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Mos Def – Quiet Dog Bite Hard

Ah, the best song category. Even though my choices were limited to hip-hop, I had a nearly impossible time compiling this list and selecting a victor. In the end, I narrowed the short-list down to the songs that got progressively better with each listen and chose the winner from that. “Quiet Dog Bite Hard” might not grab your attention in your first listen. Like me, you might ignore this song for months before giving it another chance. As you give it that second chance, then a third, a fourth and so on, you begin to realize that “Quiet Dog Bite Hard” is an addicting song. It’s lively, up-tempo bounce puts you in a good mood and the beat that drives this feeling is hard to dislike. The Latin flair in the instrumental feels more rhythmic and energetic than any standard hip-hop beat from this year.The quiet “simmer down” hook accentuates the high-energy verses, making the balance in this song on point. Party song or not, Mos Def delivers with some tight lyrics and his flow is just as rhythmic as the beat. “Quiet Dog Bite Hard” is not the best song of 2009 because it draws you in on the first listen; rather, it’s the best song because it retains your interest for many more listens to come.

Check out and listen to the full list of honorable mentions after the jump.

Honorable Mentions

 

Wale – Chillin’ feat. Lady Gaga

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This bona fide radio hit got love everywhere. From the Lady Gaga hook, to Wale borrowing a page from Audio Two’s “Top Billin” (“DC chillin’ / PG chillin’”), this song had the elements needed to be a success.

 

k-os – I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman feat. Saukrates & Nelly Furtado

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This OC-sampling banger with a title that had nothing to do with the song itself was the best song to come out of Toronto this year. T.O. represent!

 

DOOM – Ballskin

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“In the place to be, / don’t believe the hyperbole. / It’s like a murder spree, / get sniped verbally./ Beat in ya head with lead-pipe languages / for street cred, leave ‘em for dead, anglosmiths.” Need I quote more?

 

Method Man & Redman – A-Yo feat. Saukrates

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At the time Blackout! 2 dropped, Busta was flopping and Eminem was being met with mixed reviews for still being his disturbing ass self. In the middle of it all, Meth & Red dropped this gem of a chill song, complete with a smooth hook from Sauks.

 

Busta Rhymes – Decision feat. Common, John Legend, Mary J. Blige and Jamie Foxx

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Oddly enough, the best track on Back On My B.S. was the one that contrasted the most against Busta Rhyme’s high-energy persona. I love Busta, but I never expected him to drop such a high-quality meaningful track.

 

Trey Songz – Successful feat. Drake

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Eerie synths going from chord to chord with utmost subtlety provided the backrop to this song about success. The best aspect of this song is that the feeling in the instrumental added a new dimension to the song’s message and prevented it from feeling vapid.

 

Raekwon – House Of Flying Daggers feat. Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, Method Man and GZA

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So what if the strings played only one chord throughout the entire track? This song was still a solid banger. Every Wu member shines on this track with their usual grit and rawness, making this a staple for anyone who was yearning for something dirty after a year dominated by rappers such as Cudi and Drake.

 

Eminem – 3 AM

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The live beat (which was a great relief after the cheap feel of the beats on songs like “Careful What You Wish For”) and the horror-core lyricism are what made this the most psychotic song of the year. If you haven’t gotten the point by now, this song makes it clear that you do not piss Eminem off.

 

Kid Cudi – Solo Dolo

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All of the “nightmares” on Man On The Moon were top-notch, but this song took the cake for its tense minimalism.

 

Jay-Z – Empire State Of Mind feat. Alicia Keys

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It’s hard to turn on a radio without hearing this song nowadays. This NY anthem is arguably one of the best out of the many there are, and its quality is emphasized when performed live.

 

Drake – Forever feat. Lil Wayne, Kanye West & Eminem

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Four of this year’s biggest names team up and put together a song that sparked enough ridiculous arguments on hip-hop blogs everywhere. It’s too bad people hated on Wayne’s verse so much, because out of all four verses, his was the one that I’ve seen quoted the most.

 

Slaughterhouse – The One

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With a rock beat to complement the group’s agressive flow, “The One” was the single that proved the threat Slaughterhouse posed in the game.

 

Lupe Fiasco – Angels (Remix)

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The intricate extended metaphor that this remix displayed helps build the case that Lupe has become lyrically untouchable. Click here for a lyrical analysis of the song (shouts to GWHH).

 

Blakroc – Ain’t Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo) feat. Mos Def & Jim Jones

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You think a song featuring Mos Def and Jim Jones in which Jim Jones does all the rapping would be a major disappointment, but that was not the case. A sleeper hit from this year’s sleeper album.

 

Jay Electronica – Exhibit C

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A late entry (as in hours ago late), but a deserving song nonetheless. A great auto-biographical song with the emotion brought to a higher level by the big soul beat. Jay is one of the handful of artists that is positioned right now to make a big impact on 2010.
 

Well that’s the last of the lists. For all of those who read everything I’ve posted concerning The Recap, thank you. I will soon be making one final post in which you can find the links to every year-end list in this series.