Ah, here we are again.
Another year down simply means another excuse for me to sit down for three hours and obsess over all of the good music that was released. While 2016 was a successful year for all genres of music, I feel extraordinarily blessed by what rap artists have released this year. It seemed as if I couldn't finish appreciating the newest release before the next mind-blowing album surfaced.
This lineup of masterpieces was quite literally one of the most difficult lists I have had to narrow down, and because of this I will not be numbering it. So, without anymore fanfare, here are my 5 favorite rap albums of 2016 in no particular order:
"The Sun's Tirade" by Isaiah Rashad
The Sun's Tirade opens with a voicemail from Dave Free of Top Dawg Entertainment asking Rashad where in the hell his newest project was.
After waiting five months for Rashad's project to drop, it's safe to say Free might've been a little impatient, along with other followers of this rookie-rapper. Ever since Cilvia Demo dropped in 2014 myself, and many others, have been patiently awaiting Rashad's next project, and in my opinion this album was well worth the wait. The overall tone of The Sun's Tirade is one of a subdued sadness that the listener can't quite place until we hear the smooth beats and chilling lyrics of Stuck in the Mud (feat. SZA), which is about halfway through the album. "Pop a xanny / make your problems go away," Rashad dolefully murmurs in the second half of this song, which sounds like a drug-and-alcohol-induced dream that we are all being let in on. This is when it became clear to me that Rashad had definitely been struggling with drug and alcohol abuse during the creation of this album. Even though we can hear undertones of depression in Rashad's lyrics, there are some upsides in 4r Da Squaw, a song that contemplates the value of memories versus the value of money. This theme is seen in the accompanying music video that features Rashad and his son walking around a boardwalk. Take a look, but more importantly take a listen.
"Blank Face" LP by Schoolboy Q
Guys, guess what? Schoolboy Q used to sell...*whispers* marijuana. Oh, you already knew? Yeah, so did the rest of the world.
Yes, if you didn't already know, Schoolboy Q makes it abundantly clear for all of us that he was, in fact, a dope dealer. This occurs primarily in the song (you guessed it) Dope Dealer. But, in all seriousness, Blank Face LP is a spectacular testament to Schoolboy Q's ability to make tracks regarding illegal occurrences in his past sound extremely enticing. There is a certain energy to this album that sets it apart from his previous work, and the only way I can describe it would be this: modern gang-banging. The buoyant beats are a sharp contrast from his somewhat-heavy lyrics which primarily involve (you guessed it again) drug dealing. The standout single on Blank Face LP that gained popularity as quickly as Kimjois would be THat Part (feat. Kanye West). I enjoy this song as much as the next frat boy, but I believe the only reason it became as popular as it did is because of the Yeezy feature and the kick-ass music video directed by Collin Tilley. In my opinion, songs such as Neva CHange and Blank Face (feat. Anderson .Paak) deserve more recognition than they have received thus far. Schoolboy Q gets as real as I think is possible for him in Blank Face when he raps, "I should know better / Heaven knows that I ain’t the dummy type." The song talks a little bit about his lifestyle...well the part of it when he isn't selling dope, that is.
"A Good Night in the Ghetto" by Kamaiyah
Goddamn. That's all.
Not really though because my praise for A Good Night in the Ghetto will not cease. Kamaiyah's debut album is as fun and easygoing as it is funky. The beats, especially on tracks such as Freaky Freaks and Ain't Goin Home seem to be inspired by hip hop in the 90s, when it was first beginning to surface as a serious music genre. "Got the pups and the bumps in some cut-off jeans / I be freaking that shit like it's '95," she raps in Freaky Freak. I for one love the nods to the 90s throughout this album, but Kamaiyah doesn't completely go all Will Smith on us. She keeps A Good Night in the Ghetto freshly modern as well, literally redefining the term "funky-fresh", in my humble opinion. One track that absolutely screams "2016" to me is N****s. I feel that this song is really where we see her define herself as a female rap artist. The song completely challenges the double-standard that it is not acceptable for women to enjoy sex with multiple partners, like men do. With bumping base in the background Kamaiyah begins the song by proclaiming, "He says that he wanna be by boyfriend / but he can't tie me down." I don't want to resort to saying something as cheesy as "you go girl", but...YOU GO GIRL.
"The Life of Pablo" by Kanye West
At this point there isn't enough room for Kanye West's ego and the entire human race to live peacefully on one planet. That's why Kanye literally took us to another world when he created this album.
From the first sounds of the child in Ultralight Beam to the outro of Saint Pablo, TLOP is one cohesive story. It quite literally tells the story of Kanye's life. Listeners go through the ups and the downs of Kanye's career and family-life seemingly alongside him. This album is like nothing else I have heard before, and the references are so personal and specific to the artist that I can't help but wonder how the people mentioned feel when they listen to it. Kanye robustly claims in Famous that he made Taylor Swift famous by calling her out for winning Best Female Video at the VMA's back in 2009 and he makes a reference to Drake in Facts by intently rapping, "Yeezy Yeezy Yeezy just jumped over jump man." In Real Friends Kanye goes off, calling out his "friends" who he believes have wronged, used, or treated him poorly. We actually find out that his own cousin blackmailed him into $50,000, which is pretty messed up if you ask me. Kanye calls everyone out in TLOP with no shame or hesitation, which is what makes this album so deliciously personal. The listener feels that they are being given inside information, when in reality the entire world can now know some of the inner-workings of Mr. West's intriguing mind.
" Coloring Book" by Chance the Rapper
The gang's all here for Chance's highly-anticipated third project.
Chance the Rapper boasts an impressive and diverse amount of featuring artists on Coloring Book, but they do not overpower this artist. His smooth voice and resonant purpose is still heard clearly throughout the album. Chance proves himself to be extremely versatile, providing listeners with everything that they want to hear in one album. The brilliantly upbeat melody of Angels (feat. Saba) is followed by the sultry tones of Juke Jam (feat. Justin Bieber); this sharp contrast showcases Chance's ability to switch his delivery at the drop of a hat. Coloring Book is also heavily influenced by gospel music, which makes the overall tone of this album airy and free. In both the first and last songs on the album, All We Got (feat. Kanye West and Chicago Children's Choir) and Blessings (feat. Ty Dolla Sign, Anderson .Paak, BJ The Chicago Kid, and Raury), Chance talks about his love for music and God alike. Listeners can audibly hear him smiling through the speakers. Chance's genuine love for his music and what he does is a refreshing change of pace in the hip hop world, where every artist seems to be angry 24/7. Not many artists can rap about love and be as successful as Chance has been with Coloring Book.
There you have it, the 5 rap albums I devoured the most viciously in 2016. My list of honorable mentions includes: Atrocity Exhibition by Danny Brown, 4 Your Eyez Only by J. Cole, and Untitled Unmastered by Kendrick Lamar. Words cannot describe the emotional trauma I suffered cutting these artists out of my lineup, but it had to be done. All three of these are worthy candidates, and if I would've had time to do a top 10, they would most definitely be in it.
Until next week, fam.
