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

The Teacha and Buckshot Shorty interface with Tron. I like how each video from this project has them confronting a seemingly futuristic industry built on the same old scams.

Directed by Todd Angkasuwan. From Survival Skills, out now.

As I work through a massive backlog of press material, here’s another one to watch out for. KRS-One and Buckshot’s collabo Survival Skills drops September 15 on Duck Down Records. It’s packed with guests, from Mary J. Blige and Melanie Fiona to Talib Kweli and Slug from Atmosphere. And, of couse, lots of Duck Down members show up, including Smif-N-Wessun and new signee Geologic from Blue Scholars. Production comes from Black Milk, Illmind, Marco Polo, Khrysis, Nottz and 9th Wonder.

The first single, “Robot,” was produced by Havoc and has percolated around the Internet for a minute. Here’s some press info:

On the surface the album is a testament to the resiliency of two lyrical titans, but at its root Survival Skills is a blueprint for life. For instance on the infectious head-nodder “Robot,” which was released 6 weeks prior to Jay Z’s “The Death Of Auto Tune” track, and already available World Wide at Digital Retail Shops, such as iTunes, the duo speak-out against the recent overuse of the Auto-Tune vocal effect in urban music, but under the surface the message is much deeper. “I don’t want people to get the averaged clichéd version and thinking that we’re dissing people,’” Buckshot clarifies. “What we’re calling out here is the biters, the people that feel like because this guy sold X amount of records doing this, that I’m going to turn around and do it as well,” KRS says of the array of artists who have followed in the creative footsteps of Roger Troutman, Afrikka Bambatta, Teddy Riley and T-Pain. Despite its heavy message, sonically the track, produced by Mobb Deep’s Havoc, is as inviting as anything on the radio today. The video for “ROBOT,” directed by Todd Angkaswan, has been added into rotation at MTV & BET. The track has also been included in the sound track for Activision’s upcoming Tony Hawk skate game in stores this Fall.

Coincidently, ROBOT is not the first example of where Jay Z has released similar material and concepts from KRS-ONE & BUCKSHOT. In 2003, Buckshot’s group Black Moon recorded a song called “Stay Real,” which was, again, released 6 weeks prior to Jay Z’s “Public Service Announcement” track, that ironically contained the same sample as Black Moon’s “Stay Real.”

A couple years prior to this Jay Z released “THE BLUEPRINT,” which was the same title used by KRS-ONE in his classic album, Boogie Down Productions “Ghetto Music: The BLUEPRINT of Hip Hop.” …

For all of their individual accomplishments, KRS-ONE and Buckshot remain fans of each other’s work; complementing each other’s strengthens. “That’s still KRS-One at the end of the day. I didn’t know how to rhyme back when I first started listening to Kris,” says Buck alluding to his partner’s dominant history. In turn, KRS gives all praises to the Black Moon front man. “I am the humble teacher on the track, Buckshot is clearly the man,” he says.

Still gritty tracks like “Clean Up,” featuring Rock of Heltah Skeltah and the politically minded “Running Away” featuring Immortal Technique, make Survival Skills a Hip-Hop fan’s dream, catering to those that love lyrics and the boom-bap. Equally as rich is the album’s Black Milk-produced track, “The Way I Live” featuring the Queen of hip-hop soul, Mary J. Blige. Together they create a triumphant anthem for all those on the grind trying to conquer their dreams. The song’s summery feel and soothing melodies make it an instant hit.

Throughout, both veterans sound as hungry and invigorated as any of their rap counterparts. “Projects like these are projects that motivate me,” KRS says. “The idea to work with another MC that has his own persona and style and do a real collaboration in the studio, that’s motivation. I already got 16 albums of my own,” he adds.

What KRS-One and Buckshot have created is an album that is socially responsible, lyrically sharp and sonically banging. Buckshot sums it up best, “Hip-Hop was started as an option to not killing each other. We were in the ghettos and we were real fucked up. We created Hip-Hop so we didn’t have to do that anymore.”

“The album is called Survival Skills, because that is what it takes.”

Here’s the track listing:

• 1. “Survival Skills” (feat. DJ Revolution)
• 2. “Robot”
• 3. “The Way I Live” (feat. Mary J. Blige)
• 4. “Clean Up Crew” (feat. Rock of Heltah Skeltah)
• 5. “Oh Really” (feat. Talib Kweli & Geologic of Blue Scholars)
• 6. “We Made It” (feat. Slug of Atmosphere)
• 7. “Runnin Away” (feat. Immortal Technique)
• 8. “Think Of All The Things” (feat. K’naan)
• 9. “Connection” (feat. Smif-N-Wessun)
• 10. “Hear No Evil”
• 11. “One Shot” (feat. Pharoahe Monch)
• 12. “Murder 1″ (feat. Bounty Killer)
• 13. “Amazin’” (feat. Sean Price & Loudmouf Choir)
• 14. “Past, Present, Future” (feat. Melanie Fiona & Naledge of Kidz In The Hall)

I’m late on this one, but it’s such a great video that I’m posting it anyway.

From KRS-One and Buckshot’s Survival Skills, out September 15.

Over a year after the announcement, KRS-One and Marley Marl have set a release date for their historic collaboration. According to an Allhiphop.com news item, Hip-Hop Lives will drop via Koch Records on May 22.

Hip-Hop Lives marks a coda to a legendary beef between one of hip-hop’s greatest MCs and one of its greatest producers. With beats by Marley Marl, who had just made his mark with Roxanne Shante’s “Roxanne’s Revenge,” MC Shan released his seminal “The Bridge” in 1986 as a tribute to the two’s Queens hometown. KRS-One, then a fledgling MC in Boogie Down Productions with the late Scott La Rock, answered with “South Bronx.” The two went back and forth — MC Shan dropped “Kill That Noise,” and KRS-One put out “The Bridge Is Over,” one of the greatest dis songs of all time. The two camps have long since patched up their differences.

In the Allhiphop.com story, Marley Marl says, “My reason for doing this is to show these kids that [Hip-Hop beefs] are not that serious.” However, Hip-Hop Lives appears twenty years after “South Bronx” (and a decade after KRS-One and MC Shan appeared in a Sprite commercial), which doesn’t bode well for the G-Unit/Dipset/Jay-Z beefs.

In related news, KRS-One has completed a new solo album, Spitakular, that should come out this year. Marley Marl holds it down Friday nights from 2-4 a.m. on Power 105.1 (WWPR-FM).