1) Tyler, The Creator – Yonkers

• Yes, it’s true he’s a punk who probably deserves to get his ass kicked, but he put together one of the grittiest/darkest/rawest/most profound pieces of music ever created.  This is the epitome hip-hop’s darker side, no argument.

2) Joell Ortiz - Night Train (ft. Novel, Bun B, & Tech N9ne) (Remix)

• I’m not sure how this song is so damn amazing and still extremely lowkey.  Some beautiful shit.  Everyone on this track does an outstanding job, and the listener get’s a more personal perception of each artist.

3) The Roots - Make My (ft. Big K.R.I.T. & Dice Raw)

• Definitely the best song off their outstanding album Undun.  It’s my new favorite track by The Roots.

4) e-dubble – Hard Bargain

• I’ve been following e-dubble for a pretty long time. He’s definitely going places, regardless of how underground he remains. He mixes/produces his own music and has a real badass flow with intelligent lyrics.  Keep an eye on this guy, one day he’ll be big.

5) Jay-Z and Kanye West – Niggas In Paris

• Honestly, not much to say about this.  It’s a really amazing track.  If only the rest of Watch The Throne could have been this good…

6) Nikki Jean – Million Star Motel (ft. Lupe and Black Thought)

• Even though I was kind of disappointed with Nikki Jean’s debut album Pennies In a Jar there was still one song that definitely stood out, which is this gem.

7) Slain – Can’t Go Home

• Slain has been through more shit in life than most hip-hop artists, and he beautifully depicts the negative emotions and perceptions he’s grown accustomed to in this haunting song.  If you’ve never felt completely helpless with no place to turn to, you wont fully appreciate the emotional magnitude of this song.  It sends shivers down my spine.

8) B.o.B – New York New York

• I have a love hate relationship with B.o.B.  It seems that when he isn’t making disappointing sell out songs, he’s making classics.  I deemed his song The Biz the 2nd best song of the year for my 2010 list.  He’s managed to make my list again, and once again it’s his distinctive mixtape material.

9) Shaun Boothe - Poor Boy (Stylust Remix Mashup)

• You might say,  “Wait a second, didn’t he release the original song in late 2009?”  Well yes, but I feel in instances where a song is completely reinvented and has a completely different feel and aura, it’s essentially a completely different musical entity than its original counterpart.  It can’t be any truer for this song.  The original was decent, but this dirty dubstep version is absolutely mind blowing.  One of the most intense songs to be released this year, with out a doubt.

10) Saigon – Too Long (ft. Black Thought)

• I’m still not sure why Saigon’s album The Greatest Story Never Told was slept on the way it was, but it’s a very comprehensive album.  When it comes to Ghetto knowledge being spit over a well produced instrumental, Saigon illustrates that he’s one of the best.

11) The Roots – Tip The Scale

12) Common - The Believer (ft. John Legend)

13) Dumbfoundead - Run Home

14) Apathy - I Remember (Thomax Remix)

15) Lupe Fiasco – Words I Never Said

16) Mexicans with Guns – Highway to Hell (ft. Freddie Gibbs & Bun B)

17) Slain – 99 Bottles

18) Kendric Lamar – Ronald Reagan Era

19) Dumbfoundead - Cell Phone (ft. Breezy Lovejoy & Wax)

20) Clinton Sparks - Favorite DJ (ft. Jim Jones, Bun B & Game) (Green Lantern Remix)

21) B.o.B - Beast Break (DOSVEC Remix Mashup)

22) A-Trak - Ray Ban Vision (Remix) (ft. Danny Brown, Donnis, Pill, & CyHi Da Prynce)

23) e-dubble - Robots Can’t Drink

24) Lupe Fiasco - Til I Get There 

25) Hassaan Mackey & Apollo Brown - Mackey’s Lament

26) Asher Roth - Not Meant 2 Be (ft. Nathan Santos)

27) Talib Kweli - Cold Rain

28) Hopsin – Ill Mind Of Hopsin 4

29) Has-Lo – Fiber Optics

30) One Be Lo – Pigs (ft. Mike Posner)