Dizzee Rascal – I Luv U (Remix Feat Wiley & Sharkey Major) 2003

For some reason the remix to Dizzee’s debut single wasn’t included on his first album. I can’t think of a good reason. It’s not even available on iTunes…

Surely the strongest lineup on any grime track ever; Dizzee, Wiley and Sharkey Major all kick very different takes on not loving. Not loving being the only thing worth writing songs about after all. The chorus is that overheard-on-a-bus-soul-music they you need in your life cos you tell people you’ll ring them back when you’re on the bus.

It’s one of his best tracks and the beat is even crazier than the original “I Luv U”, yet it got kind of overlooked in all the album hype when it should have been the star of the show. This and “Brand New Day”.

	5. Lil’ Wayne Some people think Guru is a great rapper. I think he’s the corniest rapper this side of CL Smooth. Some people think Wayne is retarded. I think he’s a great rapper who has mastered flow like few before him. Is he speaking to me? No but he’s way more entertaining than 99.99% of emcees. Even when he’s dissing my other favourite rappers and generally being a douche. Charisma is a hard thing to quantify but his verses are bigger than the tracks they sit on. His verse at the end of Khaled’s “We Taking Over” has been nuts.“Yidigg!”
	4. Beanie Sigel “Why Wout I” from the State Property “Out On Bail” mixtape is my tune right now. Beans’ stuff since “The B. Coming” has all underlined that while he may not make amazing albums he spits the most sincerely pained rhymes around. It’s no coincidence that he’s the only North/East rapper I’m really checking for right now. Ghost and DOOM would have ran this 5 a few years ago but they’ve both neglected the human side of their rhymes, getting caught up in their characters. Beans’ verse on Freeway’s “What We Do…” remains the most heartfelt and essential bit of rapping so far this century. He claims the upcoming “The Solution” will be his last album but here’s hoping that’s all Jordan/Jigga talk. “I’m the oh six Pied Piper, here to lead all y’all rats out to the city limits”
	3. Andre 3k Dre’s return to rapping has bizarrely taken the form of showstealing cameos on big remixes, as if he was some teenage new-big-thing. He’s supplemented the smash hit Lloyd and Rich Boy cameos with verses on the Devin and UGK albums to keep the grownfolks happy. Big Boi is officially my favourite and all that but Andre hasn’t sounded so good since “Gangsta Shit”. Is a proper Outkast album too much to wish for? Maybe not… “Like the boys in blue, when they come through with them boots, and they kickin down the do’, and they don’t care who they shoot, but we do care who they shoot, so we do what we must do…”
	2. Devin “Waitin’ To Inhale” remains the uncontested Hiphop album of the year. This isn’t just because nothing good has come out, it really is a great album. All his albums are great albums. There is no one even in the same sub-genre as Devin. He’s there all on his own. Personable-rap. Loveable-rogue-comedy-rap. Whatever. If you’ve got a sense of humour about your person you can’t fail to enjoy him. “…come back over here and put 72 BOOMS in it…”
	1. Malice (of Clipse) The meaner sounding Thornton brother laid down the definitive remorseful crack rap verse on “I’m Not You” back in 2002 but he wasn’t confirmed as a top level rapper until last year’s “Hell Hath No Fury”. Both of the Clipse sound great but it’s Malice’s lines that get stuck in your head, it’s Malice’s lines that you rewind. In fact I haven’t rewound a rapper this much since there was actual tape to wind. His verses on “Keys Open Doors” and “Wamp Wamp” are the most compelling raps in years from a technical stance. I will never understand how people can paint them as negative when they’re brimming over with the joys of language, falling over themselves to be the smartest kids on the block. Can we not wait four years for the next proper album please? “Shit could get ugly, should she talk to the law, and that’s just what I get, its the roses of war”

Who’s got five?