2010 - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Kanye West)

Kanye West has earned a negative reputation, and with reason. That being said, the guy can do no wrong on MBDTF earning his self proclaimed title as the "King of Hip-Hop". At the time of the release, West was known as the bad guy in Hollywood due to a couple public meltdowns (remember the 2009 VMA's?). He accepted that role on this album and went on to play with it, particularly in "Runaway" where West sings, "lets have a toast to the douchebags...lets have a toast to the jerk-offs, who never take work off". This verse both acknowledges his negative public image, while also highlighting the fact that as long as he has his work the public's perception of him is irrelevant. In "Monster" he repeatedly states, "everybody knows I'm a mothaf****** monster, Imma need to see your hands at the concert," maintaining the continuing struggle of juggling art and fame. You don't have to like Kanye, but after listening to MBDTF, you have no choice but to respect him.

2011 - 21 (Adele)

Unfortunately for artists like Lady Gaga, Bon Iver, Jay-Z and Kanye West, who all dropped revolutionary albums in 2011 so did Adele with her sophomore album 21. 21 opens with the earth-shaking song we all know and loved (but now hate because of the radio), "Rolling in the Deep", which showcases the singer's hostility towards her past failed relationship. As the album evolves, the listener can't help but notice the singer's anger slowly fade away. Rather, the singer opens her wounds and allows the world to see the disparity of her loss, as well as the struggle to come to terms with realization that the person she loves is gone. In the album's finale the listener can infer that he will more than likely stay gone. She wishes him well, though, going as far as to say she hopes to find "Someone Like You." This is one of those album's that will break your heart and put it back together again.

Top Songs: "Someone Like You", "One and Only" and (sorry) "Rolling in the Deep"

2012 - Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (Kendrick Lamar)

Many critics hailed GKMC as being the music equivalent to a movie and the reason for that is simply the lyric. Lamar gives his audience a firsthand look at the influence his birth city, Compton, in GKMC discussing the city's issues with crime. In particular, Lamar is shedding light on the issues of drugs ("Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe), alcohol ("Swimming Pools") and Gang Violence ("Backstreet Freestyle", "M.A.A.D City"), in addition to living in a lower class neighborhood in one of the nation's poorest cities ("Money Trees"). Art allows us to see and experience things from a different point of view and if done well can change the way a person sees the world. Through his craft, Lamar is able to give his listener's an insight on the struggles of being a poor African-American growing up in a city that made it almost impossible for him to survive.

Top Songs: "M.A.A.D City", "Swimming Pools" and "Backstreet Freestyle"

2013 - Modern Vampires of the City (Vampire Weekend)

A band seldom heard of or talked about, indie rockers Vampire Weekend created a perfect album with 2013's MVOTW. MVOTW pinpoints the harsh realities of growing older, particularly for post-college twenty-somethings who are technically adults but still uncertain of their life's purpose. Ezra Koenig, who either penned or helped pen every song, creates a chilling mood throughout with his haunting vocals, especially on "Hannah Hunt" where the band tackles the issue of the worst kind of breakup; one no one saw coming. In the opening song "Obvious Bicycle" Koenig sings arguably the greatest line of the album to what appears to be a friend struggling to land a job or do something with his life saying, "You ought to spare your face the razor/Because no one's gonna spare their time for you." This album is smart, sarcastic and at times downright pessimistic. It is something many probably haven't heard of, which makes it that much more enjoyable for the people who have.

Top Songs: "Hannah Hunt", "Ya Hey", "Step" and "Hudson"

2014 - 1989 (Taylor Swift)

Taylor Swift's transition from country Princess to pop Queen was a major topic of discussion after the release of her 2012 album Red, which received mixed reviews. It was agreed upon that the lyric was good on Red, but the sound and production came across bipolar, which Swift admits to be a valid criticism. Swift responded by dropping a pop-only album, utilizing 80's synth-pop inspired by music released the year she was born (hence the title of the album). Swift introduces her listeners to her new style of music with "Welcome to New York", catches them up to speed with a satirical look at her portrayal in the media in "Blank Space", and of course goes into the tale of a toxic relationship she can't quite rid herself of. Contrary to the cliche love songs the songbird has become known for, Swift takes a more mature route here, acknowledging that sometimes relationships just end and it's no ones fault. This album is so good it's almost impossible to top, which makes it both scary and exciting to see what she comes out with next.

Top Songs: "Blank Space", "Out of the Woods", "Wildest Dreams" and every other song on the album.

2015 - To Pimp a Butterfly (Kendrick Lamar)

Lamar’s third studio album was definitely one to remember. TPAB is an album you will have to listen and read into more than once to get the full effect. Experimenting with various sounds and techniques, vastly differing from GKMC, Lamar shows his versatility and willingness to experiment as an artist. In TPAB, Lamar hits on issues of race, specifically regarding police brutality and black activism. In doing so, Lamar acknowledges his own, and many other’s in the African-American community, hypocrisy as made prevalent in "The Blacker the Berry". As the listener jumps from track to track they see Lamar’s caterpillar slowly, but surely morph into the butterfly it was meant to be, or rather "The Mortal Man". This album is probably the most relevant and important of the decade.

Top Songs: "King Kunta", "The Blacker the Berry" and "How Much a Dollar Cost"

2016 - Lemonade (Beyonce)

When her self-titled album was released in 2013 on iTunes with 18 videos to accompany her 14 songs and zero promotion, the world went stark-raving-mad. Beyonce was suppose to be the peak of her career, but this was before the world was introduced to the game-changing visual album: Lemonade. From the start of the album, the listener immediately realizes the icon is experiencing the paranoia of her husband having an extramarital affair. The viewer is taken through the various emotions of anger, sadness and denial at the beginning and by the end see how she was able to find salvation. The wide-spectrum of emotions is perfectly detailed by the album's lack of one specific genre, at times utilizing rock ("Don't Hurt Yourself"), country/folk("Daddy Lessons"), reggae ("Hold Up"), etc. This album shows that the icon is more than just a voice and a pretty face; she's also an artist, who by the looks of the album's final track, "Formation", is capable of making Lemonade out of some pretty bitter lemons.

Top Songs: "Six Inch", "All Night" and "Sorry"

Runners-Up

2010 - The Suburbs (ArcadeFire)
2011 - Born This Way (Lady Gaga)
2012 - Channel Orange (Frank Ocean)
2013 - Pure Heroine (Lorde)
2014 - St. Vincent (St. Vincent)
2015 - 25 (Adele)
2016 - The Life of Pablo (Kanye West)