Fear immediately sets in as responsibility for the party’s
audio selection and general vibe now falls squarely on your shoulders. You
don’t want to be the butthead that ruins the party, so you ask yourself, “What
song do I put on?”
Option A: Play that
new song that you’ve had on repeat in your head since you discovered it three
days ago. This option gives you the obvious benefit of hearing the song you’ve
been bumping lately, and perhaps becoming the one prophetic individual that
enlightens the masses with a revolutionary new jam, you just found on Joints
and Cheese. On the flip side, you run the risk of nobody having any idea what
is playing or the crowd not feeling it. It’s a high-risk, high-reward
situation, but one you may be willing to entertain based on your confidence in
the song and/or blood-alcohol content.
Option B: Play the
song atop the radio charts currently. Odds are the ladies in attendance know
all the words and will sing along, and whether guys like it or not, they are
used to hearing it. You are unlikely to make a statement – a lost opportunity
to assert your awesomeness – with this selection, but its popularity and
prevalence makes it a smaller risk than swinging for the fences with Option A.
While both Option A and B are viable choices, Option C holds
The Secret to keeping everyone grooving and partying away.
Option C: It may be
by some statistical anomaly that music from this year was simply superior, or
it may be that the songs stir up fond memories of awkward middle school dances
for current collegiates whom are still nostalgic about the days when grinding
would land them a trip the principal’s office… but the sole low-risk,
high-reward pick is Hip-Hop from 2004.
Even a small sample of chart toppers from ’04 reveals what
those keen to The Secret already knew: there are no shortage of sure thing jams
from the 2004 Hip-Hop/R&B crop.
Usher – Yeah!
Terror Squad – Lean Back
Twista ft. Kanye West & Jamie Foxx – Slow Jamz
J-Kwon - Tipsy
Kelis - Milkshake
Ludacris – Stand Up
Lil Jon & The Eastside Boyz – Get Low
Chingy – Holidae Inn
Murphy Lee – Wat Da Hook Gon Be
Kevin Lyttle – Turn Me On
This is not to say that the surplus of excellent track in 2004 overshadow any and all other potential jams. What's important here though is the high density longevity that 2004 has brought us. And for that we thank you.