Great early '00s hip-hop tracks that have largely been forgotten

In 2002, hip-hop duo Smilez & Southstar released their only album Crash the Party. Their second single “Tell Me” saw massive success, becoming a top-40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. On the track, the duo tells the perspective of a man reflecting on a past relationship that didn’t last and he's trying to figure out where it went wrong.  

After Murphy Lee saw platinum success with the debut album of his group St. Lunatics, he went on to release his solo project Murphy’s Law. He teamed up with producer Jermaine Dupri on the album’s lead single “What Da Hook Gon Be.” The irony of the track is that he can’t think of a hook for the song, but he’s literally rapping the hook. 

Juelz Santana released his 2005 sophomore album What the Game’s Been Missing! The project garnered four singles including the smash hit “There It Go (Whistle Song).” The production has always been a standout in Santana’s discography with its many sounds of drums, claps, and of course, whistles. “There It Go (Whistle Song)” continues to be Santana’s highest-charting single to date. 

In 2004, hip-hop duo Young Gunz released the perfect ladies anthem with their debut single “No Better Love.” On the track, the duo raps about being attracted to a potential love interest and wanting to take their relationship a step further. 

In 2006, rap duo Field Mob released their third album Light Poles and Pine Trees. With four singles on the project, the most popular one was the Ciara-assisted track “So What.” Accompanied by a Jazze Pha production, “So What” tells the story of outsiders having a lot to say about another person’s relationship. Like Ciara says in the third verse, “This love is serious / No matter what people think / I’m gon’ be here for ya / And I don’t care what they say.”  

The early 2000s was a time in which Eminem signed the group D12 to his Shady record label. In 2004, D12 released its sophomore album D12 World, which featured their hit single “My Band.” The track is more satirical suggesting that Eminem is the leader of the group. 

The Shop Boyz came swinging onto the scene in 2007 blending hip-hop with rock 'n roll on their hit single “Party Like a Rockstar.” Not only does the song highlight how much the group can live a rockstar life, but it also gives references to famous rockers. It’s evident in the third verse as they say, “As soon as I come out the womb, my mama knew a star was born / Now I’m on the golf course, trippin’ with the Osbournes / I seen a show with Travis Barker, rockstar mentality / I’m jumpin’ in the crowd just to see if they will carry me.”

In 2006, Ghostface Killah released his critically acclaimed album Fishscale. On the single “Back Like That,” Ghostface teams up with Ne-Yo to tell the perspective of a guy dealing with his girlfriend who has past dealings with another man. 

In 2007, Mims released his debut single “This Is Why I’m Hot.” On the track, the rapper boasts about his aura and how many people respect it, no matter what city he’s in. After entering the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 32, the song rose to No. 1 within a week. Not only did Mims keep the charts ablaze, but the airwaves too. 

It seems like during the 2000s there was an uptick of rappers who added Lil’ to their stage names. In 2000, Lil’ Zane released his debut album Young World: The Future, which featured his 112-assisted track “Callin’ Me.” Zane uses the track to reflect on his newfound life as a celebrity, between the hectic schedules and hanging out with people that he grew up with. 

After Nappy Roots made noise on the independent scene in the late ‘90s, they eventually signed a record deal with Atlantic Records. In 2002, they released their major-label debut album Watermelon, Chicken & Grits, which featured their hit single “Po’ Folks.” Teaming up with soulful singer Anthony Hamilton, the song finds the group reflecting on living in poverty while at times also having a poor mindset, but their goal is to continue to be positive in the midst of it all. 

Rap love songs will never go out of style — no matter which decade, audiences will still love that special type of music that makes them feel giddy. Mike Jones teamed up with T-Pain, Lil Wayne, and Twista on his 2008 single “Cuddy Buddy.” On the track, the guys highlight the feelings of having that special buddy they can call for intimate evenings. 

Rich Boy made a name for himself in 2007 with his self-titled debut album, which was spawned by his first single “Throw Some Ds.” He then followed up with other singles such as “Good Things” in which he collaborated alongside Polow Da Don and Keri Hilson. On the track, Rich Boy reflects on the feelings of how he wants to be more than friends with a potential love interest. 

Maino came onto the scene in 2009 with his debut single “Hi Hater.” On the track, Maino reflects on how much he’s worked to get to a successful point in his life, and now that he’s seeing more elevation, he notices that haters will continue to try to bring him down. It’s evident in the first verse as says, “Yeah, dollar bill y’all, a lot of bills y’all / New year tryin' to touch me a mill y’all / I came up now, I’m what’s up now / When you shine all these haters wanna talk down.” 

In addition to T-Pain’s solo work, he was quite the in-demand feature artist. It was no different when newcomer 2 Pistols worked with T-Pain on his debut single “She Got It.” On the track, 2 Pistols details how some women have that certain "it" factor that keeps him intrigued. The song peaked at No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Tracks.

Bow Wow was one of the most popular and influential rappers in the 2000s, and what made him even cooler was that he was just a teenager. In 2003, he released his third album Unleashed which was led by his hit single “Let’s Get Down.” It was the first album Bow Wow released without any production or writing from his longtime collaborator and mentor Jermaine Dupri. 

Hurricane Chris made a name for himself in 2007 with his debut single “A Bay Bay.” The song became a top-10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. 

Mullage’s 2009 single “Trick’n” is all about walking that walk and not just talking the talk. The hip-hop duo details how they don’t have to put on a front about their wealth and status as they say, “Shawty you know that I got that cash / You don’t even have to ask / Have anything you want to / ‘Cause I can make it rain on you ‘cause you know it ain’t trick’n if you got it.” 

Juelz Santana teamed up with R&B singer Chris Brown and producer Polow Da Don on his 2009 single “Back to the Crib.” On the track, Santana and Brown reflect on women having feelings for them, but they actually want to take the women back to their homes for a proper nightcap.

Chamillionaire came into the music industry in 2005 with his debut album The Sound of Revenge. His lead single “Turn It Up” which featured fellow rapper Lil Flip and production from Scott Storch saw moderate success on the Billboard charts. It was a solid introduction before the massive success of his follow-up single “Ridin.’”