Just in case you wanted to know what I was feeling in 2013
Best Hip-Hop Albums of the Year 2013:
10. A$AP Rocky – Long Live A$AP
Long.Live.A$AP surprised me and IMO it was the best major label hiphop release of the year, it was cohesive, great features and some very memorable tracks. Rocky can spit, and while you had Yeezus, MMLP2, and Pusha’s album I think people knew what they were expecting with those releases. Those dudes been around the block, where Rocky is a newcomer and he shows he has some skills.
09. Freddie Gibbs – ESGN
Freddie Gibbs is great, this album takes street shit to that dark place. Sure you have other people spitting about coke, guns, money and bitches, but they those other guys don’t have that authentic feel that Gibbs delivers. His rhymes are clever and will make you rewind. The beats on this album although kind of corny and a little over produced at times but they get the job done. I think this is getting us ready for the soon Cocaine Pinata with Madlib. If Gibbs can make an album with mediocre beats one of the best of the year I can’t wait to hear what he does with the best beat digger in the game.
08. Ka – The Nights Gambit
Ka had the best album of 2012 and he’s back on the list again this year and while this isnt at the tippity top it’s still incredible. At first listen like Grief Pedigree you might be off put by it or even turn it off quickly. Don’t do it stick with it, keep listening. Carefully listen to Ka’s lyrics, really analyze the beats, and then mix them together and you’ll find perfect hiphop harmony that only a guy who produces and raps/writes his music to match can make. Ka’s delivery might be slow but don’t let that put you off from his music he really knows what hes doing. He’s a master and The Nights Gambit is an album not to be forgotten.
07. Action Bronson – Blue Chips 2
Saaab Stories was good but I think this was back to that rawness, I really enjoyed Party Supplies beats and the 80’s corny feel the album had, Action is goofy as ever and he has fun something a lot of rappers are afraid of doing.
06. Run The Jewels – Run The Jewels
This is that shit. Killer Mike and El-P are the hip-hop odd couple and for some reason it just works too well. El-P’s spaced out funky beats and Killer Mikes abrasive style mesh well. El-P shines as MC on this even more so than his past couple albums he seems to be competing with Mike on the album which gives the album a nice feel. This is solid.
05. Inspectah Deck + 7L & Esoteric – Czarface
Esoteric is an MC that has grown on me over the past 15 years and Inspectah Deck is always reliable for a good verse. I didnt think this album was going to be anything special but I blown away by the concept they made. Esoteric really shined on this and while Deck held his own and showed why he’s one of the greats Eso stole the show. 7L’s beats batch both MC’s and with the help of Premier the album kept that grimey east coast underground feel that I love. The Roc Marciano feature was solid as fuck.
04. Troy Ave – New York City
Only a few weeks old and it’s in my top 5 of the year. I been up on Troy for a minute but this is his best work so far. A Free album that tops most in it’s category. The beats are all hard NY classic shit, Troy ave is that gutter, that street, that junky in the alley copping a bag shit. This is street music, it’s NY. I think people should take note of this album and remember how this how east coast shit should sound. Troy Ave isnt trying to go Mainstream but he’s got a style that will bring him there. He’s lyrical and street reminiscent of Saigon a decade ago.
03. Mr Muthafuckin eXquire – Kismet
eXquire is at the top of his game and while Kismet isnt his best release IMO it was one of the best of 2013. He’s ignorant and intelligent. He’s raw and he’s got a soft side. eXquire sounds like hes looking for love on this album haha and he does it only the way exquire can. He’s filthy and his beat selection is just awkward but he makes it work. His whole stee is unorthodox and unusual and its quite refreshing. Originality is missing most of the time in hip-hop and eXquire and Kismet show that it isnt.
02. Durag Dynasty – 360 Waves
Tri-State is the greatest rapper and this album is perfectly produced by The Alchemist. Sure Planet Asia and Killer Ben are on the album too and that helps but the combo of Tri-State and Alchemist is just godly. This is the west coast shit I miss and Alchemist knows the perfect chemistry to bring it back. Just a outstanding album front to back a lot like the Gangrene album of last year.
01. The Doppelgangaz – HARK!
The duo that is the Doppelgangaz is just great. Dark beats, and dark raps. The album is fluid and nobody is fucking with these guys. The raps are nerdy, dorky, funny, dark, sexual, and offensive. The grimy production is just great and hearing the crackle from the sampled records is a nice touch, these guys dug out some incredibly dusty shit. I spun the fuck out of this and I think it’s a great mixture of skill on top of a group that is able to have fun, be different, and original.
Honorable Mentions:
Demigodz – Killmatic
Ill Bill – The Grimy Awards
The Godfathers- Once Upon A Crime
Statik Selektah – Extended Play
Prodigy And The Alchemist – Albert Einstein
Joey BadA$$ – Summer Knights EP
Pusha-T – My Name Is My Name
Danny Brown – Old
J-Zone – Peter Pan Syndrome
Vinnie Paz – Carry The Tradition EP
