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The Cream of the Crop: The Best of Oh Word in 2007 · by Rafi Kam
Fifteen items that represent to me the best of last year’s original content from Oh Word.
50 Incredible Rap Songs You Need To Hear.. Right Now
by R.H.S., Sach O, David Donald, Robbie Ettelson, noz
50 Incredible Rap Songs 1-10
50 Incredible Rap Songs 11-20
50 Incredible Rap Songs 21-30
50 Incredible Rap Songs 31-40
50 Incredible Rap Songs 41-50
20 bonus tracks
This juggernaut was orchestrated entirely by R.H.S. who decided he wanted to create a huge collection of insanely good but little known rap songs. He formed a rap nerd Voltron with Sach, David, Robbie and noz. Each picked ten dope obscure tracks and supplied short blurbs about why they were awesome. Then they added 20 bonus songs just for the hell of it.
End result: a set of 70 excellent mp3’s and forgotten lessons in hip-hop history combine to create a hit on Digg and Google. People go apeshit for it. If you add up the traffic these pages get, the series is a significantly bigger hit than even Cam’ron’s Rhymebook…. Ok it’s 5-6 pages so that’s a cheat but it only takes adding two of them together to beat the phenomenon that was the rhymebook.
“Reality Rap” and Blaxploitation: Prodigy’s Return to Form
by Brandon Soderberg
A great piece of writing by guest poster Brandon Soderberg on Prodigy’s Return of the Mac. Brandon focuses on the album’s use of Blaxploitation samples and projects that outwards, discussing what makes the genre unique from Hollywood gangster flicks and how those differences are echoed on Return of the Mac.
Cam’ron’s Rhyme Book Found
art and post by agent b
lyrics by agent b, RHS, Rafi, David
We wrote the lyrics in an AIM chat session the summer before. We were trying to create a “Cam-bot” feature for crack week – a robot that spit Cam’ron esque lyrics on command. I believe the Cam-bot concept was agent b’s. We had a lot of fun coming up with outlandish shit and trying to one-up each other.
We all knew we had to use these great lyrics for something but we weren’t sure how to handle Cam-bot. Come spring and b was urging us to do something with the rhymes we’d been sitting on. I’m think the idea of simplifying the concept down to a lost rhymebook (a la that Eminem news story a few years ago) was mine. But that doesn’t matter because the execution is what matters and that’s agent b all the way: the composition book, the stickers, the doodles and notes, the camborghini, the pinks I like / pinks I don’t, the whole shebang.
Watching the reaction to this hit out of the gate was really interesting. We were appreciative when people gave us credit for it like Miss Info did on Hot 97 the night we posted it. But it was also immediately sharked on some blogs and even on crappy looking YouTube videos.
My favorite commenters were the ones who insisted these were actual Cam lyrics. Also it’s funny when I see it pop up on forums and people get berated for how old it is. That same reaction was happening like two weeks after we published it. Internet time is no joke!
Nappy Headed Hoes
by RHS
Town Meeting
by RHS
Just after the Imus and Oprah media circus broke out last year, R.H.S. delivered two brilliant, creative posts on gender roles, and notions of what’s proper and what ain’t — love and life lessons from the Inner-Ring suburbs of New Jeruz.
Some List
by Rafi Kam
A lot was being made of people’s reactions to the top 25 album lists venture forged by Joey and Jeff. I had this idea while browsing some news stories that even animals were trying to communicate with us on the topic, creating symbolic viral videos and such. That led me to Charlotte’s Web..
Unfortunately the annotated safari video that served as the piece’s finale is no longer up. The service I created it on seems to have decided it has better things to do. The post stands on its own though.
Astounding new theory on why rap sales are sinking
by Sach O
Our culture is star-focussed and a bunch of douchebags prosper from that. But Sach O argues here that rappers being douchebags is the reason the industry is tanking. Sure it’s reckless hyperbole but man can this Canadian kid provoke! This rant of his really resonated with readers.
Blame Nas
by RHS and Rafi
Sure, an AIM chat transcription might sound like lazy blogging to you but we killed this chat on the topic of musicians and their fans striking a pose in the name of revolution. Ends on a very meta note.
Living with Baduizm
by Sach O
Having missed out on all the Rhymebook fun, Sach decided to create his own inspired comedic meme and did exactly that by springing Living with Baduizm on us fully formed, artwork and all.
Sure the idea that Badu can be a hazard to an MC is years old but the delivery is so golden here that no one could be mad at it. Not even Badu herself, who posted a good-natured reply somewhere amongst hundreds of OkayPlayers.
By the way, I think Baduizm might be worth it.
You already know what it is – new music reviews
by Arlene, David, RHS, Rafi, Sach
http://www.ohword.com/blog/808/reviews-of-the-weeks-new-releases
http://www.ohword.com/blog/813/you-already-know-what-it-is-album-releases-for-august-28
http://www.ohword.com/blog/817/arlene-presents-you-already-know-what-it-is-962007
http://www.ohword.com/blog/825/you-already-know-what-it-is-reviews-of-911-releases
http://www.ohword.com/blog/835/you-already-know-what-it-is-918-releases
Earlier in the summer we were planning on turning Oh Word into a legitimate regular source for quality hip-hop reviews. I had recruited writers and signed up for an account on Basecamp and set forth on Operation: Pitchfork (No Homo).
Shortly thereafter, two major problems with O:P(NH) became apparent. First of all – music reviews mostly suck. No one likes to have to read or write them. Second of all – new music mostly sucks. No one likes to listen to it.
Meanwhile, our Hobbesian (she’s nasty, brutish and short) friend Arlene did a post at OhWord, explaining which acts she’d be checking at Rock The Bells. In typical fashion, she was ruthless and dismissive and the underground hip-hop fanboys apparently had an issue with a girl doing that because they filled the 2nd half of the post’s comments with their hot hate. We loved it and knew we needed more of the same.
So we brought Arlene back to write short reviews of new releases she had never heard. Then when she was too busy to write it weekly, we all got in on the act. We’d look at the names and cover art of new albums out every week and see which ones provided funny material for digs.
The best part was seeing someone who didn’t get that we hadn’t listened to any of this shit, get offended because you dissed someone they liked. Ha, good times!
AHHHHHHH! Real Monsters: The Clipse- Lord Willin
by Abe Beame
Commenter turned contributor Abe Beame is a mensch. Here Beame gives heavy praise to the debut Clipse album and explains what sets it apart for him, as the pinnacle of the crack-rap era.
EXCLUSIVE: Osama Bin Laden enters race for #1 Billboard spot!
by Sach O
The funniest part of this satire may be how well Sach committed to making it look like a full article. Well that and the Omarion photo.
Polos, Tuition, and Jesus (Why I Believe I Can Fly)
by Thaddeus Clark
Guest blogger Thaddeus Clark does everything right as far as I’m concerned in this post that posits Kanye West not only keeps it realer than most but is also the best representative voice of the middle class in hip-hop since A Tribe Called Quest.
Naturally, all hell breaks loose in the comments.
How The Story Goes – Jean Jacques Perrey “ E.V.A.” Sample
by Dan Love
Dan Love drops science on this song by pioneering Moog musician Perrey. E.V.A. is known as the sample source for “Just to get a Rep” but Dan shines a spotlight on its usage in three less-known but still tight joints.
Crank Dat White Girl – The Soulja Boy Lesson Plan
by Rafi Kam
Contemplating the spread of Crank Dat and a sighting of the mythical 13 year old white girl!
Comments for "The Cream of the Crop: The Best of Oh Word in 2007"
with late-as-fuck pass in hand
any chance the ‘incredible rap songs’ links get reposted??
— jimmyjoints Jan 16, 07:43 PM
^ werd. I need to listen to these “must listen … right now” right now
— Ken Jan 16, 07:52 PM
I had forgotten about the Kanye post. The comment section was classic.
— eauhellzgnaw Jan 16, 09:07 PM
^ ^ Comment #29 off the Kanye post is pure comedy.
— Jay B Jan 17, 02:39 AM
Rafi & crew,
It is a privilege to be included amongst material of such high quality: thanks for the props.
The latest installment IS on its way, although the task in hand is perhaps larger than I anticipated. It’s brought the geek out of me big time…
Peace,
Dan
— Dan Love Jan 17, 03:18 PM
whoa, i just ran through the comments section for the original post for the incredible songs… kids been asking for fresh links since the summer. you damn elitists!
(playing, but please? pretty please?)
— jimmyjoints Jan 17, 04:18 PM
That Kanye post was just nonsense. To be a representative voice of anything in hip-hop, you kinda have to be able to rap.
— tray Jan 22, 05:08 AM
tray,
What’s a fundamentalist ?
A fundamentalist is a person who considers whether a fact is acceptable to their faith before they explore it.
As opposed to a curious person, who explores first and then considers whether or not they want to accept the ramifications.
— Rafi Jan 22, 11:48 AM