Young Jeezy - The Recession (2008)

You know times are bad when rap stars are hurting economically. But the recession apparently isn't hurting T.I. His ho's can still have whatever they like, ya know? Young Jeezy's The Recession is embarrassingly good. As in, I bump it so hard, sometimes I'm embarrassed when other cars pull up next to me. I probably need to get some rims if I'm gonna pull stuff like that off. He shines and elicits many head nods on tracks like, What They Want and Amazin', but my favorite track on the album is My President. "My President is black/My lambo's blue/And I'll be goddam if my rims ain't too." I consider it to be the catchiest political ditty I've ever had the pleasure of doing a little white-girl dance to. I rocked it pretty hard the two weeks leading up the election, so I'd like to take partial credit for Obama's landslide victory. You're welcome, world. If only a similarly banging song existed for No on Prop 8... well maybe we would have seen a different result there.

Mona's Half-Year "Hot-5" Hoopla

5) 50 Cent/G-Unit drama
Relations between Fitty and every G-Unit re-org are increasingly dysfunctional. Whether it's beef with The Game, firing Young Buck (where’s the G-Unity?!), to rappers crying about loyalty on Hot 97... it's great entertainment and hot tracks (see: G-Unit’s “Rider Pt. 2”). The music is so good, it's criminal.

4) Chris Brown's 19th Birthday (Thank God!...)

...I was fearing a burgeoning Mrs. Robinson complex. He sings/dances, he's adorable, and makes R&B fun to watch. “Forever” gives 4:12 of pure, unabashedly cheesy happiness. Also check out: “Down (feat. Kanye West).” Perfect fusion of R&B, hip hop, and a rockin' guitar riff.

3) Ridiculous Guest Spots: “feat. Kanye” vs. “feat. T-Pain”

A feud with 50 or blaming Pearl Jam for that Bonnaroo fiasco can't stop the inventive beats and Jagger-like swagger I love. He's never too busy to put out something fierce (“Flashing Lights” or “Good Life”), or lend lyrical genius to electrified collaborations, like Estelle- “American Boy” or Ne-Yo- “Because of You.” Both Kanye, both awesome.

T-Pain, aka the most ubiquitous man in hip hop and R&B today, always makes you smile when he does his hip-hopified jig while singing. Whether he's buying you a “Drank” with Yung Joc, serenading “Shawty” with Plies, or giving a “Kiss Kiss” at McDonald’s with Chris Brown, it’s sonic perfection. Also, he's cool for making the auto-tune effect relevant again.

2) Hip Hop euphemisms for, well, you-know-what

Kardinal Offishall assures “I don't get soft easy, call me Captain Crunch” in “Buy You A Drank (Remix),” and it’s always nice to be put on notice, in case you didn't get the memo. And when he requests help in making his “black snake moan” in “Dangerous,” how can you NOT be flattered? But my favorite: in Lloyd’s “You,” Lil Wayne says “You give good brain like you graduated from a good school, you know I'm a good move you should do (me!).” Whatever's clever!

1) Usher- “Love In This Club (feat. Young Jeezy)”

...my favorite song, particularly the remix with T.I.’s rap intro. It’s a ridiculously catchy, perfectly mellow chill-out club song... with substance. Much like Geraldo's hard-hitting journalism, Usher asks those serious questions. So ladies… have you? “Have you ever made love, to a thug, in the club?” Think carefully.