In lieu of a traditional Top 40, Vibe has just published its list of the 44 best singles of 2007, and it's headed up by a... Fabolous collaboration with Ne-Yo that we never paid much attention to until now. Yes, Fabolous over Kanye, 50, Rihanna, "Crank That," anything featuring T-Pain, anything featuring a former American Idol contestant, and the way beyond omnipresent Lil Wayne. Never let it be said the folks at Vibe aren't listening to their hearts. The full 44 is after the jump, but first our thoughts on everything that fell below the standard set by Fabolous.
THE GOOD: M.I.A. sneaks in by dint of a Bun B/Rich Boy remix, Keyshia Cole scrapes the Top 10 with her Biggie-twisting Missy collaboration, and most of our favorite ringtones urban radio hits of the year make an appearance.
THE BAD: 50 Cent over Kanye upset! Momentarily peeved about this, but upon further reflection, "I Get Money" still bangs months later while the luster has faded a little on the Jackson-sampling sheen of "Good Life." Still, from an ideological standpoint, this feels suspect.
THE WHAAA? UGK's "International Players Anthem" not even in the Top 10? We'd call foul even if Pimp C hadn't just recently left us. (Okay, to be fair, Vibe's list was likely compiled long before his passing.)
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Idolator
Most critics have a love-hate relationship with album reviews. On the one hand, they're an absurdly limiting format, forcing you to find things to say about albums you don't care about, limiting your thoughts on albums you do care about, and requiring a bottom-line consumer reccomendation that might not really encapsulate your honest feelings. On the other hand, in these hard times for music scribes, record reviews are the one unique service we can provide that the public always seems to want. Which is why it seems crazy that Alernative Press was considering removing album reviews from its print edition.
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In an effort to stave off mean Internet rumors, Vibe editor Danyel Smith 
Perhaps you've been watching the recent semi-demi-hemi-kerfuffle involving Robin Thicke and Vibe magazine. Perhaps not. Here's the short version: Thicke wants to be on the mag's cover and was politely rebuffed. He mooned about it but seems to have accepted it, 
