2003: #8 - "Wanksta"

50 Cent's early tuff guy image totally belied the fact that he had some of the hookiest pop-rap songs of all time. The simple melodic hook in "Wanksta" is no exception, and we'd rank it up there with "Nuthin' But A G Thing" and "Big Poppa" as one of the more recognizable and memorable keyboard lines in rap.

Of course, Fiddy is no longer gangsta - though he is pushing some product these days - but musically that was never really the point. The siren-wail of "Wanksta" was always more Warren G than N.W.A., and like the G-Funk all-stars of the early 90's, 50 Cent continued to bridge the gap from the streets to the pop charts.