Hip Hop LP of 2008

1. Q-tip - The Renaissance

Fans have waited patiently nearly ten years since the release of Amplified for another solo album from seminal leader of the innovative A Tribe Called Quest squad. In this time, Q-Tip has recorded several albums' worth of material that never saw the light of day due to label politics. Such is the life of an emcee in an industry that favors quick hits with a short shelf life over slow-cooked grooves from veterans. Fortunately, the dolor of business drama is scarcely detectable over the smoothly unfolding euphony on The Renaissance.

2nd Best Hip Hop LP of 2008

2. N*E*R*D - Seeing Sounds

After Pharrell Williams's pedestrian solo debut and some lacklustre production work (Gwen Stefani's The Sweet Escape), it seemed as though Williams and his Neptunes/N.E.R.D partner Chad Hugo had lost their vice-like grip on inventive pop. Happily, their new album suggests a thrilling second act. Flanked by fellow bandmember Shay Haley, they are again pushing the boundaries of the popular song. From Everybody Nose, a horn-looped look at Hollywood's re-infatuation with cocaine, to the drum'n'bass-meets-baile-funk of Spaz, this album is a superb reminder of why we fell in love with them in the first place.

3rd Best Hip Hop LP 0f 2008

3. Sir Smurf Lil - A New Bloodline

‘A New Bloodline’; Sir Smurf Lil’ teams up with the current cream of UK producers – Jehst, Apa-Tight, Beat Butcha, LG, Conspicuous and Asaviour – all men well known for their dusty Hip Hop beats. Don’t take that the wrong way though; on paper ‘A New Bloodline’ may seem like a quick tracing of the UK rap outline but in reality the uniquely stylised rendering of Smurf makes this more than just a carbon copy.

Sonically and topically this is a nicely diverse album presenting Sir Smurf’s creative streak. On ‘Blossom’ man/woman relationships are explored over a beautiful backing whereas on ‘Words are Weapons’, a menacingly lilting beat accompanies determined fighting talk. The title track opens up raucously whereas closer ‘The Lord’s Chorus’ laments the loss of a loved life. Single ‘Candlelight’ still sounds fresh as does it’s B-side ‘That Sound’ featuring T-Bear and Big Cakes.

Other microphone guests are partners-in-rhyme The Colony (Grimlok, Conspicuous and Willo Wispa), Dubbledge, Kashmere and Jehst all of whom make worthy contributions to the overall piece.

‘A New Bloodline’ is a mature second album from an MC who deserves to gain recognition and momentum in this thing we call rap.

4th Best Hip Hop LP of 2008

4. P Brothers - The Gas

Straight New York street talk is rarified air in hip hop these days. More specifically, the bleak second wave of “realness” after Wu, Nas and Black Moon emerged. Records like Mobb Deep’s The Infamous or Group Home’s Livin’ Proof sounded like kids trading blunts and rhymes in ciphers in the projects, nodding their heads as Rakim spit, “I guess I didn’t know the ledge.” The soundscapes were almost as dire, but always injected with a shot of soul. Nottingham’s P Brothers – DJ Ivory and Paul S – preserve this connoisseur’s strain with the care of curators.

The Gas is hip hop that hits from the waist up. Tinted-jeep music with heat stashed in the armrest, toting a handful of reality-check anthems on par with O.C.’s “Time’s Up.” Chase C.R.E.A.M on the low, hit pads like Kris Jenkins. On “Cold World,” Trey Bag extrapolates: “Ratata/ Think about consequences after / Black master / Gun blaster / Middle finger to the pastor.” To everybody involved, hip hop is religion.

5th Best Hip Hop LP of 2008

5. Elzhi - The Preface

Always one of the most talented emcees in the Michigan hip-hop scene, Elzhi's substance-over-style approach has consistently deviated from the mainstream rap environment. When he initially joined Slum Village in the early part of this decade — after super-producer J Dilla went solo — the group was primarily regarded for its soulful backdrops and carefree vibes. Although they eventually gained the recognition they deserved, Elzhi is in a similar position as a solo artist nearly a decade later: His emphasis on technique and thought-provoking lyrics differs from the formulaic McDonald-ization of today's commercial rap scene. And with his proper debut, The Preface, Elzhi is still eschewing trends and sticking to his guns with impressive results.

6th Best Hip Hop LP of 2008

6. ABN - It Is What It Is

7th Best Hip Hop LP of 2008

7. Jazz Liberatorz - Clin D'oeil

I don't know much about the Jazz Liberators, but I instantly became a fan after one listen to this album. From what I've been able to gather around the internet, it would appear that these guys are three producers from France -- DJ Damage, Dusty, and Madhi. They have some 12" singles scattered about but, from what I understand, no albums until now. From the intro, once I heard famous jazz samples being played over what sounded to me like live instruments, I was hooked. They enlist the services of rappers like Sadat X, Buckshot, Asheru, J. Sands, J-Live, Apani B. Fly, Tableek (from Maspyke), and former Pharcyde members Tre Hardson & Fat Lip...amongst others. Though all the tracks are immersed in jazz, they all vary in sound -- from the thump laid down for Buckshot to the floating keys offered up for Sadat X.

As far as drawbacks associated with this release, you'd be hard pressed to find any. There were some songs that stood out more than others, but they're all great. Be warned though, this album is heavily influenced by jazz, so don't look to get hype to this. It's all laid back stuff.

If you like your rap music with a heavy dose of jazz, then this album needs to be a part of your collection. Clin D'Oeil is the best rap album I've heard so far this year. Jazz Rap doesn't come much better than this. I highly recommend adding this LP to your music collection. It won't disappoint. Guaranteed.

8th Best Hip Hop LP of 2008

8. EMC - The Show

Ace is back. This time with the underground super group, eMC. eMC consists of Masta Ace, Lyrical Lounge legends Punchline and Wordsworth, and Milwaukee underground veteran, Stricklin. Their new record, The Show, is underground hip hop at its finest and a virtual deadlock for one of the top five hip hop records of the year. The Show is a stylistic successor to Ace’s previous two concept albums as it follows the loose story of the group preparing for the night’s out-of-town performance. We follow the group as they frantically call their manager to pick them up at the airport to their check in at the hotel, to their radio appearances promoting the show, to backstage fucking groupies and finally their curtain call. The record is held together by a series of humorous skits that link the thematic elements of the story with the songs that expound on these themes.

9th Best Hip Hop LP of 2008

9. Nappy Roots - Humdinger

Nappy Roots hearken back to a time in southern rap when lyricism was king, ruling over plodding beats and guttural, unintelligible yelling. After a brief stint on a major label and a hit album–2002's Watermelon, Chicken and Gritz–they're back on their own label, with their best album yet, The Humdinger.

And they don't waste any time addressing their current situation. Opener "Beads and Braids" is a head-first assault on an industry that spit them out, capped off by the sarcastic question, "Why y'all ****** don't rap about money?" It brings up a good point–it's not that Nappy Roots don't rap about the traditional southern rap archetypes that we've come to expect, they just do it more realistically. They rap about strip clubs ("Pole Position") but stop to wonder aloud if their mothers are going to hear it; they rap about cars ("Good Day"), but mostly because they aren't sure if their cars are going to start.

The Humdinger shows Nappy Roots to be funny, down-to-earth hip-hop stars who care more about their craft than they do about their shoe deals. It's something their southern rap peers could learn from.

10th Best Hip Hop LP of 2008

10. Fat Ray & Black Milk - The Set Up

Black Milk and Fat Ray’s “The Set Up” is a straight gutter, battle rap release - period. Every now and then I need a balance of my hip-hop music to include the street-inspired presentations like “The Set Up.” As of lately, I have been on some personal “rename random albums,” and this album I renamed “Punchlines & Amped Beats Vol. 1” - as there are plenty to go around. A true fan of battle raps will be in heaven with this presentation. Innovative in some regards yet the “same ole, same ole” in others, more than half of this release is captivating. But other areas, such as gun talk, violence and drug use, is nothing my ears haven’t received before.

11th Best Hip Hop LP 0f 2008

11. Heltah Skeltah - D.I.R.T

The choice to appear on the cover of a hardcore rap album wearing a mask and a cape, like an extra from some R. Kelly video gone awry, isn’t one many artists would make, but then again, normal isn’t a standard that Heltah Skeltah can really be held to. That the Brooklyn duo would have a “much anticipated” release in 2008, a full decade since their last album is nothing short of amazing. This is due to the cape-clad Sean Price, who resurrected himself in the form of “the brokest rapper you know” on his out-of-nowhere solo debut, 2005’s Monkey Barz. With that album, and its followup, 2007’s Jesus Price Superstar, Price, a.k.a. Ruck, set the stage for this reunion.

Price is joined by his gravel-voiced partner in crime, Rock. Together, the two continue the general trend of Price’s solo albums: rhymes that are at once threatening and amusing, with gun talk and chest thumping mixed in with a piercing wit, sometimes directed at themselves. This is a delicate balancing act that few should attempt, but these two do it perfectly. The imagery they use is often hilarious and over the top: “When I fucked Rhianna, ain’t use no umbrella/If the the bitch have twins, we namin’ ‘em both Ella…Ella…” It is a fantastic collection of verses, but they are all interchangeable from track to track, and for the most part, no particular concepts emerge on the tracks. Production on the album is decent high-octane underground stuff, but can’t escape comparisons to the Justus League-heavy sound of Sean Price’s two albums. Khrysis and Ill-Mind are still around, but with two tracks each, they do not dominate the album, and the other beatmakers don’t quite pick up the slack. There are certainly some other good contributions, notably from Sic Beats (”Smack Muzik”) and Stu Bangas (”Ruck & Roll”), but Khrysis’ atypical swinging head nodder, “The Art of Disrespeckinization” is probably the strongest beat on the album.

Overall, this is a high-quality underground album from two original, if ill-mannered, voices in hip hop. It loses minor points for lack of variety in the tracks, and for production that doesn’t quite stand up to its Sean Price predecessors. Still, it is more than worth a listen, and hopefully means continued success for the re-invented Heltah Skeltah, capes or no.

12th Best Hip Hop LP of 2008

12. Prodigy, Big Twin & Un Pacino - Product Of The 80's

13th Best Hip Hop LP of 2008

13. Roots Manuva - Slime And Reason

Slime & Reason, is yet another gutsy work from a deeply honest artist. But you can't help wanting the guy to make a record that all sounds like 'Again & Again', 'Buff Nuff' and 'Do Nah Bodda Mi'. These are miserable times, we need some joy, and Smith's best shots prove that uplifting music needn't be shallow.

14th Best Hip Hop LP of 2008

14. Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons

The characters given life by Slug on Atmosphere's new album have unenviable situations, but they're not all "painting that shit gold" (whatever that means): Vagrants, single parents and dope-addled fiends, they all work, fuck and wallow in their misery, giving the emotional indie rap act a chance to traffic in someone else's self-righteousness and self-loathing for a change.

That said, the album feels just as personal as Atmosphere's previous works while showcasing a bit of artistic evolution. Producer Ant chops up bass, guitar and synth parts that were recorded under his direction, which results in Gold feeling less like the boilerplate, sample-driven indie rap albums Atmosphere has threatened to retire on and more like a groundbreaking work. Though pockmarked by clichés and listless tracks like "Guarantees" and "Like the Rest of Us," it nonetheless hints at good things to come for Slug and Ant, provided they continue in this style.

15th Best Hip Hop LP of 2008

15. Kashmere - Raiders Of The Lost Archives

16th Best Hip Hop LP of 2008

16. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter 3

OK, it's true: he really is the best rapper alive. Lil Wayne made that claim on his last official CD, in 2005, and since then, he's unleashed an astonishing torrent of mixtapes, leaks and guest appearances to back up the boast. So his long-anticipated "legit" album follow-up feels a bit gratuitous. Still, Tha Carter III is useful as an exclamation point. It establishes beyond a doubt that the zeitgeist in 2008 belongs to one artist: a dreadlocked dadaist poet from New Orleans with a bad weed habit and a voice like a bullfrog. As Wayne croaks in the woozy "3Peat," "Get on my level/You can't get on my level/You will need a space shuttle/Or a ladder that's forever."

Wayne has taken the task of album-making seriously: This isn't a mixtape, it's a suite of songs, paced and sequenced for maxaqimum impact. He's collected sleek, powerful beats from top producers (Kanye West, Swizz Beatz), enlisted A-list guest stars (Jay-Z, T-Pain) and served up a range of textures and moods, from the elegiac Hurricane Katrina protest "Tie My Hands" to the bubblegum bumper "Lollipop," in which Weezy has a laugh at selling out by creating the most outrageously pumped-up sellout single in history. Thematically, Carter III is a victory lap. In the hilarious "Dr Carter," he boasts about resuscitating hip-hop: "As I put the light down his throat/I can only see flow/His blood's starting to flow/His lungs starting to grow."

As usual, Wayne's tumbling freestyle rhymes are full of imagination and surprise, but his voice itself is half the fun. He shouts, gasps, tries a Caribbean patois, sings snatches of "Umbrella" and "Irreplaceable," and impersonates E.T. He loves that brother-from-another-planet stuff —"I am a Martian," he raps —but it's clear he's also thinking about his worldly legacy. The album cover links Carter III to Biggie's Ready to Die and Nas' Illmatic, and he makes no bones about coveting a spot in hip-hop's pantheon. "Next time you mention Pac, Biggie or Jay-Z/Don't forget Weezy Baby," he advises on "Mr Carter." It's sound advice.

17th Best Hip Hop LP of 2008

17. The Roots - Rising Down

If Rising Down is remembered for anything besides its call to arms message, it will be as the Roots album with an artist list the size of Step Up 2. Blackthought spends an almost shocking amount of time with the mic to himself, most notably going solo on 75 Bars, an unforgiving lyrical barrage that shows once again that Blackthought is the MC for MCs who love the art of MCing (follow that?). But for better or worse nearly every other track is stuffed with alternate rhymers. On the worse side, Common’s contribution to the strangely forgettable The Show is disappointingly flat, and do we really need three songs featuring a man named Porn? But on the better side Dice Raw contributes three verses that will have long time Roots fans reminiscing on the days he was part of the crew, Talib Kweli is lyrically defiant on I Will Not Apologize, and Peedi Crack crushes expectations by dropping one of album’s best verses on Get Busy. So why so many guests? I don’t know, and I wish I didn’t have to ask.

Critics often make the mistake of judging albums on a one size fits all scale, but they should ultimately be measured by how well they accomplish their particular musical mission. I’m not going to criticize Omarion and Bow Wow for ignoring the war in Iraq, and I refuse to subtract points from Rising Down simply because it doesn’t have enough hot joints. This is not music meant to spark a party, this is music meant to spark a fire somewhere inside you, and on that level it deserves some serious rotation on your headphones - lord knows it’s not going to get rotation anywhere else. Which means that the fate of Rising Down is entirely in your hands, where it belongs.

18th Best Hip Hop LP 2008

18. Baby J - Baby Food

19th Best Hip Hop LP 2008

19. Terminology - Politics As Usual

20th Best Hip Hop LP of 2008

20. Reks - Grey Hairs

Boston’s underground rap scene isn’t typically mentioned in hip-hop circles. Yet, rappers from Beantown have been consistently killing it since Edo G first came up. From Akrobatik to Edan to Reks, hip-hop heads certainly have plenty to choose from, but for whatever reason, they keep sleeping. While Ak and his rhyming partner Mr. Lif share some time in the limelight here and there, the only emcee people usually name from Boston is GURU. And we all know how he doesn’t exactly flaunt that. Yet, the aforementioned rappers don’t let their city’s lesser-known scene hold them back. Ak dropped the fantastic Absolute Value earlier this year and now we are treated to Reks’ Grey Hairs, a consistent, moody, and ultimately solid album.

Across the 20 tracks on Grey Hairs, there is nary a subject Reks doesn’t hit with full force. He jumps seamlessly from slavery and materialism, “Black Cream (The Negro Epidemic)”, to teenage pregnancy, “Cry Baby”, to throwing verbal darts, “Pray For Me”. And none of it sounds contrived. Reks spits with passion and fervor no matter the topic and it only helps that the production on here is also stellar. For the flawless “Black Cream (The Negro Epidemic)”, Statik Selektah laces the beat with a somber vocal sample and drums that knock. As a counterpoint, Statik provides a street anthem background on “The One” that gives Reks the chance to flaunt his skills on the mic while tackling societal issues. Oh, right, DJ Premier and Large Professor also crafted beats for Reks. That alone should at least make you eager to listen to this album at least once. But after one spin I can guarantee that you will be going back for more.

21st Best Hip Hop LP 2008

21. Jake One - White Van Music

Known as the “perfect beat writer”, Seattle super-producer Jake One offers up White Van Music, an expansive compilation of hip-hop music, showcasing a smorgasbord of beats and rhymes. Jake One assembles a number of hip-hop notables, including Posdnuos from legendary hip-hop group De La Soul, prolific artist Busta Rhymes, Prodigy from the dynamic duo of Mobb Deep, and lively MC M.O.P. to name a few.

The varied assortment of MCs lends to the depth of sound on this CD, evident on “Gangsta Boy” with M.O.P., known for his high-energy delivery on memorable songs like “Ante Up”. M.O.P. delivers a similar forcefulness on this track, against a gritty beat that thumps in the listener’s ear, before tapering off into a slower lull with a gentler trickle of a beat, similar to music typically laid over a montage of 1970s cinema. The song is an appropriate lead-in to “The Truth” with Roc-a-Fella artist Freeway and Brother Ali. “The Truth” bumps heavily, conjuring up images of a 1970s era blaxploitation flick. On “God Like”, with D. Black, the beats enter the modern era with a smooth riff to make your head nod. “Bless the Child” featuring North Carolina rappers Little Brother, evokes a similar musical response as the lyricists trade descriptive monologues about their respective personas.

“Kissing the Curb” is textbook Busta Rhymes, allowing the ever-excitable MC to bring his signature delivery over a hard knocking, slightly haunting beat. On “Big Homie Style” with J. Pinder, GMK, and Spaceman, the listener is introduced to one of the grittier tracks on the CD, complete with witty declarations of grandeur from Spaceman who states “I done gone from a pawn to a Don.” Bay Area rapper Keak Da Sneak is right at home on “Soil Raps”, the West Coast flavored beat is the perfect counterpoint to Keak’s grimy rhyme-style.

Detroit brethren Elzhi and Royce Da 5’9” team up on the appropriately titled “Glow”, a glossy aspirational track that practically demands the listener to polish up their own swagger, so they can be worthy of vibing to this track and its numerous acronyms for radiant coolness. The artists remind us of the plentiful ways in which they glow, rapping that they “shine, flicker, streak, sparkle, gleam, glitter, shimmer, flare, flash, floss, glisten, glare.” The undercurrent of 1970s soul music returns on the last two tracks, first with the reflective “R.I.P.”, and then on “Home” with Vitamin D, C Note, and Maine & Ish.

Although less than two minutes in length, “R.I.P.” is classic hip-hop scratching in a vocal refrain of “rest in peace” throughout the song’s introduction. The song name checks a number of deceased hip-hop heavyweights including Proof, Pimp C, Jam Master Jay, Tupac Shakur, Notorious B.I.G., Big L, and Big Pun, as well as paying homage to legends like James Brown and Rick James, who have undoubtedly influenced hip-hop music. In keeping with the automobile motif represented by the album’s title, “White Van Music” will have a place in vehicles of all types, as it provides a collection of songs to engage and excite true hip-hop fans.

22nd Best LP of 2008

22. Statik Selectah - Stick To Da Script

Statik Selektah likes to get right to the point. That was clear from the Massachusetts DJ/producer’s star-studded ’07 debut, Spell My Name Right: The Album. Judging by his aptly titled second LP, Stick 2 the Script, he doesn’t plan on changing anytime soon. On “To the Top (Stick 2 the Script),” Statik matches Cassidy, Saigon and Termanology with tickled strings and knocking drums. The artist pairings remain fluid throughout, as Talib Kweli, Joell Ortiz and Skyzoo spit game on the soulful “Talkin Bout You (Ladies),” and State Property alums Freeway, Young Chris and Peedi Crakk reunite over the bassy “All 2gether Now.”

Guests aside, the album’s strength is its boardwork. Statik digs deep in the crates on the murderous “For the City,” bridging M.O.P. and Jadakiss’s tough-talking verses with a doo-wop hook. He later gets experimental on “Sounds of the Street,” manipulating isolated inner-city noises to construct a melodic backdrop.

The LP dips on the overcrowded “Streets of M.A.,” where eight mostly unrecognizable MCs from Statik’s home state square off atop grave keys, while the West Coast toaster “Cali Nights” sounds slightly out of place among the album’s East Side vibe. Still, minor knocks don’t detract, as Statik not only sticks to his script but also manages to flip it as well

23rd Best LP of 2008

23. K Delight - Audio Revolution

24th Best LP of 2008

24. Dela - Changes In Atmosphere

On Dela's second album Changes of Atmosphere, there is a trace of unadorned irony and coincidence that does a lot to explain the nuance of Dela's sound. On the song "The Plan," guest rappers Dynas and Lycian rap about America's cavalier foreign policy as a way to contrast the domestic failure surrounding Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans. It's certainly not an original poetic construct but to hear the following lines, "Eight days in the Superdome / Most was losin' their homes / For your deeds, New Orleans / Is knee deep in corpses / Five days behind you wouldn't leave your fortress," rapped over faux-jazz and faux-hip hop has its own strange logic to diplomacy versus domesticity. Dela, a white French producer writes jazz-infused hip hop, which means taking two musical traditions borne from African-American culture and creating his own armchair interpretation. Dynas and Lucian, two black American rappers, criticize white America's mishandling of non-white peoples both abroad and in New Orleans, a predominantly black area of the country that was originally a French colony. Furthermore, the existence of blacks in the United States in the first place is a product of slavery, which itself is a product of European colonization. Despite all of these twisting strands of causality and musical reappropriation that point to Dela's music being blaxsploitation, there is a tremendous harmony because Dela's jazzy hip hop and his guest rappers' protest lyrics. Simply put, it works. It's as if Dela's music is its own special form of diplomacy that dispels the lamentable history of white expansion and black subjugation by embracing the silver lining: black culture's positive contributions to American, and at this point, global culture, namely musical the musical developments, hip hop and jazz. Dela's music is an homage, a peace pipe, and a humble offering. Changes of Atmosphere is his hopeful contribution.

25th Best LP of 2008

25. Million Dan - Spektrum

26th Best LP of 2008

26. Large Professor - Main Source

For me this is a welcome return of the legendary Large Professor with his first LP for nearly 6 years. Usually I have no interest in comback artists who reapear every 5 years or so and somehow think that they can remain relevant in an musical artform that is still constantly evloving, and where most casual listeners change their taste as quickly as they can press the download button. Basically most comeback albums are average at best, and very few artists can recindle the essence of what made then origionators in the first place. However Large Pro has remained relevant over the years, mainly due to some notable productions for other artists, so I had some interest in this release, and the end result is a dope cd filled with classic boom-bap beats and rhymes, and is the perfect album to reminise on a long forgotten era of rap. A lot of people critsise comeback rappers for not moving with the times, but the fact that Large Pro has kept to his origional formula is exactly what makes this album work. I actually found it refreshing to here an album that reminded me of that classic era, and the fact that you don't get much rap released likes this anymore strangely made it sound pretty fresh. This album is also fairly consistent from beginning to end (except for a couple of fillers), and is a vast improvement on his last very patchy LP from 2002. Lyrically Large Pro sounds hungrier than he has for years, and the production is good throughout, but really picks up in the second half. Even though the sound is certainly remenisent of a certain time, the album works well today and is worth picking up.

27th Best LP of 2008

27. 88 Keys - The Death Of Adam

This perverse morality tale centers on the elaborate efforts of poor, blue-balled "Adam" (a.k.a. producer/rapper/singer 88-Keys, who has made beats for conscious artists like Mos Def, Talib Kweli, and J-Live) to get laid. Ribald detours and high-profile guests abound as he discovers passionate sex ("Stay Up! [Viagra]," featuring executive producer Kanye West), knocks up a casual girlfriend ("M.I.L.F." featuring Bilal), catches venereal disease ("The Burning Bush" with Redman), and tragically "dies." The Death of Adam is ultimately an amusingly diverting, 45-minute dirty joke.

28th Best LP of 2008

28. Sway - Signature

Sway is like Marmite, you ever love him or hate him. We definitely fall into the love category. His previous LP and mix tapes, have shown him to be a witty and charming MC. Yet this sophomore album, shows an emotional side that is a rare thing in Hip Hop. Tracks like 'Letters To Heaven' and 'Pray For Kaya' offer genuinely moving tributes to lost friends and family members, before "End of the Road" finds a brush with mortality persuading Sway to take stock of his life and contemplate retiring from rapping. Thankfully he didn't and 2009 could be the year, a British MC conquers the states.

29th Best LP of 2008

29. Triple Darkness - Anathema

30th Best LP 2008

30. Blu & Mainframe - Johnson & Jonson

Judging by his work ethic, it might be safe to assume the Blu suffers from insomnia. The California emcee indisputably stole the show in 2007 by pairing with DJ Exile for his instant-classic album, Below The Heavens. Next, in April of 2008, he teamed up with Detroit emcee/producer Ta’Raach, to put out a raw, unpolished collaboration titled The Piece Talks under the group name CRAC Knuckles. Now, he has released yet another album, this time with Mainframe, a lesser known, yet considerably skillful producer. The duo, known together as Johnson & Jonson, put their significant chemistry on display for their self-titled debut album.

The album launches with “J & J,” an intro track focused over a dirty, rock-infused beat that starkly contrasts with what Blu’s followers are familiar to. Following tracks, such as “Up All Night,” and “Half A Knot,” capture Blu’s ability to incorporate the stream of consciousness style of rapping that has become popular of late. However, instead of endlessly stringing off irrelevant punchlines and metaphors, Blu’s raps tend to come full circle, making listening to his verses much more gratifying.

Still, Mainframe’s contributions to Johnson & Jonson cannot be overlooked. Whereas DJ Exile focused mainly on soulful sampling on Below The Heavens and Ta’Raach’s simplistic boom-bap dominated The Piece Talks, Mainframe sustains an impressive versatility throughout all of Johnson & Jonson that allows for an entertaining listen. Whether it be the jazzy horns on “Mama Told Me,” the vocal sampling on “The Only Way,” or the sultry bass and acoustic guitar on “Hold On John,” Mainframe’s production always has room to breathe and shine to a level equal that of Blu’s lyrics.

Johnson & Jonson was reportedly supposed to premiere with Below The Heavens as a promotional mixtape. This is apparent, as many tracks clock in at around two minutes, featuring no hooks or breaks – just Blu abusing the instrumental until the song ends. This lack of format does fit Blu’s lyrical style appropriately at times. Take the spectacular track “The Only Way,” on which Blu raps coherently along with the vocal samples about the struggles of trying to deal with what life can throw at you.

With Blu taking part in so many projects in the past year, it is hard not to let his projects fall victim to comparison. This album is too loose to land on the same pedestal as Below The Heavens. This is due in part to the short song lengths and Blu’s flows being more nonspecific, as opposed to his brilliant storytelling on Below The Heavens. But in comparison to The Piece Talks, on which Blu outshined Ta’Raach, Johnson & Jonson serves as a more agreeable listen because of Mainframe’s elevated, flexible production.

One will inevitably wonder what Blu is going to be up to next. Likely, he’ll be up in to the late hours of the night, grinding away on his next project or concept. But until then, it is comforting to know he left us with a sublime release to keep everyone satisfied. Johnson & Jonson succeeds as a rather comprehensive hip-hop album, complete with both solid beats and rhymes.

31st Best LP of 2008

31. Kail - True Hollywood Squares

Alpha Pup has themselves some massive crossover hit potential with the debut album from South Central LA’s Kail. The beats bestowed upon him are obscure enough to satisfy all of those fickle hipsters – with Sober sampling the likes of Lalo Schifrin’s theme to Steven McQueen’s Bullitt and someone named N/A reconstituting an instrumental out of the Gemini Man stage of Megaman 3 – while pumping all the boom-bap and big bass to keep the party heads rocking. Lyrically, he spins tales of Tinseltown dregs into a rough concept album based around Hollywood Squares, of which a racially charged game is played throughout with Kail doing his best Dave Chappelle. He provides purposefully bad British, Italian, and Caucasian American accents in character that hit as much as they miss (Dave’s not here, man). All the talk of bitches and blunts will satisfy the NWA fans, while his obvious sense of humor often works well enough in a De La Soul or Biz Markie vein. On top of that, frequent AWOL One collaborator Daddy Kev mixed and mastered the affair, while also filling out the production. All that should see Kail join the likes of MF Doom and Dangermouse on the outskirts of the mainstream, if all goes to destiny.

32nd Best LP Of 2008

32. Nutrageous - Raw Nuts

33rd Best LP of 2008

33. Flying Lotus - Los Angeles

Quite simply stunning! Dark, mysterious, twisted, deeply bass thumping, completely and utterly mystically original. What is it about Flying Lotus's sound that really puts the hook in me? His music is the equivalent of a nightmarish psychedelic trip through the London Underground. You are rocked, jolted, rattled and blinded by the complete miasma of sound, noise and off-kilter subterranean bass rhythms. `Los Angeles', Flying Lotus's second long player, is an intricately produced, detailed composition. It is the experimental and maturing sound of black America embracing electronic music, a peculiar brew of thundering Hip Hop beats, Jazz and the blues. In this age of lap top musicians and MP3 DJ's, Flying Lotus literally soars above the competition.

34th Best LP of 2008

34. Dagha - Divorce

35th Best LP of 2008

35. The Cool Kids - Bake Sale

It's both absurd and entirely believable in 2008 to see a ten-track release called an "EP," especially if it's a hip-hop record. Consider that the average hip-hop album contains between 15 and 20 tracks (I'm totally making up that statistic, but I'd put money on it regardless), and 10 seems like an awfully slim lineup, in spite of the Illmatic precedent. The Cool Kids' Bake Sale is one such oddity. It feels like a full-length album, sort of, but it's also pretty brief, running about a half-hour in length. Even LL Cool J's Radio, an album that The Cool Kids have no doubt studied, seems epic by comparison.

Interestingly enough, brevity is one such quality that makes The Cool Kids such a desirable commodity. Kicking out playful rhymes about haircuts and food over old-school 808 beats and synth throbs, the Chicago duo makes the bold claim that they're "bringing 88 back," the statement itself a Nas reference. Yet while the group's source material is, undoubtedly, top notch, a tribute act this ain't. Rather, The Cool Kids have a youthful freshness and sense of laid-back fun that's curiously absent from the majority of rap being pressed in the '00s. Because of this, a few cynics have dismissed it as `hipster rap,' a dismissal as petty as a dig at community organizers.

Hipster or not, The Bake Sale is pure, beat-banging joy. In spite of my admiration for El-P, GZA and Dälek, I'll go on record as saying The Cool Kids just sound like they'd more fun to kick it with. Single "88" sets the duo's agenda with a "99 Problems" beat and one-liners like "sicker than the flu" and "all you wack rappers need to keep your day jobs/ when my work here is done I'm-a take the day off." "What Up Man" has a beat built on vocalized chants of "tick tick clap/ tick tickticktick clap," while "One Two" finds the Kids hyping themselves (jokingly?) as the "new black version of the Beastie Boys" over a fat synth bassline. The 808 is cast aside in favor of an uptempo drum loop and jazzy bassline in "What It Is. " "A Little Bit Cooler" opts for some downtempo hardcore g-funk, contrasting amusingly with lines like "I'm a rebel/ eating a bowl of them Fruity Pebbles." And "Bassment Party" even harkens back to the halcyon days of early '90s Miami bass.

36th Best LP Of The Year

36. Qwel & Kip Killagain - The New Wine

Chicago artist Qwel is back with another installment in his seasonal/horsemen series. Previous installments were The Harvest with Maker and Freezer Burner with Meaty Ogre. For this third outing Qwel hooked up with jungle producer Kip Killagain.

So how does a non-hiphop producer do on a hiphop release? With the usage of both live instrumentation and a bit of sampling Kip Killagain succeeds in making some interesting backdroppings. Not everything works as well, but most does. One the examples that feels weird is the beat for 'Bonita Bitrell' where it's very obvious that Kip Killagain comes from an electronic genre. Mind you, the beat isn't bad at all, but it feels a little weird and out of place the first couple of times you'll hear it. 'Innuendo' is another example of a beat that feels out of place. It feels like it was put on the wrong kind of album. Luckily there are also enough beats that do everything just right. Whether it's the guitars on 'Big Eyes' or the piano keys with the violins on 'Agape Rain', there are a lot of songs where Kip Killagain uses some elements to make the music interesting.

Qwel himself does his own thing quit good, but I didn't feel him as much as on most of his previous releases. Lyrically he still kicks it, with some dope rhymes, which might take some time to fully comprehend. Most of the time he speaks on topics about the fast food culture that is our society and his disgust with the entertainment industy. Especially on 'Reality TV' he makes a lot of good points. However there are some points the album feels more like 'The New Whine', especially on the parts where Qwel speaks on the music industry specifically, how the wrong guys get the all the attention and poor Qwel doesn't. It just doesn't sit well with me at all. The guy has got a pretty dedicated fanbase and should be proud of it, I understand everbody wants to get big and rich doing what they love the most, but it isn't for everbody. He could have at least taken a different approach to it. Just look at someone like Busdriver, at least he sees the humour in it, instead of being so sensitive. I'm also not happy with all of his mic performances from a skill level. I wish he would have dropped some of his hooks. The best songs are the ones without a hook most of the time. Also on the acapella 'Internet Killed The Video Star' he exposes himself with a very weak delivery. Don't get me wrong, most of the time Qwel does a great job, switching his flow and what not, but there are a few instances where he really drops the ball.

37th Best LP of 2008

37. J Live - Then What Happened

J-Live doesn't stray too far from his trademark formula - melancholy, boom bap production combined with conceptual, introspective lyrics - on Then What Happened. Surprisingly though, the album is filled with more passion and anger - yes, anger - than expected. On "One to 31," the Brooklyn native proclaims, "I'm just trying to show you my pain." For an artist who is often characterized as a soft-spoken, backpacking dweeb, such vehemence is a welcomed change from the fun-loving yet intellectually stimulating music fans have come to expect. But can you really blame J-Live for being a little pissed off, especially when he's been shunned by the hip-hop industry for over a decade? On the DJ Evil Dee produced, "Be No Slave," J-Live chronicles his struggles in the music biz, condemning corrupt record labels with rhymes such as, "Trading my rap for a slice of the pie before dinner/Promised in the afterlife I'm a be a winner/But if a record don't sell, I musta been a sinner/'Cause now all you dish out is greens and pig innards/The worst part about it, the whole pie was mine/The contract I signed showed I sold myself/Stay in the trap I was looking to avoid steady playing myself/So from now on, fuck it, I'll be paying myself."

But if this anti-corporate discourse is too much to take in, don't fret; Then What Happened still has its share of boom bap, braggadocios tracks. "The Upgrade" is arguably the album's best track, due in part to a wondrous vocal sample and horn arrangement by producer Oddisee. Similarly, DJ Spinna laces J-Live with a hypnotizing vocal sample and aggressive drums on "We Are."

Even though Then What Happened may not be the most high profile release this year, underground hip-hop fans will be hard pressed to find a more complete album. Any doubts on whether J-Live is past his prime are erased, as em>Then What Happened is his best LP since 2002's All of the Above.

38th Best LP Of 2008

38. Pete Rock - NY's Finest
Pete Rock has been a dependable, though not always spectacular or surprising, force in hip-hop since his first records with C.L. Smooth came out in the early '90s. His solo records -- on which he usually acts as producer and MC -- have not always been consistent affairs, but he's been able to release a lot of solid material and establish a particular sound and feel to his kind of beat-making. On NY's Finest, his fourth official full-length and first on the Brooklyn label Nature Sounds, he continues this trend, presenting more of the consistent, professional production and lyrics that he's made his name on. Which means that though there are a lot of good tracks on the album, their similarity to each other and Rock's other work seems to blend them into one another. A few do stand out, however: "914," which features strong verses from both Styles P and Sheek Louch, is aggressive and confident while still remaining inviting and fun; "The PJ's," featuring Wu-Tang's Raekwon and Masta Killa (it was actually already included on the March 2006 Nature Sounds new music compilation Natural Selection) mixes mellow production with the rappers' hard-edged storytelling; "Comprehend" balances Papoose's rough voice with particularly smooth and shimmery beats; and the two-and-a-half-minute "Questions" samples from Miles Davis' famous flügelhorn line in "Concierto de Aranjuez" as MC Royal Flush spits out threats and boasts of all sorts. But the rest of the songs on NY's Finest (which, interestingly enough, do not exclusively feature New York talent) aren't quite able to define themselves, to distinguish themselves from what's around them. This doesn't mean that's there's anything weak here; with the exception of the out-of-place and trite dubby "Ready Fe War," every track on the album is a well-executed, well-thought-out piece. But because Rock's never concentrated on hooks, the tracks seem to blend into one another, which, unfortunately, tends to make the record drag on from time to time. NY's Finest is a good, solid listen from a deservedly respected member of the hip-hop community

39th Best LP of 2008

39. Nas - Untitled

Anybody who was expecting Nigger to be a statement of intent - and I think that's most of us - was half-right. The thematic content of this album, and the inspiration Nas draws from it as a lyricist, certainly surpasses Hip-Hop is Dead, a decent album that failed to explore its titular statement with any real aplomb. In fact, this is as inspired as Nas has sounded in many a year; if The Lost Tapes were to be taken out of his discography proper, then it's quite possibly his best personal performance across an album since 1996's It Was Written. It's a thoughtful, almost hopeful performance, too - where a lot of socio-political albums in recent years have taken a deeply angry tone, this is frequently more a meditation than a rant. It's a discussion on how we improve, what we can change and how, rather than simply a list of things that are wrong. Adding to that vibe are sampled voiceovers ("Louis Farrakhan"), and the appearance of The Last Poets on Project Roach. This album's most lasting strength resides on that vibe. Better production, would have seriously shot this LP up to the higher echelons of the chart.

40th Best LP of 2008

40. Young Jeezy - The Recession

The world is seriously fucked, when a thug rapper switches his narrative to tales of the economy and politics. The Recession begins beautifully with “The Recession (the Intro).” Over a magnificent DJ Toomp beat, you hear testimonials from the average person trying to make it followed by Jeezy reinforcing the point with clever witty word play. Later on the album, Mr. 17.5 speaks again on the downside of society on the Kanye West assisted “Put On” that serves not only as a public service announcement, but also as an anthem for the down and out. But interestingly, Jeezy manages to touch on some topics that he normally wouldn’t as he talks to his critics of his lyrical ability on “Word Play”. He is also found getting quasi political on the Nas featured “My President,” proving that Jeezy is much more than a drug dealing thug, but someone with keen observations with a sound opinion.

Best 30 singles of 2008

01. Big Boi - Royal Flush
02. BOB - Fuck U
03. P Brothers - Digital B-Boy
04. Jay-z - Jockin Jay-z
05. Static Selectah - To The Top
06. Warren G - Mr President
07. Styles P - Ghost
08. Sincere - Once Upon A Rhyme
09. Elzhi - Motown 25
10. Reks - Say Goodnight
11. Nas - Hero
12. TI - Swagger
13. Lil Fame - Security
14. Heliocentrics - Distant Star
15. Rakim - I'm Back
16. Nappy Roots - No Static
17. N*E*R*D - Spazz
18. Large Professor - Rockin Hip Hop
19. Paper Route Recordz - Bama Gettin Money
20. Terminology - How We Rock
21. ABN - Whose The Boss
22. Harmonics 313 - For The D
23. Roots - 75 Bars
24. Lil Wayne - A Millie
25. Kid Cudi - Day N Night
26. Ludacris - MVP
27. Nutrageous - Playin The Field
28. Pete Rock - How We Roll
29. Knuxx - Cappuccino
30. Common - Universal Mind Control