Top 5 MCs of 2011

5. Louis Mackey

Louis Mackey was part of two albums that came very close to making my top 10 list, "The Dioscuri" with Dr. Quandry and "No Humans Allowed" with ThirtySeven. Each time I hear him I have to stop and totally focus on what he is saying because if not I feel I will miss a line of genius.

4. Guilty Simpson

Did you hear Random Axe? To me, he absolutely stole the show on each track, then you throw in his mix tape and different features, he is killing it right now and each album just gets better and better, he is on track to be something extra special, not just in the "underground" but wouldn't be surprised if he breaks through and crushes some of the mainstream cats.

3. Black Thought

While I still haven't had time to fully digest "undun," it is very very easy for me to say that Black Thought absolutely kills it. If I were an MC I honestly would not to be on a track with him out of fear of looking horrible, he has just about everything going for him, breath control, flow, voice, vocabulary, DAMN.

2. Random aka Mega Ran

Besides putting out my number 2 album of the year with "Black Materia" his "TeacherRapperHero Vol 2: Two Weeks Notice" is easily my favorite mix tape of the year (and an actual mix tape with a DJ), he released "Forever Famicom DLC 2" with K-Murdock, dropped "Mega Ran 10" (possibly the best Mega Ran album to date,) made one of, if not the best, Christmas album of the last decade, and earlier this week his album with Mister Miranda came out. Each album is great and he shows his versatility, the guy never stops and keeps putting out incredible music.

1. Open Mike Eagle

No surprise here. Honestly, he is quickly becoming one of my favorite MCs of all time, with "Rappers Will Die of Natural Causes" he created a masterpiece and with his decision to release companion EPs, he is doing something incredibly special that will last for a very long time. He (along with everyone else on the list) makes me realize that I should never ever attempt to be an MC, he reminds me this is an art form and not just something you randomly decide to do.

Producers of 2011

Since I started making lists of albums of the year, figure I should give love to some of my favorite artists (some who had best albums and some who did not.) I shall first begin with producers, So let us begin on this list and the yelling at me.

Honorable Mentions:
Nasa
LAMEBOT

5. Ill Clinton

Like I said, Ill Clinton released some great music this year and it seems each release gets better and better.

4. Black-Tokyo

He released so much great music this year that I could barely keep up, while no one album sets itself apart, the collective releases can go toe to toe with just about any producers work this year.

3. IV the Polymath

Whether it was with solo effort (i.e. "Push IVward" or his dope new album "New Vs Old") or his production for other artist, everything Polymath touched this year was incredible.

2. Agartha Audio

While he may not have released much music commercially this year, if you are smart enough to be a member of his "Beat of the Month Club" you witnessed some of the dopest 30 plus beats you will hear.

1. Madlib

Do I really need to say anything. He is my favorite and keeps releasing more and more mind blowing music.

Best Hip Hop Albums of the Year UPDATED

So I decide to make a end of the year "Best of List" and figured I would do 10 vocal projects and 10 instrumental projects (props to Elmattic for the idea and check his list as well). Now I am sure I am going to get lets of people pissed at me for a few things first, what I am including in hip hop and I do not care, in reality the only reason I put hip hop in the title is because I did not want to include Black American Music albums (formerly jazz,) I am sure people some people will also disagree with my definition of an album (do not care about the length if it is a cohesive statement it counts.) Then there is the biggest complaint about any list, "what about *insert album name*." A few things about that, first, I must have heard the album (seems pretty obvious,) and I must have been able fully digest the album, meaning anything released in the last week or so is disqualified. Also, let me be clear, this is about creating an album, not just a collection of dope songs, I also very much reveal my "artsy" side with some of these choices and I am just fine with that. Ok, so here it goes.

TOP 10 INSTRUMENTAL ALBUMS OF 2011 (at least 60% instrumental)


NOTE: Originally was planning on doing 10, but thought that was a bit pretentious so went with 5 on original posting. This then brought a whole heap of discussion as to some of the albums I was missing and figured that 10 wasn't pretentious if people wanted it.

10. Lyle Horowitz "Let Them Eat Cake"

And this is the final piece of the is it hip hop puzzle. Are there MCs on it, YES (and great job by the few appearances.) Would it be classified as hip hop? That is a VERY tough question, but it is certainly a great album, covering all sorts of sounds and atmospheric feelings.
Download

9. The Kone "The TRACTATUS"

Another such release is right here, is this hip hop, I would say no. Is it dope instrumental album...YES. The Kone takes us on a great and funky musical journey on this record.
Buy

8. Turquoise Summers "Never Can Get Enuff"

Ok right around here is when I feel like I should explain that I did weigh hip hop albums heavier (because that was the original intent of the list) but I refuse to have a fav instrumental list without some of my fav releases that are certainly not hip hop. THe first of said releases is "Never Can Get Enuff" the debut EP or Maxi-single from Turquoise Summers, who as should be pretty obvious to regulars of my blog, is one of my favorite artists out there, regardless of genre. So show the dude some respect and get the project.
Download

7. Nasa "Uncommon Color Combinations Vol 2"


Nasa released his second volume of Uncommon Color Combinations this year and shows us why he is one of the best producers in progressive hip-hop. He also deserves some props for the song titles.
Download


6. Ill Clinton "SKYWALKEN"

Ill Clinton, released some great music this year (including "The Anti Socialist") but "SKYWALKEN" takes the preverbal cake mainly due to the cohesiveness and almost story telling of the album.
Download


5. Bil Basmala "Legend of Blaqods"

Very dope album that blurs the line between hip hop and electronica, almost a minimalist production but says so very much and works beautifully as a full album concept.
Download

4. Dr. Khil "Khilgore Trout "A Beat Tape"

Music inspired by classic literary characters, need I say more? Ok then read my review.
Download

3. Shade Cobain "Tears"

A cohesive collection of dope beats, filled with emotion but still has that boom bap.
Download

2. IV the Polymath "Push IVward"

First time I heard this it blew my away and with each listen it gets better and better, check my original review.
Download

1. A.M. Breakups "The Cant Resurrection"

This one pushes the limit of instrumental album, not just in the percentage of instrumental but also just what an album can do. Sometimes you can tell an album is more than just a piece of music, it really is part of the person, and "The Cant Resurrection" is just that, incredible album.

Download Stream

TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR (non-instrumnetal)

10. Mr. Kinetik & Rusty Redenbacher "The Professor and the Hustler"


The standout album for #ATFU this year features both MCs killing it over beats from a wide array of producers. While as a whole, Mr. Kinetik plays the role of the Professor and Rusty plays the role of the Hustler, do not think that they cannot do both, great job of crafting a duo album.
Download

9. Mike Ladd "Kids and Animals"


What can I say, I am a HUGE fan of Mike Ladd, as I have said before the guy shines as a true artist, not just an MC.
Download

8. I, Ced "All In My Mind"


One of the most soulful albums I have heard in many years with some incredible production as well. You can decide to call it soul if you want, but really it is just a dope ass album that will take you on one hell of a journey, listen to this one with your headphones on and listen to it loudly, and enjoy the ride, I, Ced is a musical beast.
Download

7. PremRock & Willie Green "PremRock & Willie Green"


One of the best producers in the game and one of my favorite MCs come together and make an incredible album. This to me is your classic throwback album, filled with a bit of everything you can ask for in a hip hop album, and just a great fun record as well that still has a whole lot to say.
Download

6. Short Fuze & Nasa "Toxicolgy Music"


Still love this mash of remix album and EP of new tracks. Great work by two of my favorite artist out there, honestly if you don't know about it, check my review and then go get it.

Download

5. Random Axe "Random Axe"

This is the exception to the "album" idea, this is just a whole bunch of dope songs, with great production and three MCs killing it on the mic, not a world changer but if you want some great rapping you will hear it here.

4. The Deer aka J1 "The Yellow"

Still cannot believe that J1 passed, he was a great musician and this year released one of the best pieces of music I have heard in a while, I do not care that it is just over 20 minutes long, it is a great project, you need to check it out and read my review if you need more info.
Download

3. Antipop Consortium with Matthew Shipp & William Parker "Knives from Heaven"


People talk about pushing the limits of hip hop and where can it go. Well, this is one of the places that I love, a collaborative project between some of the most forward thinking MCs out there and some of the best musicians out there. This is a piece of musical art that deserves your full and undivided attention.
Buy

2. Random and Lost Perception "Black Materia"

One of the best and most fully realized concept albums put together in a long time, including different MCs for different characters. I do not care that is based on a video game, this is a great album that tells a story from beginning to end and does so wonderfully with high quality beats and dope rhymes. For a more in-depth description check my original review.
Download

1. Open Mike Eagle "Rappers Will Die of Natural Causes"

I cannot talk about this album enough, one of my favorite albums in recent years and is quickly making Open Mike Eagle, one of, if not my favorite MC. I once ranted on twitter, that if you are a fan of hip hop and do not like this album, I can only assume you are too stupid to understand the words he is using. And I stand by that statement, it gets 5 stars, A+, or however you want to rate it, it was easy to make this my number one, I don't think I have gone more than 2 or 3 days without listening to this whole album.
Download


Ok so that concludes my list of favorite albums of the year. So let all of the inevitable debate and yelling at me begin.

Various Artist "#Occupy Christmas" (Compiled by Issuez)

We are now just less than two weeks from Christmas, so even those who think the celebration starts too early are beginning to celebrate or at least contemplate the idea. One of the things that comes along with Christmas is the music and there are always a slew of "new" Christmas albums being released. And here we have another, "#Occupy Christmas," a compilation put together by Issuez. As you can tell by the album cover, it is your standard album filled with the tired and trite holiday songs we all know and sing even when we don't want to.

Wait...holy shit, is that a picture of Santa coming down the chimney with an ax? Hold on, I don't remember hearing "Sex in the Market Place," when I was out shopping. Do we actually have a creative Christmas album that may not exactly be family friendly (that would make two dope Christmas albums in a year.) Let me actually listen to this album....

Ok, as I am sure you figured out, this isn't your standard Christmas album and in reality the Christmas theme is loose at best, does have a lot of winter ideas in it. But really what it is, is a very good compilation that fits into the cold weather of the season and gets all those damn versions of Frosty out of our heads as we listen to some incredible hip hop music. Some of these songs have been released before, some have not, but if you look through the list of artists, any person who enjoys the music I talk about here, will be VERY happy and recognize more than a few of the names. So once your latest family gathering is over, or after your trip to the store, clear out that musical monotony with some quality music and you can even say your are listening to Christmas music, check it out and enjoy.

You can stream and download the album here.

Sinoptic Music "We Don't Do S**t Hip-Hop Vol. 4"

Sometimes we as Americans and especially American music fans, tend to forget there is quality music all over the world, and not just regional music, but great rock, BAM (formerly known as jazz), and especially hip hop music. It may be because it seems like we are always discovering knew artists from our area so we do not devote time to discover music from any place else, well, I shall do what I can do fix that, at least occasionally. And where better to start than the United Kingdom and we won't even have to worry about not knowing the language, see it is English, yes we speak the same language (besides the universal language of music and math.)

But enough of that rant, let me get to what I wanted to tell you, every few months, Sinoptic Music (a great English hip hop label that you NEED to know) releases what they call a FreEP (i.e. free ep) and provides a sample of what their artists are creating. Well, "We Don't Do S**t Hip-Hop Vol. 4" is their latest FreEP and the final one of 2011. So click the link below, get the FreEP and while you are at Sinoptic Music's bandcamp page check out the rest of the music they have on there, I highly recommend it all.

You can download the FreEP here.

DCK VNNGT "MRDR DTH KLL"

Once again, the people over at Uncommon Records have decided to offer a free EP in preparation of a full length they will be releasing. This time it is DCK VNNGT (duo of emcees/producers Bloodmoney and YunSloth) "MRDR DTH KLL" which gives us a glimpse into what this duo is all about. What is that you may ask? Well, a combination of chaos, pushing boundaries, and rich organic and synthetic sounds. That may sound a bit confusing but trust me, it will make sense once you hear the EP. One very interesting feature of this duo is that both can spit and produce and they do so on each track. But instead of what some duos do (i.e. JAYLIB) they are a duo on vocals no matter who did the production, which I find pretty damn cool. So check out the link below, put on some headphones and prepare yourself for what is coming from "MRDR DTH KLL" and gain some knowledge before DCK VNNGT release their full length, "Bare Witness" in 2012.

You can stream and download the album here.

K-Murdock "Hero Muzik (Instrumental)"

Believe it or not it has been 25 years since the first "Zelda" was released and to celebrate, K-Murdock is offering up a free download of his instrumental for the track "Hero Muzik" featured on his and Mega Ran's "Forever Famicom DLC." So what should you the listener do? Two things, first, you should listen to and download the instrumental and second, you should click the link above and download "Forever Famicom DLC." Enjoy both and do it now.


K-Murdock - "Hero Muzik" (Instrumental) by Neosonix

Panacea "The Prelude"

Panacea (Raw Poetic on the mic and K-Murdock on production) is back with their track, "The Prelude" from their forth coming album, "Midnigt Morning Africa." The album is slated for release in early 2012, but so far no date has been set, but I fully expect another dope release from the group (you can check out their last two albums "Ink is My Drink" "12 Step Program" and more on K-Murdock's bandcamp.)


Panacea - "The Prelude" by Neosonix

Mallz and Dr. Khil "Khil Shot Mallz"

Always a good thing for me when two (or more) artists I am a fan of decide to join together and make a song, or even better a whole project. Well, that is exactly what is happening right now as Mallz and Dr. Khil have joined forces and are working on their EP entitled, "Pen Stroke of Genius." Who are Mallz and Dr. Khil you may ask? First off, shame on you. Second, you can check the pieces I've done on Mallz and Dr. Khil and get familiar quickly. Now for those who know what is going on, or for those who just want me to shut and tell them about some dope music, check out the first track off the "Pen Stroke of Genius," entitled "Khil Shot Mallz."

Khil Shot Mallz by Dr. Khil

Sulfur "Waking in the Wasteland" (Video)

If you follow this blog regularly you will recognize the name The ThoughtCriminals (posted a review of their live album a few days ago.) There are two talented MCs that provide the vocals for them, the first is Mikal kHill (who also plays a mean midi-NES) the second is Sulfur. While they are putting the finishing touches on their newest group album, they have decided to release some side projects, one being "entropy" which is a post-apolopytic album that features Sulfur on the mic and kHill on production.

Well, I had heard that there was a video for one of the tracks off "entropy" and figured I would check it out. The song is titled "Waking in the Wasteland" and to be honest I had a vision of the video and song before I checked it out, I was expecting a very Fallout style song with visuals that would appeal to fans of the game. Well, there is that sort of feeling of doom in the video but not at all what I was expecting. This is not a fun shootout to Fallout, this is one hell of a piece of visual art that was created and the song is much more than I was ever hoping for. After hearing it all I can say is WOW and I cannot wait to hear the full album, no I understand why Sulfur told me once that after this album he needed to take a step back from the post-apocolyptic world, much more tortured and exhausting than I imagined this creation would be, well done and let's see if the album keeps up to the high standard set here (which I am sure it will, I shall never doubt either of these two artists again.)






You can preorder the album here.

Black-Tokyo aka Skott Phree "Rusty Gems"

How is it that some artist seem to put out more albums than I can keep up with? I just start to digest their previous effort and then there are two new releases. I cannot say it upsets me because that just means more dope music but just crazy to me the output of some of these artists. One such artist is Black-Tokyo, who in the last week released 3 EPs. You read that right, 3. Ok, well the latest joint, "Rusty Gems" is actually older music he created while going by the name Skott Phree, but still. It seems like every time I get ready to do a review for one of his projects he has released more. So honestly, the best thing I can say is to constantly view his bandcamp and check out the dope music he continues to release. Now don't think I won't let you know about them, but I do fall behind sometimes, but you will not be disappointed with his work. Check out his latest project and peruse the site to see what you have missed.

You can stream and download the album here.

Lyle Horowitz "Nothing Says Hello Like Goodbye" and MORE

Lyle Horowitz has been rather busy lately, you may remember on Halloween he released "The Woodside Boys"
with PreZZure. But then decided that on November 27th, he would release 5, yes you read that right, 5 albums: "Bodies" "City Lights" "The Dance" "Smiles Of A Summer Night" and "Nothing Says Goodbye Like Hello" (click each link to download.)
A few days later, on December 5th, he decided to release his newest project, "Nothing Says Hello Like Goodbye." But what makes this album very interesting is: it was created in one night (yes 1 night) and released the next day. It amazes me that artists like Horowitz can create and release an album in 24 hours and have it be of high quality. That is what is remarkable about it..the quality of this album and makes me wonder what is coming next from him, and how will those who enjoy his music be able to keep up (one thing you need to do if you enjoy the music is check out Horowitz's tumblr to find even more nuggets scattered throughout.)

You can stream and download the album here.

Open Mike Eagle "Extended Nightmares Getdown: The Dark Blue Door"

Rappers never say anything in their music. Rap is all about guns, money and drugs. Insert other commonly heard rap stereotypes. Enter Open Mike Eagle to smash them all. Earlier this year, Open Mike Eagle released one of my favorite albums of the year (might actually be my favorite) entitled, "Rappers Will Die of Natural Causes." Just about everything about this album screams incredible and a piece of art. The topics on the album cover just about every angle of life and apparently he has more to say about most of these because he has decided to release 4 Eps that are headlined by a remix by one of the album tracks, with the other songs being linked to the subject covered.

The first of these EPs is entitled "Extended Nightmares Getdown: The Dark Blue Door" which showcases a Busdriver remix of the track, "Nightmares" (original produced by Willie Green.) Now do not worry, if you haven't heard "Rappers Will Die of Natural Causes" yet, you will still thoroughly enjoy "Extended Nightmares Getdown: The Dark Blue Door" and hopefully this will make you realize that you need to check out the full length album. But for now, listen to the EP and see why Open Mike Eagle is quickly becoming one of my favorite MCs out there.

You can download the album here and purchase a limited edition physical copy here.

Random "A Very Random Christmas" (produced by DN3)

Bah Humbug. I am sick of Christmas music, it is all you hear when you go anywhere starting the day after Thanksgiving. What makes it even worse is that is it always the same 10 songs, just performed by different people, and rarely do they even sound any different. There are very few Christmas albums that I do not detest, for years the only one I would actually listen to from start to finish was Harry Connick Jr.'s "Harry for the Holidays." I can take some Willie Nelson and some Stevie Wonder as well, and Peanut Butter Wolf's "Badd Santa" mix, but this year something strange happened.

A teacher, rapper, hero, decided to create a Christmas album and have all the beats made from the classic television special "A Charlie Brown Christmas." A few other items make this album a bit unique, for one there are actual new lyrics to Christmas songs HOORAY and the songs are actually good *GASP* this isn't an album that was thrown together to get some money, these are songs made specifically for an alternative to the overplayed traditional Christmas songs and created with intelligence, humor, and a bit of nerviness (which let us be honest, we all need) and do not forget there is also some of that Christmas magic. Who created such an album, non other than the one, the only, Random (or Mega Ran as you may know him.) Yes, I just typed two paragraphs before telling you the artist's name (then again it is in the title and there were hints.)

"A Very Random Christmas" is a dope album, that just happens to be about Christma. Whether told through the point of view of a child who just wants what is on his Christmas list, a grown man who encounters Santa, a group of friends questioning the Grinch in the group, making money shoveling snow, or giving love to those most important to you, Random is able to get the feeling of Christmas out through music with all the highs and lows in between. So check out the link below and enjoy.


You can stream and download the album here.