Well everyone, it’s the last month of the year and it’s safe to say, the year is over for hip-hop. It’s time for everyone to start throwing up their lists on what their favorite albums of the year were. I personally thought it was a good year for hip-hop, underground hip-hop. Sadly, the same can’t be said for the mainstream. Mainstream hip-hop has continued to be the AIDS (happy AIDS awareness day) of the music community, wreaking havoc and infecting every kid in it’s path. The bar is set so low, that one of the biggest rappers, if you even want to call him that? Is a rich kid from Canada who was birthed by nickelodeon and MTV. From my view he’s never paid a due in his life, other than sucking corporate dick till it shot green cum in his mouth. While we happily saw the disappearance of Southern Hip-Hop from the scene, it left its mark and scarred hip-hop terribly.
Underground hip-hop seems to be growing steadily better and while some underground vets have switched up their stee, others have taken the tools they’ve had and really mastered their craft, beat wise and lyrically. A lot of new MC’s have seemed to have popped up this year and while many of them lackluster, a chosen few are ready to tag their name in the underground, Timeless Truth, Meyhem Lauren, Action Bronson, Earl Sweatshirt, M-Dot, N.B.S. and quite a few others so keep an eye out for these guys, I have a feeling they’ll be making even more noise in 2011. This list of 6 is pretty much underground, none of them came out on a major label, but most of them dropped on the biggest labels in the underground. It’s in no order and not numbered, I think the albums are great in one way or another and if you haven’t heard them, perhaps now is the time to put em on your Christmas lists.
THE TOP 6 OF 2010
Blacastan – The Master of Reality: Brick Records
Although it’s titled as a mix cd this limited release album was stellar. Blacastan also released his 1st LP this year called Blac Sabbath and although very good, I thought The Master of Realities rawness made it a step ahead of the LP. It’s Mixed by the Blade Runners 7L whom also produced some tracks alongside Apathy, Khrysis and Colombeyond, Blacastan is no slouch himself behind the boards.
Celph Titled and Buckwild – Nineteen Ninety Now: No Sleep Recordings
2010 was the year of the producer/mc team up and this was one was highly anticpated and too most including myself delivered in every way possible. Great guest spots who killed their verses, beats made in the golden era of hip-hop by the great Buckwild making a totally new concept vintage beats with modern rhymes. The TAMPA MC Celph Titled destroyed this album with some of the best quotable of the year shit even the past few years, this album will surely remain great over the years to come.
Diabolic – Liar and a Thief: Viper Records
He’s a liar, he’s a thief, he’s Diabolic and people have been waiting for his album to drop since his 60 second shine at the end of Dance With The Devil. The wait was long over due but it was worth it. The album is raw front to back and the beats match Diabolic machine gun like delivery perfectly. Ill Bill, Vinnie Paz, Immortal Technique and Canibus are some of the features on the album and Diabolic seems to outshine them all, which shows he doesn’t need features to fill his tracks he’s completely capable of ripping them to shreds alone.
Freeway and Jake-One – The Stimulus Package: Rhymesayers
If you told me 5 years ago that Freeway would be dropping an album with Jake One and on Rhymesayers I would’ve been the first to say no way, but in 2010 apparently anything can happen. The once Rocafella MC Freeway went the indie route and teamed with underground producer Jake-One and took us out of a recession with the Stimulus Package. Jake-Ones style seemed to fit the Philly MC perfect and they even had the great Beanie Sigel nodding his head. The vinyl release is well worth the purchase and the music inside that package is priceless.
Marco Polo and Ruste Juxx – The eXXecution
The last producer/mc team up album on our list and it’s a good one. Marco Polo teamed up with the Boot Camp MC Ruste Juxx to bring The Exxecution. To start it off Marco and Ruste released the Pre-Exxecetion was just as ridiculous and this followed suit by bringin grimey beats and hard ass street lyrics to the table. With a flow thats reminiscent of a young G Rap, Ruste brings his a game and is so far ahead of the rest they arent even in his rear view.
Roc Marciano – Marcberg: Fat Beats
Roc Marciano is a beast people, and Marcberg is the gospel of hip-hop. Roc Marciano not only excels on the mic, Rock also produced the album all by his lonesome, showing that not only is he great behind the boards but he has some of the grimiest beats the game has to offer. Listening to Marcberg is like stepping into a time machine and going back to the era of army fatigues, Champion hoodies, Carhartt coats and Timberlands were the everyday uniform. Marciano brings you to the street with his words and you feel like your riding with Roc boostin’ a whip or even shedding a tear for a fallen homie. Word has come out that Roc is releasing Marcberg Reloaded with production from Madlib, Pete Rock and others.
This concludes are albums of the year we hope you enjoyed these albums as much as we did and if you haven’t heard em’ get on it and stop sleeping and you be the judge. if you have a better list sound off in the comments and tell us what you thought was best.
2010 HONORABLE MENTIONS
NECRO – DIE!, Vinnie Paz – Season of the Assassin, Reef The Lost Cauze vs Guns N Butter – Fight Music, Capone N Noreaga – War Report 2, Moe Pope – Life After God, Hell Razah – Heaven Razah, Copywrite – Life and Times of Peter Nelson, ILL Bill and DJ Muggs – Kill Devil Hills, Darktime Sunshine – Vessel, JFK aka Ninjaface – Building Wings on the Way Down, RA the Rugged Man – Legendary Classics, June Marx – Core of Vengeance, MF Grimm – You Only Live Twice: The Audio Graphic Novel, Statik Selektah – 100 Proof: The Hangover
