Not Another Top Albums List

[CCBrink]

Why don't people complete these lists, and then post them :shifty:.

 

[Woy]

Why don't people complete these lists, and then post them :shifty:.

Mine's been completed for weeks - I just drag out the posts to build suspense. :lesmug:

 

[MvP]

Why don't people complete these lists, and then post them :shifty:.

Because this allows me to get 20 thanks from Woy instead of just one.

Gonna post a few tonight.

 

[NAHSTE]

LOL at knocking undun for short run time then pretending Covert Coup is a full length opus.

 

[MvP]

LOL at knocking undun for short run time then pretending Covert Coup is a full length opus.

Good point, but there is a lot more actual rapping on Covert Coup so it doesn't seem as short. The last four tracks of undun are minute-long instrumentals lol.

 

[MvP]

#11 Stalley - Lincoln Way Nights (Intelligent Trunk Music)

I don't really have much to say about this. Stalley is not the best rapper around but he released a very well put-together mixtape (that later turned into a retail release) which put him on the map this year. Now he is pretty much the best weed carrier in Maybach Music Group. He gets bonus points from me here for rapping over John Mayer's "Assassin" track, but I also now hate myself for ranking this higher than Section.80.

Favorite tracks: 330, Hard, Assassin​

 

[MvP]

#10 Elzhi - Elmatic

Detroit rapper Elzhi and a band called Will Sessions essentially recreated and modernized what is highly considered to be the greatest hip-hop album of all-time, Illmatic. They succeeded, and that is enough validation for me to place this in my top ten.

Sidenote: More hip-hop artists need to implement live instrumentation into their projects in 2012.

Favorite tracks: The World Is Yours, Halftime, It Ain't Hard 2 Tell​

 

[MvP]

#9 Frank Ocean - Nostalgia, ultra

2011 will be remembered for unknown R&B artists emerging onto the scene. Frank Ocean, the odd man out in Odd Future (no pun intended), quietly released this mixtape on the OF Tumblr page back in February. I hesitantly downloaded it that day, expecting to end up placing it in the Trash Bin along with most of the other random OF releases I downloaded back then, but luckily I was wrong.

Ocean stood out to me because, like Kendrick Lamar, he sounded like he'd been in the game for a while now. He delivered drug-metaphorical tales like "Novacane" with veteran ease and, in a very bold move, successfully remade* The Eagles' "Hotel California" on the track "American Wedding", a commentary on the modern relationship. With two features on the Watch The Throne album this past summer, and planned upcoming songs with Nas, Jay-Z, and others, Frank Ocean looks to be a key R&B component for years to come.

Favorite tracks: We All Try, Songs For Women, Nature Feels​

 

[MvP]

#8 Jay-Z & Kanye West - Watch The Throne

"What!? That album sucked, all Jay & Ye talked about was being rich and famous!" Because the majority of hip-hop isn't just the same topics rehashed and reworded over and over, right? I don't think anyone would criticize Mobb Deep for putting out a new album about New York crime life, or if Scarface focused on the everyday struggle in the ghetto on a new mixtape, etc. etc. Some of the same people that criticise The Throne for rapping about the luxurious lifestyles that they've actually lived for the past few years have no problem listening to Rick Ross shouting fictitious tales about being an ex-drug kingpin, or never doubt Nas if he states that he has "flats in other continents" when he was paying over half a million dollars a year in child support. On arguably the duo's most popular song, Hov said it best: "Pardon me I had to laugh at that."

Watch The Throne succeeds because it doesn't take itself seriously, but at the same time is still miles ahead of just about any other hip-hop album this year in terms of innovation and creativity. Jay & Ye made a better ignorant rap song than any ignorant rapper has come out with in the past decade, and basically trolled the entire mainstream in the process. They put out one of the best music videos of the year with the simple plot of two rich black guys having some fun. They ran the biggest hip-hop concert tour of 2011. It was obvious that these two have had the time of their lives the past couple years, and I for one certainly enjoyed listening to the result.

Favorite tracks: No Church in the Wild, Primetime, Niggas In Paris​

 

[Rudi]

I too enjoyed Monitor The King's Chair

 

[NAHSTE]

Watch The Throne succeeds because it doesn't take itself seriously, but at the same time is still miles ahead of just about any other hip-hop album this year in terms of innovation and creativity.

LOL, but it's not even that good musically. The subject matter aside, a good number of the beats are uninspired.

Oh, and one more thing ...


WE GON TAKE IT TO THE MOON,
TAKE IT TO THE STARS

 

[FedEx227]

It's the laziest album I've listened to in quite some time given what both of these guys are capable of.

 

[BrntO4Life]

Watch the Throne is so awesomely divisive.

There are some great ideas and really :turrible: ones on that album.

 

[Woy]

I liked your write-up for it. We'll see tonight if I agree with you or not. :shifty: /shamelessplug

 

[MvP]

It's the laziest album I've listened to in quite some time given what both of these guys are capable of.

That's the thing. I thought the album overall was a disappointment, but I still believe it was better than most rap releases this year.

It's similar to the Peyton Manning/LeBron James theory you were discussing in the chatbox earlier. This is definitely not Jay or Kanye's best work, but (IMO) it's still a good album, and the album being just "good" doesn't satisfy fans of both artists, so it's been highly criticized.

 

[NAHSTE]

That's the thing. I thought the album overall was a disappointment, but I still believe it was better than most rap releases this year.

It's similar to the Peyton Manning/LeBron James theory you were discussing in the chatbox earlier. This is definitely not Jay or Kanye's best work, but (IMO) it's still a good album, and the album being just "good" doesn't satisfy fans of both artists, so it's been highly criticized.

It has its moments, don't get me wrong. It grew on me after initially hating it, but it's like a 17 point, 6 rebounds, 2 assists type of game from two dudes from whom I expect at least a double-double (if not a triple-double).

The problem is they are still boasting as if they destroyed that shit, when in actuality they played it safe and produced a rather generic effort (again, admittedly by their own lofty standards). They are stunting like they are LeBron but they turned in an Al Harrington project.

Album is maybe the 5th best album in either guy's discography.

 

[MvP]

#7 Evidence - Cats & Dogs

Another Alchemist-produced album makes my list here at #7, with Evidence releasing what I believe is easily the most underrated hip-hop album of the year. I guess it was because this dropped on September 27th, the same day Sideline Story, Charity Starts at Home, and The Wonder Years came out, but I feel as though many people overlooked this project, which is a shame because this is definitely Evidence's best solo work to date.

Featuring long-time collaborator Alchemist, DJ Premier, Statik Selektah, Sid Roams, and more behind the boards, this is gritty, sample-based hip-hop production at its finest. Also, Ev's signature lazy flow is still sharp after all these years, and he acquired some standout guest verses from the likes of Raekwon, Ras Kass, Roc Marciano, Aesop Rock, and more. Stop sleeping on this album.

Favorite tracks: The Red Carpet, Fame, You​

 

[FedEx227]

The Red Carpet is like GOAT beat.

 

[Woy]

Album is maybe the 5th best album in either guy's discography.

To be fair for Jay, not many have created four albums to the quality of Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint, American Gangster and The Black Album. So if WTT is 5th in his discography (which I don't think it is, I'll slide it one spot lower but it's still really good), that's not necessarily a bad thing, especially at the age he's at now.

 

[MvP]

The Blueprint > Reasonable Doubt > American Gangster > Vol.1 > The Blueprint 2 (i have reasons) > The Black Album > Vol.2 > Watch The Throne > Dynasty > Vol.3 > Kingdom Come > Collision Course > The Blueprint 3 > that shit he did with R.Kelly