6. Nas - The Don
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3wIJ774gJs If Nas were an athlete, he'd be a marathon runner; a chiseled, impervious iron man who's lean but effective flow show's no sign of dimming over the years and increasingly impressive catalogue. Sure, he might have dropped the pace in the late 90s when it looked like runaway success might have lessened his hunger and severed his spiritual link to the streets, the source of so much of his inspiration. But he recovered, and after twenty years in the game is still as sharp as a straight razor. The Don finds Nas in typically gangster territory, lording it over all and sundry with warnings such as "Anyone move next, I'll hit you with two tecs." Aided by a well chosen sample of New York dwelling, Jamaican MC Super Cat, the production is suitably explosive, courtesy of Da Internz, who also collaborated Made You Look, another career high peppered with taut hooks and obligatory gunfire. Roof punching strategy: Whilst it might be tempting to match the well-paced and devastatingly weighted drums throughout, it's a better tactic to save yourself for the 4/4 siren's that punctuate every now and again.