What current artist will have the best greatest hits compilation? Early candidates are…
Sean Paul
“Gimme the Light”- 2002
“Like Glue”- 2003
“Get Busy”- 2003
“Baby Boy (with Beyonce)”- 2003
“I’m Still In Love With You”- 2004
“We Be Burnin’”- 2005
“Temperature”- 2006
“(When You Gonna) Give It Up To Me”- 2006
In terms of consistently great singles, there might be not one artist in pop music right now that can step to Sean Paul. His should-be-cheesy girl/guy ballads seem effortless but are always arrestingly tremendous, and his singles are always great dance tracks. His ability to maintain success with an audience that most likely doesn’t understand 80% of what he says speaks to his brilliance with melody and his penchant for always sounding fresh in an age of follow the leader.
My Chemical Romance
“I’m Not Okay”- 2005
“Helena”- 2005
“The Ghost of You”- 2006
Out of the whole Wapred Tour brigade, these may be the only guys who are actually genuinely good. The hooks are anthemic but nauseating, the guitars are fast and dumb and the songwriting is ace. We’ll see if they can keep it up, but anything half as good as “Helena,” will be a triumph.
Young Jeezy
“Trap Star”
“Go Crazy”
“Soul Survivor”
“And Then What”
“My Hood”
(All 2005)
Jeezy’s debut Thug Motivation 101 might be coke-hop’s best non-mixtape album and every single off of it is an absolute monster. Jeezy has a unique ability to carry great hooks by himself and though much is made of his ad-libbing he is lyrically at the top of the game. In a region where everyone seems like a carbon copy of a carbon copy, Jeezy’s vibrant personality is a breath of fresh air.
Trick Daddy
“Nann”- 1999
“Shut Up”- 2000
“Take it to Da House”- 2001
“I’m a Thug”- 2001
“In Da Wind”- 2002
“Let’s Go”- 2004
“Sugar”- 2005
Before the South was huge Trick never was, and now that the South is…Trick still isn’t. Which is kind of sad because “I’m a Thug” should have been one of the biggest songs of its year; same with the pre-Gnarls Cee-Lo assisted “In Da Wind.” Admittedly, his latest work pales in comparison to his earlier songs, but Trick was the South’s biggest star long before T.I., Lil’ Wayne, etc.