Well here we are at the end of what turned out to be turning point of sorts in the ongoing battle of style vs. substance in the rap game as far as music. As disappointing as the last couple of years have been, now we see some artists are actually bringing something substantial to the table amidst a cornucopia of bullsh!t. So as we reflect on the standouts this year, I’ll take a moment to expound on what I found to be the best album and mixtape respectively. With respect to albums, no other album set the streets on fire like Ricky Rozay’s Teflon Don. He easily gets my vote as the album of the year like many others have concurred already. I’ll be the first to admit I was never the biggest Ross listener, but the sheer quality of the music alone won me over, and while his background may be shrowed with controversy as to the validity of his street cred or lack thereof, at the end the day it’s about who’s putting out the hottest sh!t which he definitely did do this year.
Now let’s take a look at the heavily overpopulated mixtape realm of music and see what we found this year. Many mixtapes were solid and worth mentioning. Off the top of my head, Jeezy’s TOD2, Fabolous’ TINC2: Funeral Service, Ross’ Albert Anastasia LP, Jada’s The Champ is Here pt III, and Joe Budden’s Mood Muzik 4: Turn 4 The Worst standout amongst others. However, my choice for favorite is a momentarily virtually unknown artist out of Mississippi by the name of Big K.R.I.T. with his magnum opus Krit Wuz Here. Now I know a lot of you are asking “who the hell is that n!gga?”, but trust me when I say he’s one of the biggest artists down south or anywhere the world has yet to know. Here’s a guy who produces, mixes, composes hooks, AND flows( very well might I add) over his OWN sh!t. Needless to say, I was blown away by what I heard and for that he gets my nod. So those are my pics for this year, but I leave the question open to all: what was your favorite(s) this year? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section. Gone.
- Romano Gold
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