The 10 Best Hip-Hop Albums of the Half Year
Yes, I’m aware that this is a month late. I never said punctuality was my strong suit. (That would be rambling, stoned gibberish. ) Look for the best 10 non-rap albums sometime next week.
10 (tie). Nico the Beast-No Beast So Fierce
Genre purists and anyone weaned on that mid-90s school of savage rhymes spit over sidewalk-splitting beats will undoubtedly find something to like on South Philly-raised Nico the Beast’s debut. Thanking Brother Ali, Joe Budden and Joell Ortiz in the liner notes, the Beast is very much in that mold: a baritone bruiser, capable of blazing any cipher with a bevy of different flows that he’s only now learning to master. Coupled with No Beast So Fierce and the impressive Feed the Beast promotion, Nico’s as technically gifted as any young subterranean rapper out there.
Download:
MP3: Nico the Beast ft. Reef Da Lost Cauze, Zilla Rocca, 2Ew Gun Ciz & Blessa -”Feedin’ Time”
10 (tie). Danny!-And I Love H.E.R.
And I Love HER might not be perfect. Like most hip-hop records, it has too many skits and it’s too long. Moreover, its overarching concept is stolen from a Common song and at times, 24-year old Danny Swain has a bit of an imagined persecution complex. But these are ultimately minor quibbles, as the record marks the transformation of the South Carolina-based producer-MC from someone worth watching into probably the best new artist that Def Jux has signed in recent memory (uh, take that Yak Ballz?). With And I Love Her, Danny found a perfect balance of convincing, female-friendly love songs, nimble fast raps for the heads and all-world summer jam, “The Groove,” an easy lock for my year-end top 10.
Download:
MP3: Danny!-”The Groove”
9. Kidz in the Hall-The In Crowd
Like too many of their peers, The Kidz are quick to borrow rather of innovate, relying on stolen hooks and an all-star support squad of everyone from Camp Lo to El-P to Bun B. Yet The In Crowd remains a very solid sophomore effort, featuring jeep-jolting beats and impressive guest turns. Think of it as an indie hip-hop version of The Documentary, with competent raps layered upon a familiar foundation. To put them over the top, the three remixes of the already stellar, “Drivin’ Down the Block,” (including an El-P version and a West Coast G-Funk version) turned the cut into an anthem worthy of Masta Ace himself.
Download:
MP3: The Kidz in the Hall-”Drivin’ Down the Block Remix ft. Pusha-T, The Cool Kids & Bun B
8. Nas & Green Lantern-”The Nigger Tape”
As Ian Cohen so aptly put it in his Pitchfork review of Untitled, “the 18 months since Hip Hop Is Dead have gone a long way towards proving Nas wrong….[But] he’s gotten the message this year, producing an excellent 21st-century record that balances political powder kegs, audacious Escobar floss raps, complementary beats, and genuine inspiration. Unfortunately, that record was the far superior DJ Green Lantern Presents: The Nigger Tape, whose songs are sadly underrepresented on Untitled. ”
Also, I have probably said the line, “I just want to roll a b-l-u-n-t and watch BET” more than any other sentence this year.
Download:
ZIP: Nas & Green Lantern-”The Nigger Tape” (Left-Click)
7. Bun B-II Trill
Pimp C’s shadow hangs albatross-like over his partner’s first solo record since his death last December from a sleep apnea brought on by a cough syrup overdose. Despite being mostly finished at the time, Bun found time to pen the moving, “Angel in the Sky,” which transcends its overly sentimental title with poignancy and eloquence. Meanwhile, “Get Cha Issue” wields a nuance and political potency rare in not just hip-hop but music itself. While derided in some quarters for lackluster beats, II Trill manages to strike a balance between a moving tribute and great Texas trunk-rattling drive record.
Download:
MP3: Bun B ft. Lil Wayne-”Damn I’m Cold”
6. The Roots-Rising Down
Rising Down might not be the Roots’ finest moment on wax. Hell, most people ignored it (including me), writing it off as just another Roots album. Yawn. But it’s a solid if not workmanlike effort from the Legendary crew, with Black Thought, ?uestlove and company continuing to test out new strategies, even if said schemes suffered from woefully horrific, thankfully excised guest spots from the dude in Fall Out Boy that didn’t knock up Ashlee Simpson. Of course, it won’t make you put away your copy of Illadelphalflife (nor your organic free trade cup of Honduran java, hippie). But just because The Roots might lack novelty doesn’t mean that they don’t remain one of hip-hop’s most formidable outfits. (This, of course, being hip-hop’s most formidable “outfit.” On a related note, how is it possible to out-ugly a shirt that looks like Mondrian vomiting?)
Download:
MP3: The Roots ft. Styles P & Mos Def-”Rising Down”
5. EMC-The Show
The Show is about humanity, it’s about regrets, it’s about the concept of small victories resting uncomfortably next to failures. Those looking for ephemeral flash and outrageous braggadocio should look elsewhere. Arguably the most emotionally honest rap record made this year, each the rappers in eMC are well-aware of their personal and career failings. Yet rather than gratingly complain or make reductive “too smart for the masses” arguments, they possess a sort of fatalistic resignation gained from the vicissitudes of existence. The Show is a sober document cataloging the the struggles inherent in trying to eke out a living in a failing industry, one punch-drunk on youth and danger.
Download:
MP3: Emc-”Winds of Change”
4. El-P: Weareallgoingtoburninhellmegamixx2
At this point, it seems like there’s no piece of smooth sheet metal that El-P couldn’t twist into a fun-house of apocalyptic contortion. No sunny personality he couldn’t glare into dyspepsia. No bright day he couldn’t murk. It’s a lot to handle, but ultimately, it’s none of my fucking business. Artists should be allowed to be artists and regardless of whether you love or hate the guy, it’s tough to deny that his paranoid, neo-Bomb Squad wall of noise is as sonically innovative as anyone in hip-hop, 2008. The Weareallgoingtoburninhellmegamixx Vol. 2 channels My Life in the Bush of Ghosts done by someone convinced the Nazis could kick down the door at any moment. Maybe less original than the canonized Eno/Byrne collaboration, but no less awesome.
Download:
MP3: El-P-”Mike Douglas”
3. Metaform-Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
Hewing to the instrumental hip-hop template that Shadow established over a decade ago, Metaform flips dusty samples and cinematic dialogue to great effect. ”The telephone” mines Weird Science for excellent results, crackling boom-bap drums pop and a gauzy stoned haze washes over you, ideal for users of the tangerine haze. Along with Dilla’s Donuts and Blockhead’s Uncle Tony’s Coloring Book, this is one of the best hip-hop instrumental albums in recent memory.
Buy Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
Download:
MP3: Metaform-”Crush”
2. Wale-The Mixtape About Nothing
From “The Opening Title Sequence,” where Wale flows over the gurgling Seinfeld bass line, to “The End Credits,” Wale’s songs burst with ideas. The guy’s got an opinion on everything from the myriad problems facing the rap world to the press to illegal downloading, to the DMV and how its possible that Eddie Murphy could get a wife, ex-wife and baby mother all in the same year. Whereas it could easily come off as sub-emo whining, Wale succeeds because of his ability to reconcile contradictions. He’s moral without being moralizing, he’s smart but not nerdy, he’s critical but not conscious. The Mixtape About Nothing isn’t just a great mixtape, it’s a great record, the rare rap album capable of transcending genre and improving with repeated plays. Not only is it a high-water mark for the mixtape medium, but it also sets the bar for the next generation of rappers.
Download:
ZIP: Wale-The Mixtape About Nothing (Left-Click)
1. Elzhi-Europass
Not only is Europass the best rap record since at least The Big Dough Rehab, it provides a strong argument for the Motor City being the vital nerve center of hip-hop. Handling 75 percent of the production, Black eschews the sunshine organicism of post-Native Tongues Dilla, for a darker, metallic vision. This is the rusting, twisted metal of post-glory days Motown. Tracks like “That’s the One,” “Fire” and particularly, “Talkin’ In My Sleep” find him conjuring the sound of ice and cold Detroit steel. Drums pop like cars backfiring in a pounding rain. Soul samples are splintered into oblivion. If the Bomb Squad and El-P are the overt soundtrack to urban decay, Milk is the subtle alternative, with music less explosive than it is haunting. Fellow Motown native, Elzhi plays the perfect foil, tackling Milk’s tempestuous soundscapes with that rare chemistry found in the great duos: Cl Smooth & Pete Rock, Guru and Premier, Marley Marl and Kane.
Download:
MP3: Elzhi-” Talkin’ In My Sleep”
On the Bubble
Lil Wayne-Tha Carter III-Some of the year’s best moments but just too many terrible ones to crack the top 10.
Cool Kids-The Bake Sale EP- Fun but ran out of gas towards the end.
Vast Aire-Deuces Wild- Just call Vordul and El-P, Ok?
Stumble It!
August 1st, 2008 at 3:03 am
I know I’m being an idiot here but what’s the sample (guitar line) in the roots tune> I just can’t remember where its from
Oh and keep up the good work
Cheers King Horror
August 1st, 2008 at 5:12 am
wow on that metaform!
August 1st, 2008 at 7:31 am
ouch. hip-hop is dead
August 1st, 2008 at 8:30 am
I dunno, I thought the eMC record was kinda boring. don’t get me wrong, as a white nerd who sometimes reads hip hop blogs I’m required by law to love everything Masta Ace does unconditionally but…it’s pretty much the same record as “A Long Hot Summer” and “Disposable Arts”, down to the Punchline/Stricklin/Wordsworth backup trio, except not quite as engaging/poignant as either of those records (and without the Jean Grae guest spots, what’s up with that?). though if there’s any rapper who can wring endless mileage out of being a moderately successful, middle-aged MC with a penchant for brutally honest self-observation it’s Duval Clear. it just feels like dude is almost pigeonholing himself into that role and, given that he’s possibly my favorite rapper ever (like I said, white nerd), that’s disappointing.
“just call Vordul and El-P, OK?”
speaking of people in danger of pigeonholing themselves (though, inexplicably, El-P has somehow managed to escape that), I’ve been on a big Cannibal Ox kick for the last couple of weeks, listening to the Cold Vein on repeat. not that it hasn’t been said a million times, but that’s a record I will never, never get sick of. top 10 for the decade, easily.
August 1st, 2008 at 9:54 am
You’re still sadly sleeping on Killer Mike’s new album. Pick that shit up.
August 1st, 2008 at 10:27 am
I gave it a listen the other day. Liked parts of it a lot, thought a few of the beats were pretty lackluster. I definitely need more time with it.
August 1st, 2008 at 11:14 am
ditto padraig. that vast aire album is good stuff. otherwise, dull year, good list.
August 1st, 2008 at 12:13 pm
I’m pretty surprised the eMC is up there. Not that I’ve listened to it, but I’ve listened to the last two Masta Ace records and the Wordsworth solo and I thought a lot of the production/songs kinda blend together in a boring way. I’ll give em one more chance though if you’re gonna put them on this list.
Great blog, by the way. I’m new to it but it’s dope.
August 1st, 2008 at 1:23 pm
I’m gonna go pick up that Elzhi album right now. Er, maybe after I put on some pants.
August 1st, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Glaring omissions from your list according to Dart Adams:
Invincible “ShapeShifters”
Nicolay & Kay “Time: Line”
Atmosphere “When Life Gives You Lemons You Paint That Shit Gold”
Vast Aire “Deuces Wild”
Chaundon “Carnage”
All Natural “Elements (Fire)”
Mighty Joseph “Empire State”
Reks “Grey Hairs”
Torae “Daily Conversation”
Shawn Jackson “First Of All…”
I went to Fenway Park last week and I saw the Red Sox lose in person for the first time ever in all the years I’ve ever gone to Fenway Park to your LA-Anaheim Angels. I also saw Manny Ramirez hit his last home run in a Red Sox uniform in person. Now Manny wears a Dodger uniform and little kids all over Boston are crying while reading the Herald.
Bittersweeeeeet © John Mayer
One.
August 1st, 2008 at 5:30 pm
if that roots is 6 and that wale mixtape is 2 then fuck, hip hop might be dead.
August 1st, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Wait til you hear that Illa J album with his brother’s beats all over.
August 2nd, 2008 at 12:22 am
Afterparty Babies?
August 2nd, 2008 at 3:01 am
What about ‘Theory Hazit - Lord Fire’? That’s a very good album. And The Roots should be on top. I’m not just saying that because I’m from Philly either…
And the N Tape gets way more play in the car than the iffy retail album. What the heck is wrong with Nas always leaving good stuff off his albums? Is he trying to make a Lost Tapes 3 or what?
August 2nd, 2008 at 4:30 am
even leaving my head shaking at the fact that people’re still fronting on Wayne aside — there is no way “II Trill” is top anything. if Mike Jones, Paul Wall or Young Jeezy were rapping over beats that shitty they’d rightfully be, well, shat on. actually, while i understand some of the criticism against Jeezy he gets way better beats than any of those guys
might not apply to you, but i sometimes feel like people who tune out of most mainstream rap make some really bad token mainstream rap picks on these sorts of things. i mean shit, even about half of Snoop Dogg’s album and a few beats on Rick Ross’s (who sucks, don’t get me wrong) destroy everything on “II Trill” besides “Damn I’m Cold.” not just saying that cuz Wayne’s on it, him and Bun aren’t far off on the track and that beat really is great.
i should probably get around to listening to the eMC though, despite my reflexive anti-purist, anti-boring throwback soul loop bias (not to be confused with Kanye or Just Blaze)
August 2nd, 2008 at 7:10 am
Before everyone starts writing off this year as a bad year for hip-hop, I think we should remember that a lot of artists drop big albums in the third quarter. Examples:
American Gangster, The Cool, Big Dough Rehab, 8 Diagrams, None Shall Pass. This list is pretty much a summation of all the small label releases thus far in the year, so calm the fuck down with your “hip-hop is dead” accusations. I’ll never understand why people are so quick to bust that out, it’s so overused these days it’s pretty much just a joke.
August 2nd, 2008 at 9:34 am
Scuba Steve stating the obvious so I don’t have to. Thanks.
August 2nd, 2008 at 10:33 am
Wait — how many “lackluster beats” are ya’ll counting on that II Trill record? I don’t hear that many…the Janis Joplin wail and handclaps Get Cha Issue” are awesome, “ANother Soldier” knocks, “IF It was Up To Me” is great, “Swang On Em” has those great tuba blurts…I mean, yeah, there are definitely some generic-blah cookie-cutters on there, but I don’t understand the confusing emphasis on how bad the beats supposedly are.
August 2nd, 2008 at 11:42 am
Wow, this is maybe the first time I”ve disagreed so completely with you. Atmosphere’s Strictly Leakage, Foul Mouth Jerk, Mood Muzik 3, Nas’ Untitled album, the new C-Ray Walz and Kosha Dillz, Rhymefest’s Man in the Mirror are definitely six of the best. The Wale mixtape was a huge letdown-I just don’t get the hype on him. Bun-B was good, but a little boring at spots, but I’ll give you that one. That makes 8. Fill out the list with the new Masta Ace’s Hits U MIssed volumes, or throw in the Tanya Morgan Is A Rap Group mixtape, and you’ve got ten albums that blow away at least half the albums on your list.
Why am I right?
Because I said so!
August 2nd, 2008 at 12:21 pm
i’m not going to critique like jon lovitz on this one, because i honestly haven’t even listened to ten rap albums that came out this year. i will say that beast’s album is solid, the n-word tape is his best body of work since god’s son (i just listened to that today, cats are sleeping), and mixtape about nothing and europass are in their rightful positions.
i think the latter two are great in totally different ways: about nothing is, like every reviewer has said, “really about everything,” running through a plethora of topics and creating a platform with a mainstream-leaning MC that actually has something to say. on the other hand, europass is (with a couple of diversions, but still) mostly a “turn the beat on and let me spit” type of album, a staunchly underground rapper showcasing his skills over some top-shelf beats.
oh, and i don’t know if carter III really deserved to be a bubble team. it’s at least as good as (okay, fuck it, better than) II trill.
August 2nd, 2008 at 8:51 pm
cant front on this list brah. Check Giant Panda and Akrobatik. Cheers.
August 2nd, 2008 at 9:01 pm
I can’t believe the above commenter typed “brah.”
Too many hip-hop blogs I’ve read have dissed Europass like it’s Jazzamatazz or something. Nothing I’ve heard off the album could be described as “jazzy” and yet that’s all I hear when people say they dislike it. The “Motown 25″ beat has got to be one of the best of year. I guess rap artists from Detroit (with the exception of white ones) have to die before anybody appreciates them.
August 3rd, 2008 at 9:00 am
Wale = http://smokingsection.uproxx.com/TSS/?p=6010
August 3rd, 2008 at 1:18 pm
I also agree that Tha Carter 3 is ultimately a stronger record than II Trill — but it suffers from absurdly elevated expectations, a problem Lil Wayne has spent the last two years bringing on himself. Nothing on II Trill is as indelible as either “Shoot Me Down” or “Playin With Fire,” in my opinion.
Cue derision.
August 3rd, 2008 at 2:05 pm
once again, the idea that the generic Southern beats or bored, same simple talkflow every song rapping on “II Trill” is anywhere near “C3″ is ri.dic.u.lous and just goes to show how deadset some people are on going against the Wayne hype no matter what. if the UGK came out this year we’d at least be talking about an album that was actually good
August 3rd, 2008 at 2:18 pm
No album on this list has anything half as awful as “Got Money” or “Ms Officer.” Not even close.
Carter II is a significantly better album. Face it.
August 3rd, 2008 at 4:51 pm
“Carter II is a significantly better album. Face it.”
Wait, was anyone talking about Carter II? I don’t think anyone here has said anything about Carter II at all, let alone whether or not it is or is not better than C3. The comparison, I believe, was between II Trill and C3. “Carter II is a significantly better album” is no kind of answer to “Nothing on II Trill is as indelible as either “Shoot Me Down” or “Playin With Fire,” in my opinion.”
But you know, whatevs.
August 3rd, 2008 at 8:36 pm
Surely the ABN album is better than some of this Def Jux/South Philly lumberjack shit I never heard of. I mean, this is Trae and Z-Ro we’re talking about. The patron saints of the nerdy white rap blogger-sphere. You have to love them. Also, Got Money - very good song! Mrs. Officer - decent too. If you’d said Lollipop and La La, I’d understand.
August 3rd, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Haven’t heard the ABN yet. Been meaning to and downloading now. I’ll get back to you on this.
The fact that you could substitute two equally terrible songs from Carter III proves why I will ride for the South Philly lumberjack and Def Jux shit instead. I’m sure Wayne will manage. I hear a few critics like him a little?
August 3rd, 2008 at 9:40 pm
good list. did u hear this song yet?
it’s pretty ill:
http://downloads.pitchforkmedia.com/BASKERVILLES%20AMPLIVE%20DIE%20HARD%20RMX.mp3
Tokyo Police Club - BASKERVILLES AMPLIVE DIE HARD RMX ft. Aesop Rock & Yak Ballz
$
August 4th, 2008 at 2:55 am
alls i’m saying is the carter III’s high-points more than make up for the lows, thus making it a better album than II trill. the depths of carter plummet way farther than trill’s, but the highs of the bun b. album don’t even come close to the carter III’s best moments.
in fact, the highs of II trill barely even scratch the mid-level songs on carter III.
p.s. i love south philly lumberjack shit.
August 4th, 2008 at 8:54 am
If II Trill is anything like the first Trill, it’s not very good. I haven’t heard it so I can’t comment (though I do know that that single with Sean Kingston is a little worse than anything on Carter 3), but I do think Wayne is being held to a higher standard here than, say, the south philly lumberjack/construction worker, from whom anything good is a pleasant surprise…. not that I even liked Carter 3 that much, it really lagged in the second half. Anyway, it’s just a top ten list.
August 4th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
I love being a South Philly Lumberjack!!!
August 4th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
“Got Money” and “Ms. Officer” aren’t highlights yeah, but i’ll definitely take both of ‘em over just about anything on “II Trill” besides “Damn I’m Cold.” as far as pandering club tracks i’ll definitely take Wayne acting goofy as shit and matching the energy on “Got Money” over Bun trying too hard over a cornball Storch beat on “I Love That”
as for “C2,” it’s solid but really that’s basically Wayne’s Jay-Z Jr. album. “C3″ has better beats, waaay more creativity, Wayne’s flow keeps getting better, and it’s the first album that really establishes him as his own artist.
and this really isn’t a “awww, Wayne needs everyone to love him” thing. think everyone’s aware that critics like the guy. it’s just that a lot of the criticism i’ve read against this album is pretty specious and grasps for straws, and the Internet(s) seem to have given Bun B a pass for a shitty album because his name’s Bun B.
August 4th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
Actually, I finally got through the ABN album and found it a little disappointing. The beats all sound like they were made on the Rap-a-Lot Casio, and Z-Ro can get kind of repetitive… really strong first half though.
November 17th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
I see people whining about lil wayne and his R&B album c3 being left off the list.That thing was a mess a hand full of decent songs and getting out rapped by a mediocre mc like fabolous and jay-z making him look like a retarded clown on the mic even though it was one of the weakest jay-z verses in a long time dont qualify that as great.
November 23rd, 2008 at 2:01 am
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August 17th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
[…] insightful, creative, and educational. Plus, Jeff is a swell guy. But when I read his picks for the 10 best hip hop albums of the half-year, I had to disagree. With about half of […]