8. Mick Boogie and Terry Urban – Viva La Hova

Liberty Leading The People… in their Roc chains.  Subtle but gangster.

7. Charles Hamilton – The L Word

Sonic has great taste in women—and pornstars.

6. Asher Roth – The Greenhouse Effect

If Asher’s website being named “The Daily Kush” wasn’t enough indication that dude is a pothead, well you here you have it.

5. Crooked I – St. Valentine’s Day Bossacre

Not a fan of pointlessly made-up words but chainsaws are easily the greatest invention next to streaming porn Pop Tarts.  Ash would agree.

5. Curren$y – Higher Than 30,000 Feet

The iconic image of cool personified, The Rat Pack… and Curren$y breaking up.

4. Max B – Wavie Crockett

His Waviness rockin’ the coonskin cap = hella wavy.

3. Tony Yayo – Bloody Xmas

Because beefin’ on wax is so 2005.  You get where this is going….

1. G-Unit – Elephant In The Sand

The elephant silhouettes are a nice touch.  So is Joey’s ass crack.

Now for the worst…

8. Von Pea (of Tanya Morgan)- The Further Adventures of Von Pea

Simply because laser cats > laser ducks.

7. Charles Hamilton Discography

We get it, fam—you like Sonic.  Now grow up.

6. D-Block – Jedi Knight School

No Yoda means you’re relegated to the shit list.

5. Skull Gang – Takeover

The new movement to move wit is apparently Juelz’s biker gang.

4. Mick Boogie and DJ Treats Present Leaders of The New Cool

Mama always said don’t judge a book by its cover.  She never said shit about mixtapes.  Judging by that hot orange mess, the tape must be a study in lame.

3. The Game – Black Wall Street Radio Part 5

Obviously Jayceon’s idea.

2. Uncle Murder – Back On My Bullshit

That’s a million-dollar tagline right there.

1. Lil Wayne – The Drought Is Over Part 6

*speechless*

- Devin Chanda

And for more mixtape love, clicke here to check out our Top 8 Mixtapes of ‘08 here!

8. Ludacris – Gangsta Grillz: The Preview

A showcase for the South’s PLK, Luda also utilized the freedom of the medium to give us “Politics As Usual,” where he rapped “McCain don’t belong in any chair unless he’s paralyzed.” Wrong, yet right.

7. Re-Up Gang – We Got It For Cheap Vol. 3

Not quite as good as the first two tapes, but it marked the first time the unheralded Ab-Liva and Sandman consistently held their own with lyrical heavyweights The Clipse.

6. Wale – The Mixtape About Nothing

It would’ve made for a damn good debut album, even with the Seinfeld concept and DC producer Best Kept Secret filling in for Mark Ronson.

5. Curren$y – Super Tecmo Bowl

N.O. native and one-time Young Money rapper Curren$y blessed us with a mixtape every month from March to October, each with its own distinctive flavor. This one was a particularly ‘90s one as Hot Spitta blazed smooth golden-era classics such as “Lookin’ At The Front Door” and “Buck ‘Em Down” and late-decade bangers like “Its Mine.”

4. Fabolous – Gangsta Grillz: There is No Competition

Back on 2003’s “Think Y’all Know,” Fab said of himself, “his moves is Billy Dee, but he Jigga’s the bars…” pretty much summing his career up in a nutshell. For the first muthafuckin’ time, Fab finally gave us more of the latter with his first set of Grillz.

3. Jay-Z – Hip Hop Is Read Presents: Jay-Z Live at Glastonbury

For most of us broke folk who couldn’t charter a jet over to the UK to witness Hov’s headlining set at the June music fest, here it is in its entirety—premium sound quality and all. His “Wonderwall” cover was sweet revenge but the highlight was his slick “American Boy” freestyle.

2. DJ Jaycee – Eargasms 6

More of a mix than a mixtape, but its remixes—especially the soulful rethinking of “Hello Brooklyn 2.0”—defecate on the originals.

1. G-Unit – Return of the Body Snatchers

This shit right heeere will take you back to 2002. A prime example of why Boo Boo and friends were unstoppable in their early days, when they used to carve their own ghettofied hooks from radio staples—like they do here on Ryan Leslie’s “Diamond Girl.”

- Devin Chanda