Except for the songs that made my Top 20 songs of 2004 and the representative tracks from my Top 20 Albums of 2004, these are the rest of the best mainstream hip hop tracks of 2004, volume one. To be eligible, a song needed to be included on an album released in the United States between December 1, 2003 and November 30, 2004.

1. Eminem “Evil Deeds” Encore (Shady/Aftermath/Interscope)
2. Kanye West “Family Business” The College Dropout (Roc-A-Fella)
3. Trick Daddy featuring Lil Jon & Twista “Let’s Go” Thug Matrimony: Married to the Streets (Slip-N-Slide/Atlantic)
4. T.I. featuring BG “What They Do” Urban Legend
(Grand Hustle/Atlantic)
5. Nas featuring Busta Rhymes “Suicide Bounce” Street’s Disciple (Columbia/Sony)
6. Twista “Get Me” Kamikaze (Atlantic)
7. D12 “My Band” D12 World (Shady/Interscope)
8. Terror Squad “Lean Back” True Story (Universal)
9. Method Man & Busta Rhymes “What’s Happenin’”
Tical 0: The Prequel (Def Jam)
10. Tony Touch featuring Redman, Erick Sermon & Keith Murray “How You Want It” The Piece Maker 2 (Koch)
11. Kanye West featuring Mos Def, Freeway & The Harlem Boys Choir “Two Words” The College Dropout (Roc-A-Fella)
12. Nas featuring Olu Dara “Street’s Disciple” Street’s Disciple (Columbia/Sony)
13. Fabolous “Breathe” Real Talk (Desert Storm/Atlantic)
14. Lil Scrappy “No Problem” The King of Crunk & BME Recordings Present: Lil Scrappy (Reprise/Warner Brothers)
15. Tony Touch featuring P. Diddy, Black Rob & G. Dep “Non-Stop” The Piece Maker 2 (Koch)
16. Jadakiss featuring Anthony Hamilton “Why?” Kiss of Death
(Ruff Ryders/Interscope)
17. Kanye West “Spaceship” The College Dropout (Roc-A-Fella)
18. Nas “These Are Our Heroes” Street’s Disciple (Columbia/Sony)