Hip Hop Top 50 Vol. 1. Playlist

A sampling of tracks from the first 18 Hip Hop Top 50 entries. All apologies to Company Flow, since "Funcrusher Plus" is not currently available on the supposedly encyclopedic Spotify. A shoutout on the first Black Star track will have to do for the time being.

C

38. OutKast - ATLiens

It's hard to imagine Antwan Patton and Andre Benjamin as anything but household names. In contrast to their current fame, 1996 saw them low on cash, fearing a sophomore slump and struggling to fully realize a unique identity. They certainly had the opportunity to dive headfirst into the mainstream, but they wanted to develop their ambitious Southern blend of rap beyond the canon of commercially-accepted urban music. Their creation would become the first major work from one of hip-hop's most distinct and empathetic collective voices.

Bringing along the quick-witted verbal quips and playful banter present on Southernplayalistic... (see "cooler than a polar bear's toenails"), Big Boi and Andre 3000 have tempered their fanciful dialogue with a sober wisdom, due in large part to hip-hop's coastal feuding and the stale shallowness of the commercial rap game. The group sounds defensive on occasion, protecting their hometown and message from being slandered or misconstrued. They've even developed a sound influenced by their environment, which perfectly matches their ever-expanding social awareness.

This warm, contemplative sonic profile, built around live instrumentation and soulful vocals, makes for a rich listening experience in stereo. Ace production team Organized Noize (with contributions from OutKast) utilize clean and crisp drum hits, delicate piano and the occasional bluesy guitar lick to craft a joyful noise worthy of a church choir. That is, if your church band jammed on trippy synthesizer, sleigh bell and low, slinky bass.

The overall tone is measured, having as much of a drawl as the vocals and shrewdly leaving some breathing room between chorus and verse. These ambient moments make narrative driven tracks like "Elevators (Me & You)" and "13th Floor/Growing Old" flow more organically. Dre and Big Boi are superb storytellers and a hurried tempo would overshadow complex and emotional topics like the progression of time, poor health, lack of self-confidence, violence and community division (black, hip-hop or otherwise).

Confronting the demons of gangster rap and life below the poverty line, ATLiens comments on pre-Y2K tension and violence with a rare verisimilitude. OutKast heightened their message to mirror the times and what came of it is a record of striking clarity and social conscience.

47. OutKast - Aquemini

Big Boi and Andre 3000 were dying to expand hip-hop's palette. They saw an opening for a distinctly Southern voice, one that loved Delta blues as much as it loved Detroit soul. A voice that wasn't afraid to show the cowardice of violent crime in an era when most rappers fashioned themselves as Tony Montana wannabes. Most importantly, a voice that was capable of making you think, laugh and shake your ass all at the same time.

Lyrically, both men are capable of nostalgia, whether it be remembering their humble roots or well wishing for a drug-addled childhood pal. This sentimentality seeps into their production, which has the scope of great 70's funk and the lush body that only live instrumentation can provide. George Clinton's influence is obvious, even beyond his readymade guest appearance. It'd be hard to imagine  "SpottieOttieDopaliscious" and its big horns and opening falsetto vocals without Funkadelic's musical thumbprint.

Yet, Aquemini is distinctly OutKast, down to the trademarked speedy, but fluent, vocal delivery and oft-hilarious turn of phrase. Whether comparing the cash game to the culinary arts or giving you a minute to marinate on their double entendres, Big Boi and Dre demand full attention from their audience and a willingness to see beyond the trappings of genre. Luckily, we wouldn't have it any other way.