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Uh, 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs?

So I caught this story on Stereogum yesterday about VH1 and their top 100 greatest hip-hop songs. Now, I know these songs were chosen by viewers, and they probably had to have a video for the show that will be on VH1, but this list is all kinds of ridiculous.

First, there are good songs on the list. "The Message" by Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five and "Rapper's Delight" by The Sugarhill Gang paved the way for rap and hip-hop in popular culture. And they are still great songs. Some argue Public Enemy has better songs than "Fight the Power," but I think the passion, fury, and political unrest in that song embodies their best work. And of all the LL Cool J songs to pick, "I Can't Live Without My Radio" is probably the best. And how is Digable Planets - "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" at 62? I will never get tired of that song. It is better than most of the top 10.

However, the list features a lot of strange choices. For instance, "Push It" in the top 10? What? That song is meh, at best. Even though I did have a crush on Salt n Pepa in middle school. Also songs like "U Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer or "Jump Around" by House of Pain don't really deserve their place on the list. Sure I know all the words to "Jump Around" and "U Can't Touch This" had unprecedented success on the charts, but neither has aged well. Kanye West deserves to be in the Top 20, but "Through the Wire," "Jesus Walks," "Can't Tell Me Nothing," and "Heartless," among others, are better songs than "Gold Digger." And I'm glad "Parents Just Don't Understand" by Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff made the list, instead of something like "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It." But the coolness of "Summer Time" would have been a better choice, and brought back all that warmness that Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff created. "What They Do" by The Roots is a great display of what they do, especially of ?uestlove's drumming, but how about "You Got Me" w/ Erykah Badu, which features more of The Roots at their unpredictable best, and why more hip-hop needs to feature live instrumentation. It also features a mind-blowing video that I haven't forgotten since it came out (why are those people laying on the ground?). I'm also glad to see The Beastie Boys make the list, because I think they are often over-looked, especially because Paul's Boutique is a ground-breaking album. In that vein I would have included a personal fave, "High Plains Drifter" or the song with a video, "Shadrach." 

I could go on and on with things that I don't think should be on the list. But instead I wanted to add my two cents about songs or artists that I think are missing. Danger Mouse and his experimental mashup of The Beatles "The White Album" and Jay-Z's "The Black Album" may be the best rap album you've never heard, and should have had a showing on the list. Same with Kid Cudi and Wale, two rappers who released exceptional albums last year, both of which have songs that should top this list, but don't. I'm a little surprised Cudi's "Day and Nite" wasn't even there. Where's Lupe Fiasco? Maybe his skateboarding anthem, "Kick, Push." The more I go through this list, the more I see missing. Also missing is the UK form of rap known as Grime. Maybe Dizzee Rascal's awesome "Fix Up, Look Sharp," which has found life on DJ Hero. Or England's other import, and one of rap's best storytellers, The Streets. Check out "Blinded by the Lights" or the hilarious "Heaven for the Weather." I would've also liked to see more independent rappers make the list, like Aesop Rock's nightmarish funhouse "None Shall Pass," or anything from Cannibal Ox's The Cold Vein.

I've included as many of the songs as I could below. These are rap songs, so use your judgment as they do have language, etc.