Notable Stories Of 2010
The Most Absurd Rap Beverage Endorsements
Ouch! Game Goes In On Lloyd Banks Album Sales
Bum A$$ Rappers & The Free Money Mentality
Artists That Prove “Street Cred” Doesn’t Matter
Is Ludacris Really Built Like That?
Artists Need To Stop Complaining About 360 Deals
Rick Ross: All Smoke And Mirrors
Doing Too Much: The 5 Most “Extra” People In Hip-Hop
2010 Forbes Hip Hop Cash Kings List
The Double Standards Of Sex In Music
Miami Dolphins Owner Calls Out Birdman For Frontin’ About His Stuntin’
Best Albums Of 2010
Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Rick Ross Teflon Don
Cee-Lo The Lady Killer
Big Boi Sir Lucious Left Foot: Son Of Chico Dusty
Curren$y Pilot Talk 1 & 2
Kid CuDi Man On the Moon II: The Legend of Mr Rager
Lloyd Banks Hunger For More II
The Roots How I Got Over
Bun B Trill O.G.
Freeway & Jake One The Stimulus Package
Best Mixtapes Of 2010
Wiz Khalifa Kush & Orange Juice
Kendrick Lamar O.D.
Dom Kennedy From The Westside With Love
Rick Ross The Albert Anastasia EP
Danny Brown The Hybrid
Travis Porter Proud To Be A Problem
Yelawolf Trunk Musik
J. Cole Friday Night Lights
Laws 5:01 Overtime
STS Sole Music EP
Pac Div Don’t Mention It
Fabolous The Funeral Service: There Is No Competition 2
Big K.R.I.T. K.R.I.T. Wuz Here
Joe Budden Mood Muzik 4: A Turn For The Worst
Novel Legato Blues Summer
Slaine The Devil Never Dies
Ayinde No Slices
B.o.B May 25th
Jadakiss The Champ Is Here 3
Cam’ron & Vado Boss Of All Bosses 2.5
Waka Flocka Flame Lebron Flocka James Pt.2
Gucci Mane Jewelry Selection
T.I. F%ck A Mixtape
Young Jeezy Trap Or Die II (By Any Means Necessary)
Chris Brown & Tyga Fan Of A Fan
Independent Albums Of The Year
Statik Seleketah – 100 Proof: The Hangover [Showoff Records] – Read Review
Despite his overwhelming amount blog coverage, Statik Selektah is still substantially underrated. On his third solo album, Statik shines with an eclectic display of instrumentals ranging from the uptempo feel-good sounds of smooth jazz to hardcore synth induced street bangers. What separates this album from every other producer album is that the features are well placed and not jumbled together for the sake of having big names on a track. One thing’s for certain, 100 Proof is proof that nobody in Boston is touching Statik Selektah on the wheels of steel.
Essential Tracks: “Do It To Death” ft Lil Fame (of M.O.P.), Havoc (of Mobb Deep) & Kool G Rap; “Criticaly Acclaimed” ft Lil Fame, Saigon & Sean Price; “The Thrill Is Gone” ft Styles P & Talib Kweli; “The Coast” ft Kali, Fashawn & Evidence; “Walking Away” ft Kali & Novel
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Celph Titled & Buckwild Nineteen Ninety Now [No Sleep] – Read Review
It’s amazing how smoothly this album plays through. The production on Ninety Nowis timeless, as it’s loaded with Buckwild instrumentals crafted between 1994 and 1996 – all of which sound innovative to this day. That’s not to say Celph Titled doesn’t make this album complete with a plethora of witty one-liners spat out in a charismatic baritone. Also we can’t forget the numerous guest appearances from equally qualified lyricists such as Chino XL, Apathy, Grand Puba, and RA The Rugged Man. If you miss the feeling of that old Boom-Bap, do yourself a favor and cop Nineteen Ninety Now!
Essential Tracks: “Style Ain’t Raw” ft Apathy & Chino XL; “Mad Ammo” ft F.T. & R.A. The Rugged; “I Could Write A Rhyme“; “Wack Juice“
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Brand Nubian Enter The Dubstep, Vol. 2 [FrankRadio/iHipHop Distribution]
Like Brand Nubian? Fan Of Dubstep? Maybe you aren’t into either? Regardless of what category you find yourself in, Enter The Dubstep Vol. 2 is one of the most memorizing releases of 2010. Composed of new and classic verses from Grand Puba, Sadat X and Lord Jamar combined with production from some of the most renowned names in Dubstep, Enter The Dubstep Vol. 2 is the quintessential hybrid album. Don’t get it twisted; this is not a remix album. Listening to this for the first time is more or less like discovering a genre of music you never knew existed.
Essential Tracks: “Bounce” (Hellfire Machina Remix); “How Long?” (Dem Soul Remix); “Slow Down” (Hellfire Machina Remix)
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Rakaa Crown Of Thorns [Decon]
While Dilated Peoples members Evidence and Babu were plugging away on solo projects, it seemed like music took a backseat for Rakaa Iriscience, as he fell out of the public’s eye. When this summer’s Crown Of Thorns dropped, few realized the meticulously calculated work Rakaa had put in over the past few years to make his debut near-perfect. COT is a contemporary West Coast classic, far from the likes of Doggystyle and The Chronic. It’s more like if Snoop talked about tucking away a bottle of Krylon rather than a gat. Rakka uses Crown Of Thorns as a platform to get political and have fun, proving he’s a well rounded emcee. The fact that Evidence, The Alchemist, EL-P, among others have production placement on it doesn’t hurt either.
Essential Tracks: “Aces High” ft Fashawn, Evidence & Defari; “Delilah“; “Human Nature” ft KRS-One; “Mezcal”
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Brotha Lynch Hung Dinner And A Movie [Strange Music] – Read Review
Brotha Lynch Hung is an unsung West Cost legend. He’s influenced some of the greats such as Snoop Dogg with his gangsta murder raps. Dinner And A Movie was unexpected rennasciance in Hung’s career, as he aligned himself with independent powerhouse Tech N9ne. Dinner And A Movie is like cinema for the ears with dark accounts of murder dispersed with the desperation, as we hear Brotha Lynch tell tales of starvation and suicidal thoughts. If you can stomach it, you’ll enjoy it!
Essential Tracks: “I Tried to Commit Suicide“; “Meat“; “I Plotted“; “Anotha Killin” ft Snoop Dogg & Tha Dogg Pound
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Rah Diggah Classic [Raw Koncept] – Read Review
Rarely do we hear female emcees tear apart a beat with the bravado of Rah Diggah. On this project solely produced by Nottz, Rah flexes her lyrical muscles and puts forth a valiant effort, making Classic a solid rapper’s album. While not revolutionary, Classic triumphs as an exceptional Boom-Bap album, and is one of the better underground releases of 2010.
Essential Tracks: “You Got It”; “Classic“; “The Book of Rashia“
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Gangrene (The Alchemist + Oh No) Gutter Water[Decon] Read Review
Just when it seems like there’s an over saturation of duos in the rap game, Gangrene comes along and blows the lid off the formula. Consisting of esteemed producers, The Alchemist and Oh No, Gangrene prove just as skilled on the mic as behind the boards. Alchemist proves once again that he can command a track and is on-par with Oh No as well as the various guest appearances on the LP. If you’re looking for an album filled with overt drug references to get you through your next trip into the unknown, look no further than Gutter Water.
Essential Tracks: “Chain Swinging“; “Take Drugs“; “Gutter Water“; “Wassup Wassup” ft Fashawn & Evidence
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RJD2 The Colossus [RJ’s Electrical Connections] – Read Review
RJD2 is one of the most well respected producers in the music world. On his latest albums, RJ branched off from the gloomy beatmaker we’ve come to know and love on Deadringerand transformed himsrelf into a well-rounded composer of sorts. The Colossus is powerful in a musical sense and allows RJ to successfully and unsuccessfully vary his compositions in new aspects – such as singing and incorporating rock guitar. This one isn’t more those unwilling to live outside their backpack, but if you dare give it a chance, you’ll most likely enjoy what you hear.
Essential Tracks: “Let There Be Horns“; “Tin Flower“; “The Glow“; “Giant Squid“
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The Left Gas Mask [Mello Music Group]
Consisting of the relatively obscure Apollo Brown behind the boards, Journalist 103 on the mic, and DJ Soko, The Left took the underground by storm with the unadulterated rawness of Gas Mask. Consisting of gutter rhymes and equally hard beats, The Left’s debut album will surely not lead to worldwide fame and wealth, but the levels of respect the Detroit crew has for the art will be recognized.
Essential Tracks: “Frozen” ft Kool G Rap; “How We Live” ft Hassaan Mackey; “Reporting Live” ft Guilty Simpson
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DJ Muggs vs. ILL Bill Kill Devil Hills
Legendary Cypress Hill producer, DJ Muggs, returned with a new chapter in his “vs” series and bolted the doors on the conspiracy rap genre with the shifty-eyed ILL Bill playing the role of narrator. Although the subject matter is redundant, there’s something enjoyable about Bill going for mumbling to screaming about the illuminati over beats that sound like they were birthed in a dungeon. For all the hardcore fans out there, there’s really no an album that delivered so much angst yet so much pleasure this year.
Essential Tracks: “Amputated Saint” ft B-Real; “Trouble Shooters” ft Sean Price, O.C. & Sick Jacken; “Chase Manhattan” ft Raekwon
where is eminem recovery on the list?????????????????????????????????????????? you dont know what you talking about sam
That album sucks balls…just like you.