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| RapReviews.com Year 2015 in Review |
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The Year 2015 in Review Considering the year, it's 1989's "Back to the Future, Part II" that comes to mind. If you recall the film, the protagonists travel from 1985 to October 21st, 2015. Obviously, the future reality depicted on that date was nothing like the actuality: We still have no hover boards by Mattel, arcades went barren and nearly extinct a few years ago, lawyers still have not been abolished, and there are no flying cars. Despite my perception of hip-hop's resiliency, a quote from that film sums up why I still listen to the music: "...to get a clear perception of humanity, where we've been, where we're going, the pitfalls, the possibilities, the perils and the promise. Perhaps even an answer to that universal question: Why?" That said, these are my top 15 hip-hop albums for 2015. The list goes from 15 to 1 with the latter being my favorite album of the year. To clarify, some releases aren't included because either a.) I wasn't feeling them or b.) I never got around to hearing them. This is all a matter of opinion with added bonus of potentially sparking a discussion among hip-hop heads who are in the know. Slainte! Shack's 15 for '15: 15.) Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly Some of ya'll might hate on me for putting this album so far down the list, but look at it like this: If I didn't like it, it wouldn't be included here. Kendrick Lamar is one of the brightest stars in mainstream hip-hop. The Compton native's major label debut, good kid, m.A.A.d. city, had him doing conceptual narrative with splintered chronology like Quentin Tarantino. This album is a bit more politically charged and questions the state of race relations in this country. The final track of the album has him doing a fantasy interview with the late 2Pac, shedding insight on Kendrick's influences. 14.) Cannibal Ox - Blade of the Ronin The Harlem duo of Vast Aire and Vordul Mega dropped an undeniable classic debut in 2001 entitled The Cold Vein. They went solo, kind of dropped off the radar, and then made their return with a sophomore album fourteen years later. While Blade of the Ronin doesn't hold a candle to its predecessor, it makes clear that Vast and Vordul are at their best when their together. While El-P may have garnered more critical acclaim for handling all of the production on their debut, Blade of the Ronin is an album that's enjoyed in equal measure from the production value to both emcees' skills on the mic. 13.) Joey Bada$$ - B4.DA.$$ This Brooklyn emcee has potential. A potential that's had some of its surface merely scratched on this album. With endorsements from producers like DJ Premier and Statik Selektah, not to mention working with Raekwon and Freddie Gibbs, the 20-year-old Joey has been one of a handful emcees heralded or prophesized to bring hip-hop's crown back to NYC. While B4.DA.$$ doesn't succeed on that front, it certainly shows that NYC hip-hop isn't dead nor does it have to follow the trend of trap beats to garner attention for itself. As for Joey, he's a talented emcee with raw potential. 12.) Murs - Have a Nice Life Former Def Jukie Murs has made a name for himself over the years. Performing on the main stage at Rock the Bells and putting out several collaborative albums with North Carolina producer 9th Wonder endeared him to me. On this album, that everyman persona of his is in the spotlight. Spitting romantic narratives and lyrics about his own personal struggle, Have a Nice Life is both tongue-in-cheek and reflective of an emcee who's grown since his last record. Whether he's talking about interracial relationships, skateboarding, or his skills at emceeing, Murs is a common fan for down-to-earth hip-hop fans.
11.) Sean Price - Songs in the Key of Price On the first week of August, the hip-hop world lost one of its most talented emcees. But even after death, his music resonates more. Sean Price wasn't a political rapper or a ladies man like LL Cool J. Nah, the Brownsville native was a self-deprecating tough guy with a laugh-out-loud sense of humor reflected in his rhymes. Though announced before his unexpected demise, Songs in the Key of Price is now something of a collector's item. The 30-track album (or mixtape, if you're pedantic) consists mostly of tracks under two minutes, but hearing him rhyme "Peace Connecticut" with "speech impediment" (among other rhymes) was worth the buy. RIP! 10.) Pete Rock - Petestrumentals 2 Reviewing an instrumental hip-hop album can present a substantial amount of difficulty considering the lack of lyrical content. But this is Pete Rock, so the music speaks for itself. Having laced beats for hip-hop lyrical giants to rap on, the Chocolate Boy Wonder's latest offering shows why remains one of the best beatsmiths in hip-hop. His ability to flip samples is masterful and his ear for drums is damn near unparalleled. His J. Dilla tribute track "Dilla Bounce (R.I.P.) has such a nice bounce to it with horn samples that it made me and a friend attempt (with that being the operative word) to rhyme over it. When any of hip-hop's elder producers put something like this album out, it's best to listen. Because these are the kind of beats that your favorite mainstream emcee can't even walk on. 9.) Ghostface Killah - Twelve Reasons to Die II Wu-Tang member and Staten Island emcee, the Ghostface Killah is his group's best storyteller. Though Method Man is the most popular of the Wu-Tang Clan, the Ghostface Killah is the most consistent in terms of album output and the most prolific in terms of guest appearances. Despite being a short album that finishes just a little over 30 minutes, Ghost packs quite a lot into it. Being a sequel to his 2013 album Twelve Reasons to Die, Ghost continues his quest for revenge against the mafia who pressed his remains into vinyl and transformed him to a sonically-summoned vengeful wraith. With Adrian Younge's vintage-sounding live production, the album is a throwback to thrillers and horror movies of yesteryear. 8.) Lupe Fiasco - Tetsuo & Youth People knock Lupe Fiasco for becoming too weird. West coast emcee The Game wrote him off as such. Even me at the time when he released "Lasers". My theory on that album's critical and commercial failure is that Lupe employed a music version of method acting which I call "method rapping": He allowed himself to get raped by his record label and released the poorly-received and totally sub-par Lasers. Perhaps he had to know how it is to release a shitty album before delivering an album that qualifies as a musical and lyrical tour de force. With Tetsuo and Youth, yes he's weird. But that doesn't make it bad. The way I see it, "weird" is synonymous with "evolved." 7.) Malik B & Mr. Green - Unpredictable Armed with gritty rhymes and an MPC sampler, Unpredictable is a straight east coast album. Roots founding member Malik B. breaks out on his own and teams up with New Jersey-based emcee Mr. Green to create a street album reminiscent of the 1990s. Mr. Green scored points with me two years ago as a producer to watch out for when he laced R.A. the Rugged Man's tribute song "Legends Never Die (Daddy's Halo)". Some may write him off as biting Black Thought's style, but here Malik B. holds his own lyrically. On perhaps the album's darkest track, "Devil", Malik goes conceptual of Mr. Green's ominous dusty drums. If you're an east coast fan, this album is for you. 6.) eMC - The Tonite Show Veteran Brooklyn emcee Masta Ace is no stranger when it comes idiosyncratic commentaries on the state of hip-hop music. Although, with Wordsworth and Strick, he takes it to an imaginative level. The crew, eMC, have crafted an album with a story narrative comprised of what goes on as they try to make it to a performance. Along the way, they put a spotlight on male groupies on "Moopies" and Ace makes his customary wordplay/conceptual track with "Signtology". This album is like a movie for your ears and, true to its filmmaking influence, even comes with an outtakes/bloopers track at the end of the album. 5.) Logic - The Incredible True Story Maryland native Logic is known to be a movie buff. On his major-label sophomore release, he took his cue from Prince Paul's A Prince Among Thieves and progressive rock acts from the 1970's: He created a concept album that tells a story. The cinematic aspect of is reminiscent of the 2014 film "Interstellar" and uses skits (called "scenes") to tie the narrative together. Lyrically, he's shines brighter than the glimmer we heard on Under Pressure. On songs such as "Like Woah" and "Lord Willin", he demonstrates that improvement in terms lyrical style and flow. Though young man in his mid-20s, he's got the skill set of a grizzled vet. 4.) Scarface - Deeply Rooted The last Scarface album I bout was his 2002 classic The Fix. 13 years later, a friend of mine put me onto Deeply Rooted. Over urban production, Scarface spits self-aware tales of anguished street life. He also laced the album with social commentary mixed in to some of his conceptual tracks. On "God" (featuring John Legend), 'Face imagines what he'd do if he was God himself. On "Mental Exorcism", he laments the criminal life and what it ultimately ends up being. Despite the shift in years and record labels, the Houston rapper hasn't missed a beat and can adapt when times change. 3.) The Essence - The Essence The rap duo the Essence, consisting of emcee J-Dubble and DJ/producer Rik Ducci, released a self-titled album that's as soulful as it is positive. Though from New Orleans, their style is clearly influenced by east coast hip-hop's golden age. Without duplicating that style, the Essence created an album that's pretty much a modern-day homage to it. J-Dubb lyrical style on this album includes battle-raps, storytelling, and odes to the opposite sex that that lack the lasciviousness that's usually included in hip-hop songs about women. Like most albums on this list, a mainstream rap listener won't appreciate this album because it doesn't sell. But little do they realize that there's no correlation between an album's record sales and its quality, and this album has the latter in abundance. 2.) CZARFACE (Inspectah Deck + 7L & Esoteric) - Every Hero Needs a Villain This comic book-inspired trio attacked other emcees over vintage samples and boom-bap production, cleverly lacing obscure and known pop culture references into their lyrics. With a little help from their friends (Method Man, MF Doom, GZA, R.A. the Rugged Man, et. al.), they proceeded to lay the smack down on hip-hop super-villains (read: "wack emcees"). Every Hero Need a Villain is an exercise in lyrical ability as well as an unabashed display of how most hip-hop artists are comic book fans. There are many people who would disagree with that statement and think both groups are mutually exclusive, but check out this like from Esoteric: "Okey-doke, motorized vocals, yeah I practice/Raised on a tape the same color as Galactus". 1.) Tech N9ne - Special Effects The Kansas City native has put in work for more than 15 years and has been very consistent. I've heard most of Tech's album's, but Special Effects is the first one I actually purchased. The production varies from trap beats, rap-rock collaborations, to straight hip-hop. The fact that he could adapt his lyrical style and flow to the eclectic production is a testament to his consistency. His mother's death loomed over the creative process of the album, but the end result was that there's something for everybody on this album. His label, Strange Music, has an impressive outlet of hip-hop albums in the past few years. Though this album isn't classic, it certainly gets my vote for album of the year.
Originally posted: December 22, 2015 |
