With thanks to the late Layne Staley I try not to plan the funeral before the body has died but there's only one Tuesday left in 2008 and there's nothing I'm in a hurry to go out and buy. Three years down the road I may come across a 2008 album I missed and want to amend this list, but for now, for better and worse these are my Top Songs of 2008. The best thing about this list is no song from my Album of the Year appears on it. As odd as that may seem, it underscores my reason for naming it my Album of the Year (we'll get to that discussion soon enough). What follows is a list of the best songs I heard this year. In some cases, they've come from albums I loved and in others they were the best thing on an album that disappointed. I've limited myself to one song per album in order to keep some sort of order here. These songs may not work for you, but they're a few of the ones that got me through. “Consoler of the Lonely” - The Raconteurs, Consolers Of The Lonely: This feels less like a song and more like a collage. Brendan Benson and Jack White trade lines over a start-stop riff with some squalls of Jack's lead guitar racket interspersed. Something this disjointed shouldn't be this catchy, but I'll be damned if it's not. This is a house favorite. “So He Won't Break” - The Black Keys, Attack & Release: The Black Keys shouldn't make all future albums with Danger Mouse, but their work on Attack & Release came off much better than I'd have predicted. DM's sonic touchups reveal these guys are capable of executing their ideas with more than riffs and grit. “So He Won't Break” mixes some alt-pop with the blues and DM's tasty sonic accents. “Birmingham” - The Bittersweets, Goodnight, San Francisco: I live 90 minutes from Birmingham and believe me when I say never imagined anything this lovely and wonderful could spring from there. This is one of Hannah Prater's best vocals and that is saying something. “Short Street” - Dave Carter, Commitment and Change: If I become a jazz fan before I die, Dave Carter's Commitment and Change will have something to do with it. Just as with “Muhammad Ali” on Barrett Martin's The Painted Desert (Martin serves as drummer and producer for this fine quartet), within the first few bars of album opener “Short Street,” I sensed the presence of something special. This composition has such a great feel to it and Carter, Martin, Luis Guerra, and John Rangel maintain that over the course of the entire record. “Somebody's Baby” - Jon Foreman, Winter EP: This might be the single saddest song I've ever heard in my life. This could have easily become maudlin and melodramatic, but the arrangement is spare and Foreman's vocal is warm and genuine. The lyric is bleak, but Foreman's vocal exudes a compassion that is profoundly affecting.

Well, at least now we know what the new My Chemical Romance album won’t sound like. A few months back, when we spoke to MCR bassist Mikey Way about the “Batman” story he was writing for DC Comics, he mentioned that he and his bandmates had begun work in earnest on the follow-up to 2006’s Welcome to the Black Parade, but, while they’re all writing songs, he had no idea what the album would end up sounding like. “So if, say, we wrote some songs that sound like Rick Springfield, a week later they’ve all turned into Children of Bodom songs,” he explained. “I know it’s going to be great — I just don’t know what it’s going to sound like. We’re going to be just as surprised as everyone else, believe me.” And we did. So when we recently caught up with Mikey’s brother, MCR frontman Gerard Way, we asked if the new album was still in such a state of flux. His answer? Yes, but he’s at least got an idea of how he doesn’t want it to turn out. “You know, we’ve made concepts for three albums now, so I think this one — at least from my standpoint — I want to go into it not thinking about a definite story. I said that during Parade, but I still think I had something to work out,” he said. “I think I had to get it out of my system, as far as writing concept records. I had to at least do one more before I stopped doing them. Obviously, they’ll always be cohesive though. The songs need to fit together, that’s what makes a great album.” Way added that rather than focusing on a concept, he and the band are keeping it much simpler this time around — they’re just focusing on writing really killer, really loud rock songs. “The one thing is we’ve never really captured that ‘live’ feeling. We’ve gone for sometimes more polish. We’ve obviously emulated bands like Queen in trying to get that classic, late-’70s glam sound, and we’ve gone for that at times, especially on the last record,” Way explained. “But then, when we’re playing this stuff live, it’s ultimately going to get more aggressive, so I think it’d be interesting to hear what the band sounds like recorded at least somewhat in those parameters of a live set. “And that’s not to say it’ll all be distorted, who knows. I think you record it live viscerally, and the minute you put in the distortion, yeah, it’s going to sound ‘punk,’ ” he continued. “You take it off and I don’t know what it sounds like then. The song we did for ‘Watchmen’ [a cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘Desolation Row’] in a lot of ways is a really good test-run or experiment, at least sonically.” Of course, in keeping with the company line, Way said that there is no definite timetable for when or where My Chem will actually begin recording the new album … in fact, what with Way’s “Umbrella Academy” comic series having recently been green-lit for production and guitarist Frank Iero’s side project Leathermouth taking off, there seems to be even less time to be dedicated to the business of being MCR. “Well, [guitarist] Ray [Toro] is coming out Sunday and … we may even sketch out a whole album together, which is something we used to like to try to do. We’ve had less and less time to sit down and try to do a skeleton of an album,” Way said. “It’s good to start doing that stuff, but once you start doing that you kind of paint yourself into a corner. Like, we finished mixing Black Parade, and then the next day we were on a plane off to Europe doing press. It was literally that quick. So I don’t think we want to go through that again. We don’t want some kind of time limit on us.”

Bill Cosby may be seventy one years of age, but he is still fit enough to tour the countryside. Starting 16th January, the veteran comedian and actor will be on tour for several months, through stand-up performances in different states of the US including Indiana, Michigan, Florida and DC running up to 27th June. He will also hold a solitary show in September at Cerritos, CA. Famous for his role in ‘I Spy’, which later led to his own series ‘The Cosby Show’, Bill has acted in numerous films. He has been given the nickname of ‘America’s Dad’, due to his personality. Bill Cosby Tour Dates 2009 01/16/09 - Elizabeth, IN - Horseshoe Southern Indiana 01/18/09 - Flint, MI - The Whiting 01/24/09 - Washington, DC - Kennedy Center Opera House 02/14/09 - Oakland, CA - Paramount Theatre 02/21/09 - Worcester, MA - The Hanover Theatre For The Performing Arts 02/28/09 - Austin, TX - Bass Concert Hall 03/06/09 - Hamilton, ON - Hamilton Place Theatre 03/13/09 - Houston, TX - Jones Hall For The Performing Arts 03/14/09 - Fort Pierce, FL - Sunrise Theatre 03/21/09 - Omaha, NE - Orpheum Theater 03/28/09 - Denver, CO - Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre 03/29/09 - Durham, NC - Durham Performing Arts Center 04/11/09 - Madison, WI - Overture Center For The Arts 04/25/09 - Wilkes-Barre, PA - F.M. Kirby Center For Perf. Arts 04/26/09 - Englewood, NJ - Bergen Performing Arts Ctr. 05/07/09 - Santa Ynez, CA - Chumash Casino 06/27/09 - Minneapolis, MN - Orchestra Hall 09/27/09 - Cerritos, CA - Cerritos Center For The Perf. Arts

They all came through. Lil’ Wayne, 50 Cent, Nas, Rick Ross, DJ Khaled, Ace Hood, Young Jeezy, the Clipse, Ludacris, LL Cool J, DJ Drama, Joe Budden, Fat Joe, Tha Dogg Pound, Snoop Dogg, Charles Hamilton, B.O.B., T.I., Fabolous, Soulja Boy and even Katt Williams. The best of the best appeared on Mixtape Monday and we have to thank all the artists and all of you who have watched and logged on every week to support us. This was our biggest and best year ever and, in 2009, we promise to only make it even better. Look for some big enhancements and a continuation of the big names. But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s take few minutes to reflect on the dopest segments from your favorite day of the week. You didn’t think we would let 2008 close without us sending major big ups (once again) to the artists who keep this underground circuit we love thriving? OK, no more time to waste, here are our annual Mixtape Monday Awards — and head over to the Newsroom blog to see what more we have to say about our picks! Trumpets, please! Mixtape Act of the Year Shaheem Reid’s Pick: G-Unit Rahman Dukes’ Pick: G-Unit Mixtape DJ of the Year Shaheem Reid: Drama Rahman Dukes: Green Lantern Radio and/or Satellite DJ of the Year Shaheem Reid: Green Lantern Rahman Dukes: Whoo Kid Lyricist of the Year Shaheem Reid: Nas Rahman Dukes: Nas Most Slept-on Album of the Year Shaheem Reid: The Game, L.A.X. Rahman Dukes: Mobb Deep, H.N.I.C. 2 Album of the Year Shaheem Reid: Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III Rahman Dukes: T.I., Paper Trail Concert of the Year Shaheem Reid: Kanye West’s Glow in the Dark Tour (Close second props to the Rock the Bells Jones Beach stop) Rahman Dukes: Atlanta’s Birthday Bash Producer of the Year Shaheem Reid: Kanye West Rahman Dukes: Kanye West Topic of the Year Shaheem Reid: The Auto-Tune takeover Rahman Dukes: Did Jay-Z and Beyoncé get married? Breakthrough DJ of the Year Shaheem Reid: Infamous Rahman Dukes: DJ Scream Breakthrough MC of the Year Shaheem Reid: Shawty Lo Rahman Dukes: Shawty Lo Live Performer of the Year Shaheem Reid: Kanye West (Gotta give a shout to my runner up T.I. His shows had so much energy.) Rahman Dukes: Lil Wayne Internet Superstar Shaheem Reid: Charles Hamilton Rahman Dukes: Consequence Breakthrough Of The Year (Producer) Shaheem Reid: Drumma Boy Rahman Dukes: Don Cannon Craziest Collaboration Shaheem Reid: Jay-Z, T.I., Lil Wayne and Kanye West on “Swagger Like Us” Rahman Dukes: Young Jeezy and Nas on “My President” Check for in ‘09 Shaheem Reid: Obviously, that three-headed monster from the land of Interscope is going to be extremely successful when and if 50 Cent, Eminem and Dr. Dre put out albums. But I’m thinking Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3 will be the album the year. Hov’s rhymes and a lot of Kanye’s beats? That’s guaranteed timeless music. On a more underground level, I’m hoping Joe Budden and the Clipse get more shine. They have been some of the doper MCs in the game for the past few years. I thoroughly enjoyed all of Fabolous’ guest appearances, so I have faith in the upcoming Loso’s Way. Rahman Dukes: I’m still waiting on that classic album from my boy Saigon’s The Greatest Story Never Told. “Believe It” is still an amazing record, and that’s just a taste of what to expect from the album. Of course, keeping it Queens, I can’t wait to see what 50 Cent does. Fif is by far the realest cat doing it in the game. Jay-Z has been on a streak lately with all of the Kanye West-produced tracks, so his album will probably be the best of ‘09. Can’t forget about the Clipse, and hopefully we’ll finally get that Cuban Linx II. Lets go, Rae! Of course, not everyone can win an award, so here’s the best of the rest: Standout Street CDs and Independent Albums of ‘08 50 Cent’s Sincerely Yours, Southside G-Unit’s Return of the Body Snatchers and Elephant in the Sand Lil Wayne and DJ Drama’s Dedication 3 The Clipse’s Road to Till the Casket Drops DJ Khaled’s We Global Prodigy’s H.N.I.C. 2 J. Period’s March 9th Mixtape and Best of Mary J. Blige (Three CD Edition) Notorious B.I.G. and Big L’s Live From Amsterdam Nipsey Hussle’s Bullets Ain’t Got No Name, Vol. I and II Crooked I’s Block Obama I and II We are the best in the business, baby. See you in ‘09!

Ah yes…the end of the year and critics, award shows, and news people galore are all chipping in to remind you of the best moments and memories that will forever be the personality of 2008. For me personally, this was an epic year in music for the mere fact that my taste buds were exposed to a plethora of new rock music thanks to the wicked invention of Rock Band (both 1 and 2). I developed a love for artists like Interpol, The Donnas, Paramore, Coheed and Cambria, Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age, Metallica, and Disturbed. Being a massive Prince fan, I've always liked rock music but never quite new where to begin exploring the genre. Thanks to the crew at Harmonix (the Rock Band developers) and MTV, I can now comfortably delve into the world of rock, many of its classics and legends. Even before Rock Band became a daily part of my routine, though, I jumped on the bandwagon of a one-time Metallica cover band from the UK named Bullet For My Valentine. Their amazing sophomore album, Scream Aim Fire, is a high-energy, amazing effort that never leaves any of my metal playlists. Now, onto what I do truly know about: hip hop and soul music. And trust me, this was a big year for both. So let's get it going (in no particular order): Black Milk - Tronic Plain and simple, Black Milk is the next big producer/emcee in the hip hop game. With blazing production credits for Slum Village emcee Elzhi's debut CD (also a 2008 must have in the underground hip hop scene) as well as GZA/Genius, Busta Rhymes, Kardinal Offishall, Pharoahe Monch, and more, Black has managed to carve out a J Dilla-esque style that is both amazing and energetic. His emcee skills are also on display on this album, showing that he can hold his own while featuring the talents of fellow Detroit emcee and Eminem affiliate Royce Da 5'9". Standout tracks "The Matrix", "Bounce", "Losing Out", and "Reppin For You" are sure to shock the casual hip hop listener into becoming an underground aficionado. Muhsinah - Daybreak 2.0 Needless to say, this has been a huge year for this singer/songwriter/deejay/producer/artist. First of all, her above mentioned debut CD is an amazing blend of hip hop and soul music that flexes her affinity for complex harmonies and atypical percussion. In addition to that, she adds in an oddly appealing production style that involves reversing a track in a melodious fashion. This debut was so amazing that it prompted production and guest spots on Foreign Exchange, Stacy Epps, Bilal Salaam, and Common. J*Davey -  The Beauty in Distortion/The Land of the Lost I was kind of slow to jump on this bandwagon and I'm ashamed that I didn't find this duo of Jack Davey (aka Briana Cartwright) and Brooke D' Leau earlier. A double CD (yeah, you heard me) of music from two earlier released EP's of the same name, J*Davey manages to place funk and soul/electronica back on the map in a sexy, seductive kind of way. The confident and outrageous persona of the group shines in a way that shows that they are both looking to shock and inspire their listeners much in the same way that Cee-Lo Green and Danger Mouse do with their Gnarls Barkley project. Look out for these two.page 1 | 2

“I don’t want to dramatize it too much — no pun intended,” DJ Drama said. “[But the album is] just bangers, something that can rock from beginning to end.” You’ll have to forgive the influential mixtape DJ: It’s easy to boast when you can score Akon, Snoop Dogg, and T.I. on one song. The aforementioned trio appear on Drama’s “Day Dreamin’,” which hit the web on Monday. The track is the lead single from his Gangsta Grillz 2: The Album (The Mixtape President), which is tentatively scheduled to be released in late February on Atlantic Records. “Day Dreamin’,” however, is a bit of a departure for the Atlanta-based DJ (who, of course, was the target of a mixtape sting almost two years back). The Drumma Boy-produced record is more of an upbeat dance number compared to his previous singles like “Feds Taking Pictures” and “5000 Ones.” “Can you believe my fantasy girl is a go-go dancer … Yeah, she got me day dreamin’,” Akon croons on the chorus. Drama, however, said the song represents him as much as any of his other records. “It’s a no-brainer, to me,” he told MTV News of making the song the first single from the album. “The record is hot and the feedback was great, so I went with it. My last album, I had good records, and that album was a success to me [despite] very little video and airplay. “I don’t wanna get pigeonholed,” he continued. “The brand is Gangsta Grillz, but if people question the type of songs that I put out, those are the type of people that questioned Gangsta Grillz before I did one with [underground rap group] Little Brother, before I did one with Pharrell. Gangsta Grillz is what I make it. It represents what I am. DJ Drama is a DJ that loves music in all forms. I want women to dance, because then the guys are gonna follow. I’m excited [by the album]. I just wanna put out big records.” Drama snagged the beat for “Day Dreamin’ ” from producer Drumma Boy, who also helmed Young Jeezy’s “Put On” (featuring Kanye West) and worked on the DJ’s debut. He then turned to Akon for the foundation of the track. The Senegalese singer had recorded vocals for Drama’s first album, but the effort didn’t make the project. Drama said he was eager to make sure ‘Kon make the cut this go ’round. And when he got the vocals back, he said he knew it was the single. Now, the DJ’s goal is to get more video and radio play for this album. “The streets already know me,” he said. “Mixtape after mixtape, ‘hood anthem after ‘hood anthem; from the Guccis to the Jeezys to the Tips to the Waynes to the Ludacrises. The streets know me. This is the record that really shows it’s the album and not the mixtape.”

Pop superstar Britney Spears added more dates to her North American 2009 tour. The trek kicks off March 3 by concert in New Orleans Arena. Updated tour schedule, which now lists 36 dates, is included below, tickets are available to book online. Singer will visit Atlanta (GA) Miami (FL), Boston (MA),Toronto (Ontario), Dallas (TX), Los Angeles (CA), Las Vegas (NV), and many other markets. Britney is touring in support of her new album “Circus”, released in December. Britney Spears 2009 Tour Dates 3/3/2009 - New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Arena 3/5/2009 - Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena 3/7/2009 - Miami, FL - American Airlines Arena 3/8/2009 - Tampa, FL - St. Pete Times Forum 3/11/2009 - Uniondale, NY - Nassau Coliseum 3/13/2009 - Newark, NJ - Prudential Center 3/14/2009 - Newark, NJ - Prudential Center 3/16/2009 - Boston, MA - TD Banknorth Garden 3/18/2009 - Toronto, Ontario - Air Canada Centre 3/19/2009 - Toronto, Ontario - Air Canada Centre 3/20/2009 - Montreal, Quebec - Bell Centre 3/23/2009 - Uniondale, NY - Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 3/24/2009 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center 3/26/2009 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena 3/27/2009 - Pittsburgh, PA - Mellon Arena 3/30/2009 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center 3/31/2009 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center 4/2/2009 - Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center 4/3/2009 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Center 4/6/2009 - Edmonton, Alberta - Rexall Place 4/8/2009 - Vancouver, British Columbia - General Motors Place 4/9/2009 - Tacoma, WA - Tacoma Dome 4/11/2009 - Sacramento, CA - ARCO Arena 4/12/2009 - San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion 4/14/2009 - Salt Lake City, UT - EnergySolutions Arena 4/16/2009 - Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center 4/17/2009 - Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center 4/19/2009 - Anaheim, CA - Honda Center 4/20/2009 - Anaheim, CA - Honda Center 4/22/2009 - Oakland, CA - Oracle Arena 4/24/2009 - Glendale, AZ - Jobing.com Arena 4/25/2009 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena 4/28/2009 - Rosemont, IL - Allstate Arena 4/29/2009 - Rosemont, IL - Allstate Arena 4/30/2009 - Columbus, OH - Schottenstein Center 5/2/2009 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena

Thousands of Buckley’s fans joined internet campaigns to get the song back in the charts this week, after it was announced that ‘The X Factor’ winner Alexandra Burke would be releasing her cover of ‘Hallelujah’ in an effort to get to Christmas Number One. While Burke’s cover had no problems reaching the top spot yesterday (December 21), Buckley fans rejoiced after his version of the song went in at Number Two. In an interview with The Independent, Guibert said she thought it ironic that it had taken ‘The X Factor’ creator Simon Cowell, who she called the “ultimate taste arbiter”, to give Buckley his highest-ever chart placing. She said: “I think Jeff would have found this Number One thing very amusing. “It’s ironic in so many ways. I mean, here is ‘The X Factor’, run by Simon Cowell, who is supposed to be the ultimate taste arbiter, and they’ve been run to the wire by my son. “It’s come about so organically, with no record label pushing it, and I think Jeff would have loved that, and loved his fans for doing it.” Guibert also revealed that if Buckley hadn’t drowned in 1997, she believes he would now be as big as U2 frontman Bono. “If Jeff had lived, he would now be on a level with Bono,” she said. “He would have toured the world and had a lifelong career, and at the end of it, he would have been that guy sitting in a wheelchair with the microphone specially lowered six inches, so that we could all hear him sing ‘Hallelujah one more time.”

Besides staying away from anthologies and boxed sets and such, I really had no methodology here. Even the order is not airtight, and could be subject to change. But I’m not going to stress out about it — at least not as much as I am going to about the forthcoming Best Vinyl Reissues of 2008, which are numerous, and choice, and tough to narrow down. Watch this space, then, for my Top 127 LPs of the Year. 1. The Replacements - Tim Expanded / Remastered / Bonus Tracks With Tim — which gets a makeover and added tracks — the 1985 major label debut that sported enough throwback indie attitude and rough-around-the edges raucousness of its own, the Replacements didn't go the traditional route when it came to showcasing their new material. Indeed, the group expands upon the versatility and promise of its previous release, Let It Be, and solidifies that power and passion with a more cohesive and coherent end result. Tim spotlights songwriter Paul Westerberg's ever-emergent development as a craftsman — musically and lyrically rowdy and romantic, melodic and madcap — on this newer production by former Ramone Tommy Erdelyi — who cleans up the sound without sacrificing too much of the sonic slapdash immediacy of previous Replacements albums. Westerberg's artistic growth is evident throughout, so, for example, an aptly intentional and barely articulated "why don't you all f-f-fade away"-style frustration at the heart of 1984’s "Unsatisfied" finds clearer, more articulate expression in Tim's "Bastards Of Young": "The ones who love us least are the ones we'll die to please…" Westerberg has that healthy sense of cynicism to complement his affecting sensitivity, while Tim remains the all-purpose album of no muss no fuss brilliance from the Replacements. Accept no substitutes. 2. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Green River [40th Anniversary Bonus Tracks] Remastered / Bonus Tracks / Digi-Pak  “Well, take me back down where cool water flows, yeah / Let me remember things I love…” It’s that kind of celebratory spirit that makes CCR in general, and Green River in particular, among the best road trip music ever. But what’re those deeper currents about finding “the world is smolderin’”? Or about a “Bad Moon Rising,” or a “Sinister Purpose”? Keep your eyes on the road, son… 3. Nick Lowe - Jesus of Cool Bonus Tracks / Digi-Pak  And Jesus of Cool said unto them, Hear ye not all these songs? Verily I say unto you, let there be Pure Pop for Now People. 4. Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue [Legacy Edition]   “Everything that I am or will ever be is in the music. If you want to know me, just listen,” states the so-called “untalented” Beach Boy brother in the liner notes. Now you can get to know this capable underachiever better — his wistful, brooding music and gruff but affecting vocals — with this reissue that not only contains Dennis Wilson’s only 1977 solo album but also the unreleased tracks from his Bambu album which remained unfinished and unreleased at the time of his 1983 drowning death.

Why should bloggers, magazine publishers and a-hole rock critics have all the fun? With year-end madness sweeping the nation, best-album and best-song lists are everywhere, but more often than not, we don’t get to hear from the men and women who are on those lists: the artists themselves. So MTV News decided to ask some of your favorite musicians — plus a celeb blogger whose tastemaking abilities have grown to legendary status and one rather prominent radio/TV personality — to name their favorite albums and songs of 2008. Some of them submitted simple lists, others felt the need to explain their picks, but all of them provide a rather fascinating glimpse at just what the people you were listening to were listening to themselves. T.I. “I enjoyed Kanye’s album, even though that’s not really a rap album, but I still enjoyed it. It’s different. Of course Wayne’s album. The Jeezy album. I really like that record he did, ‘Crazy World.’ I like the new Coldplay record. … Maroon 5, that whole project. Oh, and Estelle’s Shine. I like that album a lot.” Nick Jonas, the Jonas Brothers “We’re all big fans of Coldplay, and their Viva la Vida is a great record. We got to meet Chris Martin recently, and it was amazing. Also, Adele. She’s nominated for a Grammy against us, but she’s incredible too.” Katy Perry “My favorite album of 2008 would have to be Estelle’s Shine. She’s one of my favorite artists. Yelle is probably my favorite artist this year. She’s French, and it’s kind of a bit avant-garde, but it’s fun. I loved the Lenka album too. Oh, and the John Legend album! Oh, so good! My favorite song of this year … I like that ‘Come Over’ song Estelle did with Sean Paul.” Hayley Williams, Paramore “There was a song on the new H20 record, called Nothing to Prove, and the song is called ‘Disconnected’ — though that might just be the chorus [Editor’s note: The song is called ‘Static’] — and it really got me through a lot of hard times and gave me energy and confidence. I love that song, and I love that whole record.” Jeremy Davis, Paramore “My favorite was The Alchemy Index by Thrice. They came out with basically four different EPs, and they’re all amazing. Some of my favorite records of all time, to be honest.” Ne-Yo “I don’t think you can mention the year 2008 without mentioning Wayne. He had a fantastic year, and the cool thing is, Wayne has been dope for a really, really long time, and people are just starting to notice it. I knew Wayne was dope since the Hot Boyz. He’s been dope for a really long time, and it’s cool to see him getting the recognition he deserves. T-Pain had a fantastic year. Jazmine Sullivan, newcomer to the game, did really big things this year. Katy Perry, another newcomer to the game, did really big things this year. There was a lot of really good music this year.” Perez Hilton “There’s so many [albums] that were so good. I can’t pick just one. I loved the Ting Tings; they’re amazing. I love Katy Perry’s album. I love Lady Gaga. You know what? I rag on her a bunch, but I think Beyoncé delivered a vey solid album. I liked the combo this year of ‘Closer’ and ‘Forever’ by Ne-Yo and Chris Brown. They’re like sister songs. I listened to one, then jammed out to the other. ‘Single Ladies,’ that was a good one. I made a video to that one. I did the dance moves and everything. It was pretty fab.” Pete Wentz, Fall Out Boy » Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III: “How could you deny a rapper that eats other rappers and stays so thin?” » Ashlee Simpson, “Boys”: “What can I say? I’m her biggest fan. This should’ve been a smash in gay clubs.” » Conor Oberst, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band: “If Kanye’s the voice of our generation, then Conor is the wordsmith.” »MGMT, “Time to Pretend”: “I could see a painting of this song in my head.” Patrick Stump, Fall Out Boy » Nadia Oh, “Hot Like Wow”: “I heard this record in some fancy clothing store. I don’t know anything about Nadia Oh, but the guy who produced all these tracks is some French house DJ who’s absolutely amazing.” » Janelle Monae, Metropolis: The Chase Suite: “I’ve been a supporter of Janelle Monae’s for a while. I first heard her on that Got Purp? compilation that Big Boi put out. Thus far she’s been relegated to a sort of side-guest position, but she’s finally come into her own with one of the riskiest, ballsiest R&B records I’ve ever heard. She’s like if Prince and Andre 3000 were one woman.” » Kanye West, 808s & Heartbreak: ” ‘Paranoid’ is one of my favorite songs this year. Just really good pop music with great chord changes and an awesome melody.” » Gojira, The Way of All Flesh: “I don’t usually like metal. It’s just not my speed. But every so often a metal record comes out that’s so perfect and delivers exactly what I would want out of the genre. This record totally does that and more.” Brandon Flowers, the Killers “The album that sticks out to me is Wire to Wire by Razorlight — and Viva la Vida by Coldplay, because they really were adventurous and kind of threw us for a loop, which is always nice, and they’ve still got the songs to back it up. And Wire to Wire, there are so many good songs on that record, and they’ve really developed into men, which is awesome.” Lady Gaga “I’m a huge fan of Kanye West’s record. … When he first came out this year with ‘Love Lockdown,’ I wasn’t really sure, and I listened to it and said, ‘Gosh, he’s really going in a different direction.’ But it’s very kind of Phil Collins futuristic, and the deeper and deeper I got into the album, the more brilliant I thought it was. ‘Coldest Winter’ — I cried for hours when I heard that song. I’ve been listening to it on repeat. I really, really love Crystal Castles. Grace Jones, ‘Corporate Cannibal.’ Katy Perry, ‘I Kissed a Girl’ — who doesn’t love that song?” Jesse McCartney “One of my favorite records is the new John Legend album. It’s funny, because we were simultaneously recording our albums at the same time earlier this year, so I heard a lot of the songs he was putting together way back. I love Lady Gaga. I think she’s got her own thing going on. I think she’s bringing that Euro techno vibe to the U.S. I love Adele. I love her ‘Chasing Pavements’ song.” Ryan Seacrest “One of my favorite songs is ‘Hot N Cold.’ I love it. It’s tough to have a second #1, but Katy did it. I like Akon’s new song too. Favorite artist of ‘08? Rihanna. She’s going to be around for a long time now. Favorite album? Coldplay’s Viva la Vida.” Akon “Favorite song of 2008? I haven’t had the chance to listen to anything but my stuff … so, um, ‘Right Now.’ Favorite Album? Freedom. In stores right now. Go get it. Artist? T-Pain. And Lady Gaga. She’s like an underground phenomenon. She’s real cool.” Gregg Gillis, Girl Talk » Maino, “Hi Hater”: “This beat, sampled from Jimmy Spicer’s ‘Money (Dollar Bills Y’all),’ is refreshing and fun. I’m into Maino’s playful but threatening style.” » Grand Buffet, “Cream Cheese Money”: “I’ve known these guys since I was 16. I’ve always been a huge fan. They are one of my favorite live acts. This is the single from their latest album, King Vision. They exist in their own musical world.” » M.I.A., “Paper Planes”: “This album came out in 2007, but this song erupted after being on the preview for ‘Pineapple Express.’ I’m happy to see her get a full-blown hit. Diplo’s beat, focused around the Clash sample, is undeniable.” » Lil Wayne, “A Milli”: “Tha Carter III has been talked about so much. What else can I say? I was surprised and pumped to hear this on the radio. The beat is so minimal, and there’s no real chorus. It’s just Wayne getting crazy with it.” » Of Montreal, “Nonpareil of Favor”: “The first time I popped this album in my car, I couldn’t get past this opening track. I listened to it about five times in a row. It’s confusing and surprising in the best way. It kicks in as an upbeat electronic dance track and evolves into a dark repetitive rocker.” » Beyoncé, “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”: “She killed it with this one. The beat has insane energy, and Beyoncé keeps up perfectly. The synth part for the chorus is so intense. The stutter segments at the very end are a nice touch.” » E-40 (featuring Lil Jon), “Turf Drop”: “This jam is wildly energetic. The slightly distorted kick drum keeps it heavy. E-40 is at home with this uptempo style.” This is just their opinion — what’s yours? Share your lists by uploading a video to YouRHere.MTV.com or leaving a comment below.