DrewDown's Best 10 Albums of the Year & a few bad ones

In no particular order, sort of:

1. Elzhi - The Preface


Hands down. Classic. 5 stars. The whole Enchilada. This album will go down in history. Probably a sleeper too. Not to say anyone is going to underestimate the man's skill or anything, just guessing I won't see it on a lot of top 5 lists. Just know like they say at the end of Guessing Game "and by the way, Elzhi, That Niggas Better than You! Elzhi's better than you. He's better than you." lmao.

2. 88 Keys - The Death of Adam / Cold Case Files



Fuck it, the mixtape was classic, and so was the album. Mixtape was better than 90% of albums this year. I love music that I can relate to. Sadly both these gems had a lot of the skirt chasing stories of my past. I felt like there were some tracks I woulda traded from the tape to the album, and I was annoyed as hell that 88 keys won't rap without his altered voice but at least it wasn't auto-tune. I love albums that tell a whole story and actually succeed.


3. Solange Knowles - Sol-Angel & the Hadley St Dreams


Surprised the hell outta me. This album bangs.

4. The Roots - Rising Down


One of my favorite albums to drive fast with. Uptempo but dark and moody. Very different from the other roots albums. Killer.

5. Nas - Untitled


I kinda bump the Mixtape more than the album, but this was still a classic. I love it when artist touch on subjects that are kinda uncomfortable to talk about but need to be brought up. Like Kanye USED to with his self conscious shit. Now you can't tell him nothin. You can't even tell him he can't sing. lol.

6. Jake One - White Van Music


Not on here because he rep'd Seattle so damn hard. But on here because he spent like 2 years making a DAMN good album. The Truth was one of the best singles of the year. The release party was off the hook too.

7. Ne-Yo - Year of the Gentleman


I really enjoy this like I enjoy Kingdom Come. Not all the tracks are the best, but the content is mature and none of this "shake your junk" shit that happens too much. Hip-Hop needed this album. It just happened to be an R&B album.

8. Murs - Murs for President


Not up to par for a man who's last couple albums have been classics, but still a great album. The Hip-Hop version of Ne-Yo's joint?

9. Ludacris - Theater of the Mind


A great rebound album from Luda. The last one screamed 'gimmie a grammy' to me, and I wasn't feelin the whole runaway love stuff. He got it, so now he's back to his old self.

10. Common - UMC / Q-tip - The Renaissance



These albums were both so damn short. I had to count them as 1.

Honorable Mentions:
NERD - Seeing Sounds
Blu & Mainframe - Johnson & Johnson


Ok. A few bad ones:

Lil Wayne - Tha Carter 3


It had a few good joints, a few ok ones and a few bad ones, but it shouldn't be on ANYBODY's top 10 list.

T.I. - Paper Trail


Why does it seem I hear a lot of people saying this is T.I.'s Best Album? Did you guys ever listen to KING? Or for that matter ANY of his albums before that (except Ti. vs T.I.P.)

Ray J - All I Feel


You like to Trick? Really? See ya later Alligator. lmfao.

Bun B - II Trill


Rest in Peace PIMP C, but this was one of the worst albums I ever attempted to listen to all the way through a couple times just because I love Bun that much.

G-Unit - T.O.S.


More like P.O.S. - This goes under the Carter 3 definition but just a little bit worse. A few good tracks, not a lot of decent ones, a whole lot of bad ones. yyyyeeaaaaaNOOOO (c) Jim Carrey.

Kanye West - 808 & Heartbreaks


Give Kanye some singing lessons, Turn the autotune down just a tiny bit, change a few songs around and you've got a classic album. Don't do that, you've got a close but no cigar album. It didn't bug me as it bugged a lot of people I know that Yeezy can't sing. Cause this album definitely wasn't bad just wasn't that good.

There it is, folks. MINE. Agree? Disagree? Change? Way off Base? Mostly on Point? cuz it is fuck me, dwag, than you know its fuck you (c) DMX

EDIT:

Forgot to include probably the WORST album (no Trilla) of the year.
The Game- L.A.X.

I know it's a crowd favorite but this album was GARBAGE. MY LIFE was probably one of the worst songs I've heard in a long time. I fucked with the Dope Boys joint. Gotta love Beatles Samples.

Vh1 Hip Hop Honors - Monday

Since it's pre recorded, we can already see the photos from the event, but I can't wait to watch this on Monday.



Honorees:

Cypress Hill, De La Soul, Naughty By Nature, Slick Rick, Too $hort!

Performers:

Cypress Hill, Naughty by Nature, De La Soul, Kid Rock, Big Boi, MC Lyte, Biz Markie, Scarface, Slick Rick, Too $hort, Wyclef Jean, Lil Jon, Ghostface Killah, Bun B, Q-Tip, Cee-lo, Estelle, Fat Joe, Gym Class Heroes, Juelz Santana, Mack 10, Jim Jones, Flavor Flav, EPMD, Chuck D, Busta Rhymes.

Looks like Lupe wasn't invited to perform this year. lol. What a fiasco that was. :P. Shit it'd be hard enough to remember your own songs. Anyway. On to current events.

Lupe Fiasco - Paris, Tokyo Remix

This sure took a while to drop. Worth the wait.

Lupe, P, Sarah Green, Q - Paris, Tokyo Remix!

Paris, Tokyo - JAZZ remix

Banana Creme Pie: Adam's Homicide in Harlem

Short news clip reporting on the Death of Adam...the killer is still on the loose!

S.O.U.L. Purpose - Lesson B (Cool Kids and Jay Electronica Follow Up)

Featuring Q-Tip.

S.O.U.L. Purpose Press Release
OPERATION F.L.I.P. (Finding Lessons In Practice) = Lesson A + Lesson B

First & foremost, I would like to thank everyone who participated in this experiment. When I first put it together, I did not know how it would exactly unfold but I had an idea that everybody’s response would be similar to what it was… Safe to say I did extensive homework… I didn’t go in this blindly… I addressed certain problems, came up with solutions, plotted strategy for a timely unveiling, then anticipated how the reaction & result would be… Not easy… Hope the overall message translates…

THE COOL KIDS: I hope ya’ll understand that above all, your success qualified you guys to be in this experiment. I wish ya’ll the best… Mikey, you were a good sport…& you’re the 100th person to say I look like Jason Kidd! Funny shit… PEACE

JAY ELECTRONICA: Your success aswell made you a prime candidate for this experiment… I wish you the best too… I read somewhere that the profits from your album are going to charity… S.O.U.L. Purpose has, is, & always will be charity based so I commend you for that! PEACE

ERYKAH BADU: You were thrown in that mix for the shock factor… I had to be convincing… I meant no disrespect… I actually had the pleasure of rocking with you at The Nuyorican Poet’s Cafe years ago & we vibed very well… One love… PEACE

MEDIA: Big up to real journalists who report & inform & stay away from bullshit propaganda! Peace to Miss Info, Wreckless, Eskay, Low Key, Steve Raze, Grouchy Greg, Mike, Synapse, Brian, Wonder Twinz, Fubz, Thomas, Emily, Killa Hill, Kid Kaos, Cros1, PEACE Mag., Mick Boogie, Roslynn, & all others who truly take their media craft seriously!

INTERNET NERDS/SCREEN BANGERS/COMPUTER GANGSTERS: It’s obvious that the net is part of our everyday routine… It’s essential! But attempt to escape your virtual reality once in a while… Get out more & live life! There’s Hip Hop to be discovered! Pay attention to the experiment:
Operation F.L.I.P. (Finding Lessons In Practice)=LessonA+LessonB

BANDWAGON TRENDY HIPSTER HOPPERS: Respect the architects, pay dues, research, & learn about what you’re doing… We are ALL students of this culture! Preservation is key! Each one teach one, reach one another… Pay attention to the experiment:
Operation F.L.I.P. (Finding Lessons In Practice)=LessonA+LessonB

HATERS: I love you guys!

RACISTS: You guys are primitive beings… Sad & pathetic…

PEACE & BLESSINGS…

Q-Tip interview in Filter Magazine

Filter Magazine's newest issue just hit the stands. The cover man for ya'll DEDheads out there is none other than Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest. The interview wit the Abstract covers a few different bases. He talks about Tribe, and also the current state of music and Hip-Hop in particular..it's a REALLY good interview. Pick up a copy. GOOD READ. There's some commentary afterward too from some good friends of the Tribe.

Here's what Talib Kweli had to say:

"I loved hip-hop but I wasn't dressing or talking like the rest of the kids in my school. Q-Tip provided me with a template of how I could be myself. I was 14 and thought I was in Native Tongues. I had a VHS of Tribe live in Europe. It was incredible; these guys from Queens who I completely related to and were talking directly to me were touring the world.

The first time I saw them was Howard University Homecoming when I was 17......The mainstream media was dismissive of hip-hop; there was still the idea that it wasn't art. Tribe were our saviors for stopping that shit. The music was good, intelligent, clean. Tribe made it easy to defend. Someone says hip-hop is not musical, you say 'What? Listen to Low End Theory. It's got Ron Carter on in.'..."

Drop-Bomb got a Zone.
=ToP ! FLiTE=

Barack Obama to Appear on Q-Tip's Album

Q-TIP has gone political. The rapper, formerly of the group "A Tribe Called Quest," will debut a solo album this June that's heavy on guest stars, including presidential hopeful Barack Obama, who speaks throughout one song. "I've got Norah Jones on there, but Barack is the big one. You'll see what happens, I can't reveal too much," Q-Tip told Page Six Thursday at the Details magazine party at Le Royale for his album, "The Renaissance," and a photo shoot he did for the March issue. Spike Lee also makes an appearance on the album in a number with a political twist.

Props to New York Post

DREW
DOWN