As artists grow over the years, certain songs come to define who they are. For Eminem, we’ll never forget “My Name Is”, Jay-Z will never escape “Hard Knock Life” and Tech N9ne can’t not perform “Caribou Lou” even if he wanted to.

With Kutt Calhoun’s fourth album, Black Gold, out on the shelves and online everywhere, we thought we’d ask Kutt to look back and name the 5 most essential songs out of his extensive catalog.

Here’s what he had to say…

“Triumph – Kelvin

This song basically explains the person that I’ve become to the present day. “Triumph” starts where my life changed for myself at ten years old, at a young age, up until the present date and everything that I’ve been through and the adversity that I’ve risen through.

“Bunk Rock Bitch” – Feature Presentation

I mean I just have to put it in there because it’s true, since high school. That’s a song that I put in there that defines me because eversince I was 16 there’s been a whole lot of that going on and there wouldn’t be a song if that hadn’t been a part of me – it’s true! A lot of bunk rocking has gone on, 16 to present…ya know.

“The Green Mile” – Feature Presentation

This song is about life on the road and the things that you go through, the people you meet, the relationships that evolve out of it and what’s reality and what’s la la land. It’s something that really goes on in the world, not only with rappers and entertainers but with sports people and all kinds of people that have a celebrity.

“Smilin’ Faces” – Feature Presentation

At that time that was how I was really feeling. These are thoughts that were in my head that I went through and what I feel period. The world’s current events, that’s a side of me that I was able to show people because that’s how I was feeling. There’s not too many songs out there with people getting that deep and serious about a subject matter and that’s a side of me that I wanted to show everybody because when I heard that beat that’s exactly what it brought out of me. I didn’t make none of that up. It was exactly how I was feeling.

“501’s and Rightsides” – Black Gold

I would say “Colors” but nah. This is the new one. The song is gang-affilliated but there’s a positive message in it instead of just “Colors”. “Colors” is not negative for real but “501s and Rightsides” is even more positive, like the more mature Kutt after the past couple of years. “Colors” was in ’08, here it is five years later. Where’s Kutt’s head at on gangs and affiliation and all that? “501’s and Rightsides” tells that.

It’s something that I can’t escape from and I’m not glorifying it but I’m not ashamed of it either. I’d pick this song because it’s a better description. I’m telling you okay there’s gangs and shit that’s still active out here and blood this and blood that but hey all you people up under me or you young kids wanting to join it or if you’re in one, you need to try and get out of it if you can and do something positive with your life.

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• What did you think of the list?
• Which songs are Kutt Calhoun’s most essential songs in YOUR opinion?

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