N.O.R.E. gave Mass Appeal two minutes of his time, as he listed off his Top 5 Hip Hop records ever in order of ascension. The Queensbridge legend was his usual torpid self, as he delivered his sermon with a half-glass keepsake of old orchard wine. They don't call it Drinking Champs for nothing.
5. For the record, N.O.R.E. doesn't actually remember the title of his 5th favorite record. He does the Grand Daddy I.U. line where he pines over a beautiful girl named Kenya from West Virginia he met in a strip mall. Sometimes the mind latches on to useful information, otherwise us humans are generally spineless when it comes to retention. From the jump, you get a sense N.O.R.E.'s all-time list is going to be Queensbridge-centric.
4. Slick Rick's "Children's Story" slots in at #4. The choice is hard to argue objectively. With this record, Slick Rick created an unsurpassed model for storytelling in rap. The seminal record is at the very least a conversation starter on the subject of narrative-play.
3. Notorious B.I.G. clocks in at #3 with "I Got a Story to Tell." The title says it all, if you aren't shopping a manuscript in your song don't come-a-knocking. N.O.R.E. becomes spastic as he relishes his opportunity to champion yet another "storytelling" record. This time Brooklyn puts a point on the board. So far 3/3 "Storytelling" classics, and 2/3 Queensbridge generated content make up the list.
2. N.O.R.E. duet with Nas titled "Body in the Trunk" lands in the runner-up. Even though this peak reeks of nepotism, it's a pretty solid "homegrown" pick. In the opening verse Nas raps "Face lookin like you're feenin' for hen," to describe the lecherous characters hanging in the lobby. Yet again a depthful storytelling verse makes the cut.
1. The number one song on his all-time list is Nas' "I Gave You Power" for the simple reason N.O.R.E. can't get over the personification of a firearm as "You." To be honest, he's not wrong. Nas' act of concealment erases the boundaries created by literal language. The result is one of Nas' greatest one-stroke performances.
What are your Top 5 songs ever?
