There are a lot of dope (I hope) releases this month. 2012 will soon come to a close, and I will post my annual top projects of the year. I’ve been blogging for a couple of years now and I have covered a lot of hot music. Out of all of my “Top” albums from year to year, what has survived the test of time so far? Here are 5 albums/mixtapes that I still rock like they are new, along with what I said about them at the time:
Raekwon feat. Ghostface Killah- “Only Built for Cuban Linx II” (2009)
“I’m still rocking this album like it came out last week. This joint is such a mood album. This is just a solid album altogether. Good hip-hop in an age of unwarranted hype for other hip-hop releases. I’ll settle for the real thing. Another classic. You should have this already…right?”
Freeway & Jake One “The Stimulus Package“ (2010)
“This mixtape hit early in 2010. The timing was perfect. It was the 1st of many dope mixtapes of 2010. I was caught off guard by it. I downloaded it not expecting much, and came away rocking this on a regular basis. Sh*t, I’m listening to it now as I type. I wasn’t always the biggest Freeway fan, but his lyrics/delivery with Jake One’s beats are a match made in hip-hop heaven. Though the sales didn’t mirror the acclaim, I think any hip-hop fan should take they hard earned money and support this dope example of -the emcee & the producer-.”
Kanye West “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” (2010)
“Hate him or Love him, Kanye West is the best doing it right now. Sorry. Who else can make Obama and the whole country refer to him as a Jackass, and still come out with one of the best albums of the year. F*ck what you heard, this album is classic! Why? It’s more than a hip-hop album….but it’s a hip-hop album (if that makes any sense). Everything is handle with perfection in mind. From the guest appearances to the beats, to the lyrics. Kanye has crafted an album that achieves what I think most artist like Diddy(LTTP) and Jay-Z (BP3) were aiming for. An album that combines sounds and influences from many genres and maintains the artists’ integrity. The singing may not be for everyone, but it is well placed and tolerable in most cases. 2010 was a good year for Mr. West.”
Kendrick Lamar “Section .80” (2011)
“Talk about slept on. I heard the snippets and was completely uninterested. Then I decided to give it a full listen after hearing so many people talk about it. Needless to say, I came away extremely impressed (snippets are never a good idea). I wasn’t only impressed by Kendrick’s various flows but the consistency at which this mix-tape album moved. This is the type of young mc that old heads say doesn’t exist (fix ya glasses old head). This is a “throwback” album. Well placed skits, hard tracks, flows, and a conscious tone/concept. Just take a listen to the track “Keisha’s Song” and you’ll realize he’s just not here to spit. Kendrick Lamar is a force to be reckoned with in 2012. Believe it. I do.”
Elzhi & Will Sessions “Elmatic“(2011)
“How do you do that? How do you remake one of the greatest albums in hip-hop history? It has to be a recipe for failure. Right? NOT AT ALL. (Not to be compared) Elzhi & Will Sessions’s Elmatic is a classic in itself. I know. How is that even possible? This tribute was sooo on point. First, Elzhi does an excellent job of paying tribute without trying to imitate Nas. He actually builds upon the classic lyrics by providing his own perspective (i.e. Detroit State of Mind). It works well. I tried to hate but COULD NOT FRONT. On the beat front, the band Will Sessions does a superb job of keeping the essence of the original tracks and injecting the original sample in most cases. It is a masterful job that doesn’t draw comparions (or shouldn’t) to the original classic…Illmatic. This was in my top 5 from day one. If you don’t feel this…well…hip-hop is not for you. WORD.”
