We all have parts of our past that make us shake our heads. But looking at Billboard’s Hot 100 charts over the years, we’re reminded of far too many songs and artists that we’ve blocked from our memories. Whether it was because of their problematic content, gimmicky sound, or the delusional overnight stars they birthed, these are the hits we wish we could take back.
11. Sporty Thievz, “No Pigeons”
This Black “men’s rights” anthem was clever enough for a few laughs at the moment. However, with terrible lines like ,”Your pussy ain’t worth the Ramada,” the male response to TLC’s “No Scrubs” ultimately came off bitter. Most importantly, their flow sucked, the lyrics were dumb and the beat was wack AF.
10. Akinyele, “Put It in Your Mouth”
Unless you’re at a strip club (Akinyele owns a few today, by the way), it’s tough for any self-respecting man or woman to bop all the way through 1999’s shameless ode to oral play without feeling like a heathen. This track was a big hit back then, but one we definitely regret.
9. Snow, “Informer”
Sure, Canadian reggae artist Snow had the co-sign of hip hop pioneer MC Shan, but his debut hit “Informer” from the 1992 album, 12 Inches of Snow is far worse than the gentrified “elevator” reggae Rihanna recently teased Diplo for making. Snow was a result of Vanilla Ice and records label clearly hoped they could create another pop-friendly White rapper.
8. Joe Budden, “Pump It Up”
He’s had a solid career as an underground MC, but Budden will always be associated with this wack hit. The beat and rhymes are all good, but the rumor that rhymes are a clever celebration of masturbation make us never want to hear it again. Seriously, try to bump this track right now without being disgusted now that you know the “jump off” Joey was allegedly referring to was his hand.
7. Iggy Azeala, “Fancy”
Remember that weird summer back in 2014 when T.I. and the mainstream media conspired to make a blonde Australian girl Nicki Minaj’s top contender? The great White hype didn’t last. Now, she is just fodder on Twitter with a rumored “come back” album in the works. We won’t hold our breath.
6. Sean Kingston, “Beautiful Girls”
Besides the problematic mentions of suicide on the 2007 hit, we just can’t forgive ourselves for enabling Kingston, who’s gone on to instigate buffoonery with Migos, The Game and Meek Mill in the years since. This was the beginning of the end for Sean.
5. Mims, “This Is Why I’m Hot”
While New York is known for producing elite summer anthems, 2006 must have been a slow year creatively for everyone. From the hook to the bars, this was just uninspired, yet we let it rock.
4. Flo Rida, “Low”
At some point, White people circulated a newsletter instructing the entire community to support Flo Rida’s annual re-makes of his 2008 breakout hit “Low.” The overproduced track gave him a blueprint of up-tempo rhymes and electro-vibes that have allowed him to recycle “Low” into a lucrative career.
3. Young Berg, “Sexy Lady”
Berg has proven himself to be a talented writer behind the scenes over the years, but the string of Ls he took after trying to leverage his writing credits into solo stardom with this 2008 track proved he was better off keeping a low profile. Despite multiple chain-snatchings and other embarrassing viral moments, Berg’s continued to court fame, even appearing on VH1’s Love and Hip Hop back in 2014.
2. D4L, “Laffy Taffy”
If you ever needed proof that Atlanta runs the music industry: they had the whole country snapping and shaking to this simple piano loop and clumsy metaphors linking candy to sex. We will forever love Fabo’s energy, but we never need to hear this again.
1. Far East Movement, “Like A G6”
This one was ubiquitous in 2010 thanks to beats and rhymes that made it easy for all cultures to keep up with. Of course, it became the anthem of every big budget corporate campaign for the next two years, but there’s nothing about the stale record that would make any of us proud to share it with our kids in 25 years. Definitely one of the wackest tracks ever.
Let’s hope we can leave these songs in a hip hop archive that we never revisit again.
