MvP's Favorite Things of 2012

[MvP]

Within this thread I will be listing and discussing my favorite things from this past year. What makes this thread unique in comparison to, say, Woy's thread is that I could post about pretty much anything: music, movies, books, video games, moments...you name it. As always, the objective of these lists is to start discussions, arguments, and bring awareness to some things you guys might have missed out on in 2012.

I've actually completed a few lists already so I'll be posting them shortly.

15 Favorite Albums of 2012

[MvP]

15 Favorite Albums of 2012

MvP's 15 Favorite Albums of 2012

15. The Alchemist - Russian Roulette



Russian Roulette has a strange track listing of 30 songs - the majority of them being only a minute or two long - but anything that allows the Beverly Hills producer to showcase as many beats as possible is fine by me. ALC has really been on an experimental tip this year, occasionally resulting in some "over-produced" tracks, but he can get away with it on his own album.


14. The XX - Coexist



The XX certainly did not deviate from the uniquely minimalistic sound of their self-titled debut album. Fortunately, this is a good thing. I recommend putting this album on in the background while getting some work done. That's all I have to say because as a result of doing that literally each time I've listened to Coexist, I can't even describe the standout tracks or anything, it all just sounds like one great big track.



13. Roc Marciano - Reloaded



Roc is an interesting rapper. He has a lazy flow, writes simplistic multi-sylliable bars, and his subject matter is the typical street shit you've heard countless times before, yet somehow he makes it work on his sophomore LP, Reloaded. In essence, he's a 90's rapper stuck in the present day, but in the current state of hip-hop it's actually refreshing to hear.



12. El-P - Cancer 4 Cure



I've been a fan of El-P for a while now, but somehow never realized that he put an album out this year until about a week ago. I immediately fell in love with it, I'd even go as far as saying it's better than Fantastic Damage. The otherworldly production on Cancer 4 Cure, along with his work on another album further down this list, leads me to believe that El Producto was this year's best hip-hop producer.



11. Action Bronson - Rare Chandeliers



If you frequent the chatbox than you may remember how excited I was about this mixtape when it dropped. Bronsolino's combination of rap skills, ear for beats, obscure wrestler/movie/food references, witty humor, and application of his best friend Big Body Bes (Mr. We Out Here himself) has turned this former professional chef from Queens into my current favorite rapper. When I found out that he was pairing up with my all-time favorite producer, The Alchemist, it was like a musical dream come true. The result was a bit disappointing, however, as Bronson was often out-shined by some ridiculous(ly good) ALC production, and there were no standout tracks. All in all, it's still a very enjoyable listen from start to finish but it doesn't exactly showcase what Bronson is about the same way his other projects have.



10. Nas - Life Is Good



Nas had a pretty good comeback year with Life Is Good, but I can't help but feel like he was trying way too hard to stay relevant. The old Nasir Jones used to make timeless rap music, now he's rapping about his daughter posting pictures of condoms on Instagram. Speaking of Instagram, the QB rapper also got heavily into social media this year; so heavily that after a while I had to unfollow him on Twitter for posting or retweeting so much nonsense about his new album. That's also the same reason why I stopped following Rick Ross, Wale, and The Game after their respective album releases. It pains me to put Nas in the same list as those guys but that's what he's turned into as he modernizes his career.



9. Beach House - Bloom



Last week I gave myself about an hour and a half to study before I took my Hospitality Management final exam. I studied with this album playing in the background, went to class, took the final and miraculously knew the answers to every single question. Thank you, Beach House.



8. Miguel - Kaleidoscope Dream



After seeing Joe Budden constantly tweet about how good Miguel's new album was, I opened up Spotify and gave it a listen. Keep in mind, I had always thought Miguel was one of those Avant or Governor-type R&B dudes that sings the hooks for a bunch of rapper's tracks but never has a successful solo career, so my expectations were quite low. Turns out, I was very, very wrong. Kaleidoscope Dream stood out to me because literally none of the tracks sound similar to each other, a rarity in the R&B genre, but as a collective they sound perfectly in sync.



7. Ab-Soul - Control System



Ab-Soul's Control System is the strange combination of swag rap mixed with intellectual lyrics, although you could also say that this is the schtick of Black Hippy as a whole. Only Ab-Soul and Danny Brown could pull off Terrorist Threats: an anti-government song featuring two verses that start with each rapper shouting "EXTRA PILLS, EXTRA PILLS" for no good reason. The rest of the album follows a similar path.



6. Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music



I slept on this album heavily when it was released, listening to it once without paying much attention to it, and then forgetting about it until about a month ago. Since then, Killer Mike's vicious, politically-charged, self-reflecting raps have been playing out my speakers in steady rotation. Standout tracks Reagan, Anywhere But Here, and Willie Burke Sherwood are Mike Bigga at his finest, and coupled with some outstanding production by El-P, it makes for some of the best music of his career. While I was skeptical of the Killer Mike/El-P pairing at first, it ended up resulting in an excellent product, and hopefully the duo will continue to make music together in the future.



5. Jack White - Blunderbuss



Some of you may know that I interned as a supervisor for a grocery warehouse over the summer. In the middle of the twelve long weeks that I was there, I was placed on the "Receiving" end of the warehouse for a week to get a feel for how they operate. I was stuck sitting in an office all week, occasionally clicking a few buttons on the computer, bored out of my mind. Two days in, I noticed that the manager I was shadowing had some songs on his Windows Media Player: strange folk music, an Elmore James greatest hits album, and Jack White's Blunderbuss. Needless to say, I played Blunderbuss nonstop (with Elmore James's Shake Your Money Maker occasionally sprinkled in) for the rest of the week, and fell in love with the album. This also opened my eyes to the entire White Stripes discography, so throughout the summer I become a pretty big fan of Jack White.

Side Note: Freedom at 21 is the coolest song of the year, watch the music video if you don't believe me.

4. Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City



You've all listened to and deciphered this album by now, so I won't get into much detail here. What I WILL do, however, is state that this album is overrated. It's still outstanding, practically flawless, the best rap album of 2012 (though not my favorite)...but it's overrated. Why? To me, it's being considered a classic only because the rest of the mainstream rap releases lately have been so mediocre. The storytelling illustrated on Good Kid, Maad City should be almost the standard for a modern debut rap album, not the exception (Joey Bada$$, Earl Sweatshirt…take notes). This is what J.Cole's debut should have been. This is what Big KRIT's debut should have been. It's not a knock on Kendrick by any means, but unless this album changes hip-hop for the better, and sadly I don't think it will, it won't be considered a hip-hop classic. It's simply an excellent album released by an excellent rapper who I expect will make many excellent albums throughout his career.



3. Jessie Ware - Devotion



I wasn't quite sure how to begin this writeup, so I went to Jessie Ware's Wikipedia page for some ideas/insight. On it, there is a quote by Clash magazine, which says that Jessie is "the missing link between Adele, SBTRKT, and Sade." I couldn't have described her any better. If you enjoy r&b/soul music with female vocals (lol) than you should love this album, simple as that. For those skeptical, key tracks to check out first would be Wildest Moments, Night Light, and Running, but the entire album is also available on Spotify.



2. Action Bronson - Blue Chips



This is without question my favorite rap project of the year. It's not necessarily an album per say but Bronson isn't a guy that lives by necessarily's so I will consider it as such. Basically, Action Bronson hung out with two Williamsburg hipsters who call themselves Party Supplies for three weeks, and the result was Blue Chips. It's filled with creative and hilarious stories over some YouTube-sampled production that was horribly mastered, but the point is: Bronson can rap his fucking ass off, yet unlike most rappers, you can tell that he has the time of his life doing it, and the result is awesome to listen to. Hookers at the Point is probably the best song of all-time to sing along to in the car, and is accompanied by my favorite music video of the year. Thug Love Story 2012 is one of the most bluntly absurd love songs you'll ever hear within the genre of rap. 9-24-11 introduced to me the legendary Big Body Bes, resulting in me posting "WE OUT HERE" in the chatbox a thousand times and constantly shouting it much to the annoyance of my housemates. Expensive Pens is packed with energy and features Bronson getting away with saying that he's "fully blown like Tom Hanks in Philadelphia". I can't get enough of this shit. Not to sound like "Tom Hanks in Philadelphia" over here but Action Bronson truly exemplifies everything I've ever wanted out of a rapper. Here's to hoping he doesn't suffer a massive heart attack any time soon, because I expect Bronsolino to be a mainstay on my favorite album lists for many more years to come.



1. Frank Ocean - Channel Orange



Let me start by saying that Pyramids is up there with Kanye West's Gone, Pearl Jam's Black, and The Rolling Stone's Rocks Off as my favorite songs of all-time (weird list, huh?), yet some days I'll argue with myself over whether I prefer Pink Matter or Monks over it. That's how good this album is. Many claimed that Frank coming out of the closet right before the album release was a marketing ploy used to win over critics and fans. While it may have certainly benefitted him critically, the fact that he put out one of the finest albums in years cannot be denied. I hate to give the most popular choice for #1 the top spot here, but Frank Ocean deserves it. Channel Orange is without question the best and my favorite album of 2012.

[Woy]

I liked what I heard from the Jessie Ware album when you recommended it. Definitely will give that Jack White album a spin sometime.

And I'm not surprised to see Blue Chips on here, but I thought Rare Chandeliers was far and away a better release.

Good work. We out here.

[CaribbeanJoseph]

on Jessie Ware

[Rudi]

Album list is missing that Finally Rich but other than that good shit. Will have to check out some of the stuff you listed I haven't heard.

Plus we all know you are about that Frankie O life

[dell71]

Have kids that listen to FM radio. That shit has turned me off to the point I pretty much stopped seeking out new (read: current, not necessarily "new") artists. So thanks for the list. Keep saying I'll give Kendrick Lamar's album a listen, maybe this will motivate me to actually do it. Same for Miguel. Jessica Ware sounds like something I need to hear.

BTW, I do have one artist that produced 2 of my fave projects this year (of the few that I heard), Skyzoo. His "Theo vs. JJ" mixtape is brilliant and his album, "A Dream Deferred" might be better. If Roc Marciano is a 90s rapper stuck in the present, you could probably say the same about Sky. The difference his subject matter is more introspective and mature. Lots of jazz-fused tracks, too.

Anyhoo, good list. I'm going to listen to a few of these at least.

[BigBucs]

Decent list. Ill put one together one of these days.

[MvP]

And I'm not surprised to see Blue Chips on here, but I thought Rare Chandeliers was far and away a better release.

Rare Chandeliers is better in terms of being an "album quality" body of work, but Blue Chips has all of Bronson's most memorable songs and is, to me, a more enjoyable listen.

Plus we all know you are about that Frankie O life

Have kids that listen to FM radio. That shit has turned me off to the point I pretty much stopped seeking out new (read: current, not necessarily "new") artists. So thanks for the list. Keep saying I'll give Kendrick Lamar's album a listen, maybe this will motivate me to actually do it. Same for Miguel. Jessica Ware sounds like something I need to hear.

BTW, I do have one artist that produced 2 of my fave projects this year (of the few that I heard), Skyzoo. His "Theo vs. JJ" mixtape is brilliant and his album, "A Dream Deferred" might be better. If Roc Marciano is a 90s rapper stuck in the present, you could probably say the same about Sky. The difference his subject matter is more introspective and mature. Lots of jazz-fused tracks, too.

Anyhoo, good list. I'm going to listen to a few of these at least.

Thanks dell. I would recommend downloading Spotify and listening to recent albums on there. It's free music streaming so it's great for when you're on the fence about downloading an album. If it weren't for Spotify I probably wouldn't have bothered listening to half of the albums on this list.

I'm a fan of Skyzoo. I'm actually pretty sure that The Great Debater was on my favorite albums list last year. I skimmed through A Dream Deferred for the first time a few days ago, I enjoyed it but it didn't blow me away, plus I only listened to it once so it didn't make the cut. I'll have to look into that Theo vs. JJ tape though, never knew about that.

[BigBucs]

A Dream Deferred > Great Debater

[MvP]

I just noticed that Jessie Ware's album was recently taken off Spotify. Not sure why, but that's kind of annoying since I never actually downloaded it lol

[BigBucs]

Why use spotify when shit is so easily accessible whether you want to buy it or not?

[MvP]

The main reason is that I use two different computers. It's easier just to have a Spotify library that syncs with both computers as opposed to downloading the album on one, putting it on my external HDD, and transferring it to my other computer every time.

It's all the music I could ever ask for just a keyword search away. Why would I not use it?

[dell71]

I'll have to look into that Theo vs. JJ tape though, never knew about that.

The whole thing...

http://www.virtualsportsnetwork.com/forum/showthread.php?61690-Dell-s-Presents-Hip-Hop-s-Masterpiece-Theater-of-Lyricism&p=2182243&viewfull=1#post2182243

[MvP]

40 Favorite Songs of 2012 (that are not on albums from my top 15 list)

MvP's 40 Favorite Songs of 2012 (that are not on albums from my top 15 list)

These are in no order. I placed the list in code tags to avoid YouTube embedding.

Earl Sweatshirt - Chum [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCbWLSZrZfw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCbWLSZrZfw[/URL]

How To Dress Well - Cold Nites [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEEBnL7OvIg[/url]

JMSN - Alone [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EH9xuMccy4[/url]

Curren$y ft. Styles P - WOH [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJE-BYHCzUs[/url]

Talib Kweli ft. Curren$y & Kendrick Lamar - Push Thru [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaeYhVWJ5A8[/url]

E-40 ft. Kendrick Lamar & Droop-E - Catch A Fade [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2kcEBE05lk[/url]

Kendrick Lamar ft. Gunplay - Cartoon & Cereal [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8Qxtzk-bK8[/url]

Action Bronson ft. RiFF RaFF - Bird on a Wire [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ohbKidZLiA[/url]

Danny Brown - Molly Ringward [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iNkE09s6kA[/url]

Lana Del Rey - Ride [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvb8wdBglpw[/url]

Kanye West ft. Pusha T & Ghostface Killah - New God Flow [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApJj11Y9A7U[/url]

Pusha T - Exodus 23:1 [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Evs0wwnuak[/url]

Pusha T ft. Raekwon & Joell Ortiz - Tick Tock [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPJAiwESVgM[/url]

T.I. ft. Andre 3000 - Sorry [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1R6Oq9ho4A[/url]

Large Professor ft. Action Bronson, Roc Marciano, Saigon & Cormega - M.A.R.S. [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwT4Xf972TE[/url]

Big Boi ft. Little Dragon & Killer Mike - Thom Pettie [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZY1kjpAuzI[/url]

Big Boi ft. Phantogram - Objectum Sexuality [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNtpT9wfU2w[/url]

Holy Ghost! - It Gets Dark [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwVvqdrePN0[/url]

Gary Clark Jr. - Bright Lights [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFjMeOnqAPI[/url]

Soundgarden - Been Away Too Long [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeBjhpw_Ee0[/url]

The Game ft. 2 Chainz & Rick Ross - Ali Bomaye [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSqeQlnOhJQ[/url]

2 Chainz ft. Kanye West - Birthday Song [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y34jC4I1m70[/url]

Aaron Lewis - The Road  [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1dktmkP6_o[/url]

Kid Cudi - King Wizard [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmvU3urYQgI[/url]

Slaughterhouse - Hammer Dance [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdnjbzB8Nh4[/url]

Slaughterhouse - Truth or Truth Pt.1 [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk90H6IqBEE[/url]

Joe Budden - Words of a Chameleon - [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p6HX_-AVYg[/url]

BJ The Chicago Kid ft. Kendrick Lamar - The World Is A Ghetto [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s40ZLPNerls[/url]

Usher - Climax [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNTyfVh3nmU[/url]

Lupe Fiasco - Bitch Bad [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3m3t_PxiUI[/url]

xxyyxx - About You [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG5aSZBAuPs[/url]

R. Kelly - Share My Love [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3ufEF45-J4[/url]

Lone - Crystal Caverns 1991 [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGISErs3hRM[/url]

Bob Dylan - Duquesne Whistle  [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mns9VeRguys[/url]

Rick Ross ft. Nas - Triple Beam Dreams [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsrvkbM0Ga4[/url]

Schoolboy Q ft. Kendrick Lamar- Blessed [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9bsJ7oGokg[/url]

Young Jeezy ft. Kendrick Lamar - Westside, Right on Time [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKgGXxoT5Ds[/url]

Tame Impala - Feels Like We Only Go Backwards [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wycjnCCgUes[/url]

Joey Bada$$ - Hardknock [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv658wfVt6I[/url]

Alicia Keys ft. Maxwell - Fire We Make [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esNZIzqx1ZE[/url]

[CCBrink]

Good look on embedding the video links in code.