10. Dr. Dre - Compton
Favorite track: Medicine Man (No link.. sorry.. it's Dre, you think it's on YouTube?)
After about 15 years, Dr. Dre comes back again with a true Compton album, "Compton." This is Dre's third studio album. For about 10 years, Dr. Dre had been working on an album, "Detox", but he explained in an interview that the album wasn't meeting his standards and so he scrapped the project. Instead, Dre. brings a massive crew of Compton/LA natives in one of the best produced albums of the century. I could tell that each track on that album had hours on end adding all the extra sounds and samples to make the listener feel something. The album does an amazing job of bringing the city and personality of Compton to life, in a way that I have never heard before. The sounds, the textures, samples, and artists make you really feel like you are in Compton. Although Dr. Dre isn't the best rapper around, he does a fantastic job of sharing the stage for current big stars like Kendrick Lamar, old legends such as Eminem, Snoop, and Cube, and upcoming stars like Anderson Paak and Justus. The album came out exactly a week before "Straight Outta Compton," the film that follows the beginning of the West Coast hip-hop crew NWA. If you have not had the chance to listen to this album AND see the movie, I highly recommend it. Seeing the movie and also listening to the album adds so much to the experience.
*Note: Medicine Man in my opinion has one of Eminem's best verses of all time..
9. Game - The Documentary 2/2.5
Favorite track: On me - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlzQRLvMtMU
I can't say that I have been following or listening to the Game for that long. I don't really know about all of the drama between him and 50, nor do I really care. What I do know is that Documentary 2/2.5, like "Compton" was a real representation of LA. Albums like this truly bring us back to the roots of hip-hop, which were accurate deceptions of the artists reality. This is an extremely important album this year, where hip-hop seems to be at odds with cheap imitations that have no regard for one's community, life story, or city. The 2 part album contains a long list of features from young to old. I consider Game to be one of the generations best hip-hop visionaries providing space for Crips and Bloods to hopefully bang their heads to the same tunes (Note the writing of the album Blue and Red). Being who he is, the Game is an extremely important figure in hip-hop and this album goes to prove that he truly cares for his people and city. This is one butterfly that has been set free.
8. Andy Mineo - Uncomfortable
Favorite track: Uncomfortable - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhJ76rWvlQo
I have never been the hugest fan/listener of Christian rap. The production tends to be about 15 years behind and in some other dimension that I have never really enjoyed that much. The lyrics tend to be a little bit cheesy and preach very basic theology. Not that that music doesn't have it's place and people, but it has never really been me. Mineo's Uncomfortable breaks some new walls and takes Christian hip-hop to a whole new level. Some questioned and criticized Mineo's strategic move into the secular scene with this album, because he wasn't spouting out bible verses in each song. In my opinion it is a brilliant move for an artist who dreams to be effective in ministering to a broad selection of people. Mineo's flow continues to improve and he chooses to focus on current events and ways in which Christian's have fallen short, calling them to a higher standard that he himself admits isn't always at.
7. Lil Dicky - Professional Rapper
Favorite track: Personality - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyfmuRy_3T4
Honestly, one of the most brilliant albums I have ever listened to. For those of you who don't know who Lil Dicky is, you are missing out. David Burd is a White/Jewish rapper who grew up in the suburbs of Philli and worked as an account manager. He is exactly that in this album, fully aware of his story and life. He does an absolutely brilliant job of being a rapper as Lil Dicky and no one else. He isn't trying to be anyone else. Although this is super cliche, Professional Rapper is truly unique. Every song had me laughing my ass off. In particular, Personality seemed to be one of the rap songs that I could FINALLY relate to. No song has ever been able to capture my experience with the ladies (or lack thereof) better than this song. But don't be fooled by his jokes, Lil Dicky is one of the most talented rappers of our day, both with his lyrics and flow.
6. Dreamville Records - Revenge of the Dreamers II
Favorite Track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjstZDSKI9o
The boys at Dreamville have quickly become some of my favorites. Led by J. Cole, Dreamville Records is quickly finding their niche in the rap game. The album features Dreamville's Coz, Bas, Omen, Ari Lennox, and Lute. Although these boys are on the younger side of hip-hop and are still fresh, this album shows just how promising this crew is. J. Cole once again proves to us that he is one of the best of our generation. Many consider him the Nas of our time, and I would agree with that. "Caged Bird", a song based on Maya Angelou's poem takes a look at our Prison epidemic and gives a voice to the voiceless. This album gets me excited to hear what great music Dreamville will put out in the future.
5. Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment (SOX) - Surf
Favorite Track: Warm Enough - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jZt21590Ok
I have been following Chance the Rapper for about 2 years now. He has quickly become one of my favorite rappers. But a hip-hop album isn't just about the rapper, or the rhymes, it's about the team effort of musicians, producers and artists. Surf is one album that goes above and beyond what it means to create an album based on the collective work of many individuals, to provide a unique, beautiful full sound that emanates what I think hip-hop is in it's most basic form: Life. Nico Segal aka Donnie Trumpet never ceases to weep sorrow and proclaim joy with his trumpet. The Social experiment which is a collective including Chance the Rapper, Peter Cottontale, Greg Landfair Jr. and Nate Fox, make up one of the freshest crews to enter the hip-hop stage. Fresh is a word I don't use lightly, this album really brings a breathe of clean, fresh and inspiring air.
4. Kirk Knight - Late Knight Special
Favorite track: Dead Friends - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTYeoADNby8
Favorite track: Dead Friends - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTYeoADNby8
Producer rappers will always have the ability to do something special that other albums can never do. It's not necessarily better, but it's different, but in a very incredible way. Kirk Knight debuts his work with an all around phenomenal album. Alongside THEMPEOPLE, Kirk Knight produces the entire album with the help of the legendary Thundercat dropping in surreal bass lines. What a producer rapper is able to do, is blend the music, samples, lyrics, beats and content of an album in a natural way. All of the artists emotions and thoughts flow through the album into the listeners ear. Kirk Knight does this with finesse and brilliance akin to Kanye West. All of his mix tapes have shown his true colors, he is a hard working man who is not going to sellout to anyone or thing. For me personally, several songs on this album struck the right chord at the right time. My selection for this album being so high on the list is semi biased due to where I am at in life. Regardless, I am thankful for this album and the ways in which it has spoken to my aching soul. At the end of the day, that's what I think good hip-hop does.
3. Joey Bada$$ - B4.DA.$$
The second Proera native, and leader of the rap collective, Joey Badass strikes hard with his second studio album. When I first started listening to Joey, he was 19 years old (he's 20 now). I couldn't believe it. This kid was rapping like someone in their prime, after being in the game for at least 10 years. It isn't just his flow in this album that proves he is one of today's greatest, but it's his sense and understanding of the power and influence he holds for this generations kids. It is so easy nowadays for rappers with the kind of influence that Joey has, to misuse it for selfish gain. This album is ripe with truth about life, but it leads one on a straighter path. I don't say this lightly when I think Joey Badass will most likely be one of the greatest rappers of all time in a few years. For him to be doing the things he's doing at this age, we can only expect to see this young man become a legend.
2. Logic - The Incredible True Story
Favorite Track: Lord Willing - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SONWZI6iIs
Wow. Wow. WOOOOOOOW. Absolutely blown away by Logic's performance on The Incredible True Story. Granted, I am a HUGE fan of concept albums. But there is so much incredible symbolism in this album. Logic is truly lifting off with this album. Under Pressure, his freshman album was dope. It was evident that his flow was not to be trifled with. One of the cleanest, smoothest, quickest rappers in the streets. But what was lacking was a complexity and depth with his lyrics. He constantly repeated words and it seemed like he had no focus or direction, other than nasty flows. He showed us that he is not a one trick pony, but someone who is going to leave his mark on this generation. Logic takes us through a journey through space, years after earth is wiped out. The listener listens to the album via two characters exploring space seeking paradise. I'm not gonna spend time breaking down the album, I think you should do that yourself. I did not think at any point in this year that Logic would fill my number 2 spot. So proud of this young man and I'm glad that he is pushing us to be greater, to grind and work for our dreams. He teaches us this through his words, but also through his own personal work and growth, it is truly inspiring.
1. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly Favorite Track: Momma - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO-ZsW0orlk
Are you even surprised? I will try and keep this short, since I have a whole blog post on this album. I could write a book on TPAB, and I promise you, one day, I will. But for now all I can say is this is the most important hip-hop album in a really long time. If you haven't picked it up by now, K-dot is our Tupac. For me that is really exciting. This is gonna be the album that I still listen to 50 years from now and share it with my grand-kids and tell them the many brilliant things it did and talked about. You heard it from me, but this album will be studied and thought about for generations to come. Writing a blog post about it took about half a year, because this piece of art still till today leaves me speechless. I know i have been talking about it so much, but it's only because I think it's that important right now. While Taylor Swift is writing about her boyfriends and breakups and Drake is talking about girls calling him on the phone, we need some prophetic voices that speak to the craziness of this world past one individual. For this reason, I am grateful for this difficult, yet extremely important album. It's not even a question or competition here, TPAB is clearly 2015's best album.
Share what you think are the top 10 of this year! Whether you limit it to hip-hop albums or just music in general, I'd love to see what you think!
Cheers.
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