Archive for the 'Hip-Hop' Category
The Best Hip-Hop of 2012
THE BEST HIP-HOP ALBUMS OF 2012
1. R.A.P. Music – Killer Mike/El-P – For being the most unexpected and fruitful collaboration of the year.
2. Kolexxion – DJ Premier/Bumpy Knuckles – For demonstrating that Preemo’s rejected beats are better than most producers’ efforts, and for showing that – without Guru – Bumpy Knuckles knows how to handle them best.
3. Dice Game – Guilty Simpson/Apollo Brown – For knowing it would be dope just from the press release.
4. A Dream Deferred – Skyzoo – For Skyzoo’s voice and maturing vision.
5. Ill Manors – Plan B – For being a UK rap album with true soul and depth.
6. Baby Face Killa – Freddie Gibbs – For its sonic cohesion and Gibbs’ Tupac-like presence.
7. Good Kid Mad City – Kendrick Lamar – For being the past, the present, and the future of West Coast hip-hop.
8. Control Systems – Ab-Soul – For being the brightest young star in the new West Coast firmament.
9. Mourning in America and Dreaming in Colour – Brother Ali – For proving that I should have listened to Brother Ali earlier.
10. Trophies – O.C./Apollo Brown – For Apollo Brown being the new A-list producer in the underground.
11. The Heist – Macklemore/Ryan Lewis – For being pop, real, and epic.
12. God Forgives, I Don’t – Rick Ross – For Ross’s unique flow and his epic, cinematic beats.
13. Ohnomite – Oh No – For being yet another solid Stones Throw release.
14. Jesus Piece – Game – For marking Game’s graduation to OG.
15. Interludes after Midnight – Blockhead – For being an inheritor to DJ Shadow’s tradition.
16. Reloaded – Roc Marciano – For its grimy beats and gruff flow.
17. Napalm – Xzibit – For surprising us by not falling off.
18. Professor@Large – Large Professor – For its old-skool/nu-skool balance.
19. Mugshot Music – Showbiz/AG – For reppin’ the Bronx section.
20. Life is Good – Nas – For showing how rappers might manage the transition to adulthood.
THE BEST HIP-HOP JOINTS OF 2012
1. They Ready – J.Cole/Big K.R.I.T./Kendrick Lamar
2. M.A.A.D City feat MC Eiht – Kendrick Lamar
3. Hip Hop – Nas/Scarface
4. What I Do – Jon Connor
5. South Bronx Shit – Showbiz/AG
6. Ink Blotches – Guilty Simpson/Apollo Brown
7. Pirates – Rick Ross
8. Can’t Hold Us feat Ray Dalton – Macklemore/Ryan Lewis
9. Need a Knot feat Bun B – Brother Ali
10. Cold feat DJ Khaled – Kanye West
11. Deepest Shame – Plan B
12. Cheesesteaks – Vinnie Pax
13. Make the Sound feat Rhymefest – M.A.S.K.
14. Big Beast feat Bun B, T.I. & Trouble – Killer Mike/El-P
15. The Don – Nas
16. I Know This Game – Sadat X
17. Blasphemy (Blast 4 Me) – M.O.P.
18. HVN 4 A Gangsta feat Master P
19. B.A.P. – DJ Premier/Bumpy Knuckles
20. MARS – Large Professor
21. Anotha One – O.C./Apollo Brown
22. BFK – Freddie Gibbs
23. Give it Up – Skyzoo
24. Jingalin – Ludacris
25. Food – Masta Killer
Setlist (Cassetta, 17.5.12)
1. Oldie – Odd Future
2. Chewbacca – Random Axe
3. Blue Sky – Common
4. Dreamin’ – Big K.R.I.T.
5. Everything I Am – Kanye West
6. My God – Pusha T
7. Second Place – Royce Da 5’9
8. Stuck on You – Prodigy
9. Must Go Hard – Mobb Deep
10. 1979 – Jehst
11. A.D.H.D. – Kendrick Lamar
12. HiiPower – Kendrick Lamar
13. M.V.P. – Ludacris
14. That’s My B**** – Kanye West/Jay-Z
15. Bumping’ my Music feat Scarface – Ray Cash
16. We Ain’t Playin’ – DMP
17. Blasphemy – M.O.P.
18. Lyrical Tactics – Mr Voodoo
19. 212 feat Lazy J – Azaelia Banks
20. Body Work – Pusha T
21. Drug Test – The Game
22. Deadly Medley – Black Milk
23. South Bronx Shit – Showbiz/AG
25. One Time – The Roots
26. Look for tha Name – Sonja Blade
27. Celebrate – Common
28. Fast Lane – Eminem/Royce Da 5’9
29. Lord Knows feat Rick Ross – Drake
30. Ride With Me – Nelly
31. The Don – Nas
32. Cuban Link Kings – Cappadonna
33. I Wonder feat Hassan Chop – King Geedorah
34. Ready – NYGz
36. Dipset Anthem – The Diplomats
37. You Know What Time It Is – Teryaki Boyz
38. Ghetto Dreams feat Nas – Common
39. HYFR – Drake
40. All the Brothers – Strong Arm Steady
41. Time For Some Action – Action Bronson/Statik Selektah
42. Culture Move – Asian Dub Foundation
43. Feel tha Love – Nonstop II Rudmental
44. For the Record – Torae
45. Take Care feat Rhianna – Drake
46. Yonkers – Tyler the Creator
47. The Future feat MED – Guilty Simpson
48. Back At It – M.O.P.
49. NarcoCorrid – DJ Muggs/Ill Bill
50. End of the World – Lupe Fiasco
51. U’s a Freak – Black Milk
52. Like a Pimp – David Banner
53. Raid – Pusha T
54. Never a Dull Moment – Statik Selektah
55. Ruff Ryders’ Anthem – DMX
56. Jumanji – Azaelia Banks
57. N**** in Paris – Kanye West/Jay-Z
58. Trouble on my Mind – Pusha T
59. You Make Me Sick – Saigon
61. Keepin It Gangsta (Remix) – Fabolous
62. Luven Me – Nelly
63. Alcoholic Author – Jehst
64. Hail Mary – Tupac
No commentsFavourite 30 Hip-Hop Albums
Favourite 30 non-hip-hop albums coming soon…
30. Clipse – Hell Hath No Fury: For being sparse and scary throughout.
“Yo, what up? What up? This ya man Grinding, from downtown Norfolk/Just want y’all to know it’s about time/For us to come up and make a change man/They keep tryin’ to keep us down, but that ain’t the way to be man/It’s about time for us to get it together man/Everybody else got their shit together/Why the n**** can’t get they shit together and get they money together?/Hustlers come together with hustlers/Know what I’m sayin? This ain’t just for the playas in VA/This for playas all over the world, this Grinding” Read more
No commentsTop 30 Guest-Shots
Last week I turned thirty. To mark the occasion, I’ll be doing a number of ‘Top 30′ lists in the coming days and weeks. To kick off: Top 30 Guest-Shots.
30. Jadakiss: Rite Where You Stand
A common theme on this list is guest emcees murdering Guru on his own shit, although at least they have the decency to do it respectfully. Here it’s the barely perceptible shift from chorus to verse, the “they wanna know why I invest all my money in haze and dope…cos right now I’m currently a slave for Interscope,” and then the relentless upper cuts, reflected in the video, all with that incredible pearl voice captured brilliantly down at D&D, culminating in “Jay to the mwah” and Preemo speaking with his hands as we’d expect him to.
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