Friday, August 16, 2019

GARY CLARK JR. top tracks

I will be delving into my favorite musicians' catalogs, ranking songs album by album.  I also will be ranking my favorite non-album appearances of theirs.  Only officially-released songs will be considered.

Here are the categories and their breakdowns:

ALBUMS: For every single-disc album of nine or more tracks, my top five (in sequential tracklist order) will be selected; for an album of eight or fewer tracks, four will be chosen; and for a double-disc, ten.  Only songs on the original official tracklist are eligible.  Hidden tracks and tracks labeled as bonuses will be eligible for inclusion in the miscellaneous section, as will songs included on re-releases.

GUEST APPEARANCES: Depending on the size of the artist's catalog, there will be either ten or twenty selections from songs on other artists' albums or singles.  This includes that other artist's remixes.

COMPILATION APPEARANCES: Once again ten or twenty depending on catalog, songs that are exclusively on compilations, such as greatest hits albums, soundtracks, etc.  Even if they are billed as a feature on another artist's song, any compilation appearances will appear here.

MISCELLANEOUS: Essentially non-album tracks--IE, bonus/hidden tracks, b-sides, remixes, and non-album singles.  Up to ten will be selected.

*For catalogs not expansive enough (or that I do not have much of), non-album tracks will possibly be placed in a single miscellaneous list*








ALBUMS

Blak and Blu (2012)



When My Train Pulls In
Blak and Blu
Bright Lights
The Life
Things Are Changin'






Blak and Blu: The Mixtape (2014) (4)




Blak & Blu featuring Big K.R.I.T.
The Life (Robert Glasper Remix)
When My Train Pulls In (Big K.R.I.T. Remix)
Numb (Remix)








The Story of Sonny Boy Slim (2015)



The Healing
Church
Wings
Can't Sleep
Stay







This Land (2019)



This Land
I Walk Alone
When I'm Gone
The Guitar Man
Low Down Rolling Stone






MISCELLANEOUS
Come Together (Extended Version)
with Junkie XL (Justice League soundtrack, 2017)
Did Dat
(This Land, 2019)
Freight Train
(12 Years a Slave soundtrack, 2013)
(In the Evening) When the Sun Goes Down
(12 Years a Slave soundtrack, 2013)
Ride
ZZ Ward featuring Gary Clark Jr. (Cars 3 soundtrack, 2017)
Soul
(Blak and Blu, 2012)
Take Me Down
(Deepwater Horizon soundtrack, 2016)


Friday, August 2, 2019

JAY-Z top tracks

I will be delving into my favorite musicians' catalogs, ranking songs album by album.  I also will be ranking my favorite non-album appearances of theirs.  Only officially-released songs will be considered.

Here are the categories and their breakdowns:

ALBUMS: For every single-disc album of nine or more tracks, my top five (in sequential tracklist order) will be selected; for an album of eight or fewer tracks, four will be chosen; and for a double-disc, ten.  Only songs on the original official tracklist are eligible.  Hidden tracks and tracks labeled as bonuses will be eligible for inclusion in the miscellaneous section, as will songs included on re-releases.

GUEST APPEARANCES: Depending on the size of the artist's catalog, there will be either ten or twenty selections from songs on other artists' albums or singles.  This includes that other artist's remixes.

COMPILATION APPEARANCES: Once again ten or twenty depending on catalog, songs that are exclusively on compilations, such as greatest hits albums, soundtracks, etc.  Even if they are billed as a feature on another artist's song, any compilation appearances will appear here.

MISCELLANEOUS: Essentially non-album tracks--IE, bonus/hidden tracks, b-sides, remixes, and non-album singles.  Up to ten will be selected.

*For catalogs not expansive enough (or that I do not have much of), non-album tracks will possibly be placed in a single miscellaneous list*


ALBUMS

Reasonable Doubt (1996)




Can't Knock the Hustle featuring Mary J. Blige
Politics As Usual
Dead Presidents II
Can I Live
Regrets





In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997)



A Million and One Questions/Rhyme No More
The City Is Mine featuring BLACKstreet
Streets Is Watching
Where I'm From
You Must Love Me featuring Kelly Price





Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life (1998)



Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)
If I Should Die featuring Da Ranjahz
Ride or Die
A Week Ago featuring Too $hort
Coming of Age (Da Sequel) featuring Memphis Bleek





Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter (1999)



Hova Song
So Ghetto
Do It Again (Put Ya Hands Up) featuring Beanie Sigel & Amil
Dope Man
Things That U Do featuring Mariah Carey





The Dynasty: Roc la Familia (2000)



Intro
Streets Is Talking featuring Beanie Sigel
This Can't Be Life featuring Beanie Sigel & Scarface
Soon You'll Understand
Where Have You Been featuring Beanie Sigel & L. Dionne





The Blueprint (2001)



U Don't Know
Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)
Never Change featuring Kanye West
Renegade featuring Eminem
Blueprint (Momma Loves Me)





The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse (2002) (10)
 A Dream featuring Faith Evans & The Notorious B.I.G.
The Watcher 2 featuring Dr. Dre, Rakim, & Truth Hurts
All Around the World featuring LaToiya Williams
Poppin' Tags featuring Big Boi, Killer Mike, Twista, & Sleepy Brown
Diamond Is Forever
Guns & Roses featuring Lenny Kravitz
U Don't Know (Remix) featuring M.O.P.
Meet the Parents
Some How Some Way featuring Beanie Sigel & Scarface
The Blueprint²



The Black Album (2003)



December 4th
What More Can I Say featuring Hum V
Dirt off Your Shoulder
Public Service Announcement (Interlude)
My 1st Song





Collision Course (with Linkin Park) (2004) (4)



Dirt off Your Shoulder/Lying from You
Numb/Encore
Izzo/In the End
Points of Authority/99 Problems/One Step Closer






Kingdom Come (2006)



The Prelude
Oh My G**
Kingdom Come
Lost One featuring Chrisette Michele
Beach Chair featuring Chris Martin





American Gangster (2007)



Pray
American Dreamin'
Roc Boys (And the Winner Is...)
Ignorant Shit featuring Beanie Sigel
Fallin' featuring Bilal





The Blueprint 3



Thank You
Run This Town featuring Kanye West & Rihanna
Empire State of Mind featuring Alicia Keys
A Star Is Born featuring J. Cole 
Already Home featuring KiD CuDi





Watch the Throne (with Kanye West) 2011



No Church in the Wild featuring Frank Ocean & The-Dream
Otis
Who Gon Stop Me
Murder to Excellence
Why I Love You featuring Mr. Hudson





Magna Carta... Holy Grail (2013)



Holy Grail featuring Justin Timberlake
Picasso Baby
Youknowigotit featuring Rick Ross
F.U.T.W.
Somewhereinamerica





4:44 (2017)



Kill Jay Z
Story of O.J.
Smile
Caught Their Eyes featuring Frank Ocean
4:44 featuring Kim Burrell





EVERYTHING IS LOVE (with Beyoncé as The Carters) (2018)



SUMMER featuring Rory
APESHIT
BOSS
713
LOVEHAPPY





GUEST APPEARANCES
Anything
(Beanie Sigel's The Truth, 2000)
Black Republican
Nas featuring Jay-Z (Hip Hop Is Dead, 2006)
Blackout
DMX featuring The LOX & Jay-Z (Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood, 1998)
Clique
Kanye West featuring Big Sean & Jay-Z (Cruel Summer, 2012)
Dear Summer
(Memphis Bleek's 534, 2005)
Diamonds from Sierra Leone (Remix)
Kanye West featuring Jay-Z (Late Registration, 2005)
Guess Who's Back
Scarface featuring Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel, & Kanye West (The Fix, 2002)
Heartbreaker
Mariah Carey featuring Jay-Z (Rainbow, 1999)
I Do It For Hip Hop
Ludacris featuring Nas & Jay-Z (Theater of the Mind, 2008)
I Love the Dough
The Notorious B.I.G. featuring Jay-Z & Angela Winbush (Life After Death, 1997)
I'll Be
Foxy Brown featuring Jay-Z (Ill Na Na, 1996)
Is That Yo Chick
Memphis Bleek featuring Jay-Z & Missy Elliott (The Understanding, 2000)
Miss You (Remix)
Aaliyah featuring Jay-Z ("Miss You", 2002)
Money Ain't a Thang
Jermaine Dupri featuring Jay-Z (Life in 1472, 1998)
Monster
Kanye West featuring Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, & Bon Iver (My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, 2010)
Never Let Me Down
Kanye West featuring Jay-Z, J. Ivy, & John Legend (The College Dropout, 2004)
Power (Remix)
Kanye West featuring Jay-Z ("Power", 2010)
So Appalled
Kanye West featuring Swizz Beatz, Jay-Z, RZA, Pusha T, & Cyhi the Prynce (My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, 2010)
Whatchu Want
The Notorious B.I.G. featuring Jay-Z & Capricorn Clark (Duets: The Final Chapter, 2005)
Young Gs
Puff Daddy featuring The Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, & Kelly Price (No Way Out, 1997)

COMPILATION APPEARANCES
All of My Days
R. Kelly featuring Jay-Z & Changing Faces (Space Jam soundtrack, 1996)
Best of Me (Holla Remix)
Mýa featuring Jay-Z (Backstage soundtrack, 2000)
Brooklyn Go Hard
featuring Santigold (Notorious soundtrack, 2008)
Celebration
with Memphis Bleek, Sauce Money, & Wais (Streets Is Watching soundtrack, 1998)
History
featuring Tony Williams (More Than a Game soundtrack, 2009)
In My Lifetime (Remix)
(Streets Is Watching soundtrack, 1998 (1995))
Jigga My N***a
featuring Eve (Ryde or Die Vol. 1, 1999)
La-La-La (Excuse Me Miss Again)
(Bad Boys II soundtrack, 2003)
Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)
with Bono, The Edge, & Rihanna (Hope for Haiti Now, 2011)
8 Miles and Runnin'

featuring Freeway (8 Mile soundtrack, 2002)

MISCELLANEOUS
American Gangster
(American Gangster, 2007)
Blue Magic
featuring Pharrell Williams (American Gangster, 2007)
Breathe Easy (Lyrical Exercise)
(The Blueprint, 2001)
Can't Knock the Hustle (Fool's Paradise Remix)
featuring Meli'sa Morgan ("Can't Knock the Hustle", 1996)
Dead Presidents
("Dead Presidents", 1996)
Girls Girls Girls (Remix)
featuring Chanté Moore (The Blueprint, 2001)
H•A•M
with Kanye West (Watch the Throne, 2011)
Illest Motherfucker Alive
with Kanye West (Watch the Throne, 2011)
In My Lifetime
("In My Lifetime", 1995)
Primetime
with Kanye West (Watch the Throne, 2011)

Friday, July 26, 2019

2PAC top tracks

I will be delving into my favorite musicians' catalogs, ranking songs album by album.  I also will be ranking my favorite non-album appearances of theirs.  Only officially-released songs will be considered.

Here are the categories and their breakdowns:

ALBUMS: For every single-disc album of nine or more tracks, my top five (in sequential tracklist order) will be selected; for an album of eight or fewer tracks, four will be chosen; and for a double-disc, ten.  Only songs on the original official tracklist are eligible.  Hidden tracks and tracks labeled as bonuses will be eligible for inclusion in the miscellaneous section, as will songs included on re-releases.

GUEST APPEARANCES: Depending on the size of the artist's catalog, there will be either ten or twenty selections from songs on other artists' albums or singles.  This includes that other artist's remixes.

COMPILATION APPEARANCES: Once again ten or twenty depending on catalog, songs that are exclusively on compilations, such as greatest hits albums, soundtracks, etc.  Even if they are billed as a feature on another artist's song, any compilation appearances will appear here.

MISCELLANEOUS: Essentially non-album tracks--IE, bonus/hidden tracks, b-sides, remixes, and non-album singles.  Up to ten will be selected.






ALBUMS
2Pacalypse Now (1991)




Trapped featuring Shock G
If My Homie Calls
Brenda's Got a Baby featuring Dave Hollister & Roniece Levias
Rebel of the Underground
Part Time Mutha featuring Angelique & Poppi





Strictly 4 My N.*.*.*.*.Z... (1993)



Holler If Ya Hear Me
Representin'
Keep Ya Head Up featuring Dave Hollister
Streetz R Deathrow
Papa'z Song featuring Mopreme & Poppi



Thug Life: Volume 1 (with Thug Life) (1994)



Bury Me a G featuring Natasha Walker of Y.N.V.
Pour Out a Little Liquor
Stay True featuring Stretch
How Long Will They Mourn Me? featuring Nate Dogg
Under Pressure featuring Stretch

Me Against the World (1995)
NOTE: This being one of my all-time favorite albums, almost every track on here is a classic in my book, so it was extremely difficult to choose just five.



Lord Knows featuring G-Money, Kenyatta Foreman, & Killa
Dear Mama featuring Sweet Franklin & Reggie Green
Can U Get Away featuring Anya Pinto
It Ain't Easy
Old School





All Eyez on Me (1996) (10)
Ambitionz az a Ridah
Got My Mind Made Up featuring Tha Dogg Pound, Method Man, & Redman
Life Goes On
Only God Can Judge Me featuring Rappin' 4-Tay
Tradin' War Stories featuring Outlawz & CPO
I Ain't Mad at Cha featuring Danny Boy
Can't C Me featuring George Clinton
Shorty Wanna Be a Thug
Thug Passion featuring Outlawz & Jewell
All Eyez on Me featuring Syke


The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (as Makaveli) (1996)



To Live & Die in L.A. featuring Val Young
Blasphemy
Krazy featuring Bad Azz
White Man'z World featuring Big D
Hold Ya Head featuring Tyrone Wrice

NOTE: From this point forward, with the exception of "The Lost Tapes", all album songs (unless otherwise noted with *) have been posthumously remixed as opposed to being in their original form.

R U Still Down? [Remember Me] (1997) (10)
R U Still Down? (Remember Me)
Hellrazor featuring Stretch & Val Young
I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto
Nothing to Lose featuring Y?N-Vee
Lie to Kick It featuring Richie Rich
Fuck All Y'All
Do for Love featuring Eric Williams of BLACKstreet
I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto (Hip Hop Version)
When I Get Free II
Only Fear of Death

Still I Rise (with Outlawz) (1999)
Still I Rise featuring Ta'He
As the World Turns featuring Big D
The Good Die Young featuring Val Young
Teardrops and Closed Caskets* featuring Nate Dogg & Val Young
U Can Be Touched

The Lost Tapes--Circa 1989 (with Strictly Dope) (2000)
Panther Power
The Case of the Misplaced Mic
Never Be Beat
My Burning Heart
Static

Until the End of Time (2001) (10)
Ballad of a Dead Soulja featuring 6 Feet Deep
Lil' Homies
Letter 2 My Unborn featuring Anthem & Tena Jones
Breathin' featuring Outlawz
Happy Home featuring Yusef Sharid, Barbara Wilson, & Tracy Hardin
Until the End of Time featuring RL/Richard Page
N****z Nature (Remix) featuring Lil' Mo
When Thugz Cry featuring Nanci Fletcher
This Ain't Livin' featuring Vanessa
When I Get Free featuring J. Valentine

Better Dayz (2002) (10)
Fuck 'Em All featuring Outlawz
Never B Peace featuring Outlawz
Mama's Just a Little Girl featuring Kimmy Hill
Thugz Mansion (Acoustic) featuring Nas & J. Phoenix
My Block (Remix) featuring Jessica Santos
Thugz Mansion featuring Anthony Hamilton
Better Dayz featuring Ronald Isley
Fame featuring Outlawz
Who Do U Believe In* featuring Kadafi, Val Young, & Big Pimpin'
They Don't Give a Fuck About Us* featuring Outlawz

Loyal to the Game (2004)
The Uppercut featuring Outlawz
Out on Bail featuring Thug Life
Ghetto Gospel
Black Cotton featuring Outlawz & Eminem
Don't You Trust Me

Pac's Life (2006)
Untouchable (Swizz Beatz Remix) featuring Krayzie Bone
Dumpin' featuring Hussein Fatal, Papoose, & Carl Thomas
Sleep featuring Young Buck & Chamillionaire
Soon As I Get Home* featuring Kadafi
Don't Stop featuring Outlawz & Stormy

GUEST APPEARANCES (10)
Are U Still Down
Jon B featuring 2Pac (Cool Relax, 1997)
Confessions
Bizzy Bone featuring 2Pac (1998)
Deadly Combination
Big L featuring 2Pac (The Big Picture, 2000)
Gotta Get Mine
MC Breed featuring 2Pac (The New Breed, 1993)
House of Pain (Bad Boy Remix)
The Notorious B.I.G. featuring 2Pac, Stretch, & Joe Hooker (Born Again promo, 1999)
Living in Pain
The Notorious B.I.G. featuring 2Pac, Nas, & Mary J. Blige (Duets: The Final Chapter, 2005)
Same Song
Digital Underground featuring 2Pac (This Is an EP Release, 1991)
Smile
Scarface featuring 2Pac & Johnny P (The Untouchable, 1997)
U Gotta Take It (One Day at a Time)
Spice 1 featuring 2Pac, LP, & Headstrong (The Ridah, 2004)
Wussup wit the Luv?
Digital Underground featuring 2Pac (The Body-Hat Syndrome, 1993)

COMPILATION APPEARANCES (10)
Changes
featuring Talent (Greatest Hits, 1998)
Loyal to the Game
featuring Treach, Riddler, & Nanci Fletcher (Above the Rim soundtrack, 1994)
Made N****z
featuring Outlawz (Gang Related soundtrack, 1997)
One Day at a Time (Em's Version)
featuring Eminem & Outlawz (Tupac: Resurrection soundtrack, 2003)
Pain
featuring Stretch & Nanci Fletcher (Above the Rim soundtrack, 1994)
Runnin' (From tha Police)
with The Notorious B.I.G., Stretch, Outlawz, & Buju Banton (One Million Strong, 1995)
Runnin' (Dying to Live)
featuring The Notorious B.I.G. (Tupac: Resurrection soundtrack, 2003)
Smile for Me Now
with Scarface & 816 (Death Row Greatest Hits, 1996)
Staring Through My Rearview
featuring Outlawz (Gang Related soundtrack, 1997)
Unconditional Love
featuring Nanci Fletcher (Greatest Hits, 1998)

MISCELLANEOUS
California Love
featuring Dr. Dre & Roger Troutman (1995)
Cradle to the Grave (Professor Jay & Syke Version)
Thug Life ("Cradle to the Grave", 1994)
Dear Mama (Nitty Remix)
featuring Anthony Hamilton (Pac's Life, 2006)
Flex
featuring Outlawz ("Holler If Ya Hear Me", 1993)
I Get Around (Remix)
featuring Digital Underground ("I Get Around", 1993)
I Wonda If Heaven's Got a Ghetto
("Keep Ya Head Up", 1993)
Po N***a Blues (Scott Storch Remix)
featuring Ronald Isley (Loyal to the Game, 2004)
So Many Tears (Key of Z Remix)
featuring Killa & Baby Doll ("So Many Tears", 1995)