Holy shit.  Two of my favorite underground rappers with two more pretty-damn-good underground rappers.

The One

B.O.B.

I’m hot and cold on B.o.B.  The “vs. Bobby Ray” mixtape didn’t break new ground, but other stuff he’s done is hot as hell.  It’s too early for me to tell with this one, which I’ve only listened to once.

Do you have the Stamina – Kanye West and B.o.B.

NEW MIKKEY HALSTEAD!

Halstead kicked ass on his recent mixtape, promises to make more fire this year.  Check out this latest cut.

Changing of the Guard-Mikkey Halsted feat. Truck North & Ken Rock (Produced by Gcasso)

Dig it.

LES Artistes (grahm zilla remix)-Santogold (#3, Best album)

I’m On Fire (Bruce Springsteen cover)-The Gaslight Anthem (#6, Best album)

She Spitzer Swallows-AC with Client Number 9. If there were a best political single, this would surely be a candidate, recounting the Elliot Spitzer scandal with the appropriate level of humor . . . And crudeness. (#10, Best mixtape)

Joe Budden Dis-Jay-Z (#3, Best mixtape)

Hang Me Out To Dry (Cold War Kids Cover)-Kate Nash (#14, Best album)

1. I am not a “hip hop head”. I’m just a guy who digs rap.

2. I am not a fan of hardcore, gangsta rap that just curses and threatens violence. I’m not a prude, I just don’t find it interesting. Unless it’s by Wu Tang or NWA.

3. I am so sick of Lil’ Wayne.

Oh, and one more thing: Wale won’t be on here, either. Other than clipping in Seinfeld bits, is his work really all that? I picked him as one of the best of 2008 so far (back in July), but since then I’ve had a lot more chances to listen . . . And I’m bored.

THE TOP 10 MIXTAPES/STREET TAPES OF 2008

10. AC-”This is Staten 2.” I thought AC would have blown up big this year off this tape. He spits fire, he’s got hard beats, and the what-the-fuck-else is Staten Island bringing us this year? It’s sad that this mixtape has been so slept on.

9. KYliens-Lexington Psalm.

KYliens is a mixtape of a ton of rappers out of Kentucky doing their thing over OutKast’s “ATLiens,” so the beats are indisputable. Surprisingly, though, the rhymes are universally fantastic, too. I’d never heard of any of these guys. Who knew KY could bring so much fiya?

Cop it!

8. Atmosphere-”Strictly Leakage.”

An above-ground mixtape of outtakes, being released by the label free and easy here. I’m sure I’ll get yelled at about this, but I think Atmosphere is the rare example of a rap crew that’s been getting better with age. The beats are more complex, the lyrics are less didactic and much funnier . . . And Slug has finally learned how to hit the beat, instead of attacking it.

7. DOOMED

Mike Waxx and Ill Roots present a blend of DOOM versus Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, and other well- and not-as-well-known rappers. Blends usually suck, but this one works amazingly well.

Cop it!

6. Sucka Free-Nicki MInaj

Did I post on this just for the Lil’ Kim trib in the pic? Maybe. Naw. This is hot shit. I haven’t heard a female emcee this good in a long time.

Cop it!

5. Joe Budden’s Mood Muzik 3.5 (For Better or Worse). I’ve written about Budden a lot over the years, and I’ve written about this mixtape a lot over the past 6 months, so ’nuff said. If you haven’t got it by now, go find it.

And in the meantime, check what Joe’s been up to since. A 15 minute long form rap about the state of the art today, over Marvin Gaye. If this doesn’t move you, you just don’t like rap.

Who Killed Hip Hop?-Joe Budden

4. Tanya Morgan-”Tanya Morgan is a Rap Group.”

Truly brilliant, real hip hop, with a unique perspective and philosophy, and no gratuitous bangers . . . But the remix of Jay-Z’s, “Hello Brooklyn” is fiya. Get it while supplies last.

3. Mark Ronson presents Rhymefest: Man in the Mirror. Last time I checked, Chicago’s best was offering this for free at his myspace. Go find it. Who else would have the balls to risk a lawsuit against Jacko by mixing duets with the Gloved One at all phases of his career, from kid to “adult”?

2. Top Ranking: A Diplo Dub-Santogold. Santogold made one of the best albums of the year. And this mixtape is hot, too. There’s a little bit of dub filler that I could do without, but once Diplo helps her take on The Clash, I’m sold.

1. The Nigger Tape-Nas and Green Lantern. Some of these songs ended up on Nas’ “Untitled” official major release, but some didn’t. And some are better here. If you didn’t already know, Green Lantern is probably the best in the game right now. And Nas ain’t no slouch either, for an OG.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Bring Me The Head of Zilla Rocca. Tight, well-put together, no annoying DJ shout-outs, and excellent production. From the Prez and co-founder of Beat Garden Entertainment

Cop it.

Russell Simmons & Green Lantern Present: Barack Obama – Yes We Can. Just because. It wasn’t all great, but bringing politics into hip hop, with mainstream artists, is a welcome change.

Joe Budden isn’t the greatest rapper alive, by a long stretch, but he may be the most honest. Where Eminem tries to glam up his psychopathology, Buddens is known for honest, self-disclosing rhymes about his upbringing, his own drug use . . . He doesn’t bang or even pretend to bang. This year, he dropped the hotly anticipated Mood Muzik 3, and it lived up to all the hype. It’s one of the best street albums of all time.

But he’s best at battlerapping. Here’s a few reasons why.

1. Kid Brother-Ransom. Ransom and Joe played together with The A-Team for years, producing some of the greatest underground East Coast gangsta rap of all time. But they’ve fallen apart, and here’s why.

2. Joe retaliated with this: Heart of the City (Ransom diss)-Joe Buddens. Using Jay-Z’s beats to respond to a battlerhyme over a Kanye tribute to Jay-Z. Brilliant.

3. And if Ransom didn’t get the message: Ransom Note-Joe Buddens. The spoken intro to this is hysterical. “Someone gonna die tonight. And what do you know? I’m alive!”

4. Joe famously attacked Jay-Z on “Talk 2 ‘Em,” and Jay’s reponse wasn’t so great. A great article about it is here. Joe Budden Diss-Jay-Z. Jay’s more of a braggart than a battle rapper, and he says he’s not coming after anyone in particular, but everyone knew the beef with Joe was on.

5. But Joe’s most famous battle was against G-Unit. Breathe (Freestyle 50 Cent Diss-Joe Buddens).

6. Heartbeatology (G Unit diss)-Joe Buddens. 50 a singer, calls G-Unit the 5 Heartbeats; says 50 will always be a Onyx type. And yeah, I didn’t upload any of G-Unit’s attacks because they’re lame.

7. Lonely At The Top (Game Diss)-Joe Buddens. Joe’s biggest mistake was to attack Game. It was back with Game was still affiliated with G-Unit. But Game never gives up.

8. Buddens-Game. To Ice-T’s Colors, Game murders Joe.

9. Joe tried to spit back with Game Over-Joe Buddens, but he’d already been killed.

10. Last but not least: Def Jam Diss-Joe Buddens. This is more of a bitter story of how Joe’s major record deal fell through, but it’s a great rap.