I can imagine a bunch of albums gaining classic status when reduced to 7 tracks.

I did the exercise with Common's BE (mainly because Testify & the live version of The Food sometimes take me out of the album).

I came up with following tracklist:

BE (intro)
The Corner
Love Is...
Chi-City
Real People
They Say
It's Your World

(29 minutes)

Child of the ghetto
The ride
Danger Zone
Blast off
I want the world to see
One way
Nothing gonna stop me

Everyday
Child of the Ghetto
The Ride
I Want the World to See
It's All Over
One Way
Nothing Gonna Stop Me

One to grow on
blue cheese
jive talk
any way the wind blows
Woman be out
hey here we go
it's gonna last

Boogie Man!
Subrocs Mission
figure of speech
trial 'n' Error
808 man
Boy who cried wolf
soulflexin'

Da bomb
Unexplained
twelve jewels
Elimination process
repentance day
hidden emotions
deadliest biz

Dangerous Mindz
Unexplained
Fairytalez
Never Gonna Come Back
The Night the Earth Cried
Elimination Process
What's Goin' On

1 I’m Known
2 How Ya Livin’
3 Love Is Love
4 Whatever Happened
5 Pieces of A Man
6 Sosa
7 Last Dayz

>1 I’m Known
>2 How Ya Livin’
>3 Love Is Love
>4 Whatever Happened
>5 Pieces of A Man
>6 Sosa
>7 Last Dayz
>

I would actually combine the New Life Intro and I’m Known

1 A Million and One Questions/Rhyme No More
2 Where I’m From
3 Imaginary Players
4 Lucky Me
5 Streets Is Watching
6 Friend Or Foe ‘98
7 You Must Love Me

Intro / A Million and One Questions / Rhyme No More
The City is Mine
Imaginary Player
(Always Be My) Sunshine
Where I'm From
You Must Love Me
Wishing on a Star (Trackmasters remix)

>
>Intro / A Million and One Questions / Rhyme No More
>The City is Mine
>Imaginary Player
>(Always Be My) Sunshine
>Where I'm From
>You Must Love Me
>Wishing on a Star (Trackmasters remix)

And you cheating with Wishing On A Star.

If that’s allowed I want In My Lifetime remix

I understand Sunshine though, but I guess that's pure nostalgia.
And yea, kinda cheating (?) with the remix, so In My Lifetime is definitely possible.

A Million and One Questions/Rhyme No More
Imaginary Player
Streets Is Watching
Friend or Foe '98
Real Niggaz
Where I'm From
You Must Love Me

Promise
City of the Year
NGL
Tranquillo
Law
High
Kill

Ambitionz As a Ridah
Heartz of Men
Picture Me Rollin
Got My Mind Made Up
I Ain’t Mad Atcha
How Do U Want It
Life Goes On

Ambitionz As a Ridah
Got My Mind Made Up
Heartz of Men
Shorty Wanna Be a Thug
When We Ride
Picture Me Rollin'
All Eyez on Me

New York State of Mind pt. 2
Hate Me Now
Small World
Favor for a Favor
Ghetto Prisoners
Nas Is Like
Undying Love

NY State of Mind II
Small World
Favor for a Favor
We Will Survive
Life Is What You Make It
Nas Is Like
Undying Love

This is pretty easy to let go off the commercial joints on here, but it had so many on here to where I don't listen to this album hardly at all anymore; but here goes.

(1)N.Y. State Of Mind Pt. II
(2)Small World
(3)Favor For A Favor
(4)Ghetto Prisoners
(5)Life Is What You Make It
(6)Money Is My Bitch
(7)Nas Is Like

The Message
Street Dreams
Take it in Blood
Affirmative Action
Live N**** Rap
If I Ruled The World
Silent Murder

I wouldn't mind exchanging it with Street Dreams though.
As a whole the intro's & interludes on It Was Written really mess up the flow of the album;

Kind of ridiculous logic to leave off the best track on the album.

>Kind of ridiculous logic to leave off the best track on the
>album.

The Message
I Gave You Power
Take It In Blood
Affirmative Action
LNR
If I Ruled The World
Silent Murder

Nm

1. Section
2. Episodes
3. Push Up Ya Lighter
4. What They Do
5. Concerto of the Desperado
6. Clones
7. No Alibi

It was a hard choice cause I'm so use to listening to this album from "One Shine" to to the end and back to the beginning all the way to the end again.

(1)One Shine
(2)Respond/React
(3)Section
(4)Push Up Ya Lighter
(5)Concerto Of The Desperado
(6)UNIverse At War
(7)Ital (Universal Side)

I've would've put "Clones" instead of "Ital" but I've heard the "Clones" beat so many times when that single came out to the point it's annoying to hear unless it's apart of the entire album.

1 Section
2 Episodes
3 What They Do
4 Concerto of the Desperado
5 Clones
6 No Alibi
7 Hypnotic

1 Time Travelin’
2 Dooinit
3 The Light
4 The 6th Sense
5 Nag Champa
6 Geto Heaven Pt II
7 A Song For Assata

Time Travelin'
Cold Blooded
Dooinit
The Light
Nag Champa
Thelonius
Song for Assata


6th Sense (sonically) sticks out like a sore thumb. I remember Quest saying it was supposed to be more like 'Devil's Pie'. That would've worked better I think.
It's a great song, top tier Premo production, Com absolutely brings it lyrically...but in all honesty, it messes up the flow of the album for me (for different reasons, A Film Called Pimp & Payback is a Grandmother also mess up the flow)

Y’all killing me.

And I believe ?uest said he wanted something more like Brownsville.

Cold Blooded
Dooinit
The Light
Funky For You
6th Sense
Nag Champa
Thelonious

I Got This
Money on the Floor
Porchlight
Hydroplainin
If I Fall
Rich Dad, Poor Dad
Praying Man

Joy and Peace
Home
Black America Again
Pyramids
A Bigger Picture Called Free
Little Chicago Boy
Letter to the Free

Sun, Moon, Stars
Fake Bonanza
Napoleon Dynamite
Undeniable
There Is a Way
Perfect Timing
Lifetime

We Don’t Care
All Falls Down
Spaceship
Jesus Walks
Two Words
Through The Wire
Family Business

Jesus Walks
Never Let Me Down
Get Em High
Two Words
Thru the Wire
Family Business
Last Call

Rising Down
Get Busy
75 Bars
I Will Not Apologize
Singing Man
The Show
Rising Up

but that was probably because i was _so_ over Common by that point.

Hooks are terrible.

Criminal stays for sure and even though it’s short, Unwritten definitely stays

And the greatest most frustrating snippet of music ever.

That sounded so good. And then it was over.

And yeah, it’s definitely gotta stay.

Can't omit that.

The Show stinks.

Mine would be

1. Rising Down
2. Get Busy
3. @15
4. 75 Bars
5. Criminal
6. I Can't Help It
7. Rising Up

Rising Down
Get Busy
75 Bars
Criminal
I can’t Help It
Unwritten
Rising Up

Zealots
How Many Mics
Ready or Not
Fu-Gee-La
Family Business
The Score
Manifest

Get Down
Made You Look
Last Real Nigga Alive
Zone Out
Dance
Heaven
Pussy Kills

Nazareth Savage
These Are Our Heroes
Sekou Story
U.B.R
Remember The Times
War
Thief's Theme

Money Over Bullshit
You Can't Kill Me
Where Are They Now?
Hip Hop Is Dead
Black Republican
Not Going Back
Still Dreaming

Queens Get The Money
You Can't Stop Us Now
Sly Fox
Testify
N.I.G.G.E.R. (Slave And Master)
Fried Chicken
Project Roach

You Can't Stop Us Now
Breathe
Testify
The Slave & The Master
Untitled
Project Roach
Y'all My N*****

Loco-Motive
A Queens Story
Accident Murderers
Daughters
Reach Out
Cherry Wine
Roses

Nasty
Loco-Motive
The Black Bond
The Don
Back When
Stay
Roses

Loco-motive
You Wouldn’t Understand
Back When
Stay
Bye Baby
Nasty
The Black Bond


Damn....at 7 already?? Because i love Roses, Where’s The Love, Daughters, Cherry Wine, and No Introduction too.

1. The Watcher
2. Fuck You
3. Still D.R.E
4. Xxplosive
5. What’s The Difference
6. Forgot About Dre
7. The Next Episode

I'm pretty sure if every album in existence was trimmed down to the best/my favorite 7 songs this would be my favorite album of all time.

Reluctantly but I have to have Let's Get High on here. Otherwise our tracklists would be the same.

The Watcher
Still D.R.E.
Xxplosive
What's the Difference
The Next Episode
Some L.A. N****
The Message

I thought about adding 'Forgot About Dre', but of all the songs, it aged the worst imo (and I remembered it to be better than it actually is). 'The Message' is a nice closer, not my favorite track, but it works.

The Watcher
Fuck You
Still D.R.E.
Xxplosive
The Next Episode
Let’s Get High
Some L.A. N****

1. Soul Power
2. Aquarius
3. The Hustle
4. New Wave
5. I Got A Right Ta
6. Between Me, You & Liberation
7. I Am Music

Found it hard to scratch 'Come Close'
I think from a production/lyric-performance/vibe/flow standpoint, this is the 7 track version I'd go with:

Ferris Wheel
Soul Power
Aquarius
Electric Wire Hustle Flower
The Hustle
New Wave
Heaven Somewhere

WTF ?! That's a borderline sociopathic choice. Haha.


>Found it hard to scratch 'Come Close'
>I think from a production/lyric-performance/vibe/flow
>standpoint, this is the 7 track version I'd go with:

"Come Close" was my second to go. After FUCKING FERRIS WHEEL, OBVIOUSLY. Ha.

>Ferris Wheel
>Soul Power
>Aquarius
>Electric Wire Hustle Flower
>The Hustle
>New Wave
>Heaven Somewhere

"Electric Wire Hustle Flower" was my third to go. Just a bunch of loud noise IMO.

>WTF ?! That's a borderline sociopathic choice. Haha.
>
>

Wait, explain what makes this a borderline sociopathic choice, I'm confused. I think it works great as an album intro.

>>Found it hard to scratch 'Come Close'
>>I think from a production/lyric-performance/vibe/flow
>>standpoint, this is the 7 track version I'd go with:
>
>"Come Close" was my second to go. After FUCKING FERRIS WHEEL,
>OBVIOUSLY. Ha.
>

I know 'Come Close' is not that popular, I always loved it though, just didn't work in my 7 track version.

>>Ferris Wheel
>>Soul Power
>>Aquarius
>>Electric Wire Hustle Flower
>>The Hustle
>>New Wave
>>Heaven Somewhere
>
>"Electric Wire Hustle Flower" was my third to go. Just a bunch
>of loud noise IMO.

Com kills it lyrically though, I remember it took me a while to appreciate it & I love it now.

>Wait, explain what makes this a borderline sociopathic choice,
>I'm confused. I think it works great as an album intro.


>Com kills it lyrically though, I remember it took me a while
>to appreciate it & I love it now.

Yea Comm was on one for the entire album for sure. Some tracks worked better than others.

Oooh, okay, lol...yea, well, I love this particular intro so much cause it sets a certain mood, I think jumping right into Soul Power would also work.

>>Com kills it lyrically though, I remember it took me a while
>>to appreciate it & I love it now.
>
>Yea Comm was on one for the entire album for sure. Some tracks
>worked better than others.

Common’s “Be” and Nas’ “Stillmatic Intro” are two examples of ones I’d definitely keep.

I fucked up. I still wouldn't include it but I was confusing "Ferris Wheel" with the intro to "Finding Forever". I actually like both but wouldn't include either on a 7 track version of either album.

"Ferris Wheel" is actually really good. There's a lot to like on that intro and I agree that it's a perfect setup for what was to come on that album. But I wouldn't include it on a 7 track version personally primarily because Comm isn't on it, but can see why someone would include it I guess. My bad.

That said - I think the two tracks you named are different because they're actual *songs* by the artists with their names on the front of the albums, which simply contain the word "intro" in the title. So my point still kinda stands, but like I said "Ferris Wheel" is enough of an actual "song" (not just an interlude) to justify inclusion, I suppose.

1. Soul Power
2. The Hustle
3. Come Close (Dilla's Ashford & Simpson "It'll Come, It'll Come" remix)
4. Star*69
5. I Am Music
6 Jimi Was A Rock Star
7. Heaven Somewhere

& I lolled because Questlove is credited for handclapping (no idea what songs).

1. The Prelude
2. Oh My God
3. Kingdom Come
4. Lost One
5. Do U Wanna Ride ?
6. 30 Something
7. Trouble

Can't Knock The Hustle
Dead Presidents II
Feelin' It
D'Evils
Can I Live
Bring It On
Regrets

1. My World Is...
2. So(ul) Amazin' (Steel Blazin')
3. Blu Colla Workers
4. No Greater Love
5. Show Me The Good Life
6. Soul Amazin'
7. The World Is (Below The Heavens...)

1. The Illest Villains
2. Meat Grinder
3. Figaro
4. Strange Ways
5. Fancy Clown
6. All Caps
7. Great Day Today

The intro is too dope to not include and plus it really sets the tone of the album. If I were to go with 7 actual songs then Curls would probably be the one to fill the last spot.

1. The Corner
2. Go!
3. Testify
4. Love Is....
5. The Food
6. They Say
7. It's Your World

I know on undun and ...and then they shot their cousin you and the band made a conscious effort to cut down on the number of tracks. But those albums at least had 10. Was there consideration to cut the tracklist down further?

.

Keep that wack ass Kanye verse on They Say...that poor ass quality live version of The Food AND that ant killed with a hammer sample of Testify with that predictable lame ass story twist!

You suck at this man

1. Be (Intro)
2. The Corner
3. Go
4. Faithful
5. Love Is
6. Chi City
7. It’s your World

1 You Know My Steez
2 Royalty
3 Above The Clouds
4 Moment Of Truth
5 The Militia
6 My Advice To You
7 Make ‘Em Pay

You Know My Steez
Above The Clouds
JFK 2 LAX
Moment of Truth
The Militia
Make Em Pay
Betrayal

Nah yo...I ain’t trying

Knuckleheadz
Criminology
Incarcerated Scarfaces
Rainy Dayz
Verbal Intercourse
Spot Rusherz
Wu-Gambinos

Lol

You left off

Knowledge God
Guillotine
Ice Water
Glaciers of Ice
Ice Cream
Heaven Or Hell

Spot Rusherz over those?

the rest I can live with

but I love the opening line + delivery of this:


"Can you feel me? Storytelling rap Magellan I ain't telling..."

Anyway, you can pretty much take any song off OB4CL and put it in there.

Incarcerated Scarfaces
Rainy Days*
Guillotine (Swordz)*
Glaciers of Ice
Verbal Intercourse
Ice Cream
Wu-Gambinos

*I don't feel like these 2 songs ever got the credit they deserved.

1 Survival Of the Fittest
2 Eye For An Eye
3 Give Up The Goods
4 Temperature’s Rising
5 Up North Trip
6 QU Hectic
7 Shook Ones Pt 2

Damn this was kind of hard to chose but since it's two songs I usually skip on this album I think I can shorten this down to seven songs but damn it's really nine real good songs but here is my seven song EP.

(1)Shook Ones Part 2
(2)Survival Of The Fittest
(3)Eye For An Eye (Your Beef Is Mines)
(4)Give Up The Goods (Just Step)
(5)Right Back At You
(6)Temperature's Rising (Remix)
(7)Drink Away The Pain (Situations)

The Start of Your Ending (41st Side)
Survival of the Fittest
Give Up the Goods (Just Step)
Up North Trip
Right Back at You
Shook Ones (Part II)*
Party Over


*though I really prefer Shook Ones Pt. I

1 Hip-Hop
2 Love
3 Ms Fat Booty
4 Got
5 Umi Says
6 Know That
7 Mathematics

While Ms. Fat Booty would seem the obvious pick (and it's a great single), I ultimately chose New World Water instead because it's an album cut that is often overlooked while it's inventive & flawlessly executed (imo)


Hip Hop
Love
Umi Says
New World Water
Know That
Brooklyn
Mathematics

Love
Ms. Fat Booty
Got
Umi Says
New World Water
Know That
Climb

You must’ve lost your fucking marbles kid

Lost Ones
Ex-Factor
Doo Wop (That Thing)
Final Hour
Forgive Them Father
Everything is Everything
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Step In The Arena
Who's Gonna Take The Weight?
Check The Technique
Love Sick
Street Ministry
Just To Get a Rep
The Meaning of The Name

The Place Where We Dwell
Ex Girl to the Next Girl
Soliloquy of Chaos
I'm The Man
Take It Personal
Conspiracy
Hardcore Composer

ALONGWAYTOGO
Code of The Streets
Tonz o Gunz
Speak Ya Clout
Mass Appeal
Suckas Need Bodyguards
Now You're Mine

Code of the Streets
Brainstorm
Tonz O' Gunz
Dwyck
Mass Appeal
Suckas Need Bodyguards
FALA

ALONGWAYTOGO
Brainstorm
The Planet
DWYCK
Mass Appeal
Blowin Up The Spot
Comin' For Datazz

1. Slang Editorial
2. Run
3. Dart Throwing
4. Oh Donna
5. Check for a Nigga
6. Milk This Cow
7. Black Boy

Leaving off "MCF" was tough for me, but I doubt other people like that song as much as I do.

this cd was my shit, but i was biased to anything wu for a long long while.

-Beautiful Morning
-Not Enough
-Hiding Place
-Slow It Down
-Say It Again
-All For You
-Still Lives Through

>-Beautiful Morning
>-Not Enough
>-Hiding Place
>-Slow It Down
>-Say It Again
>-All For You
>-Still Lives Through


Let my love slide in and never slip out

But everything else I’ve got the same.

>-Beautiful Morning
>-Not Enough
>-Hiding Place
>-Slow It Down
> Watch Me
>-All For You
>-Still Lives Through

Doing this is fun....I'm kinda holding back posting like 15 more of these lol

...this album is tough to cut to just 7 joints, damn.


-Conant Gardens
-Climax
-Untitled
-Fall In Love
-Get Dis Money
-Players
-Thelonius

...I was gonna do Donuts, but that shit is impossible personally.

I was either that or Conant Gardens....

"I Don't Know" is like my favorite song on by Slum Village and then some kat like you pick that song to take off, you suspect homie.

1. Satisfied
2. One for the Griot
3. Like This Anna
4. The 4th 3rd
5. Traveling Music
6. A Charmed Life"
7. The Lyricist

Ridiculous talent on display, all over dope beats....

I've been ready for this trend to die before it began.

no?

I just mean I would not personally do that because I want artists to stop doing it and I don't feel it makes an album better. I wouldn't cut any album down to 7 tracks because if any album I listen to doesn't have at least 10 tracks I want to listen to every time I pop it in(or whatever) I just don't want to listen to that album.

I'm not trying to shut the convo down, just sharing my opinion.

01. So Fresh, So Clean
02. Ms. Jackson
03. B.O.B.
04. Humble Mumble
05. Red Velvet
06. Gangsta Sh*t
07. Toilet Tisha

spaghetti junction and we luv deez.

1. So Fresh, So Clean
2. Ms. Jackson
3. Spaghetti Junction
4. BOB
5. Xplosion
6. We Love Deez Hoez
7. Gangsta Shit

Tough to leave off Red Velvet but had to go Gangsta Shit.

Call Before I Come
Snappin & Trappin
We Luv Deez Hoes

Those are terrible

And clearly I'm not alone.

and the hook shouldn't be good but it is.

1. Gasoline Dreams
2. So Fresh, So Clean
3. Ms. Jackson
4. Spaghetti Junction
5. B.O.B.
6. Xplosion
7. Gangsta Shit

Let Me Ride
Nuthin But a G Thang
Deez Nuts
Lil Ghetto Boy
Lyrical Gangbang
High Powered
Stranded on Death Row

1. Fuck wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')
2. Let Me Ride
3. Nuthin' but a G Thang
4. Deeez Nuuuts
5. Lil' Ghetto Boy
6. Lyrical Gangbang
7. Stranded on Death Row

Hard to leave off Bitches Ain't Shit but I can't cut any one o the above. Hell naw.

Just Another Case
Straight From L.I.P.
Live at the Tunnel
Pronto
Lisa Lipps
Bubblin
Loungin With My CRU

1. Move Somethin'
2. The Blast
3. This Means You
4. Memories Live
5. Africa Dream
6. Eternalists
7. Four Women

This one was hard. Tough to leave off Good Mourning, Too Late and Some Kind of Wonderful.

It's emerged in recent years as my all time favorite hip-hop album (was always top 5ish) so I can't envision trimming it at all.

yeah, we shouldn't.

Big Del From The Natti may as well be deleted from my library, that's never listened to and is a vibe killer. Touch You I'm not into and is usually skipped. After that I'd just start picking out the shorter, interlude-ish tracks to get it down to the 15 track range. The only other full time song I'm not huge on is Ghetto Afterlife. I hate that beat.

All those tracks, plus "Name of the Game" are definitely the lesser tracks/songs on the album for me, too. But over time I've come to appreciate even those tracks as part of the whole which is why I can't really see taking any of them away, if that makes sense.

I have my share of songs people consider filler that I love. I can see people enjoying every track on this album, except Big Del haha. That song, Hardcore Hustle on Madvillainy and the Asian rap track on Buhloone Mindstate are 3 songs from albums I really like or even love that I just can not help but skip.

>I have my share of songs people consider filler that I love.
>I can see people enjoying every track on this album, except
>Big Del haha. That song, Hardcore Hustle on Madvillainy and
>the Asian rap track on Buhloone Mindstate are 3 songs from
>albums I really like or even love that I just can not help but
>skip.

Mannnnnnn that Asian rap track on Buhloone murders the vibe for me too. That's my favorite De La album but that shit never grew on me. Especially considering it's like a second straight interlude following "I Be Blowin'" Should never go 2 straight tracks without hearing Pos/Dave.

Replace it with q tip remix
Get rid of the genesis and one time for your mind

Perfect 7 songs then

1. PSA
2. December 4th
3. Encore
4. 99 Problmes
5. Allure
6. Lucifer
7. My 1st Song

>1. PSA
>2. December 4th
>3. Encore
>4. 99 Problmes
>5. Allure
>6. Lucifer
>7. My 1st Song

1 Invocation
2 Retrospect 4 Life
3 GOD
4 Hungry
5 Stolen Moments Pts 1, 2 & 3 (cheating but it should be this way anyway)
6 All Night Long
7 Reminding Me (Of Sef)

1 Gimme Yours
2 Ho Happy Jackie
3 Rather Unique
4 Sugar Hill
5 Mo Money Mo Murder Homicide
6 Doe Or Die (Remix feat Raekwon)
7 Your World Don’t Stop (Original)

1 Breakin’ The Rules
2 Blood Sweat & Tears
3 I Luv
4 Salute Pt 2
5 Downtown Swinga ‘98
6 Brooklyn/Jersey Get Wild
7 NY Salute

1. Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe
2. Backseat Freestyle
3. The Art of Peer Pressure
4. Good Kid
5. MAAD City
6. Swimming Pools
7. Sing About Me/Dying of Thirst

1. Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe
2. Backseat Freestyle
3. Money Trees
4. good kid
5. m.A.A.d city
6. Swimming Pools
7. Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst

1. Ultralight Beam
2. Famous
3. Real Friends
4. Wolves
5. 30 Hours
6. No More Parties in LA
7. Saint Pablo

It's still not a great album, but it has replay value at least.

Ultralight Beam
*Father Stretch My Hands Pt . 1
Waves
Real Friends
Wolves
30 Hours
No More Parties in LA

*Delete Kanye’s vocals from this one. That opening sample, the beat, and Cudi’s parts are just too great for me to throw this track out.

Funny enough, here’s Rhymefest on “Rate the bars”, talking about those awful bars. 3:20 mark.

http://youtu.be/xSvRQYK_T7Q

That song could have been an all time classic....then Kanye came in.