Sach O doesn’t feel the need to write a vaguely predictive intro to this piece. Here’s 10 full-length releases he’s fiendin’ to hear in 2010. No particular order.
The Gorillaz – Plastic Beach
Every 5 years, Damon Albarn does alternative hip-pop with a Gorillaz release. Easily taken as a lark, the original album’s dubwise slackerisms were one of the few instances where the sounds and attitudes of backpacker hip-hop made an impact on the pop music landscape. Conversely, Demon Days served as a showcase for psych-rock devotee Danger Mouse and the best set of songs Albarn had written since Blur’s untimely demise. Seizing on the desperation felt during Bush’s second term, lead single “Feel Good INC” captured the fractured chaos of the mid 00’s as well as anything, taking the project in a more serious direction that stood in contrast to the era’s New Wave fetishism. Though Albarn hasn’t mentioned a co-producer for Plastic Beach, the track list looks like one hell of a party with three appearances each (!!!) by De La Soul and Mos Def, along with one-off’s by a who’s-who of cool. Plastic Beach could match its predecessors off its guest list alone but judging by first single Stylo however, it won’t have to.
MP3: Gorillaz ft. Mos Def & Bobby Womack – “Stylo”
Erykah Badu – New Amerykah Vol 2: Return of The Ankh
New Amerykah volume 1 wasn’t just a classic, it was a game changing release that forced listeners to reevaluate everything they knew about the artist who made it. Sure, Badu’s neo-soul debut and its more adventurous sequel were great records, but they still clung to a contemporary R&B framework, leading many to believe Erykah would follow the same adult-contemporary path as say, India Arie. Instead, she unleashed a torrent of sassed-up funk, Hip-Hop, soul and political rage, delivering the Hip-Hop record of the year while most rappers were trying to get a Ne-Yo hook. A complete statement combining its numerous tracks into one paranoid, righteous whole, it still feels remarkably original, sounding like neither the activist soul of the 60’s nor the masculine rap that followed but a perfectly balanced equation. Volume 2 promises to be more organic and romantically themed than its predecessor, but with multiple Biggie tributes and beats by Dilla and Madlib, it also promises to be just as exciting and the cause of numerous cases of stage-4 Baduizm.
Kanye West – Good Ass Job
People were sick to death of Kanye West way before Taylorgate, but his drunken snubbing of a pretty white girl gave people just the right excuse to vocalize it. Though West’s rapping has gotten better by leaps and bounds over the years, his time in the spotlight has also seen him transformed from the kid who dreamed of Benzies and backpacks into a grotesquely pretentious douchebag completely divorced from the common man. There’s a hell of a lot riding on Good Ass Job: done right, this album restores his standing and confirms him as the critically untouchable pop maestro he’s always claimed to be. Done wrong and he’s that guy with the mullet from VH1’s “I love the Aughts.” This album needs to be Kanye’s Rocky III moment: the redemptive return of the kid who stood up to George Bush, not just a bunch of hit songs by the jackass who got called out by Obama. The pressure must be immense, but Kanye is the kind of guy who feeds off attention — with the world watching, he might just pull off his best album and become what he’s always dreamed of being: Prince.
Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma
Since 2007’s Los Angeles, Flying Lotus has gone from a promising LA instrumentalist to the de-facto leader of a new generation of California musicians eager to push Hip-Hop’s beat culture into the new decade. Dustier and dirtier than the sounds coming out of the UK but equally heavy, Lotus’ tunes have become increasingly fractured, playing out in bizarre time signatures that could only come out of the stoned mind of a jazz head with an incredible knack for drum sequencing. He hasn’t lost touch with his Hip-Hop roots, playfully recontextualising southern blog favorites Lil Wayne and Gucci Mane into the middle of bizarre acid trips that would have Sun Ra scratching his head and reaching for a bong hit. Little is known about the upcoming Cosmogramma but Lotus promises more live instrumentation, more vocalists and a serendipitous 4:20 release date. That’s all you need to know.
M.I.A – Mission Impossible Area
On any given song, Maya Arulpagrasapeemapetilon is both the heir to Public Enemy’s incendiary legacy and the most obnoxiously drunken hipster chick you’ve ever refrained from Snooky-punching after one too many beers. Cursed with affiliates who seemingly see music through the prism of an ironic joke (or else simply have horrid sensibilities), she’s nonetheless colored her sub-CSS dance beats with enough quality songwriting to rise above the electro ghetto into the realm of actual pop stardom. Interestingly, she did so with a Clash interpolating sing-a-long that felt out of place among the Brooklyn BBQ material, a fact that hopefully influences her forthcoming Mission Impossible Area. Sure, of all the albums on this list, this is the one with the most potential to go terribly wrong and end up a train wreck. I’m optimistic though: she’s claimed to be searching for a sound that won’t be “trendy for like just three months” and her leaked track with pop-stepper Rusko is a psychedelic step in the right direction. I’m hedging my bet, but here’s hoping for that elusive “mature third album.”
MP3: M.I.A. – “There’s Space For Ol’ Dat I See”
Skream – Untitled Album
In very specific circles, Skream is a legend — a teenaged prodigy whose early dubplates with Benga took the potential of dark Garage and distilled it into what would become known as dubstep. It’s hard to argue; the man’s done more to earn a spot in the history books before he could legally drink than most musicians do in their entire careers. With this meteoric rise comes the potential for an early burn out, with fans grumbling that Skream’s material was too aggressive, or too pop, or too samey or plain not Dubstep. But what’s promising about Skream isn’t his past, but how open the future is: from 150BPM Jungle experiments to hardcore bangers to techy space experiments to La Roux remixes, Skream’s recent production has been all over the place (in a good way) and his untitled sophomore album promises to be more than just last year’s wobbles. No, you probably won’t hear him brightening up his color palette to compete with the neon colored crew, but by emphasizing the grayscale bleakness and restless creativity of the original Croydon vibe, Skream is assured his tunes will always be pushing into uncharted territory.
Jay Electronica – Act II: Patents of Nobility
I’ll spare you another “Exhibit C” review: Jay Electronica’s buzz is now officially hotter than the sun (check the thermometer). Thanks to a few expertly timed singles, the Louisiana native is officially rap’s last, best hope, skyrocketing past the mob of mixtape wielding also-rans into rarified Hot97 approved air without displaying even a hint of crossover concessions. How did he do it? Incredible beats by Just Blaze helped as did a lyrical acumen uncommon among even underground rappers these days, but those things alone don’t get you noticed around here in 2010, let alone played by Funkmaster Flex. No, Jay Electronica stays winning because he’s rap’s proverbial change candidate, standing in stark opposition to contemporary excesses and moving the art form forward while embracing its traditions. Whereas most rappers leak 3 mixtapes a month, post on twitter, rhyme about fuck-all and come off as insufferable divas, Jay Elec has kept quality control high, cultivated an aura of mystery and has presented himself as one of the few genuinely interesting human beings in rap music today. Patents of Nobility is set for release as soon as Nas gets off his ass and delivers a guest verse, so let’s hope it drops sometime before the 4th quarter. And after that, who knows? Dare I say an album?
Rae, Ghost & Meth – Wu Massacre
The as-yet-unnamed Wu super group’s album won’t be nearly as dope as Cuban Linx II. Accept this fact and you’ll easily get hyped about what should be a dope exercise in spontaneous collaboration by three of the best veteran emcees out today. Thought up as a Def Jam Christmas stocking stuffer, but thankfully delayed once the emcees involved realized it might be worth putting some time and craft into, it’s hard to guess what this album will sound like. The beats will probably come closer to the stuff Ghost and Meth have been on than the carefully selected gems Rae had squirreled away, but will the rhymes be light hearted battle raps? Classic Wu aggression? Something else? A good sign: first single “Our Dreams” lands closer to “Camay” than “Back like That” and Meth vs. Chef 2 is pretty damn sweet. There’s enough talent and momentum here to knock this one out of the park, let’s hope they pull it off.
MP3: Raekwon, Method Man & Ghostface Killah – “Our Dreams”
Madvillain – The Sequel
I’ve been writing about this one forever, but something tells me that 2010 is the year it’s going to happen. Simply put, Madvillainy was the last time a Hip-Hop full-length was truly sonically surprising. Combining a Native Tongues album structure to the demented beats and rhymes of two lo-fi stoners, it came out of nowhere and left music-writers scrambling for superlatives. The long awaited sequel has become almost myth, but by all accounts the beats are done and DOOM is finishing up the rhymes, so there’s no good reason for the Stones Throw accounting office not to be celebrating at the end of the fiscal year. J-Rocc leaked half a cut on Benji B and the results sound like the same kind of delirious magic that made the first one so great and collaborations with sympathetic creators Mos Def and Dave Sitek means there’s probably a few surprises in store for the faithful. This one can’t come soon enough.
MP3: Madvillain – “Savior Beans (Radio Rip)”
Joker – The Purple Goon
2009 confirmed Joker as England’s brightest new production talent and the man most likely to combine Grime, Dubstep, Wonky and Hip-Hop into a pop-bumrushing megahit. Thing is, no one knows if he even wants to do it. Showcasing lush synthesizer harmonics and passion for sonic clarity worthy of Andre Young (pre-craziness), Joker’s 2009 singles reminded audiences that the future doesn’t have to sound like a bad Depeche Mode cover band and that if pulsy four-on-the-floor drum beats ruled pop’s present, hyper-syncopated breaks were its future. At this point, he has all the talent necessary to deliver a pop crossover album of epic proportions without significantly altering his sound, but he’s also remained steadfastly loyal to bass music world, playing dubstep raves and avoiding unnecessary vocal collaborations, a fact that has me wondering whether he plans to be the next Timbaland, Daft Punk or Dam Funk. Odds are, he’ll probably be the first Joker.
Bonus: 10 terrible releases that will nonetheless beget much attention from the blogosphere
Something by T.I
Something by Gucci Mane
Anything by Drake
Anything by Kid Cudi
Anything by Nicki Minaj
The next Arcade Fire album
At least one Glo-Fi record that pushes the concept into self-parody
Something by a white rapper
Something by a bunch of New Yorkers in eyeliner
Something by an earnest dude in a pedo-beard
