Disclaimer:

This list isn’t necessarily the first time you heard the artist or their work. Think of this more as the catalyst. Yes, they may have obtained adequate success with previous projects but it is clear to see after this verse, they were catapulted into another stratosphere. The list contains 10 songs (or more, ya tú sabes) that belonged to already established names that up and coming artists were given an opportunity to feature on. This is literally their 8 Mile moment minus the pasta vomit. All picks were based upon my iPod so feel free to tell me what I missed.

10. “We”(2013) — Mike Will Made It ft. Rae Sremmurd

Imagine being so good at something that you literally just put your name all over it. This is pretty much how Mike Will Made-It feels and for the most part he’s pretty correct in his theory. Dude’s alias is literally telling you that yes I, Mike Will, made this beat. Modern day Alexander the Great as far as narcism minus all the weird Greek pedophilia. Just to prove me wrong he acquired two young boys from the deep south to be his latest project in 2013. Rae Sremmurd’s first appearance to the world was with the waning moon that was 2013 Justin Bieber. Currently Justin Bieber is the biggest star on the planet once again (thanks Diplo) but at this time he was recovering from a few public outbursts and was losing some of his once ravage fan base. Enter Bugatti Biebz 2013 which saw him collaborate with the likes of Lil Wayne, Big Sean, Migos, & Chance the Rapper. Bugatti Biebz capped off this sensational run by being in the video for “We”. He is not featured nor did he do any promo for this song. So why is it important? He is a taste maker in many facets. Now I’m sure being the most loved and most hated pop star (AT THE SAME DAME TIME!) is a pretty busy job. You’re probably not doing many things you really don’t want to do. Look at Biebz lip synch his way into my heart repeating Swae Lee’s verse verbatim in this video. Not only does he know the lyrics but he’s having a blast jamming out with these two unknowns on their hot beat. Fast forward to 2017 and Rae Sremmurd have had 2 well received albums & a platinum plaque.

9. “Biebs in the Trap” (2016) Travis Scott ft. NAV

NAV looks like the dude who will hook it up for you at your local T-Mobile.

Pretty much the reason you can’t judge a book by it’s cover and why major A&Rs are losing their jobs (sorry LA Reid).

Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight was my favorite project of the 2nd half of 2016 with the best title all year (Brian McKnight is timeless). Biebs in the Trap is the only song on the entire album with one credited producer…NAV. This was the best introduction you could ask for in getting to know a guy with a bowl cut talking about tripping off items found in your family medicine cabinet.

Barmelo Xanthony for 3!

NAV has started to cultivate a good bit of traction and released a very cohesive album with his first self-titled album NAV. This becomes top 3 on the list if bowl cuts become the new wave…I really hope that doesn’t happen.

8. “Hive” (2013) Earl Sweatshirt ft. Casey Veggies & Vince Staples

Vince Staples has the best verse on this Odd Future laden track. Earl Sweatshirt let’s Vince close the song with the third stanza and to reciprocate Vince pays homage to previous OF work saying he’s throwing out “Sandwiches” to the crowd. Although Vince had success before, this was his biggest commercial success at the time as many see it as the highlight on the critically acclaimed Doris album. That is an awful album name. Jeeze Earl.

I listened to this album frequently while I was recovering from a broken arm. It’s great for when you want to stay super still for hours

You ever been on Vince Staples’ twitter btw? It’s gold. Vince has a great cynicism about current events. Shit is hilarious and people have already taken notice. He has several videos on GQ Magazine’s youtube page where he reviews fashion in a monotone and sarcastic voice. Staples has also convinced me that Ray J is the GOAT and should be treated as such.

For The Love Of Ray J

7. Touch The Sky (2005) Kanye West ft. Lupe Fiasco

Lupe Fiasco is kinda weird now. He posts videos out in desolate areas playing with swords. I assume that weirdness is from being so close to the radiation that was the shooting star of Kanye West during his acension. Same goes for Kid Cudi; y’all can’t just be staring at the sun like that and not expect to go blind. I’m sorry that you had to be a casualty Lupe but you did release two pretty good albums! Lupe Fiasco made his debut to the world on Touch the Sky, complimenting Yeezy’s bravado with a sense of timidity yet hunger.

“Peachfuzz buzz, but a beard on the verge”

6. “Hate It Or Love It” (2005) The Game ft. 50 Cent

First off majority of this information is me working off my iPod I got in 2006. I don’t have metrics and data to back up this next statement but take it as truth. HATE IT OR LOVE IT WAS THE BIGGEST HIP HOP SONG OF THE 00’s. This bangs. Play this right now. I don’t care where you are. Slap some headphones in if you are at work (this will give you 80% of the greatness). For full effect you need to have this slap in the whip on max decibel levels. Whenever you achieve something play this song right after. Unless you are famous you more than likely have no haters. Literally no one cares what you do. Nobody hates it when I have a good presentation at work. They hate it when I forget fruit in the fridge but that’s more like a work area cleanliness thing less of a hating on my aspirations. Although this is listed as Game ft. 50 Cent it could go either way as they both share bars and chorus time. This was a great single strategy by Game as he saw similar success with “This is How We Do”.

5. “Monster” (2010) Kanye West ft. Rick Ross, Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, & Bon Iver

There has to be some stage setting for this. Let’s say for hypothetical reasons Kanye West is the greatest hip hop artist of my generation (nothing hypothetical, that’s facts my guy). Let’s also say that My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is his greatest album (I’m still waiting for when I’m supposed to be in disbelief). What if I told you the best verse on Kanye’s best album wasn’t done by Kanye (yes that was supposed to sound like a 30 for 30 intro, thank you Bill). Nicki Minaj, relative newcomer at the time, went toe to toe with Rick Ross, Jay-Z, and Yeezy and completely eviscerated them on a track where all were boasting about how much of a “Monster” artist they were. Minaj goes back and forth talking to herself and explaining her credentials while switching rhyming patterns. It’s amazing. She tears others apart, gloating that she has yet to release an album but still commands a high feature price.

4. “Brand New Guy” (2011) A$AP Rocky ft. Schoolboy Q/ “Hands On The Wheel” (2012) Schoolboy Q ft. A$AP Rocky

The Live.Love.A$AP mixtape was probably my most listened to mixtape in college. The production was very smooth and it was all new content since this was a new artist, Rocky. Brand New Guy literally sounds like two rappers playing hot potato with a microphone and it’s awesome. The song starts out with Rocky, then the 2nd verse is Q, closing with a third verse of both artists completing the other’s thoughts. I love it. After the release of this mixtape A$AP becomes huge and to tell you the truth I did no research or even thought about who was the other guy on Brand New Guy, just that it’s a cool song and made my morning bus ride to Stats class more enjoyable. Enter Hands on the Wheel. Listed on Schoolboy Q’s album in 2012 this was huge to me that spring/summer because of the A$AP feature. I wouldn’t have found it had A$AP not been featured, which led me to enjoying Q. The chorus is melodic against Q’s gritty voice and is still probably a top 10 song for Q, 2 albums later.

3. “Smoke N Drive” (2009) Mike Posner ft. Big Sean/“Looking For Trouble” (2010) Kanye West ft. CyHi Da Prynce, Pusha T, Big Sean, & J. Cole

Separating this into 2 songs, when I first knew of Big Sean and when I knew Big Sean would be a problem. I first heard him on Mike Posner’s A Matter of Time mixtape, his verse was really good and had some great punchlines which is really all I wanted. Simple enough. Cue months later when I hear Looking for Trouble. As will be a recurring theme in Big Sean’s career from this point moving forward he suffers from letting someone go after his verse. It’s a Kanye song so I’m sure ‘Ye decided the order but c’mon Sean. I’m sure you have some clout, he did sign you. He had to let Cole go after you? And drop the beat out as Cole raps his final 8?

Kanye assuring Big Sean that he won’t get upstaged by Cole’s verse

That aside Big Sean’s verse is crazy good. He switches cadences while letting you know how blessed you are for this moment. “Consider yourself lucky to see a legend before the prime/A killer before the crime, a BIG before the dyin”

2. “Confident” (2013) Justin Bieber ft. Chance The Rapper/“Ultralight Beam” (2016) Kanye West ft. Chance The Rapper

If Live.Love.A$AP wasn’t my most listened to mixtape it was probably Acid Rap. Same basic formula. New Artist + style and beat selection I’m not used to = me looping your tape throughout my day. Acid Rap was Chance’s 2nd tape and was pretty popular but he wasn’t yet “mom level popular”. “Mom level popular” is when suburban mother’s are aware of your name. Chance’s name alone would believe you to think this is his end goal. Chance? The Rapper? Literally I could see a mother doing that. So crazy how he’s had everything so perfectly mapped out #chancetheplant #hisfamilyownsatobaccofarm #chanceistheheirtotherothschildempire.

Chance, Taylor, Mom & Dad with President Obama (not pictured: NBA Plant — Kent Bazemore)

First time I heard Chance was on Gambino’s Royalty mixtape which led me to Acid Rap. Not exciting and not what you came for…you want the big break moment. Enter Chance 2013 as he links with Bugatti Biebz to provide a great verse on Confident. Ehh not going to work but great effort. Cue 2016 Chance. He has way more traction and links up with the ever giving feature gatekeeper Mr. KanyeToThe. Chance has the best verse on The Life Of Pablo and is the first rap verse that you hear on the entire album. He is your introduction into what we’ll call TLOP: Kanye’s Greatest Hits, as the entire album sounds like the best pieces from previous works instead of a new lane entirely. Chance was clearly a big hand in managing the album as he was tweeting out status updates during it’s frenetic release. Chance shines in his verse not only because he kills it but because he pays homage to Kanye.

“Tryna snap photos of familia/My daughter look just like Sia, ya can’t see her”

“I made Jesus Walks, I’m never going to Hell” — Kanye West — Otis (2010). “I made Sunday Candy, I’m never going to hell/I met Kanye West I’m never going to fail.” — Chance the Rapper — Ultralight Beam (2016). Kanye had to feel like a proud father at this point. This was the intro to his album. Jeeeeeeze. Later on Chance references to the song “Late” from Late Registration by also stating “Just throw this at the end if I’m too late for the intro”. Chance is pretty much “mom level popular” now as he had a very successful radio friendly album, 3 Grammy awards, and is currently on the number 1 song in the nation.

Kanye, Chance, & Kirk Franklin on SNL

1. “A Star Is Born” (2009) Jay-Z ft. J Cole/ “Looking For Trouble” (2010) Kanye West ft. CyHi Da Prynce, Pusha T, Big Sean, & J Cole / “Beautiful Bliss” (2009) Wale ft. Melanie Fiona & J Cole

I’ll be the first to tell you I’m not the biggest J. Cole fan. I’ve seen him in concert twice but I’m not a huge fan. I have a Forest Hills Drive tour t-shirt in my closet buuuuut I’m not a huge fan. J. Cole is annoyingly undeniable. It’s way funnier for me to say he’s boring or that I used to think Sallie Mae was one of his exes because he used to talk about it so much. But J. Cole is really really good. Early hungry for everything J. Cole was on another level. 3 prime examples of hungry Cole are his early features on Beautiful Bliss, Looking for Trouble, & A Star is Born. All 3 songs see Cole featured and totally take over the track. Beautiful Bliss takes us to a dark time when Wale was a bigger name than J. Cole. Since this was clearly the twilight zone and anything is possible, Cole creates the greatest sock metaphor for ambition I will probably ever hear on that track.

On “Looking for Trouble” Cole is the only non-G.O.O.D. music performer and pretty much chews everybody on it with his final verse. A Star is Born, however, is the best example of what I was looking for with this list. The title is literally A Star is Born, it’s like Jay knew I’d be bored one weekend and want to write a short piece on major debut features. Cole even takes time in his debut to thank his boss for giving him this platform and states that his verse is so good people probably think Jay Z wrote it for him. It’s 2009, not 2001 however, and I have heard Jay-Z list the Party City discount halloween costume rack on his verse in “Monster”. Don’t worry Cole, I’m positive Jay-Z didn’t help you write that verse.

You have to suffer through the live version as Jay Z has scrubbed Youtube of all versions of the song #TIDAL #JoinorElse

Thanks for reading! Let me know of any song and feature I might’ve missed.