The idea is pretty straight forward: ask Australians everywhere to vote for their favourite song of the year and tell us why. triple j then collates the results and plays the countdown on Australia Day – but the end result is much more. By voting you are taking part in the world’s biggest musical democracy. You’re also joining a world-wide party as listeners in Australia and ex-pats everywhere get together, crank up the radio and party to the best songs of 2009.
Voting is now open and closes at midnight (AEST) Sunday 17th January 2010. You can vote for up to 10 tracks released in 2009 (make sure it’s an aussie hip hop top 10).
Check out below, some of the aussie hip hop artists top 10 for the year. We will do our best to bring you some other artist’s opinions + also allaussie hip hop’s top 10 for the year.
Chasm & Vida Sunshyne
* Blakroc – Aint Nothing Like You ft Jim Jones & Mos Def
So much soul to this joint, the music is beautifully arranged and played, Mos Def murders the hook in the most soulful way and Jim Jones actually sounds really dope flowing over this track, perfect combination.
* Major Lazer – Hold The Line
Killer combo of surf guitar, dancehall rhythms, crazy sounds and Santigold, awesome.
* Kid Cudi – Day n Nite (Crookers Remix)
This remix gives the track that much more impact than the original, heavy synth work, a straight banger.
* Thundamentals – I HIP HOP
Bassline and bottom end is so dope on this track, DJ Morgs kills the beat, this track is one of the freshest of ’09 Australian rap.
* Redman & Method Man – A-Yo
Red and Meth manage to pull off a west coast style, summertime jam really well with this joint! Makes you wanna jump in the car and cross town to the beach bumpin this one, feel good music.
* Raekwon – New Wu
Rae made the Wu relevant again with this album and this first single, the old Wu flavour that everybody has been waiting years for returned, smoked out blunted soul at its best.
* Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys – Empire State Of Mind
Epic tribute to New York, love this tune, Alicia Keys murders the hook and the beat is massive.
* Million Dan – Kill Dem ( Shortee Blitz Dubplate)
Killer killer rhymes from our favourite UK MC over a Busta Rhymes instrumental, damn this is unreleased but is a hot track – check it out at http://www.myspace.com/milliondan
* Gully Platoon – Gully Kicks
Big tune from the Gully side, three of the best rappers in Oz putting it down on a crazy beat, too large.
* Speech Debelle – Better Days
Great lyrics and so much style flowed on this beautiful Plutonic Lab production.
Kween G
KillaQueenz
* Swizz Beats – Who’s Real?
Love Swizz beats production and this is an important question.
* Drake – Successful
This guy has blown up this year and this was a song a woke up to in 09 ” I just wanna be Successful”.
* Tech 9 feat Mims – Rock n Rollin
Have you heard the clever rhyming in this? They use Rock Stars to describe all kinds of things.
* MC Lyte – Rocking With The Best
MC Lyte has been dropping some nice tunes this year and its great to have one of the longest standing female MC’s still in the game.
* Wu-tang Clan feat Sadat X – Sound The Horns
What can I say this track is Phat!
* Slaughterhouse – Microphone
Royce da 5’9, Crooked I, Joe Budden and Joel Oritiz put iy own for the microphone one of my fav albums this year. This track kills it.
* A&E | Little Young
Masta Ace and Edo G dropped an album recently called Arts & Entertainment this track is pure truth talking about all these bubble gum and it’s produced by M-Phazes.
* Emma Donovan – Ngarraanga
A local sister with such a strong angelic voice this song touched me because of its message to the stolen generation.
* Redman & Method Man – Hey Zulu
It’s Meth and Red. They are always banging the illest tracks. Blackout 2! Great album!
* KRS & Buckshot – Survival Skills
This is head nodding music. Two super lyricist’s on one album with features from the best of em…. Straight Skillz!
Hau Latukefu
Koolism – Triple J Hip Hop Show
* Mos Def – Revelations
A complete artist. Raps, sings, acts – man, don’t you hate those sorta guys? Mos strips it back on this one. A slinky beat and Mos just killing em with the rhymes: “Skywalker, baby, ain’t no jackin’ my hammer/ Got a whole lot to say so I ain’t talking to them”
* Beanie Sigal ft. 50 Cent – I Go Off
The Broad Street Bully doing exactly what the title says. The tune is raw hip hop at its finest. Soon as the beat kicks in, it makes you screw up your face. 50 Cent having a go at Jay-Z also adds to it’s ‘I don’t give a f*ck’ attitude. Nasty.
* Wiley – Off the Radar
Wow. Ol’ Eski Boy really let loose on this one. Sounds like he really wanted to shut up the haters once and for all with a vicious flow and lyrics that seem to go on for days. And days.
* Q-Tip – Getting’ Up
“Sent you a message, sent you an email…”. This is just a beautiful song. From the Black Ivory sample to the simplistic rhymes to the harmonies in the chorus. This is the track that your girl loves so much you wonder if she’s thinking of you or Q-Tip when she sings it around the house.
* Daniel Merriweather – Red
I always thought this guy had an incredible voice but just hadn’t found his own style yet. But when I heard some tracks that were going to be on his stunning debut album, ‘Love & War’, I was gob smacked. This particular tune has it all. Emotion, depth, character. Big fella kills it.
* Jay-Z – DOA
It was like Jay knew exactly how I felt; “Enough with all this auto-tune already!”. Sean Carter may not have been able to come with the lyrics and delivery, however, if it weren’t for a monster beat provided by Kanye West’s mentor, No ID. The track just bangs and you know when Jay says something is finished, it pretty much is. Cristal, anyone?
* Statik Selektah ft. Styles P & Talib Kweli – The Thrill is Gone
The track reminds me of something De la Soul would have done in the early 90′s. Not to say that it sounds dated, but it has that soulful, jazzy hip hop vibe that was circulating at that time. Was good to hear P and Kweli on the same track, too. Something you would play during the summer and reminisce about the golden oldy hip hop.
* Sean P – Car Thiefs
I’m a big fan of Sean Price. He can be considered a hardcore hip hop artist but he also has a great sense of humour (which a lot of hardcore MCs lack). There are plenty of tracks I could of picked, but I’ll run with this one.
* Royce Da 5’9 – Shake This
Something special happens when Royce and DJ Premier get together. Here, Royce steps up his pen game (is that possible?) and Premier reaches beyond his trademark production sound. ‘Shake This’ reminds me of Nas’ classic track, ‘One Mic’.
* De La Soul – La La La
De La still mashing it 20yrs in the game. Which is a mean feat in hip hop. This track is vintage De La. Intelligent, funky and catchy. A cruising late-night type of tune.
Voting in the Hottest 100 puts you in the draw to win the awesome ‘Golden Ticket’. This is your double pass to EACH and EVERY gig and festival that triple j presents in 2010. It’s your ticket to the best year of your life! How much live music can you handle?
