N.W.A
“Straight Outta Compton”
#38
Eazy-E
“Boyz-N-The Hood”
#50
Each a classic in its own way, though both show their age, especially “Boyz”. At the time I compared the first four songs on Straight Outa Compton to the first four Sex Pistols singles, and even if the Pistols have held up better in the long run, in terms of cultural impact I don’t think I was far off. Of the two, I lean toward “Boyz”, Eazy-E’s attempt at an updated Stagolee or Superfly that’s actually improved by his weakness as a rapper. He’s determined to come across as knowing and viscious, but instead he sounds determined but naive. He’s like the wannabe gangsters in film noir, the Elisha Cook, Jr. of rap. But, rhythmically clumsy as Eazy may have been, “Boyz” could run for another twenty verses and you’d never get tired of it. He could have spun that tale forever, and, in a sense, that’s exactly what one strain of rap, for good and ill, has been doing ever since.
@iHeartMemphis
“Hit The Quan”
#41
I admit a weakness for this sort of silliness—when he ends three different lines with “crazy”, pausing the last time so we know the clumsiness is intentional, I find myself chortling in glee—but this is so slight it’s almost nonexistent. Smart enough that I wouldn’t be surprised if we heard from him again, though.
Nelly Featuring Jeremih
“The Fix”
#86
More proof, if any was needed, that “Sexual Healing” is one of the greatest grooves of all time, and I’m assuming Nelly is coughing up a sizeable chunk of whatever profit he earns from this competent retread to the Gaye family. No disservice done, by Nelly or Jeremih (who more than ever I find myself mistaking for Chris Brown), but if you really want to get that feeling you’re better off with the original.
5 Seconds Of Summer
“Fly Away”
#100
These guys think they’re saying something important, and they are—something so important that almost every teenager in history has said exactly the same thing in exactly the same way. Their lack of originality may make them popular, but it also means they can easily be replaced, just like the emo bands they’re stepping in for now. Maybe they should change their name to 5 Seconds of Endless Summer. Or would Deathless be more accurate?