Art is undoubtedly a collaborative process. Hip Hop is no exception. There’s something so gratifying about knowing that two artists who you’ve grown to love individually can come together and collaborate on a project on one accord, and even if they aren’t your favorite artists, it’s always interesting to see duos form. I think what’s most enjoyable about the experience is the moment of uncertainty, the big “what if”; holding your breath in hopes that their project just doesn’t let you down. Collaborative albums are some of the greatest times in hip-hop history.
Hip-Hop’s newest collaborative is brought to us by Big Sean and Jhene Aiko with their project TWENTY88. TWENTY88 was a bold move; one that had listeners skeptical and eager to hear. I think the biggest question in my mind was “Why”? What void in music were they trying to fill? “Music now doesn’t really cater to the feelings of a real relationship,” says Aiko in an interview for Flint Magazine. “It’s all about trapping and bragging. I feel like this project is something that’s needed right now.” The album is so refreshing, to hear a witty punchline from Big Sean followed up with the sweet crooning of Jhene Aiko was literally music to my ears.
While listening to TWENTY88, I couldn’t help but think of the albums that really made me excited about music, especially collaborative music. Here’s a list of my top five favorite collaborative albums:
Unfinished Business
with this album. It came at a confusing time for both artists however, with
rumors that the duo had a beef circulating around the time of its release. However,
by listening to the music, you would never be able to tell--- at least I
couldn’t. Unfinished Business is a light, breezy listen, and surprisingly solid
for an album from two artists that had no real reason to make music together in
the first place other than to of course make money for their flop attempt years
earlier with The Best of Both Worlds.
Watch The Throne
This album is iconic in the sense that although Kanye West and Jay Z have their own classic albums, Watch The Throne is equally golden. There is an unspoken sparring that is happening on each track, Ye’ pushes Jay and Jay pushes back. There is no power struggle. The greatest achievement of this album is that it actually sounds like a coherent and purposeful piece of work. It’s a statement of what hip hop can mean, and where it can go.
Not to mention, these are two of my favorite rappers of all time.Like Father Like Son
This is the album that bore hits like “Leather So Soft” and “Stuntin Like My Daddy.” Like Father, Like Son is a collaborative studio album by rappers Birdman and Lil Wayne.This collaboration is so special to me because Lil Wayne sounds so youthful and uninhibited in his raps, almost as if his flow is a mix between improve and freestyle. He gives you the Cash Money Millionaire Weezy we’ve grown to love and the fact that he delivers so many Tweetable lyrics doesn’t hurt. Like Father Like Son is a solid creative album where thankfully Lil Wayne is more the star than his moderating counterpart.
What A Time To Be Alive
Although this body of work wasn’t Drake or Future’s best pieces of work lyrically, WATTBA was a record breaking milestone achieving album. As a collaborative effort between two of the biggest rap artists of 2015, it premiered at #1 on the Billboard 200. It achieved the level of half a million in sales and sales equivalents just four months after its release. With only taking one week to record, this album-as-mixtape collaboration turned out to be one of the smartest moves of the year.
The list can definitely go on and on. I hope that this trend of collaborations is never ending. I’d love to hear more duality in future hip-hop creations to come. What are some of your favorite collaborative albums? Or better yet, who are some artists you’d like to see come together on a project?
