Best Albums of 2011
10. David Dallas – The Rose Tint
9. Frank Ocean – Nostalgia, Ultra
After Tyler the Creators underwhelming Goblin release, I thought the air had been fully let out of the Odd Future movement. Then a black dude with a Mafioso name came and dropped a free download which breathed some auto-tuned R&B life back into them. Not since Boys II Men and All 4 One (remember them) has it been this cool to listen to R&B.
After Tyler the Creators underwhelming Goblin release, I thought the air had been fully let out of the Odd Future movement. Then a black dude with a Mafioso name came and dropped a free download which breathed some auto-tuned R&B life back into them. Not since Boys II Men and All 4 One (remember them) has it been this cool to listen to R&B.
8. Common– The Dreamer, The Believer
Listening to
this album makes you realise why Kanye West calls NO I.D. his mentor. It sounds
just like a Kanye produced album, but every track on Dreamer, Believer is done
by Com’s other Chi-town homie, No I.D. I could have done without all the R&B
hooks, but I’ll take radio play records before I have to endure another
Electric Circus.
Listening to
this album makes you realise why Kanye West calls NO I.D. his mentor. It sounds
just like a Kanye produced album, but every track on Dreamer, Believer is done
by Com’s other Chi-town homie, No I.D. I could have done without all the R&B
hooks, but I’ll take radio play records before I have to endure another
Electric Circus.
Yuuugh!!!
6. Elzhi – Elmatic
Remaking hip hop classics isn’t anything new. Think Snoop Dogg’s Lodi Dodi, Def Squads Rappers Delight or Big Pun and Fat Joe’s Deep Cover cover. But putting yourself out there and remaking an entire album which is arguably the best hip hop album of all time in Illmatic, could have been a massive fuck up. Thankfully, it wasn’t. The choice to record the album with live instruments was a stroke of genius. Elzhi toe’s the line beautifully with doing an ode to Nas’s classic, while doing his own thing on each and every track, from the Genisus intro to It Ain’t Hard To Tell.
Remaking hip hop classics isn’t anything new. Think Snoop Dogg’s Lodi Dodi, Def Squads Rappers Delight or Big Pun and Fat Joe’s Deep Cover cover. But putting yourself out there and remaking an entire album which is arguably the best hip hop album of all time in Illmatic, could have been a massive fuck up. Thankfully, it wasn’t. The choice to record the album with live instruments was a stroke of genius. Elzhi toe’s the line beautifully with doing an ode to Nas’s classic, while doing his own thing on each and every track, from the Genisus intro to It Ain’t Hard To Tell.
5. Jay-Z & Kanye West – Watch The Throne
Takes swag/ballin/forbes to a whole new level. Probably the only hip hop artists, besides Eminem and Drake, who could actually afford to sample Otis Redding and make money off of album sales to pay it back. In today’s music climate, that shit cray. Otis is the track they should be performing 8+ times at the end of their shows, not that overrated Niggas In Paris. But not everyone would agree. Get ready for the WTT sequel.
Takes swag/ballin/forbes to a whole new level. Probably the only hip hop artists, besides Eminem and Drake, who could actually afford to sample Otis Redding and make money off of album sales to pay it back. In today’s music climate, that shit cray. Otis is the track they should be performing 8+ times at the end of their shows, not that overrated Niggas In Paris. But not everyone would agree. Get ready for the WTT sequel.
In my opinion, this album is better than Only Built For Cuban Link II. I’ll argue that with anyone who thinks otherwise. It's the classic Rae formula of ninja and coke raps over dark New York beats. Nothing of which was intended for radio airtime and I appreciate that. My compliments to the chef.
Putting an albino gorilla on your album cover that features almost only rappers of the lighter complexion, on an album titled Honkey Kong, Chad Bromley (real name, pffft) unintentionally created the whitest hip hop album of the past century. Just saying. Nonetheless it was mean! Let’s hope he makes alotta money and stays in this crazy scene.
These guys just can’t make a bad album, and this was their 13th! It's their first ‘concept’ album which tells the tale of 25-year-old Redford Stephens, a gun-runner whose life becomes undun through a series of bad choices then, spoiler alert, dies. The story is told in reverse by a number of different rappers so it does takes a few listens to really get but once you do, it’s dope. On a side note, Money Making Jam Boys (Black Thoughts side project) 'Prestige' album was pretty, pretty, pretty good too.
I was late on Kendrick Lamar. I often overlook new Cali rappers for two reasons. One being that I grew up on that New York shit (word to Wu, Nas and BIG), and two, because the recycled left coast content of bitches, switches, B’s, C’s and palm trees gets a little tiresome. Thankfully Mr Lamar agrees and found his own lane to ride in. He raps over simple jazzy based beats with very down-to-earth and honest lyrics, which is incredibly refreshing in today’s hip hop climate. With a new album on the way featuring Pete Rock & Just Blaze production, we may have found hip-hops savior.
Songs of the Year
10. The Message – Jon Connor
Detroit in the whare.
9. HiiiPOWER – Kendrick Lamar
The last track on the incredible Section.80 album. He has a great ability to make what is essentially quite a preachy song, not.
8. Why I Love You – Jay-Z
Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella diss track which stabs Dame Dash and Beanie Segal in their hearts. Also the only time you’ll actually enjoy a Mr Hudson feature.
7. Otis – Ye-Z
Choice song and cool clip. I wonder what ever happened to that Maybach they chopped up? Rich cunts.
6. Not Enough Words – Action Bronson
Classic Statik Selektah beat which Whiteface Killah flows “nuns twat” over.
5. Monopoly – Danny Brown
Best song on a brilliant album, XXX. Prob should have been in the top albums.
4. Swim Good – Frank Ocean
Nostalgia Ultra, track 10 on repeat.
3. Huzzah! – Mr Mutherfuckin' eXquire
Ignorance at it’s absolute finest.
2. Nasty – Nas
Nas found some form in 2011, and it was showcased beautifully on Nasty. This type of rap is the reason why people of taste will always acknowledge that Nas > Jay-Z.
Not sure
what the Breakfast Club sample adds, but the Simple Minds ‘Don’t You ForgetAbout Me’ sample is toooooooo dope!
Videos of the Year
5. Montel Jordan karaoke
Yep.
4. Tyler The Creator – Yonkers
30,000,000+ hits of this vid set expectations sky-high for the fail that was Goblin.
3. Frank Ocean – Swim Good
It has a very VHS feel to it, and I like that.
2. Duck Sauce – Big Bad Wolf
Disturbing, but you can’t stop watching it.
1. Lupe Fiasco – Double Burger With Cheese
Featuring every black flick that I, and every other kid in the 90’s who bent their Starter caps and wore Hammer pants, grew up on.
Best Interview
Nardwuar vs Odd Future
Every journalist take note. This is how you conduct an interview… If you enjoyed this, watch Nardwuar's interview with Pharrell.
Worst Video
Action Bronson – Not Enough Words
If the song wasn’t as good as it is this clip would have been completely ignored. Dude went a long way to killing what was one of the best songs of 2011 with this highly embar clip. It’s so fucking corny. Don't watch it.
Most Disappointing Album
J.Cole –
Cole World
I expected him to own 2011. Bhorts to that. In one word this album was just ‘boring.’ For many words please see Big Ghostfase’s J.Cole review.
Best Non Hip Hop Album
Frank
Ocean - Nostalgia, Ultra.
It’s one of
the few albums you’ll be able to enjoy with your misses. Shot Frank.
Best Show Stealing Verse
El-P - Huzzah! Remix
It would be easy to say Nas on Like Smoke, as he was ‘featured’ on the track, but he was battling a deceased Soul God in Ms Winehouse. On a Hip Hop level it has to be El-P’s 16 on The Last Huzzah. On a track that features a role call of rappers, including Danny Brown, Despot, Das Racist and Mr Mutherfucking eXquire, El-P gets the gold medal for counting up in his rap using the numbers 3 through 16 in each bar of his rhyme. It’s nothing new, Biggie did something similar on that Brooklyn freestyle, but El-P takes it up a notch.
WTF, Really?
Fox News Common controversy
Common preforming in the White House for Obama was always going to be a ratings bumper for Fox. If there are three things Fox News hates more than anything in this world, it’s hip hop, black people and Obama. How Fox can get away with this on a consistent basis is beyond me, and everybody outside of the southern states. For a better quality vid, click here.
Gucci Maine's Ice Cream Face Tattoo
Complete with thunder bolts and ‘Brrr’ written on the side. Fuck!? The reason why, he said he was the "coldest rapper in the game." Shot bro.
Tupac Cat
More LOL than WTF, but still, someone took time out of their day to make this.
Best Beats
5. The Dreamer - produced by NO I.D.
4. Jaws – produced by Oh No
3. Otis – produced by Kanye West
2. Always (Statik's Interlude) – produced by Statik Selektah
1. East Coast Rapist – produced by Apathy
Best Hip Hop Film/Documentary
Planet Rock - The Story Of Hip Hop & The Crack Generation
If you haven’t already seen this, get familiar. If the above links break, click here.
Expect Him To Own 2012
Frank Ocean
For all of the reason’s I’ve mentioned above.
What I Want To Hear More Of In 2012
Nas continuing his Nasty form, Kendrick Lamar over Pete Rock beats, a
normal well-produced Blu album (what was No-York & Jesus?!) and “I
don't care if it's for Christmas or Hanukkah, but I need that debut
album from Jay Electronica” ©Apathy.
THEND
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