2016 Year End

A horrible year for possibly every one except for The trap god himself (Woptober is the best Gucci album of the year.. fight me bro) Of course there are more artists I wanted to put on here ie Dreezy, Isaiah Rashad, Tory Lanez, Dram, etc. but... *Kanye Shrug* With that being said here is my list or whatever…

First! Best mixtape of the year- Telefone- Noname Gypsy (This was an amazing first outing by the Chicago Femcee who we have seen repeatedly besting Chance on his mixtapes. This mixtapes production is incredibly sweet like molasses but the lyrics are hard-hitting and often dark. This could technically be art haus hip hop due to the vivid and intense imagery by the lyricist which more than often needs some Genius explanation. * favortire song- Bye Bye Baby- in verse 1 noname talks about her feelings regarding her abortion and in verse 2 gives the perspective of her unborn child but the song refrains from being accusatory or damaging instead is about healing and love… absolutely beautiful concept

Honorable Mention- DC4- Meek Mill (After inheriting a record number of L’s from not only Drake but Black twitter as well and now possibly Nicki Minaj –allegedly- He came through with a tape full of flames. Admittedly this seems to sit somewhere between a mixtape and an album and as those terms continue to evolve in this decade I am unsure where to place this body of work. It would have been a GREAT mixtape and is a good album. You cannot deny Meek’s ability to balance street stories and lyricism with an unrelenting vigor/spirit. This tape was a master class in featuring artists. Meek pulled the best of the best out of upcoming street artists and pushed them to produce some of their best work- even Tracy T surprisingly came through with a great verse) * Shine- the 4 bars about “that corner store” get to me every time

10. Twenty88-Twenty88 (The sound track to Jhene Aiko cheating on her husband-allegedly- was an amazing tape. The chemistry between Aiko and Sean translate to the music to create a body of work that had great replayability and was relatable no matter where you are in your love life) * 2 Minute Warning

9. We got it from here.. Thanks you 4 your service- A tribe called quest (Not many artists can disappear for basically the entirety of my life and come back and spit straight flames! This was an amazing comeback from the group. They somehow managed to simultaneously invoke their old flows while being modern enough to place perfectly in 2016. Also the features on this are ridiculous!! Many people had this higher, however the second portion of the album was hit or miss to me… RIP Phife) *Mobius

8. Birds in the trap sing McKnight- Travis Scott (Travis returns to his more grunge sound rather than the punk sound of his last album. The drums and synths are incredibly dark and distorted throughout this album which creates a vibe similar to his Owl Pharaoh mixtape. The difference is that now he is able to get the features needed to lift the tape from obscurity to compete with the best of the best. The 3k, Kendrick, and Cudi features are highlights the last of which is incredibly special if you have followed Travis) *Through the late night

7. Blank Face LP- Schoolboy Q ( The sophomore slump has been alluded by Groovy Tony as he is nominated for his second grammy. There is an amazing amount of growth on this album in regards to song structure and beat selection. Schoolboy Q keeps his persona as a gangsta in designer as he mixes these gritty street lyrics and tones with more refined jazzy/lush production. The only downfall of this album is its length, it is a long listen but totally worth it. Also his 3 part visual series was AMAZING and would easily win my best visual list) * Groovy Tony/Eddie Kane- I loved the single already then he added that Jada Kiss verse which bled into an amazing Five Hearbeats reference

6. Views- Drake ( This will undoubtedly be a controversial placing. The 6 God stans will claim that Im hating by not putting it higher and the Backpackers/ old heads will say its too high *Kany shrug* this is an incredibly enjoyable album. S/o to @lane who changed the way I view this album -pun totally intended- I have always judged Drake by his *coughs the Weeknd’s Coughs* peak work Take Care however he may never reach that again. Instead of judging him by his peak, judge the album for what it is which is a solid body of work. The album is ridiculously high selling, award winning, and may be his most personal work in awhile) *Views

5. Untitled Unmastered- Kendrick Lamar (Why are Kendrick Lamars throw aways better than your favorite rappers best work?! The release of this was amazing, I was repeatedly going back to the live performances of these songs like a fiend until King James got Top on the phone and got it dropped. The themes of the apocalypse, how we got there, and spirituality, are evident throughout and even the loose structure and sight into the scaffolding of the songs add quite a bit to the overall feel of the album) *untitled 5

4. 4 Your Eyez Only- J. Cole (S/o to a conversation I had with my brother Joseph Davis about this album.As well as an article on Hotnewhiphop.com This was the first time that Cole attempted Jazz… Let me explain the divide between hip hops elite imo Cole and Kendrick is the divide between Blues and Jazz. Where Blues- Cole- is meant to hit you in your soul and make you feel by performing the genre at a high level, Jazz-kendrick- is often looking to push not only the genre but the listener. This was the first time I felt pushed by Cole. I had to go back and figure things out, how they fit into the concept, how this song related to this song, and how the story of James and Cole merged and diverged so wildly. I personally think this is some of if not the best Cole album we have gotten- Friday Nights still reigns as king tho. It also has the third highest selling First week of the year) *Neighbors

3. Still Brazy- YG (Trust me I am just as surprised as you! My Freshman year Jeffrey Cole told me that YG was the future and I audibly laughed… He was right. For all of you old heads who brag about the 90s as the golden era of hip hop if you don’t like this album you are a fraud. YG put out a 90s westcoast album in 2016 complete with G funk, gang bangin anthems that will have you twisting your fingers in the law school library and a misogynistic song that makes us all uncomfortable. Amber Rose or Cardi B will have to work with him on that because all the rest of his political views have grown into damn near activist anthems- FDT & FDT 2 should be played on loop at the inauguration) *Bool Balm and Bollective

2. The Life of Pablo- Kanye West (While not my favorite release of Kanye’s it is still incredibly inventive and good. Kanye combines the luxury and excess of MBDTF and the minimalist creative process of Yeezus- I hated the roll out but it is a revolutionary use of streaming services that cuts out quite a bit of the overall process- This duality creates a somewhat scattered project with the only thing binding it together is the individual genius of each song- the final version of wolves is sonically ridiculous with the mixture of Sia’s vocals and the howling of wolves and Kanye actually out rapped K. Dot on No More Parties in LA-I hope his mental health recovery stays on track and he stays away from Donald Drumpf) *Father Stretch My hands part 1

If you made it this far you either really love me or really love Hip hop either way I love you too……

1. Coloring Book- Chance the Rapper (But Alex this is a mixtape… Shut up.. As Kevonstage said this truly is a gospel album with a lil bit of cussin. It simultaneously balances staying so Chicago that I can the mild sauce on Juke Jam, staying so pop that I can see Taylor swift dancing off beat to All night, staying so hood that I can hear Future sippin lean on smoke break, staying so saved that Im sure someone’s granny has gone in to worship off of How great. When I tell you that this album got me through the last leg of !L I kid you not. Chance has created an entirely new lane not only in hip hop but in music. One that is unprecedented one that he is forging with a gospel in his back pocket) * Blessings