10. Bone Thugs N Harmony feat. Mariah Carey and Bow Wow, “Lil L.O.V.E.” (Full Surface/Interscope): Bone Thugs’ double-time, tongue-twisting rhymes play nicely against Carey’s silky, low-key singing on the refrain, creating a single as potent as “We Belong Together.”
8. Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip, “Thou Shalt Always Kill” (Lex): One brilliantly broad statement after another, assaulting you with increasing velocity and ferocity over a clanging, squawking electro beat. My current favorite: “When I say, ‘hey,’ thou shall not say, ‘ho,’ when I say, ‘hip,’ thou shall not say, ‘hop.’”
7. Amy Winehouse, “You Know I’m No Good” (Universal): The most stylish of Winehouse’s winning singles this year, it dresses up her self-esteem issues like a long lost James Bond theme, complete with horn blasts and strong, yet vulnerable, vocals.
6. UGK feat. Outkast, “Int’l Players Anthem (I Choose You)” (Jive): Andre 3000's brainy cameo makes this hip-hop wedding song a real thrill, though it wouldn’t work without the soulful sample from the Willie Hutch nugget “I Choose You.” R.I.P. Pimp C.