Firstly, I'll just list 25-11 and then go into more detail as I get to the top 10.
25. Of Monsters and Men - Beneath The Skin
24. The Weeknd - Beauty Behind the Madness
23. Kirk Knight - Late Knight Special
22. Drake - If You're Reading This It's Too Late
21. Earl Sweatshirt - I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside
20. A$AP Rocky - AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP
19. Logic - The Incredible True Story
18. Lupe Fiasco - Tetsuo & Youth
17. Freddie Gibbs - Shadow of a Doubt
16. Pusha T - King Push - Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude
15. Mac Miller - GO:OD AM
14. Vince Staples - Summertime '06
13. Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment - Surf
12. Jay Rock - 90059
11. BADBADNOTGOOD & Ghostface Killah - Sour Soul
10. Dr. Dre - ComptonPosted ImageWait, where's
Detox??? Finally after 16 long years, Dre releases his 3rd studio album, Compton. Somewhere between this album and his last one, he decided that the highly anticipated
Detox (the supposed 3rd Dre album) wasn't good enough, and he completely switched gears and made this album instead. It's a move I can respect, and I suppose we won't know if this was a wise decision or not unless he decides to release whatever
Detox ended up being. Critics of this album will say it's not that great because it lacks that sound present in his other albums, or it's too trendy, or it's just a typical modern hip-hop album and not a Dr. Dre project. Despite all those claims, I think Compton is still a great album in its own right, even if it's not quite like
The Chronic or
2001.
9. Travis Scott - RodeoPosted ImageOne of my surprises of the year. I listened to his last mixtape and while it certainly had its moments, I found it okay. This time though, Travis really brought it with this album, especially on the production side. Admittedly it's not very lyrical, however the beats, the overall aesthetic sound and vibe of this album are amazing. Another downside to this album is it's hard to get a grasp on who Travis Scott is as a rapper. He's either autotuning the fuck out of his voice (which is fine by me), or he sounds like Kanye, or he sounds like what I think is himself but I'm not very sure. However, Travis clearly shows his talents as a producer throughout this album. The features are well used, the songs are certified bangers, and the beats are excellent, dark, and very catchy. If he keeps it up on the production side and comes into his own as a rapper, he could very well put out a classic album in the near future.
8. The Game - The Documentary 2.5Posted ImageThis album is also one of my surprises of the year. Maybe I'm cheating by putting one half of a double album on here, but it
was released independently of
The Documentary 2. While
The Documentary 2 is a pretty solid album, and Game returns to an ambition and lyricism found in his first album,
The Documentary,
The Documentary 2.5 overshadows its other half and is a great standalone project in its own right. There's a certain duality to this album, with the first half having more hard, dark, lyrical tracks, and the second half mostly has a vintage G-Funk West Coast sound. Game goes into detail about street life in the first half, and laments at times to the lifestyle he has lived while also talking about what it's like in Compton, being a Blood, and the whole rivalry against the Crips. Nas puts forth an excellent two verses in "The Ghetto", and Scarface also has a strong verse in "Last Time You Seen" where Game talks about the mystery of Tupac's death. While some don't particularly care for the second half of the album (which is certainly a little looser in concept), I still really enjoy this half a lot. G-Funk type tracks like "Quik's Groove (The One)" and "Up On The Wall" have a great vibe to them. Travis Barker (yes, THAT Travis Barker) produces "Outside" and it's actually pretty good. Towards the end of the album, the G-Funk vibe goes away but it has a great ending track, "El Chapo" which is an unexpected Skrillex collab that's also pretty fucking awesome.
7. Beach House - Depression CherryPosted ImageAs musical genius DJ Khaled says, "It's a vibe". That's pretty much how I feel about Beach House. I've always loved their sound on basically all their albums. While
Depression Cherry isn't as great as
Teen Dream, it may be better than
Bloom. To me though it doesn't matter how it stacks up to their previous two albums, because Beach House continues to do what they do best. As always, they do a great job of making an atmospheric, ambient sound with the ability to shape it in ways that convey a variety of emotions. It's a very cohesive album with no bad tracks on it.
6. The Underachievers - Evermore: The Art of DualityPosted ImageThis is definitely their best project since
Indigoism, and it's probably their best project yet. While The Game shows a duality in The Documentary 2.5, The Underachievers also put forth a duality in this album that is more concrete, thought out, and carried out better in concept. The Underachievers have always strived for a more conscious and philosophical sound in their music, however at times it’s quite vague as to what they're referring when they're dropping knowledge on their listeners. This time though, they put forth their ideology in a much more concise way in this album. The first half of this "duality" has more light, jazzy, and upbeat sound. Issa Gold and AK talk about how they've made it despite their rough past and the struggles they've had, and now they're grateful to be in a position where they do what they love and spread that positive energy. The flipside to this of course is the darker side to the duality, where the sound is definitely moodier and presents that dark atmosphere. Even though The Underachievers have that positive side, growing up in the rougher parts of Brooklyn is something that always sticks with them, and they go more in depth to their rough past and the negative aspects of their life. Overall, this album illustrates that balance of the light and dark and the good and bad. An excellent concept that is very well carried out, with an enjoyable sound.
5. Tame Impala - CurrentsPosted ImageSure, it's not as good as
Lonerism, and I certainly wished they used guitars more. But that doesn't mean this album is bad. In fact I think it's still really good. I like the switch in the overall sound of this record, the synths are pretty good and provide a very artful, colorful feel to the sound. It's very well produced, and even though guitars take somewhat of a back seat to the album, they are still present and contribute to the overall quality of the music, and still take the lead in songs like "The Less I Know The Better" and "Disciples". Overall, I think it still sounds great, and I've had songs like "Let It Happen" and "The Less I Know The Better" on repeat for a while now.
4. Alabama Shakes - Sound & ColorPosted ImageMan, there's not many other songs that open up an album better than the title track, "Sound & Color" does. The intro and the entire buildup towards the end had me completely enthralled. Alabama Shakes keep the momentum going track after track, with great song after great song. They still stick to the classic blues, southern, and garage rock sound that they have, but while maintaining their signature sound they also push toward something a little more modern. "Sound & Color" definitely goes for something different than their previous album, and "Future People" definitely has a sort of "futuristic" Alabama Shakes sound if that makes any sense. The rest of the album is great as well, and I couldn't stop returning to it after my first listen.
3. Death Grips - The Powers That BPosted ImageI've learned to appreciate the hip-hop that's way out there, like Death Grips. It's like hip-hop meets metal meets punk rock. These guys are always wild as fuck too, and that crazy eccentricity carries out in this double album. All the elements of a great Death Grips record are here: atypical song progression, moments of songs that are SUPER bangin, and the great production pulling from different genres and influences. MC Ride is always doing his thing on this entire double album as well. Every time I listen to this I headbang like I'm at a metal concert and I feel like fucking shit up. This album is that amazingly wild.
its true patrician music
2. Joey Bada$$ - B4.DA.$$Posted ImageI suppose it's strange to put an artist with a very original sound behind one with a very nostalgic sound, but I just think Joey's album is that good. Finally after a few years of putting out mixtapes, New York rapper Joey Bada$$ came through with his debut album, and it was well worth the wait. Highly influenced by the '90s, Joey Bada$$ continues to bring forth a nostalgic sound with great lyricism. He's got cosigns from hip-hop legends like The Roots who produced the very smooth "Like Me", and DJ Premier (again) who produced the song "Paper Trail$", my favorite song on the album. Joey for the most part brings forth his hard and aggressive delivery on this one, such as songs like "Big Dusty", "No. 99", and "Christ Conscious", but he still likes going softer on songs such as "Like Me", "On & On", and "Curry Chicken". Joey comes at you on various fronts, showing his versatility as an MC and his great lyrical ability, with excellent production behind him. Joey Bada$$ and Pro Era never disappoint, and this go-around Joey continues to improve, with this project being his best yet.
1. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a ButterflyPosted ImageIt's at the top of a lot of lists as well as mine, and for good reason. I'll admit that took me a little while to really get into Kendrick Lamar, but after a few listens I bought in to King Kendrick. He's built up quite the reputation with his last two albums, Section.80 and Good Kid, m.A.A.d City, so there were very high expectations for this album. Somehow, and I still don't know how, he blew them out of the water. Given the political climate today and the current conversation regarding police brutality, #BlackLivesMatter, and the general well-being of the black community as a whole, it was a perfect time for this album to be released. In his lyrics, Kendrick lays it all out, rapping about a variety of social issues and issues surrounding him personally. He raps about dealing with success and his connection to his hometown, Compton after becoming famous. He goes into his dark inner thoughts on the track "u", while also trying to uplift himself and those around him with songs like "Alright" and "i". He gives his take on the current social, political, and economic climate surrounding the black community, and goes into personal stories that describe his experiences relating to all these subjects, including songs like "How Much a Dollar Cost". Kendrick isn't just spewing shit out though, his writing beautifully connects all these themes (and others) into a very cohesive and conceptual album. Not only is this album very lyrical and well written, the sound is enjoyable as well. The beats draw from jazz, funk, and r&b influences, and also has a spoken word influence especially in the track "For Free". Every time I go through this album, it never gets old on me, and I'm always finding something different that Kendrick is referencing to in each song. I could keep going on and on about this album, but let's just end it with this:
To Pimp a Butterfly might go down in history as one of the best and most important albums in American music. It really is that good. It might lose to Taylor Swift for Album of the Year at the Grammys (lmao!!!!), but I think this album is going to set the benchmark for albums that rappers aspire to make in terms of quality. It may be the best hip-hop album of this decade (I think it certainly could be so far), and that's not something I say lightly.