In the year of 2004, the world still trembled from the shocks of 2003: 50 Cent’s diamond-shifting Get Rich or Die Tryin’, Outkast’s funk-pop crossover triumph Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, and Jay-Z’s haughty commencement address The Black Album. All helped affirm the rap industry’s centrality as a fulcrum of male grievance and velvet-roped drama. They also were prime examples of what observers began to recognize as Great American Rap Albums, the kind of multiplatinum major works that commanded 5000-word print essays, university theses, and Grammy Awards.
With The College Dropout, Kanye West’s added a new entry to this growing library. He spent over a year prior to its release trying to convince Roc-a-Fella to properly promote his solo debut, all while leaking much of its contents via mixtapes and recovering from a highly publicized car accident. When it finally arrived, he dazzled with his production prowess, soulful gospel fervor, middle-class angst, goofily awkward punchlines, and a grating yet undeniably compelling voice. By the end of the year, The College Dropout replaced Speakerboxxx at the top of the Village Voice’s Pazz & Jop Critics’ Poll.
With West firmly ensconced as the next One to reshape the culture, others adjacent to his sonic space scrambled to adjust. The Roots issued The Tipping Point and struggled to grow beyond their reputation as gold-certified bohemians. Mos Def dabbled in bluesy rock ‘n’ soul on The New Danger. Dilated Peoples and Talib Kweli, holdovers from the indie boom of the late 90s, held on to their deals through exhaustive grassroots and, savvily, contributions to The College Dropout juggernaut. De La Soul relegated themselves to autumnal grown-man rap with The Grind Date, even as Posdnous warned on “Rock Co.Kane Flow,” their striking single with MF DOOM, “Everyone cools off from being hot/It’s about if you can handle being cold or not.”
Meanwhile, DOOM himself dropped Madvillainy, his masterwork with producer Madlib as Madvillain. Much like The College Dropout, early demo versions of the album leaked, prompting the duo to revise it while fans went nuts on the internet. As plaudits for Madvillainy accumulated in mainstream outlets – hardcore rap mags like XXL and The Source kept a respectful but appreciative distance – a thread emerged that DOOM was the best of a mediocre sub-genre. “Some m.c.s spend so much time scolding the popular m.c.s that they come across as schoolmarms, switches in hand,” wrote Sasha Frere-Jones in The New Yorker, dismissing much of indie-rap while praising the Madvillain experience. “Independent pop—not just hip-hop—has in many ways become a version of graduate school, a safe zone where artists can eke out a living, take their time doing specialized work. In most cases, this is the last thing a popular musician should be doing.”
It seems reductive to assume that all rap music aspires to popular consensus and the type of communal experience safe for mass consumption and Spin magazine profiles. This kind of ivory-tower fussiness is why pop critics spent more time gassing about Danger Mouse’s The Grey Album, a highbrow blend of Jay-Z’s The Black Album and The Beatles’ The White Album that helped fuel the “mashup” craze of the mid-to-late Aughts; than Young Jeezy’s Trap or Die, which sparked DJ Drama’s rise as one of the most important tastemakers of his era. But Frere-Jones had a point. Despite clear triumphs like Murs’ 9th Wonder-produced Murs 3:16 (The 9th Edition), Edan’s Beauty & the Beat, and The Foreign Exchange’s Connected, the non-mainstream world often felt cloistered and self-satisfied with indulging a purist beats-and-rhymes aesthetic. Yet it felt too easy to bypass this forest without enjoying the trees. The scene still provided variety, whether it was the political jeremiads of Immortal Technique and the Perceptionists, the conspiratorial anger of Babygrande acts like Jedi Mind Tricks and Canibus, or the bright sunshine melodies of People Under the Stairs and the Lightheaded crew.
Indie rap wasn’t the only sector wavering between brilliance and malaise. East Coast rap teemed with aspirants keen to follow G-Unit’s street antics. Too many, like Fat Joe’s Terror Squad, Jadakiss, LL Cool J, and Ja Rule, settled for a club-smashing single or two to anchor their bloated hour-long CDs. These hits were shepherded by an array of usual suspects, whether it was beats from the Neptunes and Timbaland or a hook by R. Kelly – who, alarmingly, remained in the industry’s good graces despite his taste for young girls. The mixtape scene grew cluttered with would-be hot spitters like Jae Millz, Shells, and Cassidy. While the latter broke through with the Swizz Beatz-produced “I’m a Hustla,” most had to make to do a meager XXL “Show and Prove” profile.
Then there was Ghostface Killah, the talented voice who made one of the decade’s greatest works in 2000’s Supreme Clientele. He was on Def Jam now, aiming to convert his cult fame into something less beholden to rapturous five-star reviews. Unfortunately, the haphazard construction of The Pretty Toney Album hasn’t aged well. The way he bounced between soulful gems like “Holla” and weird collabs with Miami rapper Jacki-O only emphasized how the crusty yet soulful Wu-Tang rapper couldn’t adjust to New York’s big-budget era. Ol’ Dirty Bastard, who also signed with the label, fared far worse. He died of a drug overdose after failing to craft a post-Wu-Tang voice. By contrast, another Wu-Tang veteran, Masta Killa, delighted some fans with the unexpectedly charming No Said Date. It appeared on the indie Nature Sounds and the stakes were far lower.
The question of how to win big became urgent in an environment where major deals required platinum-or-better sales. Eminem’s Encore found him coasting on proven ideas, but it didn’t matter. He easily sold millions of records. Lil Jon’s Crunk Juice was equally formulaic; its biggest single, “Lovers & Friends,” was a lame rehash of Jon, Usher and Ludacris’ hit, “Yeah!” Having successfully broken the game, they were inoculated from middling work. At least Ludacris still sounded hungry, anxious to get his “Number One Spot” despite multiple platinum albums and a key role in Crash, which went on to win the 2005 Academy Award for Best Picture.
Some fans found solace in the rise of “regional rap,” a catchall term for hyperlocal sounds from unheralded cities and states in the U.S., mostly the deep South. Lil Boosie, Webbie, Pastor Troy: these were names that inspired music blogs on the internet. Atlanta rapper T.I. personified this milieu with his sharply rendered flows and expansive DJ Toomp beats that converted classical-music tropes into trap grandiosity. Then there was Crime Mob, a crew of Atlanta teens whose “Knuck If You Buck” exemplified brawling youthful aggression; and Dem Franchize Boyz, the first visible manifestation of what would soon be known as “snap music.”
By the end of the year, Houston’s long-gestating rap scene prepared for its big moment. As Mike Jones, Slim Thug, and Paul Wall’s raw, bluesy “Still Tippin’” bloomed from local anthem to major hit, it became yet another signpost of the South’s inexorable shift from the edges of the rap industry to its center of gravity. If rap from the usual coastal powers like Def Jam and G-Unit/Aftermath purposely snuffed out any eccentricity that couldn’t be monetized, then the South held promise as exotic terrain. “Regional rap” offered redemption for a decade when the genre made a decisive, dispiriting shift towards pop corporatism.
Still, not everyone made it to the finish line. Mac Dre, the Vallejo rapper whose hyphy hit “Feelin’ Myself” would help his name expand beyond the Bay Area after 15 years of grinding, was murdered in November. No matter how the rap game evolved, it felt tragically designed to classify artistry into winners and losers.
The 100 Best Rap Singles of 2004
- The Alchemist feat. Prodigy, Illa Ghee & Nina Sky, “Hold You Down” (ALC Records / Koch Records)
- Atmosphere, “National Disgrace” (Rhymesayers Entertainment)
- Baby a.k.a. Birdman feat. Lil Wayne, “Neck of the Woods” (Cash Money Records / Universal Records)
- Beastie Boys, “Ch-Check It Out” (Capitol)
- Big Tuck, “Southside Da Realist” (T-Town Music)
- Black Spade, “To Serve with Love” (Reca.Sto Records)
- Boosie, “Going Thru Some Thangs” (album track)
- Brother Ali, Champion EP: “Forest Whitaker” / “Chain Link” (Rhymesayers Entertainment)
- Cam’ron, “Killa Cam” (album track)
- Cam’ron feat. Kanye West & Syleena Johnson, “Down and Out” (Diplomat Records / Roc-A-Fella Records)
- Cassidy, “I’m a Hustla” (J Records)
- cLOUDDEAD, “Dead Dogs Two (Boards of Canada Remix)” (Mush)
- Common, “The Food” (Getting Out Our Dreams)
- Cormega, “Beautiful Mind” (Legal Hustle Records / Traffic)
- Crime Mob feat. Lil Scrappy / Crime Mob, “Knuck If You Buck” / “Stilettos” (BME Recordings / Reprise / Warner Bros. Records)
- D12, “My Band” (Shady Records / Interscope)
- Da Backwudz, “You Gonna Luv Me” (Major Way Entertainment / Rowdy)
- Dabrye feat. Jay Dee & Phat Kat, “Game Over” (Ghostly International)
- De La Soul feat. MF DOOM, “Rock Co.Kane Flow” (AOI / Sanctuary Records)
- De La Soul, “Shopping Bags (She Got From You)” (AOI / Sanctuary Urban)
- Dem Franchize Boyz, “White Tee’s” (Franchize Records / Tight 2 Def Records / Universal Records)
- Devin the Dude, “Anything” (Rap-A-Lot 4 Life)
- Dilated Peoples feat. Kanye West, “This Way” (Capitol)
- Edan, “I See Colours” (Lewis Recordings)
- 8Ball and MJG, “You Don’t Want No Drama” (Bad Boy Entertainment)
- Eminem feat. Dr. Dre & 50 Cent, “Encore” (Shady Records / Aftermath / Interscope)
- Eyedea & Abilities, “Now” (Rhymesayers Entertainment)
- Fabolous, “Breathe” (Desert Storm Records / Atlantic)
- Federation, “Go Dumb” (Virgin)
- The Foreign Exchange feat. Yahzarah, “Sincere” (BBE)
- The Game feat. 50 Cent, “How We Do” (Czar Entertainment / G Unit / Aftermath / Interscope)
- Ghostface, “Holla” (album track)
- The Gift of Gab, “Rat Race” (Quannum Projects)
- Hangar 18, “Beatslope” (Definitive Jux)
- Ja Rule feat. Fat Joe & Jadakiss, “New York” (The Inc Records)
- The Jacka, “Barney (More Crime)” (Mob Figaz LLC / Golden Mean Music)
- Jadakiss feat. Anthony Hamilton, “Why” (Ruff Ryders / Interscope)
- Jadakiss feat. Nate Dogg, “The Champ Is Here (Time’s Up Remix)” (Ruff Ryders / Interscope)
- Jay-Z, “99 Problems” (Roc-A-Fella Records)
- Jaylib, “McNasty Filth” / “Pillz” (Stones Throw Records)
- Jean Grae, “Don’t Rush Me” (internet track)
- Jim Jones, “Certified Gangstas” (Diplomats / Koch)
- Juelz Santana, “S.A.N.T.A.N.A.” (Diplomats / Koch)
- Juvenile feat. Soulja Slim (R.I.P.), “Slow Motion” (Cash Money Records / Universal Records)
- k-os, “The Love Song” (Astralwerks / Virgin)
- Kano, “P’s & Q’s” (679)
- Kanye West feat. Syleena Johnson, “All Falls Down” (Roc-A-Fella Records)
- Kanye West, “Jesus Walks” (Roc-A-Fella Records)
- Lady Sovereign, “Ch Ching (Cheque 1 2)” (Casual)
- Lightheaded / Lightheaded feat. Vursatyl, “Never Square” / “Illuminate” (Basementalism / Day by Day Entertainment)
- Lil Flip, “Game Over (Flip)” (Sucka Free Records / Columbia / Sony Urban Music)
- Lil Flip feat. Lea, “Sunshine” (Sucka Free Records / Columbia / Sony Urban Music)
- Lil Jon & the Eastside Boyz, “What U Gon’ Do” (BME Recordings / TVT Records)
- Lil Rob, “Neighborhood Music” (Upstairs Records)
- Lil Scrappy, “No Problem” (BME Recordings / Reprise Records)
- Lil Wayne feat. Mannie Fresh, “Bring It Back” (Cash Money Records / Universal Records)
- Lil Wayne, “Go D.J.” (Cash Money Records / Universal Records)
- Lloyd Banks, “On Fire” (G Unit / Interscope)
- Lloyd Banks, “I’m So Fly” (G Unit / Interscope)
- Ludacris, “Get Back” (Disturbing Tha Peace / Def Jam South)
- Mac Dre, “Feelin’ Myself” (Sumo Productions / Thizz Entertainment / City Hall)
- Mac Dre, “Not My Job” (album track)
- Madvillain, “All Caps” / “Curls” (Stones Throw Records)
- Madvillain, “Accordion” (video)
- Mannie Fresh, “Real Big” (Cash Money Records / Universal Records)
- Masta Killa, “No Said Date” (Nature Sounds)
- MF DOOM, “Hoe Cakes” / “Potholderz” (Rhymesayers Entertainment)
- Mike Jones feat. Slim Thug & Paul Wall, “Still Tippin” (Swishahouse / Asylum)
- Missy Elliott, “I’m Really Hot” (The Gold Mind / Elektra)
- Mobb Deep, “Got It Twisted” (Infamous Records / Violator / Jive)
- Mos Def, “Sex, Love & Money” / “Ghetto Rock” (Goodtree Media / Geffen)
- Murs, “Badman!” / “3:16” (Definitive Jux)
- Nas feat. Olu Dara, “Bridging the Gap” (Ill Will Records / Columbia / Sony Urban Music)
- Nelly, “Flap Your Wings” (Universal Records)
- N.O.R.E. feat. Big Mato, Daddy Yankee, Gemstar & Nina Sky, “Oye Mi Canto” (Thugged Out Entertainment / Violator / Roc-A-Fella Records)
- Nujabes feat. Shing02, “Battlecry” (album track)
- Oh No, “Move” (Stones Throw Records)
- Paul Wall, “They Don’t Know” (Paid in Full Entertainment)
- The Perceptionists, “Memorial Day” (Definitive Jux)
- Petey Pablo, “Freek-a-Leek” (Jive)
- Pitbull, “Culo” (TVT Records)
- RJD2, “1976” (Definitive Jux)
- The Roots, “Don’t Say Nuthin’” (Geffen)
- Slim Thug feat. T.I. & Bun B, “3 Kings” (Boss Hogg Outlawz)
- Slim Thug, “Like a Boss” (Boss Hogg Outlawz / Star Trak / Geffen)
- Slum Village feat. Kanye West & John Legend, “Selfish” (Barak Records / Capitol)
- Snoop Dogg feat. Pharrell, “Drop It Like It’s Hot” (Doggy Style Records / Geffen)
- Snoop Dogg, “Let’s Get Blown” (Doggy Style Records / Star Trak / Geffen)
- Terror Squad feat. Fat Joe & Remy, “Lean Back” (Terror Squad Production / Street Records Corporation / Universal Records)
- T.I., “99 Problems (Lil Flip Ain’t One)” (internet track)
- T.I., “Bring Em Out” / “You Don’t Know Me” (Grand Hustle / Atlantic)
- Too $hort, “Burn Rubber” (Jive)
- Trick Daddy feat. Twista & Lil Jon, “Let’s Go” (Slip-N-Slide Records / Atlantic)
- Trillville feat. Cutty, “Some Cut” (BME Recordings / Warner Bros. Records)
- Turf Talk feat. E-40 & Stress of The Federation, “It’s Ah Slumper” (Sick Wid’ It Records)
- Twista, “Overnight Celebrity” (Atlantic)
- 213, “So Fly” (TVT Records)
- UTP, “Nolia Clap” (UTP Records / Rap-A-Lot 4 Life / Asylum)
- Ying Yang Twins, “Whats Happnin!” (TVT Records)
- Young Buck, “Shorty Wanna Ride” (G Unit / Interscope)
MF DOOM featured illustration by Maximillian Bode. Published in The New Yorker, April 12, 2004.
Photo of Kanye West, Mike D, Talib Kweli, King Ad-Rock, and MCA by Jerome Albertini. Published in Complex, June/July 2004.
Murs screencap from “Badman!”
Phonte and Yahzarah of The Foreign Exchange screencap from “Sincere.”
Photo of Michael “5000” Watts, Paul Wall, Slim Thug, and Mike Jones by David Yellen/Corbis/Getty Images.
Vinyl and CD artwork taken from Discogs.
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