2015 has been an essential year for hip hop. Many masters and students of the game have dropped gems this year. It's almost too much to keep up with, but that's a problem that I love having: too much music.

I listened to as many hip hop albums as my ears could manage this year, and now, I believe I have gathered enough knowledge to come up with a solid top five list.

Disclaimer: I haven't listened to everything. If I tried to do that, I'd be listening to 2015 hip hop albums well into 2016. Also, this list isn't necessarily based on one criteria such as vocals, beats, etc. It's just what I've personally gravitated towards, through their replay value, over the course of this year.

So, with all of that aside, here is my top five.

5. SremmLife - Rae Sremmurd

Now, don't assassinate me for this pick. Even though I'm a self-proclaimed music snob that often makes fun of music that doesn't have quality lyrics or at least a main idea, SremmLife turned me into a believer (if only for the 45 minute runtime). This is a great, turn-your-brain-off type of album.

Rae Sremmurd have this infectious energy like various hip hop duos of the past, such as Kris Kross. I had the pleasure of seeing them perform at VCU's Ram Fest this year and they were the party. You can't watch them without getting hyped up. The album, thankfully, gives off the same vibe. The energy level stays on a thousand throughout the entire runtime. Even slower tunes, like This Could Be Us, still have a vibe to it that'll keep you moving and grooving all night long.

SremmLife is great; don't let anybody tell you different.

Favorite Tracks: Lit Like Bic, Unlock the Swag, No Type

4. The Album About Nothing - Wale

This is the little album that could. Conceptually, this album is a masterpiece. The decision to get Jerry Seinfeld to narrate the album was perfect. It was bound to happen eventually since Wale has always had a fascination with Seinfeld and often let the "about nothing" tagline flow into the titles of his other projects.

The album sounds beautiful. It was easy to see all of the meticulous tweaking and perfecting that it took to turn this album into the quality production that it is.

Even though this may be a bit of a tangent, what I don't get is how little universal acclaim Wale seems to get. It's kind of like that saying, "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"

Wale's been in the game, dropped quality albums, and yet he's failed to reach the success that someone like a Drake or a Kendrick Lamar would. There is something holding him back from breaking through that musical glass ceiling, but I can't figure out what it is.

Nevertheless, this really is a great album that deserves to be listened to.

Favorite songs: The Girls on Drugs, The Need to Know, The White Shoes

3. Dark Sky Paradise - Big Sean

Dark Sky Paradise is a rollercoaster ride. It sort of feels like the title in itself, roaming through a thunderstorm of hits and seeing intense raindrops of emotional lyrics as well. I don't know about y'all, but I've always loved Big Sean. There's something about his random ad libs and smooth, buttery flow that really gets inside of my head. When he talks, it sticks. He used that talent to his advantage making this album.

The music is so good. Everything about it comes together so seamlessly from the features, to the beats, and the flows. It all sounds like it was supposed to be. Some fortune teller must have predicted this album long ago and pieced it all together herself.

I'm excited to see what Big Sean's going to drop in the future because from this album it seems like we're going to be seeing Big Sean for a very long time.

Favorite Songs: All Your Fault, Paradise, I Know

2. Summertime '06 - Vince Staples

Summertime '06 made a huge splash in the pool of hip hop out of what seemed like nowhere. It's the calm before the storm in Vince's life, the last summer of true childhood before the lightning bolts of adulthood struck their corner of Long Beach, California.

This is the first taste of Vince's music that I got. The music was from the streets but it did it without taking the intelligence out of it. I felt all the grittiness through subtlety of things like practical instrumentation and intricate lyrical word play. It all works. Go listen to Vince Staples' debut, right now.

Favorite Songs: Jump Off The Roof, Señorita, Loca

1. To Pimp A Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar

All 11 of those Grammy nominations are certainly deserved. Now, we knew back in late 2014 when Kendrick Lamar started looking slightly unkempt like this-

We knew that he was going to drop something flamey. It was inevitable. To Pimp a Butterfly was ridiculously anticipated. How was he going to match the quality of his first album, good kid, m.A.A.d city? People were already considering that particular album a classic (myself included). Skeptics expected that Kendrick was going to have a semester slump.

...Then, To Pimp a Butterfly dropped.

It was a piece of art. It wasn't just a regular album. It was something that should be hanging up in an art museum next to eccentric portraits and marble sculptures. Through what I saw on social media sites, like Twitter, it seemed like some people may have been disappointed with this album because they were looking for something like GKMC; however, this album is amazing on its own and doesn't need to lean upon his first album like a crutch. It's an entirely different sound overall but still dishes out the same quality as its predecessor.

On the first listen, I didn't exactly understand the meaning of it all. It was like a puzzle to piece together. You surely have to turn on your brain to understand the deeper meaning of it all, but that doesn't mean that it isn't ridiculously fun and a wild ride through it all.

It's a momentous image of the culture. We need to put To Pimp a Butterfly into a time capsule so Americans in fifty years can truly see the revolutionary side of music in 2015.

To make a long review even longer, To Pimp a Butterfly is a must listen. Let's all cross our fingers and hope that it gets the Grammys that it deserves at this year's show. You know how weird and finicky those awards can be.

Favorite Songs: These Walls, u, Wesley's Theory

Take some time and reminisce on the great times in Hip Hop, and prepare yourself for 2016! Who knows what good music will drop in the year to come?