ScHoolboy Q feat A$AP Rocky “Hands on the Wheel”
sampling the lissie cover of “pursuit of happiness” is fucking genius.
My Top Albums of 2011
2011 managed to be one of the best years for music in a long time. I haven’t been this excited about this many different albums in forever and that’s a great sign for where this decade of music is headed. While my top albums list might look like more of a “Top Hip Hop Albums of 2011” list, that’s just because it was the most interesting genre album-wise. I listened to a lot of non-rap albums, like the new Wavves, Decemberists, Fleet Foxes, La Dispute, PJ Harvey and The Black Keys, all of which had good songs, but didn’t blow me away (except La Dispute’s new one, which was sadly terrible). This is not set in stone and I will be constantly listening to the stuff that escaped me, but all of these are my favorite and most interesting albums of 2011.
1. The Throne (Kanye West and Jay-Z) – “Watch the Throne”
Rapping with skill and precision these two beasts of rap released easily the best album of the year. From their bravado-filled raps like “N*ggas in Paris” (prepare for your speakers to break with this one), to their more serious and deep songs like “Murder to Excellence” which tackles the topics of murder, black excellence, black-on-black crime, police violence, etc, it’s truly a tour de force. Best song: “Why I Love You”
2. ASAP Rocky – “LiveLoveA$AP”
Syrup-fused, Three 6 Mafia-influeced “trillwave.” The production on this album is where it shines, with Clams Casino proving his brilliance yet again, but don’t let me downplay the lyrics, either. The swagger is turned up to the max. No matter if you are smoking or not, the second this album kicks off with the line, “Goddamn, how real is this?” the room is immediately smoke-filled. Best songs: “Palace” and “Peso”
3. Rivers Cuomo - “Alone III: The Pinkerton Years”
Weezer is one of my favorite bands ever, and “Pinkerton” might be my favorite album ever. With that being said, this compilation of rare demos/unreleased songs is like the best after-sex blowjob I could ask for. “Pinkerton” was the amazing sex, and 15 years later, this is the amazing blowjob. With each slight change to the songs I already know (new solo in “Getchoo”?!) I was splooging everywhere, and with each new song I’ve never heard I was exploding with joy. For anyone who likes Weezer, this is a fucking must-listen.
4. Childish Gambino – “EP”/”Camp”
One of the best rappers out today. He manages to put all his insecurities and neuroses on the table for everyone to hear and blend it with some of the most thought-provoking (and often hilarious) punchlines. “Uncool but lyrically I’m a stone cold killer, so it’s ‘400 Blows’ to these true faux n*ggas.” How? He gets better with each release. Best songs: “Not Going Back” and “You See Me”
5. Kendrick Lamar – “Section.80”
The smartest and most skilled album of the year. Attempting to pick only one of the mind-blowing lines on this album to prove my point is impossible. Best songs: “HiiiPower” and “F*ck Your Ethnicity”
6. Cunninlynguists – “Oneirology”
Cunninlynguists consistently churn out quality album after quality album, but this one might be their best. Going off the album title, the songs are generally dream-focused (and not just the kind involving sleep), and the production feels like just that, a dream. If you want thought-provoking subject matter mixed with brilliant samples and beats, this is your album. Best song: “Hard As They Come”
7. Dessa – “Castor, The Twin”
She’s like a mixture of Sage Francis and Fiona Apple and this album shows off her skills in both rapping and singing perfectly. One of the most interesting albums to come out in the past few years. Best song: “The Crow”.
8. Danny Brown – XXX
Listening to this is like getting raped by The Flash: you have no idea what the hell happened and you won’t be able to walk right for weeks. It’s a musical assault that you’ll either love or not live through. Best song: all
9. Clams Casino – “Instrumentals”
I so rarely listen to just the instrumentals from rap albums, but Clams Casino is hands down the best producer working. I can just turn this on and float. He manages to create dense and melancholy songs that still work on repeated listens. Best songs: “What You Doin’” and “Numb”
Honorable mentions: Bon Iver – “Bon Iver, Bon Iver,” Drake – “Take Care,” Main Attrakionz – “808s and Dark Grapes II,” Spaceghostpurrp - “Blvcklvnd Rvdix 66.6,” the soundtrack to “Drive,” and the Decemberists full-length.
Do you see any albums I missed that I should check out (besides “Smile” which I am downloading now)?
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
ambitiouskev:A$AP Rocky-Palace
I cannot stop listening. This song is fucking mind-blowing.
(Source: donkevlluminati)
The production on this is fucking blowing me in half. Clams Casino is easily becoming one of my favorite newer producers. Few albums have ever made me want to smoke weed more, in fact, just by listening to this I feel as though I have. Reminds me of old Three 6 Mafia. Sooo good.
(Source: xcriterionmasterx)
