Note: This list became a Top 26 thanks to a very late entry to the top ten
26. The Underachievers - Evermore - Art of Duality
Evermore is presented in a Danny Brown approach, splitting the album into two "phases" to show the Duality of title. The first half is brilliant take on traditional conscious Hip Hop fare while the second half is 'brag rap' over bangers. Phase 1 is brilliant, Phase 2 doesn't do much for me though it did what it attempted to well.
Top Tracks: Shine All Gold, Star Signs, Illusions
Evermore is presented in a Danny Brown approach, splitting the album into two "phases" to show the Duality of title. The first half is brilliant take on traditional conscious Hip Hop fare while the second half is 'brag rap' over bangers. Phase 1 is brilliant, Phase 2 doesn't do much for me though it did what it attempted to well.
Top Tracks: Shine All Gold, Star Signs, Illusions
Days With Dr. Yen Lo is inspired by a character from The Manchurian Candidate that spends the film experimenting with brainwashing, mind control and hallucinations. The album has the kind of awesome, dark, trippy vibe that you'd expect from these themes and Ka's monotone drawl delivers his gloomy lyrics perfectly.
I'm not a massive fan of Sean, to me he's a pretty generic mainstream rapper that sounds good on a track but doesn't say much worth remembering. Delivered a very good album here though, great production and his charisma shines through. But too inconsistent to rank any higher
Top Tracks: All Your Fault (feat. Kanye West), I Don't Fuck With You (feat. E-40), One Man Can Change The World (feat. John Legend & Kanye)
Reaching the supposed halfway point of his life we find Nasa contemplating his mortality. Lyrically he's great and the beats match the mood perfectly. A rare album where the skits of he and his wife discussing death add to the quality not detract.
Top Tracks: Love The Cold Like A Brother, Clown Cars, The Study
A funky effort from the Doggfather is his freshest sounding work since 2006's Blue Carpet Treatment. Excellent production from Pharrell and confident vocals from Snoop combine for a real summer breeze of an album
Top Tracks: California Roll (feat. Stevie Wonder), R U A Freak, Awake
Face returns from retirement mixing up the production and hooks with a few modern twists but his street commentary is as grounded as ever with a more mature edge to it and delivered with the kind of authority that only he can. There's a lot to love on here.
Top Tracks: Rooted (feat. Papa Rue), God (feat. John Legend), Voices
Cadillactica was one of my Top 5 albums last year and I've grown to love it even more this year. It's Better This Way isn't as consistent a release from KRIT but it's still a superb mixtape from the new King of The South.
Top Tracks: King Pt. 4, Vanilla Sky, Keep It Boomin'
Can't believe it's ten years since The Documentary released and this double album is a worthy follow up in some ways. A plethora of great tracks spread across the two albums that would have been better served as either a single album or at least a 30 track double album to cut out a lot of filler.
Top Tracks: On Me (feat. Kendrick), Don't Trip (feat. Ice Cube, Dr. Dre & Will.I.Am), The Ghetto (feat. Nas & Will.I.Am)
Solid if unspectacular dusty NY 90s-inspired album from Joey. Good to see this style of Hip Hop getting some mainstream exposure and Joey can rap his ass off but it feels a bit like more of the same from his mixtapes. Think he has better than this in him.
Top Tracks: Paper Trail$, No. 99, Black Beetles
Feels like Yelawolf puts a whole lot more of his personality into Love Story than on his last album. Lots of variety on this album with country infused Hip Hop unlike anything else I heard this year. Actually found myself enjoying the songs where he sang the most.
Top Tracks: Outer Space, Ball & Chain, Devil In My Veins
This is my favourite release from the Odd Future collective so far - a real grimy, dark album that had me reminiscing of Mobb Deep's Hell On Earth. It's not quite on those levels but there's a lot to praise on Earl's latest.
Top Tracks: Mantra, Grief, Wool
Wale forms a strange paradox by being simultaneously overrated (by himself) and extremely underrated (by the Hip Hop community). This is his best album so far and his self belief comes across well on tracks to make his words carry a lot of weight. A really enjoyable listen with a lot of variety in themes and production
Top Tracks: The White Shoes, The Girls On Drugs, The Bloom, The Matrimony (feat. Usher)
Another West Coast double album, but Vince keeps things more interesting with its brevity. Vince caught a lot of heat for supposedly "dissing" the 90s but Summertime '06 is a great release that takes the themes of 90s West Coast rap and updates it for today
Top Tracks: Norf Norf, Jump Off The Roof, Summertime, Like It Is
Top Tracks: Wanna Be Cool, Something Came To Me, Rememory
Ghost sounds so damn good now that he's released from the shackles of some far-fetched concept "he said she said" narrative that have weighed down most of his recent releases. Over lush instrumentation from BBNG he delivered his best work in years.
Top Tracks: Six Degrees (feat. Danny Brown), Gunshowers (feat. Elzhi), Food
Sadistik is probably my favourite rapper nowadays and his style evolves on every single release. Here he teams up with Cunninlynguists producer, one of the best around, Kno for a short but great EP.
Top Tracks: The Darkness, To Be In Love, Hers Forever
I only heard this album for the first time while I was making this list and I knew instantly it had to go in, first at 18 before a few more listens forced it into the Top 10. Chilled out production but Milo has a lot to say with his mesmerising spoken word delivery.
Top Tracks: Souvenir (feat. Hemlock Ernst), An Encyclopedia, Napping Under The Echo Tree
For me, this is like My Name Is My Name but with all the mainstream commercial stuff stripped away. Push is on fire here and sounds inspired over the type of production he suits. My favourite Pusha album since Lord Willin'
Top Tracks: Crutches, Crosses, Caskets, F.I.F.A., Sunshine (feat. Jill Scott)
Gibbs returns following the critical success of Piñata last year with an effort that I enjoyed even more. Personally I think the dark and grimy production on Shadow fits Freddie's style even more than Madlib's efforts in 2014 and he sounds a lot more comfortable on it. Collab with Black Thought is one of my tracks of the year
Top Tracks: Careless, Extradite (feat. Black Thought), 10 Times (feat. Gucci & E-40), Forever And A Day
Here's the album that made this a Top 26 list - heard it when the list was pretty much done having only been released on December 31st, but it made a huge impact on me. 3 seconds in to the album and Murs is hitting you with hard lines over hard drum kicks and it doesn't let up the whole time. Incredible display of golden age inspired Hip Hop
Top Tracks: The Battle, How To Rob With Rob, If This Should End, No Shots
A more than worthy follow up to GKMC that shows tremendous growth from Kendrick as an artist. As an artistic piece it can't be faulted, but on repeated listens I found the first half dragging and the interludes made this a needlessly long experience. Second half is incredible though. Drop 3 or 4 tracks from the start and this would be top 3
Top Tracks: Hood Politics, How Much A Dollar Cost (feat. James Fauntleroy & Ronald Isley), The Blacker The Berry, i
Been waiting on this a long time and after a couple of hot singles last year I was surprised it took so long. Worth the wait though because Jay Rock delivered a tight, focused effort that is fire from start to finish. Guest spots help out but Rock is the star here.
Top Tracks: Wanna Ride (feat. Isaiah Rashad), Fly On The Wall (feat. Macy Gray & Busta Rhymes), Money Trees Deuce, The Message
Previously I'd been a bigger fan of producer/rapper Oddisee's instrumental albums than his rap albums, but The Good Fight changed everything. Featuring soulful production and incredible rapping with fine wordplay and an actual message this album is brilliant from front to back. That's Love is one of my highlights of the year
Top Tracks: That's Love, Contradiction's Maze, First Choice, Belong To The World, Book Covers
A self deprecating look into the world of a working class everyman known as Red Pill. This album is as funny as it is tragic and will resonate with a lot of listeners. Smoky production and great charisma from Red Pill make this the rap album version of The Wire season 2. Amazing.
Top Tracks: Meh, That's Okay, Leonard Letdown, Blues, Rum & Coke
Detox had become a running joke, the album that would either never come out or would be trash if it did. What's most likely is it was trash so it didn't come out. But Dre ripped it up and delivered his 3rd solo album buoyed by the release of the NWA movie as a tribute to his hometown. Absolutely deserves its place alongside The Chronic and 2001 and any other year would be my AOTY for sure. Thank you Dr. Dre.
Top Tracks: Talk About It, All In A Day's Work, Darkside/Gone, Issues, Deep Water, Animals, Talking To My Diary
Album of the Year
1. Lupe Fiasco - Tetsuo & Youth
Lupe was done for, two substandard albums in a row and he sounded a beaten man. Or so we thought. Tetsuo and Youth was released over a year ago now and I fairly early proclaimed it would be my AOTY. I did so with confidence because it's my favourite album in about 5 years and it would have taken something ridiculous to beat it. Best production and guest vocalists of Lupe's career and a master lyricist at the top of his craft. There are so many laters to this album it would be impossible to touch on in this brief rundown. But if you haven't heard it you owe it to yourself to give it at least 3-4 proper listens to let it sink it. A real work of art.
Top Tracks: Mural, Prisoner 1 & 2, Body of Work, Little Death, No Scratches, Deliver, Madonna, TRON
