The [your name here] Awards!

I dont remember the score of 28 days later.

Best Movie
Memento
Y tu mamá también
Amores Perros
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The
Royal Tenenbaums, The

Winner: 

Worst Movie
Swordfish
Wet Hot American Summer
Pearl Harbor
One, The
Double Take

"Winner":

Best TV Show
Six Feet Under (Season 1)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (Season 2)
The Sopranos (Season 3)
The West Wing (Season 2)
Futurama (Season 3)

Winner:

Best Video Game
Civilization III
Final Fantasy X
Grand Theft Auto III
Halo: Combat Evolved
Max Payne

Winner:

Best Hit Song
Fallin' by Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys was like god's gift to the Grammys.  She was talented, serious, knew how to play an instrument, but was above all respectable and dignified... her songwriting was also sometimes a bit shakier than her reputation would suggest.  Still, she was overall probably a pretty clear force for good in the music world and this was probably her most memorable song.  It has a cool sway to it and its bluesy lyrics were relatable and interesting. 

It Wasn't Me by Shaggy Ft. Rikrok 

Songs can become modern classics for various reason.  Some are remembered for being catchy, some for being relatable, some for being smart... it's a rare thing for one to become a classic simply for being hilarious.  That's what this pop reggae song has going for it, this setup of Shaggy giving ridiculous relationship advice to his friend never ceases to put a smile on my face.  Though it is weird how Shaggy feels like a featured artist on his own song and this nobody named Rikrok.  

Ride Wit Me by Nelly Ft. the St. Lunatics

Nelly's second runaway hit was this driving anthem that was meant to be the introduction to his posse the St. Lunatics.  That hook is incredibly fun and the featured rappers here fit in well in the song.  It certainly isn't the deepest rap song you're likely to hear but when he was at his peak Nelly was kind of a master at making party tracks that middle America could dance to but which still had just enough credibility that the real rap fans wouldn't scoff too much at the whole thing.

Ms. Jackson by Outkast

Outkast were always good at finding unique subject matter to make their songs about.  This song was about the protagonist confronting his baby-mama's mama about her grandchild's future and what led everything up to this point.  The song's hook with the well placed "Oooh" is really catchy and I also love that "forever, for ever ever" part.

Izzo (H.O.V.A.) by Jay-Z


Yes, that's a sample from The Jackson Five's "I Want You Back" and yes it thing was produced by Kanye West.  In fact I almost feel like Mr. West deserves co-credit for this thing because it was that world conquering beat that he made that really made this thing the anthem it was.  This came off of Hova's The Blueprint album in covers a lot of what made him such an appealing MC.  It has strong wordplay, endless braggadocio, and that last verse about "watching for the long arm of the law" gives a hint of that gangster past that gives the whole thing that extra edge.  Elsewhere on The Blueprint Jigga would launch his "official" Nas diss, but people who compare that to Nas' Ether miss the point, this is the song where he shows that living well is the best revenge.

Winner:

2001

Best Film: Black Hawk Down
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Memento
The Royal Tenenbaums
Y tu mamá también

(I consider Amores Perros 2000)

Winner:

Best Videogame:

007: Agent Under Fire
Grand Theft Auto III
Halo: Combat Evolved
Mario Kart: Super Circuit
Super Smash Bros. Melee

Winner:

Best Song:

"Chop Suey!" by System of a Down

"Chop Suey" will probably go down as System of a Down's defining track and it's easy to see why. The lyrics can seem really silly and the title is basically pointless, but beneath the façade is a genuinely meaningful song about death which does an interesting job incorporating religious motifs. Of course, the song is so energetic and musically fun that I can see why those elements are often overlooked. Either way you cut it, the song is awesome and a blast to listen to.

"Crashing Around You" by Machine Head

Machine Head hit the scene in the 90s as an aggressively heavy and metal band with albums like Burn My Eyes and The More Things Change. But in the early 2000s, their sound got a lot more bland and safe. It was still anger fueled, but it lacked the teeth of the band's earilier work. I suppose this song is guilty of that too, but it's a pretty memorable tune all the same and apart from the very beginning I really like the vocals.

"Disciple" by Slayer

I love Slayer and they're easily one of the most important metal bands of all time, but I also think most of their work since Seasons in the Abyss has been a little lacking. It isn't bad and the band never "sold out", but most of the music just lacks the same spark that made their classic run so awesome. There are some exceptions though and "Disciple" is probably the biggest. The song is unapologetcally Slayer, being violent, brutal, and angry. And then of course you have the chorus, which boldly declares that "God hates us all". You could probably dismiss the track as just juvenille rage, but I think there's a genuine concern for how any benevolent God could allow so much violence and evil in the world. Also the song is heavy as fuck.

"Gently" by Slipknot


Iowa is widly considered to be Slipknot's darkest and heaviest album. This song is actually probably a bit more subdued than a lot of the other tracks on the album, but the slow build is really ominous and when the track finally does explode it definitely leaves an impact.

"Prison Song" by System of a Down

Most of my favourite System of a Down songs are the ones which are very clearly protest songs; music coming from a place of anger about the way the world is. "Prison Song" certainly fits that bill as it blatantly attacks the American prison system for punishing the poor and arguing that the U.S. government perpetuates the drug problem in order to serve foreign interests. Provocative stuff and the music matches the anger in the lyrics. The guitar and percussion have a real driving force behind them and the vocals are consistently harsh and brutal. The song is also uniquely structured and highly memorable.

Winner:

Best Score: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Nowhere in Africa
Spirited Away
Y tu mamá también

Winner:

You mean 2000?

Best Film
Traffic
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
You Can Count on Me
Yi Yi
Gladiator

Winner: 

Worst Movie
Nutty Proffesor 2: The Klumps, The
Red Planet
Mission to Mars
Battlefield Earth
Captive, La

"Winner":

Best TV Show
Farscape (Season 1)
The Sopranos (Season 2)
Oz (Season 4)
The West Wing (Season 1)
Malcolm in the Middle (Season 1)

Winner:

Best Video Game
Deus Ex (PC)
Perfect Dark (N64)
Soldier of Fortune (PC)
Syphon Filter 2 (PS1)
The World Is Not Enough (N64)

Winner:

Best Hit Song
Big Pimpin by Jay-Z ft. UGK

Big Pimpin isn't just a decadent Timbaland beat mixed with a really catchy hook, it's also a little piece of hip hop history because it's the first time a major East Coast MC decided to team up with a pair of dirty South fan favorites in order to make a massive hit.  This collaboration with Bun B and Pimp C really announced to the world that southern rap was something to take seriously and also that being a total pimp is really awesome.

Country Grammer by Nelly

Oh Nelly.  You were so entertaining before you started hawking sneakers and collaborating with country singers.  This breakout hit was clearly your finest moment.  Your sing-songy flow was so accessible that you were able to talk about drive-bys and joint passing in such a catchy way that my fellow Caucasians barely even noticed and happily played you in constant rotation.  My sixth grade experience wouldn't have been the same without you and your strange ways of pronouncing words like "here." 

Forgot About Dre by Dr Dre Ft. Eminem 

By the time this dropped it had already been established that our favorite rapper was still D.r.e. and before the next episode came around he felt it important to further shame America for having forgotten about Dre.  To be fair to America, I had also needed re-introducing to Dre.  I know, for shame, my excuse is that I was four when The Chronic came out.  But I'd never forget about Dre again, in part because this song is awesome.  Emimem is clearly at the peak of his skills both as an MC and as a writer (he ghostwrote Dre's verses too) but he doesn't overshadow the title rapper, who gets to powerfully dismiss anyone who doubts him.

Otherside by The Red Hot Chili Peppers

Our token non-rappers this year will be the Chili Peppers (seriously, I'm trying to make more diverse choices but every year there seem to be like 3 or 4 world conquering rap anthems that I can't overlook), who released their excellent comeback album Californication around this time and put out this soulful single about the death of their former guitarist Hillel Slovak and the struggles of addiction.  Bonus points for incorporating German Expressionism into the video.

Party Up (Up in Here) by DMX

DMX was great at making these anthemic jock-jam type singles while still being street as hell.  This is the best example of this as he's rapping over a beat that would even make a 70 year old granny want to mosh the fuck out, but his lyrics are a bunch of positively savage disses against his unnamed enemies (word on the street is that it was directed towards Kurupt and to a lesser extent Eminem).  Dude is threatening to murder people in no uncertain terms but back in 2000 you were still allowed to do that on the radio. Seriously, the standards of decency have clearly regressed, you'd never be allowed to say that someone would be laying on his back looking at the roof of the church (preacher telling the truth and it hurts) in a major crossover single today.

Winner:

To be eligible for that award a song had to be a big enough hit to appear on Billboard's year end chart.  As ubiquitous as Eminem was that year he only had two songs that got the radio play necessary to make the chart: The Real Slim Shady and Forgot About Dre (I was surprised too).  The Real Slim Shady is a very clever and fun song, but I have zero regrets about choosing Forgot About Dre over it.
 

2015

Movie of the year
Nominees

Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Winner:




Show of the year
Nominees

Game of Thrones S5
The Leftovers S2
Silicon Valley S2

Winner:




Game of the year
Nominees

Antarctica
Pandemic Legacy
The Voyages of Marco Polo

Winner:




Expansion of the year
Nominees

Dominion: Adventures
Merchants & Marauders: Seas of Glory
Ticket to Ride: United Kingdom

Winner:

2000

Best Film: Amores Perros
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Gladiator
Requiem for a Dream
Traffic

Winner:

Best Song:

"Brush the Dust Away" by In Flames


I'm not 100% sure, but I'm pretty sure this song's lyrics are meant to be some sort of commentary on societal violence and mass media. Whatever the case, what really wins me over with this song is the aggressive guitar riffs and generally driving force that pounds through. Plus, lyrics like, "Your rage-the pain/Will it all be worth it?" really stick with me.

"The Fight Song" by Marilyn Manson


I'm not gonna defend Manson as some sort of great artist, but I think when he hits the right marks he works really well. This song is probably my favourite of his work with its provocative lyrics and high energy.

"Only for the Weak" by In Flames


For me, Clayman was the album that really perfected In Flames' sound and while they've certainly done great stuff since, I don't think they've ever topped this album. "Only for The Weak" is one of the many highlights, a dark and downbeat song dealing with mental instability with a real ominous tone. The whole track just really comes together well.

"Revolution is my Name" by Pantera


Easily my favourite track on Reinventing the Steel; sounds the most like classic Pantera.

"The Wicker Man" by Iron Maiden


A lot of people really like Iron Maiden's Brave New World. Personally, I don't think it holds a candle to their classic stuff but it has some good stuff. "The Wicker Man" is probably the album's best track with it's epic lyrics, great guitar work, and Bruce Dickinson's soaring voice.

Winner:

Best Score: Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Gladiator
Requiem for a Dream
Unbreakable
X-Men

Winner:

2015

Best Film: The Hateful Eight
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room

Winner:

Best Videogame: Batman: Arkham Knight
Fallout 4
Helldivers
Mortal Kombat X
Rocket League

Winner:

Best Song:

"Absolution" by Ghost


Built around a killer riff, this is another great Ghost song dealing with one of their favourite topics: an innocent being seduced by Satan. The song certainly has a dark undercut, but I love the way the chorus sounds almost hopeful. A lot of Meliora was about talking a sort of gospel like zeal and applying it to songs about the Devil and it works really well.

"Cirice" by Ghost


The Grammy winner for Best Metal performance, "Cirice" is an ominous and chilling tune whch is pretty much about the same things as "Absolution". However what works really well here is the haunting sense of dread as the sound comes weighing down and some really cool lyrics. "I can feel the thunder that's breaking in your heart/I can see through the scars inside you."

"From Pinnacle to the Pitt" by Ghost


Can you tell I really love this album? This is a song from the perspective of some Satan worshippers and (sort of) deals with his fall from Heaven. The song also has some really awesome bass, driving guitar work, and really cool lyrics. One of the album's heaviest and best songs.

"If Eternity Should Fail" by Iron Maiden


I've been meaning to listen to The Book of Souls more thoroughly but so far I'll stand by this song as my favourite. Epic stuff.

"Sympathy for the Devil" by Motorhead


Lemmy's voice isn't exactly in top form here (you can kind of tell his health was failing) but I do still find this and powerful and fitting end to one of the most iconic and awesome metal/rock bands of their time and a great farewell to Lemmy.

Winner:

Best Score: Creed
The Hateful Eight
It Follows
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant

Winner:

Best Movie
Magnolia
Fight Club
Being John Malkovich
Three Kings
Eyes Wide Shut

Winner:

Worst Movie
Drop Dead Gorgeous
Stuart Little
Pokemon
Wing Commander
Wild Wild West

"Winner":

Best TV Show
Futurama (Season 1)
Oz (Season 3)
The Sopranos (Season 1)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Season 7)
The X-Files (Season 6)

Winner:

Best Video Game
Counter-Strike (PC)


There are only a few multiplayer shooters I've ever really gotten too deep into and while I was never hardcore about it as some people it certainly took over my life for a summer or two.  Originally a half-life mod, this thing really took on a life of its own and its format of short tense rounds where terrorists took on counter-terrorists was ideal because it meant that your enemies weren't bullet sponges and when they went down it actually meant something because they weren't going to just re-spawn and get back in the fight.  It certainly lacked the polish of modern shooters and lacked things like matchmaking, but it was a lot of fun.

Final Fantasy VIII (PS1)


A lot of people hate this game, and I get it, it has problems, but man I loved it back in the day and definitely have a bigger attachment to it than I do to the more beloved VII.  Yeah, the magic system is a mess and yes the junction system makes very little sense.  As an RPG it's deeply flawed but mechanics are not what I go to the Final Fantasy series for I go to them for flash and on that this game delivered. The World of FF8 is a really cool anime-ish fusion of sci-fi and fantasy and it had some really standout set-pieces when the characters went out on missions and while I'm sure that the game's more personal story would seem more ham-fisted if I looked at it now I found it engrossing back in the day.

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (PS1)


Soul Reaver was a sequel to a much less remembered game called Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen and really brought an extra lair of budget and flash to the series by switching from the top-down adventure genre to the third person action genre.  The whole thing is set in this unique fantasty world ruled by vampires and you play as this really awesome looking main character.  The mechanics of defeating vampires were unique and the storytelling and craftsmanship kept you going.

Silent Hill (PS1)


Konami's answer to Capcom's Resident Evil franchise was Silent Hill, a similarly controlling survival horror game but one with a more ambitious and perhaps highbrow idea of what the horror ideal is.  The game used a system limitation (reduced draw distance) in order to enhace the atmosphere by hiding monsters behind a thick lair of fog making it so you never knew what you were getting into and that made things tense.  I don't know that the vision was fully realized all told, but it was a really cool effort.

Syphon Filter (PS1)


Early attempts at the third person shooter were kind of shakey, I'm sure there were some other good ones but to me it was the original Syphon Filter that finally got the genre right or at least got part of the way there.  They still hadn't invented the modern over-the-shoulder camera angle and cover certainly wasn't a thing, but it got by, in part because it was really generous about lock on aiming.  The story was a bit generic but it got by on style and some of the better levels were really memorable.

Winner:

Best Hit Song

Back That Azz Up by Juvenile Ft. Mannie Fresh and Lil Wayne


It's not the most respectable genre but every generation has a booty anthem they can call their own and for late 90s kids that anthem was "Back That Azz Up" (and The Thong Song).  It's not the easiest song to defend but that beat does it for me and Juviniles dirty lyrics do flow well.  This was also an important song in the development of New Orleans as a hip-hop city in the mainstream.  That Cash Money Records shoutout at the beginning made noise and so did the verse at the end by a very young and largely unknown at the time Lil Wayne.


Lauryn Hill was like a gift to music critics.  She was young, vital, had the respect of the hip-hop intelligentsia but was also respectable and political and could sing as well as rap.  It's no mystery why she won all the Grammys for her album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.  This was the lead hit single off that album and it is a pretty good indication of what she was all about.  Its R&B hook is catchy as hell and beautifully sung and the rapping integrates into the song as a whole quite well.  

Out of My Head by Fastball

Fastball was a strange little two-hit wonder of a band that seemed to get big in 1999 and then disappeared into the ether.  I guess I get why they didn't last long in the mainstream, their sound was nothing like what was popular on the radio in the late 90s and ealry 00s but you'd think they would have found their way back into the indie scene or something.  This was probably the lesser known of their two singles and had less distinct lyrical subject matter than "The Way" but there's a timelessness to it that I really appreciate.  It's going to end up in a nostalgic movie eventually and people are going to wish they hadn't forgotten it.

Smooth by Carlos Santan Ft. Rob Thomas

One of the stranger phenomenons of 1999 was the fact that Carlos Santana had an unlikely comeback by playing guitar in what is essentially the best selling "duets" album of all time with a bunch of younger artists and somehow sold an absured number of records in the process.  This was the flagship single from that album and it was all over the place... to the point where it got a huge overplay backlash, which was probably inevitable given that it was written and performed by the not so credible Matchbox-20 lead singer Rob Thomas.  Given some time though I think it's a pretty damn good pop/rock song.  Thomas wrote the song about his incredibly hot Latina wife (who is in the video) and you can tell he meant it when he says he'll change his life to better suit her moves.  The whole song is a pretty good fusion of Latin gooves, guitar rock, and adult contemporary and deserves another look in the poptimist era.

When a Woman's Fed Up by R. Kelly

Featuring a great drum machine beat and some smooth guitar licks, this is a downbeat R&B classic with smoothly sung verses.  A sort of roundabout breakup song that discusses parting ways in generalized rather than specific terms and instead has the protagonist lamenting that when a partner wants out there's just nothing to do but move on.  Kind of nuanced for the master of sleazy horniness.  

Winner:

Best Movie
Thin Red Line, The
Dark City
Saving Private Ryan
Big Lebowski, The
Rushmore

Winner:

Worst Movie
Lost in Space
U.S. Marshals
Mercury Rising
Patch Addams
Star Kid

"Winner:"

Best TV Show
Oz (Season 2)
The X-Files (Season 5)
The Simpsons (Season 9)
Seinfeld (Season 9)
Homicide: Life of the Street (Season 6)

Winner:

Best Video Game
Resident Evil 2 (PS1)


Though it lacked the influence of the original and some of the gameplay refinements of the third, the second Resident Evil was probably the most ambitious of the early RE games and was probably the one that made this a series to that was going to last.  It employed a unique structure in which each game disc covered a different character's perspective and the game changed depending on whether you played disc A or disc B first.  

Starcraft (PC)


There are many games that are fun, not so many that become major e-sports.  Starcraft has a dominant multiplayer scene but my experiences with it most revolved around its single player campaign, which involved some surprisingly engaging storytelling for a real time strategy game.  The game had three factions which were each completely distinct and yet still balanced and sci-fi trappings that hold up over time.  On top of all that it had that distinct Blizzard polish.  

Metal Gear Solid (PS1)


More than any game Metal Gear Solid moved video games towards a more cinematic form and was clearly ahead of its time.  Its story is silly and pretentious in retrospect but it has a crazy charm to it and it's made compelling by its ambitious staging, voice acting, and general presentation.  The gameplay in it is no slouch either.  Stealth was still fairly novel at this time and the variety of different moves your character could do was really impressive.

Half-Life (PC)


Before Half-Life the first person shooter was a kind of silly genre in which single player campaigns were basically story-less strings of levels that existed primarily to give you monsters to shoot.  Half-Life was the first one to make a serious attempt at some variety of storytelling and did so in a number of innovative ways.  It never really presents any major dialog and instead immerses you in a situation and featured some real standout set-pieces along the way.  It also had a cool variety of weapons and some really solid shooting dynamics.

Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, The (N64)


1998 was a truely amazing year for video games and while in my opinion some of the year's other games have proven more important over time, this Nintendo classic was most people's favorite when these were first being released.  The game is notable for its scope and its ability to make a genuinely large adventure in a 3D space with both its proto-open world and its dungeons/bosses being really fun to play.

Winner:

Best Hit Song
All My Life by K-Ci and JoJo

1998's gift to middle school dances, All My Life sounds like something bigger and grander than the guys who sang it.  K-Ci and JoJo weren't exactly one hit wonders (they did sing the hook on a pretty good Tupac song after all) but their greater body of work probably isn't going to stand the test of time but this song is probably going to live on despite the fact that its actually a pretty simple R&B jam.  I think what makes it stand out is just how heartfelt the whole thing seems, especially in the blustery world of post-R. Kelly R&B.

Bitter Sweet Symphony by The Verve

This is one of those songs that you probably know even if you don't know what it's called or who plays it. It actually holds an interesting little transitional place in music history.  It has its origins in the world of the guitar-driven britpop scene but sort of points towards the more grandiose and orchestrated sounds of Radiohead and Coldplay.  It has well written lyrics certainly and they're well performed for what they are, but what really matters is that backing tune with its orchestral elements and driving beat.

One Week by Bare Naked Ladies

Why can't all comedic novelty songs be this well executed?  Ignore the funny joke lyrics, this is a song with legit pop hooks, a solid guitar riff, and and some engaging sort of Beck-ish white guy rapping which all makes it an earworm from the word go.  On top of that it's this sort of nerd anthem which got direct references to Akira Kurosawa and Sailor Moon into the top slot of the Billboard chart.  And beneath all that is a fairly relatable song about the challenges of being in a relationship when you have so many other interests.

Ray of Light by Madonna

This wasn't Madonna's last hit by any means but it was probably the last one where she really seemed vital and relevant rather than a legacy act.  The song pointed towards the electronic direction she'd be taking her music in the near future but still felt sort of down to earth even then it was trying to be grandiose as hell.  It had this really lush production which seemed to take a page from a lot of the big electronic acts of the time like Moby and Underworld.  Madonna's vocal performance is also pretty spot on for what the song is trying to do and manages to really carry it out.
 
Still Not a Player by Big Pun Ft. Joe

Pig Pun's "I'm not a Player" is a truly filthy anthem in which a morbidly obese man brags about his many sexual conquests without a hint of irony.  "I'm Still Not a Player" isn't so much a sequel to that song so much as a slightly more radio-friendly re-working of it which became a major hit.  It lacks the directness of the original but it still has a lot of funny wordplay and some of Pun's incredibly complex wordplay.  It wan't Pun's finest moment but it still captures some of what made him such a compelling figure during his tragically brief career.

Winner:

Metal Gear easily would have won in a year where four of the five nominees weren't stone cold 10/10 classics.  Given that I gave it to MGS3 over Half-Life 2 in 2004 I think it was only fair.

Best Film
L.A. Confidential
Game, The
Jackie Brown
Boogie Nights
Princess Mononoke

Winner: 

Worst Film
Jungle 2 Jungle
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
Masterminds
Saint, The
Batman & Robin

"Winner": 

Best TV Show
Oz (Season 1)
The X-Files (Season 4)
The Simpsons (Season 8)
Homicide (Season 5)
Seinfeld (Season 8)

Winner:

Best Video Game
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS1)


While much of the industry was rushing into the 3D era but instead of doing that (as the series would shortly thereafter with the disastrous Castlevania 64) Koji Igarashi instead found a way to reinvent the Castlevania series while doubling down on its 2D origins with Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.  Adding both RPG elements and Metroid style exploration, Igarashi was able to deliver a much deeper action platformer while also delivering beautiful visuals in is many brilliantly created sprites.

Final Fantasy VII (PS1)


It's recently become cool to trash this game in favor of the cooling SNES entry Final Fantasy VI (AKA III in America) but the splash that the series' entry into the PSX era should not be denied.  The game's vast production values and neat anime/sci-fi world made it really stand out in 1997 and many of its characters like Cloud, Aerith, and Sephiroth remain iconic.  The game also did a whole lot to bring JRPGs and RPGs in general to the masses.

GoldenEye (N64)


The first person shooter was born on the PC and it's been a long and slow journey to bring the genre to consoles and the first major step was when Rare and Nintendo took the James Bond licence and used it to adapt the 1995 film Goldeneye for the Nintendo 64.  The game has a great, and oddly overlooked single player campaign but the game will probably forever be remembered for its split-screen multi-player mode.  That this would be wildly impressive probably seems odd in this age of online multiplayer and dual joystick controllers, but at the time this was a revolution in fun times.

Star Fox 64 (N64)


The basic aesthetics of Star Fox, with weird animal people flying space ships, probably shouldn't work but that never really gets to much in the way.  The game never gets bogged down in the flight sim complications that games like X-Wing involved themselves in and instead opted for this really forgiving and arcadey experience that really brings the best of what these space opera dogfights are supposed to be all about.

Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (PC)


The original Dark Forces was very much a "Doom clone" which just happened to have Star Wars weapons and enemies but its sequel really started to come into its own in a way that its predecessor didn't.  In part this is because they opted to make Kyle Kartan a Jedi, which makes very little sense on a story level but... it means you get a lightsaber and force powers so that makes up for it.  The game had some really cool level design and some very fun boss fights against lightsaber using Jedis.

Winner:

Best Hit Song
"Hypnotize" by The Notorious B.I.G.

Biggie Smalls' debut album "Ready to Die" certain had some exaggerated boasts in it but at the end of the day it was a fairly street-level album.  His follow-up "Life After Death" on the other hand took on the trappings of the newly popular mafioso rap style.  The biggest solo single to come off of that was almost certainly "Hypnotize" which uses an old Herb Alpert sample to make a true club banger with a great hook and some really complex and rapid rhyming.

"I Like It" by The Blackout Allstars

Here's a song with some history behind it.  "I Like it Like That" was a boogaloo song by a guy named Pete Rodriguez which was released in 1967.  Thirty some years later a mostly forgotten movie called "I Like It Like That" was made and to cover the original song for the soundtrack a supergroup of Latin music legends was formed called The Blackout Allstars.  That was in 1994 and the song never really took off in a big way.  Two years later Burger King decided that the song's title would make it a good jingle for their "Have It Your Way" campaign.  This exposure led to the song finally being picked up by the public and charting in 1997.  Weird way for a song to become a hit but it was deserved.  The song has a really good upbeat groove 

"Mo Money Mo Problems" by The Notorious B.I.G. Ft. Puff Daddy, Ma$e, and Kelly Price

I've normally followed a rule with these nominations to only include one song per artist per year but I'm breaking that for this one, in part because I don't really think of this as being a real Biggie Smalls song.  Biggie only has one verse on the song towards the end and his sensibilities clearly don't dominate the song.  Ma$e has the leadoff verse but it's clearly the maximalist sensibilities of Puffy that dominates this thing.  He's almost certainly the one who decided to interpolate that Diana Ross song and it was almost certainly his idea to have him and Ma$e dancing around in Arby's Sandwitch wrappers in the most eminately GIFable music video this side of "Hotline Bling." 


"Semi Charmed Life" by Third Eye Blind

This 90s Rock hit is notable for two things mainly: 1. being catchy as fuck and 2. having lyrics that turn out to actually kind of dark and un-radio freindly when you actually listen to them.  It's kind of surprising that it took listeners as long as it did to realize this as his references to oral sex and crystal meth are not coded or even hidden really, it's just that that "doo doo doo" chorus seemed really poppy and harmless.  To the band's credit this doesn't seem like some kind of novelty that they orchestrated, it mostly just seems like they didn't know the power of their own hook.

"You Make Me Wanna" by Usher

Usher was barely out of teen idol territory when he came out with "You Make Me Wanna," which was kind of odd because it seems awfully dark and mature in the way it presents the temptation to cheat as this complicated feeling that he's dealing with.  The way the song hides this 2nd person proposal behind simply being something the woman makes him want to do rather than something he's coming out and asking for is an interesting piece of songwriting and is an interesting preview of what Usher and his songwriting partner Jermaine Dupri would make happen with the Confessions album in 2004.

Winner: