David Banner

With the whispering and snaps, “Play” is an obvious rip of the Ying Yang Twins’ “Wait.” But Banner’s sighs and acknowledgment of the female orgasm bring it back to the original Velvet Jones of rap — LL Cool J — an assertive participant rather than a consensual sadist. (Though the clean video edit, which suggests that listeners do the running man, falls more in line with Richard Simmons.) — Anthony Miccio