Eminem - Top 10 Songs

In the late 1990s, a completely different type of rapper broke out onto the national hip hop music scene. For one thing, he was white (and that mattered in a big way because he was breaking new ground). To that point, almost all rappers with any amount of sustained and meaningful mainstream success in the world of rap (under the umbrella of hip hop) were black. I first became acquainted with Eminem through a combination of MTV music videos (yes, MTV still had music videos in the late 1990s) and regular radio air play (which was shocking because Eminem didn't fit neatly into the pop scene or the rap scene). In particular, the songs "My Name Is" and "The Real Slim Shady" ushered in a new era of rap/hip hop music which would transcend racial lines in due time.

At first, the general vibe was that Eminem could not possibly be accepted by mainstream rap/hip hop. By 2002, however, it became very apparent that he was right in the middle of this movement to rethink rap/hip hop and who could produce hits and be considered key contributors to the genre. That fall, the movie Eight Mile was a smash hit (and my all time favorite Eminem song emerged, "Lose Yourself").

As the years have rolled by since 2002, Eminem has had his personal and professional ups and downs. For the most part, professionally, he has been wildly successful. But at the same time, he has had his own personal challenges which have limited his consistent success. Through it all, when Eminem is active, he has continued to produce one hit after another (whether on his own or in collaboration with other talented hip hop, rap and pop artists). While to be honest, I don't enjoy his newer stylings on any level close to what he was kicking out between the years 1999 and 2004, there is no doubt that he is and forever will be one of the most accomplished and universally-recognized rappers/hip hop artists of all-time.

Here is a list of my 10 favorite Eminem songs:

1. Lose Yourself - 2002 - A very inspirational song that accompanied the movie Eight Mile

2. Stan (featuring Dido) - 2000 - This song has a hauntingly beautiful refrain

3. My Name Is - 1999 - The first mainstream song that really hit the charts

4. The Real Slim Shady - 2000 - A fantastic song with a great music video

5. Without Me - 2002 - Eminem's first 'come back' song after a brief hiatus to deal with personal issues

6. Sing for the Moment - 2003 - Taking an Aerosmith song and putting his own flavor to it

7. Cleanin' Out My Closet - 2002 - A thoughtful well-crafted song

8. Encore (featuring Dr. Dre and 50 Cent) - 2002 - Eminem's best collaboration effort ever

9. Just Lose It - 2004 - This song is rather unique to say the least

10. Forgot About Dre (with Dr. Dre) - 2000 - A tribute to Dr. Dre and a reintroduction to Dr. Dre after Dr. Dre had (apparently) fallen out of mainstream favor

Copyright 2016 - Luke Enno

Daft Punk - Top 10 Songs (1995-2013)

A list of my 10 favorite Daft Punk songs as of early 2016. This list is in chronological order by date.

Da Funk - 1995

After initially watching the video to this song, the viewer had to think that this group (Daft Punk) was either crazy or brilliant. Perhaps Daft Punk was a bit of both. The music video to Da Funk is a one-of-a-kind classic for its time and even today. There is nothing out there in the music video sphere of which I am aware that closely compares. I specifically recall when this music video came out. I would see it on MTV (or VH1) and the only response I had was, “What the _____ is this?” The music video features an anthropomorphic dog-human in the City of New York maneuvering around at night while carrying a boom box that apparently has little or no volume control or any other means by which the boom box can be turned off. You simply have to see the music video for yourself and allow what you are watching to sink in to understand whatever message Daft Punk was attempting to make.
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Around the World - 1997

After the music video for Da Funk came out, there was little to no chance that Daft Punk would be deviating from the standard being established by this groundbreaking band. This music video would give pleasure to someone like MC Escher. Beyond that, the lyrics are largely repetitive and a bit nauseating. Around the World is the only lyrical content in the song itself. Not too hard to remember! Note: There is exactly four of everything in this video. The costumes are rather crude and the choreography is not particularly impressive (in fact if you didn't know better you would believe Daft Punk was working with 1980s technology to produce this video). But I doubt Daft Punk cared much about what the viewers thought. This song fit perfectly with whatever 1980s-era theme was emanating forth.
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One More Time - 2000

When the music video to this song came out, Daft Punk crossed up its fans. Expecting One More Time to be in line with earlier Daft Punk mainstream hits, instead Daft Punk turned to an Anime-style approach. Apparently, the objective with this music video was to throw a heartfelt nod to Asian fans of Daft Punk around the world (no pun intended). This song was such a major dance hit that the music video could almost be ignored since I don’t care for the music video at all. For one thing, I am not an Anime fan. I find most Anime to be too colorful and simply not my style as far as cartoon/comic art is concerned.
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Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger - 2001

Inexplicably, Daft Punk chose to dip into the Anime file once again to pull out a familiar style for a music video. The song itself is great! Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger is my all-time personal favorite Daft Punk song and likely will remain that way permanently. Kanye West did the song justice in his remix version as well. While I am not a fan of Anime, this music video has more appeal to me than the One More Time music video which did not seem to tell much of a story and seemed to be a muddled mess in my opinion. At least, there appears to be some defined story line for the viewer to follow.
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Robot Rock - 2005

Once again, Daft Punk sticks with the late 1970s/early 1980s theme in this music video. Sometimes you don’t know if you are watching a 1970s rock group or something much different from a far away galaxy. Daft Punk fulfills its requirement to keep the audience wondering exactly what the audience just saw and to what meaning viewers should ascribe the images in the music video.

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Technologic - 2005

In typical Daft Punk fashion, the music video accompanying this song is hard to confuse with any other group out there. You don't confuse Daft Punk with whatever else exists in the music spectrum. A toddler robot with a somewhat eerie appearance provides the vocals as Daft Punk's members stand in place playing their instruments. I would dare anyone to memorize these lyrics and repeat them. I have no idea how one could learn these lyrics for memory since they are not repetitive and string along briskly. You would not have an easy task learning these lyrics.
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The Prime Time of Your Life - 2006

When I first saw the music video to this song, I thought I was watching a cheesy 1980s horror film. In reality, a clear and powerful message is being communicated. In typical Daft Punk fashion, this music video has the vibe of having been produced in the 1980s. The protagonist is a girl who becomes obsessed with being thin, thinking that society’s norms demand she be bone thin and to lose weight to accomplish that objective. She strips off all of her skin using a razor blade until there is nothing left but her muscle. Her shocked parents subsequently discover that she is dead (apparently). There are numerous remixes of this song out there as well. I would say that the Para One Remix is the version most commonly seen and I would consider that particular remix my favorite.

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Giorgio by Moroder - 2013

This song flew under the radar but I believe Giorgio by Moroder also deserves mention as Daft Punk is sometimes known to pay tribute to past great (and often underappreciated) artists.
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Get Lucky - 2013

Working with the up-and-coming and increasingly established in the mainstream Pharrell Williams, Daft Punk masterfully produced with one of the best pop songs of 2013. For good reason, Get Lucky received heavy radio play. This song had everything needed to be high on the Billboard list.
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Lose Yourself to Dance - 2013

Pharrell Williams links up with Daft Punk once more and the collaborative effort yields another memorable song. Compared to Get Lucky, Lose Yourself to Dance did not receive much airplay over the radio. But in my view, Lose Yourself to Dance was every bit as catchy as Get Lucky.

Copyright 2016 - Luke Enno

Linkin Park - 10 Greatest Songs

Few, if any, bands/music artists have been closer to my heart than Linkin Park ("LP"). LP spearheaded the nu metal genre and helped bring this particular niche of rock music into the mainstream. While many LP fans identify their first release Hybrid Theory as the band's greatest album, Meteora and Minutes to Midnight also had a solid list of charted hits. To an extent, subsequent albums in the late 2000s and into the 2010s have evolved into different stylings (which for a lot of fans have produced albums that are rather hit or miss). To me though, Chester Bennington is one of the greatest front men of all time and a creative genius capable of adapting to changing times. Mike Shinoda also deserves great credit for being the true experimental artist of the group leading LP into new and different directions.

Considering the history of LP up until early 2016, here is a list of the ten songs which stand out the most to me as LP's best:

#1 - New Divide
In 2009, LP produced a song to go along with the latest Transformers movie, Revenge of the Fallen. This song is packed with unbounded energy and allowed LP to bring all the intensity a song can pack.

#2 -  We Made It (with Busta Rhymes)
One of the great aspects of LP is that this band can collaborate with the best of them. Released in 2008, the lyrics in this song are powerful and inspiring and Busta combines his talent with Chester's amazing vocals to knock this collaboration out of the park.

#3 - Bleed It Out
On the Minutes to Midnight album, among the other hits, Bleed It Out allows Mike Shinoda to incorporate rap vocals which at its core, is Mike's true gifting.

#4 - Numb Encore (with Jay-Z)
A collaborative effort with Jay-Z spices up one of the truly outstanding songs LP has ever made. This song was a single.

#5 - Numb
A 2003 release on Meteora, Joe Hahn directed this song and I believe this song showcased Joe's talents in a way that caused LP fans to appreciate the distinct sound he brings to LP.

#6 - Burn It Down
The anguish in Chester's voice carries this song into a place that captures the essence of everything that makes LP the greatest band ever.

#7 - Breaking the Habit
Songs with meaning. Songs with heart. Songs that can even leave you disconsolate. This song evokes profound meaning for anyone who has struggled with a self-destructive habit that they know needs to be broken.

#8 - What I've Done
Another song that causes the listener to carefully consider the lyrics and the meaning behind such lyrics in the individual life of the listener.

#9 - One Step Closer
All of Chester's pent up anger is spilled out in this song which borders on Chester simply screaming out his emotions as powerfully and with the emotion that only he can produce in such quantity.

#10 - Lying From You
Another song that blends in the rap stylings of Mike and Chester's intense vocals. Two great ones like Lennon and McCartney.

Copyright 2016 - Luke Enno