A to the R-S-E-N-I-O

Forget Conan, forget Leno. The true king of late-night will always be Arsenio. Is there anyone else who could've assembled an all-star rap event on this level? Arsenio managed to pull just about every major East Coast rapper of the moment for his last show on the air in 1994, and he couldn't have done it with more style.

My pal Justin and I have watched this video endlessly over the years, and it has become the gold standard for measuring all posse jams. The performance has a funny combination of feeling rehearsed and of the top of the head. It's incredibly entertaining, hilarious, fun, but so much more than that...It is by far my favorite discovery on YouTube.

I remember watching this for the first time with giddy anticipation for who was going to walk out next on stage. The anticipation keeps escalating and pays off big-time at the end. After repeat viewings, I'm still amazed at how fresh it sounds, despite learning over time that Q-Tip, CL Smooth, GZA, and others are basically just reciting lines from other songs they've done. Meanwhile, my appreciation has only grown deeper for Yo-Yo's cute (and badass) introduction and MC Lyte's heartfelt tribute to the roughneck from Cleveland, Ohio. If it is your first time watching this, I envy you!