With 2011 ending and 2012 being an election year I thought these would be appropriate
Top 5 Albums of the Year
5. Das Racist - Relax
Greedhead
This is a pretty controversial pick, as most people I know loved their mixtapes and hated their debut album, Relax. However, the production value is through the roof with songs such as "Relax", "Girl", and "Power." Das Racist could have easily created an album as easy to listen to as their mixes "Sit Down" and "Shut Up". Instead, they decided not to give a crap about anyone, and created an album that goes hard and all over it place. It's crazy, it's random, and it's hysterical. For all the flak they receive about being Joke Rap, they sure sound serious about their rap future. After all, they can't always keep singing about Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, can they?
4. Tyler, the Creator - Goblin
XL
There's a reason why "Yonkers" has 30+ million views on Youtube in just 10 months alone. Okay, besides from the fact that it's psychotic, and weird (honestly, did you NOT think it was weird the first time?), it is also the perfect video to introduce the internet world to the twenty year old artist from Los Angeles. The album is mostly disturbing and dark, as Tyler constantly clashes with his inner thoughts and alter-ego's throughout the album. Now, this definitely isn't an album for the weak, as Tyler often has sick fantasies of rape, murder, Satanism, etc, but it is all fiction and just random thoughts in his mind (he even lets out a disclaimer in "Radicals"). In reality, Tyler is just a strange, rebellious, but perfectly normal dude who just wishes to hang out with his true friends more, watch Adventure Time, and even fall in love with the girl he can never have ("Her", which shows Tyler at his most vulnerable state). What ever could be wrong with that?
3. The Roots - Undun
Def Jam
Undun is a concept album centering around the life of fictional character Redford Stevens who ends up living a life of crime due to societies' inequalities. The entire album is reverse chronological so Redford meets his untimely end right away. It's a deeply engaging album, and at 38 minutes, is an album that is hard to take in, but can be easily repeated many times. Standouts include the single "Make My", which has BIG KRIT and Black Thought exchanging verses about the end of Redford's life, and the glorious 4-piece orchestral movement with Sufjan Stevens (folk, indie) starting it off, which makes for an amazing breathtaking end (or beginning?) to the album.
2. Phonte - Charity Starts At Home
Foreign Exchange Music
I'll admit I never listened to Phonte's stuff before his solo album, but I might have to after listening to "Charity Starts At Home." Standouts for me were "Not Here Anymore", which has Phonte bragging that he's still relevant in the game today, and that people miss him since he's not here anymore (he quit his group "Little Brother" which I will admit, I need to listen to afterwards). "The Good Fight" discusses what it takes to survive financially and has one of the realest lines depicting the current music industry: Go and live out your dreams that's what they telling / Fam in my ear and they all yelling / Keep it real Te and don't ever sell out / But how the f*ck you sell out when ain't nobody selling? "Charity" doesn't bring anything new to the plate, but it doesn't need to. Masterfully produced, perfectly sampled, and lyrically witty, this is one underrated album.
1. Kendrick Lamar - Section.80
Top Dawg Entertainment
This album is seriously good. Once opener "F*ck your Ethnicity" dropped the beat, I was hooked. It's difficult to speak about so many issues in a solo debut album, but Kendrick pulls it off flawlessly. Issues dealing with racism, state of our medicated youth, 80s crack babies, Ronald Reagan Era, Hiiipower movement (Along the lines of "Thug Life"), vices, evils, and relationships, are just some of the topics presented throughout the album. But it's the message in second-to-last closer "Ab-Soul's Outro" that really hits home. He says, So the next time I talk about money, hoes, clothes, god, history all in the same sentence / just know I meant it, and you felt it / because you too are searching for answers. I'll be sure to keep that in mind.
Honorable Mentions include: Shabazz Palaces - Black Up, Action Bronson - Dr. Lecter, A$AP Rocky - LiveLoveA$AP, Lil' B - I'm Gay (I'm Happy), Jay-Z/Kanye West - Watch the Throne, Cities Aviv - Digital Lows, Danny Brown - XXX
So any thoughts on your albums of the year? Willing to share? Leave a comment.
Happy New Year btw!
Junkies
Madlib, stones throw producer extraordinaire, recently had a show down in LA which was part of a three show series he launched a few months ago. Though the flyer stated that J Rocc, yet another producer extraordinaire, was not going to be performing at the LA show, he was in fact there. To my surprise J Rocc can hold his own even when he is just opening up for Madlib. Some of the stuff he played, including old Beat Junkies stuff, was some of the craziest I have ever heard. J Rocc who is credited with founding the Beat Junkies has a style unique to himself, which, I think, show in some of the stuff that Beat Junkies came out with years ago. After some searching I was able to get a hold of their first albums, The World Famous Beat Junkies Vol. 1 & 2 and I wasn't disappointed.
Personally I think both albums have a sound that was a bit ahead of their time considering they came out in the mid to late 90s. The Beat Junkies crew incorporated crazy samples with instrumentals of their own and came up with a unique sound. After their initial success, they continued to make music as a group though as time passed most of the members went on to do both individual projects and some even matched up with other groups including The Visionaries and Dilated Peoples. If you're looking for some hard hitting instrumentals I would recomend you check out Beat Junkies first two volumes and even their other albums. From what I've read J Rocc is currently working on his own album so be sure to check back for that soon. Hope everyone had a Merry X mas and have a great new year.
Beat Junkies - The Session ; World Famous Beat Junkies Vol 1
Beat Junkies - The Visionaries ; World Famous Beat Junkies Vol 2
New York
New York's new generation has evolved from previous generations, pretty exciting.
Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire! Some NY hype! Huzzah video is explicit, beware!
Action Bronson is that dude!
Smoke Dza w/ an ASAP feature!
There's still a lot of people out there but these people stick out to me. Comment for any disagreements.
Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire! Some NY hype! Huzzah video is explicit, beware!
Action Bronson is that dude!
Smoke Dza w/ an ASAP feature!
There's still a lot of people out there but these people stick out to me. Comment for any disagreements.
RIP SLIM DUNKIN
I know Slim Dunkin is not a mainstream, well known, hip hop artist, but respects need to be paid to this Brick Squad Monopoly member. He was Waka Flocka's right hand. Even though people do no take Flocka's & the rest of BSM seriously, these are also people who have souls and have love for one another. Take the time to see from their perspective and how big it is to lose a brother.
Finally
It's taking a while, but I am a gradually getting away from the trauma bestowed upon me by what is simply called Finals, so to cheer up I had tried to get back on the hippity hop. I know I may just be catching up with a lot of you, but I finally got the chance to watch Tribe's documentary. For the most part the documentary is used as an answer to a lot of the questions the members of the group are asked by friends, family, and fans. Questions such as:
- Will there be more Tribe shows?
- Will A Tribe Called Quest ever be back?
- Can there be another expected album?
- What caused the group to break apart?
- Why did Q-Tip go solo?
- Is everyone in the group still friends?
In all the documentary works to tie up any loose ends that Wikipedia doesn't fulfill along with showing the information coming unfiltered straight from the sources themselves.
I recommend watching it if you haven't done so already and especially if you want to see the rise and ultimately falling out of what was and is one of the greatest musical groups of all time.