FUCK JAY-Z, or, how to not get even - get mad - in eleven songs.

1. Ether - Nas

In which nas eloquently but brutally belittles jay-z over his claims to be the 'king of new york'. it's an obvious one but there really is no better diss track:

'Rockefeller died of AIDS, that was the end of his chapter
And that's the guy y'all chose to name your company after?
Put it together, I rock hoes, y'all rock fellas
And now y'all try to take my spot, fellas?
Philly's hot rock fellas, put you in a dry spot, fellas
In a pine box with nine shots from my glock, fellas
Foxy got you hot 'cause you kept your face in her puss
What you think, you getting girls now 'cause of your looks?
Ne-gro please'

2. Black - Okkervil River

From the album Black Sheep Boy, about the life of the singer Tim Hardin. The control that Will Sheff has over his voice is phenomenal, like a non-embarassing, non-whiny conor oberst. When he sounds angry, the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and you look at the floor sheepishly.

3. Fucking Little Bastards - Arab Strap

Here Aidan Moffatt takes out his not inconsiderable self-loathing on the birds in the park, accompanied by a deafening squall of guitars and drums from malcolm middleton:

'I don't like the words that the birds are singing. I hate their ugly voices and the messages they're bringing. But if everyone can start again and everyone can win then I'll re-arrange the place that I'm in. And I can't stick the way that they flap and flutter. They whisper I'm a cunt and they cackle and they mutter. But I'm sure I heard them reassure me everything ends as I walked away from all my fake friends. They've scrutinised the mistakes I've been making. They know who I've fucked, they know what I've taken. They've seen me in the shower with shit down my legs. They've seen me searching a stranger's house for dregs. I used to think they loved me, but now I know it's pity and they know that they can always flee this fucking city. They even said they'd help me out and give me a head start and they know that these days my cock's as numb as my heart. New blood flows. Old faces go. I like the new ones better. I think I like these girls. Feels like I've travelled miles. Now I want to party all the time. Now I want to party all the time again.'

4. Real Talk (DarkRoom Productions Remix) - R. Kelly

Because sometimes 'angry' can also be hilarious.

5. Ian Curtis Wishlist - Xiu Xiu

Because sometimes 'angry' can also be fucking terrifying.

6. That's Life - Killer Mike

I could write an essay on this song. The definition of righteous fury from a southern rapper in the aftermath of hurricane katrina, it covers everything from George Bush and his wife, Kanye West, Cornell West, the Superdome, Oprah Winfrey, baggy trousers, lawyers, ball players, michael eric dyson, the church...

7. No Children - The Mountain Goats

John Darnielle singing about divorce, at that stage where anger is just about overtaking the heartache and as a listener you can't work out if its for the best or not.

8. Hitlers and Jews - Part Chimp

Got to have something that is just LOUD.

9. We Got It For Cheap - Clipse

First track from Clipse's much delayed second album, here they're venting at Jive Records, who fucked them over, over and over again (don't worry, there's still plenty of references to selling crack).

10. Charlie and the Propaganda Myth Machine - Million Dead

An incredible dissection of 'brainwashing the children' from Frank Turner and friends, bless them. The lyrics are mental but amazing, it starts like this and does not let up: 'if every child chased dreams of societal reorganization in place of sweet wrappers and escape, then we would see mr cadbury's enlightened industrialism for what it really fucking is'

11. I Hate Scotland - Ballboy

A sad type of anger from the primary school teachers that make up ballboy. They're only angry cos they're disappointed in you.

'Maybe it's scotland i hate

I know i hate so many things about it
I hate the way punishments are the heart of everything
I hate the way parents beat their children
I hate the way everything always has to be someone's fault
Even though some things just happened
Some things just happened!
I hate the way people bring up their children
To be exactly the same as they are
Just so they can justify the way they've lived their lives
I hate the way we expect to fail
And then we fail
And then we get bitter because we failed...'

this is the whole thing