This is me basically writing for the sake of writing... I had an idea and so I'm running with it.
There are very few things in hip-hop that are as hip-hop as a guest verse. I don't know who did it first and I would almost bet money to say that whatever that person spit was proli wack. But at some point the feature become the development league of rap. 99% of rappers got they first bit of radio-play from a guest verse they did on a more established artist's song. So here is a list of my favourite guest verses in no particular order, just as they pop into my head.
Jay-Z on Beyonces Crazy In love-YouTube link
Jay-Z is so good at them and has so many sick features that I could probably do an entire list of Jay-Z's best guest verses (I proli will sometime) but this one is the one that really stands out as the sickest to me. This is a perfect example of the magic that happens when Hov gets on a beat with horns... no-one rides a beat with horns better than Young Hov. There is very few that would be able to ride those drums at all and dude gets all up in this beat like he do Beyonce. And even though the word became super overused and played out, I think this is where rap learned what swagger was.
Nas on Jadakiss' Why Remix Feat. Nas, Common and Styles P- YouTube Link
There is a reason why a lot of rappers won't put Nas on their songs: because he WILL murder you on your own joint. This verse is like a perfectly little window into all the things that make Nas possibly the G.O.A.T., his flow is loose and doesn't seem like it should be in the groove and yet it somehow is and his ability to sound like the wisest, most intelligent dude and yet simultaneously the most grimiest hood nigga. His verse was so good that he was the only one who got the call up for what was basically part 2 in 'What If' (which would have been the other Nas verse I would have put on this list if I didn't roll this one). Common also does his thang and kills on this joint too and it would be sick to hear Common and Nas on more songs together.
Con-Psy on Scribes Not Many Remix feat. Con-Psy and Savage- YouTube link
This verse isn't here just for the sake of having something Kiwi, but because I actually think that this verse is incredibly sick. It's crazy to think how huge this song was back when it dropped, but if Con-Psy didn't completely kill it than I doubt very much that he would have developed into the artist that we now know as David Dallas. Even though what he was doing with Frontline at the time was dope, even despite all his obvious skill with words and flows, would anybody outside of Papakura have ever have heard anything from this kid if he didn't take his opportunity to get on a sick P-Money beat?. This is the perfect example of the power a dope guest spot can have on an entire career, but like he said "if you get me started kid your gonna see a consequence"
Eminem on Jay-Z's Renegades- YouTube Link
To even get on the same song as Jay-Z you have to be pretty special. But to actually murder him on his own joint??? Unheard of. Until Eminem did it on Renegades. Eminem did have an obvious advantage over Jigga on this song because he made the dark, moody synth-based beat for himself and wrote the hook for himself, before Jay had ever heard it. And its not like Jay didn't do work on this song. In all honesty its some of his most thoughtful and insightful words, and as he says "gives you the clips of the news wit a twist of just his ghetto point of view"... but its the way Em gets all inside this moody beats and just rides its subtleties perfectly that makes his verse just that little bit more engaging. Kanye came close on "Run This Town" but I think the only person to out-rap Jay on his own song is Eminem on Renegades.
Ludacris on Ushers Yeah feat. Lil John and Ludacris- YouTube link
Ludacris is damn near the king of guest verses. Maybe its just me but I always love it when luda pops up on a song.Almost every song that he gets on, Ludas 10-20 seconds of that song are the best parts of that song. He does it on the 'So Hood remix', on 'Oh' with Ciara and damn near made Justin Bieber tolerable with a stellar guest spot. But as far as scene stealing highlights go his verse on 'Yeah' takes the number one spot. This was the verse that gave us awesome quotables like "a lady street but a freak in da bed" and of course "RIDICULOOOOOOOOOOUS". Awesome guest verses are both Ludacris' gift and curse though, making his solo stuff seem just not as exciting in some way.
Honourable mention of dope guest spots go to: Busta Rhymes on Scenarios, T.I on My love, Lil' Wayne on Brown Paper Bag, Kanye West on Put On, Lupe Fiasco on Touch The Sky and everybody on the Get By Remix
