It was very tough to narrow these down but here we have the top 25 songs of 2009. The one thing we definitely agreed on – Jay Electronica’s “Exhibit C” is #1. We have a wide range of artists making the list here so check out our picks and let us know what you think!
NOTE: This list was compiled by myself & Thomas.
1. Jay Electronica – Exhibit C
2. CunninLynguists ft. Killer Mike & Khujo Goodie – Georgia Remix
3. Jay-Z ft. Alica Keys – Empire State of Mind
4. Cyne – Pretty Apollo
5. Raekwon – Surgical Gloves
6. Mos Def ft. Slick Rick – Auditorium
7. Lil’ Wayne, Eminem, Drake & Kanye West – Forever
8. Max Minelli – Louisiana Sky
9. Alchemist ft. Twista & Maxwell – Smile
10. Brother Ali – The Preacher
11. Clipse – Freedom
12. K-Rino – Grand Deception
13. Blitz The Ambassador – Something To Believe
14. Method Man & Redman – Ayo
15. Finale – Heat
16. Pill – Glass
17. G-Side – This Is Life
18. Raekwon ft. Jadakiss & Styles P – Broken Safety
19. Fashawn – Freedom
20. Blakroc ft. Raekwon – Stay Off The Fuckin Flowers
21. Sean Price & Buckshot – The Feeling
22. Guilty Simpson & Madlib – Coroner Music
23. Diamond District – Streets Won’t Let Me Chill
24. Dynas ft. Slick Rick – Family Jewels
25. Raekwon ft. Ghostface Killah & Method Man – New Wu
Honorable Mentions:
- Willie Isz – In The Red
- Royce da 5′9 – Gun Harmonizing
- J Dilla ft. Black Thought – Reality TV
- Grip Plyaz – Fuck Dat Hipster Shit
- O.C. & A.G. – Oasis
- UGK – Everybody Wanna Ball
- Finale ft. Invincible – Waiting Game
- Snoop Dogg – I Wanna Rock
- Sha Stimuli – My Soul
- CunninLynguists ft. Slug – Don’t Leave (When Winter Comes)
- Skyzoo – Dear Whoever
- Sean Price – Figure Four
- Rakim – Holy Are You
- Elzhi – The Crowd
- Souls of Mischief – Proper Aim
- Lyrikill – I’m That Dude
- Focus ft. Phonte, Royce da 5′9 & Stat Quo – Homage to Premier
- Drake & Lil’ Wayne – My Darlin’
- Zion I ft. Brother Ali – Caged Bird Part 1
{ 1 trackback }
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
this list is very good
I love Exhibit C but it should be number 1 IMO. It would definitely be top 10 tho.
props on making this list, i dont even know how to start with something like this. my personal fav Finale joint is “Jumper Cables” and Fashawn’s “Ecology” but im feelin this list.
any chance yall can link up a .zip file or something? just a thought…
I had 60 songs on my original solo list, but to keep it at 25 Justin and I combined the best of our list.
Jay Electronica is and should be number one. Dope, dope, dope, dope song.
Where’s Sean Deez on all of this?! Doesn’t he contribute here anymore?
I love Exhibit C but it should be number 1 IMO. It would definitely be top 10 tho
lmao i didnt even realize lol. i meant it shouldn’t be no. 1 lol
Overall I agree with this list but…
1. I disagree with some of the Raekwon joints on this list. “Surgical Gloves” is a hot song, but IMO “House of Flying Daggers” was the best track on the album. That Dilla beat was tailor-made to sound like a wu banger. “Broken Safety” is also hot, but Styles’ verse was lackluster (surprising because he is usually on top of his game) and threw off the song IMO. Also… “Catalina” wasn’t included on the list??????
2. No “Double Barrel”? The intensity on that track was ridiculous
3. No “So Damn Down”? Tanya Morgan’s “Brooklynati” was one of the best hip hop releases of ‘09 and this was this was a great single off that album (the video was also great).
4. No Slaughterhouse… at all? “Microphone” was lyrically the most impressive thing I’ve heard all year
Justin and I merged our list together. Tanya Morgan’s Plan B was my pick from them. I think I had Mircophone or Sound Off from SH and I think I had Double Barrel…I’ll have to check my list.
Bishop Lamont feat. Xzibit – Hallelujah
Mos Def feat. Talib Kweli – History
Jay-Z – D.O.A.
50 Cent – Death to My Enemies
J. Cole – Lights Please
Wu-Tang Clan feat. Sean Price & Cormega – Radiant Jewelz
Wale feat. Gucci Mane – Pretty Girls
Jay-Z feat. Kid Cudi – Already Home
Buckshot & KRS-One feat. Immortal Techinque
Kam Moye feat. Phonte – Hello Karma
Don Notz feat. Ali Vegas & Torae – Lost
Rick Ross – Mafia Music
Slaughterhouse – Microphone
Cormega – Journey
Fashawn – Ecology
O.C. & A.G. – Keep It Going
Kid Cudi – Solo Dolo (Nightmares)
DOOM – Gazzillion Ear
Raekwon feat. Cappadonna & Ghostface Killah – 10 Bricks
Marco Polo & Torae feat. DJ Revolution – Double barrel
M.O.P. feat. Rell – What I Wanna Be
Freddie Gibbs – The Wrong One
Beanie Sigel – The Ghetto
Ghostface Killah – Forever
Nobody Famous – King
MaG & G.C. – Dopeman
Tonya Morgan – Plan B
DJ Spinna feat. Torae – Lyrics is Back
Busta Rhymes feat. Jamie Foxx, Mary J Blige, John Legend & Common – Decision
CunninLynguists feat. Sean Price – Streets
L.E.G.A.C.Y. feat. Phonte, Chaundon & Sean Price – TKO
Skyzoo – Beatiful Decay
Eminem – 3am
Drake – Successful
Royce Da 5′9″ – Street Hop 2010
Phat Kat – F.A.N.S.
Random Axe – Monster Babies
There were many more.
here is a list of a few more DOPE songs from 2009
DJ MUGGS feat. SELF SCIENTIFIC “good evening los angeles”
CHINO XL “nahh”
DJ HONDA feat. MOS DEF “magnetic arts”
MAG & GC “rich and famous”
PUGS ATOMZ & RASHID HADEE “back again”
APATHY feat. PHONTE “true love”
SICK JACKEN feat. TOOMER, 2 MEX & B-REAL “death or retirement”
SLAUGHTERHOUSE “cut you loose”
BROTHER ALI, TOKI WRIGHT & EVIDENCE “the freshest kids”
FRESH DAILY “untucked nunchucks”
RAS KASS “amazing”
DJ JS-ONE feat. OC & PHAROAHE MONCH “ridiculous”
BIG SPROXX feat. TONA, THEOLOGY 3, IGNAY, FRANKI PAYNE, JD ERA & ADAM BOMB “groundwork”
SOULSTICE & SBE feat. KEV BROWN “birds eye view”
JR & PH7 feat. ODDISEE “fast lane”
BIG TONE feat. BLU “a song called triumph”
ROYCE DA 5′9″ “gimme money” (original version)
MICKEY FACTZ “here i am”
NOTES TO SELF feat. EVIDENCE “nobody”
SKYZOO “under pressure”
STAHHR, SA-ROC, BOOG BROWN & KHALILAH ALI “breakdown” (remix)
REFLECTION ETERNAL feat. JAY ELECTRONICA, J COLE & MOS DEF “just began”
EMILIO ROJAS “sympathy for the devil”
RECORDKINGZ feat. GUILTY SIMPSON “hip hop throwback”
im sure there is more dope songs that came out this year
PROPS..justin & thomas
This list is on point, personally Sketch’s “Your Mamma Used to Say” has been hitting me in that spot. That Carly Simon sample and lead in at the beginning is classic…
man… I got an addition
ANYTHING FROM THE PLEXIGLASS FOUNDATION… you know I put on for the fam, may have been unheard by alot but if they haven’t they should… check out Cyclops and my folk Tokyo Cigar on the tracks…
peace
pretty good list
1. Can’t believe NOBODY included Masta Ace & EdO.G.’s “Lil Young” in their lists… Song is a banger!
2. Clipse “Kinda Like A Big Deal” anyone? Kanye’s verse was sick!
I fux with Kinda Like a Big Deal……however it is 3 steps below “Freedom” and “Footsteps.”
Brave attempt to try and reduce it to 25 tracks. It just shows how ill this year was, i definitely couldn’t distill my fav tracks from this year into a top 25 and i have still got a lot of music to catch up on. I think everyone had different favourites on cuban linx 2, nothing got my head boppin like “10 bricks” for me. Oh and pyrex vision was flawless for its brevity and its execution.
Oh and btw did exhibit A drop this year as well cos imo it is defo AS good as exhibit c. Cant stop listening to either. Oh and that Bishop Lamont joint got me re-interested in Dr dre production!
Wiz Khalifa’s ‘Who I Am’ as well…jej
i think you guys should do a Top Beats list for ‘09…
Surgical Gloves was BANANAS. just for the beat alone! crazy street wordplay too though by the Chef..
Exhibit C … no-brainer #1. Everything else can be up for debate …
no charles hamilton? #fail
pretty good list, didn’t expect to see any dead pez but Holy are You and Death of Autotune should have been on there. do female mcs even exist anymore though?