Not Another Top Albums List

[MvP]

I've been slowly working on this the past month or so and I think it's finally time for me to start posting the list.

No honorable mentions, no keeping you waiting (I promise to finish this by no later than the 16th), no other bullshit, just what I thought were simply the best LPs/EPs/Mixtapes of the year. At the end I'll also post a quick list of albums that I missed out on in 2011 but plan on checking out in the near future.

As a warning I'll mention that this list features primarily hip-hop/r&b music but I listen to just about everything so there will be a few other genres sprinkled in. I'm not expecting anyone to agree with this list, but if it allows someone to experience any new music that they would have previously never listened to, I'll be thrilled.

On to #20....

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#20 Big K.R.I.T. - Return of 4Eva

I didn't like this mixtape as much as the other hip-hop enthusiasts here did but it was still good enough to crack my top twenty. Maybe it was because he was horrible when I saw him live in concert last year but I just have trouble keeping his "country shit" in steady rotation.

Regardless, I can't deny the King Remembered In Time's talent as both a lyricist and a producer. Typically in hip-hop, works that are self-produced tend to become monotonous after a while (see: Cole World), but if you take a listen for yourself you'd be surprised to see that this was all the work of one man.

Favorite tracks: My Sub, Lions and Lambs, Sookie Now

 

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HR_-OqYZ1s"]BIG K.R.I.T - My Sub [Returnof4eva] - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fREYIBVep-8"]Big K.R.I.T. - Lions And Lambs {Return Of 4Eva} - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnUBSY6k2GQ"]Sookie Now-Big K.R.I.T. feat David Banner - YouTube[/ame]

[Woy]

AWWWWWWWWWW SOOKIE SOOKIE NOW

[Champ]

Little Dragon?

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#19 James Blake - James Blake

This is not the same dubstep you've learned to love (hate) over the past year or so, but instead you will find some great minimalistic dubstep from a UK artist that has well established his unique sound in this debut.

Favorite tracks: Limit To Your Love, Wilhelm Scream, I Mind

 

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOT2-OTebx0"]James Blake - Limit To Your Love - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVgEaDemxjc"]James Blake - The Wilhelm Scream - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iyb9LNLIJd0"]James Blake // I Mind (Album Version) - YouTube[/ame]

[MvP]

#18 Cocaine 80's - The Pursuit EP

This No I.D.-lead group came out of nowhere in 2011 by releasing this 7-track EP over the summer. Featuring vocals by notables Common and James Fauntleroy, you'll find some quality soul-infused, conscious hip-hop/r&b throughout. It should be interesting to see what's in store for this collective in the upcoming year.

Favorite tracks: Summer Madness, Get You Some, Anywhere But Here

 

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrHyhGvV_FQ"]Cocaine 80s (feat. Common) - Summer Madness + EP Download Link - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ue2LDWBzg0"]Cocaine 80s Get you Some - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEYweKYXkuY"]Cocaine 80s Anywhere But Here - YouTube[/ame]

[MvP]

MOAR TOMORROW

[MvP]

#17 Lloyd Banks - The Cold Corner 2

Say what you want about the other member of G-Unit but one thing you can't deny is that few artists are making New York grimey hip-hop better than Banks right now. Some may argue that this sound is dated and played out, but in a time where calling yourself "pretty" and shouting "swag" as a repetitive ad-lib is acceptable in hip-hop, I found this mixtape to be refreshing.

Favorite tracks: No Love, Cold Corner 2, Shock The World

 

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D95-Ff4Iq-w"]Lloyd Banks - No Love - (The Cold Corner 2) - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR8JfYCosQ4"]Lloyd Banks - Cold Corner 2 (Eyes Wide) (New/2011/CDQ/Dirty/NODJ) - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWZhlehuKuY"]Lloyd Banks - Shock The World - YouTube[/ame]

[Woy]

MOAR MOAR MOAR

[MvP]

I broke my promise!

I'll pump out a few real quick

[MvP]

#16 Skyzoo - The Great Debater

Shout out to Virix for reminding me of this mixtape in the chatbox last week. Skyzoo has been an underappreciated rapper for years now, and while this mixtape hasn't done much to change that distinction, it has definitely further strengthened his discography with 16 tracks of pure lyrical rhyming.

Favorite tracks: Rap Like Me, Atypical, The Definitive Prayer

 

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRBgfBxFNX4"]Skyzoo - Rap Like Me (Prod. by Eric G) - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2-wLOR2rGM"]Skyzoo - Atypical (Prod. by !llmind) [Audio] - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oxzl0V3x6ng"]Skyzoo - The Definitive Prayer (Prod By David Axelrod) - YouTube[/ame]

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#15 The Roots - undun

This album tells the tale of a fictional man's life of poverty, which was tragically cut short. I can't help but feel that undun suffered the same fate. At a duration of only 38 minutes, a few more tracks would have probably escalated this to my top ten. Nonetheless, you know what to expect when it comes to The Roots, and they certainly don't disappoint here.

I also have to mention that "Make My" is one of the best hip-hop tracks of 2011, with Big K.R.I.T. and Black Thought both dropping incredible verses to start it off, and then the piece ends with a beautiful instrumental. This song makes the whole album.

Favorite tracks: Make My, One Time, Lighthouse

 

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQGhUnFnvS4"]The Roots Ft. Big KRIT - Make My (Lyrics) [Full Song HQ] - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujop4q8VFsI"]The Roots- One Time featuring Phonte and Dice Raw - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vP24wNuRXs"]The Roots - Lighthouse (feat. Dice Raw) | HD - YouTube[/ame]

[BrntO4Life]

Contemporary American "dubstep" isn't actually dubstep at all. Fratstep, or brostep, is a far more appropriate name for that trash heap of a genre.

[Leftwich]

I've been listening to Llyod Banks since he started and damn he still has it. Other than Rotten Apple everything he's done is good.

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#14 Kendrick Lamar - Section.80

Another mixtape that I didn't like as much as everyone else. I listened to it once when it came out, was put off by his voice and ignored it until a month ago after seeing everyone proclaim it as their favorite hip-hop project of the year. After two standout guest appearances on "Buried Alive" on Drake's Take Care and "The City" on The Game's R.E.D. Album, I decided to give him another shot. I'm glad I did, because although Kendrick is definitely one of the better newcomers in hip-hop this year, he comes off like he's been in the game for over a decade. If tracks like "Keisha's Song" are any indication of what's next to come, this Compton native is bound to blow up in 2012.

Favorite tracks: Keisha's Song, Rigamortus, Ronald Reagan Era

 

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpX--7xb2IA"]Kendrick Lamar - Keisha's Song (Her Pain) Ft. Ashtrobot - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVSMWqM0fQk"](12) Kendrick Lamar - Rigamortis #Section80 - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5yb2H7Fqi8"](7) Kendrick Lamar - Ronald Reagan Era #Section80 - YouTube[/ame]