guilty pleasures that would make even the most confident man blush. I put careful consideration into this list, tracking the songs I frequently play on my iPod and jotting them down throughout the year. Once December dwindles down, I start finalizing the list and prepare it to get presented to the public.

And the time has come to unveil the magic.

An added note, which is sad, actually... When I first started this list, it was a top 50. Then last year I slimmed it down to 40 because I wanted to write more about each entry. Well, that and music sucks now. Guess what happened to music in 2014? It sucked more than the year before. This is a far too familiar trend that has happened for at least the past ten years. So with much disgust, I say that this year, I shrunk the list even more, down to my favorite 30 songs. And I'll be honest, even that was a challenge. I don't care who you are in the industry, whether you're a platinum-selling artist, a CEO at a giant label or a damn intern sending out e-mail blasts to a bunch of local fucktards... I hate you all. Do better, or this sacred list will become a top 5 next year.

Ok no more nonsense... here is my favorite songs of 2014! Enjoy!

30. Echosmith 'Cool Kids'
I love when artists make songs about me & my friends

29. Romeo Santos feat. Drake 'Odio'
The moment you realize a Canadian rapper speaks better Spanish than your Latino ass

28. Taylor Swift 'Welcome To New York'
Welcome to New York? No, welcome to my heart, you beautiful, blonde beast

27. Sheppard 'Geronimo'
Can you feel my love? Bombs away in this bitch!

26. Sia 'Chandelier'
Who knew a song about alcoholism would make me wanna drink a brewski and start interpretive dancing?

25. Drake 'Trophies'
I do listen to rap occasionally

24. Coldplay 'A Sky Full Of Stars'
The only way I'm ever listening to Chris Martin is over a funky dance beat

23. Kid Cudi 'Satellite Flight'
Would've been higher except I saw him in concert and he didn't do an encore. Not cool, Cudi

22. Shakira feat. Carlinhos Brown 'La La La'
21. Aloe Blacc & David Correy 'The World Is Ours'
My world cup-themed treadmill anthems

20. Ed Sheeran 'Sing'
And they say gingers can't get funky

19. Tove Lo 'Habits'
I shazamed this song while in a bar in Feb. Welcome to the party six months later, sleepyheads

18. Taylor Swift 'New Romance'
It might be a new romance but it's a real romance. I love you, Taylor Swift

17. Alicia Keys feat. Kendrick Lamar 'It's On Again'
The best part about 'The Amazing Spider Man 2'

16. E-40 feat. T-Pain, Kid Ink & B.o.B 'Red Cup'
Most of the time I like intelligent rap. The other times I like shit like 'booty big enough to put a red cup on it'

15. Fabolous feat. Ryan Leslie 'Lay Down'
'The Soul Tape 3' was the mixtape of the year. I only heard about 3 but still

14. Tinashe feat. Schoolboy Q '2 On'
Added this just so I could say MUSTARD ON THE BEAT, HOE

13. Paramore 'Ain't It Fun'
The song that finally got me to stop crying to my mama

12. Kendrick Lamar 'I'
A rap song with a positive message? *gasp* THIS is what we need in 2015

11. Hozier 'Take Me To Church'
As someone who has not visited a holy house in quite some time, I can appreciate the title

10. Michael Jackson 'Love Never Felt So Good'
My favorite artist of all-time... Michael Jackson. I feel confident that that answer will remain the same until the day that I die. After MJ died years ago, I thought I was done being delighted by new MJ material. While I still have the classic MJ jams on repeat, this gem is just another to add to my enormous collection. Love never felt so good, and MJ never sounded so great. RIP to the king.

9. B.o.B 'Coastline'
When I'm naming my favorite hip-hop artists, I never mention B.o.B. And maybe he's not one of them. But every year, he always ends up on my favorite songs list. There's an honesty in his music... a truth that is absent in a lot of current rap. 'Maybe I'm blind by human desire or human design.' I mean, WHOA. You're not getting that type of insight in a Young Thug song.

8. Eminem feat. Sia 'Guts Over Fear'
I know Eminem has been a monster on the mic for over 15 years, mainstream-wise. But it took his most recent compilation, and more specifically this song, to make me realize he is easily a top 5 all-time MC. Yes, he's done his share of underdog anthems but that doesn't take away from the awesomeness of this one. Plus it's the perfect hook for Sia's emo ass. Bravo, man.

7. Fitz & The Tantrums 'The Walker'
Saw these guys open for Bruno Mars in 2013 (have I mentioned how delightful that concert was?) and knew they would eventually break out. Well, they did, and in a big way. 'Oh! Here we go! Feel it in my soul!' EFF YEAH. Sometimes it's that simple, folks.

6.  J. Cole 'Love Yourz'
You would be a fool if you didn't consider J. Cole one of rap's biggest talents. For years, he has shown glimpses of why he deserved to be considered in such high regard. However, he was lacking that one album that people could point to as indisputable evidence. Finally, he delivered. Not only was '2014 Forest Hills Drive' easily his best project, but it was also the genre's finest offering of the year. His simple message on this track... to love and appreciate what you have... is simple, yet escapes many of us. The reminder is appreciated.

5. Clean Bandit feat. Jess Glynne 'Rather Be'
Every time I'm catching a Mets game at Citi Field on a warm summer night, sipping on a delicious, cold brewski, I think to myself... why isn't there a song that sums up how I am feeling right now? How, out of any place in the entire world, I would rather be right here in this perfect paradise? I think you can guess what I'll be listening to on the 7 train next season.

4. Maroon 5 'Lost Stars'
My favorite movie of the year starred Adam Levine. Yes, that's something I thought I'd never say. But 'Begin Again' was that SHIT. Indie singer/songwriter tunes with my hometown as it's backdrop? Highly recommend it. This song was the crown jewel of a spectacular soundtrack. 'Are we all lost stars trying to light up the dark?' Sing it, you lil bearded divo.

3. Taylor Swift 'Shake It Off'
2014 will always be remembered as the year I fell in love with Taylor Swift. As recently as a few months ago, I couldn't stand her. I hated the way she dropped an album every year, only to whine about some bitch boy who broke her heart. But this new Taylor? That's bae. My favorite song off my favorite album of the year, which also doubles as my favorite video of the year. The trifecta. And you deserve it, boo.

2. Katy Perry feat. Juicy J 'Dark Horse'
Just to make 2014 any stranger... if you would've asked me 12 months ago which entertainers I hated the most, Taylor Swift and Katy Perry would've comfortably been in my top 5. And now they both have songs in my top 3. I remember the disappointment I felt when I shazamed this and saw that it was Katy Perry. I felt abused. But I can't lie, addictive song. Plus one of my proudest achievements of 2014 was memorizing Juicy J's verse. You win for now, Perry.

1. Pharrell Williams 'Happy'
If you know me, you know there's no other choice. And I don't care if you're sick of it. I've heard it several thousand times myself and guess what? I WANT MORE. Isn't good music supposed to make you feel... good? When people say music sucks now, what they really mean is there's no feeling. You know what I like feeling? Muthafuckin' happy. Thank you, Pharrell, for proving that you could still have a massive hit without having a negative impact on society. Now lose the giant hat and let's focus on having an equally happy 2015.

Until next year, I bid you adieu. Let's just hope I have enough good songs to choose from.

LIVE GRAMMY COMMENTARY!

(All times in EST)

7:55 PM: I was going back-n-forth on whether or not to do this but eff it, LETS DO THIS!

While you watch the Grammys (or during a commercial... or tomorrow? Shit, please find SOME time), you can check in here and read my commentary from this music-filled fuck fest. I'll be doing this LIVE, so I understand this may be challenging, but I will try my best to keep up. And if I keep up, y'all muthafuckas better keep up as well!

Simply stay on this link and refresh every few minutes and you should see some new material from your boy. Hope I keep you entertained!

8:01 PM: It's showtime! And we start with... Beyoncé. Blah. I'm sure I'm in the minority but I could go a few years without hearing from her. Not that she's not talented, just over-exposed. Everything in moderation, you know? She's singing 'Drunk In Love' so you know Jay is coming out. And he does, in a dapper tux. Oddly enough, although they're married, it looks like they don't know each other.Where's the chemistry? Jay even hesitated to grab her ass. Man, get a handful of that culo, playa! If you don't, I will!

8:08 PM: As much as I'm sick of Beyoncé, I wouldn't mind seeing her perform over hearing LL Cool J host. I love you L, you're one of the best MC's of all-time, but damn, we can't find a better, more entertaining host? Dude is cardboard.

8:11 PM: Pharrell has a giant piece of shit on his head. WTF man.

8:13 PM: First major award goes to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis for Best New Artist. Over Kendrick Lamar, which, if you're a hip-hop head, is an outrage. I have mixed feelings on them. Love the messages in some of their songs but they're still a bit corny in conveying them.

8:16 PM: Ahhh shit, my bitch Lorde is performing. Wait, isn't this chick like 17 years old? She looks 35. And why is she convulsing on stage? That ain't cute, boo. Somebody get the holy water and sprinkle some on her. She looks possessed. And she's holding her mic while doing the triple 6 gesture. There is a 96% chance this performance is going to give me nightmares tonight.

8:25 PM: Commercial break over. And now I'm listening to the whining of some country cockhead named Hunter Hayes. Actually, he's aight, but enough with the non-bullying shit already. I understand it exists and it's a horrible thing but I think there's too much focus on the bad-asses out there and not enough on toughening up those who get bullied. But I digress.

8:29 PM: Always been oddly attracted to Anna Farris. And Anna Kendrick, too. They both currently occupy bench spots on my snowflake all-star team.

8:30 PM: Best Pop Duo award goes to Daft Punk and... Pharrell! We get to see that ridiculous hat again! Poor Pharrell is forced to talk because Daft Punk always rocks ginormous helmets. Are we sure there's actually people in those helmets? Remind me to google 'Daft Punk without helmets on' after the show.

8:32 PM: Obligatory Beatles shout-out. (Second of the night, I might add)

8:33 PM: Normally, I would be breaking out in hives because Katy Perry is about to perform but she's doing the one song from her that I actually like, 'Dark Horse'. Shit, I can't lie, I love this shit. Was very disappointed when I shazamed this and found out it was her. But life goes on.

8:35 PM: Juicy J sighting! An Oscar, and now sharing the stage with Katy Perry. He's one of the funniest dudes I've ever interviewed. And one of my few ignorant guilty pleasures. If I'm gonna dumb out, give me some Juicy J or 2 Chainz. I also enjoy how every song he does has a 'yeah hoe' chant in the background. Very classy.

8:43 PM: My mom is being a major groupie now that Chicago is performing. Or at least I hope it's because of Chicago because if it's for Robin Thicke, I'm gonna hurl. Thicke is going through some of the finest tracks in Chicago's catalog, which is cool 'cause he's performing with them, but after tonight he should only be allowed to perform 'Blurred Lines'. Like really, dude. I don't wanna hear you sing anything else.

8:46 PM: OK now we're talking! 'Blurred Lines!' *starts twerking* I love this shit. And with Chicago's horn section? Epic. Too bad he only did the one-minute version of it. I was really looking forward to seeing a third appearance from Pharrell's hat.

8:48 PM: Mr. Nicole Kidman is singing softly now. We can't go from Robin Thicke getting the crowd amped to Keith Urban putting everyone to sleep. Horrible transition. Not that I can hear any of this because my mom is reminiscing about all the Chicago concerts she's gone to. When she's done, we're both wondering who the black guy on stage is.

8:58 PM: Back after a much-needed extended commercial (my poor paws are killing me) and we got John Legend on the keys. Kind of amazing that he's been out for over a decade already. Not someone I associate with longevity but he's been in the game for a minute. He's singing 'All Of Me' which is a lovely tune, but I find it amusing that when they attempted to put the spotlight on his wife in the audience, they also captured some angry Danny Glover-looking dude, too. #LightingFail

9:01 PM: So apparently that black dude on stage earlier was Gary Clark, Jr. And yes, I only know that because they just showed him in the Best Rock category.

9:03 PM: It's pretty much a guarantee that if you feature Paul McCartney on your song, you're winning a grammy. This theory is proven correctly by Dave Grohl, as he just took home the Best Rock award. Any artist that wants some of that golden hardware, holla at the Sir.

9:06 PM: Oh joy, Taylor Swift! What's this bitch crying about now? I swear she drops something new every year just so she could perform at this show. How many years running has she been here? Five? Ten? I must say, I appreciate the fact the camera isn't on her during other artists' performances. I couldn't take her off-beat moves any longer. Huge improvement over last year.

9:09 PM: Love how she keeps swinging her head backwards. Makes her seem so edgy. Look at you, Taylor... living so dangerously!

9:16 PM: Back after another break and we got Pink performing. This chick's always performing in the air. I haven't seen a Pink performance on land in ages. And people in the audience are spinning her for no apparent reason. I'm confused.

9:19 PM: Pink has landed! Thank goodness. And now some topless beefcake is tossing her around. She can't catch a break.

9:20 PM: Nate Ruess from Fun joins Pink and boy, is he looking like a pedophile. Three quarters of the criminals on SVU look just like him. Creeper. Meanwhile, Pink is understandably out of breath after doing acrobatics and wrestling with some half-naked ogre. But she comes through and delivers a decent performance.

9:22 PM: Ladies, guard the back of your heads... Miguel is here! This dude should be forced to wear flip-flops to every award show, just in case he gets any ideas.

9:24 PM: Best Pop Solo award goes to Lorde. WTF, she looks older than when she performed earlier. She's the anti-Benjamin Button. By the end of the show, she's gonna look like Betty White.

9:30 PM: Why would you even attempt to have Ozzy Osbourne present anything? It's clear he's not even sure where he is. Mumbling muthafucka.

9:31 PM: It's Ringo Starr time, and as much respect as I have for the Beetles, this is looking like nap time. See y'all in a few.

9:35 PM: Just woke-up, and just in time, too. It's Rap/Sung Collabo award time, and it goes to... wait, Jamie Foxx just said he wants to apologize to Jay-Z for staring at Beyoncé... then Jay wins for 'Holy Grail' featuring JT. Awkward! Jay makes a joke about telling Blue Ivy that daddy's grammy will be a gold sippy cup for her. What an elitist. *rolls eyes*

9:44 PM: Back from the break and got damn... it's Imagine Dragons and Kendrick Lamar. And they are RIPPING IT! This shit just started and it's already the front-runner for best performance of the night. I clearly spoke too quickly about the Taylor Swift shots, though. For some reason, CBS thinks it's a great idea to show her bouncing off-beat and making an assface out of herself. But even her uncoordinated ass can't ruin this performance.

9:48 PM: It's official: I just added Kendrick to my extremely short list of artists I want to see live. And bring Imagine Dragons on the road with you. Wow. When Jay ever decides to leave rap alone for good, Kendrick is looking like the guy to carry the torch.

9:50: Naturally, after that display of energetic adrenaline, we get some chick named Kacey Musgraves (I had to google her name to make sure I got it right) boring us to death. Typical Grammy fashion. It's clear that whoever produces this show is not a DJ. Worst transitions ever.

10:00 PM: Julia Roberts talking about... the Beatles. Surprise! It's like, damn... all these Beatles mentions and that Ringo Starr performance. I'm surprised Paul McCartney hasn't performed tonight.

10:01 PM: Never mind. Of COURSE he's performing. And with Ringo Starr, nonetheless. My mom mentions that Paul was always her favorite Beatle. Thank you Mom, for all your wonderful insight. Where would I be without that piece of valuable information?

10:04 PM: Look at Yoko Ono getting down. All 74 pounds of her. Adorbs!

10:06 PM: Pharrell won producer of the year! The hat! Ahhhh!

10:06 PM: Best Pop Vocal Album up now. If Bruno Mars doesn't win, I'm rioting.

10:07 PM: YESSSSS!!! BRUNO!!! Now THAT is a well-deserved award. You know I hate pretty much everything, but that is a cool ass album. And did I mention I saw him in concert last year? Oh I did? Well I just said it again. Deal with it, sucka!

10:16 PM: Legendary stoner Willie Nelson on stage. I'd rather be lighting one up with him than listening to him sing.

10:17 PM: Great, now he's joined by three more country dudes. The only one I know is Blake Shelton, and the only words I made out were a few drug references. I'm lost.

10:20 PM: Imagine Dragons are covered in blood, nodding their heads to this country catastrophe. This makes no sense.

10:22 PM: Best Country Album time, and naturally, I'm pulling for Blake Shelton because A) he's one of the only ones I know, B) he's hilarious on 'The Voice', and C) I can't tolerate any more Taylor Swift.

10:23 PM: That Kacey Musgraves chick wins, which is the Grammys way of saying 'our bad for having you follow the most epic performance of the night.'

10:25 PM: If nobody's made a 'Pharrell's Hat' handle on Twitter yet, I'd be highly surprised. The one he's sporting now for his 'Get Lucky' performance w/ Daft Punk, Le Chic and Stevie Wonder(!!!) is not as extreme as the other. But he's still in Indiana Jones territory, and not in a good way.

10:28 PM: Ahhhh FREAK OUT!

10:29 PM: Is there any hope for white people when Paul McCartney snaps his fingers off-beat?

10:30 PM: The crowd is rocking out, and dammit, so am I! Funky-licious. So funky that apparently Steven Tyler thinks he's in a congo line. Most of the time, these Grammy collaborations are disasters but tonight, the Kendrick/Imagine Dragons and Pharrell/Stevie Wonder pairings were perfection.

10:36 PM: Cyndi Lauper tripping over her words. Nothing to see here.

10:37 PM: Carole King's performing tonight too? Between Chicago, Paul and this curly-haired cougar, my mom's head may explode. At least I'm hoping she's a cougar, because any woman that can perform with Sara Bareilles and not make me projectile vomit has to be at least mildly attractive.

10:40 PM: Song of the year! This is a biggie! You know I'm Team Bruno!

10:41 PM: Lorde wins for 'Royals'. How can I be mad at that? That was my favorite song of 2013 (and yes, that was a not-so-subtle push to get you to read my 'Favorite 40 Songs of 2013' blog if you haven't already). Lorde's co-songwriter joins her on stage and calls her by her real name, Ella. She soooo looks like an Ella.

10:49 PM: Oh look, it's that poser Jared Leto! Is he still pretending to be a bad-ass? That dude is softer than a marshmellow.

10:50 PM: This Asian dude is catching wreck on the piano! He looks to be of average height, which is interesting because I thought Asian pianists were usually smaller.

10:51 PM: I can't like Metallica. Not since Mariano Rivera picked 'Enter Sandman' as his theme music. And their douchebag drummer shutdown Napster. In protest, I'm finna download all their shit right now.

10:56 PM: Steven Tyler, still woozy from Pharrell's performance, presents with Smokey Robinson, doing his own rendition of 'You Got A Hold On Me'. Smokey follows by belting out 'Dude Looks Like A Lady'. How cute.

10:57 PM: Record of the year! And the winner is... Daft Punk? Whoa, didn't see that coming. As much as I'm Team Bruno, I was certain Lorde or Robin Thicke was taking that. Unfortunately, Steven Tyler does not congo. It must suck to win all of these awards and not be able to give thanks because you're wearing a ridiculous, over-sized helmet.

11:06 PM: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis are about to perform 'Same Love'. You know, the song about homosexuality. And Queen Latifah is introducing them. Is she's still pretending to be straight? How naïve do you have to be to think Queen Latifah is straight? Kind of ironic that the song is about being yourself and the Queen is still in the closet.

11:10 PM: Macklemore doing his thing and then... whoa, whoa, whoa... the Queen is back! Is this the moment? Nope... but 33 gay couples just got... married? I think? Is Queen Latifah certified to marry anyone? I thought she was a queen... now she's an ordained minister? I need to research this.

11:11 PM: And now Madonna comes out, looking like a hot ass mess. You're in your mid-50's, lady. Why are you still dressing like that? I'm sure that's what the newlyweds wanted to see as soon as they became official... Madonna's botox-injected face. These marriages aren't getting off to a good start.

11:22 PM: After thanking music teachers worldwide, it's time for the memoriam. Or the part of the show when you say 'oh shit, he died?'

11:23 PM: R.I.P. Chris Kelly of Kris Kross fame. I still have the cassette of their first album somewhere. JUMP, JUMP!

11:27 PM: Miranda Lambert and Billie Jo Armstrong (of Green Day fame) come together to sing an Everly Brothers jam in honor of one of the bros who passed away. Sadly, I still have JUMP, JUMP! in my head.

11:36 PM: Album of the year! It doesn't get any bigger than this! And... Daft Punk wins again. Womp womp. The Grammy board would give all these big awards to a duo of futuristic fucktards who can't even speak. No shade because I haven't heard their album, but from an entertainment standpoint, they had to be the worst choice to accept an award. What a letdown.

11:38 PM: I'm all grammy-ed out. And now there's a schmorgesborg of rockers on stage. With lots of blinking lights. Fuck it, I'm tired and this just put me over the top.

11:45 PM: It was fun, y'all. Thank you if you made it this far, I definitely appreciate it. I thought of this idea earlier today and wanted to challenge myself. Hopefully, this was a success. So Daft Punk... remove your helmets, Blue Ivy... drink out of your golden sippy cup, and Pharrell... set that hat on fire. Grammy night's over. Peace.

THE ULTIMATE (MOSTLY) 90'S RAP/R&B PLAYLIST!!

Dear Beloved Reader,

I love my blog. I know I neglected it for almost a year but I really do. My favorite posts are usually my favorite songs of the year posts. Why? Because I get to rank and write blurbs about tunes I love, duh. Like... who WOULDN'T love doing that? But I have to say... I think this one tops all of those posts combined.

A lil' backstory: First, you must know that I'm an 80's baby. While I appreciate 80's culture, I spent my glory years(?!) in the 90's. I have a special admiration for that decade and, for some odd reason, I've recently regressed to my teenage years. I started collecting baseball cards again. I copped Mortal Kombat for my PS3 (if any of y'all wanna buy me a PS4, please feel free). But most of all, I've been listening to 90's music non-stop. The reasoning? A combination of those songs being legendary, the reminiscing and reliving memories as I get older, and today's music (especially rap) being pathetic and brainless.

A few months ago, I started working on an iPod playlist that featured my favorite songs from that decade. Initially, I hand-picked about 150 songs I had in my personal collection. I was so excited about it, I posted a Facebook status mentioning it. And I may have told some folks in my inner circle. And outer circle. Basically, anyone who was willing to listen to me, I was telling them about this playlist. You may have expected people to tell me to stfu, but no! They were actually interested! They wanted a copy of it! Begging! Pleading! Well... maybe not all of that... but the point is, they were intrigued, curious... for many of the same reasons I made the playlist in the first place. Their excitement got me even more excited, and I felt it was my duty to release this list to the masses. The world needed this.

I felt a huge responsibility before I just leaked this list out there. While I was perfecting it, it became quite clear that 150 songs wasn't gonna cut it. The 90's was packed with so many timeless tunes that I had to increase the capacity. And I did, adding 50 more songs, making it an even 200. But wait, what about this song? And that song? Surely, I can't leave those off. Let's add them! OK, now I'm up to 250. I was still missing songs. Shit, this isn't easy. The truth is, I could make this playlist 500 songs and still miss some crucial material, but I had to draw the line somewhere. And that line was 300. For Sparta, muthafuckas.

So here we are. 300 of the 90's finest jams. A few things you should know before I present the list: This is strictly a rap/R&B playlist. I think that should be clear by the title but you know there's gonna be some oblivious asshole asking 'where's Madonna?' You should know I'm more of a rap head, so this is a rap-heavy list. No H-Town, Shai or Silk here, ladies. Your panties will likely have to get moist elsewhere.

Also, I'm a born and raised New Yorker, so there is some regional bias here. There's a lot more NY/East coast shit because that's what I listened to growing up. So yes, your list, depending where you're from, is likely to vary from mine. And that's cool. If you're from the Midwest, South, West coast... shit, if you're from another country... feel free to share some of your favorite songs that I missed. I'll check them out if I haven't heard them (who are we kidding? I'm a 90's rap guru. Of COURSE I've heard them!) and maybe I'll even revise my list.

Two strict guidelines I also enforced: 1) No more than 10 songs per artist (not including features) and 2) No hokey songs. Even though the latter may sound that way, I don't mean it as disrespectful. I thoroughly enjoyed a lot of those songs. Coolio's 'Fantastic Voyage', Skee-Lo's 'I Wish' and Naughty By Nature's 'OPP' will always hold a special place in my corazon, just not a special place on my playlist. Basically, if it gets played in a sports arena, you won't see it on here. If you're not a hardcore 90's rap addict, a lot of these songs will look unfamiliar to you. And I love that. In my world, being obsolete is a good thing.

Lastly, while I made sure not to include any songs that were released after December 31st, 1999, I MAY have snuck in some 80's songs on there. Sue me. It's a handful, I promise. I didn't do this to complicate the list, just that the specific 80's songs on there were too good to leave off a playlist that ultimately is meant for me to recapture the feeling of that era. When you're making your playlist, leave them off if you're a stickler for the rules. If anything, use my list as a template... of complete and utter awesomeness.

Enough talking, here's the list. Hit me up on Twitter (@geequenyc) and share your thoughts!

(In alphabetical order by artist name)

Aaliyah 'Are You That Somebody?'
Aaliyah 'One In A Million'
Adina Howard 'Freak Like Me'
Ahmad 'Back In The Day (Remix)'
Artifacts 'Wrong Side Of Da Tracks'
A Tribe Called Quest 'Electric Relaxation'
A Tribe Called Quest 'Find A Way'
AZ 'Gimme Yours (feat. Nas)'
AZ 'Sugar Hill (feat. Missjones)'
Bad Meets Evil 'Scary Movies'
Beatnuts 'Off The Books (feat. Big Pun & Cuban Link)'
Beatnuts 'Watch Out Now'
Big L 'Ebonics'
Big L 'Put It On'
Big Punisher 'I'm Not A Player'
Big Punisher 'Still Not A Player (feat. Joe)'
Big Punisher 'Twinz (Deep Cover '98) (feat. Fat Joe)'
Black Moon 'Buck 'Em Down (Remix)'
Black Moon 'I Got Cha Opin (Remix)'
Black Rob 'Whoa!'
Black Star 'Definition'
Blackstreet 'Before I Let You Go'
Blackstreet 'Joy'
Blahzay Blahzay 'Danger'
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony 'Thuggish Ruggish Bone'
Boyz II Men 'Motownphilly'
Brand Nubian 'Don't Let It Go To Your Head'
Brandy 'I Wanna Be Down'
Busta Rhymes 'Everything Remains Raw'
Busta Rhymes 'Fire It Up'
Busta Rhymes 'It's A Party (feat. Zhane)'
Busta Rhymes 'Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See'
Busta Rhymes 'Tear Da Roof Off'
Busta Rhymes 'Woo-Ha! (Got You All In Check)'
Camp Lo 'Black Nostaljack (Come On)'
Camp Lo 'Luchini (This Is It)'
Cam'ron '357'
Canibus 'Buckingham Palace'
Canibus 'Get Retarded'
Canibus 'Second Round K.O.'
Capone-N-Noreaga 'T.O.N.Y. (Top Of New York)'
Case 'Touch Me, Tease Me (feat. Foxy Brown & Mary J. Blige)'
Changing Faces 'Stroke You Up'
Channel Live 'Mad-Izm (feat. KRS-One)'
Children Of The Corn 'American Dream'
Cocoa Brovaz 'Black Trump (feat. Raekwon)'
Common 'I Used To Love H.E.R.'
Common 'Resurrection (Extra P Remix)'
Craig Mack 'Flava In Ya Ear (Remix feat. Notorious B.I.G., LL Cool J, Rampage & Busta Rhymes)'
Craig Mack 'Get Down'
Crooklyn Dodgers 'Return Of The Crooklyn Dodgers'
Cypress Hill 'Boom Biddy Bye Bye (Remix feat. Fugees)'
D'Angelo 'Brown Sugar'
D'Angelo 'Devil's Pie'
Da Brat 'Da B Side (feat. Notorious B.I.G.)'
Da Brat 'Funkdafied'
Da Bush Babees 'We Run Things'
Das EFX 'Real Hip Hop'
De La Soul 'The Biziness (feat. Common)'
De La Soul 'Itsoweezee (Hot)'
Diamond D '5 Fingas Of Death (feat. Big L, Lord Finesse, AG & Fat Joe)'
DJ Honda 'Travelling Man (feat. Mos Def)'
DJ Muggs feat. Wyclef Jean 'John 3:16'
DMX 'Get At Me Dog (feat. Sheek)'
DMX 'Ruff Ryders Anthem'
DMX 'Stop Being Greedy'
Domino 'Sweet Potato Pie'
Dr. Dre 'Forgot About Dre (feat. Eminem)'
Dr. Dre 'Nuthin' But A G Thang (feat. Snoop Dogg)'
Dr. Dre 'Still D.R.E. (feat. Snoop Dogg)'
Dru Hill 'How Deep Is Your Love (feat. Redman)'
Dru Hill 'In My Bed'
Eminem 'If I Get Locked Up (feat. Dr. Dre)'
Eminem 'Just Don't Give A Fuck'
Eminem 'Role Model'
EPMD 'Crossover'
EPMD 'So Whatcha Sayin''
Eric B & Rakim 'Paid In Full'
Erykah Badu 'On & On'
Eve 'Gotta Man'
Eve 'What Y'all Niggaz Want'
Fab 5 'Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka'
Faith Evans 'You Used To Love Me'
Fat Joe 'Don Cartagena (feat. Diddy)'
Fat Joe 'Envy'
Fat Joe 'Firewater (feat. Raekwon, Big Pun & Armageddon)'
Fat Joe 'John Blaze (feat. Nas, Big Pun, Raekwon & Jadakiss)'
Fat Joe 'Success'
Firm 'Desperados (feat. Canibus)'
Firm 'Phone Tap'
Flipmode Squad 'Cha Cha Cha'
Foxy Brown 'Get You Home (feat. Blackstreet)'
Foxy Brown 'I'll Be (feat. Jay-Z)'
Fugees 'Fu-Gee-La'
Fugees 'Killing Me Softly'
Fugees 'Nappy Heads'
Fugees 'Ready Or Not'
Gang Starr feat. Inspectah Deck 'Above The Clouds'
Gang Starr 'Full Clip'
Gang Starr 'Mass Appeal'
Gang Starr 'Work'
Gang Starr 'You Know My Steez'
Geto Boys 'My Mind's Playin' Tricks On Me'
Ghostface 'Winter Warz (feat. U-God, Masta Killa & Cappadonna)'
Gina Thompson 'The Things That You Do (Bad Boy Remix feat. Missy Elliott)'
Ginuwine 'Pony'
Goodie Mob 'Cell Therapy'
Grand Puba 'I Like It (I Wanna Be Where You Are)'
Groove Theory 'Tell Me'
Group Home 'Supa Star'
GZA 'I Gotcha Back'
GZA 'Liquid Swords'
GZA 'Shadowboxin' (feat. Method Man)'
Heltah Skeltah 'Operation Lockdown'
Heltah Skeltah 'I Ain't Having That (feat. Starang Wondah & Doc Holiday)'
Horace Brown 'Things We Do For Love (Remix feat. Jay-Z)'
Ice Cube 'It Was A Good Day'
Ill Al Skratch 'Where My Homies'
Ill Al Skratch 'I'll Take Her (feat. Brian McKnight)'
Jagged Edge 'I Gotta Be'
Jay-Z 'Ain't No Nigga (feat. Foxy Brown)'
Jay-Z 'Brooklyn's Finest (feat. Notorious B.I.G.)'
Jay-Z 'Dead Presidents'
Jay-Z 'Feelin' It'
Jay-Z 'Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)'
Jay-Z 'Jigga My Nigga'
Jay-Z 'So Ghetto'
Jay-Z 'Streets Is Watching'
Jay-Z 'Where I'm From'
Jeru The Damaja 'Come Clean'
Jodeci 'Come & Talk To Me'
Jodeci 'Freakin' You (Remix feat. Raekwon & Ghostface)'
Joe 'All The Things (Your Man Won't Do)'
Junior Mafia 'Get Money (Remix)'
Junior Mafia 'I Need You Tonight (feat. Aaliyah)'
Junior Mafia 'Player's Anthem'
Junior Mafia 'Realms Of Junior Mafia'
Juvenile 'Ha (Remix feat. Jay-Z)'
Keith Murray 'Most Beautifullest Thing In This World'
Keith Sweat 'Nobody'
Killarmy 'Fair, Love & War'
Kool G Rap 'Fast Life (feat. Nas)'
KRS-One 'MC's Act Like They Don't Know'
KRS-One 'Step Into A World (Rapture's Delight)'
Lauryn Hill 'Lost Ones'
Lil Kim 'Crush On You (feat. Lil Cease)'
LL Cool J 'Doin' It'
LL Cool J 'Hey Lover (feat. Boyz II Men)'
LL Cool J 'I Shot Ya (Remix feat. Keith Murray, Prodigy, Fat Joe & Foxy Brown)'
LL Cool J 'Loungin' (Remix feat. Total)'
LL Cool J '4, 3, 2, 1 (feat. Method Man, Redman, Canibus & DMX)'
Lord Finesse 'Hip 2 Da Game (Buckwild Remix)'
Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz 'Deja Vu'
Lost Boyz 'Beasts From The East (feat. Canibus & Redman)'
Lost Boyz 'Lifestyles Of The Rich & Shameless'
Lost Boyz 'Jeeps, Lex Coupes, Bimaz & Benz'
Lost Boyz 'Music Makes Me High'
Lost Boyz 'Renee'
Lox 'If You Think I'm Jiggy'
Lox 'Money, Power, Respect (feat. Lil Kim & DMX)'
LSG 'My Body'
Luniz 'I Got 5 On It'
Mad Skillz 'The Nod Factor'
Mariah Carey 'Breakdown (feat. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony)'
Mariah Carey 'Fantasy (Remix feat. ODB)'
Mary J. Blige 'Be Happy'
Mary J. Blige 'I Love You'
Mary J. Blige 'Real Love (feat. Notorious B.I.G.)'
Masta Ace 'The I.N.C. Ride'
Mase 'Feels So Good'
Mase '24 Hours To Live (feat. Lox, DMX & Black Rob)'
MC Lyte 'Cold Rock A Party'
Method Man 'All I Need (Remix feat. Mary J. Blige)'
Method Man 'Bring The Pain'
Method Man 'Make Ups 2 Break Ups (feat. D'Angelo)'
Method Man 'Release Yo Delf'
Method Man & Redman 'Da Rockwilder'
Method Man & Redman 'How High'
Mic Geronimo 'Masta I.C.'
Mic Geronimo 'Shit Is Real'
Missy Elliott 'All N My Grill (feat. Nicole & Big Boi)'
Missy Elliott 'The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)'
Missy Elliott 'Sock It To Me (feat. Da Brat)'
Mobb Deep 'Drop A Gem On 'Em'
Mobb Deep 'Give Up The Goods (Just Step) (feat. Big Noyd)'
Mobb Deep 'Hell On Earth'
Mobb Deep 'Quiet Storm (Remix feat. Lil Kim)'
Mobb Deep 'Shook Ones (Part II)'
Mobb Deep 'Survival Of The Fittest'
Mona Lisa 'Can't Be Wasting My Time (feat. Lost Boyz)'
Monica 'Don't Take It Personal (Just One Of Dem Days)'
Monica 'Like This & Like That'
Monifah 'I Miss You (feat. Heavy D)'
Mos Def 'Ms. Fat Booty'
Mya 'Best Of Me (Remix feat. Jay-Z)'
Mya 'It's All About Me (feat. Sisqo)'
Nas 'If I Ruled The World (feat. Lauryn Hill)'
Nas 'It Ain't Hard To Tell'
Nas 'The Message'
Nas 'Nas Is Like'
Nas 'One Love'
Nas 'Sweet Dreams (Remix feat. R. Kelly)'
Nas 'The World Is Yours'
Next 'Too Close'
Nine 'What Cha Want'
Notorious B.I.G. 'Big Poppa'
Notorious B.I.G. 'Hypnotize'
Notorious B.I.G. 'Juicy'
Notorious B.I.G. 'Mo Money, Mo Problems (feat. Mase & P. Diddy)'
Notorious B.I.G. 'Notorious Thugs (feat. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony)'
Notorious B.I.G. 'One More Chance (Remix)'
Notorious B.I.G. 'Sky's The Limit (feat. 112)'
Notorious B.I.G. 'Unbelievable'
Notorious B.I.G. 'Warning'
Notorious B.I.G. 'Who Shot Ya'
Noreaga 'Banned From TV (feat. Nature, Big Pun, Cam'ron & Lox)'
Noreaga 'Super Thug'
NWA 'Straight Outta Compton'
O.C. 'Time's Up'
OGC 'No Fear'
Ol Dirty Bastard 'Brooklyn Zoo'
Ol Dirty Bastard 'Shimmy Shimmy Ya'
Onyx 'Last Dayz'
Onyx 'Shut 'Em Down (Remix feat. Noreaga & Big Pun)'
OutKast 'ATLiens'
OutKast 'Elevators (Me & You)'
OutKast feat. Goodie Mob 'Git Up, Git Out'
OutKast 'Skew It On The Bar-B (feat. Raekwon)'
OutKast 'Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik'
OutKast 'Wheelz Of Steel'
Pete Rock & CL Smooth 'I Got A Love'
Pete Rock & CL Smooth 'They Reminisce Over You'
Pharcyde 'Drop'
Pharcyde 'Runnin''
Pharoahe Monch 'Simon Says'
Playa 'Cheers 2 U'
Public Enemy 'Public Enemy No. 1'
Puff Daddy 'All About The Benjamins (Remix feat. Lox, Lil Kim & Notorious B.I.G.)'
Puff Daddy 'Been Around The World (Remix feat. Mase)'
Puff Daddy 'Can't Nobody Hold Me Down (feat. Mase)'
Puff Daddy 'Victory (feat. Notorious B.I.G. & Busta Rhymes)'
R. Kelly 'Bump N' Grind'
R. Kelly 'Your Body's Callin''
Raekwon 'Criminology'
Raekwon 'Ice Cream (feat. Ghostface, Cappadonna & Method Man)'
Raekwon 'Incarcerated Scarfaces'
Rakim 'It's Been A Long Time'
Rakim 'New York (Ya Out There)'
Rampage 'Wild For Da Night (feat. Busta Rhymes)'
Ras Kass 'Soul On Ice (Diamond D Remix)'
Redman 'Da Goodness (feat. Busta Rhymes)'
Redman 'I'll Bee Dat'
Redman 'Time 4 Sum Aksion'
Redman 'Tonight's The Night'
Roots 'Clones'
Roots 'Concerto Of The Desperado'
Roots 'Proceed'
Roots 'What They Do (feat. Raphael Saadiq)'
Roots 'You Got Me (feat. Erykah Badu)'
Royal Flush 'Iced Down Medallions (feat. Noreaga)'
Royce Da 5'9 'Boom'
Show & AG 'Next Level'
Slick Rick 'Children's Story'
Slick Rick 'Mona Lisa'
Slick Rick 'Sitting In My Car'
Smif-N-Wessun 'Bucktown'
Smif-N-Wessun 'Sound Bwoy Bureill'
Smif-N-Wessun 'Wreckonize (Remix)'
Smoothe Da Hustler 'Broken Language (feat. Trigga The Gambler)'
Snoop Dogg 'Gin & Juice'
Snoop Dogg 'Who Am I (What's My Name?)'
Sparkle 'Be Careful (feat. R. Kelly)'
Subway 'Fire'
Soul For Real 'Candy Rain'
Soul For Real 'Every Little Thing I Do'
SWV 'Can We (feat. SWV)'
SWV 'Right Here (Human Nature)'
Tha Alkaholiks 'Daaam!'
TLC 'Creep'
TLC 'Red Light Special'
Total 'Can't You See (feat. Notorious B.I.G.)'
Tracey Lee 'The Theme (It's Party Time)'
Usher 'U Make Me Wanna'
Warren G 'Regulate (feat. Nate Dogg)'
Westside Connection 'Bow Down'
Wu-Tang Clan 'Ain't Nuthing To Fuck Wit'
Wu-Tang Clan 'C.R.E.A.M.'
Wu-Tang Clan 'Protect Ya Neck'
Wu-Tang Clan 'Triumph'
Wyclef Jean 'Gone Till November (Remix feat. R. Kelly & Canibus)'
Wyclef Jean 'Guantanamera (feat. Celia Cruz)'
Xscape 'Just Kickin' It'
Xzibit 'Foundation'
Xzibit 'Paparazzi'
112 'Only You (Remix feat. Mase & Notorious B.I.G.)'
2 Pac 'Dear Mama'
2 Pac 'Hail Mary'
2 Pac 'So Many Tears'
2 Pac 'Temptations'
702 'Steelo (feat. Missy Elliott)'

Thank you for the read and God bless the 90's!

Sincerely,
GeeQue
90's Rap Guru

My favorite 40 songs of 2013

Remember me? :D

Let's get the obligatory "Happy New Years!' shit out the way. Hope 2014 is kind to ya. Truth is, for all the great shit 2013 brought to me, more blog posts was not one of them. But it's a new year, new me! Just kidding... I hate when people say that. However, I am gonna start on a positive note and give you an original piece... and one that often stirs up some emotion.

It's my favorite songs of 2013!

I doubt anyone besides myself will notice that I didn't post one of these for 2012. Was it because the music was so atrocious that I decided to skip one altogether? No, actually. I have the list, and it's delightful! It may sound like a lame excuse but I just never got around to posting it. I vowed to never make that mistake again so I'm giving y'all muthafuckas this list. Read it and love it.

One slight change from the last time I posted one of these: I made it a top 40 instead of a top 50. This was not something I planned on doing before making the list but I felt like I was reaching by adding on 10 more songs just 'cause. Less is more and all that. To compensate, I added blurbs to just about every song, because I'm sure you wanted to read more of my expert analysis.

As always, a refresher to the criteria: These are MY favorite songs of the past year. Not the BEST. Not the most POPULAR. Just my FAVORITE. (Envision me yelling every time you see something in caps) I write this because while you can offer your opinion and feelings on what your fav jams of 2013 were, this list is hard to debate because it's the shit I like. You'll notice a lot of dance songs on here. Yeah, 'cause a dude was hitting the treadmill hard last year (until that one day in November when I killed it running 3 miles in something like 25 minutes and sprained my foot so bad I could hardly walk on it for the next week). In response to the lack of hip-hop (my preferred genre of music, if you didn't know), I say show me where to get some and I'm there. Unfortunately, I'm not able to be online all day searching for underground shit to satisfy my rap urges (I just put on some 90's shit for that) and the new shit, especially the mainstream stuff, is horrible.

OK, here's the list. Have fun and hopefully I will speak to you guys a lot more in 2014. Enjoy!

40. Bruno Mars 'Treasure'
Saw him in concert last year, amazeballs!

39. Daft Punk feat. Pharrell 'Get Lucky'
How smooth was this? Perfect summer song

38. Avicii feat. Aloe Blacc 'Wake Me Up'
Liked Aloe Blacc ever since 'I Need A Dollar'

37. Haim 'The Wire'
Thought they were strange when I saw them on SNL but this rocks

36. Action Bronson feat. LL Cool J & Lloyd Banks 'Strictly 4 My Jeeps'
Would love to see hear more NY rap like this in '14

35.  B.o.B 'Missing'
Underappreciated MC who always speaks his mind

34. Jay-Z 'Picasso Baby'
33. Drake feat. Jay-Z 'Pound Cake'
Surprisingly, my fav MC ever doesn't crack the top 25

32. Big Sean feat. Kendrick Lamar & Jay Electronica 'Control'
Verse of the year candidate by Kendrick. Got damn!

31. Icona Pop 'I Love It'
Two Swedish chicks yelling about crashing their car? Yes, please!

30. M.I.A. 'Y.A.L.A.'
This is what happens when you shazam songs from commercials

29. Jennifer Lopez feat. Pitbull 'Live It Up'
Every time these two hook up, they make it on here

28. Rihanna 'What Now'
Finally dropped as a single. Best song off of 'Unapologetic'

27. Sevyn Streeter feat. Chris Brown 'It Won't Stop (Remix)'
She might not have the best voice but this is so smooth

26. Ludacris 'Hell Of A Night'
Luda always kills these light, fun club songs

25. Britney Spears 'Til It's Gone'
24. Pitbull feat. Kelly Rowland 'That High'
Both dropped at the end of the year but they've been on repeat heavy

23. Sam & The Womp 'Bom Bom'
22. Fergie, Q-Tip & GoonRock 'A Little Party Never Killed Nobody'
This is what happens when you occasionally watch 'Dancing W/ The Stars'

21. Afrojack feat. Chris Brown 'As Your Friend'
20. Will.I.Am feat. Chris Brown 'Let's Go'
Fuck rehab, Breezy. Just make a dance album with shit like this on it

19.  J. Cole feat. Amber Coffman 'She Knows'
Couldn't get into the album but this bangs

18. Mack Wilds 'Own It'
This feels so New York. Kudos to the remix w/ Jadakiss, too

17. Kid Cudi 'Young Lady'
'Indacud' was one of my fav albums in '13

16. Eminem 'So Much Better'
When Em drops an album, he's guaranteed a spot on my list

15. Sia feat. The Weeknd & Diplo 'Elastic Heart'
The 'Titanium' chick strikes again!

14. Tegan & Sara 'Closer'
I can now cross 'liking a song by Canadian lesbian twins' off my bucket list

13. One Republic 'Counting Stars'
'No more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars' YES

12. Ylvis 'The Fox (What Does The Fox Say)'
Anyone who knows me knows this could easily be my #1. Hilarious!

11. Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding 'I Need Your Love'
Loved this even more after I saw the video

And now, I present my favorite 10 songs of 2013!

10. Miley Cyrus 'We Can't Stop'
I tried to fight it. I really did. But the fight was not a fair one. For all the negative things I can say about her (and trust me, I realize that she's an industry puppet who's playing out this ridiculous character for attention), I have to give credit where it's due. Shit, even I was twerking to this.

09. A Great Big World feat. Christina Aguilera 'Say Something'
Jay-Z famously said 'sensitive thugs, y'all all need hugs.' Well, dammit, I need a hug and I need it now. Is this depressing? Uhhhh HELL YEAH. This is the song you play right before your disaster of a relationship comes to an end. Pillows are soaking up tears to this shit right here. You're gripping your teddy bear extra tight. But sometimes pain sounds so beautiful.

08. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis 'Can't Hold Us'
Are they corny? Sure. A song like 'Thrift Shop' wasn't going to change that (although I love the message). This? Yeah, this is serious. Any MC who would've rapped over this beat with that hook would've made it into a banger, but they didn't get that chance. Macklemore did. And that makes him one lucky, successful ass dude.

07. Pusha T feat. Future 'Pain'
I hate Future. Seriously, I do. If you replaced him with T-Pain on any song he's on, the song is instantly 10000x better. But that's how much I love this song... that I could bare his down-syndrome sounding ass on the hook. And for that, and many other reasons, Push wins rap album of the year accolades in my book.

06. Joell Ortiz 'Roll Deep'
Let's see what we have in play here: A dope NY MC, who just so happens to be Puerto Rican, rhyming over a hard beat that samples Big Pun AND Frankie Cutlass? How can this NOT be in my top 10? 'I'm in here going pernil, that's one step up from ham'. Songs like this remind me that I still love H.E.R.

05. Drake feat. 2 Chainz & Big Sean 'All Me'
From the moment Drake says 'Got everything, I got everything', you know shit's about to go down. Wouldn't consider myself a fan of any of these dudes but when you can get the best out of all 3 of them over a beat like this with a memorable hook, you have a great anthem.

04. Neighbourhood 'Sweater Weather'
It wasn't until recently (and by recently, I mean last night) that I realized that the lead singer is a dude. And that's probably not a great sign. But trust me when I tell you that something about this song just feels good. Maybe because it feels like California and I was in LA in June (show-off alert!) but I digs this.

03. Robin Thicke feat. T.I. & Pharrell 'Blurred Lines'
Here's where I brag about downloading this song (and not illegally, either!) in April, way before the frenzy. I'm a visionary! May I add that I previously hated Robin Thicke. He didn't feel authentic to me, and in his past efforts he sounded like he was trying too hard. But Pharrell LACED him. Add the simplistic, yet genius video and you have what was possibly the biggest song of '13.

02. Capital Cities 'Safe & Sound'
A cool dude like myself (ahem) listens to cool music. And this, my friends, is cool. Although they're essentially repeating the same four lines over and over again, the vibe of this song (mainly due to the awesome use of horns) is just... cool. Also doubles as one of my favorite videos of the year.

01. Lorde 'Royals'
I remember the day so vividly. I was in the passenger side of the whip, radio on blast, and both Hot 97 and Power 105 (NYC desperately needs a better 'urban' station) had commercials on so I (tentatively) switched to z100. And that's the moment I fell in love with this song. And then Rick Ross added a verse on it and, surprisingly, didn't ruin it. Yes, this song is amazing. Yes, this is my favorite song of 2014. And yes, you can call me queen bee.

Another year, another list. What were your favorites of 2013? I probably won't care but feel free to let me know. Just kidding! Kind of.

James Dalby 'Ignition (Remix)'

Love when artists remake a song & absolutely CRUSH it

Taylor Swift 'I Knew You Were Trouble (Goat Remix)'

Now THIS is how you return from a one month blog hiatus