Fresh off the Top 50 Songs, let us assess some records. I would perhaps write some lengthy introduction that touched upon the prevalent trends in hip-hop last year, but I think most of this readership already knows them and has heard every sensible joke there is to be made.
Actually, one thing: I hope that this year's obvious failures (Asher Roth, the commercial viability of Wale, lame and wack interweb sensations like KiD CuDi) might teach rap bloggers to stop blowing so much smoke up so many asses.
Now, to the lists we go...
Eight Best Mixtapes
8) Wyclef Jean, Coming to America
I read and heard almost nothing about this tape (what I did see was funny), which probably means little other than the fact that 1996 was a long time ago. Wyclef remains a perplexing figure: he is a man of immense musical talent who somehow manages to make underwhelming records; he is a man of obvious intelligence who somehow manges to seem like a banal idiot too often. That's all on display here, with the bloated tracklist allowing for the best (smart rhymes, well-constructed 16's) and worst (no one wants some sing-songy feel-goodery) of Wyclef. But when he's good, he's very good. Still. His singing voice isn't for everyone, but I like its everyman quality.
One other note: in the long, glorious history of rap music sampling gangster movie dialogue, including an excerpt from Alpha Dog might be the least gully, lamest choice ever. It's not exactly Scarface, or even Usual Suspects. Come on.
7) Raekwon, Blood on Chef's Apron
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ("Whips & Kicks" reference!), you're all either really into or really tired of Raekwon this year. I get it. He did command a lot of internets attention in 2009, but it was largely deserved. Starting out slowly, taking its time all the way through, and showcasing a rededicated Shallah, Blood was a portend of a Cuban Linx revival that was carried by Raekwon's easy demeanor, relaxed flow, and gripping stories. He also got back to using beats that either best suited his style or were noteworthy unto themselves, not that generic, derivative drivel with which he wasted too much time.
6) Lupe Fiasco, Enemy of the State
Is there anyone who can decimate a beat with tightly built verses, sharp flow, and perspicacity more casually than Lupe? This tape was an exciting demonstration of rapping craft from beginning to end. How often is that the case?
5) Skyzoo, The Power of Words
Are rappers ever described as laconic? Can that be a compliment for an MC? If it can, then we should regard Skyzoo as such. He blends boasts and references in this weird way that says much without using too many words. It's very impressive. There is also a fluidity and grace to his flow which makes it seem like he's caressing the beats, rather than riding them. (That sentence sounds sexual. Sorry about that.)
4) J. Cole, The Warm Up
This tape was dope. Straight dope, er, bangin'. J. Cole is sort of what I'd wish Drake were: a competent, crafty rapper with a serious sense of rhythm and a malleable style that can accommodate a variety of tracks, but without the cutesy oh-so-precious routine and the constant baby-voice singing. Cole was my Newcomer of the Year.
We should also acknowledge that "Get Away" featured the same song which Just Blaze turned into the Sample of the Year via "Exhibit C." Good idea, though, Mr. Cole. We'll remember who thought of it first.
3) Elzhi, The Leftovers
After Ghostface, Elzhi might be my favorite rapper. He spits these precise bars that are always bursting with intensity, even when he's not on an uptempo track. His metaphors, his assonance, his similes, his rhyme schemes. Jesu Christo! Further, no one--no one--raps with greater intensity or clarity than El about the small, innocuous moments that fill life and relationships. He's among the few MCs who truly enables a listener to get lost in time and space as the music and words take over.
2) Slum Village, Villa Manifesto EP
Read me now, believe me later: if the full-length Villa Manifesto that drops in 2010 is functionally a longer version of the EP, we'll have our record of the year. SV is so underrated that it doesn't even show up in the "Others Receiving Votes" category. These dudes just spit. And they do it over a refined Detroit sound that encompasses all moods, combines a soulful spirit with modern musical inquiry, and keeps your head moving up and down for hours.
1) Sean Price, Kimbo Price (A Prelude to Mic Tyson)
In the nicest way possible, let me write this about Sean Price: listening to one of his records is like nervously standing on a subway platform ever vigilant in response to the menacing dude rocking the over-sized Carhart jacket, baggy jeans, Beef-and-Broccoli Timbs, fitted Yankees cap, and Scarface shirt. It is fantastic.
** No Drake here because So Far Gone really dropped in 2008, I believe. And because I am tired of that dude. And because I only like "Best I Ever Had," "November 18th," "Ignant Shit," and "Let's Call It Off." And because "Let's Call It Off" is only good because the original Peter Bjorn and John is dope.
** No Gucci Mane or Juiceman or whatever other fuckery they put on my radio because it's, well, bullshit.
Five Albums That Challenged Personal Critical Conventions
5) Camp Lo, Another Heist
I tend to love Camp Lo, but there was something missing here. It didn't pop. I thought the rhymes carried more energy than the production, and that was so uncharacteristic.
4) Torae, Double Barrel
You know the albums which come out and you know you want to listen to them but you regularly find reasons to bump something else? I think Double Barrel is one of them. In the abstract, Torae is likable because he rhymes with some street fury, he can string together verses, and he picks his words well. He's an obvious talent. However, I don't think he's talented or quirky enough, because his music tends to come off as a tad too generic. He's easily at the top of the list of rappers whose music I want to like more than I do. "Hold Up," with Masta Ace and Sean Price, was pretty ill.
3) Skyzoo, The Salvation
If you stitch together my Power of Words praise with the regrettable underwhelmed feeling I got from Double Barrel, you'd have The Salvation. Why wasn't it better?
2) Cam'ron, Crime Pays
*DMX VOICE, with a little Spirit of Truth mixed in*
Let us pray...
Dear Lord, we come before you as hip-hop supplicants, genuflecting as we look up toward your greatness and asking that you wield your awesome power to bring back the good Cam'ron.
Since Purple Haze, Mr. Giles has been going down a wayward path. Like a drifter, he has wandered alone, walking down the only path he's ever known. Wait, check that--those are Whitesnake lyrics. Sorry. What I meant was that Cam has traveled along some ill-begotten path which has led him to isolation, absenteeism, and, worst of all, skill erosion. Gone is that muscular Heatmakerz soul and that catchy Kanye pop. Missing is the sharp sense of humor and arcane, audacious rhyme construction. Instead, we, the fans who adore his work due to some combination of earnest appreciation and sarcastic humor, have been subjected to second-rate music and dime-store rhyming that is lazy. Cam is too often but a shell of his former self.
On Crime Pays, whatever promising signs of reform and restoration could be mined were so commonly entangled among more of the same musical malaise that the album was crushing for being so pedestrian.
Please, Lord, we beseech you: bring back the hymen grinder who gets computers 'putin, maintains a pet cemetery, spits that pimp talk, and has the laffy taffy Range. And maybe chipmunk that shit.
Amen.
1) Jay-Z, Blueprint 3
I hated this album at first. It has three and a half songs I like. My attitude was poisoned before it even dropped due to the fetid, tired "D.O.A." debacle. And yet, he does sound a little more mature without being an ass. And it's Jay, so he's never going to be absolutely horrible, so long as we're not discussing Kingdom Come.
Three Wu-Tang Records I Wanted to Like More
3) U-God, Dopium
As good an opening three songs as you could have heard this past year. And then the wheels fall off--grating beats, boring rhymes, useless remixes.
2) Cappadonna, Slang Prostitution
Another album with a fair share of joints mixed in among some truly terrible ideas. Speaking of the Spirit of Truth, Cappadonna is sort of like that guy--he thinks he comes in the name of the lord, he is obviously fueled by hallucination, and his ear for music is matched only by the insane manner through which he pursues his ideas. No one's ad libs and throwaway lines are funnier for the wrong reasons, either.
1) Ghostface Killah, Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City
Ghost could rap to the 1812 Overture and he'd make it interesting. Unfortunately, this album's failings were the parts when he wasn't spitting. The singing was a distraction. Quite simply, the notion of a contemporary R&B record with the Starks treatment is far less appealing and enjoyable than a record of old soul records reappropriated by Ghost, which is what I originally had hoped would be the finished product.
Three Records I Want to Mention Without Conferring Distinction
3) J. Rawls and John Robinson, The 1960's Jazz Revolution Again
This was such a pleasant anachronism: a true jazz-rap record that sounded proud to be so far removed from the mainstream and so firmly focused on a rear-view-mirror environment in which an audience would put up with generic rhymes set to a slow, smooth jazz ensemble. It's like Jazzmatazz, Vol. Exponential.
2) Slim Thug, Boss of All Bosses
Let's dwell on anachronism for a moment longer: in 2009, this motherfucker made a nine-minute civic pride anthem about Houston and its local hip-hop scene. And he invited all of his now irrelevant friends to help him relive 2004. It was cute, really. Mike Jones! Mike Jones!
Also, what a weird record. Slim Thug's voice is great, and it's totally wasted on his simple rhymes. The beats are pretty good, and they're totally wasted on such a limited rapper. I sort of loved hating on this album, and I sort of hated that it wasn't better.
1) Young Money, We Are Young Money
Um, if this is Young Money, let's hope it gets spent quickly. Lil' Wayne sounds like he invented rap music when placed alongside so many talentless clowns. And there are so many--who is even in Young Money? Is it open membership? Were they taking walk-ins from off the street?
"Bedrock" might be the worst song of the year that didn't include Gucci Mane or OJ Da Juiceman's ugly grill. Even without those criteria, "Bedrock" might still have lost 2009.
Seventeen Best Records of the Year
17) DJ Spinna, Sonic Smash
Just simple, professional rap music. Got the job done.
16) M.O.P., Foundation
You know who had a good year? Statik Selektah, and one of his overlooked gems was "Crazy," a perfect M.O.P. track that channeled their energy and gave them a brooding, dark sound which was nicely juxtaposed against the usual blaring noises. Foundation created a mood and sustained it, blending those aggressive flows with standout scratching and generally strong production.
15) Trife, Better Late Than Never
Isn't it sort of weird that the second-best Wu-Tang record of the year was made by Trife? Or, isn't it sort of weird that the best Cormega record of the year wasn't made by Cormega? Trife kind of blended styles (consider "Live Nigga Night Out" and "We Get It In") to put together what I'd call a true New York street album. Lots of simple, sample-driven beats to complement his steady torrent of tough talk.
14) Rick Ross, Deeper Than Rap
An incredible production showcase. Seriously. There are six or seven legitimately dope beats that almost any rapper would be fortunate to count among his songs. My favorite were "Mafia Music," "In Cold Blood," and "Valley of Death." It also is a pretty well sequenced album, with the opening few serving as near cinema and the closing three songs comprising a rousing denouement. Now if only Ricky could rap better.
13) Brother Ali, US
If you make a big deal about preferring rappers who say something, who stand for something, and who are unafraid to sound intelligent, this was the best record of the year. It would be a lot higher on my list were the beats more uniform. Instead, though, too many songs succeeded in spite of backing that was bland or worse.
12) Mos Def, The Ecstatic
Bright moments always come back vivid. And so it is that Mos can never escape the afterglow of Black on Both Sides, a standard and an aesthetic to which I still compare everything he makes. Measuring him against glory born in a different era is a recipe for disappointment, which I will attest as vociferously as any Mos fan. The Ecstatic is not BoBS. On its own merits, it is a thoughtful and engaging record with grown-man rhymes and musical exploration that is admirable. Sometimes the newness and the experimentation gets boring, but songs like "Casa Bey" and "Life in Marvelous Times" are truly dope.
11) Amadou & Mariam, Welcome to Mali
From out of nowhere, this record took up permanent residence on my iPod. The world-music melodies and harmonies are distinct (relative to what I usually hear), and the songs are really nicely executed.
10) Finale, A Pipe Dream and a Promise
Finale is a top-tier technician with second-tier beats and third-tier artistry. His verses are dense and exact, his voice is strong and bludgeoning. The music is serviceable, but stylistically, the production is either too distorted or too muted. And the record does not benefit from enough variety or color to really leap out of the speakers. Still, though, that rapping.
9) Jay Dee, Jay Stay Paid
If it's a Yancey record, there are going to be at least a few bangers. This didn't disappoint, what with "Coming Back," "Lazer Gunne Funke" (that's like "funk," not Tobias Funke), and "Glamour Sho75," among others. Further, Dilla's preeminence as a beatsmith might obscure that Jay Stay Paid features very satisfying performances from Blu, Black Thought, M.O.P., and MF Doom. To its detriment, though, even as an odd mixture of real songs and beat excerpts, this album is too long, containing too much filler. Might be time to let the man truly rest in peace.
8) Slaughterhouse, Slaughterhouse
On balance, it was a pretty strong year for serious rapping. There were plenty of records that stood out for the vocal performance of their respective authors. Among them, this likely loomed largest, both because of the supreme rhyming and because of the posse-cut nature. Slaughterhouse songs sounds as though the MCs have decided to team up against the music.
7) MF Doom, Born Like This
I tend to like my Doom music a little more melodic, but in some ways, Doom is always Doom. That was true once again on Born Like This.
6) Method Man & Redman, Blackout 2!
Wasn't it sad in the middle of last decade when seemingly every Method Man or Redman appearance brought with it the crummy realization that each sounded old and played out? Meth broke out of that funk in recent years, but for a while, he, in particular, seemed ready to fall off a cliff. Blackout 2! was partially so enjoyable because it was reassuring to hear two stalwarts of adolescence again rhyming like the dudes with whom I grew up. The record also knocks. Heavy-bass beats and more playful pop-friendly tracks tend to do that, especially when they can claim an obvious sonic lineage which connects to the heady days at Def Jam.
5) Tanya Morgan, Brooklynati
Here's an admittedly imperfect simile: the best Native Tongues music was distinguished, in part, by obvious group chemistry, the palpable sense that the MCs were enjoying themselves, and an appreciable positive vibe. Even serious or darker songs did not take away from the listener's meta experience of recognizing how much fun it was to listen. Tanya Morgan is like that. It's refreshing.
4) G-Side, Huntsville International
I reviewed this record not so long ago. It is very good. An excerpt:
Huntsville is not different for the sake of being so, but it also is certainly on its own. Musical regionalism is increasingly a fiction as rap music travels across artificial barriers relatively easily. There are countless examples which make this case. And yet, stereotypes can make conversation easy, and it's hard to deny that there are still specific rap modalities that immediately cry out for characterization as "southern." Huntsville again plays with these conventions, fusing active drum kits and keyboard synth arrangements with Billy Joel samples. Or bubbling club rhythms with slower, Autotuned vocal filler and effete pop choruses. Or soul samples with syncopated bongo drums and heavy doses of southern vernacular. Or famous jazz piano riffs with Project Pat vocal samples and record scratches. More than anything else, G-Side has again crafted a product that invites curiosity and rewards repeated listens.
3) DJ JS-1, Ground Original, Vol. 2: No Sell Out
Studio mixtapes made by DJs are rarely very good. They tend to feature an awkward mixture of production and an underwhelming collection of phoned-in verses. Ground Original was not another entry in this ugly catalogue. Instead, it was a spirited throwback, of sorts, largely drawing upon rap veterans to stitch together a lively, hard-edged melange of boom-bap rap. Notably, it also fused a traditional schematic--two turntables and a microphone, in effect--with the timely flair of rock samples, a sound which was surprisingly everywhere in 2009.
2) BK-One, Radio Do Canibal
Another exemplary compilation record helmed by a DJ. Purposely eschewing well-worn sonic elements, Radio Do Canibal asked a cadre of internets and underground champions (Rae, Black Thought, Murs, Phonte, Slug, Brother Ali, etc.) to rhyme over a soundscape that drew heavily from Brazilian music. The result was an intriguing, different, exceedingly proficient record that could be effortlessly kept on for hours.
1) Raekwon, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II
As I've written: OB4CLII has been so thoroughly covered on the interwebs that this context-less, criminally late endorsement is functionally worthless. But that's whatever, partially because not enough good things can be written about this album.
And that's really what it is--an album. A piece of art crafted over time, produced with tremendous care, and purposely held together by narrative tropes and musical aesthetics that are cohesive. Rae put together a true modern classic: a record that is not only an homage to the way that rap records used to sound, but also a peer that can stand among them. When I first got OB4CLII, I turned the lights off in my apartment and just sat in a chair carefully listening. Then I did it a second time, because it was so engrossing. I can only count a handful of rap records from the last decade which demand that sort of treatment.
Of course, hip-hop nostalgia, like denigrating nostalgic hip-hop fans, is so played out that it's come back and departed again. But the self-conscious ramblings and collective introspection enabled by the internets, no matter which direction pulls them at a given time, will never escape the enduring truth that hip-hop used to be much better than it is today. Ten years ago, fifteen years ago, twenty years ago, rap music was better. It sounded fresher. It was insulated from the market effects that inevitably dumb down and dilute seemingly everything. It was treated less as a vehicle for riches and more as a forum for expression. The lyrics were generally more engaging, the production was more head-nod and less club zeitgeist. It was a higher-quality product. The new Rae is of that spirit, and it was pleasantly disarming to hear something so pure.
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