The Top 10 Most Popular Hip Hop Singles The Week Of 3/17/14

In a week that saw releases from YG, Madlib and Freddie Gibbs, Vince Staples, and more, this week’s Top 10 finds 50 Cent at the top spot with his Yo Gotti feature on “Don’t Worry About It,” a track apparently scheduled for the rapper’s planned Animal Ambition mixtape. HipHopDX featured an exclusive interview with Linkin Park frontman Mike Shinoda earlier this week to break down the band’s latest Rakim feature on “Guilty All The Same.” YG’s Kendrick Lamar assisted “Really Be” spends another week in the Top 3, dropping from the #1 spot last week to #3 this week.

The rest of the list includes new music from the Wu-Tang Clan’s upcoming album, more 50 Cent and Animal Ambition, Lil Wayne, Big Boi with the help of Kid Cudi and Stevie Wonder, and more.

50 Cent Enlists Yo Gotti For Animal Ambition Track

With Animal Ambition slowly taking public shape, 50 Cent released both a single and accompanying video this week. The single is currently available on iTunes and acts as the second serving from the rapper’s planned June 3 release (the first single, “Hold On,” is at #5 on our list). The video, which leaves out Yo Gotti’s feature, was directed by Eif Rivera and features a cameo from G-Unit member Tony Yayo.  

Earlier this week, 50 Cent explained his motivation to leave his long-time label home in Interscope. “Interscope is Beats Records,” 50 Cent said in an interview Forbes. “There’s no artist that has a marketing budget supporting what they’re actually doing that doesn’t have Beats headphones in the actual visual to support that brand, that company. So when I invested in SMS Audio, it kind of made people afraid…It kind of got to a point that it was like, ‘I’ve got to get out of here. Y’all need to just go do what you’re doing with this,’ because it was too much of a priority, Beats, with the actual record company.”

The video, which also appears on this week’s Top 10, is available below. 

Rakim Features On Linkin Park’s “Guilty All The Same”

Explaining the process of making their latest single in an interview with HipHopDX earlier this week, Mike Shinoda detailed how the Rakim feature came about and said he’s currently listening to ScHoolboy Q, Kid Cudi, and Danny Brown. “It was so funny how that happened,” Shinoda said of the Rakim appearance. “We were in the studio listening to the track and originally I was gonna Rap in the bridge and I said as I was listening to it I thought it was predictable for me to rap a verse right here. Like that’s not as exciting as it could be. What could we do that would be shocking? And I joked [that] you know we’ve already done stuff with Jay Z, what if we got Rakim? Like I thought it would be impossible, but the engineer was like I can get to him if you want me to. I said, ‘You’re fucking kidding me.’ He said, ‘You know my buddy back in New York was his engineer and lived near him, and I’ll just give him a shout and see if he can reach out and ask the question.’ I said, ‘Well it doesn’t hurt so do it.’ Next thing I know a week later I was on the phone with the guy.”

A lyric video featuring Rakim’s verse is available below.

Wu-Tang Clan Drops First Single From A Better Tomorrow

With their first group album since 2008 due out this year, the Wu dropped off a new single from the project as an introduction to A Better Tomorrow. The track, which is produced by DJ Mathematics, is their first release since last summer’s RZA-produced “Family Reunion.” The group’s website reports that their 20th anniversary release is available for pre-order and “almost ready to ship.” 

The album has made headlines with rumors of group tension and a lack of involvement from rapper Raekwon. Earlier this year the Only Built 4 Cuban Linx cited business and a lack of communication as hurdles to the project’s release. “Yo, all I can say is like—it’s business. You know? I would never put my family—First of all, you know that’s the mothership,” he said. “Never ever ever gonna violate that, but at the same time it’s 20 years later, b. And business gotta be done correctly. I wanna be happy. You know what I mean? I wanna do this album in harmony. I wanna do it most likely—I wanna do it in the best way because, you know, brothers already said that’s the last joint. And that right there was like—I found out like y’all found out.”

This Week’s Top 10

1. 50 Cent f. Yo Gotti – “Don’t Worry Bout It”

2. Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park – Talks Rakim Collaboration, Says He’s On The “Kendrick Got Robbed” Team From The Grammy’s [Video]

3. YG f. Kendrick Lamar – “Really Be (Smokin N Drinkin)”

4. Wu-Tang Clan f. Nathaniel – “Keep Watch”

5. 50 Cent – “Hold On”

6. Lil Wayne – “Moment”

7. Jay Electronica f. LaTonya Givens – “Better In Tune With The Infinite”

8. Big Boi f. Kid Cudi & Stevie Wonder – “Part Time Hater”

9. Pusha T & A$AP Ferg – “Hand In My Pocket [Prod. Sean C & LV]”

10. 50 Cent f. Yo Gotti – “Don’t Worry Bout It” [Video]

Last Week’s Top 10

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