Best of 2010 - A Year in Playlists (#2) - This is HIP-HOP

After a word from some of the music industry's leading ladies, we turn to Hip-Hop. Contrary to popular belief, lots of MCs not named Kanye West released some great material in 2010. Waka Flocka Flame brought back the Dirty South ("Listen to this track, BITCH!" opens "No Hands") and surprised rap fans by proving that someone could be less subtle and more abrasive than Gucci Mane. Big Boi and Yelawolf showed the South's artistic side, rapping double time over space-age beats. Though Lil Wayne spent the majority of 2010 in prison, Rikers could not stop him from releasing "Right Above It," reaffirming his place amongst Hip-Hop's elite. Underground heroes Freddie Gibbs and Danny Brown demonstrated their ability to humanize hood life and pack personal anecdotes and sharp punchlines into tightly packed rhymes. Listen on for a Modest Mouse sample and this blog's namesake:

1. "No Hands" - Waka Flocka Flame ft. Wale & Roscoe Dash
2. "(Ha Ha) Slow Down" - Fat Joe ft. Young Jeezy
3. "Shutterbugg" - Big Boi
4. "Nobody" - DJ Quik & Suga Free
5. "The Show Goes On" - Lupe Fiasco
6. "Right Above It" - Lil Wayne ft. Drake
7. "Zip That Chop That" - Black Hippy
8. "Thank God" - Danny Brown
9. "The Ghetto" - Freddie Gibbs
10. "Flawless Crowns" - Raekwon
11. "Large on the Streets" - Vado
12. "Lookin' Fly" - Redman
13. "Wonderful Life" - Sean Falyon & Playboy Tre
14. "Looking for Alien Love" - Yelawolf
15. "Al Bundy" - Intuition
16. "Shiny Suit Theory" - Jay Electronica ft. Jay-Z & The-Dream
17. "The Fire" - The Roots ft. John Legend

Best of 2010 - A Year in Playlists (#1)

Welcome to the Flawless Crowns year-end Playlist spectacular. I'm gonna release my list of best albums and songs of the year as the new year approaches, but for now, I'm making a series of one-hour playlists that represent the best music of 2010.

A Year in Divas: Though it can sometimes seem that music is a man's game, 2010 demosntrated breakthroughs by female artists in all genres. Rihanna and Lady Gaga resumed their domination of the Billboard charts, and Joanna Newsom and Sleigh Bells dominated Metacritic. Erykah Badu (who dropped an excellent album this year) found a spiritual successor in Janelle Monae. In 2010, women broke through traditionally male genres - Bethany Consentino's Best Coast stole summer buzz away from male Indie Rock counterparts, the Arcade Fire's Regine Chassagne swiped the spotlight from her husband Win Butler on standout track "Sprawl II," and Nicki Minaj spat the verse of the year on Kanye West's otherwise testosterone driven Fantasy. Here are some great songs by some of my favorite females to ring in the New Year:

1. "Tell 'Em" - Sleigh Bells
2. "What's My Name" - Rihanna
3. "Telephone" - Lady Gaga ft. Beyonce
4. "Cold War" - Janelle Monae
5. "Window Seat" - Erykah Badu"
6. "I Learned the Hard Way" - Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings
7. "Little Brown Haired Girl" - Frankie Rose and the Outs
8. "Good Intentions Paving Company" - Joanna Newsom
9. "Undertow" - Warpaint
10. "Boyfriend" - Best Coast
11. "Jail La La" - Dum Dum Girls
12. "Apply" - Glasser
13. "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" - Arcade Fire
14. "Dancing on My Own" - Robyn
15. "Monster" - Kanye West ft. Rick Ross, Jay-Z & Nicki Minaj