Keep your heart

So, if you're really industrious, you can find a variation of what's about to go down right here over in the comments at Trenton Takes. In fact, it's entirely possible that the only two people who read this will be myself and the proprietor of that excellent blog, so it's doubly redundant. But whatever, I'ma do this anyway.

Rather than do a traditional list, let's just do categories. These are, for the most part, what I think are the best songs of 2007:

Pimp C Memorial "Quit Hatin' The South" Award:
1. Rich Boy - Let's Get This Paper
2. Young Bleed feat. Money Waters and Ol' Mann - Bac' Road Mississippi
3. Born Wit It feat. B.O.B. - Stack Paper Up

Best Displays of Lyrical Dexterity and/or Awesome Vocal Effects:
1. Pharoahe Monch - Let's Go
2. Snoop Dogg - Sensual Seduction (Just kidding...or am I? Who doesn't love vocoders?)

"I can't believe they sampled 'Nautilus' again but I don't care because this song is amazing" Award:
Wu-Tang Clan - Take It Back

Speaking of taking it back:
Marco Polo feat. Masta Ace - Nostalgia

Best use of a Dilla beat:
Busta Rhymes - Takin' What's Mine

Grime was a hipster fad that died two years ago, but this dude is still killing it:
Dizzee Rascal - Flex

L'chaim!
Jay-Z - Roc Boys (And The Winner Is...)

"You thought I/we fell off, didn't you?" Award:
1. Camp Lo - Posse From The Bronx
2. Prodigy - Stuck On You (Except, he mostly did fall off. To wit: "I sit alone in my dirty-ass room, staring at candles, high on drugs")

"I just play around with words, but I have an intriguing voice" Award:
Busdriver - The Troglodyte Wins

Why Binary Star should never have broken up:
1. Senim Silla - For The Record
2. One Be Lo - Gray (ok, this is maybe not deserving, but it'd totally be a worthwhile inclusion if he cut the smooth jazz sax)

Best song about walking in on your friend having sex:
Ghostface Killah feat. Method Man and Raekwon - Yolanda's House

And finally, far and away the two best songs released this year (seriously, it's not even close):
1. Devin the Dude feat. Snoop Dogg and Andre 3000 - What A Job
2. UGK feat. Outkast - Int'l Player's Anthem

Note that Andre 3000 is prominently involved in both of them. Coincidence? (Oh man, and I completely forgot about "Da Art of Storytellin' (Part 4)." Dude is back in full force. Also, that was just an excuse to post a link to that picture.)

2007 also saw its share of wildly ridiculous songs. A narrative, if you will, of a trip to the club and its consequences:

Act I: The Encounter
Act II: The Consummation
Act III: The Revelation
Act IV: The Aftermath

So there you have it: 2007 in review. I was mostly ignorant of many of the major releases, and that is reflected here, but what are you gonna do? I don't have THAT much time. And speaking of not having any time, here's to more posts from me in the future.