2015 has been an incredible year for music, especially for hip hop. It was the year of Kendrick Lamar, the A$AP Mob, Odd Future, and many more. Just in time for Grammy season, here are my favorite hip hop albums of 2015. Special thanks to my good friend Ezekiel Starling for being a constant source of new music and discussion, here’s to many more years of Walk the Rocks.
Honorable Mentions:
Lupe Fiasco- Tetsuo and Youth
Action Bronson- Mr. Wonderful
D.R.A.M.- #1 Epic EP
10. Big Sean- Dark Sky Paradise
Featured song: All Your Fault (Ft. Kanye West)
Big Sean gave us many “Blessings” in February. This album makes my list because of the diverse list of A list features throughout the album. Artists like Drake, Kanye West, and John Legend really make dark and mysterious of this album. This album also suffers from what I would call the “Drake Problem”: the popularity of the artist prevents the album from being taken seriously musically. Songs like “I Don’t Fuck with You” have become more of a meme than a song. Though issues like songs not fitting well with each other prevents it from being lower on this list, this is the best of this year’s “radio level” hip hop. I’m excited to see how Big Sean’s career artistically progresses after this album.
9. Logic- The Incredible True Story
Featured song: Young Jesus (Ft. Big Lenbo)
I love concept albums. I also love Maryland rapper Logic. When you combine the two, you get “The Incredible True Story”, an incredibly solid album featuring hilarious skits which featuring Logic and voice actor Steve Blum (the guy who voiced the Toonami robot). This album hypes you up with songs like “I Am The Greatest”, and also makes you reflect on your life with the beautiful “Paradise”. However, many people have panned Logic for drawing too much from the music he is inspired by, such as Kanye West’s “808’s and Heartbreaks”. At the end of the day, TITS (yes it’s intentional) ought to be on any hip hop fan’s must listen list for 2015. As for Logic, he’ll just keep making music full of positivity and enthusiasm.
8. Injury Reserve- Live From the Dentist Office
Featured song: Wow
I was introduced to hip hop trio Injury Reserve by Zeke when he featured them on our radio show “Walk the Rocks” in September, and I immediately fell in love with this album. The use of orchestration mixed with electronic backtracks and flawless lyrical trading back and forth between the members of the group keeps this album in my current rotation. This is an album which has been a favorite of “Indie” Hip Hop, with serious nods to “jazz rap” groups like A Tribe Called Quest. However, this being one of the first projects of the group, there is room to develop artistically, which is why I am looking to the future for Injury Reserve’s rise to their rightful place in hip hop appreciation.
7. Tyler the Creator- Cherry Bomb
Featured Song: BUFFALO
Odd Future founder Tyler the Creator wants you to leave him the fuck alone. This album flows between shades of anger and depression, delving into the emotional center of Tyler’s signature erradic style. I love the lyricism of this album, my favorite being a series of lines from “THE BROWN STAINS OF DARKEESE LATIFAH PART 6-12 (REMIX)”:
Rocks on rainbow, Ben's a nice fellow/
Your neck reflects yo’ personality, and mine is yellow
Boy, I hit the block, like I hate Legos/
They know they got thirty seconds, Jared Leto
Distorted sound, angry self-loathing, and song list that keeps you guessing makes this a hard, but good listen. This album is a cacophony of self-doubt, and Tyler’s not afraid to tell you that.
6. Earl Sweatshirt- I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside
Featured song: Wool (Ft. Vince Staples)
Another artist who got his start through Odd Future, Earl Sweatshirt takes us through the dark recesses of his mind with “IDLS”. Tracks like “Grief” are filled with low tones and almost satanic, guttural voices paired with Earl’s bitter delivery. It’s an album colder than liquid nitrogen, the perfect “3 a.m. and I want to feel shitty” music. Earl’s lyrics tell the story of violence, rough upbringings, drug and alcohol usage as a vice, and feelings of loss over his grandmother. Like Cherry Bomb, it’s a hard pill to swallow, but it’s a damn good pill though. So sit down in the dark, and let this album take you away.
5. SDS and RJD2- SDSxRJD2
Featured Song: Tenesee (Whiskey Revival)
RJD2 is a hip hop instrumentalist known best for his 2002 “Deadringer” Album, and paired with rapper SDS, the two are a force to be reckoned with. This album is the essence of a good time, filled with bombastic horns, catchy choruses, and hilarious lyrics. Whenever I listen to this album, I am instantly in a better mood. “Hold On, Here it Go” and “F**K with That” sound like they’re straight out of an inspirational hip hop musical, and like all of RJD2’s projects, you WILL start dancing at some point. While some of SDS’s lyrics may be cringe-level corny at some times, “Doin’ It Right” may be one my favorite songs of all time.
4. A$AP Rocky- At.Long.Last.A$AP
Featured Song: Holy Ghost (Ft. Joe Fox)
A$AP Rocky’s 2nd album was long overdue when it came out this summer, but my god was the wait worth it. First let’s talk about features: Juicy J, Mos Def, Mark Ronson, Schoolboy Q, Bones, and a posthumous performance from A$AP Yams are just some of the incredible talent on this album. Now let’s talk about music: This album is diverse as fuck. If I were to show you “Canal Street” and “Lord Pretty Flacko Joyde 2 (LPFJ2)” separately, and then tell you they were on the first album, you’d think I was bullshitting you. Unlike Dark Sky Paradise, every song transitions to each other easily, and makes for a great full album listening experience. A$AP is at the top of his game, his flow on the first verse “Electric Body” being my personal favorite. Rocky’s music matures with every release, but some lack of direction in this project and some more repetitive tracks in the 2nd act makes the album just above my top 3.
3. Mac Miller- GO:OD AM
Featured Song: When in Rome
Whatever the hell Mac is smoking, I’d like some of it. I like to think of this album as a movie soundtrack, “Doors” being the entry of Miller’s braggadocious Millennial persona, and “The Festival” being the protagonist and love interest finally meeting in a cinematic acid trip. Did I mention that I’ve listened to “The Festival” on a loop since the day it came out? “ROS” solidifies Miller as the Frank Sinatra of modern hip hop, and “Ascension” shows a side of Miller we’re not used to seeing. “Between heaven and hell/ A brand new me” belts the chorus, while Miller tells his family that his fame is driving him crazy. It’s an album that can make you cry, either from sadness or laughter. Nostalgia, house parties, and anxiety make the perfect cocktail that is GO:OD AM, the triumphant return of Mac Miller.
2.Vince Staples- Summertime ‘06
Featured Song: Jump Off the Roof
Long Beach, CA has not left hip hop, it’s current champion being 22-year-old Vince Staples. Staples is everything I love about modern hip hop, and his Grammy nomination for best new artist shows that a lot of others feel the same. Staples tales of poverty, crime, and violence are unapologetic, expressing his life with anger, sadness, and swagger. His “Ramona Park Legend” Pts 1 and 2 open both the CDs that make up this album, highlighting the day to day struggle of his environment. “Summertime” is another standout track, an oddly placed ballad of love and beauty. However, Staples still delivers his aggressive, gangster rap style through tracks like “Get Paid” and “Norf Norf”. ‘06’s sound moves from haunting, echoey beats to trap-influenced piano. This is Staples’ breakthrough moment, and the only way for him to go is up. However, this may be one of the few releases from Staples, as he has said he plans on retiring in a few short years.
1. Kendrick Lamar- To Pimp a Butterfly
Featured Song: Institutionalized
In my opinion, for every genre, there is one artist and one album that defines each year as a 10/10 piece of work to be passed on generation to generation. These albums are topically relevant, relates to the experience of its audience, and able to stand the test of time. These are the types of albums that people will debate for decades, to be played on an throwback radio station in order to elicit a memory on your commute to your shitty job. These albums make you smile, make you dance, make you experience life. I think of these albums as musical time capsules, to be opened by our children when they ask what 2015 was like. To me, To Pimp a Butterfly one of these albums. Kendrick Lamar has cemented himself as the godfather of hip hop, and it is through his words that I choose to mark my #1 album of the year. When I first listened to this album, I was blown away by the instrumentals of each song. The number of musicians that worked on TPAB is astounding. The combination of neo-soul, jazz, and Kendrick’s lyricism and flow is a modern masterpiece. However, it is also the radical celebration of Black Excellence and celebration of self that cannot be ignored. Kendrick is not afraid to use his music to narrate his journey of self-discovery, ending with the epic “Modern Man”. Kendrick’s lines send chills down my spine, and his social consciousness has driven “Alright” to become the unofficial anthem of Black Lives Matter. Kendrick Lamar’s tortured genius will be remembered for generations for his words, for his activism, and for TPAB.
