The Top 10 Most Popular Hip Hop Singles The Week Of 2/13/2012

This week was supposed to be the week full of love. However, after dealing with Whitney Houston’s death, coupled with a confusing Grammy Awards, Valentine’s Day seemed to have come and gone. A few V-Day tracks circulated to honor the Hallmark Holiday. You won’t find any of those on this list, though. What will you will find is a healthy dose of new music – some remixes, some freestyles, some sequels – and the familiar faces are welcomed. We even have a posthumous appearance from a Hip Hop legend. In all, it was a well-rounded week.

Kendrick Lamar Befriends Rick Ross’ Friend, Big L Returns

This past week, a new Kendrick Lamar track leaked called “Cartoon & Cereal” featuring Triple Cs’ Gunplay. The Rick Ross affiliate is gearing for the release of his mixtape “Bogota.” In the meantime, Gunplay jumped on this track and it soared right to #1, probably moreso due to K.Dot, who took 2011 by storm with Section.80. The other draw? It’s a seven minute stream of consciousness, one that arguably only Kendrick Lamar can pull off nowadays. Where this track will end up, nobody knows. Another prolific emcee joined the list posthumously. A few Big L tracks leaked this past week: “Don’t Sleep,” which made #7 on the list, and a Children of the Corn throwback “Harlem Nights,” with Cam’Ron and Bloodshed. The 13-year anniversary of Big L’s death was this past Wednesday (February 15th). It’s crazy to realize that after a decade gone, Big L’s presence is still very much felt.

Joe Budden Brings Two Freestyles, Nas Shows Up On Two Features

This week a lot of freestyles came to the forefront. Joe Budden’s “Stay Schemin” freestyle checked in at #2; then his “No Church In the Wild” freestyle grabbed #9. Joell Ortiz also covered “Stay Schemin” at #10. Meanwhile, six slots up Redman “Just Don’t Give a Fuck” in the #4 spot. As of recently, freestyles were the vehicle for newer artists to gain exposure. Now, even the veterans are jumping on the trend, and in this case, taking over. Speaking of veterans, Nas got his fair share of facetime on the list. Nasir’s DJ Premier and The Berklee Symphony Orchestra cut “Regeneration” got the remix treatment with the “Regeneration Rmx” with Apathy tacked on. That came in at #2. Then, Nas shows up again on the Tyga track “Kings & Queens” with Nas and Wale at #6. Tyga’s Careless World: Rise Of the Last King arrives this Tuesday, February 21st.