Woy's Irrelevant List of His 15 Favorite Projects of 2012

[Woy]

This won't go on #detoxstatus like Trellie's from last year. I have the list already complied, just have to do the write-ups. Honorable mention projects coming first.

 

[Woy]

HONORABLE HONORABLE MENTION ALBUMS
- Reloaded - Roc Marciano
- Girl On Fire - Alicia Keys
- Control System - Ab-Soul
- Southern Air - Yellowcard
- Habits & Contradictions - Schoolboy Q
- Dreamchasers 2 - Meek Mill

HONORABLE MENTION ALBUMS

A Loose Quarter - Joe Budden (Release Date: November 21 / Rate Your Music Score: 3.46 (22 ratings) / Metacritic Score: N/A / Length: 1 hour [15 tracks])
- A Loose Quarter - the first non-Mood Muzik mixtape of Joe Budden's since his pre-Def Jam days - isn't like your typical Budden project. Even though his last tape in Mood Muzik 4 was considered to be of a lighter tone than its previous volumes, even that paled in comparison to what A Loose Quarter came out to be; which isn't necessarily a bad thing. His new-found happiness has brought forth some grating tracks ("So Good", "So Hard"), but the deeper, unfiltered Budden that we've known throughout the Mood Muzik saga still resides ("Momma Said", "Off 2 The Races"). Between his new album No Love Lost dropping in January along with a Summer Leather Vest mixtape rumored for Valentine's Day, there won't be a shortage of new Budden music for quite some time.

Favorite Track:

+Priscilla+ - JMSN (Release Date: January 23 / Rate Your Music Score: 3.38 (111 ratings) / Metacritic Score: N/A / Length: 1.1 hours [16 tracks])
- Built off a similar craft to The Weeknd, JMSN quietly sneaked onto the scene late last year with singles "Hotel" and "Alone" popping up on YouTube. His debut album +Priscilla+ expands on that sound with your assumed R&B lyrical content and live instrumentation throughout, along with excellent transitioning from track-to-track. There's still plenty of things JMSN can clean up from here, but +Priscilla+ shows that he has a bright future and will get more recognition soon; especially now that he's finding himself contributing to major-label albums nowadays (The Game - Jesus Piece).

Favorite Track:

Baby Face Killa - Freddie Gibbs (Release Date: September 25 / Rate Your Music Score: 3.27 (142 ratings) / Metacritic Score: N/A / Length: 1.1 hours [18 tracks])
- It seemed like Baby Face Killa had three or four release dates during its creation, but then again isn't that the same with any Freddie Gibbs project? I lost track on how many collaboration projects he's promised around four, but I digress. Baby Face Killa contains everything that we've come to expect with Gibbs over the past few years, but it also contains some of the same repetitiveness too. Personally, I would like to see some more versatility (or maybe just an actual album) in his future, but even with that "flaw", they're still must-listen projects. Gibbs is one of the best rappers in the game today and Baby Face Killa only adds to his long string of good projects.

Favorite Track:

Write Me Back - R. Kelly (Release Date: June 26 / Rate Your Music Score: 3.31 (65 ratings) / Metacritic Score: 73 (18 critics) / Length: 46.2 minutes [12 tracks])
- More upbeat than 2010's Love Letter, Write Me Back doesn't contain the same highs of its predecessor but it's still another win for the King of R&B. R. Kelly experiments a tad more here than with his last album, but it still bases itself around the soul vibe that the genre has lost over the years. Who would have thought after albums like Double Up and the entire Trapped In The Closet saga (which is brilliant by the way, just wanted to reiterate that) that R. Kelly would become one of the more accessible R&B artists? Even my mom likes this album; that says enough.

Favorite Track:

Songs About HER - Emanny (Release Date: May 23 / Rate Your Music Score: 2.90 (5 ratings) / Metacritic Score: N/A / Length: 44.8 minutes [13 tracks])
- For years and years, Emanny made a living being primarily Joe Budden's go-to hook man on his Mood Muzik tapes. He's still mostly known for that, but lately he's branched out on a quest for a successful solo career. Last year's tape Road to the HighLife was an okay project that showcased some talent, but ultimately was very generic and forgettable. Songs About HER is a huge improvement, headlined by the underlying theme of a past relationship and smooth, more-slow-jam-oriented production. He takes more risks here; most notably with his cover of Michael Jackson's "Liberian Girl". Despite not having a true attention-grabbing R&B voice, he still makes these gambles work with the emotion he puts behind his vocals. Will his solo career be successful? It's tough to say at this point, but Songs About HER is a solid starting point.

Favorite Track:

 

[MvP]

This won't go on #detoxstatus like Trellie's from last year. I have the list already complied, just have to do the write-ups. Honorable mention projects coming first.

Just wait til next week.

Good honorable mentions so far, a few of those may or may not be found on my list.

 

[Woy]

RANDOM SONGS THAT I ENJOYED

 

The Heart Pt. 3 (Will You Let It Die?) (ft. Ab-Soul & Jay Rock) - Kendrick Lamar

Fire We Make (ft. Maxwell) - Alicia Keys

The Book of Soul - Ab-Soul

New God Flow (ft. Pusha T & Ghostface Killah) - Kanye West

Grooveline Pt.1 (ft. Dom Kennedy & Curren$y) - Schoolboy Q

Pop That (ft. Rick Ross, Drake & Lil Wayne) - French Montana

Want You Back (ft. Joe Budden & Teyana Taylor) - Fabolous

Gone (ft. K-Young) - Slaughterhouse

Februarys Confessions - Lil B

Enemy - The Weeknd

 

[Woy]

MORE RANDOM SONGS THAT I ENJOYED (since VSN won't allow me to post more than 10 videos)

 

Power Circle (ft. Kendrick Lamar) - Maybach Music Group

All Gold Everything - Trinidad James

Met My Match - Upgrade

Lurkin' (ft. Plies) - Waka Flocka Flame

Oldie - OFWGKTA

Hands On The Wheel (ft. A$AP Rocky) - Schoolboy Q

Randy Savage (ft. B Ceeze & Frenchie) - Waka Flocka Flame

Form Follows Function - Lupe Fiasco

Neva End - Future

My Moment (ft. 2 Chainz, Meek Mill & Jeremih) - DJ Drama

 

[Woy]

EVEN MORE OF MORE RANDOM SONGS THAT I ENJOYED

 

Stay Schemin' (ft. Drake & French Montana) - Rick Ross

My Life (ft. Waka Flocka Flame) - Rich Kidz

Ghetto Dreams (ft. John Legend & Scarface) - 2 Chainz

Armoire (ft. Trademark & Young Roddy) - Curren$y

BCGMMG (Remix) (ft. Rick Ross & Meek Mill) - Stalley

 

[G-men]

You like All Gold Everything. Your credibility is officially in question.

 

[NAHSTE]

You like All Gold Everything. Your credibility is officially in question.

GROANS ALL ON THIS POST
GROANS ALL ON THIS POST
DON'T BELIEVE ME JUST WATCH

 

[MvP]

Fanute the coupe to that ghost, dog

 

[Woy]

You like All Gold Everything. Your credibility is officially in question.

You go to Villanova. You never had credibility.

 

[Rudi]

You like All Gold Everything. Your credibility is officially in question.

NIGGA NIGGA NIGGA

 

[G-men]

You go to Villanova. You never had credibility.

I go to a really good academic university. Yeah, I must really fucking suck.

 

[Woy]

I go to a really good academic university. Yeah, I must really fucking suck.

:yep:

:motte:

 

[Woy]

15. Express OG - Cocaine 80s
Release Date: May 30
Rate Your Music Score: 2.76 (13 ratings)
Metacritic Score: N/A
Length: 6 tracks (21.3 minutes)

First came one new track, then came another. Soon enough, another mysterious Cocaine 80s EP appeared on the Internet; this one titled Express OG. Through the brief listen, James Fauntleroy dives into a romantic relationship that his peers don't approve of, while balancing a multitude of different sounds. "Queen To Be" is an up-tempo opener that has Fauntleroy experimenting and excelling with a flow that is better than some rappers', while the following track "Take My Keys" is a softer acoustic ballad about the little, satisfying things in a relationship. Fellow Cocaine 80s "member" (?) Common stops by to lend his hand in the EP's closer, "Motivation", while Nas adds a verse on "Chain Glow". At this point I'm ready for a full-length mixtape or LP; whichever comes first.

 

 

[Woy]

14. 4eva N A Day - Big K.R.I.T.
Release Date: March 5
Rate Your Music Score: 3.41 (726 ratings)
Metacritic Score: N/A
Length: 17 tracks (49.9 minutes)

Big K.R.I.T.'s 4eva N A Day was a step down if you compare it to his previous free album-tapes K.R.I.T. Wuz Here and Return of 4Eva. It contains more filler, less standout tracks and his first big misstep in "Insomnia". Even with all the faults, there's still a lot to enjoy from 4eva N A Day and that's why it finds itself here at #14. Clocking in at a hair under 50 minutes, it's 20 minutes shorter than his debut and ends a half hour earlier than his second album-tape. That might not mean much because the other two were so good that their length didn't matter, but it definitely can make listens less exhausting at times - even if the quality is superb. 4eva N A Day also contains one of his best overall songs ("Red Eye") and one of his most immaculately produced tracks in "Boobie Miles". (Seriously, that saxophone is ridiculous.) There's also the fun Southern bangers that we've come to expect from K.R.I.T. here; my favorite of them being "4EvaNaDay (Theme)". Maybe it's because of our nearly-unreachable expectations of K.R.I.T. that makes this come off as a disappointment, but I'm sure more rappers will take an album-tape of this quality in their catalog 10 times out of 10.

 

 

[Coked Up Elmo]

rich kidz my life... Best. Coke. Song. Ever. That song was made to blast at 4am as loud as possible on repeat :yep:

 

[Woy]

13. Instrumentals 2 - Clams Casino
Release Date: June 4
Rate Your Music Score: 3.50 (748 ratings)
Metacritic Score: N/A
Length: 14 tracks (48 minutes)

Ever since the release of A$AP Rocky's Live.Love.A$AP and my sudden appreciation for Lil B, Clams Casino has become one of my favorite producers. His first tape was released last March and contained instrumentals to Lil B, Main Attrakionz and Soulja Boy songs, along with some unreleased music as well. Highlights of the second volume include instrumentals from LLA ("Palace", "Wassup", "Bass", and "Leaf"), an original mix of "The Fall" from The Weeknd's Echoes of Silence project and two tracks from Mac Miller's Macadelic tape ("One Last Thing" and "Angels"). And of course, there's the most beautiful instrumental my ears have ever listened to in "I'm God". That song is the definition of immaculate.

 

 

[Woy]

12. 1999 - Joey Bada$$
Release Date: June 12
Rate Your Music Score: 3.46 (399 ratings)
Metacritic Score: N/A
Length: 15 tracks (1 hour)

17-year-old Joey Bada$$ burst onto the scene in June with his debut mixtape 1999, recapturing the boom-bap movement that we've seen less and less of over the years. Joey and his crew (rest in peace Capital STEEZ) use beats from MF Doom, J Dilla, Statik Selektah, and Lord Finesse - among others - to rap over and what stands out most is how "at home" and comfortable they feel on them. It's very refreshing to hear a young up-and-comer take this route rather than a gimmick to get his name out there. Expect to hear a lot more from Joey as the years go on.

 

 

[Obst]

You forgot 1-11 Woy. Just pointing it out for you.

 

[NAHSTE]

You forgot 1-11 Woy. Just pointing it out for you.

Hey take it easy. His new job at the Cuffington Post has cut into his writing time.