The 21st Century Song Draft

Summary

Dissect – The 21st Century Song Draft

Host: Cole Cuchna (Dissect, The Ringer)
Guests/Panelists: Charles, Justin
Release Date: December 2, 2025

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Episode Theme:

The Dissect crew hosts a special, year-end "21st Century Song Draft," playfully and passionately debating and drafting the most iconic, influential, best—and worst—songs of the 21st century (2000–2020). Panelists Charles, Justin, and Cole each pick songs in six categories in a snake draft format, sharing personal memories, musical analysis, and lots of banter, as they debate the music that has defined this century.

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Key Segment Timestamps & Headings

1. Introduction: Draft Rules & Categories (01:23–03:30)

• Cole introduces the concept: each participant will draft songs in six categories:

  1. Number One Hit (charted #1 on Billboard 200 at least one week)
  2. Best/Most Important Song
  3. Worst Song
  4. One Hit Wonder
  5. Moment Maker (defining/performance/cultural moment)
  6. Personal Favorite ("wildcard" pick)

• The draft is done "snake style," with pick order randomized.

Notable Quote:

Cole (03:09): "Today's categories are... hit song, best or most important song, worst song, one hit wonder, and personal favorite. Draft order... snake style. Let's get into it."

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2. Drafting Begins: Picks & Rationale (04:00–58:00)

Each host picks songs in each category, defending their choices and sparking debate. Highlights below.

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Number One Hit

• Justin: “Not Like Us” (Kendrick Lamar) (05:08)

  • Justin plays strategically: "I'm going number one hit, and I'm picking 'Not Like Us.'"
  • Sparks instant pushback: "Drafting 'Not Like Us'...should get you disqualified." (Charles, 05:18)

• Cole: “Irreplaceable” (Beyoncé) (12:20)

  • Shares a personal story: "This song in particular, I remember, was my most played song on iTunes in 2007." (Cole, 13:02)
  • Surprised it's not on the others' boards.

• Charles: “In Da Club” (50 Cent) (52:16)

  • “I've never seen a rapper come out like that. The video was on constantly. My parents liked this song!” (Charles, 52:52)

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Best / Most Important Song

• Charles: “Runaway” (Kanye West) (06:52)

  • Deep analysis of Kanye and celebrity culture:

    "I think 'Runaway' is the moment...Kanye realized...the currency is just getting as much attention as you want...Everything shifts." (Charles, 07:30)

  • Cole agrees it’s the quintessential Kanye song: “It gives you a window into his personality. The musical genius...the innovation.” (Cole, 08:30)

• Justin: “Grindin’” (Clipse) (20:24)

  • “This song only gets better with age. In the moment it really hit, but now...it’s iconic.” (Justin, 21:05)
  • Charles: "It's symbolic...Pharrell introducing the world to these guys...perfect." (21:40)

• Cole: “Alright” (Kendrick Lamar) (55:01)

  • “It was chanted in the streets. Represents a cultural moment, and you can have a conversation about this century through the song.” (Cole, 55:39)

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Worst Song

• Charles: “Happy” (Pharrell Williams) (16:36)

  • “When that song comes on, I'm in a bad mood now. Get like, y'all...I'm like, shut the up. I hate that song.” (Charles, 16:55)
  • Justin and Cole good-naturedly roast this pick.

• Justin: “Rude” (Magic!) (19:12)

  • “Why you gotta be so rude?...That white boy reggae...is such a terrible song.” (Justin, 19:40)

• Cole: “Yeah!” (Usher ft. Lil Jon & Ludacris) (27:10)

  • “I'm sorry. I hate this song. I hear it way too much...overplayed at stadiums.” (Cole, 27:16)
  • Charles is appalled: “This was literally in contention for my number one song.” (Charles, 27:13)

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One Hit Wonder

• Cole: “Panda” (Desiigner) (14:49)

  • “The adlibs...it's like kind of a perfect song.” (Cole, 15:36)

• Charles: “Ridin’” (Chamillionaire) (24:02)

  • “I thought this was the greatest song in the world when it dropped...it hit the suburbs like an atomic bomb.” (Charles, 24:02)

• Justin: “Mo Bamba” (Sheck Wes) (45:54)

  • “It's a great song...I knew it was coming in one battle after another, and I still was like, I know, I know.” (Charles, 47:14)

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Moment Maker

• Cole: Daft Punk, Alive 2007 "Pyramid" Performance—"Around the World / Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" Mashup*(35:16)*

  • “One of the most memorable and influential concert series of all time...still living in the world that they built.” (Cole, 35:16 & Charles, 35:21)

• Charles: “Codeine Crazy” (Future, from the Monster/Beast Mode/56 Nights mixtape run) (37:28)

  • “To be there and bear witness was...I'm getting chills....This moment touches me.” (Charles, 37:15)
  • Justin and Cole debate the "mixtape run" versus Lil Wayne's era (38:31–41:37).

• Justin: “Thinkin Bout You” (Frank Ocean) (48:35)

  • “When that album first dropped a couple days after that letter came out, it kind of changed everything.” (Justin, 49:12)

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Personal Favorite

• Cole: “Genesis” (Justice) (57:01)

  • “If I'm going with my actual heart, it's Justice – Genesis. When I put this on, it's...it gets in my blood.” (Cole, 57:49)
  • Charles: “Incredible pick. I still listen to this album. Genesis is an inspired pick.” (58:29)

• Charles: “Confessions Part II” (Usher) (61:09)

  • “I would wait on BET to watch. 'Confessions part two,' I thought, was one of the deepest artistic works of all time...I'm a romantic. When Usher slides on his knees and hugs the woman, I was like, yo, this is the greatest thing of all time.” (Charles, 61:09)

• Justin: "We Gonna Make It" (Jadakiss & Styles P) (65:00)

  • “It's a song that has just lived with me for almost 25 years now...might be the most obscure pick on this, but after all the pandering, I love it.” (Justin, 65:23)
  • Charles: “It's the best pick. Jada back. When I finally landed the sale, I was like, fuck, he did.” (Charles, 65:34)

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3. Personal & Cultural Reflections (11:38, 13:02, 36:56, 60:41, 63:06)

Throughout the draft, hosts weave in stories and memories, such as:

• How “Irreplaceable” soundtracked Cole’s 2007.
• The suburban and city spread of "Ridin’ Dirty" and "In Da Club."
• The impact of Daft Punk’s Coachella set and Future’s mixtape run as generational events.

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4. Honorable Mentions, Draft Debriefs & Genre Debates (73:01–78:34)

They run through notable songs and artists not picked, like OutKast (“B.O.B.”), Adele (“Someone Like You”), Destiny’s Child, SZA, Kid Cudi, The Killers, Gnarls Barkley, Steve Lacy, Drake, Jay-Z, and more.
Philosophical questions arise: "What defines a one hit wonder?" and "Does winning matter, or is it about the bond created?"
Cole channels Daoism:

"It’s not about who wins. It’s about the bond that we just created in this 90 minute podcast." (72:32)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Charles (07:30): “I think 'Runaway' is the moment where...everything shifts not only in the 21st century, but everything shifts in popular music.”
• Justin (21:05): “This song, I think, only gets better with age...everything about the song.”
• Cole (35:16): “Daft Punk at Coachella. Revealing the pyramid...one of the most memorable and influential concert series of all time.”
• Charles (16:55): “When that song comes on, I'm in a bad mood now. Get like, y’all...I'm like, shut the up. I hate that song.”
• Cole (72:32): “It’s not about who wins. It’s about the bond that we just created in this 90 minute podcast.”

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Final Draft Boards

Cole:

• Number One Hit: Beyoncé - "Irreplaceable"
• Best/Most Important Song: Kendrick Lamar - "Alright"
• Worst Song: Usher - "Yeah!"
• One Hit Wonder: Desiigner - "Panda"
• Moment Maker: Daft Punk - “Around The World / Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” (Alive 2007)
• Personal Favorite: Justice - "Genesis"

Charles:

• Number One Hit: 50 Cent - "In Da Club"
• Best/Most Important Song: Kanye West - "Runaway"
• Worst Song: Pharrell Williams - "Happy"
• One Hit Wonder: Chamillionaire - "Ridin'"
• Moment Maker: Future - "Codeine Crazy" (Monster/Beast Mode/56 Nights era)
• Personal Favorite: Usher - "Confessions Part II"

Justin:

• Number One Hit: Kendrick Lamar - "Not Like Us"
• Best/Most Important Song: Clipse - "Grindin'"
• Worst Song: MAGIC! - "Rude"
• One Hit Wonder: Sheck Wes - "Mo Bamba"
• Moment Maker: Frank Ocean - "Thinkin Bout You"
• Personal Favorite: Jadakiss & Styles P - "We Gonna Make It"

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Additional Highlights & Fun Debates

• What is a “One Hit Wonder”?: Is Steve Lacy a one hit wonder? Panel concludes it's not about one viral song, but about lack of sustained mainstream presence.
• Best Mixtape Run: Future vs. Lil Wayne: Panel debates cultural and musical legacy of both artists’ mixtape eras.
• Drake & Jay-Z: Shock as neither are picked, though both are referenced repeatedly.
• Personal Funeral Songs: Justin shares he has a "funeral playlist" (63:06); Cole says for years his would be Radiohead's “Everything In Its Right Place.”
• Fashion Flashbacks: Discussion of hip-hop and indie-scene fashion in the 2000s (V-necks, G Unit, Rocawear).

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Closing Thoughts

• The draft is equal parts joking, personal nostalgia, and critical/music nerd analysis.
• Conversation is lively, with playful trash talking, especially over divisive picks (“Yeah!” as “Worst Song,” “Happy” getting the same treatment, and “Not Like Us” as a "cowardly" strategic first pick).
• The show closes with a rapid-fire recap of unpicked songs and plans for future episodes.
• Overarching message, per Cole: “It’s not about who wins. It’s about the bond that we just created in this 90 minute podcast.” (72:32)

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Recommended for music fans who love deep debate, personal stories, and want a crash course in the songs—and culture—of the 21st century.

Transcript

[Cole Kushna]

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[Charles]

I'm going to go with worst song.

[Cole Kushna]

Ok?

[Charles]

And I'm sorry I had to do it to him. He's a legend.

[Cole Kushna]

Okay.

[Justin]

Wow.

[Charles]

Is the one of the worst, is the worst song in the 21st century. When that song comes on, I'm in a bad mood now.

[Cole Kushna]

It's a kid's song, it's a kid's movie.

[Charles]

Fuck the kids.

[Cole Kushna]

Welcome everyone to a special episode of Dissect. I'm your host Cole Kushna and today we are doing a very special year end 21st century song draft with the LS crew. Charles is in the building.

[Charles]

What's up?

[Cole Kushna]

How you doing, my man?

[Charles]

Irl, it's, it's always a joy to see you. But what I want to say, I want to say a special shout out because this is the first time we're reuniting after the season, you know, and people gave us love. Like we were very nervous behind the scenes we're like, we're changing it up a little bit. We're doing something different. I felt it, I felt also some of the hate. But that's cool too. You gotta roll with the punches. After the season, how do you feel like we did with some time?

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah, I feel like actually, yeah, the general reception was great. This is kind of like a sequel to our 21st. So people that aren't familiar, we did a eight episode series trying to figure out what the best album of the 21st century so far. Today we're gonna do a 21st century song draft. And we also have Justin. Sales producer Justin will be joining us for the draft. How you doing, Justin?

[Justin]

I'm doing okay, but I'm struggling to figure out where this love came from. Because anytime somebody's like, hey, check what. This ain't about you. In the YouTube comments, I'm like, why are you gonna send that to me? Right? Why you gotta.

[Charles]

Here's the thing. Sometimes I be scrolling through the YouTube comments, and I'm like, damn, they cooked me on this one. I'm like, shit. A real recognized real.

[Justin]

But what I'm just happy about is I'm not here to be the tiebreaker this time.

[Cole Kushna]

Oh, yeah.

[Justin]

I'm just here to mess this up on my own.

[Cole Kushna]

Okay, should we reveal the categories for today's draft?

[Charles]

Yes.

[Cole Kushna]

Okay, so we're going to draft from six categories. The categories are number one, hit song. So had to chart on the Billboard 200 number one for at least one week. Best song Slash most important song. Kind of. Kind of. However you want to take that worst song.

[Charles]

Yep. That's easy. I'm gonna get. I'm getting spicy on this one.

[Cole Kushna]

Okay. Okay. Yeah. I do have a trigger song that might trigger you, Charles. Specifically one hit wonder, which is. I'm actually very excited about. Same and personal favorite. So it's kind of a wild card. Pick whatever you want. Personal favorite. So to draft order, Justin is going to spin a digital wheel.

[Justin]

This is the instrument that has helped so many ringer drafts. It is wheelofnames.com I'm going to. I have our names all pulled up in this, and. Okay.

[Cole Kushna]

Do you have a draft order preference? Do you like going first?

[Charles]

I either like going first. I like going last.

[Cole Kushna]

Okay.

[Justin]

You want to get the turn right? Because we do this snake draft style, right? You know, you get first pick, second pick, third pick, but then third pick goes first at the top of the next round. So you want to get the corner and. All right, so. Oh, wow. This is crazy. It came up right on the line of me and Charles, but the computer is telling me. The computer that I just praised. I never said anything bad about the computers. I want to go on the record of saying that I'm the winner and I get the first pick.

[Charles]

All right?

[Cole Kushna]

Okay.

[Justin]

Okay. Pick number two, Charles. You're not gonna like. This is you.

[Cole Kushna]

It's Charles.

[Charles]

Boy, it's. I've.

[Justin]

I've.

[Charles]

I've had to come back from worse at this. You know what I'm saying? I'm fine.

[Cole Kushna]

I'm kind of nervous, though. I got third. I mean, it's good, but. Okay. All right. First pick in the 21st century song draft. So just to make it clear, these are songs from the year 2000 to 2020.

[Justin]

So we are counting the year 2000, right?

[Charles]

I thought we were.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah.

[Charles]

All right. Oh, yeah.

[Cole Kushna]

Even though technically. So we don't get the comment, the 21st century starts in 2001. But only nerds say that.

[Justin]

Only nerds say that. Okay, so I have the first pick.

[Cole Kushna]

Yep.

[Justin]

I'm gonna go with the number one song, and I'm not gonna go nostalgic. I'm gonna stick with the spirit of dissect, and I'm gonna go not like us.

[Cole Kushna]

Fuck you, dude. Fuck you.

[Charles]

This is crazy.

[Cole Kushna]

They not like us.

[Charles]

They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. You think that they gonna let you dis. Actually, this is bad. We should start over. Drafting not like us is it should get you disqualified.

[Cole Kushna]

Why?

[Charles]

Early. This early is like, crazy. Like.

[Cole Kushna]

Well, Justin knows his audience, and he's playing the game already. I forgot how competitive you two are.

[Charles]

This is. This is ugly.

[Justin]

I'm going with not like us for.

[Cole Kushna]

The number one hit, too. For number one hit, not even best moment.

[Justin]

Not even best moment. I got other stuff. For best moment. I'm going number one hit, and I'm picking not well. Okay, first of all, I want to say this about number one song. Shocked that a lot of songs didn't hit number one. Right. Like get lucky not number one. Even something like Britney Spears toxic not number one. A lot of songs that were everywhere that you thought would have did not hit number one.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah.

[Justin]

I went over the list of number one singles again and again and again, and I just. There were three songs, four songs that I think I would have been five tops, that I would have been really comfortable with. But knowing my audience, knowing where we are going, not like us.

[Charles]

I hate this. We don't gotta put too much on that. We just all know how I feel about it. It shouldn't be allowed. It's cowardly. But it's my pick now, so I'm getting spicy. Fuck it. You know, I'm super excited. I'm going best most important song.

[Cole Kushna]

Okay.

[Charles]

And I am picking. I'm picking a cursed object, but I'm picking it for a reason. Because I feel like not only did this song break my brain, and it's one of my favorite songs of the 21st century. I think it represents arguably the most important controversial idiotic artist of the 21st century. I'm going, kanye West's Runaway. Best song. Let's have a toast for the douchebags. Let's have a toast for the assholes. Let's have a toast for the scumbags.

[Cole Kushna]

This is a cursed episode so far. What are we doing?

[Charles]

But I was like, all right, you guys, I want to win the draft. I was thinking about what Kanye song like. I was like, do I pick a Kanye song? If I'm going to pick one, why would I pick it? And I think Runaway is the moment where I'm like, everything shifts not only in the 21st century, but everything shifts in popular music, where I'm like, I think Kanye realized that to your point earlier, we're gonna know way too much about artists. And it's not actually like we're getting to the point where the currency is being an asshole. The currency is just getting as much attention as you want and blowing everything up and appealing to critics and Twitter and online fodder and blogs. And when I go back and I think about Runaway, I'm just like, okay, it's not the biggest song of the 21st century, but. But I could play it for an. It's the thing we always say. I could play it for an alien. They'd be like, who is this guy? Wait, who's Pusha T? Wait, why is there a vocoder outro?

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah, you can tell the story of Kanye. I mean, it is actually the perfect song to immortalize Kanye West. I mean, have a toast for the douchebags. It showcases musical genius. It gives you a window into his personality. The whole entire outro. Being this beautiful instrumental that no one else has ever done shows you the musical innovation that he brought to the 21st century. So it is kind of a perfect song if you're gonna try to represent Kanye west in the 21st century, but it's also fucking pick two. I know it's strategy because you're trying to get the big songs. I get the strategy here, but fuck it.

[Charles]

Here's the thing. I've been at this place too long. I didn't come here to play fair. I'm in the middle position. Like, I got a pathway to victory.

[Cole Kushna]

Where you going?

[Charles]

Cole?

[Cole Kushna]

Cole.

[Justin]

But what's your issue with picking Not Like Us and Runaway, too? Songs that you've covered a lot.

[Charles]

Yes.

[Cole Kushna]

On this, it's just too much. It's just too early.

[Justin]

Too early, too.

[Charles]

Oh, wait, are you just mad because you couldn't pick up?

[Cole Kushna]

Yes, exactly.

[Charles]

Welcome to the ringer. Bro, we drafted.

[Cole Kushna]

And it's also a little, like, on the nose, but I get the strategy in terms of, like, this podcast. Right. We've talked about these songs a lot. It's going to get more interesting as we go on, I think.

[Justin]

But I would have picked Runaway for best moment.

[Cole Kushna]

That's. It was number one on my best.

[Justin]

It was number one on my best moment, too.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah. And we should just cover that briefly for anyone that doesn't know the VMAs runaway performance, debut performance of Runaway, being this cultural moment at a critical time in his life, and I think his career goes totally different if that moment goes differently. And the 21st century of music certainly goes way differently if Kanye's never able to recover from that moment, so.

[Charles]

Exactly. And I think everybody has been. I think him running up on stage for Taylor Swift, everything that happened after him going back to the VMAs very weirdly gave artists a template for the shenanigans that they would have to pull, where it's like, I do think that there is a clear line between, like, Pusha T showing up on stage, you know, and Pusha T dissing Drake and Not like Us. And just in terms of just like. Yeah. Everybody realized the spectacle had to keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger.

[Cole Kushna]

Right? Yeah. Okay, so pick number three for me. This is interesting because the two. I mean, I was playing the same strategy because if I got the first pick, I was going to pick a Kendrick song, and if I got the second pick, I was going to pick Runaway. So let me see what other ones that you guys might pick.

[Justin]

I think we're in his head already, Charles.

[Charles]

Yeah, man, this is. The lights are too bright, Cole.

[Cole Kushna]

Well, I'm not competitive. You guys, like, you guys bring this toxic environment and my pure podcast that I got to play along here, so. Okay, so, okay, fuck it. I'm going to make things interesting. I'm going to go with my number one hit. Oh, you know what? Fuck, this is even tough, too. Could I lay out two options for you just to make it interesting?

[Justin]

Is there a chance that one of the options gets picked for something else? If not, are you going to spoil it?

[Cole Kushna]

Only be. I guess I'm only in competition with Charles with this pick.

[Justin]

Okay, then I don't.

[Cole Kushna]

Because you already did your number one.

[Justin]

Okay.

[Cole Kushna]

How big of a Carly Rae Jepsen fan are you?

[Charles]

You got that? You have that.

[Cole Kushna]

Well, this is part of my strategy, so. Because my second one, Carly Rae Champs call me maybe.

[Charles]

Fine. It's a fine song. I like it. I like it. It's. There's better pop songs.

[Justin]

It's. It's.

[Cole Kushna]

It's between. Call me maybe. Okay, I'm just going to do it. No, you know what? No, I'm not going to do it because I. I might need that. See you guys.

[Justin]

Too early to be.

[Cole Kushna]

I'm thinking. I'm thinking ahead. I'm trying to think ahead. I'm going to go. Irreplaceable by Beyonce.

[Charles]

You must not know about me. You must not know about me.

[Justin]

I could have another.

[Charles]

All right, all right. Interesting.

[Cole Kushna]

Interesting. I thought you'd be stoked.

[Charles]

Not even on my board.

[Justin]

Really?

[Charles]

Not even to the left.

[Cole Kushna]

To the left. There's better Beyonce songs at number one. Okay, maybe I have a personal place in my heart for this song.

[Charles]

Wait, did it. Did it touch you at a. At a certain time in life? Like, we're like, what were you going on when. When Irreplaceable was out? What were you going through?

[Cole Kushna]

It was the anomaly, because this is two in rainbows comes out in 2007. This is a time of justice and killers. This is a very pivotal time in my musical life. Like, you know, might be the prime of my musical life in terms of, like, me coming of age and everything. But this song in particular, I remember, was my most played song on iTunes in 2007, despite. Despite all those other albums.

[Charles]

Are you being serious?

[Cole Kushna]

I'm being serious. I fucking love this song. It's so good. What? Did you guys know that Neo wrote this song and it was supposed to be a country. A country song. First, I did not know this until I researched this episode, but.

[Charles]

Cole, I thought you'd be.

[Cole Kushna]

I thought you'd have my back on this, Pat.

[Charles]

No, no, I like it. It just wasn't on my board. Here's the thing. Before Neo got. We're gonna have to say this is about, like, half the artists. Before Neo got problematic, he has. There was Alveonis. There was one list. I think it was a Pitchfork list. And I was scrolling down and Ignition remix was very the same thing.

[Justin]

And I was like, huh, there's an alternate universe where we are drafting that, and thank God we don't live in that universe.

[Charles]

Yeah. I was just like, there are a couple artists on it. I was like, oh, okay. Yeah, different time.

[Cole Kushna]

Is this a crazy pick, Justin? Am I already regretting it? Am I not good at drafting? Fuck no, don't.

[Charles]

You're doing good.

[Justin]

I had another Beyonce song potentially listed as my number one pick, and it wasn't this okay.

[Cole Kushna]

All right. Shout out. Call me maybe, though.

[Charles]

What's your. What's your.

[Cole Kushna]

Oh, I'm number. Oh, okay. I'm a number three. Okay.

[Justin]

You could pick Call me maybe for best song if you'd like.

[Cole Kushna]

No, thank you. I don't think you guys would pick this, but I'm just gonna do me at this point. I'm gonna go with my one hit wonder.

[Charles]

Okay.

[Cole Kushna]

I'm gonna go with the best song Future never wrote. I'm gonna go with futures AI Generated artist and single. You know where I'm going with this.

[Justin]

I do.

[Cole Kushna]

I'm going designer's Panda. W. Just a great song. When's the last. Okay, let me just. Let me just play you guys a snippet. When's the last time you guys. Did you listen to this song in prep. Separation Panda.

[Charles]

Way more than you think I would listen.

[Cole Kushna]

This song's so good.

[Justin]

Great song, Panda.

[Cole Kushna]

Honestly, and the ad libs, I mean, it's. It's like kind of a perfect song.

[Charles]

It's not only a perfect song. Can I pitch you on something?

[Cole Kushna]

Okay.

[Charles]

We all went to the vista to see one battle after another. Great experience in that shake West Mo Bamba yo. If there was.

[Justin]

That was going to be my one hit wonder.

[Charles]

Oh, here's the thing. I'm not picking it. I'm just saying if you were going to replace that song in the movie.

[Cole Kushna]

Oh.

[Charles]

With another panda, it would be just as. Can you imagine if you were sitting on the table? Panda just comes.

[Cole Kushna]

You.

[Justin]

I, I. I have other one hit wonders. But I'm. You can't spoil it.

[Charles]

All right, you know what? Now I'm going to take Justin's song away from him and I'm going to pick a one hit wonder. Just kidding. It's not part of my Scrat strategy. All right, I got. You know what? I'm gonna go with worst song. And I'm sorry I had to do it to him. He's a legend, okay? He's an og. He showed us this year. He produced one of the best albums this year.

[Cole Kushna]

Oh, no.

[Charles]

Pharrell song happy by Pharrell Williams.

[Justin]

Wow.

[Charles]

Is the one of the worst. Is the worst song of the 21st century. If you feel like a room without a roof, clap alone.

[Justin]

If you feel.

[Charles]

When that song comes on, I. I'm in a bad mood now. Get like, y'. All. Don't y' all hear me though, Charles? Cause I'm happy. I'm like, shut the up. I hate that song.

[Justin]

It's right. It's like literally Just happy and you know it. Clap your hands. Just updated. It's. It's really, truly.

[Cole Kushna]

It's a kid song. It's on a. It's a kids movie.

[Charles]

Like, fuck the kid. Like, no. Like, here's the thing. Have you watched that video recently where Tyler the creator and Earl the sweatshirt are, like, snapping in the street? I'm like, nah, bro, get this at it. I thought you would be more supportive. You like happy?

[Justin]

Yeah.

[Cole Kushna]

Who doesn't like happy?

[Charles]

All right, man.

[Cole Kushna]

Is it because it was overplayed?

[Charles]

It was never fire. Honestly, if we wanted to get really cursed, I was going to pick another. Another song, blurred Lines, but I was.

[Justin]

Like, blur Lies is not the worst song, but it's the most cursed.

[Charles]

It's the. We should have had a most cursed category because. Because once again, I saw one of them. Blurred Lies was on there. I was like, yeah, bad song. Bad song. Curse song. I just did. I never actually like that.

[Cole Kushna]

I was looking at some. I can't remember exactly where it was. It was like, in the top five of the century in terms of selling. Just kind of crazy.

[Justin]

It's. It's like for a pop song. It's fine.

[Cole Kushna]

It's fine.

[Justin]

It's fine. It's got the Marvin Gaye, obviously, but, you know, you have the lawsuit.

[Cole Kushna]

You got.

[Justin]

You got ti. You got the. Like, when you actually start. Look at the lyrics. It's just a very cursed song.

[Charles]

But, yes, I'm. Like I said, I'm going with happy. I'm sorry, Pharrell, you are an og. I'm glad everybody likes this.

[Cole Kushna]

This is just a. It's like such a Charles the Cynic pick the song that's supposed to. That makes you feel warm is related to children and, like, purity and happiness is the one. Your worst song.

[Charles]

Yep. Nah, this is actually. Yeah, we are. We are our truest selves on this draft. All right, Justin, where you. Where are you going?

[Justin]

I'm. I'm also going to stick in. In worst song. And I may. I don't need to, because there are just so many options, but I just want to get it out of the way. And I'm happy to run through all these, like, I had Tyga songs on here. I had several Eminem songs listed.

[Cole Kushna]

The.

[Charles]

If you picked Rack City, I was. I might fight you.

[Justin]

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

[Charles]

Not right.

[Justin]

City's great. No, no, no, no. I'm not. I'm not picking Tyga. I'm saying my list was very long. I'm going with the actual Worst song of the century. And it's also a number one hit. Was rude by magic.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah.

[Charles]

This is a great.

[Cole Kushna]

This is a great pick.

[Justin]

I think people remember just me saying it, but it's the. You know, why you want to be. Why you gotta be so rude? I'm gonna marry that girl. That shit, that white boy reggae. The.

[Cole Kushna]

Like the white boy reggae. Yeah.

[Justin]

It is such a terrible song.

[Cole Kushna]

I know nothing about this group.

[Justin]

They're also a one hit one. It's crazy. It's the worst song. It's a one hit wonder. It's number one. I know nothing about this group, but it is.

[Cole Kushna]

That was. It was a number one song. I guess that makes sense.

[Charles]

Damn, we get negative. I like this.

[Cole Kushna]

This is a.

[Charles]

We getting real, real negative. Wait, you know what?

[Justin]

What I say I get the next pick.

[Charles]

Okay.

[Justin]

And I'm actually. I'm gonna bring us back to the light.

[Cole Kushna]

Okay.

[Justin]

I'm gonna do Pharrella solid. And I'm gonna pick my best song.

[Cole Kushna]

Oh, wow. Okay.

[Justin]

And I'm gonna do grinding by clips.

[Charles]

Grinding. You know what I keep in a lining Better stay in line with you see a like me shining grinding, grinding.

[Cole Kushna]

Ooh. Inspired choice, sir.

[Charles]

This is Justin's is playing a certain game. He. Here's it. I don't even think he's picking his heart. He's just literally just trying to gratiate himself to the fan base. And I find it disgusting, to be honest.

[Justin]

Well, more on that later, However, I mean, look you. This song, I think only gets better.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah.

[Justin]

With age. Right. Like, I think in the moment it really hit. But I don't know. We're recording this a little bit before this episode is going to come out, but Cole and I were in a car with. With friend of the show Logan Murdoch last night, and the song came on and it's just like, you know, just everything about the song.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah.

[Justin]

Do you guys like the Pharrell intro?

[Charles]

What, for grinding? Yeah.

[Justin]

Yes. I've learned that some people don't wait. Which is crazy.

[Charles]

Who doesn't name them shame them. I like. I never actually knew that that was like an opinion that you could have. That's crazy, right?

[Justin]

It's crazy.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah. It's iconic at this point.

[Charles]

Exactly. I gave the song wouldn't be what it is without it. Damn. Grinding.

[Cole Kushna]

I like the symbolic aspect of it too. It's like Pharrell introducing the world to these guys duo. It's perfect.

[Justin]

And, you know, I'm making things right with Pharrell So if he's listening to the show.

[Cole Kushna]

Like, shout out Pharrell.

[Charles]

Like, I. I love Pharrell. Like, there's other Pharrell songs that I could have picked in other areas. It's just like, hey, yo, it had to. When I was going through the worst songs of the decade, I was like, yo, it had to be him. I'm sorry. But I love that we bringing. We give in. Like Pharrell and the Neptune. Some love. Shout out grinding and eclipse.

[Justin]

Shout out Chad. Shout out Chad Hugo.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah.

[Charles]

Shout out Chad Hugo. Like, honestly, we. I'm not going to get too spicy. It's the clips here. I'm not going to get too spicy. Shout out Shout out Chad. Okay. Damn. Where do I want to go now? I need a number one song.

[Cole Kushna]

You had your worst song and you had your best song.

[Charles]

Best song. Ooh. Okay. You know what? In one hit. No, I'mma go in one hit wonder.

[Cole Kushna]

What'S on your short list before you reveal your.

[Charles]

I'm not going to reveal it. Well, actually, Vanessa Carlton's a thousand miles was on my short list.

[Cole Kushna]

That's a great one. That is a great one.

[Justin]

Rappers love that song too.

[Charles]

Who let the dogs out? Baha Ben.

[Justin]

That's a curse song.

[Cole Kushna]

That could have been a worse song.

[Charles]

You know, if we wanted to just. If I wanted the real spirit. What. I think the actual, like, when we think of what a number one hit song is like, like One hit wonder. I mean, old town Road, Lil Nas X is like, actually, like, is that a one hit?

[Cole Kushna]

Is he a one hit wonder?

[Charles]

I think he had other hits.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah.

[Charles]

But I'm like, if I ask you to name them, could you.

[Cole Kushna]

No.

[Justin]

Yeah. This is. This is a question. This is a philosophical question. How do you guys define one hit Wonder? Because there's a whole different, like, list of.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah, because I was trying to think is like, call me maybe One hit Wonder, but I don't think so because she's had. She's never obviously reached that height again. But she's had a pretty. Like, she has a core audience and really respected artists since then. But it's kind of. It's on the border of it. But I think rude is kind of like the perfect example of A1, because.

[Justin]

It'S like, comes out of nowhere. Yeah, they huge. Never heard from again.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah, exactly.

[Charles]

All right. That's why. That's why I'm not gonna pick Lil Nas X. I'm gonna go with my heart. I thought this was the greatest song in the world. When it dropped, I would watch MTV2 religiously. I knew all the Words. It hit the suburbs like an atomic bomb I'm going riding Chamillionaire Trying to catch me riding dirty Trying to catch me riding dirty Trying to catch me riding dirty Trying to cat. Rolling, patrolling Trying to catch me riding dirty Want to be riding dirty what the.

[Cole Kushna]

I mean, the legacy of this song is just like, it got into the wrong hands.

[Charles]

It did. But that's. That's actually like the perfect example of a one hit wonder where it's like we got a little too carried away. Like, we got it. Like, here's the thing, you can't play Ride it anymore. Like, it's like people are just like, oh, we played this into the fucking game. When I tell you, y', all, dog, I thought I was the man when I was playing that song. I'm just like, I'm the coolest anyone's ever been. I know every single word. Chamillionaire is going to take over. He didn't, but I think he's in. What? What's Chameleonaire up to? Is he into crypto or something?

[Justin]

NFT.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah, he definitely had an NFT or a coin or something.

[Charles]

No, it was like NFTs or something. I was like, damn, bro, get you. It was. It was Chameleonaire. Like, I think because one of my favorite groups is Pretty Ricky. And like, I don't know, one day I was just like, I wonder what the members are. Pretty Ricky, Wait. Have you ever listened to Pretty Ricky?

[Cole Kushna]

No, I don't think so.

[Charles]

Baby, grind with me Relax your mind, Take your time with. Wait, what?

[Cole Kushna]

Maybe if I heard it, but that doesn't sound.

[Charles]

Was it you wasn't watching 100 or 106 in park?

[Cole Kushna]

We didn't have cable growing up.

[Charles]

Damn.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah.

[Charles]

All right, well, I'm not drafted. Pretty Ricky riding. All right, I'm a great choice.

[Cole Kushna]

I've got two. Okay.

[Charles]

Come on.

[Cole Kushna]

All right, I'm gonna go.

[Charles]

Justin. You can't let Justin keep getting away with it.

[Cole Kushna]

I'm gonna go. I'm gonna. Let me get my worst song out of the way. I've got two here. I've got one that will just is going to be a Charles Trigger. And I have one that probably we all agree on. Okay, do we want to. Do I want to get spicy or not get spicy?

[Charles]

Here's the thing. In my worst song, it might actually.

[Cole Kushna]

Get the whole audience mad because I think people really.

[Charles]

I was about to pick Shake it off by Taylor Swift and worse song, but I'm like, we don't need the negativity. Like, I'm just like, that's going to. Like, that's going to rail the whole day.

[Cole Kushna]

I legitimately, legitimately like that song, but it has one of the worst bridges of all time.

[Charles]

But I'm like, swifties don't. Hey, y' all going through enough with that last album. I don't want. I respect y' all and the girl anyway.

[Cole Kushna]

You don't like wood. Okay, all right, let's just. Let's just. Let's mix it up. I'm gonna go worst song of the 21st century. I'm going Ushers. Yeah. With Little John.

[Charles]

This was literally in contention for my number one song.

[Justin]

Same. This was on my number one song list.

[Charles]

This is.

[Cole Kushna]

I'm sorry. I hate this song.

[Charles]

This is.

[Cole Kushna]

I'm going full Charles heel turn right now. But I have never liked this song.

[Charles]

This is egregious.

[Cole Kushna]

Like, I hear it way too much. It's one of the most overplayed songs at stadiums at any.

[Charles]

Because this is how I know you wasn't outside when we was watching the video. Usher throws the chain around and, like, bro, like, there's, like, there's Neo in the Matrix when he was doing the. And there's the chain flip in the hood. Like, I. This is actually. I'm so mad at you. This was a cultural moment. This was an institution. This changed music forever. How dare you?

[Cole Kushna]

I'm so sorry. I'm just going with my heart. I learned from. I'm hanging out with you too much. I'm going with my heart.

[Charles]

I thought you were gonna do, like, hotline bling.

[Cole Kushna]

And I'm like, okay. And I don't care what the audience thinks. You don't want to know my number two, though. My runner up was gonna be Radioactive IM Dragons, Dog.

[Justin]

This was in contention on my list, too.

[Charles]

But here's the thing. I got a hot take. I got a fuck with Radioactive. I got a Radioactive.

[Cole Kushna]

Fucking the most Charles Singh ever. Goddamn, dude.

[Charles]

Wait, Randy Wagner got, like, in the whip sometimes. I'm like, all right, let's put a little magic dragons on. Let's really show him how we living. Wait, really? Imagine Dragons actually has some bops. They're terrible, but they have some.

[Cole Kushna]

You know, the ones. The only ones. Kendrick has one stain on his career, and it's the Imagine drag.

[Charles]

No, it's also the Bad blood.

[Justin]

Bad blood.

[Charles]

Yeah.

[Cole Kushna]

It's hot. I love that song.

[Justin]

He said that's hot.

[Charles]

This is. This is the. This is some girl, dad. And we don't have that, actually. That is girl dad. Because you're like. You're like, hey, girls, you want to listen to some Kendrick.

[Justin]

I just want to say we're leaving some really terrible songs.

[Cole Kushna]

Okay, yeah, let's run through since everyone got their pick in, so give us a short list.

[Justin]

Okay, here's. Here's some songs that I had on my list, and this was very incomplete. My second pick was gonna be Fireflies by Owl City.

[Charles]

No, no, no. I love that song. I love.

[Cole Kushna]

You would like that song.

[Justin]

Okay.

[Cole Kushna]

But it was just a postal service ripoff.

[Justin]

Okay. It's a postal. It's a terrible postal service ripoff.

[Cole Kushna]

It's an AI version of postal service.

[Justin]

Here's a song that I'm pretty sure that I. That Charles is gonna say he loves, but probably deserves to be in contention. Beautiful girls.

[Charles]

I love all these beautiful girls. They only want to. Can I just say real quick, my one memory of beautiful girls. You want to know how much I love this song? They're like, I was. I forget where my family was traveling. I was a child, and on the entire trip, I would just listen to beautiful girls over and over again. And I thought it was the greatest song of all time. This is disrespectful. Anyway, continue, Justin.

[Justin]

I mean, like, you know, we can talk about, like, conservative country songs like that in a small town or some shit. That doesn't. Those are just don't even come. I think Taylor Swift's Me is actually the one That's a. That is a really bad song. I had several Eminem songs on this list, and they ranged from just lose it.

[Cole Kushna]

Oh, yeah.

[Justin]

This is gonna get me in trouble. Rap God.

[Charles]

Yeah. That was the end.

[Justin]

The Little Dickie Earth song with everyone on it.

[Charles]

Oh, yeah, Little Dicky. Never mind. I'm getting too spicy. Yeah.

[Justin]

You know, we were out last night, and behind both of your backs, I was asking people, what's the worst song of the century? And there were, like, extensive debates about Black Eyed Peas.

[Charles]

No, we're not. We're not throwing any dirt on the Black Eyed Peas. Like, they legends. Like, they did too much. Like, we not doing that. Like, let's get it started.

[Justin]

But you wanna know what my take was? Was let's get it started.

[Charles]

Got.

[Justin]

Tonight's gonna be a good night, good feeling, whatever. Whatever. Like my humps, all those songs, they weren't gonna be the Black Eyed Peace pick for me. Mine was gonna be where's the love?

[Charles]

Oh, that. Yeah.

[Justin]

Yes.

[Charles]

That's what about not. I got a feeling that's what I was.

[Justin]

No, that. That that has. That has soundtracked too many. Yeah. Too many moments of. Come on. You. You were like in high school, around.

[Charles]

That age with the black eyes. Heavy. I had the CDs. I went to Border to cop that shit.

[Justin]

And then the last thing I had on my list was just anything. Tekashi six' nine.

[Cole Kushna]

Oh, yeah.

[Charles]

Oh, yeah. That's. That's already. I mean, the one that was probably gonna get me in trouble if I didn't. It wasn't. Shake it off by Taylor Swift would have been Icona Pop. I love it.

[Justin]

Wow.

[Charles]

I don't care. I. I was in college with us. I literally want to throw my teeth. I was like, I cannot hear this song one more time.

[Cole Kushna]

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[Charles]

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[Justin]

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[Charles]

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[Justin]

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[Charles]

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[Cole Kushna]

No, I think I got one more right.

[Charles]

Got one more.

[Cole Kushna]

Okay, so I went with ushers. Yeah. Okay, what do I got left? I got personal favorite. I've got Moment Maker and my best and most important. Okay. All right, let's go. I'm gonna go with my moment Maker as you took my number one at Runaway. Justin took my Number two at Not Like Us. I've been obsessed with Daft Punk lately. You know this, right? Yes. Both of you guys know this very well. The song itself is gonna be around the World. Slash Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger. Mashup from the Alive 2007 concert series in the Pyramid. So we're talking Moment Maker. One of the most memorable and influential concert series of all time is Daft Punk at Coachella. Revealing the Pyramid. One of the best light shows, one of the best stage performances up until that point in history, influenced Kanye, influenced everyone that came after. So I'm picking. The song itself is arbitrary. I could have plucked pretty much any song off of a live 2007, their live album. But the moment of the Pyramid and that entire set and everything that came after this is coming off the back of stronger. Kanye, Sample, and Daft Punk really revitalizing their career and becoming bigger than ever off the back of their most least popular album. So I'm. That. That is my. Does that make sense? Did I cheat code this a little bit?

[Charles]

No. I would have just picked Daft Punk. The Pyramid, that entire.

[Cole Kushna]

Just.

[Charles]

We are still live, that live show. We are still living in the world that they built. There are everything from Yeezus to whatever. Like, there are artists that are just like, yeah, just do a worse version of that. Like, I love the store. But, like, that's not the best example. But it's like, you put me onto the live album. It was something that, like, I would listen to here and there. But, like, recently I've been playing it. I was like, oh, yeah, this is incredible. Yeah, we were talking about it. If Daft Punk went on one more tour, like, if they didn't. Oasis, like, bro, bro, we need it.

[Cole Kushna]

I think we need it. And the best thing about them is they can put the helmets on anytime, and they'll have the curse of going out with long gray hair.

[Charles]

All right, so is it my turn now?

[Justin]

It's your turn.

[Cole Kushna]

It's your turn. Yeah.

[Charles]

You know what? I gotta go with my heart. I'm going with moment. There has not been a bigger peak, a more important run in the 21st century than futures mixtape run. You thought I forgot about us? I know that, you know I don't fold under pressure I'm back on the road I get low on the pedal we live by the cause of the ghetto I'm closing this out with my memo I'm treating this like a demo. I'm putting my heart and my soul in this, in some more to be there and bear witness to monster beast mode. 56 nights he comes out with DS2 Marsh madness is going crazy. Don't even mention throwaway off. Like, it's just. It's.

[Cole Kushna]

It's.

[Charles]

I'm getting chills. Coding crazy. Like, this was at a very impressionable time for me. If anybody's like, damn, what happened to you? I'm just like, went through a breakup and then futures Monster came out and it was never the same. I was forever changed. And it's just this moment touches me.

[Cole Kushna]

You're looking at me like, wait, what's the. What's the song, though?

[Charles]

Oh, what? So get. Do we do us? Do you want me to pick a song from the mixtape?

[Cole Kushna]

You gotta have one. Yeah. You know, technically a song draft. So just.

[Charles]

Oh, okay, okay.

[Cole Kushna]

In the same way that I picked like, harder better to represent the moment.

[Charles]

I'm gonna do coding crazy.

[Cole Kushna]

Okay.

[Charles]

Because my favorite. My favorite is throwaway. But I think coding crazy is the one that for better or worse, when you're thinking about what would happen to music, the drug influence, it runs not only through like rap and SoundCloud rap, but it also starts infecting pop music as well. So I think I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go coding crazy. And then everything that would. All the mixtapes that will come after. Thanks to the kind of like the massive success of that Charles. Yes.

[Justin]

Okay. We both have a lot of affection for this run I had on my. On my favorite song list. Cody and Crazy was on that list. This wasn't on my moment makers list, but it was on my semi short list of favorites. When you started that sentence, I thought you were going to go in a different direction for best mixtape run. Best moment that kind of culminates that of the century.

[Charles]

Oh, I had. It was. It was between two artists. It was between two mixtape runs.

[Justin]

Well, that's the thing, right? And I'm. I've actually decided just now I'm not going to pick that. So, like, let's debate this. Who had a better mixtape run, Future or Lil Wayne?

[Charles]

In my heart, Wayne's rapping Wayne. The way. The way Wayne was attacking beats, the way I felt the way it was just like, oh, if Wayne gets on your song or flips it, it's over the fact that Barack Obama was calling him out a Millie. When, like, when we think like a Millie was a hit, you know, Hook.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah.

[Charles]

But I think a lot of those Wayne songs also don't necessarily age well. Like, Lil Wayne's mixtape run ages well as a moment. But future's mixtape run ages. Well, as, like, songs and albums.

[Justin]

I think there's also. You see the DNA of Future all over music still. And honestly, like a Future knockoff, they might not be good, but it sounds kind of okay.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah.

[Justin]

Lil Wayne.

[Cole Kushna]

Oh, my God. It was one of the worst periods of rap, but punchline rap.

[Charles]

Can I argue this, though? Isn't it interesting that Lil Wayne's mixtape run is actually a mixtape run, where future's mixtape run was just a bunch of albums, where it's like, you even see the difference of just like Wayne's mixtapes were hosted by DJ Drama Gangsta Grylls, the Drought. He's rapping over other people's beats. They're not dropping on DSPs. Where it's like. With Future, it's like, yes, technically, it's a mixtape run, but all of those are just albums. And some of them had DJs on them.

[Cole Kushna]

But isn't that. Is that also a product just of the timing of them in terms of, like, the rise of streaming and then this being this weird hybrid of, like, what is a mixtape? What is an album now that you can just put it on streaming? Or is that.

[Charles]

Well, I think it was like, back then, it's like Wayne was rapping over other people's beats, not getting stuff cleared. Where it's like, we. More. So I would burn Wayne mixtapes to play them in my car, or I would still go to Daft Piff, where it's like, now for a lot of artists, they're just like, if I rap over someone's beat, I could put it on YouTube. But it just makes more sense to just make a wholly new song.

[Cole Kushna]

Right? Yeah. Do you guys answer the question?

[Justin]

We didn't answer the question.

[Charles]

I can't, I can't, I can't.

[Justin]

Oh, you have to be tiebreaker this time.

[Cole Kushna]

Oh, I mean, I'm the wrong person to ask. I'm gonna go Lil Wayne. Cause I was more there. The Future stuff happened in my black hole, as we've talked about many times on this. So I just wasn't there. And then you kind of reintroduced me to a lot of that stuff through the cultural exchanges. But I vividly remember a lot of the Wayne mixtape stuff.

[Charles]

The energy around that time was insane.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah. And maybe if we're talking mixtape, though, then maybe to your point about Wayne's being a little bit more traditional in a mixtape sense, maybe we give it to Wayne.

[Justin]

You know what, though? I've actually just right now in the past 10 seconds, talked myself in another direction.

[Cole Kushna]

Okay.

[Justin]

Wayne obviously carried cash money on his back, but Future was kind of at the beginning of the ascent of Atlanta rap, just taking over music. Cause, like, yeah, yeah, you have Rich Gang, you have Young Thug, you have Migos. You have, you know, this. This whole second or third wave, depending on how you classify it, of Atlanta artists coming up and just really took over what popular music was for a few years, and Future was an enormous part of that. Yeah, I'm going Future. I can't go Future on that.

[Cole Kushna]

Oh, yeah. All right, so what was your. Wait, did you make a pick? Wait, where? Where?

[Charles]

I picked Cody. Okay. Crazy.

[Cole Kushna]

And then now, Justin, you're spinning your picks.

[Justin]

I really got to go to the bathroom, so let's pause for a second.

[Charles]

Man, you live such a baller lifestyle. I'm so. I'm so jealous. You know, some people got all the luck.

[Cole Kushna]

I'm. I'm. I can give you some advice, Charles. You. You need some life advice. I'll set you on the right path.

[Charles]

Like, literally start like, the cameras are still rolling. We're taking a break. Justice, do you have. For me.

[Cole Kushna]

Have you ever read anything about, like, Buddhism or, like, Daoism?

[Charles]

No, wait, I think.

[Cole Kushna]

I think that's the. I think that's the path I need to put you on.

[Charles]

I did read, like, Riz's Wu Tang, like, Or whatever. And I also know it's. I'm either getting the Wu Tang book confused, or I read. I think it's called, like, the Tao of Poo.

[Cole Kushna]

Okay.

[Charles]

Yeah, it's all. It's like Pooh Bear.

[Cole Kushna]

Right, right, right.

[Charles]

I don't know how well that's aged. I. I read that in high school. But, like, wait, like, are there any books that you could recommend? I'm being so serious.

[Cole Kushna]

Well, if you want to get, like. If you actually, I mean, Dao de Jing. Have you ever heard of Dao de Jing? It's like the foundational text of Taoism. It's like all. It's like. I forgot how many. Short. Very short. I don't even. Not called poems. But you can read one paragraph essentially of text, and you could just think about it forever, but it's all grounded in, you know, the way. And just kind of.

[Charles]

I'm texting you.

[Cole Kushna]

Okay. Being like water, you know, Path of least resistance. Just breath.

[Charles]

Fuck you.

[Cole Kushna]

You know, center yourself, and then everything blossoms around you.

[Charles]

Dawg, we about to get the chillest, Charles. The hate is about to leap. But here's the thing. If the hate leaves my system, what do people still love Love me.

[Cole Kushna]

See that? Okay, see, this is. This is getting interesting, actually, because I think there's some truth there.

[Charles]

There's what?

[Cole Kushna]

I think there's some truth in that statement.

[Charles]

I'm like, here's the thing. I'm. I'm the push a T or the ring. I'm just like it.

[Justin]

Let's go.

[Charles]

That's what people come to me for. I'm never gonna be the biggest, but you know what I'm saying? I'm gonna be negative, though.

[Cole Kushna]

Do we maybe we need, like, a psycho. Like a therapy podcast. Last long standing therapies.

[Charles]

Come on.

[Cole Kushna]

A pod therapy quarter.

[Charles]

All right. Yeah. Honestly, we had the deepest conversation. Literally, this episode is good. All right, we're back. Justin, we had a really deep conversation. All right, you have. It's your pick, Cole.

[Cole Kushna]

Okay, so, Justin, you have two picks next, right?

[Justin]

I have two picks coming up. I have three picks left. So I have. Just to recap. Okay. I have done my number one pick. The first pick of this entire thing. Not like us. I feel good about it.

[Cole Kushna]

It's just funny. I don't know why it's funny.

[Justin]

My best song, I picked Grindin by the clips. My worst song, I picked just a truly terrible song. It actually is so terrible. I'm picturing, like, if this pops up on social media, I'm picturing the song. It's just so bad that it might just actually put the stink on my entire list. But it was rude by magic. Shout out white boy, shout out reggae. So that means that I have one hit wonder, moment maker and best slash favorite, My one hit wonder. And this is partly inspired by the. By my recent experience viewing the movie One battle after another. Three times. Shut up and dance.

[Charles]

No.

[Justin]

It'S Mo Bamba by Sheck West.

[Charles]

Balling like a pro. Like a pro. I be balling like my nigga Mo Pandering.

[Justin]

But it's a great. It is a great song.

[Cole Kushna]

That's such a good song.

[Charles]

It's a great song. I will be. But it's very performative. Male of you having clips, grinding in 2025. Not like us. And Mo Bamba is. It says a lot about you. Who's. Who's got the.

[Justin]

Whose party are you showing up to?

[Charles]

Honestly? Wait. Actually, no.

[Justin]

Cole's party's pretty good, actually. Irreplaceable Panda worst song being Usher. Yeah, that actually really helps.

[Charles]

This is actually of all of our lists, yours is the least scaring the hoes of the list.

[Justin]

I know.

[Charles]

Me and Justin, I picked a Kanye song first. I was Like, I got happy. All my songs are cursed.

[Justin]

Yeah, I got the you're a pedophile song. I got. I got. Then. Then immediately I'm going to marry your daughter. I'm doing white boy reggae. This is actually. Yeah, this is actually bad.

[Cole Kushna]

All right, okay. But mom is a great choice.

[Charles]

Moma. I actually like when it's. I knew it was coming in one battle after another, and I still was.

[Cole Kushna]

Like, I know, I know.

[Charles]

It's such a. Just imagining PTA listening to Shakeways and be like, yeah, yo, if you could get PTA on this podcast to dissect one film with him, which film would it be?

[Cole Kushna]

Oh, that's a good question. To dissect specifically. Oh, I mean, there Will Be Blood's my favorite. And maybe.

[Charles]

Yeah, you don't want a Boogie Nights at this age.

[Cole Kushna]

No, I don't need that master, actually. Yeah, the master.

[Charles]

Really?

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah, I think it would be the master.

[Charles]

I think it would ruin it. I think it would ruin the mystery if you know too much about it. If he says too much about it. I think it ruins the mystique. There Will Be Blood. Does it unit.

[Cole Kushna]

Well, what's the point of doing a dissection with this?

[Charles]

True, then. This is true. All right.

[Cole Kushna]

Is that the right choice, Master?

[Justin]

Yeah, the master was the one I was thinking. But it has to be There Will Be Blood or the master. I think. I think the. I think in terms of, like, interpreting the text. Yeah, yeah, those would be the most interesting.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah. All right, next. Next pick.

[Charles]

So.

[Justin]

Just real quick, Charles. Charles, you still have number one on the board, right?

[Charles]

Yep.

[Justin]

And what else do you sell? The board? You saw favor. Everyone still has favorite on the board.

[Charles]

Everyone slash favorite. I'm going with my heart with favorite.

[Justin]

Yeah, I think. I think favorite. We're probably all gonna hold off till last.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah, this is.

[Justin]

So now I have to go. A moment maker. I gotta make things right. With all the scare in the hose music I got, I gotta. I gotta make things right. This was an album that we didn't discuss on the best albums of the 21st century run. On last song standing, we discussed, the artist actually ended up winning with a different album. Ended up winning with Blonde. But my moment maker, I'm going with Thinking about yout by Frank Ocean.

[Charles]

No, I don't like you. I just thought you were cool enough to kick it. Got a beach.

[Justin]

Like that moment when that album first dropped a couple days after that letter came out, kind of. Kind of changed the. The tide of Charles. You're shaking your head. I See you.

[Charles]

It's because. It's because it's egregious. I could tell that Cole and I are really going with our hearts. And I could tell that this ain't really your list. Like, you really backed it out in a way that is just. It's okay. It's okay. You like, but it's like, go. Can you. Can you back me up?

[Cole Kushna]

Well, I mean, I get what you're saying, but these are all great songs, so how do I.

[Charles]

These are not. These are all great songs. But Justin picking up is funny. Justin. Justin picking them is funny.

[Justin]

Why is. What is funny about me picking the clips?

[Charles]

You know, they got the best album of the year. We know people activated for the clips. You know what I mean? All I'm saying is we saw it. It started. Here's the thing. If you didn't draft not like us first, I'd give you more sway.

[Cole Kushna]

Okay. Set the tone.

[Charles]

But thinking about. Wait. Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't go off or go with something off. Blonde. Think about you is this is.

[Cole Kushna]

But for moments, Think about you is the right pick really? I think so.

[Justin]

It's the first song on the album. A couple days after that letter comes out, it kind of.

[Charles]

It changed everything.

[Justin]

Changed everything? Changed everything.

[Cole Kushna]

It became a meme, which I think is important in these. The potato. Potato flew around that.

[Charles]

Give him a meme.

[Justin]

I don't know this, but, yeah, I'll take it for the argument.

[Cole Kushna]

The opening line. The tornado flew around my room. There's a meme that's like a potato flew around my. You haven't heard this?

[Charles]

I've never seen this.

[Justin]

A potato flew around my room before you came.

[Charles]

Excuse me. Like, I've never seen this before, Right?

[Justin]

Cole's on the wholesome Internet. I don't.

[Charles]

Yeah.

[Justin]

A potato flew around my room. That sounds like a really fun place to be. As opposed to the curse part of the computers that I'm stuck on.

[Cole Kushna]

This is early Internet.

[Charles]

You know, we were living two separate lives at this point. But, like, I love thinking about you. I'm not gonna sing it, but. Cause honestly, guys don't pick thinking about you at karaoke, I realized the falsetto is the falsetto.

[Cole Kushna]

That's rough.

[Charles]

It's rough.

[Cole Kushna]

What's your go to karaoke song?

[Justin]

It's Neo.

[Charles]

Recently, it's been so sick. I've been in the so sick Neo.

[Cole Kushna]

Okay.

[Charles]

Have you ever heard so sick?

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah, not in, like, over a decade.

[Charles]

Probably, but I have some others. We've been over this. So sick. By Neo. I've retired. I'm Encore by Jay Z in Linkin Park. I am doing once you step by Sierra now Missy Elliott rap. People really fuck with it. It's like, I could do some karaoke.

[Cole Kushna]

I bet you can.

[Charles]

I can't sing, but, like, I could get the crowd involved. I could get us moving. So I got some fall out Boy songs. Killer dance dance. Oh, I forgot about. All right, I'm not spoiling anything. I'm not.

[Cole Kushna]

Okay, that was your two. Charles, you're next.

[Charles]

It's me.

[Cole Kushna]

Ooh. So you have your personal favorite. And you have.

[Charles]

I got number one. You know what? I gotta go. I gotta go with my heart. I gotta go with 50 cents in the club. Like, in the club, like, people are like. I'm like, guys. You don't actually realize how massive of a moment I was.

[Cole Kushna]

That was in my shortlist for even moment Maker.

[Charles]

Really? Because it was.

[Cole Kushna]

Come on.

[Charles]

Every G Unit, everything. I've never. I'm young. I'm young, but in my lifetime, I've never seen a rapper come out like that. And literally every song they touch is a hit. People wear G Unit shit. The video was on constantly. Yeah, my parents like this song. Like, you know, like my middle aged parents were like, in the club is one of them joints.

[Cole Kushna]

I had the G Unit DVD that you could buy.

[Charles]

Did you? How much G Unit?

[Cole Kushna]

I didn't wear this shit. I had a much. Suburban, skinny white kid.

[Charles]

If I got you some G Unit, if I got you some vintage G Unit, next time we do last long standing, would you wear some?

[Cole Kushna]

No.

[Charles]

Really? Did you wear Rocawear?

[Cole Kushna]

No.

[Justin]

I know.

[Charles]

Justin. I had some rockwear and G Unit.

[Justin]

No, no, no. I didn't have either of those.

[Cole Kushna]

I had the.

[Justin]

Wait.

[Charles]

What?

[Justin]

By that point, I was wearing Echo. I was. That. I was that kind of head.

[Charles]

I had some. You had some echo.

[Cole Kushna]

No. I see. I think I would like to say I had like enough sense back then, even back then, that I didn't try to do the. I've never tried to do like the hip hop look, as much as I like hip hop. I was just never that guy. I never really tried to pretend to be that guy.

[Charles]

We gonna get you some lrg.

[Justin]

We'll get some Fat farm.

[Charles]

Fat farm.

[Justin]

Carl Kanai. We'll just bring it way back.

[Charles]

The S Carters.

[Cole Kushna]

Like, I always liked it. I always. I mean, I always thought it looked.

[Justin]

Make the cipher complete.

[Charles]

Like, Cole. Cole. I'm a. I know, I know. The Christmas gift.

[Cole Kushna]

We.

[Charles]

We got something for you. Come on. All right, yo, this is your last two picks.

[Cole Kushna]

Last two picks. I still have my best, best, most important song, and personal favorite. So we didn't make it a formal rule, but we were kind of. You know, we're trying to avoid overlap. There's just not. There's no way I can. I can't pick either Frank, Ocean, and Kendrick in this category. In my most important best song, I just. I'm gonna just cheat the rules a little bit. We've talked a lot about self control on this podcast.

[Charles]

Yeah.

[Cole Kushna]

I'm not sure if that in a best or most important song, I guess you can make the case that Blonde is the best album of the century, and so you're picking something off of that. Not like Us was on my short list for best most important, but I think it's not my favorite Kendrick song. But in this category specifically, I think I have to land on Kendrick Lamar's all right.

[Charles]

I'm up, homie. You up. But if God got us, then we go be all right.

[Justin]

We gonna be all right.

[Charles]

We gonna be all right.

[Justin]

We gonna be all right.

[Cole Kushna]

Do you hear me? Do you feel me?

[Charles]

We gonna be all right.

[Cole Kushna]

It's a cliche pick. I'm sorry. I'm sorry it had to be picked. It's. I'm sorry, but it had to be picked.

[Charles]

I'm not even mad about it. Like, I was like, someone has to pick it.

[Cole Kushna]

We've. We've talked enough about it on this podcast. We all understand it comes off one of the best albums of the century. It was chanted in the streets. It represents a cultural moment, and you can. You can have a conversation about this century through the song.

[Charles]

What's your actual Kendrick pick, though, if it's like, we're just, like, going with.

[Cole Kushna]

Your heart in this. In this category or like, in this category? I think it would have to be. It'd have to be sing about me, probably.

[Charles]

But I get why.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah, it's like, it doesn't fit the mold. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Charles]

All right. No, yeah. All right, here's the thing. I actually thought it was going to.

[Cole Kushna]

Be picked in moments was on my short list. There's a lot of overlap between any Kendrick song you're going to have is going to have that. The moment too, because it was all right at the Grammys. Was also a moment short list for me, but that ties into why it's one of the best and most important too, so I'll go. All right. Sorry for the cliche pick. It had to be done.

[Charles]

And then personal Pick.

[Cole Kushna]

Personal pick. This is the one I actually had the most trouble with because I have so many favorite songs of mine. I've talked a lot about Radiohead on this podcast.

[Charles]

Yep.

[Cole Kushna]

And I didn't want to overlap too much. We've talked about everything in its right place in this same series. We talked about how to disappear completely off of Kid A in this series. In our last long standing series, there's one song we didn't talk about. Not on a Radiohead project. On a Justice project. An album that was close to being considered an episode for Last Time Standing. Genesis by Justice. If I'm going. If I'm going, that's.

[Charles]

Wow. Incredible pick. Incredible pick.

[Cole Kushna]

You know, if I was trying to be technical, it'd be a Radiohead song. I'm trying to mix it up, so I'm gonna go just. Genesis, Justice. This song. This is 2007. I talked about how this was a formative time in my life. This album specifically came at a time when I was getting interested in classical music. They sample a Brahms symphony and turn it into one of the most grimy, dark. Just when I put Genesis on, it's like the opposite of everything in its right place in terms of. That song will touch my heart. There's something about Genesis that gets in my blood and just. There's just. You like this song, Charles?

[Charles]

Not only do I love this song, I'm jealous that I didn't like now I'm like, why the fuck didn't I do this? Because when I tell you I still listen to this album, like, yeah, multiple times. Like, in a month, I'll just be like, I'll be riding around in the whip, and I'll put. Genesis is an inspired. And, like, I've been getting into, like, some other justice albums recently.

[Cole Kushna]

Like, their newest one. I returned to their newest one. It's actually really good.

[Charles]

Dog. Last song, Stand. Justin.

[Cole Kushna]

Justin, how do you feel about this choice?

[Justin]

I think this is inspired, and I think that I really appreciate you going with your heart and not trying to win a draft, but, no, it's a great pick.

[Cole Kushna]

I told you, I'm not competitive.

[Justin]

That whole album, that whole scene is also a moment in a way, right?

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah. I remember seeing the Genesis tour where they had the fucking Marshall. All those Marshall guitar amp speakers. You guys remember this? It was just a wall fucking so high of marsh. They didn't use them. It was just for aesthetic because they're tapping into the rockstar thing. They come out in their leather jackets looking just fucking so cool. And I wanted to be them. And, yeah, they defined that second wave of French EDM under, I guess, a French electro. The whole ed banger thing. I just imagine American apparel V necks, you know, that whole scene. Were you too young to. To be into the. Into that? Were you dressing that way back then?

[Charles]

2007 V necks.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah, the deep V's.

[Charles]

Come on. I was from the Jersey shore. V necks Hit that crazy. I thought I was the. I was in my V necks. I thought I was the man, that shit looks terrible down.

[Cole Kushna]

It's so bad. I'm like, like, yeah, you guys. Okay. You guys were talking about, like, hip hop clothing. My embarrassing photos are like, the V necks and the tight jeans.

[Justin]

Oh, wow.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah.

[Charles]

Also, the skinny jeans and V necks were nasty work.

[Cole Kushna]

That's nasty.

[Charles]

It was.

[Cole Kushna]

That's nasty.

[Charles]

I looked back on what were we thinking?

[Cole Kushna]

It was so nasty. Okay, I think I'm done. So, Charles, back to you for your final pick.

[Charles]

You guys already know what my personal pick is going to be?

[Cole Kushna]

Usher Confessions.

[Charles]

When I was a kid, there were a couple musicians, and there were, like, that I would wait on BET to watch. And Confessions part two, I thought was one of the deepest artistic works of all time. I was like, how can a man be this vulnerable about his pain and what he did to the woman of his life? You guys know I'm a romantic. When Usher slides on his knees and hugs the woman, it. I was like, yo, this is the greatest thing of all time. I can't believe two Usher songs made it on the 21st.

[Cole Kushna]

One best song and one worst song.

[Charles]

I had to. I had to clean it up. Okay, guys, Confessions part two. I'm sorry. I'm bringing it up every single season. It is. You want to know? All right. Confessions Part 2. Y' all know that's a Charles pick. You want to know what else? If we had a best verse, like, I like, I would pick for this.

[Cole Kushna]

That'd be a good category.

[Charles]

I wanted 50 cents opening verse on hate it or love it. I almost wanted to pick hate it or love it in this because, like, every couple months, I'll be like, damn. Hate it. Love it is the greatest. Growing up, always confused my mama kissing a girl. Like he was giving us his soul. Justin, you can call me. It's a no.

[Justin]

No, I. I just. It's. This feels better about. You know, we didn't have the rule, but, like, the. The informal, unspoken rule of two artists. Like, worst in best feels right.

[Charles]

This speaks to our colonized friendships.

[Justin]

I know. Perfect encapsulation right here.

[Charles]

All right. Yo. So, Justin, I think it's. It's you. You have one more pick or two more.

[Justin]

I have one more. All right. And it's. It's personal. This was the category I struggle with the most.

[Charles]

Yeah.

[Justin]

Because a lot of my personal songs, I think, just wouldn't even, like, scan on this list. Like, Modest Mouse is my favorite band, but, like, their only song that was really enormous was Float on, and that wouldn't be my song.

[Charles]

Modest Mouse is your favorite band? How did I never know this?

[Justin]

Yeah, but, like, I'm. I'm into that early, but, like, so I can't pick something like that or, like, you know, I. I.

[Charles]

You can pick whatever you want. You are putting rules on yourself.

[Justin]

I can, but this is also a product that people are going to consume at some point, start talking about they don't know about.

[Cole Kushna]

It's the end of the pod, man.

[Charles]

It's the end of the pod, bro. It's a personal pick. You're already gonna win, and you might.

[Cole Kushna]

And he might turn someone on to their. Their next favorite song.

[Justin]

Well, people should go listen to Modest Mouse Moon in Antarctica for an album. They should do that. I'm not gonna pick that. They should also go listen to songs of Haya. I was gonna pick maybe Farewell Transmission or that song. I keep a little playlist called My Funeral Playlist. Parentheses. Incomplete.

[Cole Kushna]

Jesus Christ.

[Charles]

It's incomplete.

[Justin]

It's incomplete. These songs are on it. It's basically my. My girlfriend knows that if something were to happen to me, this has to play.

[Cole Kushna]

Okay.

[Justin]

I struggled with what I wanted to do. There were. There were some songs that I were just deciding between. I think. I feel like I. There was part of me that wanted to make it right for The Jay Z vs Beyonce episode and go with my heart on that and pick, like, Heart of the City to just do apologies for.

[Cole Kushna]

That'd be great.

[Justin]

That would be great.

[Cole Kushna]

That'd be a great choice.

[Justin]

There's a big part of me that wanted to go. I'm gonna go with my heart on this one. It's gonna feel weird to land it, but this I really wanted to go with. D' Angelo Voodoo is one of my favorite albums of the 2020 first century. Is one of the, like, the first album of the 2020 first century, too. But rip d', Angelo, what I struggle with there is the song I really would have wanted to go with there was Devil's Pie, but that didn't feel right. Like, I would have had going with Untitled. That kind of felt like more pandering I am gonna go with my heart and I'm sorry. I'm going with Jadakiss in Styles P. We Gonna Make It Produced by the Alchemist we gonna make it we gonna.

[Charles]

Make it we gonna make it.

[Justin]

I learned the game quickly and now.

[Charles]

I like the rent.

[Justin]

So when I Fly, it's a song that has just lived with me for almost 25 years now. I'm sorry, it might be the most obscure pick on this, but after all.

[Charles]

No, no, I actually think it's like, it's the best pick. It's like, it's the best pick. Jada back. Everything that happened at the Dipset versus, like, fuck. When I finally. When I finally landed the sale, I was like, fuck. He did.

[Justin]

Has the best opening line of Eddie rap song this entry. Fuck the frail shit. What happens? Because when my coke come in, they gotta use the scale that they weigh the whales with.

[Charles]

Yes. Sorry. My. It's been a week. You cut that out. I did not know the follow up to that. But. But this is inspired. Fuck.

[Justin]

After all the pandering, I love it.

[Cole Kushna]

It's such a Justin choice.

[Charles]

It's such a Justin. See, this is what I wanted the entire episode from him to just go with his heart.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah. To go from not like us to we gotta make it. It's pretty. That's an arc.

[Charles]

It's an arc. All right. Do we want to read our? Do we want to read our?

[Cole Kushna]

Well, actually, before we do that, the funeral music's got my mind thinking. Do you have a funeral song? Can you. Is there one that you would, you know, I mean, shout out.

[Charles]

Shout out to was. They were talking about this on group chat. I don't really with thinking about my funeral like that. Like, I feel like if I think about what I want to play at my funeral is bad vibes. You know what I mean?

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah.

[Charles]

Like, at that point, like, if I know it's coming, I'm gonna throw some shit together. But it's like, if you want to know. But this is actually bring.

[Cole Kushna]

Is it just Usher's Confessions? Just play the whole album.

[Charles]

No, because the real thing is I have to warn people when they get in my car. Sometimes I'm just like, all right, I'm playing annoying music. And they're just like, what do you mean? I'm like, I'm going to listen to, like, bibbidi boop, like hyper pop shit, like 100 gecks. Like, I kid you not. I'm listening to, like, shit where people. The first time Van and the Midnight Boys got into My car van goes, oh, this is sheep. So it would be like, annoying, hyper pop shit. And people would be like, turn this off. We're glad he's gone. Wait, so what would yours be?

[Cole Kushna]

I haven't thought about this in forever, but for a long time, it was everything in its right place. Radiohead. I just like the symbology of everything in its right place.

[Charles]

Cause, you know, that's beautiful. If you asked me as a kid, it would be I Believe I Can Fly by R. Kelly. It would no longer be that. For obvious reasons.

[Justin]

We're up to two R. Kelly references on this episode.

[Charles]

He loomed very large and. And thankfully, he's behind bars where he belongs.

[Cole Kushna]

It's weird hearing my daughters sing that.

[Charles]

Song because they know I Believe I Can Fly.

[Cole Kushna]

Space Jam. They like the original Space Jam more.

[Charles]

Wait, for real?

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah, more than the LeBron version.

[Charles]

Here's. And what's also crazy, they definitely had us singing I Believe I Could Fly at like, kindergarten graduation. Like, it was for sure. Honestly there. That was bad. So I was. Wait. Actually, this is a good.

[Justin]

I haven't.

[Charles]

I've never thought about this. Actually. I think I would do something beautiful, you know?

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah.

[Charles]

Like, I think I would. I would pick like a. Who.

[Cole Kushna]

Who.

[Charles]

I'll probably pick like a Tony Braxton song.

[Cole Kushna]

Something real, like, we don't want. Okay. See, my thinking is, like, you want to make the people there feel okay.

[Justin]

Yeah.

[Cole Kushna]

You want to make. You want to make them more sad. You want to feel like it's.

[Charles]

I'm like, what's the Tony Braxton song? I like? I get so high when I'm around you, baby Just like get em. Like.

[Cole Kushna]

Okay.

[Justin]

Do you know what that song's about?

[Cole Kushna]

No.

[Charles]

What? Sex. Orgasming.

[Justin]

It's about those things. But not with another person, Charles.

[Charles]

Oh, with drugs.

[Justin]

No, no, Charles. I'll tell you how things work off the air.

[Cole Kushna]

Solo. Like solo work, Right.

[Charles]

Oh, masturbation. Yes. Oh, okay. Damn. Here's the thing.

[Justin]

Also, it's a family podcast.

[Charles]

Here's the thing. If people want to come to my funeral and celebrate my life, they have to celebrate it on my terms. Fuck it.

[Cole Kushna]

So you're good with the masturbation symbology?

[Justin]

Yeah.

[Charles]

Toni Braxton. That's my choice for now. It might change.

[Cole Kushna]

Okay. All right.

[Justin]

Well, I have a hundred song playlist. That's.

[Charles]

Oh, my God. Jeez. This explains so much about you, Justin.

[Justin]

But the song would be Talking Heads. This must be the place the lie is version.

[Cole Kushna]

Okay.

[Justin]

The live version, specifically from the movie. Stop making sense.

[Charles]

Are you gonna Haunt your guest if they don't play the live version.

[Justin]

They can't. You not. The studio version is great. Studio version is an all timer. The. The live version might be like my favorite thing that's ever been recorded.

[Cole Kushna]

Okay.

[Charles]

How are we. How are we feeling? How do we. How did we do?

[Cole Kushna]

I think. Well, let's just do a recap. Justin, you got the list?

[Justin]

I do. Okay, this is a little bit out of order. So, Cole, you had your number one song. Number one hit was irreplaceable by. By Beyonce. Your one hit wonder was Panda Designer.

[Charles]

Hell yeah.

[Justin]

Your worst song was. Yeah. By Usher. Disrespecting Usher, Ludacris and little John.

[Cole Kushna]

I'm sorry.

[Justin]

That's crazy.

[Cole Kushna]

I'm sorry. He's Pharrell. Good. Continue. Yeah.

[Justin]

Moment maker. Around the world slash Better, Faster, harder, stronger. Did I get those words in the right order?

[Cole Kushna]

Probably not. It's fine.

[Justin]

From the Pyramid tour. Slash alive, the Daft Punk live album. Your best moment. Best. Sorry. Your best song was all right. By Kendrick Lamar. Your personal choice was Genesis by Justice Charles.

[Cole Kushna]

Love it.

[Justin]

Your best song, run Away.

[Cole Kushna]

Yep.

[Justin]

Kanye West.

[Charles]

Your worst song, happy by Pharrell.

[Justin]

Happy by Pharrell. Your one hit wonder riding.

[Cole Kushna]

It's a good one.

[Justin]

Your moment, the future mixtape run. Culminating in Cody and crazy last song off Monster. Great song. Number one song. Number one hit was in the club. Your personal favorite was Confessions by Usher.

[Charles]

Part two. Hell yeah.

[Justin]

Part two. Sorry.

[Charles]

All right, and then what? This list is gonna piss me off.

[Justin]

Number one, not like us. That's my number one. Number one hit. Best song, Grinding by the Clips. Worst song, rude One hit Wonder Mo Bamba. Moment maker. Thinking about you. Frank Ocean. Personal choice. We gonna make it by Jadakiss and.

[Charles]

Style P. This closer than I expected, actually.

[Cole Kushna]

Well, in terms of a winner.

[Charles]

Yeah.

[Cole Kushna]

I mean, this closer than I expected. What does winning mean?

[Charles]

This is such a cold. You're just like. We just were so competitive. You're like. But that's the. That's the religion you were just talking about. Tao.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah. Daoism.

[Charles]

Taoism.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah. It's not about. It's not about who wins. It's about the bond that we just created in this 90 minute podcast.

[Charles]

Man, fuck all that. I'm trying to win. I'll be so honest. That's why you are right. We are going to have. We are going to have a section, a therapy section with you. Because I am too concerned with winning. We did just have a bond. But if I, like won and we created the bond, isn't that better. What do they say about that in your religion?

[Cole Kushna]

If you created a bond and you won.

[Charles]

Yes. Yeah.

[Cole Kushna]

Those are competing ideas. Shit. Because a winner inherently, if someone wins and someone else loses and now you're just going, you know, hierarchy, patriarchy, power manipulation. You know what I mean? Amongst friends, amongst, you know, shit, you right.

[Charles]

We bonded, man.

[Cole Kushna]

Okay, but if. I mean, if we're thinking consensus, Justin Wonder.

[Charles]

I don't think so.

[Cole Kushna]

I mean, you kind of spoiled with the last pick, Justin.

[Justin]

I know, I know.

[Cole Kushna]

Which was a last minute pivot I think we talked you into. I don't think that was your original pick.

[Justin]

No. Kayla, our wonderful engineer over here, you can see that I had three songs on my favorite. And the number one was the one I went with.

[Cole Kushna]

Okay.

[Justin]

That was the first song I jotted down.

[Cole Kushna]

Okay.

[Justin]

Almost went with Dipset Anthem. I almost went with cam'. Ron.

[Cole Kushna]

I thought you were on Cameron for sure.

[Charles]

I thought you were going with Cam'. Ron. I literally. I would have done they ready if I was doing my Dipset song.

[Justin]

We done. They ready.

[Cole Kushna]

Are you guys proud I didn't pick a Radiohead song?

[Charles]

Yeah, I'm honestly, I'm proud. How long you waited out for Kendrick. Like, you really waited. What.

[Justin]

What songs did we not discuss? Because I have a couple here. Like, for best song.

[Charles]

B O B O B. Outkast.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah. Yeah. Ms. Jackson was also on my short list for number one.

[Justin]

That was my number two number one choice.

[Cole Kushna]

Okay. We need, well, someone like you. Adele number one.

[Charles]

Adele was on my list.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah.

[Charles]

Rolling in the Deep was on my list.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah.

[Charles]

That's my Adele joint.

[Cole Kushna]

Okay. Yeah.

[Justin]

Great. Little Wayne freestyle as well. Over that. Mr. Brightside didn't get picked.

[Charles]

Mr. Bright. It was on my short list. Fuck. It was on no Fallout Boy songs.

[Cole Kushna]

Did that go number one?

[Justin]

It did not.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah. Okay.

[Charles]

It didn't.

[Justin]

No.

[Charles]

Mr. Brightside didn't go number one.

[Justin]

You would have had to go and either you would have had to, like, invent a moment and been like, I'm a big Buffalo Bills fan and they play that in the stadium.

[Charles]

Black and yellow. Black and yellow.

[Justin]

I think that's fine.

[Charles]

I think that's black and yellow. Sorry. See you again. Also by Bruce Clifford.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah.

[Justin]

See, that was almost on my worst song list, to be honest.

[Charles]

What?

[Justin]

Yeah. Nah, sorry.

[Charles]

That song makes me cry. I love that song.

[Justin]

That's crazy. Shout Out.

[Charles]

Day and Night Crooker.

[Justin]

Yeah. Day and Night. Kid Cudi.

[Charles]

No, honestly, the Day and Night Crookers remix might have been my worst song. Do you remember that?

[Cole Kushna]

The what remix?

[Charles]

The Day and Night Crookers remix. Justin knows exactly.

[Justin]

I know. I know exactly that song. Yes. When we were playing for normie crowds. When DJing, you'd do something like that into, like, Normie. The heads will roll. A track remix from Yay. Speaking of yeah's Maps.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah.

[Justin]

Maps for sure was on my best song shortlist.

[Charles]

No Drake songs. Are you guys proud of me?

[Justin]

Extremely.

[Cole Kushna]

Oh, yeah. Yeah. We didn't talk about Drake.

[Justin]

I almost. I almost bookended the whole thing. This was also on my list. I almost bookended by going Story of Adidon. All right, number one. We didn't. No kill Bill Sza.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah.

[Charles]

I was never getting picked.

[Cole Kushna]

My daughter being a dad. A daughter, dad. Driver's license. Olivia Rodriguez.

[Justin]

Ooh, that's nice. That's sweet.

[Cole Kushna]

I also had a lot of Beyonce, Destiny's Child single Ladies say My Name.

[Charles]

Oh, my. I did think of Destiny. Oh, my God.

[Justin]

That's actually maybe better than any song any of us picked. Like, just being honest.

[Cole Kushna]

Okay, here's an interesting question. Is Bad Habit gonna be a one hit wonder? Steve Lacy?

[Charles]

I don't know. I think.

[Cole Kushna]

Or is that just like a TikTok?

[Charles]

That's just. That's a different thing. To me, Steve Lacy is like an actual artist who was not trying to make a hit. And he just made something that was so infectious. Like, I don't consider him a one. Does that make sense?

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Justin]

One Hit Wonder to me, says that they're kind of still eating off of this one song. Right, Right. Like Billy Ray Cyrus, Achy Breaky Heart way back. What? That was a one hit wonder. Like, that dude's whole life before his daughter blew up was Achy Breaky Heart. Steve Lacy's had a whole career and put out really good albums. He's not a one hit wonder. He just had a song that blew up.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah.

[Justin]

Other songs that weren't picked, International Players Anthem.

[Charles]

I was never gonna pick it.

[Cole Kushna]

That's a good.

[Charles]

I love that song. But pandering.

[Justin]

I agree. I agree. Even though I couldn't even go there. What else did we miss? Anything else?

[Charles]

I think we got the big ones.

[Justin]

One Hit Wonder. I had, like, Latch by Disclosure on my long list.

[Charles]

Yeah.

[Justin]

I almost went crazy by Gnarls Barkley. But I was like, that's a little cheating because CeeLo and mouth have both had such big careers outside of narrators.

[Charles]

No, we couldn't have picked that up because Gnarls Barkley had other hits that.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah. Never to that degree.

[Justin]

Yeah.

[Cole Kushna]

It wasn't a. Yeah. No. One picked a Jay Z song.

[Charles]

No Jay.

[Cole Kushna]

That's kind of crazy.

[Justin]

One Hit Wonder. No one picked somebody that I used to know.

[Charles]

Somebody that I used to know. I love that song, too.

[Cole Kushna]

Yeah, I guess. Yeah, that's the classic One Hit Wonder.

[Justin]

Charles. I really almost. I almost went my heart in One Hit Wonder. And pick Gucci. Gucci.

[Charles]

All right, let's wrap it up. Like, let's wrap it up. Shout out trean. Shout out cream. But come on. Come on.

[Cole Kushna]

And then let's ask the listeners, Last song standing next season's gonna be in the summer, but they started thinking about the artists that you want us to hit. Hit us up on social media. We're taking suggestions.

[Charles]

We are taking suggestions.

[Cole Kushna]

We have someone in mind for the next season of Last song standing, but it's not set in stone.

[Charles]

We have someone in mind. But I will just tell the listeners he going through a lot right now. He going through a lot right now. You know what I'm saying? He might. He might need a last song standing season to cover some.

[Justin]

It's not R. Kelly.

[Charles]

All right, let's wrap it up. All right, y'.

[Cole Kushna]

All.