Best Ever Albums

Re: TOP 10 HIP HOP of 2015

benpaco — Sun, 10 Jan 2016 14:33:34 GMT

Author: benpaco

Posted: 01/10/2016 19:33

Lowkey wrote:

25. Chance The Rapper x Lil B - Based Freestyles Mixtape

TIL this exists. May actually check that out.

My list, excluding live albums:

10:

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Surf by Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment

Way more literally trumpet based and way less Chance The Rapper based than I was expecting, but a great album with a lot going on. Not incredible flow between tracks, it gets a bit all over the place, but it really is a great album.

9:

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Sour Soul by Ghostface Killah & BADBADNOTGOOD

I know a lot of people weren't big on this, prefer Ghostface's other stuff, but this is probably my favorite release of his to date (not including Wu Tang). Should really go back and revisit his older stuff with a more open mind towards hip hop than I had at the time before I make that claim, but I really do like it, and BADBADNOTGOOD is really cool and I had never heard of prior to this one.

8:

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So The Flies Don't Come by Milo

I was super unimpressed by Toothpaste Suburb, reeked of "look Buck 65 I can do it too!", but eventually I dug into his older stuff which was actually really good, so I wasn't sure what to expect going into this. And then "Song About a Raygunn" came out before the album and I knew we were back to good Milo. This might be my favorite of his, though it's a little hard to compare to the sample heavier Things That Happen EPs, but I'm fairly sure Song About a Raygunn is my favorite song of his.

7:

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B4.Da.$$ by Joey Bada$$

An album I had no hope for going in, this was just me wanting to listen to music that had come out in 2015 early in 2015. Was very pleasantly surprised by an album I've revisited several times. It's far more radio friendly than maybe anything else on my list (more on that later), but it's a really, really good album that's fun and still make some good, serious lyrical points.

6:

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The Return Of The Dragon: The Abstract Went On Vacation by Busta Rhymes

Would never have even heard of this if DOOM hadn't mentioned that he was on it, and it was actively hard to find a legal way to listen to this. I really mostly was just interested in DOOM's track, which was on soundcloud, and was really good for more than just him, so I got interested in the album. Album has a ton of features, everyone from Chance (whose verse on Hello is maybe my favorite of his to date, only to get completely outshined by one of the best verses I've ever heard from anyone coming in from Busta himself) to Sean Paul to Mary J Blige to Raekwon to Gucci Mane. Producer credits include Pharrell and J-Dilla, and there's even an Adele vocal sample here, and yet despite all those big names, Busta is the one who really shines, and it doesn't feel too disjointed at all. There's a lot here that would be incredibly radio friendly (Shawty Go sounds like something that would get played 24/7 on my local station back home), but there's a depth to the songs that really helps this shine. And for a free Christmas Day release, this got surprisingly little attention.

5:

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A Special Episode Of by Open Mike Eagle

Short, but in that short time is able to flop back and forth between clever comedy and commentary on Ferguson without feeling forced or strange. The Milo and MC Paul Barman features on Trickeration are great, but Ziggy Starfish is the real star here. The live version of Ziggy Starfish from Why? is even better, Thundercat's bass solo is ridiculous.

4:

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The Night Took Us In Like Family by L'Orange & Jeremiah Jae

Found because Jeremiah Jae, stayed because L'Orange. A really good, atmospheric album that sometimes loses focus a little bit, but as a whole tells a cool, compelling story.

3:

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Time? Astonishing! by L'Orange & Kool Keith

A 1950s sci-fi b-movie in hip-hop album form. Fun, ridiculous at times, but incredible beats by L'Orange, some really different work than his usual for Keith, and some cool features (Blu, MC Paul Barman, Open Mike) and samples (I think Vitas even sneaks in there on Upwards. To Space!) make for a really unique experience

2:

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To Pimp A Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar

Ask people 20 years down the line the most important album that came out in this decade, and I'll be surprised if there's any answers but this one. Jazz rap that hit some mainstream ears (Alright's been playing on my pop radio station back home after it seems that King Kunta wasn't so well received by their listeners after being pulled after only a couple plays), and far, far more importantly, chronicles being black in America today, upon a plethora of other issues. Name another album that's been used as a classroom exercise to explain race issues in America, that's getting a rapper all over late night, or maybe more personally relevant, the man that could have people I know who have never seen hip-hop as art or even music show respect. It's incredible.

1:

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Tetsuo & Youth by Lupe Fiasco

TPAB may be the most socially important, but this was my favorite album of the year. "Mural" is probably the best hip hop song I've ever heard, just nearly 9 minutes of ridiculous flow, wordplay, etc. The album as a whole doesn't quite live up to it, but almost nothing could, and the rest is really good - the instrumental interludes are cool, songs vary between serious and fun, it's just a great album.

Re: TOP 10 HIP HOP of 2015

Lowkey — Sun, 10 Jan 2016 14:03:44 GMT

Author: Lowkey

Posted: 01/10/2016 19:03

HipHop wrote:

A$AP Rocky put out a dope album. Feel like its not landing on many lists..

Re: TOP 10 HIP HOP of 2015

HipHop — Sun, 10 Jan 2016 13:35:18 GMT

Author: HipHop

Posted: 01/10/2016 18:35

A$AP Rocky put out a dope album. Feel like its not landing on many lists..

Re: TOP 10 HIP HOP of 2015

Anonymous — Fri, 8 Jan 2016 17:10:33 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 01/08/2016 22:10

Satie wrote:

yeah, shoulda clarified that was the only release of his i liked from last year

you heard Trick Dice (under his Shawn Kemp alias)? Some really cool Memphis inspired cloud production on that one

Re: TOP 10 HIP HOP of 2015

Anonymous — Fri, 8 Jan 2016 17:07:58 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 01/08/2016 22:07

dividesbyzero wrote:

Then again Third Side of Tape has moments of basically everything that isn't hip-hop in it as well so idk

yeah, shoulda clarified that was the only release of his i liked from last year

Re: TOP 10 HIP HOP of 2015

Anonymous — Fri, 8 Jan 2016 17:07:09 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 01/08/2016 22:07

Satie wrote:

If you wanna throw in stuff more loosely associated with hip hop ... Lil Ugly Mane

Honestly to me all 3 (I think. More maybe?) of LUM's releases this year feel far closer to what I consider hip-hop than Future Brown (which definitely has heavy hip-hop elements and a few straight-up hip-hop singles but production-wise overall I'd classify more as UK Bass or Grime. Then again Third Side of Tape has moments of basically everything that isn't hip-hop in it as well so idk)

Gon' check out that Gaika thing fo sho

Re: TOP 10 HIP HOP of 2015

Anonymous — Fri, 8 Jan 2016 17:01:44 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 01/08/2016 22:01

See my post "Satie's Year in Hip Hop" for a more extensive write-up of my 2015 travels with hip hop. As I mention there, I didn't listen to much. Still, my top hip hop albums would be

1. Fetty Wap - Fetty Wap
2. Future Brown - Future Brown
3. Sicko Mobb - Super Saiyan, Vol. 2
4. Gaika - Machine
5. Future - DS2
6. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly
7. Chief Keef - Sorry 4 the Weight
8. Rae Sremmurd - SreemLife
9. Lil Wayne - Sorry 4 the Wait 2
10. Chief Keef - Nobody 2

If you wanna throw in stuff more loosely associated with hip hop like Chopped & Screwed and DJ mixes, Why Be, Mhysa, Lil Ugly Mane, Rabit, and Chino Amobi all put out interesting releases of various kinds that would beat most of the stuff on this list.

The only new entry here since that write-up is Gaika's Machine, which I listened to in the very last couple of days of the year. Gaika is part of the NON Records collective and featured on their compilation in the closing months of last year. Their mixtape is pretty experimental, but it felt appropriate to include just based on the fact that what hip hop is seems to be expanded further and further all the time. I'd recommend it to anyone here who was interested in the leftfield stuff that came out last year and has a taste for hip hop.

Re: TOP 10 HIP HOP of 2015

Anonymous — Fri, 8 Jan 2016 16:49:52 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 01/08/2016 21:49

I'll be back with some thoughts on these so as not to just drop a list and leave without comment, but currently said list would look something like this

1. Busdriver - Thumbs
2. Milo - So the Flies Don't Come
3. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly
4. Earl Sweatshirt - I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside / Solace EP
5. Lil Ugly Mane - Third Side Of Tape
6. Scarface - Deeply Rooted
7. Nickelus F & Shawn Kemp - Trick Dice
8. Le1f - Riot Boi
9. Dr. Yen Lo - Days With Dr. Yen Lo
10. Slim Thug - Hogg Life: The Beginning

Re: TOP 10 HIP HOP of 2015

Lachapelle — Fri, 8 Jan 2016 16:44:18 GMT

Author: Lachapelle

Posted: 01/08/2016 21:44

Some honorable mentions..

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These are all dope albums too but didn't make my top 10.

Re: TOP 10 HIP HOP of 2015

Lachapelle — Thu, 7 Jan 2016 13:39:37 GMT

Author: Lachapelle

Posted: 01/07/2016 18:39

Trendall wrote:

I haven't listened to many, but from what I've listened to, probably something like...

10. Milo - So The Flies Don't Come
9. L'Orange & Kool Keith - Time? Astonishing
8. Malik B & Mr. Green - Unpredictable
7. Slum Village - Yes
6. Cavanaugh - Time And Materials
5. Czarface - Every Hero Needs A Villain
4. L'Orange & Jeremiah Jae - The Night Took Us In Like Family
3. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly
2. Earl Sweatshirt - I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside
1. Dr. Yen Lo - Days With Dr. Yen Lo

Dope list. A few I didn't get a chance to listen to that ill have to go check out.

Re: TOP 10 HIP HOP of 2015

Lachapelle — Thu, 7 Jan 2016 13:38:37 GMT

Author: Lachapelle

Posted: 01/07/2016 18:38

MyCruddyValentyn wrote:

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Piñata by Freddie Gibbs & Madlib

Pinata was released in 2014, probably my favorite of 2014.. but not 2015 :p
Other than that, great list!

Re: TOP 10 HIP HOP of 2015

MyCruddyValentyn — Wed, 6 Jan 2016 20:39:17 GMT

Author: MyCruddyValentyn

Posted: 01/07/2016 01:39

10.

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B4.Da.$$ by Joey Bada$$

9.

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Piñata by Freddie Gibbs & Madlib

8.

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To Pimp A Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar

7.

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If You're Reading This It's Too Late by Drake

8.

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Mr. Wonderful by Action Bronson

9.

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Dark Sky Paradise by Big Sean

4.

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Cherry Bomb by Tyler, The Creator

3.

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Love Story by Yelawolf

2.

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The Documentary 2 by The Game

1.

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Re: TOP 10 HIP HOP of 2015

Trendall — Wed, 6 Jan 2016 20:01:16 GMT

Author: Trendall

Posted: 01/07/2016 01:01

I haven't listened to many, but from what I've listened to, probably something like...

10. Milo - So The Flies Don't Come
9. L'Orange & Kool Keith - Time? Astonishing
8. Malik B & Mr. Green - Unpredictable
7. Slum Village - Yes
6. Cavanaugh - Time And Materials
5. Czarface - Every Hero Needs A Villain
4. L'Orange & Jeremiah Jae - The Night Took Us In Like Family
3. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly
2. Earl Sweatshirt - I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside
1. Dr. Yen Lo - Days With Dr. Yen Lo

Re: TOP 10 HIP HOP of 2015

19loveless91 — Wed, 6 Jan 2016 16:05:20 GMT

Author: 19loveless91

Posted: 01/06/2016 21:05

Hey do you guys want to do more threads like this, and we do the 2015 BEAMAs by compiling the lists posted in the threads? Like, for all the genres and the main categories? I don't think it's any use making the survey again, but maybe it could be fun doing sp4cetiger's idea from last year.

I'll post a list once I actually listen to some hip hop albums.

Re: TOP 10 HIP HOP of 2015

Lowkey — Wed, 6 Jan 2016 15:58:11 GMT

Author: Lowkey

Posted: 01/06/2016 20:58

25. Chance The Rapper x Lil B - Based Freestyles Mixtape
24. Lil Herb - Ballin' Like I'm Kobe
23. Lil Ugly Mane - Third Side Of Tape
22. Logic - The Incredible True Story
21. Fetty Wap - Fetty Wap
20. Roy Wood$ - Exis
19. Future - 56 Nights
18. Meek Mill - Dreams Worth More Than Money
17. Bobby Raps x Corbin - Couch Potato
16. Young Thug x London On Da Track - Slime Season
15. Rae Sremmurd - SremmLife
14. Ty Dolla $ign - Free TC
13. Big Sean - Dark Sky Paradise
12. Mac Miller - GO:OD AM
11. Archy Marshall - A New Place 2 Drown
10. Young Thug - Barter 6
9. Lupe Fiasco - Tetsuo & Youth
8. Drake x Future - What A Time To Be Alive
7. Lil Ugly Mane - Oblivion Access
6. Future - DS2
5. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly
4. Pusha T - King Push - Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude
3. Travi$ Scott - Rodeo
2. A$AP Rocky - At.Long.Last.A$AP
1. Drake - If You're Reading This It's Too Late

not counting releases from Bryson Tiller, Tory Lanez, or Jeremih as hip-hop.

Re: TOP 10 HIP HOP of 2015

Lachapelle — Wed, 6 Jan 2016 13:28:46 GMT

Author: Lachapelle

Posted: 01/06/2016 18:28

Skinny wrote:

Take twenty:
.

Dope list. Still haven't checked out that new Scarface, gunna have to get on that..

Re: TOP 10 HIP HOP of 2015

Skinny — Wed, 6 Jan 2016 13:24:56 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 01/06/2016 18:24

Take twenty:

20. Big K.R.I.T. - It's Better This Way
19. Nacho Picasso & Blue Sky Black Death - Stoned & Dethroned
18. Open Mike Eagle - A Special Episode of...
17. billy woods - Today, I Wrote Nothing
16. milo - so the flies don't come
15. N.O.M.A.D - (((( Yawning ))))
14. Le1f - Riot Boi
13. Young Thug - Barter 6 / Slime Season 2 / Slime Season
12. Wiki - Lil Me / Sporting Life - 55 5's
11. Lil Ugly Mane - Third Side of Tape
10. Scarface - Deeply Rooted
9. Busdriver - Thumbs
8. Future - 56 Nights / DS2
7. Slim Thug - Hogg Life: The Beginning
6. Junglepussy - Pregnant with Success
5. Freddie Gibbs - Shadow of a Doubt
4. Earl Sweatshirt - I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside / solace
3. Boosie Badazz - Touch Down 2 Cause Hell
2. Dr. Yen Lo - Days with Dr. Yen Lo
1. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly

Sorry about the predictable #1.

Re: TOP 10 HIP HOP of 2015

Lachapelle — Wed, 6 Jan 2016 13:24:18 GMT

Author: Lachapelle

Posted: 01/06/2016 18:24

10

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TOP 10 HIP HOP of 2015

Lachapelle — Wed, 6 Jan 2016 13:10:54 GMT

Author: Lachapelle

Posted: 01/06/2016 18:10

Post your top ten hip hop albums/EPs of 2015..