Disclaimer: Years are fairly arbitrary time periods. The only thing that makes a decade is the human conditions’ odometer fetish. Unfortunately, like you, I’m human as well and fall prey to these tendencies. I can’t claim to know everything, I’m just an educated observer; and here are my educated observations. They are not perfect and neither you nor I will completely agree with them in a years time, but that is the fun of lists.
While I try to listen to everything I can get my hands on, I will admit that my Hip Hop knowledge does lag behind my understanding genre’s. I think my biggest issue is that while Hiip Hop artists can make transcendent singles, there are few truly great albums. Broken up by placing 30 tracks on an album with only 15 songs and 15 random 30 second cuts just aims to kill the flow of an album. With that said, 2003 had two of my all time favorite Hip Hop albums between Jay-Z’s the Black Album, and the MF Doom side project, King Geedorah. The latter is just filled with insanely interesting backing beats and samples all from Japanese monster movies.
Make sure to check out Califone’s “Michigan Girls”, probably their best song, and “Dance Commander” by the Electric Six, because that video is just hilarious. Finally, that Randy Macho Man Savage song calling out Hulk Hogan is just such an anachronistic gem, you couldn’t pay me to not include it somewhere.
Top 10 Albums of 2003:
10. The Postal Service – Give Up
9. Erlend Oye – Unrest
8. The Unicorns – Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone
7. Sufjan Stevens – Greetings From Michigan (The Great Lake State)
6. Stars – Heart
5. The Books – Lemon of Pink
4. King Geedorah – Take Me To Your Leader
3. The White Stripes – Elephant
2. Jay-Z – The Black Album
1. The Rapture – Echoes
Top 100 Songs of 2003:
100. The Rapture – Open Up Your Heart (song)
99. Metric – IOU (video)
98. British Sea Power – Remember Me (video)
97. Matmos – Stars and Stripes Forever (video)
96. Cafe Tacuba – Eres (video)
95. The Wrens – Per Second Second (video)
94. The Books – Take Time (video)
93. The Shins – Saint Simon (video)
92. The Exploding Hearts – I’m a Pretender (song)
91. Erlend Oye – The Athlete
90. The Postal Service – Nothing Better
89. Radiohead – Myxamatosis (video)
88. Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – Ballad of the Sin Eater
87. The Strokes – 12:51 (video)
86. Menomena – E is Stable
85. The Books – Lemon of Pink (song)
84. Enon – Shave
83. The Deadly Snakes – There Goes Your Corpse Again
82. Manitoba – Skunks
81. Death Cab for Cutie – The New Year (video)
80. Four Tet – Spirit Fingers
79. Dizzee Rascal – I Luv U (video)
78. Macho Man Randy Savage – Be A Man
77. Junior Senior – Shake Your Coconuts
76. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Bring It On (video)
75. The Unicorns – Child Star (song)
74. LCD Soundsystem – Give It Up
73. Dangermouse & Jemini – The Only One (song)
72. The Chemical Brothers – Star Guitar (video)
71. The Fiery Furnaces – The South Is Only a Home
70. Girlsareshort – Earlynorthamerican (song)
69. Dressy Bessy – Girl, You Shout!
68. The Shins – So Says I (video)
67. The Darkness – Growing On Me (video)
66. The Exploding Hearts – Sleeping Aides and Razorblades
65. The Unicorns – Jellycones (video)
64. Ms. John Soda – No 1 (video)
63. Blood Brothers – Ambulance vs. Ambulance
62. Radiohead – 2+2=5 (video)
61. Ludacris – Stand Up (video)
60. The Soft Pink Truth – Promofunk (video)
59. The Fever – Ladyfingers (video)
58. The Knife – Got 2 Let U
57. Menomena – Cough Coughing (video)
56. Sufjan Stevens – Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head! (video)
55. The Strokes – Reptillia (video)
54. Belle & Sebastian – Step Into My Office, Baby (video)
53. Cafe Tacuba – Cero y Uno (video)
52. King Geedorah – Monster Zero
51. Blur – Think Tank (video)
50. The Postal Service – Such Great Heights (video)
49. Electric Six – Dance Commander (video)
48. Erlend Oye – Every Party
47. Go! Team – Feelgood By Numbers
46. Jay-Z – Dirt of Your Shoulder (video)
45. TV on the Radio – Satellite (video)
44. Super Furry Animals – Golden Retriever (video)
43. The Unicorns – Les Os (video)
42. Songs:Ohia – Farewell Transmission (song)
41. Stars – Romantic Comedy
40. The Deadly Snakes – I Want to Die (song)
39. The Wrens – Faster Gun (video)
38. The White Stripes – Hardest Button to Button (video)
37. OutKast – The Way You Move (video)
36. The Shins – Kissing the Lipless (video)
35. Belle & Sebastian – Wrapped Up In Books (video)
34. Goldfrapp – Twist (video)
33. Dizzee Rascal – Fix Up Look Sharp (video)
32. The Darkness – I Believe in a Thing Called Love (video)
31. Black Eyes – Deformative
30. Erlend Oye – Sudden Rush (video)
29. Menomena – The Late Great Libido
28. The Books – Tokyo
27. The Rapture – Sister Savior (video)
26. Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone? (video)
25. The Russian Futurists – Let’s Get Ready to Crumble
24. King Geedorah – Fazers (video)
23. TV on the Radio – Starring at the Sun (video)
22. !!! – Me and Guiliani Down by the Schoolyard (A True Story) (video)
21. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Y Control (video)
20. Electric Six – Danger! High Voltage (video)
19. 50 Cent – In Da Club (video)
18. Super Furry Animals – Hello Sunshine (video)
17. The Exploding Hearts – Modern Kicks
16. The Unicorns – I Was Born a Unicorn (video)
15. Belle & Sebastian – I’m a Cuckoo (video)
14. Sufjan Stevens – Flint (For the Underemployed and Underpaid)
13. The Concretes – You Can’t Hurry Love (video)
12. Stars – Elevator Love Letter (video)
11. The Chemical Brothers – The Golden Path (video)
10. Pharell – Frontin’ (video)
9. The Postal Service – The District Sleeps Alone Tonight (video)
8. The White Stripes – Seven Nations Army (video)
7. Jay-Z – 99 Problems (video)
6. Califone – Michigan Girls
5. The Rapture – House of Jealous Lovers (video)
4. OutKast – Hey Ya (video)
3. Junior Senior – Move Your Feet (video)
2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Maps (video)
1. The Knife – Heartbeats (video)