For this list, i went back to my old system of reviewing. Who knows, i might start using the simpler system. It seems better to me after reviewing these rap albums. To be eligible for this list, the album must have been released from 2010 to 2014. Also no mixtapes qualify (Sorry Vince Staples and Chance the Rapper)
20) Watch the Throne-
Jay-z Kanye West (Great Rap Duo the Throne)
Okay this is the 1st album on the list. I feel
this album was good enough and popular enough to beat out quite a few albums
that scored lower. Jay-z and Kanye complement each other very well. Maybe not
as well lyrically as Bad Meets Evil( Eminem and Royce da 5’9), but the
production is solid. The album has interesting tracks on it like No Church in the Wild, New Day, and Murder to Excellence. There’s also hits like Otis, and N**gas in Paris.
19) Yeezus- Kanye
West (Kanye’s Divinity in full force)
Ah more Kanye. Face it; he’s been a dominant force in rap
since 2004 when College Dropout dropped. He’s been dominant this decade too.
Yeezus is a short album…filled with varying songs and styles. The beats are
insane. There aren’t any bad songs, but I felt Send it Up(a wannabe club banger) and I’m In It(a reggae type creepy song) weren’t as good as the other
songs. This is kind of a love it or hate it album. Kanye’s lyrics aren’t his
best, but he still is effective. Black
Skinhead never gets old. Bound 2
sounds like Kanye of old…
18) Born Sinner- J.
Cole (A Much Better Sequel)
There’s just something about this album. Cole proves he’s a
born winner on this album. There aren’t many radio singles…and there arean’t
any guest rappers rapping(excluding the bonus tracks), but this is a very solid
album. The album gets off to a bang with Villuminati
but then things mellow out. This laid back sound works great for Cole
though. He paints vivid pictures on songs like Let Nas Down and Land of the
Snakes. Some of the songs sound a little too similar, like She Knows and Runaway. Despite that, this album was one of the best of 2013.
17) Nothing Was the
Same-Drake (3rd Times the charm)
Drizzy Drake, Canadian born rapper, finally made an
excellent album that I knew he was capable of. The most noticeable thing is
Drake doesn’t stick to the monotone sound. Instead there’s a lot more emotion
in his voice. Worst Behavior is a
good example of this. My only real complaint is that some of the songs are
little too similar. The guest spots are well used. Drake has stepped it up
lyrically as well. The beats are not all that, but they work. Things are just
as emotional as ever on songs like From
Time to Time and Hold on, We’re Going
Home.
16) Welcome to Our
House-Slaughterhouse (A Super Group Gets it Done)
Slaughterhouse was signed to Shady Aftermath in 2011. Before
then I hadn’t really heard of them. The group consists of Royce da 5’9, Joe
Budden, Joel Ortiz, and Crooked I. All four are good lyricists. The 4 are
accompanied by some guests..none more influential than Eminem. The album
doesn’t reinvent anything, but it sounds much more commercial than their debut
self titled album. The album has tremendous consistency with great songs like Flip A Bird, Hammer Dance, Frat House,
and Our
House.
15) Cruel Summer-
G.O.O.D. Music (A Solid Label Album)
I think this is another album that you either really liked
or really hated. It’s honestly better than Watch The Throne….Jay even shows up
here on the excellent song Clique.
Kanye is assisted by Pusha T, Teyana Taylor, John Legend ,Kid Cudi, and even
Common. Cold is another excellent
track from Kanye, while, Mercy is a
big time track as well. The best song, New
God Flow, features a scene stealing Ghostface Killah, who proves he’s still
a force to be reckoned with. Kid Cudi goes solo as well with Creepers. To top it all off theres a
remix to Chief Keef’s Don’t Like.
14) R.A.P.
Music-Killer Mike (A Solid Dirty South Venture)
Let it be known, this is the album that got me into Killer
Mike…and El-P. From the first track, Big
Beast, you know you’re in for a great listen. The album was produced
entirely by El-P, who drops in for a song here. The album sounds so cohesive…but
the last 3 songs aren’t as interesting as the rest of the album. In 2012, this
was one of the best albums. I felt it was tad bit better than number 15 and 16.
13) Distant Relatives-Nas
& Damian Marley (An Effortless Collaboration)
A lot can be said about this album. The album is basically a
concept album about us all having roots to the people’s of Africa. Nas and
Damian Marley have a lot of chemistry. The album features great lyrics and good
messages. The album would be rated higher but then again the beats are only
good. There aren’t many guest spots but they are well used. Including a feature
from Lil Wayne on My Generation. The
First 3 songs on the album are my favorites.I wish there were more albums like
this out there.
12) Run the Jewels-
Killer Mike & El-P (A Hard Hitting Album)
After we got an album from El-P with Killer Mike, and an
album from Killer Mike with El-P on it; we get a true collabo album. Killer
Mike is very aggressive but El-P also goes hard. The album is really cohesive
with few guest spots. You don’t really need many. My biggest complaint is the
album is short. Not even 35 minutes in fact. I was left wanting more…and in
2014 we got more.
11) 2014 Forest Hills
Drive-J. Cole (An Introspective Album)
J. Cole is full of surprises. I didn’t even know he was
dropping an album in 2014, but he did; and its his best . He’s very ambitious
on songs like Fire Squad. He is very
revealing on a song like Wet Dreamz.
The weakest song is Hello, but I like that one too. Cole’s lyrics are nice but
the beats are just good. This is not the album to sleep on.
10) The Red Album-The
Game (A Focused Showcase)
This is the only Game album to make the list…and that
shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Lyrically the Game is fierce, but he doesn’t
just name drop here. He actually copies the rapping styles of many of his
guests. Speaking of guests, theres a whole lot: Lil Wayne , Tyler the Creator,
Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Snoop Dogg, Young Jeezy, Rick Ross, Chris Brown, E-40,
and even Big Boi. The last song, California
Dream, is very personal. Game raps about the birth of his daughter…which is
similar to the song on his first album, Like Father Like Son. This was, in my
opinion, the best rap album of 2011.
9) Life is Good-Nas
(A Personal Reflection)
Nas returned in 2012 with a very good album. His lyrics are
top notch, and the beats are better than those found on his 2008 outing
Untitled. He has a few guests like Mary J. Blige, Miguel, Rick Ross, and even
the late Amy Whinehouse. Cherry Wine
might be the best song, but then there’s Daughters. Bye Baby is his ode to his ex-wife Kelis. Its very heartfelt. Nas
has clearly surpassed some of his rap idols. You might consider him the best
lyricist alive. I do.
8) Nobody’s
Smiling-Common (Chi Town Greatness)
You’ve got to give Common some credit. He made a very
different sounding album than his last 2…maybe last 4 albums. I like every song
here. This album doesn’t come across like he’s trying to stay relevant,
although that is what this is. He raps about J.Dilla on Rewind That. He also raps about 7 sins on Seven Deadly Sins. The production is very good by NoID. This album
gets the nod over The Dreamer/The Believer.
7) Cadalactica-Big
K.R.I.T. (From the Dirty South to Outer Space)
BK is a very good rapper and producer; in case you didn't
know. He makes really smooth music. He also sings on a few tracks…and its very
effective. I originally had #8 being higher than this album. Big Krit is a
force to be reckoned with. This album is very creative and that’s really evident
from the first song. His lyrics are also pretty damn good. On my favorite
track, My Sub Pt. 3,he raps over a
laid back bass heavy beat.This is one album you don’t want to miss.
6) Run the Jewels
2-Killer Mike & El-P (An Incredible Sequel)
Run the Jewels came back hard in 2014. It’s 11 tracks versus
10 on the original. It’s got slightly more cohesive beats. El-P proves he’s no
joke, whether producing or spitting. Killer Mike brings a lot of energy. My
favorite song here is Close Your Eyes(and
count to f***). The two have great chemistry….that’s evident on songs like Oh My Darling Don’t Cry. It’s the best
rap album of 2014. RUN THEM JEWELS FAST!
5) My Name is My Name-Pusha
T (Dope Album)
We’re in the top 5, things will get quite hot. Pusha T said
this was the better than the albums that came before it in 2013. He was right.
Pusha T has his own lane. The lyrics are really clever and the beats are also
pretty effective. There’s some really well used guest spots; in particular…Rick
Ross and Kendrick Lamar. Future ad libs a chorus on Pain, but it doesn’t drag the song down much. The first 2 tracks, King Push and Numbers on the Boards might be the best on the album. This album is
also really cohesive.
4) Marshall Mathers
LP 2-Eminem (A Worthy Sequel)
It doesn’t really matter who you talk to, MMLP 1 was
considered a classic. This isn’t far behind though. It’s kind of a
conglomeration of Eminem’s past albums. It’s better than Recovery, and Recovery
was a very solid album. He opens with Bad
Guy, which is a sequel to Stan
from MMLP 1. There’s not a lot of guests. And honestly there doesn’t need to
be. Skylar Grey, Rihanna , and Kendrick Lamar help out. While there are many
great songs like A**hole, Survival,
and Berzerk; The best song is Rap God. A lyrical showcase that is 6
minutes long. This cements Eminem as one of the best rappers ever.
3) Sir Luscious Left
Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty-Big Boi (A Breakout Solo Album)
You are shocked…no don’t be. This album is solid. Outkast
hasn’t been very productive this decade, but Big Boi tries to make you forget
that. First the beats are just varied and incredibly effective. There are quite
a few guest spots too: T.I. Sleepy Brown, Janelle Monae, Gucci Mane, and Jamie
Foxx. The weakest part of the album are the lyrics, but honestly that’s a small
complaint.The album is also constructed well. The album was one of the best of
2010 and of this decade.
2) good kid, M.A.A.D.
City-Kendrick Lamar (A Storytelling Masterpiece)
So you’ve been seeing this guy’s name pop up several times
on the list as a featured rapper. Well for good reason. This album takes
storytelling to a level few rappers have ever reached. Its smooth on most songs
like B**ch Don’t Kill My Vibe, then
uptempo on songs like Backseat Freestyle.
Drake and Dr. Dre assist Kendrick. The story unfolds nicely. The 12 minute
track Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst
showcases his storytelling abilities. The production is similar to that found
on an Outkast album, rather than a West Coast album. I really like the bonus tracks
too, like The Recipe with Dr. Dre.
The creativity of this album is very noteworthy.
1) My Beautiful Dark
Twisted Fantasy-Kanye West (All Around Masterpiece)
Yes this is the best album of the decade thus far. That
doesn’t shock me at all. I don’t know what made Kanye go in this direction
musically, but I’m glad he did. Let’s start with Mr. West. On the first song, Dark Fantasy, he describes himself as a
“Chi Town N**ga with a Nas flow”. Check out his razor sharp flow on Monster, his hard hitting punchlines on Power, his auto-tune singing on Runaway, and his metaphoric lines on Gorgeous. One of the great things about
this album is that is very different. The production is awe inspiring. The
guest spots are all very well used, except for maybe Rick Ross on Monster. So Appalled is a rap juggernaut song which features Jay-z, Swizz
Beats, Pusha T, Prynce Cy Hi, and the RZA. All of the Lights is somewhat weak
lyrically, but its production blows away Flashing Lights from Graduation.
Rihanna and Kid Cudi help make that song so catchy. Devil In A New Dress is
also a great song, with a show stealing Rick Ross at the end. Hell of a Life
and Lost in the World are very odd tracks but good. Blame Game with John Legend is very emotional, and has really
grown on me.
Thanks for reading! Agree with my list? I know there are a
lot of good albums that didnt make it.