Classic Ish: Raekwon, OutKast, Big Pun, Sticky Fingaz, and Pharoahe Monch

What's good everybody? My man Sneek been hitting you in the head with all kinds of new ish, but I'm 'bout to dig into my archives take it back for a second and put you up on some joints you might have forgotten about or might not have known about.

Raekwon - Verbal Intercourse (featuring Nas and Ghostface Killah)

This track from Rae's classic solo debut Only Built for Cuban Links is one of my favorites. Nas, as the only non-Wu affiliate to be featured on the album, had the stand out verse (many say it is one of his best), but they all did their thing, so check it out. I didn't really get everything until years after the first time I heard the track, and if you ain't up on 120 to some degree you're not gonna catch it all, but its still all good because the beat and the flows should be enough to catch you.

Big Pun - Dream Shatterer (Original Version)

Another one of my favorites, this is Pun in his finest form. This version of the track was on his posthumous release, Endangered Species, and has a different beat from the one that was on his debut Capitol Punishment. I personally like this one better, and I heard that the reason this wasn't on Capitol Punishment is because of sample clearance issues because Biggie had a song with the same sample out at the time.

OutKast -Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik

A lot of times people leave out the South when talking about classic songs and good rap music, but I try to have a wider view on things that includes everywhere that contributes to this thing that we call Hip-Hop. This song from OutKast's album of the same title is definitely some feel-good music you can ride to, and we can all use some more music like this.

Sticky Fingaz - State vs Kirk Jones (featuring Redman, Canibus, Rah Diggah, and some more people)

Sticky Fingaz is well known as a member of the group Onyx and for his acting career, but his solo debut Kirk Jones: The Autobiography of Black Trash has been overlooked in my opinion and is a personal classic for me. While it had its flaws, his attempt at creating a conceptual album where you can follow the story from track to track is genius, and this track that describes the courtroom scene is just crazy. Every rapper plays his or her part in the story well, and this song right here is so well put together that it could be used for a script in a movie or TV show.

Pharoahe Monch - Queens

This is from Monch's only solo CD, Internal Affairs, which dropped about seven years ago. Just looking at the song title and hearing the hook, you would think that this track is a typical ode to one's hometown, but Monch gets deeper than that, detailing a sad story with emcee skills that Slick Rick would be proud of. Monch's new singles are burning up the internet right now, so hopefully that means we are getting a new album soon.