5. Hold Your Head - Notorious B.I.G. ft Bob Marley (mp3): Supposedly the first single off Big Poppa's Duets:Final Chapter album. The incarcerated Brooklyn don spits prophetic eulogies with a soulful assist from the legendary Bob Marley.
(props to spine)

4. Road To Zion - Damian Marley ft NaS (ram): From one Marley to another, this is one of the handful outstanding joints from JR Gong's latest addition to the Marley catalog Welcome to Jamrock. God's Son touches on the Black man's plight in his un-conventional off-beat conversational flow.
(Art of Rhyme)

3. Take It Easy - The Fugees (mp3) If you're one of the most respected rap groups ever and you reckon you're vital enough to make a comback after an 8-year hiatus, then you better make it a classic comeback (I don't think Fugees fans would settle for less). This is not vintage Fugees but it's more listenable than most of that other shit out there, which goes to show how further down the standards have slumped these days. "I ain't rhymed in a minute, but y'all ain't catch up, and that ain't blood on your shirt, that's ketchup!,"
(courtesy of O-dub)

2. Three Sides To A Story - Joe Budden: Def Jam was supposed to be putting out a Joe Budden album entitled The Growth sometime this year. Joey himself dissappeared from mixtapes for a while only to reappear on Roc Cafe with claims of being signed to Roc-a-fella. No matter what happens to The Growth or Budden's contract for that matter, "Three Sides..." a twisted 3-in-1 story, will go down in history as evidence of what he can do on the mic.....sometimes.

1. Something To Hold On To - Jay Electronica(mp3) : A delicate yet introspective song that'll get you thinking without making you scratch your head. Nottz adds substance to the joint with dense layers of soulful instrumentations, while the much under-appreciated Jay Electronica complements the beat with his crisp and clear flow.
(Thanks to Frank for this one)