TOP 20 HIP HOP PROJECTS OF 2013

It's the end of the year, and it has been a very good year for hip hop. This year was so powerful and high quality, in my opinion that I've decided to do a top 20 list instead of my usual top 10. I couldn't conclude a top 10 for this amazing year, so why not extend it with more great rap albums? Without further ado this means it is time to reveal my very thought-out list of the top twenty hip hop projects of 2013. This list is not at all based on the scores these albums got in their reviews, but rather things like replay value and how much I enjoyed the music overall.

20. Denzel Curry- Nostalgic 64




Young Florida rapper Denzel Curry came through here with a personal and introspective album, something I wasn't really expecting when i initially heard a song or two of his. N64 featured some great atmospheric beats and smart rhymes about a variety of different topics. I also liked this project a lot for his cool and relaxed vibe, something that is always a welcome change from high energy bangers.

19. R.A. the Rugged Man- Legends Never Die

Legends Never Die was R.A. the Rugged Man's triumphant return to rap. After not releasing an album since 2004, he came back and dropped a fantastic album. R.A. can really make a song about anything, as he says what he wants and has no regrets about it. This guy has insane technical ability, and I'm always left wondering how he is even rapping this fast or how he managed to connect one word with another. R.A. is a true legend in hip hop and this album was a solid reminder of how talented he's been for so many years.

18. Danny Brown- Old

While it was slightly disappointing coming off his 2011 masterpiece XXX, Danny Brown's first big-time studio album was pretty solid as an overall project. He continued his style from XXX of splitting the album into two stylistically different halves, and he shows his signature creativity and personality throughout. Old has its fair share of wild bangers,  good feature verses, and serious emotional tracks, the latter of which make up a stunning section of the album that is my favorite for sure. Danny remains one of my favorites in all of hip hop after this one.

17. Vince Staples- Stolen Youth

This tape is even further evidence of Vince Staples' ongoing come up as an MC. Laced with a collection of fun and atmospheric beats from Larry Fisherman (Mac Miller) Vince tells stories of personal triumph and the streets he grew up on. He is pretty consistent throughout this project, and he switches up his subject matter a lot. Add in some big name features dropping great verses and this mixtape sounds pretty nice to me.


16. CJ Fly- Thee Way Eye See It

Prior to this project I had really only thought of CJ Fly as a Pro Era member in the shadow of Joey Badass. I had heard a few solid verses but nothing to really shake off the mindset I had about him. Thee Way Eye See It totally changed my whole opinion on him. Hearing a full body of work from CJ introduced me to some brand new sides of him. He can be a really good storyteller, evidenced by some of my favorite tracks on this tape. He even worked some really nice catchy hooks into some of these songs. It is always good when a rapper seems to go from being sort of nondescript to being a real artist, and CJ easily did that on this project. 

15. Cakes da Killa- The Eulogy

This mixtape came out of nowhere for me, but I am so happy I found it. Cakes Da Killa put together one of the most energetic, crazy, and dynamic projects I have heard in a while. Cakes' flow is unreal, and the beats on this album are incredible. The Eulogy has its own unique sound, and I think the individuality of all these tracks is truly what made me like it so much.

14. Chance the Rapper- Acid Rap

Even if I didn't feel this project didn't deserve the crazy amount of praise it got this year, Chance the Rapper's Acid Rap is still a damn good project, and I'm happy he has broken out into the scene as a result of it. He wastes no time in creating his own style on Acid Rap, coming through with a banging intro track that sets the tone for the sounds of Chance's drug-riddled adventures. I loved the overall vibe this mixtape had, and I'm really excited now to see how Chance follows it up.

13. Flatbush Zombies- Better Off Dead



On Better Off Dead, New York trio Flatbush Zombies only improved on their winning formula of eccentric voices and lyrics over some dark and creative production. This mixtape flowed nicely and the Zombies really know how put all the elements together and make a great collection of songs.A special shout out to Meechy Darko, because this guy manages to make my jaw drop on a lot of his verses. The guy has a unique voice that pushes the zombie themes of this tape forward and goes wild on so many of these beats.


12. Kanye West- Yeezus

Kanye killed it once again with a very good solo album. I enjoyed the odd, industrial, angry, vibe of this album and his abrasive, memorable lyrics were fun to listen to. This album only proved to me how much of an innovative artist Kanye is, as time and time again he is creating a new sound for himself.

11. Mac Miller- Delusional Thomas

Mac Miller had a great year. After releasing a successful studio album in the summer, he comes right back and drops this gem of a short mixtape, Delusional Thomas. Mac was so creative on this, creating a psychopathic alter ego by altering his voice and making some seriously dark and sinister rap music.


10. Killer Mike and El-P- Run the Jewels



The exceptional duo of Killer Mike and El-P get together on Run the Jewels for an aggressive, raw, and nasty collaborative album. On Run the Jewels, these two seasoned vets trade bars over some classic El-P production, and it just sounds fantastic. My favorite thing about this album is how Killer Mike's hard, direct lyrics coexist with El-P's dense, odd wordplay. Even though the album didn't have much of an actual concept or theme, it didn't have to with the amount of energy and hard bars these guys hit you with.

9. ASAP Ferg- Trap Lord



With Trap Lord, A$AP Ferg showed why Rocky isn't the only MC to watch out for from the A$AP Mob. Ferg is a funny and unique rapper on Trap Lord, He uses an awesome rapping-singing hybrid, making a lot of these songs very catchy and memorable. This album's strengths are pure, genuine ignorant fun, and that's what gives Trap Lord a lot of replay value for me. Its hard not to like someone just having fun making catchy trap bangers.


8. Childish Gambino- Because the Internet

An album that has been praised time and time again this year, Because the Internet deserves it. Gambino impresses me more and more with every project, and here he weaved together a socially aware and deep concept album. Childish Gambino consistently wows me with his smart punchlines, which are put together with his conscious and topical lyrics. Despite being a pretty lengthy album, I never got bored due to the constantly changing narrative and the way he seemed to be getting deeper and deeper as it went on. Gambino establishes himself as one of the best with the crazy amount of content and symbolism he packs into this story.


7. Pusha T- My Name is My Name



Once I heard Pusha T's first solo album was finally going to drop I got pretty excited, and sure enough My Name is My Name was this guy's best work yet. This project was just what I wanted out of it: Pusha T spitting some crazy bars over some smooth, old school, underground type beats. The features on this album were great and Pusha T solidified himself as one of the best rappers in the mainstream right now. The man has been impressing me for years and it was really satisfying to hear an official entire body of work from Pusha.

6. ILLFIGHTYOU- ILLFIGHTYOU



Seattle hip hop trio ILLFIGHTYOU came out of nowhere and dropped an absolutely killer mixtape. These guys simply spit over some really unorthodox, but well done instrumentals. Each of these three rappers have their own special qualities, and you feel a huge sense of chemistry, that these guys just love making music together. This mixtape was dope and these guys have a bright future in the underground.

5. A$AP Rocky- LongLiveA$AP



A$AP killed it with this album, which was a versatile collection of tracks that showcased this guy's bag of tricks perfectly. This had radio hits, druggy slow songs, lyrical songs, and even a straight hip hop song with seven rappers on it. A$AP's flow is simply impeccable, as he changes it up so much that it makes each song exciting to listen to. A$AP Rocky simply knows what he's doing, and is one of my favorite artists right now.

4. Durag Dynasty- 360 Waves

California rap trio Durag Dynasty got together with legendary producer The Alchemist and crafted an excellent album. This album was pure spitting all the way through, as Planet Asia, Tristate, and Killer Ben are some of the most proficient and talented rappers I have heard in a while. Alchemist's beats on this album were layered, dense, and perfect for the rapping competition these guys seemed to be having in the songs.

3. Earl Sweatshirt- Doris

Odd Future member Earl Sweatshirt's very long awaited debut album, Doris, was exactly what I wanted and way more. The dark production was nice, and so were the features, but the main highlight is the incredible rapping skill that Earl possesses. His lyricism on Doris is the best its ever been, and he has a lazy flow that is somehow also exciting to listen to at the same time . Every time this guy comes with a new crazy line or thought provoking set of bars he just delivers it in such a unique way. Earl is easily one of the best rappers to burst into the underground in a while, and being this young he's got an amazing future ahead of him


2. Tyler, the Creator- Wolf



With Wolf, Tyler continues to show me why he is one of the most creative people in hip hop right now. Tyler put so much passion, effort, and artistry into this album, and it shows in the music. Tyler stepped up his rapping ability and this was the best production I have ever heard him do. The best part is that Tyler was flawlessly able to tell the album's story through the music. He does this beautifully, and this ends up sounding more like a movie than a collection of songs. Fantastic.

1. Mr. Muthafuckin Exquire- Kismet



Brooklyn MC Mr. Muthafuckin Exquire simply put together an album with no flaws. Kismet had terrific cohesion and the songs easily flowed together. The production was insane, with everything from creepy atmospheric beats to radiant soul samples.  Exquire is a pure enigma as a rapper, yet he has literally everything I look for in one. He will deliver some hilarious, wildly inappropriate lyric, followed by a series of ancient religious passages or a vocabulary word that you have to go Google. He is extremely grimy and raunchy. but also very intellectual and spiritual at the same time. The hooks here are catchy, his gruff voice and delivery come straight out the 90s New York hip hop scene, and he really goes at you  from so many directions and angles on this album. Exquire succeeds at all risks he takes on Kismet, and that's why it is album of the year.

Childish Gambino- Because the Internet ALBUM REVIEW

Childish Gambino is definitely one of the most intriguing artists in hip hop today. A lot of this is due to his past as an actor and comedian, as he was already a well-known name before he went into rapping. I have not really been a fan of this guy so far. Even though his first two projects, Camp (2011), and Royalty (2012) were both extremely different, neither of them clicked with me. While I know he is a great rapper with interesting lyrics and a cool personality, I haven't seen him put together a cohesive, good project. Will it happen with Because the Internet?

Starting with the rapping, Gambino was on top of his game on this album. While not every song featured rapping, Gambino spit hard on some songs. He still has lyrics that are just intriguing to listen to, as he combines brutally honest, personal lines with simple, funny punchlines. Gambino also knows how to make some good topical tracks. A good example of this is the third song on this album, Worldstar. Only Childish Gambino would do a song about WorldStarHipHop, and he does it great, with humorous lines everywhere and references to the website. Another fantastic showcase of lyricism was the song No Exit, where he sounds like a real psycho who doesn't have a balanced view of reality, He is being paranoid about everything and he sounds crazy here. It is awesome to listen to, with memorable lines all over the song. From technical standpoint, Gambino is very solid. His flow changes up a lot on this album. My favorite showcase of his flow would have to be the song Sweatpants. He totally kills it here, flowing over the beat at different speeds and rhyme schemes. It really is proof of how natural rapping comes to this guy. My last, and most surprising note about Gambino would be how well he sings on this album. A lot of these tracks are poppy love songs with singing hooks, which he does very well. Songs like Shadows, 3005, Pink Toes, and Telegraph Ave all feature catchy, well done hooks. I really can't complain too much about these songs, except for that some of them sound a little too happy for my liking. Still, great job by Gambino being diverse and doing lots of different things.

To say it simply, the production on this album are stellar. For the most part, these beats are very futuristic, atmospheric, and have a lot going on. Clearly, a lot of work went into these instrumentals. The first one that really impressed me was the song The Crawl. During the hook, the beat was minimal with some simple, low piano sounds, but then, the beat suddenly drops into an explosive, dark synth pattern that sounds sick. This beat was incredible and the song as a whole was a highlight of the album. Another wild instrumental, and possibly the most wild on the album, was the song Zealots of Stockholm. This was the most experimental song on the album and it went over very well. It started with a very soft drum clap mixed with some emotional pianos, but evolves into a cluster of many differnt sinister, dark sounds meshed together. Once Gambino starts rapping, the song features an atmospheric vocal sample. This song really is an adventure of production. It goes in so many different directions that it ends up sounding awesome. Overall, the production here was fantastic. It had so many unique moments that really separated it from your average hip hop album.

This album followed a pretty interesting theme of the internet. It was a bit of a concept album, with the last two tracks really wrapping up the story in a cool way. Earth: The Oldest Computer is a very interesting song with a cool idea, some witty wordplay and lyrics, and a solid feature by Azalea Banks. This song was decent, but the real masterpiece of this album is the closer, which is titled Life: the Biggest Troll. Gambino is very introspective on this song, as he delivers some personal lyrics about his past, as well as his future, while dishing out some great punchlines in the process. He seriously impressed me on this song, as this was the best I've ever heard him on a track. If I had to think of any complaints for this album, my main one is just nitpicking, but I really wish Chance the Rapper had a verse on The Worst Guys. His contribution to that song is so minimal, I don't even know why it's there. That is such a small complaint though, as Gambino seriously surprised me and came through with this album

BECAUSE THE INTERNET WRAP UP
+Incredible performance overall by Gambino, flow, delivery, etc. were all on point
+Sticks to his usual humorous style a lot
+Tries new things, is very bold and took a lot of chances that worked
+Terrific atmospheric, dark, unique production
+Cool story and concept
-Some songs were a little too happy/poppy

Best: The Crawl, Shadows, No Exit

Worst: Flight of the Navigator

Childish Gambino- Because the Internet
8.8/10

Black Milk- No Poison No Paradise ALBUM REVIEW

Today's review is on No Poison No Paradise, the new album from Detroit rapper/producer Black Milk. I have always liked Black Milk, but I have never considered myself a huge fan of his work. To me, he is just an enjoyable artist at best. I have always thought his production outshines his rapping, as he can be a pretty boring rapper sometimes. Will this new, entirely self-produced album change my opinion?

To start with the beats, Black Milk's production on this project is stellar. He seems to take influences from several different types of music on this album. There are jazzy sounds, electronic sounds, classic hip hop sounds, and even rock sounds here. Even with its variety, the beats maintain a dark, solemn vibe for the majority of this album. On a lot of these beats, Black Milk doesn't try to do too much with the beats, sticking with more minimalistic sounds. One of the beats where that happens is the song Dismal, where there is really not much going on, just some creepy synthesizers and soft drums. It is a very interesting beat that has a distinct vibe to it. Another simple, but effective beat is the song Sunday's Best, which just uses some soulful choir samples and booming drums. The following song, Monday's Worst, comes in with a similar instrumental, very soulful with catchy drum sounds. This album does have some seriously funky beats, though. The first track, Interpret Sabotage, comes in with some wild electronic synthesizers that sound epic. The song Ghetto DEMF has more high pitched synthesizers which fuse nicely with the hard, fast paced drums. This album's lone instrumental track, Sonny Jr., is an interesting jazz and hip hop blend. This song has it all, the smooth horns, quick drumming, and cold pianos, topped off with a nice synth pattern that sounds very well done overall. The instrumentals on No Poison No Paradise were unique, versatile, and extremely impressive.

Aside from the beats, the highlight of the album was Black Milk's lyricism. He tells some honest, realistic Detroit hood stories on this album, letting you know where he came from. My favorite display of this was the song Perfected On Puritan Ave. Here, Black Milk paints a vivid picture of his childhood, describing everything from playing basketball with his friends to finding out a man just got jumped. It is a rather grim representation of Black Milk's past in Detroit. Another storytelling track on this album is Sunday's Best. On this song, Black Milk describes the religious family that he grew up with. He talks about having to go to church in the morning when he really didn't want to. The detail he goes into is awesome, talking about what he had to wear to church, and how he would rather just stay home and play video games. It is a terrific track that has an interesting topic, and Black Milk kills it. Many tracks on this album have one simple topic that Black Milk expands and goes into detail with. Songs like Parallels (a love story), Deion's House (dealing with a friend's mother who didn't like him), and Money Bags (people in Detroit doing anything for money).

This album's weakest link is probably Black Milk's technical rapping ability. While he is definitely not terrible, he just isn't unique at all from that standpoint. He doesn't change up his flow, and he has a pretty uninteresting voice. The only track where Black Milk really impressed me with his rapping was on the song Interpret Sabotage, but this was only because he was rapping a lot faster than usual. Of course, all of this is fine because Black Milk's lyrics are clearly the focus of the album, and that definitely works. As far as features go, there were only a few, but I didn't have a problem with any of them. I thought Black Milk and Black Thought had great chemistry on Codes and Cab Fare, and Black Thought's verse was stellar. On Ghetto DEMF, Quelle Chris jumps in for an entertaining and well executed verse.

NO POISON NO PARADISE WRAP UP
+Great topical tracks
+Black Milk's lyricism is fantastic, he can tell stories flawlessly
+Very personal and honest album
+Great instrumental variety
+The album keeps up a solemn, dark sound
-Black Milk doesn't have great technical rapping skills

Best: Codes and Cab Fare, Perfected on Puritan Ave, Dismal

Worst: X Chords

Black Milk- No Poison No Paradise
8.3/10