I originally set out to write a list of the top 10 “Fight Songs,” that would be the best songs for a fight scene or to get you pumped up to stomp some trick-ass-mark out. However, as I thought more about it, I decided to change it to just hype songs, songs that really get me going, get the blood flowing, and get me excited to do just about anything. The list is endless and when I went through my music, the original playlist I had set up was about 100 songs, so clearly I had some narrowing down to do. What I had to do, then, was require some qualifications for each of the songs, and they are as follows.
Songs from the last 10 years. I think most people know I hate old music anyways, so this was almost a no-brainer. It also really helped to narrow the list, as it eliminated a lot of the old Jock Rock/Jock Jams songs, a plethora of Rocky-related songs, but also some legitimately appiopriate songs for the list, such as “Rap Superstar” by Cypress Hill and “The Final Countdown” by Europe. This list is obviously tailored to the newer, so some may not agree but the list is mine so deal with it. Unfortunately, this means the Chicago Bulls’ opening music did not qualify, which is a real shame.No “stadium music.” This is the overplayed corrollary, whereby the song can’t have been beaten to death by radio, television, movies, or in-stadium playing. This eliminated songs like “Pump It Up” by Joe Budden and “Let’s Get Retarded” by Black Eyed Peas. Anyone can make a top-10 list of songs like this, but they’ve probably been overused to the point that you feel nothing when you hear them now, so out they go. I don’t know about you, but “Mony Mony” just doesn’t get me going after the 10,000,000th time played at a hockey game.
One song per artist. This was a no-brainer and it really helped limit the list. If it wasn’t for this element here, this list would be Disturbed’s first album, The Sickness. It limited a lot of good songs (for example, Juelz Santana was limited to one song which is somewhat inappropriate), but had to be done to get down to 10. What I did instead was, after each member on the list, I named a few of their other songs that were list-worthy. You may also notice that Lil’ Scrappy appears on the list twice, but he wasn’t the Album Artist on one of them, he was a guest, which means both songs can make the list.
It should also be noted that, while not a prerequisite to the list at all, I’m very hip-hop oriented despite my high-school days as an angry music kinda guy, so the list really favors hip hop music. Tough break for those of you who don’t like the genre, but there are a few other nuggets in there. And sorry Dave, “Faggot” by Mindless Self Induglence just missed out…I know you love it, but it doesn’t get me hyped like it does for you (maybe the lyrics just aren’t as relevant to me as they are for you?). Anyways, on to the list.
The List
Honorable Mention
Trick Daddy f. Trina and the SNS All-Stars – “Take It To The House”. Great song and a hilarious Gloebtrotters parody video, but it loses points for being too pop and reminding me way too much of my little brother Matthew.
Petey Pablo – “Raise Up”. Who am I? Petey Pab mutha…. Pretty amp chorus, but the verses are a little too slow to put it on the list. Petey Pab is the man though, and you should check out his new single “Holla At Cha Homeboi” featuring Pitbull and Uncle Luke, it’s his usual one-single-every-three-years offering, good stuff.
Black Eyed Peas and Papa Roach – “Anxiety”. Was very close to being eliminated on the overplayed grounds, but apparently not that many people have heard it. It gained and lost points at the same time for being the song during the You Got Served dancing montage.
Linkin Park and lostrophets. Both of these bands have a lot of good songs such as “Crawling,” “Papercut,” and “One Step Closer,” by the former and “We Are Godzilla, You Are Japan,” “Shinobi vs. The Dragon Ninja,” and “Five Is A Four Letter Word,” by the latter. Unfortunately, neither has that one break-through hype song to get them on the list, but they’re a great source of energy depth.
Neurotica – “Ride Of Your Life”. It actually creeps me out that I know this really obscure song, because it’s a pretty freaky song with some really weird parts. At the same time, it’s really fast paced with methodical verses, which is right up my alley. Bonus points for a lot of jibberish in one part of the song.
The Top Ten
10. Slipknot – “Duality”. Slipknot, yup, I went there. This is a wayback playback and probably not a popular pick, but not only is this song BJ Ryan’s entrance music for the Jays, its also a really high energy song that gets me going. Slipknot HAD to be on this list because of my love for them in grade 9-10. Lost points for being by Slipknot, but gained points because it doesn’t have a lot of screaming by Slipknot standards. Other good tracks by Slipknot are “Left Behind,” and the classic, “Wait & Bleed,” both of which are tame for Slipknot but do the trick here.
9. Lil’ Scrappy f. Trillville and Lil’ John – “Head Bussa”. Oh yeah, this is my jam right here. We some head bussa, we some head bussa, we a knock a hater out, we some head bussa. A real breakthrough lyrically. Like always with BME, Lil’ John throws down a really good beat that you have no choice but to bounce to. Lil’ Scrappy is also as money as you can find when it comes to lyrics and flow that make you want to fight. I’ve actually considered taking this off my I-Pod because if it comes on when I’m walking to campus I’m afraid I’ll fight a little kid or something. Bonus points for the the one part, “don’t touch my game though, shorty what’s WRONG with you,” and only loses points because there were so many songs produced by Lil’ John being considered for the list. Any Lil’ Scrappy joint is good to get hype, but specifically you’ll wanna check “Posted In The Club” with Three-Six Mafia, “Gangsta Gangsta” with Lil’ John, and “Oh Yeah” with E-40 and Sean Paul (Youngbloodz).
8. Drowning Pool – “Bodies”. Yeah, this really should have been eliminated by the overplayed corrollary, but it’s way too great a pump-up song to not be on the list. A lot of history behind this song: it was the XxX theme song, it was Stephanie McMahon’s entrance music during the Invasion angle in WWE back around 2000, and it was the last song Drowning Pool’s original singer performed before he passed away. The entire album, Sinner, is pretty good but no tracks compare to this for hype quality, although “Reminded” is worth a listen. Bonus points because everyone calls the song “that let the bodies hit the floor song.”
7. The Transplants – “Tall Cans In The Air”. Lost a lot of points because of the incredible amount of swearing in the song, making it nearly impossible to quote or listen to in public, but it’s a great song. I’m not sure what tall cans are in this context, but if you can ignore that much it’s a real good song. Transplants don’t have any other energy songs I’d recommend, but all of their stuff is pretty good if you’re into this genre.
6. Trapt – “Still Frame”. This probably should be the song “Headstrong” that everyone knows, but it definitely fell victim to the overplayed requirement. Still Frame is a better song, anyways, and is every bit as good for getting the blood pumping. Sorry, but I don’t have any interesting comments or tidbits, but other goods songs are “Headstrong” which you definately would recognize, and “Out Of Touch (Disconnected)”. It’s actually strange that they have three songs worthy of this list, because the rest of their songs are really slow and kind of boring.
5. Eminem f. D12 – “Fight Music”. Granted, it should be #1 on a list of fight songs, but it just doesn’t do as much for me as a song like this should. Maybe I’ve overplayed it myself, but it’s effect has wore off over time. Eminem is sick for getting me pumped, especially his older stuff, but Bizarre makes the song a little less credible with some ridiculous lyrics. Any old Eminem will do, but specifically you wanna check “Kill You,” “Still Don’t Give a F—,” “Lose Yourself,” and “Public Enemy #1.”
4. Three-Six Mafia – “It’s a Fight”. I wanted so badly to put this as #1. It has the lyrical relevance, a great title, and is a really sick song. It was also the entrance music for Mason “The Line” Dixon in Rocky Balboa and it would definitely be the music I came out to if I ever boxed or fought MMA. I like to listen to it before I play Fight Night (by the way, I lost, I suck, I’m now 9-1 with 9 KO’s, I got my ass beat down in the 4th round by some nobody). Loses points a bit for the simplicity of the lyrics (a 3-6 staple) and for lulling in the verses, but man it’s a gangster song and there’s not really anything bad to say about the songs remaining on this list. The Mafia doesn’t actually have many other songs that get me pumped up, but they have a lot of depth as far as masognystic hilarious lyrics go.
3. Trillville f. Lil’ Scrappy and Lil’ John – “Neva Eva”. Another song very deserving of the #1 spot, but I figured it was more specific to me than the general population. Another Lil’ John masterpiece to bump to, and Scrappy throws it down like a champ again. The energy is there throughout the song and contrary to most, I actually really like that “get on my level” is repeated in the background the whole song, I think it adds a lot and gives you something to bounce to during verses. A couple of really good lines in this song as well, and this was one of the first “WHAT?” Lil’ John songs so it was an original in its time. This song can get me in the mood to dance, fight, play ball, cook spaghetti, whatever man. “Get Some Crunk in Yo’ System” with Pastor Troy and “Bit- Nig-z” are also good songs by the boys from the Trill, as well as just about anything Lil’ John laid his fingers to the keyboard for.
2. Disturbed – “Down With The Sickness”. Tough choice to decide which Disturbed song to include on the list. I actually debated having #1 be “Any song by Disturbed” but figured that was a cop out to some degree. Each of their three albums have declined in intensity, but because they’re still relatively unknown even their more known songs pack a punch. Down With The Sickness was the default choice for being the title track on the best album I’ve owned, TheSickness, an album that stayed in my CD player pretty much from grade 8 through to grade 11. I’m not exaggerating when I say that every track on this album will get you pumped up, even if they are a bit too hardcore for some. Specifically, “Droppin Plates,” “Stupify,” and … screw it, every song on the album, seriously. Off the follow-up albums, “Liberate” is probably the only song that compares to the first album. Side note, screw The Edge 102.1 for always playing a piece of this song while they’re talking, it ALWAYS tricks me into thinking it’s coming on, and it never is.
1. Juelz Santana – “I Am Crack”. Fine, the song is completely irrelevant to sports or fighting or anything like that. And fine, it’s not even a high energy song, it’s more methodical and slower paced, like all Juelz’ stuff. And fine, this will probably be the most disputed #1 on a list since Mario Williams. I don’t care. No song gets me more pyshced for doing anything. The song just makes me feel like a gangster. Even though the lyrics are about being a drug dealer, there are a lot of really cool lyrics that will jump out, like “I’m a mean pimp, you know what I mean pimp?” The song has an “epic” feel in the sense that it was made specifically to pump Blake Murphy up. The beat is fantastic and Santana has a way of making everything he says sound groundbreaking. If you don’t believe me that Santana has the “epic” sound check out the Nike commercial The Second Coming, that’s Santana there, and if that track doesn’t make you want to ball, you’re not a basetkabll fan. “The Second Coming” is probably the only other Juelz song worth referencing on this list, but it’s basektball-specific (while on the topic, TI’s “Bring Em Out” and “Battlegrounds” are solid basketball pump-up songs, although Bring Em Out is overdone). I Am Crazk gets bonus points for referencing the fantastic Al Pacino movie Carlito’s Way, although it loses points for referring to the character Benny Blanco as Billy Blanco (played by John Leguizamo, my boy).
So this list was probably useless, but it was something I really wanted to write. The #1 is probably going to be laughed at and chirped, but it’s my list and easily my #1. If you’re the type of person who likes to listen to music to get into the mood for things (sports especially), I recommend checking out some of the artists on this list. Also, if anyone knows if you can upload your own entrance music for Fight Night on PS3, please let me know how; you better be able to do this on the first PS3 WWE game, too.
Hope everyone’s having a bomb weekend, and don’t forget about the MLB opener tonight, the Jays opener tomorrow afternoon, and the NCAA Championship game tomorrow night.
