So who are the ten most popular indie-rap artists right now?

I decided to find out using Rhapsody’s internal reports. The music service generates a weekly spreadsheet that ranks artists according to the amount of “plays,” or the number of times the artists’ releases are streamed. The top 100 artists for each genre and sub-genre, which number over 200, can be viewed on the Rhapsody website, including the main list, the Rap/Hip-Hop list, and the Indie Rap/Hip-Hop list.

Due to cataloging purposes, indie-rap artists aren’t only listed under the Indie Rap/Hip-Hop sub-genre. Some, such as Flying Lotus, are filed under Instrumental Rap/Hip-Hop, which is cataloged separately. Non-indie artists like Drake are listed under multiple sub-genres, including Hitmakers, Pop, Indie Rap and Contemporary R&B. As a result, his releases skew the website’s Indie Rap rankings. The “indie” term can be a catchall, it seems, not only referring to typical “backpacker” artists on independent labels but also “alternative” major label artists as well.

In order to develop a more accurate list, or at least one that’s more revealing in terms of the most popular indie-rap artists, I bypassed the website rankings and used the weekly spreadsheet.

Nearly all music databases are subject to tampering, and Rhapsody is no exception. Hundreds of musicians — mostly rappers, it seems — try to “game” the system by using software to artificially boost their “plays.” I didn’t include these guys in my list, and I won’t give them any publicity by mentioning their names, either.

I used the January 10 spreadsheet for my list. The report gives weight to artists who issued new work in the fall. However, January is the slowest music month of the year — January 11 is the first week when anything of note is released — so it’s probably the best time to calculate who enjoys the most popularity at the moment. Quibbles aside, these rankings are a great indicator.

Here’s the list. The artists’ overall rank is listed in parentheses.

Atmosphere (rank: 441)
*Flying Lotus (rank: 1081)
*Pretty Lights (rank: 1194)
*Aloe Blacc (rank: 1220)
Immortal Technique (rank: 1331)
Talib Kweli (rank: 1429)
*RJD2 (rank: 1621)
Jay Electronica (rank: 1632)
MF Doom (rank: 1730)
Jurassic 5 (rank: 1769)
Aesop Rock (rank: 2024)
*Teebs (rank: 2165)
Madlib (rank: 2261)
J Dilla (rank: 2273)
Jedi Mind Tricks (rank: 2304)

The asterisks denote electronic producers who can’t be strictly classified as hip-hoppers. Teebs and Pretty Lights, in particular, work in the beats/bass realm. Flying Lotus’ palette ranges from glitch beats to future soul styles, and RJD2 often sings over a medley funk breaks. I also asterisked Aloe Blacc, a onetime rapper who has evolved into a singer. (Rhapsody lists Neo-Soul as his main category.)

Personally, I’m impressed to see that Teebs ranked so high. His debut album, Ardour, drew solid reviews, but this ranking demonstrates that his impact is spreading beyond tastemaker appeal and blog love.

If you removed those asterisked artists, the list would look like this:

Atmosphere (rank: 441)
Immortal Technique (rank: 1331)
Talib Kweli (rank: 1429)
Jay Electronica (rank: 1632)
MF Doom (rank: 1730)
Jurassic 5 (rank: 1769)
Aesop Rock (rank: 2024)
Madlib (rank: 2261)
J Dilla (rank: 2273)
Jedi Mind Tricks (rank: 2304)

There are a few interesting results here. Immortal Technique, Aesop Rock, and Jedi Mind Tricks didn’t release albums in 2010, but their popularity remained strong enough to keep them in the top 2500 artists. (Top 2000 artists are P2, while top 5000 artists are P3.) Jurassic 5 made the list even though it broke up in 2007; its last release, a two-disc reissue of its J5 EP, came out in 2009. Jay Electronica also has a relatively high ranking even though Rhapsody only carries his two official singles, 2008′s “Exhibit A” and 2009′s “Exhibit C.”

The above two lists focus on indie-rap artists with “backpacker appeal,” and omit street rap artists entirely. (After all, this is an alternative rap site.) However, to be fair, I created a third top ten list featuring all independent rappers. Not surprisingly, the results changed quite a bit.

Tech N9ne (rank: 287)
Atmosphere (rank: 441)
E-40 (rank: 525)
Slim Thug (rank: 542)
Lecrae (rank: 711)
Mac Dre (rank: 827)
Z-Ro (rank: 837)
Afroman (rank: 1079)
Dorrough (rank: 1092)
Andre Nickatina (rank: 1094)

What’s up with Afroman? I kept out artists who are independent by necessity, and whose lasting popularity derives from their major-label releases. However, Afroman is a unique case. His biggest hit was “Because I Got High,” yet he continues to sell a lot of new material as a novelty cult artist. (One of the great things about Rhapsody is that it exposes the nooks and crannies of the music industry.)

Is it possible to create a pure indie-rap popularity sheet, one that features artists who not only have never been signed to a major, but have never had a release distributed by a major? Not anymore. It’s nearly impossible these days for a rap label to reach critical mass without joining forces with one of the Big Four majors. Atmosphere’s Rhymesayers Entertainment is carried by Warner Music Group’s Independent Label Group (ILG). Tech N9ne’s Strange Music is handled by Fontana Distribution, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Even Stones Throw (Madlib, J Dilla) works with EMI for certain releases. (Sony Music is the fourth major.) Industry observers consider E1 Music (Slim Thug, Dorrough) an indie, but it’s such a big company that mini-major would be a more accurate classification.

The Big Four and E1′s distribution systems account for recordings by nearly every artist I’ve mentioned. The beat/bass artists noted in the first list are the exceptions. Flying Lotus is signed to Warp; and Teebs’ Ardour was issued by FlyLo’s Brainfeeder, which uses Alpha Pup as a distributor. Pretty Lights has his company, Pretty Lights Music.

And then there is Lecrae. Last fall, the Christian rapper issued his fourth album, Rehab. It’s currently listed in Rhapsody’s top 100 hip-hop albums, and his artist ranking is 711. I couldn’t find credible distribution information on his label, Reach Records. For argument’s sake, I included him on the third list ranking all independent rap artists regardless of sub-genre.

What else do these lists mean? Atmosphere is the only indie-rap artist ranked in the top 500 (which Rhapsody considers a “P1″ or priority-one artist). As I’ve written before, 2010 was a horrible year for underground hip-hop, and a series of events, from the collapse of Definitive Jux to Fat Beats shuttering its retail outlets, raised questions on whether indie-rap as it is commonly known even exists. An improved slate of releases in 2011 could quickly change that impression, though.

Meanwhile, Pretty Lights and Jay Electronica’s rising popularity suggests that it’s relatively easy to create an small indie imprint and sell digital music. (Jay Electronica, for his part, had help from Decon Records.) Without overrating Rhapsody’s influence — I am an employee there, after all — it’s clear that offering MP3s and mixtapes for streaming and even purchase on cloud-based services as well as the usual rap blogs and iTunes can make a cumulative impact.

Atmosphere photo by Dan Monick.

When I worked on my ill-fated project compiling the top 100 hip-hop albums of the 2000s, I learned a valuable lesson: Contemporary history is difficult to quantify. We often make judgments on what we think will have lasting value, but only the passage of time determines that.

Still, good music is good music – or is it? This year brought quite a few albums that divided audiences and critics. They made us question what makes up quality hip-hop, and whether that term exists in a classical sense anymore. Is it B.o.B and his overly determined forays into big-tent arena rap? Or is it the bloviating Rick Ross and his fatuous tales of Mafia-like dominion? As rap fans with a jaundiced version of reality, we’re supposed to venerate the latter and condemn B.o.B’s crossover strategies. Street rap signifies the underground, keeping it hardcore, and staying true.

However, there wasn’t much actual underground music in 2010, or at least little of it that made an impact. We all know what happened to Definitive Jux. Even Fat Beats, which closed its remaining stores in New York and Los Angeles to focus on online retail and an independent label, needed Decon Records and E1 Music to get Black Milk’s Album of the Year in stores. With the notable exceptions of Stones Throw and Duck Down Records, surviving indie labels such as Mello Music Group, Interdependent Media, Tres Records, Galapagos4, Doomtree Records, Fake Four, Inc. and many others drew cursory attention.

To be honest, I didn’t pay much attention, either. The action was with the majors such as Def Jam, which brought Curren$y (albeit via a distribution deal with Damon Dash and DD172), the Roots, Big Boi, and Kanye West. These were the albums I repeatedly listened to, wrote about, praised, criticized, and generally wrestled with.

Let me return to Definitive Jux for a moment. When El-P established the label ten years ago (after cropping up on late-period Company Flow releases such as Little Johnny from the Hospitul) with the classic Company Flow/Cannibal Ox double 12-inch single “D.P.A. (As Heard on TV)”/”Iron Galaxy,” he joined a scene that prided itself on creating a sound unheard on the radio, and unseen on BET. I’m not the only one who found irony in the fact that criminally underrated artist Tim “Sole” Holland left his Anticon start-up around the same time that El-P put Definitive Jux on hiatus. Though rivals, both exemplified a mood of wild (and often undisciplined) experimentation that has since receded. In its place has risen old-school revivalism, an ethos carried from the college dorms to the streets, and often accompanied by a moralistic, finger-wagging dismissal of post-Golden Age rap.

Nostalgia may fuel online repositories of boom bap and Dirty South. But when indulged too often, it can lead to a culture’s death. No one wants hip-hop to become the post-modern equivalent of jazz. As much as I loved it, I certainly don’t want to return to the summer of 2001, and The Cold Vein and cLOUDDEAD. I also don’t hold illusions that indie hip-hop is ideologically or musically better than mainstream, major label-backed rap. 2010 exposed the lie to that myth.

Besides, this was a great year for hip-hop. While I focused on crossover epics and, to a lesser extent, the international beats ‘n’ bass scene, others found pleasure in the many excellent mixtapes that hit the Internets. In short, there was a little something for everybody.

However, no epoch is all-inclusive, and I missed the sundry underground innovators of years past. Where are you at, my friends? It’s time to step your game up.

1. Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Roc-A-Fella

Kanye West’s fifth album is a motherfuckin’ monster indeed, at least in regards to critical acclaim. The album has appeared on most year-end lists, and drew perfect ratings from Pitchfork.com (its first for a new release since Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot) and Rolling Stone.

As I’ve stated before, I don’t have much use for ratings. West’s album is far from perfect; its weakest moments betray West’s self-indulgence, including an extended Auto-Tuned aria at the end of “Runaway” that sounds like a crying jag, and an overly long comedic sequence by Chris Rock at the end of “Blame Game.” Some critics have countered Fantasy’s hype by charging that West is essentially repeating ideas from earlier albums, such as Graduation’s narrative of a romance falling apart under the flashing lights. But this is basically a wash. Great and not-so-great artists have long defined themselves through a constant theme, from Jay-Z’s obsessive focus on his business acumen to Rick Ross’ fatuous Mafioso persona. Kanye West’s has addressed the power of his celebrity before, and he revisits and refines that topic on Fantasy with excellent results.

2. Curren$y, Pilot Talk
DD172

Of all the breakout albums this year, Curren$y’s major label debut may be the biggest surprise, as well as the least assuming. Ski Beatz does a marvelous job on the boards – sorry Hiphopdx.com, he, not Lloyd Banks, deserved Comeback Artist of the Year honors – but the New Orleans rapper achieves linguistic feats that requires multiple listens. He doesn’t necessarily say anything insightful, but that seems beside the point. Pilot Talk is packed with great songs, including “Skybourne” and “Address,” that resonate beyond its intended audience of smoked-out rap nerds.

3. Flying Lotus, Cosmogramma
Warp

The L.A. beat scene reached critical mass, and Steven Ellison’s Cosmogramma was its locus. Much like the fast-forward UK electronic scene, whose artists tend to absorb trends and fads, he has absorbed others’ innovations into his sound signature: Cosmogramma draws from Sa-Ra Creative Partners’ catalog, and he even poaches their bassist, Stephen “Thundercat” Bruner. As a result, Cosmogramma sounded dreamy and contemplative here, while 2008’s Los Angeles replicated the mellow stress of dubstep. (It even sounded tepid at times, which is why it wasn’t my top pick this year.) FlyLo’s influences are many, but he still sounds like no one else – when the double-time shuffle step and 8-bit volleys of “Computer Face//Pure Being” kicked in, you knew exactly who was behind it.

4. Drake, Thank Me Later
Young Money/Cash Money/Universal Motown

Is it R&B or hip-hop? The wonderful thing about Thank Me Later is that Drake merged the two genres so seamlessly. He doesn’t use R&B melodies for cheap fuck-me tunes, but to conjure a sense of romance. Much like Common, Drake has a deceptively smooth tone that has led some listeners to underrate him. He may rank low in internal rhyme schemes, but he doesn’t flow off beat, either. He seems to establish real emotional connections with his paramours, even when it’s in the context of a one-night stand or failed relationship. Perhaps Thank Me Later’s soft tone makes some male listeners uneasy, but it has a lovely mood that he sustains from beginning to end.

5. Big Boi, Sir Lucious Left Foot: Son of Chico Dusty
Def Jam

I gave this album a mixed review when I first heard it. I reconsidered my opinion when I accepted Sir Lucious Left Foot for what it is, not what I wanted it to be. Big Boi is a craftsman, so it’s no surprise that he assembles Sir Lucious Left Foot much as he did the Speakerboxxx half of OutKast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. What it lacks in vision it makes up for with sheer inventiveness. Big Boi illustrates his greatness with tech bass riddims and mock-serious operatic arias, and he crams dozens of guests into his showcase without ceding the spotlight to others. Sir Lucious Left Foot is a kinetic delight, but it lacks the soulful emotion of Big Boi’s best OutKast work.

6. The Roots, How I Got Over
Def Jam

Questlove told interviewers that he wanted to make an album about reaching the early stages of middle age. Most of How I Got Over achieves that. It has a melodramatic, weary tone and bunches of lyrics bemoaning the state of the world. So why did Questlove dispel this mood at its end with two awkward street cuts, “Web 20/20” and “Hustla”? These songs are mere braggadocio; they’re intended to conclude How I Got Over with an optimistic epilogue, but they’re not good enough to pull it off.

After I posted my thoughts last summer, I received an email from someone who thought I didn’t like How I Got Over. Actually, I liked the album a lot. But endings are important, and occasionally they’re a dividing line between a standout work and a genuine classic.

7. Yelawolf, Trunk Muzik 0-60
Interscope

Yelawolf has improved exponentially since his “Kickin’” days by honing a fast and choppy bounce flow and a ragged Deep South accent. The original Trunk Muzik mixtape, released on the Internet as a free download in January was decent. However, the retail version improves on it with a handful of new tracks that sharpen Yelawolf’s tales of broken homes, country-fried meth dealers, and box Chevys.

8. GonjaSufi, A Sufi and a Killer
Warp

Sumach Valentine spent years on the fringes of the L.A. hip-hop scene, cranking out CD-R releases, before transforming into GonjaSufi for this bizarrely entrancing album. He sings over psychedelic beats from the Gaslamp Killer, Flying Lotus and Mainframe in a voice that sounds like a wizened croak. The recently deceased Captain Beefheart would most certainly approve.

9. Strong Arm Steady, In Search of Stoney Jackson
Stones Throw Records

Madlib’s planned 2010 deluge didn’t turn out as planned: he only managed nine out of 12 planned entries in his Madlib Medicine Show series. Yet between those recordings, various Yesterday’s Universe releases and production gigs for Guilty Simpson and Strong Arm Steady, he still produced over a dozen albums. I didn’t come close to processing it all, but In Search of Stoney Jackson was the best of what I heard, blending his manic soul loops and disembodied ghetto voices with Strong Arm Steady’s hard rock talk. For all his talents, Madlib is at his best when focusing on others’ voices, and not just the ones in his head.

10. Onra, Long Distance
All City Records

From an earlier review:

If Onra freely (and masterfully) exploits the current Zeitgeist for all things boogie funk, he seems to have found his identity within it. His acclaimed Chinoiseries only emphasized the difficulty of replicating Dilla and Madlib’s loop aesthetic. 2009’s 1.0.8 had a frantic, hurried feel; unlike fellow Europeans such as Dorian Concept and Hudson Mohawke, he seemed uncomfortably toying with glitch funk. Long Distance certainly has its glitch elements – check the appropriately titled “Wonderland” for proof – but it’s nestled in a seductive dance floor groove. Onra’s true home, it seems, is in the thick of the night light haze.

And here’s the rest of the list:

11. Rick Ross, Teflon Don
Def Jam

12. Qwel & Maker, Owl
Galapagos4

13. B.o.B, The Adventures of Bobby Ray
Atlantic Records

14. Madlib, Madlib Medicine Show No. 1: Before the Verdict
Stones Throw Records

15. Black Milk, Album of the Year
Fat Beats Records

16. Ana Tijoux, 1977
Nacional Records

17. Reflection Eternal, Revolutions Per Minute
Warner Bros. Records

18. Nas & Damian Marley, Distant Relatives
Def Jam/Universal Republic

19. TOKiMONSTA, Midnight Menu
Art Union/Listen Up

20. Skyzoo & Illmind, Live from the Tape Deck
Duck Down Records

This is an introduction to a failed project that will, over the next few months, provide a measure of redemption.

The Plug One 2000s was originally conceived to document some of the changes that took place in hip hop culture over the past decade through several lists, essays, and photos. The “aughts,” as most of the media has agreed to call the first decade of the 21st century, has been one of confusion, from a crumbling-yet-still-standing recording industry to the first foreign attack on our shores in seven decades, overseas wars, environmental disasters and, improbably, the election of Western Civilization’s first president of color. Hip hop culture was intertwined with all of that, even as its followers struggled with money lust, amorality, violence, artistic malaise, and even obsolescence. Culture is a prism through which one interprets the world.

I began thinking about the project in late 2007, and began planning in earnest at the beginning of 2009, with hopes of posting it in mid-September. But I made a fatal mistake. Instead of writing as I went along, I waited until I finished mapping it out until late August. By then, it was too big to complete in a few weeks.

Now, with the decade whittled down to a few hours, here enters belatedly a single list of albums, a tragic reduction of the multi-tiered presentation I first envisioned.

Without the accompanying materials, the list has unintentionally become a formalist device, something for rubberneckers who just want to see what claims the number one spot. I also created a list of 50 honorable mentions. There are 10 or so titles on it that could have easily made the top 100.

The Plug One 2000s is built around classics everyone agrees on, genre-blurring tour de forces often not considered “real hip hop,” and a few forgotten gems. I listened to hundreds of recordings, some of them many times, and fretted over the rankings. I not only tried to distinguish between “good” and “great” albums, but also weighed abstract qualities such as influence, impact and innovation. As I worked, I moved titles up and down the list. I changed the top ten many times, especially the number one album. (I’m still not sure if I made the right choice.)

I attempted to create a living, breathing list that is relevant for today, right now. I did not settle for a utopian memory of how I remembered them. Many albums still shone brightly when heard with fresh ears, while others sounded dated, unworthy of their continued accolades.

I made a cursory effort to listen to a few mixtapes, especially the ballyhooed ones. Mixtapes have always struck me as erratic talent showcases, not full-fledged, album-length visions that transport a listener. I admit that I’m not an expert on them, and it could be argued that their omission, save for one or two favorites, represents a structural mistake. For now, I make no apologies. But I know that I will soon have to contend with this form that has influenced hip hop culture so profoundly over the past several years.

At heart, the Plug One 2000s is just my opinion on a decade of music. I have a very specific perspective on hip hop culture, one that often clashes with my fellow writers. I hesitate to put it into plain, argumentative words; for the moment, I prefer to show you through this project. Hopefully, it will illustrate some of my views.

Yet as hard as I tried to create an iconoclastic canon that would stick a proverbial middle finger to the hip-pop firmament, I found myself rallying around the same key works as everyone else. With one or two notable exceptions, every entry in the Plug One 2000s top ten has appeared on other sites/magazines’ Best of Decade lists (at least in regards to hip hop). Hopefully, I’ve made up for my blind conformity with profundity and length. Instead of picking out a handful of best bits (and pocketing them amidst the usual Radiohead/Arcade Fire/Strokes rehashes), I’ve written a much longer story of hip hop creativity in the past decade, one that gives a richer view.

Next month, I will begin posting short and long reviews for each album. The reviews for the honorable mention list will range between 50-100 words, while the main list’s word count will span from 150 words to hundreds more. As each review is posted, I will add a hyperlink to this introduction.

I hope to finish by next spring, but I can’t make any promises. These reviews won’t appear in numbered order, but haphazardly, depending on inspiration. I assure you that I have already written many of them — ha! Yes, the Plug One 2000s is a failed project, but it’s my party, and I’m going to have fun with it anyway. Hopefully, some of you will enjoy it as well.

“For the heart of the issue is that canons matter. They set the agenda and they reinforce its transmission, both positively and negatively.” – Ian Christie, “The Rules of the Game,” Sight and Sound, September 2002

The Plug One 2000s Top 100:

• 1. Ghostface Killah, Supreme Clientele (Epic/Razor Sharp Records, 2000)
• 2. Kanye West, The College Dropout (Roc-A-Fella Records, 2004)
• 3. OutKast, Stankonia (LaFace/Arista, 2000)
• 4. Madvillain, Madvillainy (Stones Throw Records, 2004)
• 5. Eminem, The Marshall Mathers LP (Aftermath, 2000)
• 6. Cannibal Ox, The Cold Vein (Definitive Jux, 2001)
• 7. Jay-Z, The Black Album (Roc-A-Fella Records, 2003)
• 8. J Dilla, Donuts (Stones Throw Records, 2006)
• 9. Clipse, Hell Hath No Fury (Arista, 2006)
• 10. Antipop Consortium, Arrhythmia (Warp, 2002)
• 11. Common, Like Water for Chocolate (Geffen, 2000)
• 12. Edan, Beauty and the Beat (Lewis, 2005)
• 13. Slum Village, Fantastic Vol. 2 (Good Vibe, 2000)
• 14. Little Brother, The Listening (ABB, 2003)
• 15. Prefuse 73, One Word Extinguisher (Warp, 2002)
• 16. M.I.A., Arular (XL Recordings, 2005)
• 17. Quasimoto, The Unseen (Stones Throw Records, 2000)
• 18. Lil Wayne, The Carter III (Universal Motown, 2008)
• 19. El-P, Fantastic Damage (Definitive Jux, 2002)
• 20. Scarface, The Fix (Def Jam South, 2002)
• 21. The Streets, Original Pirate Material (69 Recordings, 2002)
• 22. Missy Elliott, Miss E…So Addictive (Elektra, 2001)
• 23. Kanye West, Graduation (Roc-A-Fella, 2007)
• 24. RJD2, Deadringer (Definitive Jux, 2002)
• 25. Four Tet, Rounds (Domino, 2003)
• 26. Nas, Stillmatic (Columbia, 2001)
• 27. Jay-Z, The Blueprint (Roc-A-Fella, 2001)
• 28. N.E.R.D., In Search Of… (Virgin Records America, 2002)
• 29. Brother Ali, The Undisputed Truth (Rhymesayers, 2007)
• 30. T.I., Trap Muzik (Atlantic, 2003)
• 31. M.I.A., Kala (Interscope, 2007)
• 32. David Banner, Mississippi The Album (SRC, 2003)
• 33. Kanye West, Late Registration (Def Jam, 2005)
• 34. Atmosphere, Lucy Ford: The Atmosphere EPs (Rhymesayers, 2000)
• 35. Ghostface Killah, Fishscale (Def Jam, 2006)
• 36. Jurassic 5, Quality Control (Interscope, 2000)
• 37. Cam’ron, Purple Haze (Def Jam, 2004)
• 38. Flying Lotus, Los Angeles (Warp, 2008)
• 39. Immortal Technique, Revolutionary Vol. 2 (Viper Records, 2003)
• 40. cLOUDDEAD (Mush, 2001)
• 41. The Coup, Party Music (75 Ark, 2001)
• 42. Blu & Exile, Below the Heavens (Sound In Color, 2007)
• 43. Dälek, From Filthy Tongues of Gods and Griots (Ipecac, 2002)
• 44. DJ Shadow, The Private Press (MCA, 2002)
• 45. The Roots, Phrenology (Geffen, 2002)
• 46. M.O.P., Warriorz (Loud, 2000)
• 47. Busdriver, Temporary Forever (Mush, 2002)
• 48. Girl Talk, Night Ripper (Illegal Art, 2007)
• 49. Aesop Rock, Float (Mush, 2000)
• 50. Kid Koala, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (Ninja Tune, 2000)
• 51. OutKast, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (Arista, 2003)
• 52. Lyrics Born, Later That Day… (Quannum, 2003)
• 53. Buck 65, Talkin’ Honky Blues (Warner Music Canada, 2003)
• 54. Lupe Fiasco, Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor (Atlantic, 2006)
• 55. Murs & 9th Wonder, 3:16: The 9th Edition (Definitive Jux, 2004)
• 56. Deltron 3030 (75 Ark, 2000)
• 57. 50 Cent, Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (Shady/Aftermath/Interscope, 2003)
• 58. DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist, Product Placement (One29, 2001)
• 59. Shape of Broad Minds, Craft of the Lost Art (Lex Records, 2007)
• 60. Daedelus, Invention (Plug Research, 2002)
• 61. Five Deez, Koolmotor (Counterflow, 2001)
• 62. The Go! Team, Thunder, Lightning, Strike (Memphis Industries, 2005)
• 63. T.I., King (Atlantic, 2006)
• 64. Mos Def, The Ecstatic (Downtown Records, 2009)
• 65. Prefuse 73, Vocal Studies & Uprock Narratives (Warp, 2001)
• 66. Foreign Exchange, The Connected (BBE Music, 2004)
• 67. Danger Mouse, The Grey Album (online, 2004)
• 68. Wu-Tang Clan, The W (Loud, 2000)
• 69. Sole, Selling Live Water (Anticon, 2003)
• 70. Q-Tip, The Renaissance (Universal Motown, 2008)
• 71. Common, Be (Geffen, 2005)
• 72. Black Milk, Tronic (Fat Beats, 2008)
• 73. Talib Kweli & DJ Hi-Tek, Reflection Eternal (Rawkus, 2000)
• 74. Cadence Weapon, Breaking Kayfabe (Upper Class Recordings, 2005)
• 75. J Dilla, Welcome 2 Detroit (BBE Music, 2001)
• 76. J-Zone, Pimps Don’t Pay Taxes (Old Maid Entertainment, 2001)
• 77. dead prez, Let’s Get Free (Loud, 2000)
• 78. The Cool Kids, The Bake Sale (Chocolate Industries, 2008)
• 79. Antipop Consortium, Tragic Epilogue (75 Ark, 2000)
• 80. Blackalicious, Blazing Arrow (MCA, 2002)
• 81. Kid Cudi, A Kid Named Cudi (online, 2008)
• 82. Flying Lotus, 1983 (Plug Research, 2006)
• 83. Cormega, The Realness (Legal Hustle, 2001)
• 84. Jean Grae & 9th Wonder, Jeanius (Blacksmith, 2008)
• 85. Prodigy, Return of the Mac (Koch, 2007)
• 86. Subtle, For Hero: For Fool (Astralwerks, 2006)
• 87. Beanie Sigel, The Truth (Roc-A-Fella Records, 2000)
• 88. Tanya Morgan, Moonlighting (Loud Minority Music, 2006)
• 89. People Under the Stairs, “O.S.T.” (Om Records, 2002)
• 90. Diverse, One A.M. (Chocolate Industries, 2005)
• 91. Mr. Lif, Enters the Colossus EP (Definitive Jux, 2000)
• 92. Roots Manuva, Run Come Save Me (Big Dada, 2001)
• 93. Saul Williams, The Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! (Fader Label, 2007)
• 94. Dabrye, One/Three (Ghostly International, 2001)
• 95. Jedi Mind Tricks, Violent By Design (Superegular Recordings, 2000)
• 96. Lil Wayne, The Carter II (Cash Money Records, 2005)
• 97. El-P, I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead (Definitive Jux, 2007)
• 98. Mike Ladd, Welcome to the Afterfuture (Ozone, 2000)
• 99. 2Mex, B Boys in Occupied Mexico (Mean Street, 2001)
• 100. 9th Wonder, God’s Stepson (HipHopSite.com, 2003)

Honorable Mention:

• 1. Aesop Rock, Labor Days (Definitive Jux, 2001)
• 2. Afu-Ra, Body of the Life Force (Koch, 2000)
• 3. Aloe Blacc, Shine Through (Stones Throw Records, 2006)
• 4. Awol One & Daddy Kev, Souldoubt (Mean Street, 2001)
• 5. Bubba Sparxxx, Deliverance (Interscope, 2003)
• 6. Bumpy Knuckles, Industry Shakedown (KJAC, 2000)
• 7. Busdriver, Fear of a Black Tangent (Mush, 2005)
• 8. Busdriver & Radioinactive w/Daedelus, The Weather (Mush, 2003)
• 9. Cage, Hell’s Winter (Definitive Jux, 2005)
• 10. Cee-Lo, Cee-Lo and his Perfect Imperfections (Arista, 2002)
• 11. Clipse, Lord Willin’ (Star Trak, 2002)
• 12. Count Bass D, Begborrowsteal (Ramp, 2004)
• 13. Cyne, Collection: 1999-2003 (Botanica del Jibaro, 2003)
• 14. De La Soul, The Grind Date (Sanctuary Urban, 2004)
• 15. Dizzee Rascal, Boy In Da Corner (XL Recordings, 2003)
• 16. DJ Krush, Zen (Red Ink, 2001)
• 17. DJ Z-Trip & DJ P, Uneasy Listening (self-released, 2001)
• 18. Dudley Perkins, A Lil’ Light (Stones Throw Records, 2003)
• 19. Eliot Lipp, Tacoma Mockingbird (Hefty, 2005)
• 20. Ghostface Killah, The Pretty Toney Album (Def Jam, 2003)
• 21. Invincible, ShapeShifters (Emergence, 2008)
• 22. J. Rawls, The Essence of J. Rawls (Groove Attack, 2001)
• 23. J-Live, All Of the Above (Coup D’Etat, 2002)
• 24. Joell Ortiz, The Brick: Bodega Chronicles (Koch, 2007)
• 25. Johnson&Johnson (Tres Records, 2008)
• 26. K-os, Joyful Rebellion (Astralwerks, 2004)
• 27. Lifesavas, Gutterfly: The Original Soundtrack (Quannum, 2007)
• 28. Lil Wayne, Dedication II (GangstaGrillz.com, 2005)
• 29. Ludacris, Chicken & Beer (Def Jam, 2003)
• 30. Masta Ace, Disposable Arts (JCOR, 2001)
• 31. Metal Fingers, Special Herbs: The Box Set Vol. 0-9 (Nature Sounds, 2006)
• 32. Missy Elliott, Under Construction (Elektra, 2002)
• 33. Mr. Lif, I Phantom (Definitive Jux, 2002)
• 34. Nas, Hip Hop Is Dead (Def Jam, 2006)
• 35. Nosaj Thing, Drift (Alpha Pup, 2009)
• 36. Oh No, Exodus Into Unheard Rhythms (Stones Throw, 2006)
• 37. Pole, Pole (Mute, 2004)
• 38. Raekwon, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…Pt II (Ice H20 Records/EMI, 2009)
• 39. The Roots, Game Theory (Def Jam, 2006)
• 40. Sage Francis, A Healthy Distrust (Epitaph, 2005)
• 41. Sean Price, Monkey Barz (Duck Down Records, 2005)
• 42. Sole, Bottle of Humans (Anticon, 2000)
• 43. Sonic Sum, The Sanity Annex (Ozone Music, 2000)
• 44. Thavius Beck, Decomposition (Mush, 2005)
• 45. Them (Anticon, 2000)
• 46. Ursula Rucker, Supa Sista (!K7, 2001)
• 47. Various Artists, Run the Road (Vice, 2005)
• 48. Wale, The Mixtape About Nothing (online, 2008)
• 49. Xzibit, Restless (Loud, 2000)
• 50. Zion-I, Deep Water Slang v. 2.0 (Raptivism, 2003)

Kanye West photo by Danny Clinch.

While the Plug One 50′s top 20 albums list is designed to be authoritative (or at least highly opinionated), the top 30 tracks list tends to be a mishmash of random favorites.

These are a few songs that caught my ear. Some were important singles; others were just “YouTube singles”; and still others were random MP3s. It was actually difficult to put together, not due to an abundance of choices, but because I usually pay attention to albums, not songs. I can’t promise that the situation will improve next year, and I’ll learn to remember the cuts that I liked, but shit, it would make this job a lot easier, wouldn’t it?

I decided to rank the top ten, if only to highlight the ones that truly stood out for me, and then alphabetized the rest.

1. Raekwon, “House of Flying Daggers”
Ice H20 Records/EMI

Raekwon caught everyone’s attention with this throwback to the glory days of Wu. Over a banging track from the late J Dilla — which, it should be noted, was reportedly commissioned before Dilla’s death — Rae, Inspectah Deck, Ghostface and Meth drop a bag of heat rocks, with GZA on the chorus. It let us know that the long-delayed Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt II would actually be good.

2. Eminem, “Beautiful”
Interscope

Relapse should have sounded like this bittersweet single, not the drug-addled attempts to reclaim Slim Shady glory that made it such a disappointment. It proves that Eminem, when not sheltered by Jimmy Iovine and a nation of suburban Stans, is still capable of producing great records. Bonus points earned for “Beautiful’s” accompanying video, which paid elegiac tribute to Em’s native, broken-down Detroit.

3. The Roots, “How I Got Over”
Def Jam

“Out on the streets, where I grew up/First thing they teach you is not to give a fuck/That type of thinking will get you nowhere/Someone has to care.” Brilliant.

4. Cage, “Nothing Left to Say”
Definitive Jux

Cage’s official single, the serial killer fantasy “Depart From Me,” got the Shia LaBouef video treatment, but this teaser single made a bigger impression on me. It honors his late friend and rhyme partner Tero “Camu Tao” Smith, an underappreciated vet who died from cancer last year. (A few major blogs who shall remain nameless, unaware of Camu Tao’s talents, struggled to mount tributes.) Cage gives him the musical tribute he deserves, promising to “live through Camu” over smash-mouth guitars and a raucous El-P beat.

5. Hudson Mohawke, Polyfolk Dance EP
Warp

This five-track instrumental 12-inch summarized Hudson Mohawke’s ideas, with the standout “Velvet Peel” at its whimsically digital center.

6. Buckshot & KRS-One, “Robot”
Duck Down Records

After Jay-Z’s “D.O.A. (Death of Autotune)” blew up, the airwaves Buckshot tried to claim credit for starting the anti-vocoder trend since his track dropped first. I liked when KRS-One rapped”Go online, look up Kraftwerk/everything we doing is past work.” It was kinda corny: these days, any teeny bopper can not only download Kraftwerk’s complete catalog, but their influences and their followers, which is neatly documented by Allmusic.com. You have to read deeper into Kris’ line to get his overall point — these silly trends really are reverberations of what’s come before them. It’s simple wisdom.

7. Anti-Pop Consortium, “Volcano”
Big Dada

After reuniting last year following a six-year layoff, I wondered if Anti-Pop still had the potential to “disturb the equilibrium.” This vibrant battle rap let me know that my fears were unfounded.

8. Sa-Ra Creative Partners, “Love Czars”
Ubiquity Recordings

Technically, this 10-minute locked-groove symphony isn’t a hip hop track; you’ll have to dig up the remix featuring Jay Electronica and Ta’Raach for that. However, it exemplified future soul, and all the cross-currents — from hip hop to house music and future jazz — that flow through it.

9. J Dilla feat. Black Thought, “Reality Check”
Nature Sounds

“Reality Check” was a diamond amidst the rough, unfinished beats and sloppy vocals of Jay Stay Paid. Black Thought’s rant about reality TV hell, with its allusions to Public Enemy’s “She Watches Channel Zero,” rolled over Dilla’s synth-y track like a third rail.

10. Mos Def, “Casa Bey”
Downtown Records

Mos Def’s The Ecstatic was effortlessly innovative, and this laser-sharp example of his lyrical prowess, set to his own jazzy shapeshifting beat, was a sterling representation.

And here’s the rest of the list in alphabetical order:

Aceyalone & The Lonely Ones, “The Lonely Ones”
Decon

Asher Roth, “Lark in My Go-Kart”
SRC

Busdriver, “Least Favorite Rapper”
Anti-

Cage, “Depart From Me”
Definitive Jux

Cam’ron, “I Hate My Job”
Asylum

Clipse, “Kinda Like A Big Deal”
Columbia Records

The Clonius, Adroit Adventures EP
Ubiquity Recordings

Del and Tame One, “The Franchise”
Gold Dust Media

Dorian Concept, “Tropical Trilingual Tease” (online sample track from “Trilingual Dance Sexperience”)
Affine Records

Drake, “Best I Ever Had”
Universal Motown

Filastine, “Marxa”
Soot Records

Finale, “Jungle Music”
online MP3

Kero One, “Welcome to the Bay”
Plug Label

Mos Def, “Supermagic”
Downtown Records

MF Doom, “Lightworks”
Lex Records

Pill, “Trap Goin’ Ham”
Grade A Muzik

Raekwon, “Surgical Gloves”
Ice H20 Records/EMI

Tanya Morgan, “Hardcore Gentlemen”
Interdependent Media

Themselves, “Roman Is As Roman Does”
Anticon

Theophilus London, “Cold Pillow”
online MP3

This year’s crop of hip hop albums was an improvement over last year. But it didn’t come from the artists expected to dominate.

Around this time in 2008, everyone was buzzing about the “new school” of blog-hyped rappers. They injected the medium with an enthusiasm not felt in ages. So far, however, the results of this youth movement are decidedly uneven. Wale’s Attention Deficit drew mixed reviews; even fans of it must concede that it has plenty of decent rhymes, but lacks great songs. By contrast, Kid Cudi landed a few monster singles, particularly the undying “Day ‘N Nite,” but his Man on the Moon: The End of Day seemed monotone and self-indulgent. Blu and the Cool Kids mostly kept silent, and we all know what happened to Charles Hamilton.

With the jury still out on the so-called “freshman class,” the end of the aughts belonged to the veterans. With the notable exception of Nosaj Thing and Dorian Concept, all of the artists on this list are firmly established. Some mounted surprising comebacks after years of mediocre and sub-par work; others made solid follow-ups to classic albums. Unlike 2008 and Flying Lotus’ Los Angeles (and, I would argue, the Cool Kids’ The Bake Sale), these recordings didn’t establish new stylistic tropes. In a year when populism and stubborn class and racial traditions weighed down American culture, these works met expectations and buffered the status quo, whether it was the true-school ethos or the mainstream’s street-rap-as-blues credo.

That’s not to say that 2009 wasn’t an exciting time: it was. But hip hop music thrives on youth movements, and to see blog rap’s most promising rookies disappear in a cloud of weed smoke, meandering mixtapes and incessant corporate-sponsored tours and marketing campaigns was frustrating. It certainly didn’t convince the old heads from continuing to insist that the genre is a dead zombie walking. Of course, next year could be different. But for now, this is where we are.

I don’t know if this list is unique from any other, but I suspect there may be a few surprises. Perhaps the most contentious entry is for Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…Pt II. It has topped many lists, but it certainly didn’t top mine. If my summary reads negative, it’s in reaction to the universal acclaim that has greeted it, some of which seems unwarranted. People love their action fantasies, and Raekwon’s triumphant return has some great crime narratives. But I think some consider it the year’s best because it fits stereotypes of what a great hip hop album is supposed to sound like; other entries on this list drew strong reviews, too, but they were often considered something other than “real hip hop.”

I don’t know what that “other” may may be. Maybe “alt-rap,” “backpacker,” or some nefarious micro-genre like “wobbly”? But lists such as the Plug One 50 will continue to be an anomaly until fans stop equating the genre with criminal activity and po-faced lyrical schemes, embrace a more complex universe of sounds, and live up to Afrika Bambaataa’s vision of hip hop as a perspective on the world instead of a region-specific, drug-infested street corner.

Yes, 2009 was a good year. We got consistently great music, but we missed the excitement that made 2008 seem like a promise of better things to come. Hopefully 2010 will combine not only the tried and true, but also the shock of the new.

1. Mos Def, The Ecstatic
Downtown Records

Few albums sound as hard-earned as The Ecstatic. It incorporates everything Mos Def has done up to now, from the scat-rapping to the soulful singjay-ing that is a bedrock of his stunning live performances. Like Erykah Badu on last year’s New Amerykah Part One (4th World War), he turns to cutting-edge producers — namely Madlib, Oh No and Mr. Flash — to create a frission that his past albums lacked. Those older recordings, particularly 2007′s disastrous True Magic, made The Ecstatic a surprising comeback, but it wouldn’t have been possible without those trials and errors. Its hopeful theme, an obvious nod to President Obama’s 2008 election and the ensuing “Life in Marvelous Times,” tells of a hard road to glory.

2. Sa-Ra Creative Partners, Nuclear Evolution: The Age Of Love
Ubiquity Recordings

If Sa-Ra’s first collection of recorded material, The Hollywood Recordings, was a coked-up ode to sex, drugs and nightlife; then Nuclear Evolution showed a way out of the despair and decadence. “Love Czars,” the album’s magnificent centerpiece, rolled out a locked groove as hypnotic as a Theo Parrish track; “Cosmic Ball,” with jazz-fusion master Gary Bartz as guest, was a shambolic dance in the light. Overall, Nuclear Evolution showed the different sides of Sa-Ra with a depth not heard before, justifying their rep as one of the most talented of the new soul era.

3. Nosaj Thing, Drift
Alpha Pup Records

Here’s an excerpt from my interview with Nosaj Thing earlier this year:

The hype surrounding Drift is the inevitable result of a scene gathering media and fan attention. Thankfully, Drift isn’t a summary of beat music clichés, but a haunting suite of songs that resembles Romantic classicism, minimalism/new music theory and old-school “electronica” techniques pioneered by Global Goon and Aphex Twin. (One of Drift’s tracks is titled “1685/Bach,” a nod to the year Johann Sebastian Bach was born.) Marrying his esoteric melodies to subtly dusted beats, Nosaj Thing creates an instrumental journey that leaves an indelible impression.

4. Brother Ali, Us
Rhymesayers Entertainment

Some critics have asked why Brother Ali, with two great albums under his belt, is never ranked among today’s best MCs. Certainly, few artists could convey inner peace and happiness with such clarity. Like Animal Collective, whose Merriweather Post Pavilion used domestic bliss as a source for drama as rich as any emotional conflict, Brother Ali takes marriage and family as a starting point to wonder why the rest of the world is in turmoil. He raps with such passion and moral certitude; he truly is, as Chuck D. calls him, “a soldier of love.”

5. Aceyalone, Aceyalone & The Lonely Ones
Decon

The second in a planned trilogy of tributes to his influences (the first being 2007′s underrated dancehall venture Lightning Strikes), Aceyalone & the Lonely Ones celebrates the big beats of classic Motown and doo-wop. But it’s not just another retro-soul exercise. Aceyalone playfully inhabits Bionik’s tracks, dropping a series of clean, family-friendly rhymes reminiscent of Freestyle Fellowship’s “Inner City Boundaries.” This may not be Aceyalone’s most important album, but it’s joyously fun all the same.

6. Raekwon, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…Pt. II
Ice H2O Records/EMI

At 22 tracks, this long-awaited sequel to Raekwon’s 1995 masterpiece was full of highs and lows, from the terrific “House Of Flying Daggers” and “Surgical Gloves” to boorish smackdowns like “Broken Safety” (featuring the always predictable Jadakiss). Importantly, this edition focused narrowly on crack dealing, all the way down to the absurd “We Will Rob You” (an interpolation of Queen’s “We Will Rock You”). Save for the anguished “Cold Outside,” it didn’t aspire towards the white-hot hellfire and spiritual redemption of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. Here, drug dealing isn’t one’s lot in life, but a familiar role, like a Martin Scorsese gangster flick. The purple tint of the album cover — an allusion to the original’s limited-edition “purple tape” jewel case  — signified business as usual. However, its best songs made for undeniably spectacular mainstream entertainment.

7. Madlib – Beat Konducta, Vol. 5-6: A Tribute To…
Stones Throw

Originally released as two vinyl-only EPs (Vol. 5: Dil Cosby Suite and Vol. 6: Dil Withers Suite), this tribute to Madlib’s friend and collaborator James “J Dilla” Yancey contains real and genuine sorrow. Madlib may have been Dilla’s biggest influence in his final years; you can hear it in his masterwork, Donuts. So the Beat Konducta repays the favor by incorporating samples from Dilla’s best loved tracks, including “The Light.” It’s still quirky and weird…this is a Madlib album, after all. Call it a revival, with plenty of beers, blunts and tears to go around.

8. Serengeti & Polyphonic, Terradactyl
Anticon

Serengeti has worked quietly in Chicago, releasing poorly-distributed albums full of sharply detailed character sketches and odd hooks, which makes him a perfect addition to the left-of-center Anticon. As his official national debut, Terradactyl brings those subterranean elements to light. There is “My Negativity,” which he chants as “My Negga-negga-negga,” drawing an unconscious parallel with a historic epithet. “My Patriotism” turns not to politics but to intimate relations. Meanwhile, Polyphonic the Verbose’s electronic squalls dance around Serengeti’s tales of everyman woe like glowing brain synapses.

9. Tanya Morgan, Brooklynati
Interdependent Media

Brooklynati was a sophomore effort in every way — bigger guests, better production and a concerted effort to translate the rough charms of its debut, 2006′s Moonlighting, to a broader canvas and a wider, blogosphere-primed audience. That the group was mostly successful — the album doesn’t really take off until nearly a third of the way through, during their brilliant “horrorcore” parody “Hardcore Gentlemen” — misses the point. Von Pea, Ilyas, and Donwill continue to grow by leaps and bounds, delivering cipher cuts (“Never 2ndary”) and love jawns (“Never Enough”) with the unique perspective of three admitted rap nerds who are slowly becoming genuine indie-rap heroes.

10. DOOM, Born Like This
Lex Records

If The Ecstatic was Obama’s campaign of hope set to hip hop, then Born Like This was the rabid, red dog populist aftermath. It’s not exactly a fuck-you album on par with Prince and the Revolution’s Around the World In a Day and OutKast’s Idlewild, since DOOM bookended his first solo disc in five years with a gospelly “Thank Yah.” But after enduring rumors of alcoholism, ill health and even his death, prompted by years of eccentric behavior — he hasn’t been seen publicly without his trademark mask since the late 90s — and notorious no-shows at his concerts, DOOM sounds unrepentant. On the Charles Bukowski-quoting “Cellz” and the homophobic “Batty Boys,” among others, he sounds furious, shoving hard rhymes and third-person asides down your throat like Ron Artest. He doesn’t do it consistently enough to make Born Like This a classic, but he still manages to excite and infuriate all at once.

And here’s the rest of the list sans commentary:

11. P.O.S., Never Better
Rhymesayers

12. Finale, A Pipe Dream And A Promise
Interdependent Media

13. Shafiq Husayn, Shafiq ‘En A-Free-Kah
Plug Research

14. Busdriver, Jhelli Beam
Anti-

15. Mike Slott, Lucky 9Teen
LuckyMe

16. Anti-Pop Consortium, Fluorescent Black
Big Dada

17. Willie Isz, Georgiavania
Lex Records

18. Dorian Concept, When Planets Explode
Kindred Spirits

19. Zion-I, The TakeOver
Gold Dust Media

20. Mr. Lif, I Heard It Today
Bloodbot Tactical Enterprises

This is a primer for labeling and properly uploading mixtapes. Some tech-savvy dudes will mock my simple suggestions. But it’s hard to laugh at the sundry ways musicians, labels and marketers label their wares; and the inconvenience they cause for those of us who actually try to maintain order on our hard drives. Sometimes the easiest path is the least followed.

And don’t chalk it up to the digital/cultural/racial divide, either. I download lots of rock, electronic and soul albums, too, and those artists are just as likely to label their products haphazardly. But Plug One is a hip hop site, and so I look to my rap peoples to change the tide. Read on, true believers…

1. Include the name and the title in the folder label. You’d be surprised how many downloads never include this very important information. I download dozens of MP3 albums a week; when a mixtape folder doesn’t have proper labeling, it sits on my desktop like a mystery. I often have to toggle back to my desktop, open the folder and highlight an MP3 file so I can figure out the artist and the title. It’s a big hassle, and doesn’t exactly make me keen to listen to the music. In fact, I often just delete it.

It’s easy to add a proper label to a folder. Just highlight the folder and type in the name and the title.

See? That wasn’t so hard.

2. Don’t use weird punctuation in labels (!, ?, et cetera). Zip programs may act unexpectedly once encountering them — they may unzip the folder, refuse to unzip the folder and claim that it is “corrupted,” or throw a fit and leave the corrupted folder on your desktop forever (or at least until you do a clean install of your computer). Even if your name or album title has a “?” in it, it’s better to just label your folder using underscores (“_”) and periods (“.”).

3. Include all album artwork images in the mixtape folder. A few days ago, I downloaded Jack Splash’s new mixtape Heir to the Throne Vol. 1 from the SmokingSection.com. When I unzipped the folder, however, it didn’t include the album artwork .jpgs, even though the artwork is clearly displayed on the website. Fail.

With the recent push towards replicating the tactile experience of possessing an actual record or CD, it seems that rappers (and yes, fantastic soul dynamos like Mr. Splash) would want to lead the charge and include the album artwork .jpgs in their mixtape downloads. And hey, maybe you could even include some publicity photo .jpgs for bloggers who want to re-post your tape, too. After all, it seems like bloggers (and aspiring bloggers) mostly download these things, anyway.

So dazzle us with .jpgs, but remember…

4. No weird files, please. Just .mp3s and .jpgs, thank you. If you’re an ambitious sort who wants to include a bio, press release and/or tray artwork, use .docs or .pdfs. But strange .html files linking to random websites tend to scare me off, thinking that the folder might have some kind of virus. And by the way…

5. Stick to the .mp3 audio format. Getting a folder of .wav and .m4a files (or even, god forbid, .mp4, .aiff, .wma, et cetera) is like getting a pair of socks in my Christmas stocking. Sure, they’re useful, but do I really want them? If you’re going to go artsy-fartsy and use .flac, then have the courtesy to announce it so people can decide whether they want to dilly-dally with them.

6. Label your .mp3 files properly. This may be tricky for some technically-challenged artists, so I’ll break it down for you.

a. Right-click on .mp3 file.

b. Click on Properties.

c. Click on Summary. Here you can enter formatting information like Artist, Album Title, Year, Track Number and Genre.

I understand this might be too much of a hassle. For a quicker solution, format your files by loading them in iTunes first; or use Exact Audio Copy, a CD-ripping program that also formats files.

7. Rip files at a consistent bit rate. Ripping files at different rates (192 kbps, 256 kbps, et cetera) can make for significant dips in sound quality. As a result, one track will bang loudly through my computer speakers, while another will make me turn up the volume, straining to hear the music. At the very least, sticking to one rate (preferably 320 kpbs) will keep your listeners from having to constantly fiddle with the volume knob.

8. Use a file-hosting site that isn’t clogged with spam and pop-up links. This can be tricky, as popular sites like Zshare.net and Mediafire.com flirt with different levels of pop-ups, depending on how desperate they are for advertising cash. All I know is that when I’m inundated with pop-ups, I fear that my computer is about to be attacked and I cancel the download.

9. Use a file-hosting site that doesn’t set a download limit. Many sites such as YouSendIt.com cap the number of downloads unless you purchase an account with them. Others such as Rapidshare.com use a “queue” system that makes you wait 60 seconds or more, which prevents them from being overloaded with traffic. I’d much rather wait a minute than click on a link that’s “dead” because too many users already downloaded the folder.

10. If you’re going to require that I give you my email address first to access the mixtape, then don’t abuse it. Don’t sell my email address to a third-party business, and don’t assault me every few days with asinine “updates” about some cafe you’re DJ’ing at in Manhattan.

Most importantly, emphasize quality over quantity. Stop trying to be Lil Wayne and spend some time on your craft. Then maybe I’ll spend some money on your official album, too.

Chuck D., the legendary front man for Public Enemy, recently told Allhiphop.com that he wants to see more women involved in hip hop. “In ‘09, my fighting the power is for women in Hip-Hop, especially groups, producers, songwriters, and label heads,” he said.

But if his ears were pointed towards the underground, rather than the hip hop-arazzi malaise of the mainstream, then he would notice that there are more female emcees than ever. Then again, the fact that few of these women – with the notable exception of Jean Grae – have had much impact on the tabloid-obsessed rap world speaks volumes to their overall position among fans, who continue to view women as mindless dime pieces, half naked “video models” only meant to brighten an otherwise ordinary day on the blogs.

For now, though, let’s not get into sexism, a brain-dead horse which doesn’t seem to die. Instead, let’s celebrate Women’s History Month with ten or so ladies who are getting it done in spite of that. Real femcees stand up!

Jean Grae: Formerly known as What What, this Brooklyn artist is the grande dame of “femcees.” She has a quick-witted and wicked flow and, quiet as kept, can even produce dope beats – she produced the indie classic “Negro League Baseball” under the guise of Run Run Shaw. Her current label, Blacksmith, botched her third and best album, last year’s Jeanius. But with luck she’ll get another chance at attaining mass appeal. (myspace.com/jeangrae)

Invincible: In Detroit, Invincible is as well known for her community activism on a host of issues, from gentrification to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as for ripping the mic. She’s appeared on tracks for Dabrye and Finale, but her most recent album, ShapeShifters, proved she can write memorable songs as well as deliver energy-boosting guest spots. Look for a Plug One interview with Invincible very soon. (myspace.com/invincilana)

Stacy Epps: This Atlanta-based artist has quietly assembled a solid discography, thanks to her 2005 Sol Uprising collaboration with John Robinson, guest appearances with Shape of Broad Minds (Raiders of the Lost Art) and Madvillain (Madvillainy) and a solo debut last year in the form of The Awakening. Her style ranges between rolling staccato raps and languid, tuneful harmonizing. (stacyepps.wordpress.com)

Amanda Diva: Much like Saul Williams, Diva applies a poet’s love of broken verse and detailed lines to the art of emceeing. She’s also something of a hustler, hosting shows on Sirius radio, making “talking pundit” appearances on sundry VH-1 celeb-reality fests, and creating online videos such as “Diva Speak TV.” And I can’t forget that she joined Floetry for a brief spell. As my cousin would say, she has “a little bit of Jamaican in her.” Amanda Diva released a mixtape earlier this month, Spandex, Rhymes and Soul, that you can download via her MySpace page. (www.myspace.com/amandadiva)

Stahhr the Femcee: Now that DOOM’s comeback album Born Like This has hit the streets, everyone will know who this Atlanta rapper is. But her track with the supervillain, “Still Dope,” actually first appeared on her 2008 full-length, the iTunes-only release Almost Never Was. Her determinedly logical rhymes and intellectual flow has brightened past Doom projects such as Mm…Food and King Geedorah’s Take Me to Your Leader. (www.myspace.com/stahhr723)

Kid Sister: This list wouldn’t be complete without the first female rapper to taste pop success – however fleeting – since Missy Elliott. Since becoming one of the first “hipster rappers” to take over indie clubs with her single “Damn Girl” – she appeared on the cover of URB in 2007 — Kid Sister has worked hard to meet the sky-high buzz surrounding her. A second single with Kanye West, “Pro Nails,” got airplay on “Rap City” last year. But her long-delayed debut for Downtown Records, Dream Date, has yet to be released. (www.myspace.com/kidsister)

Dessa: Last January, Dessa didn’t issue an album, but Spiral Bound, a chapbook of verse and personal essays. However, the Minneapolis artist isn’t just a poet: she can rhyme, too. Check Doomtree’s self-titled album from last year for proof. “Distress message coming from the city kids/I read it in the smoke signals from the filth and cigarettes,” she raps on “Dots and Dashes.” “I’m on a vision quest.” (www.myspace.com/dessadarling)

Rita J: Since XLR8R magazine profiled her near the end of 2007, I’ve been waiting for this Chicago affiliate of the All Natural camp to drop her debut, Artist’s Workshop. Save for a mixtape, Ms. Jackson, little has been heard from her. A quick check to her MySpace page reveals a snippet tape for the album, however, so it should come out this year. (www.myspace.com/ritajackson)

Isis: With indie-dance hits such as “Jerk It,” this Toronto-based member of Thunderheist isn’t well known to hip hop fans. But on the group’s self-titled debut (out via Big Dada on March 31) she reveals an infectious and swaggering style. (www.thunderheist.com)

Amanda Blank: Throughout this list, I’ve tried to avoid female rappers who focus on their poontang. There’s nothing wrong with sex raps, but it has become such a cliché – the thug missus who loves to fuck is a stereotype that dates back to Lil’ Kim and Junior M.A.F.I.A.
But Amanda Blank can’t be denied. She has an impressive flow and a deft command of words. and can wax poetic about nightclubbing adventures and afterhours hookups. With her debut I Love You set to drop July 14 on Downtown Records, here’s hoping that this latest addition to Talib Kweli’s fledgling Blacksmith empire expands her palette beyond coochie raps. (www.myspace.com/amandablank)

Bonus pick – Eternia: Last but definitely not least, I can’t forget Eternia, who has held it down since her appearances with Atomz Family back in the early ‘00s. She’s grown from super-scientifical woodshedding to become a well-regarded lyricist in her native Canada, as well as a cult reputation in the West, thanks to guest shots alongside Wordsworth, Reef the Lost Cause and others. Check her 2005 album It’s Called Life for proof. (www.eternia.ca)