Per the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors countdown of the 100 greatest hip-hop tracks of all time, I decided to post my Top 5.

Some context though.

I'm not a purist. While I respect Public Enemy and Eric B & Rakim and DMC and the Beastie Boys, I sort of just like what I like.

Lyrically, all five of these tracks are strong, but from more of a pop-culture bent. There isn't the social fight aspect of these songs that is contained in the work of PE and others, although I think my No. 1 track should be written in history as, I think, the most influential song of my lifetime.

"Straight Outta Compton" influenced pop culture, music, business, society, dress, art, everything, and it did so at an impact level. While a lot of the book-smart critics praised PE and the Beastie Boys and De La Soul, musicians took note of this track and said, "DAMN!"

Anyway, here's my Top 5 hip-hop songs of all time with notes below each.

No. 5 - "O.P.P. -- Naughty By Nature"



A largely forgotten track, this song was way more popular in the early 1990s than anybody 30 and older would care to admit.

No. 4 -- "Today Was A Good Day -- Ice Cube"



I know many men who can recite this entire song without blinking. Besides, who hasn't "messed around and got a triple-double."

No. 3 -- "Cowboy -- Kid Rock"



I think Kid Rock could make a case for the best rocker of this decade.

No. 2 -- "Mama Said Knock You Out -- LL Cool J"



I remember when the MC battle between LL and Kool Moe Dee was a big deal, and while I liked me some KMD ... James won this battle. What I love so much about this song and many of these hip hop tracks is how good the words are. Anybody with any semblance of pop culture knowledge will get "Don't call it a comeback," the moment you say it. That is one of the great first lines in music history.

No. 1 -- "Straight Outta Compton -- NWA"



This track is not for everybody. It's raw, angry and there is a ton of language in it. However, if music critics revere punk music for any reason, they must pay homage to this. It's not only more musical, it's more intelligent and vastly rawer than anything that came out in the 1970s. Why? Because for a lot of kids in various parts of the country, this was real life.