Killer Mike & El-P- Run the Jewels 2
Simply put, this album was killer, and everyone knew it was going to be. This is one of the best rap duos to come along in a while. What many people didn't expect, though, is why this album was so good. While the first RTJ made top ten lists thanks to its sheer energy and banging beats, this one was a little different. This album featured some deep lyrical content being brought to the table from Killer Mike and El-P. There was storytelling and politics in the lyrics on tracks like Early and Crown. This was definitely a nice addition and showed the evolution of this duo. My favorite tracks on this, though, were the head-banging blows of energy, like Oh My Darling Don't Cry and Blockbuster Night Pt. 1.
Killer Mike was just ridiculous as usual, cementing his place as one of the most well-rounded, likable, and passionate rappers in all of hip hop. El-P was his usual crafty self, coming up with some crazy lines and flowing very well over his own production. Speaking of his production, it was pretty incredible. It really varied, and matched well to what they were rapping about. Example: Love Again, the lone dirty, sexual track on the album. The beat here is amazing, slowed-down and seductive. El-P is an absolute genius and every beat on RTJ2 is perfect.
Overall this was unsurprisingly one of the best projects of 2014. Killer Mike and El-P came at you from all angles, being funny, political, and just mean. This project excelled on all levels and you can only hope this duo keeps coming back together for more albums.
Best: Oh My Darling Don't Cry, Blockbuster Night Pt. 1, Close Your Eyes
Worst: All My Life
9.3/10 **#4 best album of 2014 **
Logic- Under Pressure
I was moderately excited for Logic's debut album, Under Pressure, but the final product disappointed me a bit. I have always known that this guy can spit, and he showed it on this project. Logic has some insane technical skill, rapping at all different speeds and with a multitude of different flows. He created some solid tracks on this album just off of his spitting ability, combined with his lyricism. This album is basically Logic telling his life story about growing up around tough circumstances and getting to where he is today. He showed tons of ambition on this album, but I don't think the final project came together all that well.
Logic definitely put together some good songs as he tells his story on Under Pressure. The song Gang Related was fantastic, combining a very eerie, almost scary instrumental with Logic's tales of growing up around gang violence. Growing Pains III was also pretty good, where Logic talked about how tough his childhood was with his messed up family. These songs were great, but a majority of Under Pressure was kind of forgettable. Many of the songs were way too long and got pretty boring. Logic came off a bit corny on a few of these tracks and much of Under Pressure sounded a lot like he was reaching way too far for a Kendrick Lamar kind of sound. Sure, Logic is a really good MC, a solid storyteller, and can make songs, but on this album he didn't show much of it.
Best: Gang Related, Growing Pains III, Bounce
Worst: Never Enough
6.7/10
Future- Monster
As a huge fan of this artist, it should come off as no surprise that I loved this mixtape. Future came through earlier this year with a solid studio album in Honest, where he experimented with some different beats and sounds. This paid off and the album was really good, but on Monster, he returned to classic Future. The beats on here were trap influenced, Future's voice was booming, and the album was fun all the way through. The only flaw here was that there were some really forgettable tracks on the mixtape, but the highs on Monster were really, really high.
The standout track, and one of my favorite songs of the whole year, was the title track, Monster. This is one of Future's best songs that he has made, and I see it as classic Future. The song Throw Away was split into two parts, and Future did a great job telling the story across the whole track. The song After That was a complete banger with a really catchy chorus and decent verse from Lil Wayne. I think Future showed a lot of emotion on this mixtape, and it showed the most on the 6 minute closer, Codeine Crazy. Future showed a lot of passion on this track, and the song seemed like a big reflection on his past decisions, making it a pretty mature and serious track to end the project. This mixtape was an awesome collection of bangers from Future, and it is great that he continues to give his fans what they want.
Best: Monster, After That, Codeine Crazy
Worst: Radical
8.0/10
Fabolous- The Young OG Project
Fabolous dropped a new studio album out of nowhere, and to make things even more weird, it came out right on Christmas Day. This was a bold move from Fab, someone who hasn't really been on my radar in at least a few years. But let me tell you, this, along with YG's My Krazy Life, may be one of my biggest surprise albums of 2014. This album was nothing more than a collection of songs with no theme to it, but these songs were just well executed, had great production, and were awesome. Fabolous showed himself as what he's always been, but what I didn't think he still was: a captivating MC with ridiculous wordplay, and solid rhyme schemes. He really killed it on these tracks, and he may have cemented himself as an all-time great with this album.
Right from the start of the album, Fabolous was making a statement. The first four tracks on Young OG are all fantastic songs. The opener, Lituation, had a great beat, and Fabolous put together a nice hook with good verses, Things only got better on We Good, which featured Rich Homie Quan. RHQ made a cool, melodic chorus for this track to go with more good verses from Fab. Then came another solid track with All Good, one that featured some Biggie samples for an old-school sound. The album hit its absolute climax with You Made Me. This outstanding track featured Fab working with singer Tish Hyman for a catchy hook, then he used some of his signature wordplay for the great verses. After a drop in quality in the next few songs, the album picked it up for the last two tracks. Cinnamon Apple featured Fabolous telling a story of a girl he loved in middle school, and he really sucks you into the story here, with the song also featuring a stellar beat. The album-closing title track was pretty epic, and a fitting ending to an awesome project from a veteran MC.
Best: We Good, You Made Me, Cinnamon Apple
Worst: She Wildin
8.4/10
Prhyme-Prhyme
Prhyme. A collaboration between Detroit MC Royce da 5'9 and legendary producer DJ Premier. Yes, this project was every bit as awesome as it sounds. There isn't much to say about this project, honestly. It is only 9 songs long, and it is full of old-school rap that many can appreciate. However, this production was pretty surprising, with DJ Premier using some more unorthodox sounds rather than his usual New York boom-bap beats. This was no problem for Royce, though, who was an absolute beast on this. He was his usual cocky, hilarious self and he sounded great.
The real story of this project was definitely the features. I did not expect this to have such awesome features, with many of my favorite rappers coming up for verses on these songs. This starts with the song Dat Sound Good, which featured Ab-Soul and Mac Miller. The highlight was Soulo, who spit one of the best verses I've heard from him in a while. Common spit a great sounding verse on the song Wishin, which was also my favorite track thanks to its sudden beat changes. Killer Mike and Schoolboy Q were their usual aggressive selves on Underground Kings, but one rapper came out on top of all these features on Phryme. It was Jay Electronica on the song To Me, To You. This verse was pretty relaxed, with Jay Elec dropping serious knowledge throughout. Phryme's project was a joy, as it was some classic sounding hip hop with amazing MC's spitting like crazy over awesome beats.
Best: Dat Sound Good, Wishin, To Me To You
Worst: Courtesy
8.7/10
Domo Genesis- Under the Influence 2
This was a mixtape that I was excited for all year, mostly because Domo Genesis slays every guest verse he has. He had awesome features on albums like Pinata, Lord Steppington, Doris and more.This Odd Future member has shown considerable improvement for a couple years now, but unfortunately I just didn't hear it on Under the Influence 2. This mixtape sounded a bit sloppy overall, and Domo just didn't seem to be taking it as seriously as he takes his guest verses, much to my disappointment. The tape featured numerous pointless skits and interludes, when all I wanted was for Domo to spit.
When Domo did rap on this tape, he sounded pretty solid. Not as good as I've heard him the past, but still solid. The first song that stuck out to me here was Most Subtle Flex Ever. Over a mellow, fun beat, Domo flowed really well and sounded extremely smooth. He made some crazy beat decisions here, rapping over Pusha T's Alone in Vegas and Drake's Wu-Tang Forever. He sounded alright over these, but I like hearing Domo over different kinds of instrumentals. The track 24 Hour Spitness was pretty good, and Hodgy Beats came through with a really good guest verse. The track with Mac Miller was also nice, but it was too short. Overall this tape was a disappointment for me, as it featured a rapidly improving MC who I feel can make an excellent project. Under the Influence 2 just didn't have enough firepower or consistency to be very good.
Best: Doms in Vegas, Most Subtle Flex Ever, 15 Bars
Worst: X
6.8/10
J. Cole- 2014 Forest Hills Drive
I've never been a huge J Cole fan, and I've honestly never seen all the hype about him. I thought his album Born Sinner was alright, and he has some good tracks, but I'm not sold on him. This is what I felt before I heard 2014 Forest Hills Drive. Now, my opinion has completely changed. This album is excellent. I really can't praise Cole enough for this album. I loved everything that he did here. No single, no features, and no mainstream sound. He hit the nail on the head. 2014 Forest Hills Drive revolves around a theme of J Cole's personal life. How he grew up, the area he is from, and how it made him into the man he is today.
J Cole showed himself as an incredible lyricist on this album. To help him tell the story of his adolescence, he told a series of short stories, starting with the track Wet Dreamz. This song was a detailed narrative of a love he had when he was a teenager. He lies to her, saying he is a virgin, only to find out when he gets in bed with her that she is also a virgin. On '03 Adolescence, he talks about friendships in high school, and wanting to be like that thug who sells drugs, when really its the drug dealer who wants to be like Cole. This album isn't all stories, though, as this album also features some genuine catchiness and banging beats, specifically on Tale of 2 Citiez. This track was a complete banger with a dark and menacing beat. The song GOMD was the most experimental, with some weird, chopped up vocal samples as the beat. Lastly, Cole shows so much variety here, from dissing Eminem and Macklemore on Fire Squad, singing a heartfelt ballad on St. Tropez, and stressing to love what you have on Love Yourz. J Cole blew me away on this album and made me a fan.
Best: Wet Dreamz, Tale of 2 Citiez, GOMD
Worst: Hello
9.0/10 *#7 Best Album of 2014*
Rick Ross- Hood Billionaire
I was actually a pretty huge fan of Rick Ross's album that dropped in March, Mastermind. The album featured great production and some really catchy and replayable songs from Ross. I really can't say the same about Hood Billionaire, his second album of 2014. Rick Ross returned to all the things I don't like about him on this album. The rhyme schemes were simple as can be, and the beats did not feature as much variety as what was on Mastermind. There just wasn't anything about this album that stood out. It was horribly generic.
When a track on Hood Billionaire really appealed to me, it would be because of the features or the instrumental, never because of Rick Ross. He really disappointed me on this album, as I heard some solid rapping from him on Mastermind. None of the solo tracks from Ross here were any good, but I enjoyed a few of the collaborations. Nickel Rock, a track with Boozie Badazz, was pretty enjoyable, as it used a fast tempo and energy-filled rapping from Boozie that I really enjoyed. On the other end of the spectrum, I loved the song Quintessential because of how relaxed it was. Snoop Dogg's hook on this song was probably the best part of the album. Overall, this album was subpar at best, and I think Rick Ross may have used up all his good bars on Mastermind.
Best: Nickel Rock, Quintessential, Brimstone
Worst: Neighborhood Drug Dealer
5.5/10
ASAP Ferg- Ferg Forever
My hype for this project was really really high, and for good reason: ASAP Ferg is absolutely awesome. His 2013 studio album Trap Lord was pretty impossible to dislike, and this guy makes energetic rap music that is undeniably fun and catchy, while also being very unique. This definitely does not change on Ferg Forever, a mixtape that shows Ferg sounding even crazier than ever. His weirder side comes out on many songs here, but it just wouldn't be Ferg without being absolutely bizarre.
This tape just features a multitude of higlights. The second song here, Jungle, showed off Ferg's skills perfectly, with a banging instrumental for him to rap on. Ferg's flow was great and his collaborator on the song, Marty Baller, had a fantastic verse as well. Other songs on Ferg Forever show off his amazing ability to craft a catchy hook. This Side, Dope Walk, and Real Thing all stayed in my head for weeks because of their catchiness. The song Bonaroo showed Ferg doing something a little different, telling a detailed story of a memorable live performance. He did this over a smooth beat done by Big KRIT, and this track ended up being one of my favorites. Lastly, I must shine a light on Let It Go Part 2, the craziest song on the tape. Here Ferg crafts a masterful sequel to the song off Trap Lord, with a little help from MIA. This track actually features a sample of Let it Go from the movie Frozen. Only Ferg. This tape was wild, and a whole lot of fun to listen to.
Best: Jungle, Bonaroo, Let it Go Part 2
Worst: Jolly
8.4/10
Clipping- CLPPNG
This album from experimental West Coast group Clipping received a lot of hype upon its release in June, but I neglected to give it my attention until about a month ago. I was pretty satisfied with what I heard on CLPPNG. This tape was pretty experimental in its beat choices and sound, but I was glad to hear it keeping with the standard subject matter that I am used to hearing. This album ended up sounding a lot more accessible than I expected.
The rapper here, Daveed Diggs, is ridiculous. This guy flows better than any rapper I have heard in a while, which is really impressive considering the kind of beats he goes over. On the album intro, he introduces everyone to his skills by rapping incredibly fast and well over a pretty weird instrumental. The second song, Body and Blood, showed this group's ability to craft an entire song. The song had an interesting topic, a dirty, grimy industrial beat, and an awesome hook. I loved it. The good hooks were kept up on songs like Work Work, Summertime, and Dominoes. The song Story 2 showed Diggs' very solid storytelling ability as well. This guy showed himself as an incredible MC on this album, even if some of the beats like Get Up annoyed me with how odd and challenging they sounded. This album was pretty good overall and I look forward to what this group does next.
Best: Body and Blood, Summertime, Story 2
Worst: Get Up
7.6/10
Cozz- Cozz & Effect
This is a project that I had no idea even happened, found out about on the internet, and ended up enjoying quite a bit. The only thing I knew about this guy was that he was signed to J. Cole's label, and I can really see why. Cozz showed himself on this album as an energetic, fun MC who can seriously hold his own on a song.
Right from the first track on this project, Dreams, Cozz was blowing me away. He came out on this song with serious aggressiveness, and I thought his punchlines were absolutely on point. The hard, punchy drums sounded awesome against Cozz's raw, loud delivery. The second track, I'm Tha Man brought this as well. There are multiple songs here where the highlight is the instrumental fused with Cozz's delivery, like Murda and Lsn. Finally, the last song, the Knock the Hustle remix with J. Cole, was absolutely fantastic, with a killer J. Cole verse.
Best: Dreams, Murda, Knock the Hustle Remix
Worst: Western Ave Slaves
8.0/10
Big K.R.I.T.- Cadillactica
I don't think it comes as any surprise that Cadillactica by Big KRIT is really, really good. This guy is as consistent as anyone in rap with his projects. All of the mixtapes and albums that he has dropped have been solid, and he continues his strong brand of Southern hip-hop on Cadillactica. There isn't much new to say about KRIT on this new album, as he just brings his usual variety, catchiness, lyricism, and great rapping ability.
KRIT sets the narrative of the album on the first track, Kreation, and the one that follows it, Life. These tracks just sound powerful and meaningful, but things get turnt up on the third song, My Sub Pt. 3. Easily my favorite song on this album, this track booms along with strong bass and a killer beat drop midway through the song. It is absolutely awesome and KRIT sounds great rapping on it. Big KRIT gets more lyrical on tracks here like King of the South and Third Eye, while brining to catchy pop tunes with songs like Soul Food, Pay Attention, and Do You Love Me. All these songs are good, and it is remarkable that one artist can bring so much variety on an album.
Best: My Sub Pt. 3, Soul Food, Do You Love Me
Worst: Mind Control
8.3/10
