Have a final? These songs will pump you up

By: Marc Gauthier

Posted: 12/8/08

One of the keys to getting work done is music. So before you dive into the books, you go to your traditional "Study Mix" or, in my case, "Study Slow Jamz" and wonder why you named your study play list "Study Slow Jamz."

So you have study music. But what about later, when you're walking down the hallway to your 8 a.m. accounting exam? You're half-dead from studying and you just need something to pick you up and get your blood pumping.

Going down the artist list on your iPod, you draw a musical blank and panic starts to set in.

In frustration, you turn to your playlists and there, sitting at the top of the list, is "Basketball Baby!" the mix you made a few weeks ago to pump yourself to play basketball. At last, you're saved.

Let's just say you find yourself in the previous situation. These are the songs that will get the blood flowing. These are the songs that will pump you up. These are the songs that will get you excited for - and ready to dominate - whatever final you're about to take.

8. "Hero (featuring Keri Hilson)" - Nas

There's something about this song that makes you think you are the "hero" Nas is talking about.

Best line: "Can't leave it / the games needs him / plus the people need someone to believe in. / So in God's son we trust / 'Cause they know I'm gonna give 'em what they want / They looking for a hero / I guess that makes me a hero."

Recommended for any journalism, sports administration or business finals.

7. "Let It Rock (featuring Lil Wayne)" - Kevin Rudolf

If there was ever a song that could inspire swag, it's this one. Lil Wayne, the king of swagger, knows how to put a beat together.

Best line: "Because when I arrive / I, I bring the fire. / Make you come alive, I can take you higher."

Recommended for any chemistry, statistics or puppetry finals.

6. "Take it to the House" - Trick Daddy

This is different from the rest because it's a pump-up song that you can smile and nod your head to.

Case in point: I came out to this song for basketball in my senior year of high school.

Recommended for any agriculture, foreign language and art finals.

5. "Through the Wire" - Kanye West

When I got my wisdom teeth pulled, this was the one song that I literally listened to for hours at a time.

But on the realness, West made this jam after getting into a car accident that nearly killed him.

Despite all of this, West, with his mouth wired shut, was back in the recording studio putting together this piece, taking pain meds in between each recording.

If that's not inspiring, then I'm not sure what is.

Recommended for nursing, sports medicine or anatomy finals.

4. "The Second Coming" - Juelz Santana

"The Second Coming" was featured on a commercial for Nike basketball late last year. It's a song that will get you bopping your head to the beat. Just be sure not to let that beat take you away.

Best line: "So glorious / Victorious. / We take what we want, we born warriors."

Recommended for any women's studies, engineering or biology finals.

3. "Superstar" - Lupe Fiasco

There's just something about the solo piano intro meshed in with the chorus and the rap that makes me forget about everything that's going on. Granted, forgetting everything right before a final wouldn't be so great, but Fiasco drops lines that simply calm the nerves.

Best line: "And everybody claps cause everybody is pleased / And then they all take the stage and start performing for me / Like ha ha ha ha ha / ha ha ha ha."

Recommended for history or communications finals.

2. "Stronger"- Kanye West

It's a little bit cliché, but the song is great for getting pumped up. West took the basic beat to Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" and turned it into gold.

Recommended for any philosophy or sociology finals.

1. "Right Here, Right Now" - Fat Boy Slim

And here it is; the ultimate pump up song to listen to before a final. The song is simple, has a nice beat and can make you feel like a bad-ass.

It's mostly instrumental, but when I listen to "Right here, right now" I can't help but picture the song as the background music to some intense fight scene in a movie like "The Bourne Identity." The first minute of the song is just a buildup of anticipation until everything all comes out at about the 1:20 mark.

Recommended for any finals.

Listen. Enjoy. And dominate your finals.