This morning, me, my loofah and my Dr. Bronner's Almond soap were in the shower doing whatever it is that we do and listening to a mixtape I made. About 5 minutes in, 2pac's song, Ambitionz of a Ridah came on, and it instantly enhanced my shower experience (gotta be a better to say that). I had pep in my step, I was reciting the lyrics like I had written them, and even though the cleaning process was clearly over, I extended my shower until the entire song was completed. The song evoked that much emotion..in fact, the great Iron Mike Tyson used to come out of the locker room to that song during his fights in the mid 90s. So that got me to thinking, what are some good entrance songs?

A good entrance song to me has to be mildly profane without being gratuitous. It needs a bit of an edge to it, and it helps if you know the words, so you can mouth the lyrics upon your entrance. So without further ado, I will list my top 8 entrance songs in no specific order.

1)What We Do - Jay/Free/Beans

The sample is infections, the beat is hard hitting, and all 3 rappers bring their "A" game..plus its non stop rapping from start to finish. No pauses

2)Welcome to the Terrordome - Public Enemy

Chuck is rapping, the Bomb Squad was on top of their game, and this song literally makes you want you to hit someone in the face

3)Time 4 Sum Aksion - Redman
From the moment B-Real nasal voice sample comes in, to the time Redman stops rapping this song is just pure energy. This song provokes a quiet intensity...you nod your head, clap your hands, and tell yourself you're ready to get some bbq and get busy.

4)Lose Yourself - Eminem
I heard some describe this song as the best way to sum up a rappers feelings prior to a battle, and while I can't vouch for that firsthand, it sounds good enough to me. This is a song where the beat is alright, but the lyrics reel you in more. This came on while I was running last weekend, and instantly I felt like Usain Bolt

5)Get at me Dog - DMX
This is another song, where I am totally convinced that in the wrong hands (or ears) one good listen could inspire something violent. Luckily I am not crazy, despite what my url says...This song is all about setting an aggressive tone

6)Hit 'Em Up - 2pac
Ok this isn't really a good entrance song, but this is the song I play when I'm mad at someone, and I don't want to strangle the sh*t out of them. Listening to this song helps me calm down if that makes sense. If you've ever heard the song, you know that the first nine words pretty much set the tone..

7)75 Bars - The Roots
I think this is the newest song on the list. There's Questlove on drums, Tuba Gooding on Tuba and Black Thought rapping. There's no chorus, no singing, just intense rapping. If this was played prior to my entering the room, I think everyone would be scared of what was next.

8) Higher - Q-tip
This is the most festive of the song on my list. This song says I'm money, I'm ready to party, and I hope you are too

That's all I got. I'm sure there are more, but I'm drawing a blank..