Zulu
05-17-06, 05:21 PM
Chamillionaire’s Top 10 Favorite Hip-Hop Collaborations
1. Scarface feat. 2pac “Smile”
“One of the most respected rappers in the South and one of the most respected rappers period. I just love that song. It had a purpose. The song, the video, it was all different. Even today, you don’t see people doing things like that. It was more creative; whereas now music is all about the single. That was real hip-hop right there.”
2. Jay-Z feat. UGK “Big Pimpin’”
“Jay-Z is my favorite rapper and to see him do that with two respected rappers from the South—and from Texas especially—that collaboration just came out real, real dope. They was all rippin’ the song so hard.”
3. Nas feat. Lauryn Hill “If I Ruled the World”
“Lauryn Hill is one of the best singers, and at the time, Nas was on some real lyrical ish. Back then, people cared more about the lyrics in rap and what the song was saying. It really had a purpose and a good concept. It’s one of those songs you can play in front of your family and it gives you that feel-good feeling. So many collaborations that come out today sound pasted together by an A&R, but that just seemed like it was just natural. They had a really good chemistry on that song.”
4. Method Man feat. Mary J. Blige “All I Need”
“This has that same feeling. It’s like a perfect marriage. It was street music, but it had a purpose. At that time, Wu-Tang was super hot and Meth was one of my favorites. They both blossomed into being megastars.”
5. 2Pac feat. Dr. Dre “California Love”
“At that time, the West Coast was putting its stamp on the game, representing real hard. For someone to put out a song called ‘California Love’ that was respected everywhere from the East Coast to the South, that right there was big, man. The creativity in the video was different than anything. They went against the grain with that one and it worked.”
6. M.O.P. feat. Busta Rhymes and Remy Ma “Ante Up (Remix)”
“It had that energy, that power. To this day, I don’t care if you in the club or wherever, this song just makes you want to rip something off the wall. That’s an instant classic.”
7. Snoop Dogg feat. Dr. Dre, Xzibit and Nate Dogg “Bitch Please”
“For all of them to come together was great. Everybody’s part fit perfectly in the song, and everybody brought their own little style. It was a really raw concept and it still ended up being a radio single. That’s one thing I like about Snoop and Dr. Dre and all them, they used to take a lot of raw concepts to the commercial world—even The Chronic. Who would’ve thought it would blow up like it did with the subject matter?”
8. Ja Rule feat. Fat Joe and Jadakiss “New York”
“This came out at a time when I think they was making a statement. I’m not even from New York, but they was doing it big and everyone was reppin’ New York to the fullest and the beat was tight. Honestly, I’ve never been that big a Ja Rule fan, but that made me one. He used to do more commercial singles and that made me really respect him.”
9. Puff Daddy feat. Faith Evans and 112 “I’ll be Missing You”
“That song had a purpose to it. It was a really good soulful song. Puffy always makes some good music, man, and that’s just one of the top for me. Faith is one of the top in R&B as far as vocals are concerned. I think the combination of artists, all of them fit. Puffy is really good at making collaborations that fit and sound really good together.”
10. Bun B feat. Lil Keke, Slim Thug, Chamillionaire, Paul Wall, Mike Jones, Aztek, Lil Flip and Z-Ro “Draped Up (Remix)”
“At the time, a lot of people were beefing with each other, [but] Bun B got everybody out on the same level. He’s a legend and he’s respected, so he’s one of the only people who can pull that off. The OGs gave a chance for the younger cats to shine, you know. Everybody was doing their thing and there was no beefing and that’s not only historic for Houston, but it’s really a good record, period. It’s the epitome of how Houston records sound right now.”
1. Scarface feat. 2pac “Smile”
“One of the most respected rappers in the South and one of the most respected rappers period. I just love that song. It had a purpose. The song, the video, it was all different. Even today, you don’t see people doing things like that. It was more creative; whereas now music is all about the single. That was real hip-hop right there.”
2. Jay-Z feat. UGK “Big Pimpin’”
“Jay-Z is my favorite rapper and to see him do that with two respected rappers from the South—and from Texas especially—that collaboration just came out real, real dope. They was all rippin’ the song so hard.”
3. Nas feat. Lauryn Hill “If I Ruled the World”
“Lauryn Hill is one of the best singers, and at the time, Nas was on some real lyrical ish. Back then, people cared more about the lyrics in rap and what the song was saying. It really had a purpose and a good concept. It’s one of those songs you can play in front of your family and it gives you that feel-good feeling. So many collaborations that come out today sound pasted together by an A&R, but that just seemed like it was just natural. They had a really good chemistry on that song.”
4. Method Man feat. Mary J. Blige “All I Need”
“This has that same feeling. It’s like a perfect marriage. It was street music, but it had a purpose. At that time, Wu-Tang was super hot and Meth was one of my favorites. They both blossomed into being megastars.”
5. 2Pac feat. Dr. Dre “California Love”
“At that time, the West Coast was putting its stamp on the game, representing real hard. For someone to put out a song called ‘California Love’ that was respected everywhere from the East Coast to the South, that right there was big, man. The creativity in the video was different than anything. They went against the grain with that one and it worked.”
6. M.O.P. feat. Busta Rhymes and Remy Ma “Ante Up (Remix)”
“It had that energy, that power. To this day, I don’t care if you in the club or wherever, this song just makes you want to rip something off the wall. That’s an instant classic.”
7. Snoop Dogg feat. Dr. Dre, Xzibit and Nate Dogg “Bitch Please”
“For all of them to come together was great. Everybody’s part fit perfectly in the song, and everybody brought their own little style. It was a really raw concept and it still ended up being a radio single. That’s one thing I like about Snoop and Dr. Dre and all them, they used to take a lot of raw concepts to the commercial world—even The Chronic. Who would’ve thought it would blow up like it did with the subject matter?”
8. Ja Rule feat. Fat Joe and Jadakiss “New York”
“This came out at a time when I think they was making a statement. I’m not even from New York, but they was doing it big and everyone was reppin’ New York to the fullest and the beat was tight. Honestly, I’ve never been that big a Ja Rule fan, but that made me one. He used to do more commercial singles and that made me really respect him.”
9. Puff Daddy feat. Faith Evans and 112 “I’ll be Missing You”
“That song had a purpose to it. It was a really good soulful song. Puffy always makes some good music, man, and that’s just one of the top for me. Faith is one of the top in R&B as far as vocals are concerned. I think the combination of artists, all of them fit. Puffy is really good at making collaborations that fit and sound really good together.”
10. Bun B feat. Lil Keke, Slim Thug, Chamillionaire, Paul Wall, Mike Jones, Aztek, Lil Flip and Z-Ro “Draped Up (Remix)”
“At the time, a lot of people were beefing with each other, [but] Bun B got everybody out on the same level. He’s a legend and he’s respected, so he’s one of the only people who can pull that off. The OGs gave a chance for the younger cats to shine, you know. Everybody was doing their thing and there was no beefing and that’s not only historic for Houston, but it’s really a good record, period. It’s the epitome of how Houston records sound right now.”