Yo Yo Yo Raps

I would like to do a little mental experiment here. Let's pretend you're out vacationing in some foreign land, when suddenly terrorist kidnap you. A bag is thrown over your head, you're thrown in the back of a van, and after unknown hours of driving you find yourself tied to a chair surrounded by angry Arabs. Scared, dehydrated, and sure you're about to die, one of the many angry Arabs puts AK-47 to your head and says in strained broken English, "You have 10 minutes to tell me the 10 greatest rap songs of all time or I blow off your fucking head." It would seem that these dessert rats have decided to catch up with modern music and need the skinny on this whole rap thing.

Put yourself in this situation, you have roughly a minute per song to name the greatest rap songs of all time. What would you say? Avoid reading forward if you like and in 10 minutes list you picks.

Under terrorist guard, here is what I spewed out. Now remember I am a white boy raised in the Midwest. I am not a very big rap found, and know only the very basics of it's history. With little logic or thinking, in no particular order, here is the 10 best rap songs of all time.

99 Problems- Jay Z

Even I had to give praise to Jay-Z after this 2004 hit single. It made it on my High School mix cds, and was the first time I ever saw Rick Rubin.

White and Nerdy

After his Poodle Hat album, I was a little worried that Al was loosing his parody mastery. All doubts were dropped when this parody of Chamillionaire's "Ridin Dirty" surfaced in 2007.

Lose Yourself- Eminem

An incredible song detailing the life of a rap battler from the 8 Mile Soundtrack, this 2002 single in my opinion is Em's best song. Weird Al actually has a great parody of this song too.

Sabotage- Beastie Boys

1994, Fuck ya white boys can rap. At first tempted to pick "Fight For Your Right to Party", Nah his is the superior Beastie track. Rock stations still give it love, and man realistically Beastie could have three tracks on this list.

In Da club- 50 Cent

2003, the heavy weight 50 Cent enters the rap ring with Eminem and Dr. Dre in his corner. Everyone in my High School was cranking this one.

Yeah!- Usher featuring Ludacriss and Lil John

Arguably the best song of 2007, how can you not get down to this one.

Baby Got Back- SirMixaLot

Even those who hate rap can get down to this 1992 classic. Shake that sexy ass.

Imma Tell- Tech N9ne

This song is fucking insane, and became an instant hit amongst my crew.

Gangsters Paradise- Koolio

Perhaps the first rap song I ever heard, in elementary school music class of all places, there is no denying the honesty and power in his Grammy winning 1995 track. The amazing parody also first introduced me to Weird Al.

The Truth is Here- Brother Ali

2007, the big albino rap from Minneapolis spit some fucking amazing truth.