Wayne Atha is a rap novelty — and not just because he's a white guy with a Flock of Seagulls haircut. He's a novelty in the best sense: an MC whose liquid flow breathes life into genre clichés. On his major-label debut, he raps from the POV of a rural underdog over music that shifts from rap rock to twitchy percussion. His verses are full of surprises: On "That's What We on Now," he rhymes "Bill Cosby sweater" with "Skinny Pimp, Petty and Eddie Vedder." And amid rants and party chants, there's an aching ballad, "Love Is Not Enough." Turns out, he's a sheep in wolf's clothing.

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“1999”

“I don’t consider myself a great poet,” Prince told Rolling Stone. “I just know I’m here to say what’s on my mind.” In the case of the apocalyptic party anthem “1999,” he was worried about then-president Ronald Reagan’s foreign policies. The song’s melody is based on a riff borrowed from the Mamas and Papas’ “Monday, Monday,” and Prince originally envisioned the first verse with three-part harmony but later split the vocals between himself and members of the Revolution. Because Warner Bros., with whom Prince was locked in a contractual battle, owned the original’s masters, Prince rerecorded the song and appropriately released that version in 1999.