ftm

perhaps it's not surprising, that in a year that saw massive upheaval and the toppling of harsh regimes all over the globe, that the american rap underground would see it's greatest resurgence in recent memory.

from coast to coast and everywhere in between, acts that would have been relegated to relative obscurity in years past are on the come up. with wider availability of top tier production quality and the infinite value of internet distribution, independently produced mixtapes are turning the rap game inside out.

the songs are darker and harder than anything we've heard before, but the flows also offer more depth and intelligence than we've seen from almost anything on a major label in more than a decade. what really makes this year's class standout though, is listenability. there is a smoothness of sound and overall vision in this new movement that is just straight up fun to listen to.

credit this triumph at least in part to clams casino. his smooth, slick, bass heavy beats, accented by gorgeous vocal manipulations, dreamy synths and psychedelic complexity have made his productions this year some of the most amazing canvasses to drop a flow over that the rap world has ever seen. i don't believe that to be an exaggeration. pitchfork named his instrumental for based god's motivation
as one of the best tracks of the year. a nod it rightfully deserves. in addition, the clams produced collaborations between ASAP Rocky and Main Attrakionz have resulted in some of the best songs of the year. you needn't listen to more than the first 30 seconds of the first track off live, love, asap to hear my point illustrated (though i highly suggest that you do). triumphant choral vocals and huge bass hits, complete with high hats and handclaps... "the whole world gon be feelin this" indeed.

... but clams' work aside, the rappers themselves have really been the factor that has made this the best year the genre has experienced since i've been an avid contemporary listener. soulja boy, kid cudi and the like rocked the internet world a few years back... some catchy songs sure... but this is the year we got albums. yeah... albums.

well though-out, brilliantly executed albums that not only stand up to, but surpass anything the major labels have to offer. these are not just collections of singles... or hail mary attempts at landing a track on the charts... or a couple tight songs strung out on cheesy skits. these are some of the best albums of the year... genre aside. song after song of clearly illustrated visions, character development, storytelling and lucid, intricate and constantly variable flows that are simply unprecedented. not since nas and biggie in the early 90s have gangster rap and the underground intellectual element been present in the same arena to this extent. everyone is the better for it.

despite the undeniable darkness and often harsh subject matter of this music it's resounding message is ultimately positive. it's about putting in work... busting your ass to make your shit better.

that's a message we should all be listening to.

so without further ado, here's your top five for 2011. i kept it at five to make myself have to make some hard decisions about the stuff that really stood out this year. there are many more albums i have thoroughly enjoyed that didn't make the list. also... shout out to speakerfoxx... dope boy anthems has been by far one of the most enjoyable listens of the year. this list is focused on album work by single artists rather than compliations... no matter how good.

A$AP Rocky _ Live, Love, A$AP

i simply can't deny this album the top spot. it's been on repeat since i downloaded it in early november. when i get in my car this is what's on the stereo. when we go to a party this is what's on the stereo... it plays at photo shoots and on the headphones when i go to sleep. three months straight and i'm not sick of it yet. and i'm not skipping tracks either. it's alll good... album through beginning to end... no skips unless it's ahead, to the back half, to make sure i hear it as often as the first few tracks. not kidding.

and really what's not to love about this album?

it's starts out with a clams dominated block that begins with triumphant proclamation, (and bold statements that instantly raise that expectations for the remainder of the album) a straight attack on haters that would devastate almost any rap battle. the block closes with perhaps the chillest song of the year in wassup. this clams exclamation is only broken up by the deadly smooth banger from asap mob's own ty beats (and the album's second single) peso. during the first quarter of the record we hear references to harlem & houston... bone thugs and odb. yet, what could have come out as a disparate attempt to mash together wildly varying influences, instead results in a smooth, controlled production that annihilates any doubt you may have had that harlem can't do chopped & screwed.

here you have the pretty motherfucker... and he's coming at you so relentless and heavy that you can't say shit about it.

brand new guy brings this now established personality at you in a serious way. this is what it is to get made. clams is off the production but lyle keeps it consistent with the skrewed up chorus and throws his own punch with a menacing staccato bass line. follow this up with a couple of stunning cameos from spaceghost purrp and asap nast on the album's first single. this is some of the most compelling vocal work on the entire album. flow switch for real. it's also a firm reminder that this isn't a major label release (codeine and satan tend to make the man nervous).

we then drop into a syrup coated dream world courtesy of soufein3000, (who it turns out will be our trip orchestrator for the remainder) before being introduced to some more of the asap mob, as well as beautiful lou, whose reverbed guitar highlights a track that is my personal favorite of the album.

this is followed by the most new york track of the album, with space ghost purrp demonstrating that his talent isn't limited to his flow, while rocky lays a tough message about keeping it real on the come up over a desolate sax solo.

then, it's like stepping out of a cold nyc taxi and into the champagne room. asap ferg lays out the most entertaining vocal number of the year with a loose, boozy tribute to the good life and pink of all sorts.

the back of the album finishes up with a tribute to houston, some worldly wisdom, a main attrakionz collab with clams, an acid trip (soufein what up) and the same gold-toothed smoothness that you by now should have come to expect.

overall, it doesn't matter if you're stoned late at night, dissecting the lyrics or bumping it in the car on the way to the club... live, love, asap holds up to any degree of scrutiny and nearly any occasion. the dexterity of flow from both rocky himself and his carefully selected contributors, along with the overwhelming production quality make this album a truly superior statement.

... if your still looking too hard for a narrative or a deeper meaning you're wasting your time. this isn't a sermon, it's not a novel... but it also isn't brainless braggadocio. it's a vivid and complete character sketch of one of the most interesting, talented and fastest rising players in the rap game today.

Main Attrakionz _ 808's and Dark Grapes II

the team of squadda b and mondre man has cut out one of the tightest teams in the game with their green ova label out of the bay area. green ova has released work prolifically this year and squadda and mondre have been putting in solo work on top of their joint projects and collaborations. 808's and black grapes was released as part of the mishka nyc series rather than directly through green ova, but it is the perfect distillation of this group's style and sound.

whereas asap mob bear the mark of the bestial imperial belly from which they emerged, main attrakionz is simply glowing with the light of the golden bay which they call home. the darkness and harshness are gone... washed over by a bath of warm light. the heavy bass hits are still there... but now they're crystallized in clear cloud-like melody. the come up story is still is there. so are the drug references... but now it's all just dank cali kush... leave the codeine alone. the positivity of message that's a redeeming underscore on live, love, asap is the theme of this album.

throughout, the beats are light, playful and ethereal. like live, love, multiple producers and collaborators are all remarkably on point to create a sound that is as coherent as it is diverse. it's crucial to look at the track listing to understand who is making this happen, as it's all so perfectly on the same page that it could easily be mistaken for the work of a single individual. asap mob is all... get fucked up, get rich and let come what may. main attrakionz is hard work and careful consideration, deeply insightful lyricism and music that you just can't help feel good listening to.

i had to think long and hard about the order of the one and two positions on this list. asap ended up getting the nod because of the fact that universal party playability without loosing out on production quality and complexity are a hard (and rare) balance to achieve. ultimately though... main attrakionz feels better to me. it's less pre-occupied with booze, drugs and fucking. it's a statement of purpose. work harder, get better, don't stop.

with the quality of this release i get the feeling that main attrakionz are just getting started.

this is the soundtrack to trans-pacific flights and sunset drives.

Curren$y _ Verde Terrace

curre$y's been at it for a little while now... and perhaps that's why verde terrace didn't get the attention it deserved. this album serves as the artist's most coherent and smoothly executed production to date.

it's slick and bombastic while remaining understated. the vocals are laid back yet commanding. the 1 and 2 nods on this list are come up stories. with verde terrace curren$y demonstrates he's already been around the block a few times and knows what's up.... which is interesting as he still lurks on the periphery to a greater extent than either. this album is free of big name cameo appearances... hot producer's on the track list and a lyric sheet riddled with explicit drug references.

what it is full of is deliciously rich instrumental samples, a flow that is smooth, relaxed and confident, and deep empowering hip-hop that is both right on the same page with what else is happening in the game and simultaneously on a different planet entirely. the production on these tracks is less dark and syrupy than a$ap and less ethereal than main attrakionz. it's direct and deep and is ground by an authoritative, laid back flow that's the best we've ever seen from curren$y.

this is new orleans music. the weight is straight from the thick louisiana air... the jazz is always close at hand. it's familiar and fresh at the same time. it's the album that again and again last year i put on the speakers and had person after person ask me what i was playing. "when i'm off in the zone my niggaz tellin me run that shit". on verde terrace, from beginning to end, curren$y is clearly in his zone and running this shit.

there's a level of sophistication here that the younger guys in the game these days haven't grasped yet. verde terrace is weed rap... but dude's 30... not 21. there's no reason to mention that shit in every line... it's just life. might as well focus on floatin round in your fly cars late at night. in that sense the title is so fitting. curren$y here is above and outside this game... stoned looking down on whatever else is floatin around.

when the references are direct they're still perfectly executed... my eyebrows were raised when i heard that 10 crack commandments beat come on, but curren$y quickly proves that he has due reverence for his forefathers and the cover of sorts comes off as a delightfully fresh take on time tested words of wisdom. skepticism overcome.

"high tunes" is perhaps the realest track on the album. true to life story telling on how the good life isn't drama free... or as far removed from your own bullshit as you might assume. if you're lighting a blunt late night with your boyz play from the beginning... if you're driving around alone late night takin care of business start at sky miles and play through till the end.

"why would i buy you a purse when i could buy me a regal?"

2012 is ripe for a massive summer or fall drop from this dude that could easily jump fully on the energy wave moving through the undergroundish rap game du jour and really take this superbly chill sound to the next level.

Nacho Picasso _ For the Glory

What can you say here? Not since Sir Mixalot have you heard a legit MC coming out of seattle, washington.

the flow here is more backpack and less gangster than the rest of the entries on this list... but if that's due to nacho's remarkably apt cultural literacy and proficiency at dropping esoteric references in every line, you won't hear me complaining.

the production on this album is particularly interesting. all instrumental beats, via tag team combo of producers blue sky black death & raised by wolves (monikers that ooze pacific nw...) are smooth and despondently delicious. the influences range from classic hip hop to witch house to sci-fi egypto... but always luxuriously dark and wet. well done dudez.

amidst the mass, cutting pop-references there is a fair share of honesty that really carries this album through to the next level. lyrics like "i tried to stop smokin, what was i thinkin." ... and "when i'm on the east coast they think i'm puerto rican" add humanity to the otherwise underwater/afterdark seattle superhero persona that nacho creates for himself. the line "treat hell like a honeycomb hideaway" gives a sort of nonchalant acceptance of a less than perfect after-life while at the same time providing the perfect visual metaphor for the entire album... this is a place you can hang out in the dark...

this whole album is ripe with standard rap game braggadocio imbued with the vast pop-culture baubles we're all submerged in... "nacho picasso... pocahontas want to talk to him. she's on my peace pipe checkin my air moccasins." it's rare we get this depth of fiction (and sexual slur) crafted so lyrically from widely available pop references.

"of course your watchin him... he's from washington." cute phrasing... but, yeah... it's true. with the dark fashion superiority raining from that heavy north coast these days you'd be a fool not to be listening to this mc cuttin his chops.

with "for the glory" nacho picasso and his beat producers show that seattle has it's place as a firm, black iron counterweight to the bay area's more hyped, stone-glow. it's less immediate than harlem's syrup slick gangsta bump... but we're eagerly awaiting the next release from this team.

this is the album for late nights alone... drinkin that wine... smokin whatev... puttin in that deep creative work.

Based God _ Velli

ba$ed god. first time i heard his shit he was talkin bout swag and miley cyrus...

that was good... but listen to him now.

"stupid niggaz talkin bout how lil b done killed rap... stupid dicks man, i brought the rap game back" that's the first line that brings you into velli... and it would be true regardless of what comes after. lil b introduced the producers that are now running this new sound. clams casino's motivation got pitchfork nods for a track in it's own right. you can hate on b's style if you wanna... and until velli he didn't really have anything to stick in your face to tell you otherwise. you could say based god is all quantity over quality... that it's just some internet fad. you can say fuck lil b... silent president sucks. you can say whatever you want. a$ap mob, main attrakionz/greenova... anyone making their way in the game right now... owes this man some cred. and velli... velli is based god's cred.

if there's an underlying positivity in the other albums on this list... velli is loaded with outright, triumphant, positive energy. "real thugz is the one that not kill niggaz. real thugz is the one that go help niggaz" ...real talk. tupac was killed in his prime trying to preach this gospel. based god is clearly channeling the late great here and i do believe makaveli is smiling on his work. i mean... can you imagine anyone else last year rapping: "choose your life" and making you really, seriously think about that statement?

based god velli claims the realest... and it is. you can't get realer. what makes this a standout though is the production. beats are loud, fresh and smooth. the based god delivers heavy, confident vocals with a proficiency that legitimizes the subject material of the lyrics. "stop sellin drugz... watchu think about it?"

shout out's to keyboard kid? yeah you see that in 2012's mondre man already. whatchu think about it? this is the most sober, cloud floating, real talking album of all last year. it would be higher on the list but first over absolute truth i like feelin good. this album bumps but it's no party banger... not front to back anyway. "i got aids" isn't gonna get the party started... but it will spit the truth on some real shit that no one else is gonna say in the smoothest possible way.

if someone doesn't give me a club ready version of the "man i gotta be the realest ever handz down handz up" riff from "ghetto dreams" i'll be pissed. "houston texas i love you." ...yeah b... me too.

"like i said... rawest rapper alive." "this is for the bloggers that won't post my fuckin shit..." "i'm rich you fuckin bitch!" gotta say... if your blogging and not giving this shit some respect... fuck off.

"speak your mind if you're feelin something." that's the sub theme of everything base god does... over-releasing? or prolific? either way no one can accuse this man of not speaking his mind... he'll even let you know what it means to him. if b has it his way the music will truly bring us together. who else has truly spoken about the race issues our country still faces recently? king cotton fo real. "proud to be human. proud to be alive."

...but don't think b won't back up his grandiose moral and existential claimz... cold nights in boston shows his resolve to defend what's rightfully his and shouts out cincinnati and ohio at large. so i gotta back that too.

"i'd rather be workin hard than sittin in a cell." ... wouldn't we all.

but don't peg b as a square for his straight honesty. dude is hustlin all night to make his shit happen. velli is the strongest work from b to date and with it, he establishes both the tone and production quality that should carry him through a long and fruitful career.

"drivin thru the streetz... tinted windowz" ... he's the reason you got your deal. represent.

Best Track

best rap track of the year goes to main attrakionz & shady blaze "stratus" much love to japan on the production from uyama hiroto off that kuchibiru network 2 mixtape from friendzone.

Honorable Mention

also... young L's "as i float" is among my most played of 2011... disparate sources, but production is but dope as hell. 2012's only proven so far that he's on the up... next list... he on it.

note: i wrote most of this on new year's eve day 2011... but it's been a busy month and i needed to make sure it got finished right. the choices were made before the new year. mondre man's MAN ep dropped in december... but i didn't get to give it a listen until a couple weeks ago so it's up for the 2012 list.

if you haven't gotten to listen to anything on this list yet... you really must.

3.15.2012

hell hounds

3.08.2012

glasses

3.07.2012

mean jeans + pangea @ the blue star

mc illin it

3.06.2012

white magic

2.23.2012

lister @ new image

2.11.2012

aids window

2.10.2012

island light

2.09.2012

oblivion

2.08.2012

g. 11.11.11

1.31.2012

top 5 rap albums of 2011


pure light


yellow. stars fall