October 2017 - *PlayLi$t of the Month*
October is typically my favorite month of the year. My wife and I both have birthdays in Oct., autumn is easily the most perfect season, and if there is a holiday cooler than Halloween, I haven’t heard of it. Unfortunately, due to personal reasons this month has been one of the toughest that I can remember in my life. Thankfully, music has always been there for me in my time of emotional need. The last few weeks have yielded some solid releases from bigger names in hip-hop (Gucci Mane, the Wu-Tang Clan), as well as a celebration of some of hip-hop’s more diverse rising talents (Earth Gang, IDK, Lute, Rapsody). The selections I made below stood out as some of my personal favorites that I’ve been enjoying this month, so press play and escape with me as we kick-off hoodie season with my October PlayLi$t...
1. “Gorilla Monsoon” - Westside Gunn & DOOM (WESTSIDEDOOM)
https://soundcloud.com/user-5212897/westsidedoom-gorilla-monsoon
(Griselda owns the first two spots on this month’s list, which is to be expected given that this is the spookiest month of the year. The first of two WESTSIDEDOOM cuts - that we know of - and everything from the Daringer instrumental, to the voice of WSG to the arrival of some new DOOM just screams Halloween, and I love it. Extra special bonus points to Daringer for flipping a sample from the original Night of the Living Dead on this one...soooo classic.)
2. “Spurs 2” - Conway feat. Benny
https://soundcloud.com/user-5212897/spurs-2-feat-benny-prod-by
(Conway & DJ Green Lantern’s More Steroids just dropped, and it’s already my pick for the best project of 2017′s fourth quarter. The Machine & Benny The Butcher both provide top notch bars, but it’s Benny that steals the spotlight with a scintillating verse, casually dropping one of my favorite lines of the year with “they come and ask for H like it’s Wheel Of Fortune”. This is menace music in all its’ glory, in the tradition of music from rap legends like the Wu, Boot Camp and Mobb Deep.)
3. “Schoolcraft” - Nolan The Ninja
https://soundcloud.com/nolantheninja-1/schoolcraft
(I sure hope Detroit is proud of Nolan The Ninja. While he has consistently dropped dope hip-hop in the tradition of dusty 90′s boom bap, Nolan really stepped up on his new album, YEN. Everything from his bars, to his storytelling, to his production choices, they were all top notch on this project. Like the Griselda boys, he breathes fresh life into a classic sound, and with “Schoolcraft” his aesthetic bottles the nostalgia and spirit of hip-hop very well.)
4. “Maryland Ass Ni**a” - IDK feat. Swizz Beatz
https://soundcloud.com/jayidk1/maryland-ass-nigga-with-swizz-beatz?in=jayidk1/sets/iwasverybad-soundtrack
(This new IWASVERYBAD project from IDK is legit. The Maryland MC - formally known as Jay IDK, before he shortened it - showcases a ton of skills on this thoughtful project. While his storytelling skills may be his most potent weapon of choice, this cut just erupts with attitude, plus his flow is so crazy...factor in this hard beat and catchy hook, and it became an easy standout for me.)
5. “Bipolar” - G Herbo
https://soundcloud.com/gherbo/bipolar
(With his major label debut, Humble Beast, the young spitter from Chicago wanted this to be his own version of Reasonable Doubt. While that is probably not a realistic expectation, the album does successfully put his gifts on full display. Herbo is not a cookie cutter product from the drill era, he is a young MC with real perspective, capable of being a mouthpiece for his community and a representation of the Windy City’s surplus of diverse talent. “Bipolar” is my favorite track from Herbo’s album right now because of how skillfully he switches up his delivery, and sounds so honest and hungry throughout.)
6. “Fresh” - Chuck Strangers & The Alchemist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ltakk6HipzY
(Alchemist’s chemistry with Chuck Strangers is superb on this one - and like a lot of Al’s recent work, with “Fresh” we get two dope beats for the price of one! I mistakenly thought of Chuck as a producer first and MC second, but that wasn’t fair of me. As it turns out he is that rare producer on the mic that excels at both, so if you have been sleeping on this talent from out the Pro Era clique, it is time for you to wake up.)
7. “Juggin” - Lute
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdUgSxNS8VM
(If you missed the release of Lute’s West 1996, Pt. 2, you need to rectify that immediately. One of the most soulful releases I have heard in a while, Lute has a story to tell and he raps with the wisdom of a much older man. A lot of good MCs can drop bars, but surprisingly few can actually craft songs. Well, consider Lute one of those select few. Far from just a J.Cole co-sign, Lute blew me away with this project, and I will be sure to keep it in rotation for some time because it is straight up good music.)
8. “Chrome (Like Ooh)” - Rapsody
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jT--wzif8fs
(Rapsody really delivered with Laila’s Wisdom. So many gems on this album, arguably her finest work, but what I love about “Chrome” is that it puts her talents on display as both a skilled MC and song writer. Comparisons to Kendrick are warranted, considering that they are two of the best at balancing those skill sets. Never to be referred to as a “great female MC”, Rapsody is quite simply one of the best MCs out there today, so folks make sure you keep the North Carolina representative’s name in all conversations when it comes to ranking the top 10 best in the game right now.)
9. “Bleach” - DrxQuinnx feat. Jay Lyn Gatz
https://soundcloud.com/drxquinnx/bleach-ft-jaylyn-gatz-prod-by?in=drxquinnx/sets/richard-pryor
(How DrxQuinnx isn’t as respected in the underground as Knxwledge is a surprise to me. A master of cut up dusty loops and samples, the Chicago producer/MC should be considered one of the best rising artists in the underground right now. His Richard Pryor tape is great hip-hop that you can nod your head to from front to back, and it’s the first tape he has released that made me really take notice of how good he is as a rapper - not just on the boards. I’ll be keeping “Bleach”, “Cocaine & Switchblades” with Vic Spencer, “Moves” and “Shteef” in rotation for the foreseeable future, thank you very much.)
10. “New Freezer” - Rich The Kid feat. Kendrick Lamar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLKYz1r23Lo
(One of the most unexpected Kendrick verses to come along in a while, this Rich The Kid collab is not really saying much...but it really works for me! Kendrick sounds like he is having a good time on this one, dropping one of his “99% crazy flow, 1% lyrical” verses, and in spite of Rich’s limits as a MC, I really dig his hook work on this one.)
*Honorable Mention - Bonus Cut*
“RIP Bobby” - Westside Gunn & Conway
https://soundcloud.com/user-5212897/westsidegunn-x-conway-rip-bobby
(I love how whenever a legend in the wrestling business passes away, I can count on the Griselda gang to bless us with a dope dedication track. Featuring a vocal sample from one of Bobby “The Brain” Heenan’s many classic rants - and production from BOTH Daringer & Alchemist - the Buffalo brothers go back and forth over two soulful backdrops. The lyrics might not have anything to do with the life of Bobby Heenan, but it sure captures the slick vibe of the greatest manager in WWE history. Enjoy, humanoids!)
“Black Fountains of Youth” - Cashus King (Co$$)
https://soundcloud.com/cashusking/black-fountains-of-youth
(s/o to the artist formally known as Co$$, I love this one. Cashus King has a great time rattling off a long list of clever rhymes proclaiming how great he his at...well, dropping all types of clever rhymes! Capturing the fun of classic tracks like Smoothe Da Hustler & Trigga The Gambler’s “Broken Language” without sounding dated, I hope this means we have more fun records like this one to come from the underrated veteran.)
“St. Regis” - Conway
https://soundcloud.com/user-5212897/st-regis-prod-by-daringer?in=user-5212897/sets/conway-and-dj-green-lantern-more-steroids
(Truth be told, I could have put 4 or 5 different Conway tracks from More Steroids on here. I selected “St. Regis” because it really sounded like Conway connected with Daringer’s soulful loop on this one, so much so that he even commented on it at the end of the track. With more projects slated to drop in the not too distant future, Griselda Records continues to make big moves to close out 2017.)
Still In Heavy Rotation:
4:44 by JAY-Z
http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/jay-z-4-44-upcoming-album-new-mixtape.117283.html
Rosebudd’s Revenge by Roc Marciano
http://onsmash.com/music/roc-marciano-rosebudds-revenge-album-stream/
[ICYMI: Last month’s list below]
https://therappundit.tumblr.com/post/165327239321/september-2017-playli-t-of-the-month
1 note
·
View note
Defjux’s Top 100 Hip Hop Albums of The 2010s
Took longer than expected but i said i’d get around to it so here it is: 100 of my favorite hip hop albums of the 2010s. Nothing objective about this list, it’s based entirely on personal impact and what albums I found myself going back to the most throughout the last 10 years. It’s my list, so of course that means multiple billy woods, Aesop, Ka, Jam Baxter, Elucid, r.a.p. ferreira, Mach-Hommy, Busdriver, Earl, zeroh, Danny Brown, Oddisee, Doppelgangaz, and Roots albums. I did put together a top 500 list on RYM as well so if there’s something you think is missing here chances are it’s on there somewhere. Also, feel free to let me know what some of your favorite albums of the decade were. Peace.
Chart w/ album titles included
Top 500 list on RYM
Spotify playlist
As always, you can click the title of each album and it’ll take you to a stream or bandcamp page where you can hear / purchase it
1. Aesop Rock - The Impossible Kid
2. Dark Time Sunshine - ANX
3. Billy Woods & Blockhead - Dour Candy
4. Jam Baxter - ...So We Ate Them Whole
5. Armand Hammer - Paraffin
6. Ka - Grief Pedigree
7. The Doppelgangaz - Lone Sharks
8. Cult Favorite - FOR MADMEN ONLY
9. Danny Brown - XXX
10. Busdriver - Thumbs
11. Shabazz Palaces - Black Up
12. Billy Woods - History Will Absolve Me
13. Zeroh - awfulalterations
14. Milo - who told you to think??!!?!?!?!
15. Avantdale Bowling Club - Avantdale Bowling Club
16. Mach-Hommy - Dumpmeister
17. Dr. Yen Lo - Days With Dr. Yen Lo
18. Mr Key & Greenwood Sharps - Yesterday's Futures
19. Melanin 9 - Magna Carta
20. Armand Hammer - Rome
21. CunninLynguists - Oneirology
22. Oddisee - The Good Fight
23. Big K.R.I.T. - 4eva Is A Mighty Long Time
24. Open Mike Eagle - Hella Personal Film Festival
25. The Roots - How I Got Over
26. Aesop Rock - Skelethon
27. Has-Lo - In Case I Don't Make It
28. Danny Brown - Atrocity Exhibition
29. Qwel & Maker - Beautiful Raw
30. Roc Marciano - Reloaded
31. Edward Scissortongue - Better.Luck.Next.Life
32. Billy Woods & Kenny Segal - Hiding Places
33. Earl Sweatshirt - Some Rap Songs
34. Mach-Hommy - HBO
35. The Doppelgangaz - Hark
36. Quelle Chris - Guns
37. Milo - budding ornithologists are weary of tired analogies
38. Hermit and the Recluse - Orpheus vs. the Sirens
39. L'Orange & Stik Figa - The City Under the City
40. Jam Baxter - Mansion 38
41. A Tribe Called Quest - We got it from Here...
42. Elucid - Save Yourself
43. El-P - Cancer 4 Cure
44. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly
45. Black Milk - No Poison No Paradise
46. BADBADNOTGOOD & Ghostface Killah - Sour Soul
47. Blu & Exile - Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them
48. Deca - The Ocean
49. lojii & Swarvy - DUE RENT
50. TheParadoxicalState - Dark City
51. Onry Ozzborn - c v p ii d
52. Busdriver - Perfect Hair
53. Zeroh - 0 Emissions
54. Super Chron Flight Brothers - Cape Verde
55. Cavalier - Private Stock
56. Slauson Malone - A Quiet Farwell, 2016–2018
57. Little Brother - May the Lord Watch
58. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Bandana
59. Milo & Kenny Segal - So The Flies Don't Come
60. Serengeti - Family & Friends
61. Captain Murphy - Duality
62. Lil Ugly Mane - Oblivion Access
63. Cities Aviv - Raised for a Better View
64. Death Grips - Bottomless Pit
65. Skyzoo & Pete Rock - Retropolitan
66. Emay - Ilah
67. Signor Benedick the Moor - El Negro
68. Jalal Salaam X ewonee - Past Lives
69. Pink Siifu - ensley
70. Yugen Blakrok - Anima Mysterium
71. Anguish - Anguish
72. H.I.S.D. - The Weakend
73. Kill the Vultures - Carnelian
74. MIKE - May God Bless Your Hustle
75. Willie Green - Doc Savage
76. Homeboy Sandman - First of a Living Breed
77. Royce Da 5'9 & DJ Premier - PRhyme
78. Oddisee - Tangible Dream
79. Noveliss - Kenjutsu Under The Moonlight
80. Earl Sweatshirt - I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside
81. The Roots - Undun
82. MEDSLAUS - Poorboy
83. yU - the EARN
84. clipping. - There Existed An Addiction To Blood
85. Jean Grae & Quelle Chris - Everything's Fine
86. Run the Jewels - RTJ3
87. Lupe Fiasco - Tetsuo & Youth
88. Elzhi & Will Sessions - Elmatic
89. Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d city
90. The Roots - ...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin
91. Code Nine & Purpose - Below Sumerian Skies
92. Your Old Droog - It Wasn't Even Close
93. Lushlife & Botany - The Skull Eclipses
94. L'Orange & Jeremiah Jae - Complicate Your Life With Violence
95. NICKELUS F & SHAWN KEMP - TRICK DICE
96. Paranom & Purpose - Life Outside The Frame
97. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Piñata
98. Sadistik - Haunted Gardens
99. JPEGMAFIA - Veteran
100. Benny the Butcher - Tana Talk 3
246 notes
·
View notes