1520 Sedgwick Avenue: January 28th, 2008

This is where you should go to get the best hip-hop. I hope you come back.

Below, a bit of neo-retro.

Kriss Kross with me, won’t you?

The 2007 joint (read: good song) above is “Classic (Better Than I’ve Ever Been) (Remix)” because the man on the boards in the video, DJ Premier, one of hip-hop’s best producers, jumped on the bruising, Rick Rubin-produced, original, which was missing rap legend Rakim, the leadoff hitter in this little Murderers’ Row, and gave it his typical street-ready feel.

Primo (a nickname, and one I may reuse; this will happen for many people) is known for his synth-heavy, scratch-heavy beats, and this is one of his best; to hip-hop fans, this sounds like the ’80s, and it hearkens back to halcyon days with some fantastic MCs. I’m a Kanye fan, and I think he’s really good here, but he’s totally out of his depth against three names in many all-time Top Ten MC lists. Nas’ verse, in particular, is fantastic (“When they do make the whip/You’re like ‘The chips ain’t right’/By the time you can afford it/The car ain’t important”), but this is all-around a stellar track.

The only downside? The only way you get a constellation like this is if, like Nike, you shell out millions to produce a track to commemorate the 25th year of the Air Force One shoe. But the references to it (listen closely) are suave as product placement can be.

Hit me in the comments.

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