HipHopDX’s last weekly Top 10 list of 2013 finds Jay Z trading his featured place at number one on a Beyonce song for the same position and function on Rick Ross’ quickly climbing “The Devil Is A Lie.” Produced by K.E. On The Track, the song represents the sixth time that the two emcees have joined forces. Justin Bieber claims another spot in the Top 10 for the second time this month, trading Chance The Rapper for Lil Wayne on his latest Journal and #MusicMondays campaign derived single “Backpack” at #2. Keeping things consistent, Future’sDrake and Juicy J featuring “Shit” remix finds itself at #3 for the second week in a row, thanks in part to the Toronto rapper’s possible backhanded reference towards Kendrick Lamar.
With the whole list built out of official singles, the rest of the Top 10 is rounded out by TDE’s recent signee Isaiah Rashad’s Scarface referencing “Brad Jordan” (the song’s title is Scarface’s born name). Scarface himself acknowledged the release with a Tweet expressing interest in joining Rashad on the song’s remix. Beyonce and Drake pull another week on the list with their single “Mine” and the DX staff’s choice for collaboration of the year—the TDE remix of “U.O.E.N.O.”—brings the song back into play. Slaughterhouse, Ma$e, and Wiz Khalifa also find their names on the list with their respective releases.
Rick Ross and Jay Z Collaborate Again On “The Devil Is A Lie”
After last week’s second-place showing, Rick Ross and Jay Z knock Hov’s wife off the top spot with their latest hit, “The Devil Is a Lie.” The pair’s newest collaboration, a follow-up to their successful Magna Carta Holy Grail single earlier in the year, is slated to appear on the Maybach Music Group founder’s upcoming sixth album which is scheduled to release next year. Ross mentions their earlier song in his spoken introduction and goes on to carry the single’s first two verses and hook throughout.
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Rapping largely about their lifestyles and accumulated wealth, both emcees drop references to their spoils and approach to life and business. The title, apparently a sly reference to the commonly quoted Biblical passage “the devil is a liar,” ends up repeatedly in Ross’ hook. Continuing his trend of drug dealer innuendos, Ross kicks off his first verse with a reference to expensive shoes and insider connections. “Four stacks for the heels on my bitch feet / Car seats still smelling like ten ki’s / Tell a plug that I’m lookin’ for increase,” he raps. Jay’s verse, not unlike Ross’, makes mention of his alleged history in crime, but noticeably places that experience in the rearview. “Could’ve got blacklist for the crack shit / White Jesus in my crock pot / I mix the shit with some soda / Now I’m black Jesus turn water to wine,” he spits.
Justin Bieber Drafts Lil Wayne For “Backpack”
Pop singer Justin Bieber’s last appearance on DX’s weekly Top 10 was a function of his recruiting rising star Chance The Rapper for his “Confident” single a couple weeks ago. This week, the Canadian star’s successful DX appearance comes packaged with a Lil Wayne feature on “Backpack.” The spaceship themed single relies heavily on both artist’s reverbed vocals and Bieber’s recurring hook. Wayne’s verse, which comes about halfway through the song, continues his trend of not-so-subtle self-references to himself as other-worldly. “Uh, greetings, I fell from the sky,” he raps, “I’m from a different world, I use Lil Wayne as a disguise / And a flying saucer crashed, I’m the only one that survived / I’ve only taken over this planet since I’ve arrived.”
Released early this week, “Backpack” is the latest single to be released from Bieber’s collection of so-called #MusicMondays tracks. Consolidating the songs into a single project, Bieber released his Journals compilation on iTunes at midnight on Monday (December 23). Journals also features appearances from Chance The Rapper, Big Sean, and Future besides Lil Wayne and production from Diplo.
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Future’s “Shit (Remix)” Gets Help From Drake And Juicy J
Updating the original release from earlier in December, Future’s Drake and Juicy J features on the remix have helped the song to a second consecutive week at #3 this week. The “Shit (Remix),” produced by DX’s pick for Producer Of The Year, Mike WiLL Made-It, features a possible allusion and response to Kendrick Lamar and his now ubiquitous “Control” verse. In his verse, Drake makes several references that hint at the Compton emcee that brought his name up earlier in the year. “I hear you talkin’ ‘bout your city like you run there / Then I brought my tour to your city, you my son there,” Drake raps. Later in the verse, Drake addresses his name being brought up by other emcees. “If a nigga say my name he the hot shit / But if I say that nigga name he still the hot shit.”
This Week’s Top 10
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1. Rick Ross f. Jay Z – “The Devil Is A Lie [Prod. K.E. On the Track]”
2. Justin Bieber f. Lil Wayne – “Backpack”
3. Future f. Drake & Juicy J – “Shit (Remix) [Prod. by Mike WiLL Made-It]”
4. Isaiah Rashad f. Michael Da Vinci – “Brad Jordan”
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5. Ma$e f. HER – “Why Can’t We”
7. Slaughterhouse – “Party [Prod. by Cardiak & Just Blaze]”
8. Wiz Khalifa – “Get Me Some More”
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10. Beyonce f. Frank Ocean – “Superpower”
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Related: Rick Ross Addresses “The Devil Is A Lie” Collaboration With Jay Z
