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The Top 10 Hip-Hop Releases of 2011

By Robert Rossi, Managing Editor, on December 31, 2011 1:49 AM

I intentionally waited as long as possible to compile my inevitable “Best Releases of the Year” list.  Other outlets *cough Rolling Stone* put their lists out before mid-December, but because the fourth quarter of the year is typically loaded with great (and not-so-great) output, I wanted to absorb as much of the year as I could before finally handing out my accolades, which (not to brag), carry more prestige than the Oscars and British knighthood combined (in my head).

Before delving in, two things need to be noted: One, I only included hip-hop releases for which I published reviews (sorry Kendrick Lamar fans) both for convenience and consistency’s sake and as a way of evaluating myself as a reviewer.  And two, I was unfortunately not able to wait for the December 31st release of Waka Flocka Flame’s Triple F: Friends, Fans And Family which would have singlehandedly taken up every spot on the list (note: if you didn’t get that joke… go away.)  So without further ado:

THE TOP 10 HIP-HOP RELEASES OF 2011:

10. 50 Cent – The Big 10 (mixtape, released December 9^th.  Download it for free here.)

What I said then: “It’s hard to describe the beats on the album with any phrase besides “f*cking hard” so I’m not even going to bother. 50 goes Jason Voorhees on about every one, and if the line above isn’t enough to convince you then maybe you should try another genre of music, like mash-ups of Ryan Cabrera and Vanessa Carlton.”

What I say now: Well, it hasn’t been very long so my feelings about the tape haven’t really changed.  The one thing I would add is that you don’t really need this tape if you haven’t yet reached “I’ve listened to this WAY too many times to ever enjoy it again” mode with Get Rich Or Die Tryin’.  Also, as if this whole exercise wasn’t self-congratulatory enough, I’d like to point out that even when I’m writing for websites with no affiliation with Boston College whatsoever, I still throw in jokes about free concerts that happened on our campus.

9. J. Cole – Cole World: The Sideline Story (album, released September 27^th)

What I said then: “The fact that the only other contender for “best song on the disc” is another previously released song, Friday Night Lights’ ‘In The Morning,’ is the perfect example of why Cole World is both great and somewhat disappointing. None of the tracks would immediately disqualify the track from ‘classic’ status, but at the same time none are the transcendent climaxes that need to appear a few times on a truly legendary album.”

What I say now: I’ve re-listened to both Cole World and Friday Night Lights a few times since CW dropped, and each time I’ve played either one I become more and more convinced that I wasn’t harsh enough in my CW review.  Yeah, the album is solid output by Random Rapper X’s standards, but as time has passed, it’s become increasingly obvious that it falls well short of the bar set by Friday Night Lights.  I’d compare Cole World to The Matrix Reloaded, in that it’s not a crappy movie, but it is nowhere near as timeless, inspired or simply awesome as its predecessor.  It’s still good enough to crack the top 10, but we were all definitely expecting it to compete for #1 before it dropped.

8. The Roots – undun (album, released December 2^nd)

What I said then: “After half an hour of sublime lyricism, undun could’ve used something more Rootsy and less artistic-with-a-capital-A to provide the finale. It’s about the musical equivalent of dumping caviar onto a fillet mignon. It’s no longer flawless, but you’d still be a fool for passing it up.”

What I say now: That “dumping caviar onto a fillet mignon” line needs further explanation: I would definitely not pass up a fillet mignon covered with caviar, at least not the first time it was offered to me.  This isn’t because I expect myself to entirely appreciate it, but because it’s ridiculously highbrow and I could tell people about it to make myself appear sophisticated.  That’s pretty much what listening to undun is like.  For most people it would take months to really get everything that’s going on here lyrically, but they would at least realize that those lyrics are very high class.  However, ending your lyrically dense hip-hop concept album about death told in reverse chronological order with a four-piece Coltrane-esque piece that involves Sufjan Stevens is probably even more than ridiculously highbrow.  Still, telling people you digested and enjoyed the latest Roots release is guaranteed credibility in hip-hop circles, and saying otherwise is a great way to look foolish.

(And no I’m not just saying that to look legit.)

7. Yelawolf – Radioactive (album, released November 21^st)

What I said then: “I’d feel dirty if I wrote three paragraphs about this album without using the term ‘pissed off.’  How else can you describe someone who claims to be ‘the American Eagle’ who got ‘sent to hell and shit on the Devil?’”

What I say now: I still think it’s borderline-sinful to mention Yelawolf without using the phrase “pissed off,” and when he hits 10 on the Anger Scale this album fires on all cylinders.  But, perhaps out of fear of what might happen to me should Yelawolf ever actually read my review, I definitely did not emphasize how forced and out of place a few of those ballads feel.  Hopefully whatever record exec forced Yela into recording them will let the Wolf off the chain for his next album.

6. Rihanna – Talk That Talk (album, released November 21^st)

What I said then: “The tracks on the 11-song, 37-minutes-and-change TTT can neatly be divided into three categories: ‘Bangers I will hear on the radio 50 times in the upcoming year,’ ‘Ballads,’ and ‘Filler that I would skip if not for the so-sexual-they-will-offend-my-neighbors-in-hysterical-fashion lyrics.’”

What I say now: For the record, here’s how the categories break down: Bangers I will hear on the radio 50 times in the upcoming year (6): “You Da One,” “Where Have You Been,” “We Found Love” (insert checkmark here), “Talk That Talk,” “Drunk On Love,” “Roc Me Out.”  Ballads (2): “We All Want Love,” “Farewell.”  Filler that I would skip if not for the so-sexual-they-will-offend-my-neighbors-in-hysterical-fashion lyrics (3): “Cockiness (Love It),” “Birthday Cake,” “Watch n’ Learn.”  3 out of 11 may seem a high filler ratio for a 4/5 star album, but those lyrics are really, really entertaining.  At least, I definitely think so… moving on!

5. Common – The Dreamer/The Believer (album, released December 20^th)

What I said then: “Common delivers ridiculous verse after ridiculous verse, pausing only to let No I.D.’s brilliant vocal samples handle chorus duties. Every track is a lyrical tour de force (well, except ‘Windows,’ which we’ll pretend never happened, and the last one, which is just a spoken-word piece from Common’s father. Who used to play in the NBA!). However, arguing about whether he out-raps Jay-Z or Kanye is missing the point of the record: ‘Ali MC, I fight for more than the title,’ he raps on ‘Gold.’  With an album full of lyrics like these, does it even matter whether or not he gets it?”

What I say now: This album came out less than two weeks ago, so I haven’t really had any major epiphanies about it since then.  I’m realizing that so far this list is really bottom heavy with regards to the calendar.  I’ve got a few explanations for this:

1. Record companies typically prefer to release their biggest sellers in the fourth quarter because (duh!) that’s when Christmas is.
2. Nobody wanted to bother engaging in a sales war with the three biggest names in hip-hop (Jay-Z, Kanye West and Lil’ Wayne) during August.
3. Audiocred didn’t hire me to write two hip-hop reviews a week until that same month.  Which means that I still reviewed the biggest drops of the year (such as Bad Meets Evil’s disc, which missed the cut), but missed out on some other releases that could’ve squeaked into the top ten (*braces self for barrage of pissed-off emails from Kendrick Lamar fans*).

Anyway, it turns out that after I published my review of The Dreamer/The Believer, Common went on record claiming that some of the lyrics were insults aimed specifically at Drake.  My reaction shifted from “Really?” to “Why?” before finally settling on “This is probably the most boring and least gangster feud in hip-hop history.”

4. Lil’ Wayne – Tha Carter IV (album, released August 29^th)

What I said then: “Tha Carter IV is a great album with some admittedly strange missteps and decisions (like completely omitting Wayne from two tracks).  But is it good enough to justify starting rap’s biggest beef in years?  We’ll have to wait and see.”

What I say now: I think it’s fair to say that I thought this album was better than most other people did.  It definitely wasn’t as good as Tha Carter III, but as I wrote back in August, how many albums are?  I think the incredibly angry reaction against C4 from some circles is more indicative of a change in our public perception of Lil’ Wayne than a large drop in the quality of his music.  Because this is my list and this is the Internet, where page limits do not exist, allow me to examine in-depth why so many people wanted to take the top selling hip-hop album of the year and eradicate its existence from the face of the Earth:

A BRIEF HISTORY OF WEEZY F. BABY AND HOW WE SEE HIM:

• 1998: Has that goofy verse at the end of “Back That Azz Up.”  Is 17.  Nobody really cares.
•  1999-2003: Does some “Cash Money shit.”
• 2004: Releases Tha Carter.  The disc sells 100,000+ copies in its first week on the strength of his first             solo hit, “Go DJ.” Does that song “Soldier” with Destiny’s Child where he rhymes “hide” and “camouflage,” which he would never get away with now.
• 2005: Releases Tha Carter II, which sells even more copies than its predecessor.  Declares himself “the best rapper alive.”  Throws hissy fit when nobody agrees.
• 2006-2007: Embarks on a lyrical spaz attack that is, statistically, the most H.A.M. microphone murder spree recorded in hip-hop history since 2Pac got out of prison in 1995.  Releases (approximately) 6,000 mixtapes and makes (about) 3 million guest appearances.  Everyone agrees to agree that Wayne, both despite and because of his willingness to write lyrics like “ I love brain, I need a leech,” is indeed a beast.  This begins the “Modern Era” of radio, in which pop and hip-hop stations are forbidden from going more than 20 minutes without playing Wayne’s voice.
• 2008: Releases Tha Carter III.  The world explodes and buys more than 1 million copies of it in its first week.  Everyone agrees that Wayne is indeed “the Best Rapper Alive” and Kanye West responds by releasing an album on which he does not rap.  This is basically the moment where Wayne goes from “an up-and-comer with limitless potential” to “a megastar who has realized his potential and conquered the game” in the public eye.  AKA peaking.
• 2009: Realizing he needs to “re-invent himself” in order to keep from “getting stale,” announces he will record a rock album.  Makes everyone forget by signing Drake.  Somehow finds time to record 3 million more guest spots. We are getting a little sick of his guest spots, which are becoming increasingly and increasingly phoned-in.
• 2010: Follows through on threat to release rock album.  Gets sent to prison as punishment.  Someone steals 9 songs from his trash bin, packages them with “Right Above It,” and releases the collection as I Am Not A Human Being.  Still somehow finds way to make his annual 3 million guest spots, despite being in prison.
• 2011: Fresh out of prison, reverts to his ’08 formula with about 80% of the charisma and none of the “We’ve never seen a rapper like THIS before” factor.  Also forgets to remind everyone that he is still “the best rapper alive.”  Fans of Jay-Z and Kanye West pounce on the opportunity and repeatedly kick Twitter in the balls with the #ThingsBetterThanTheCarterIV hashtag, which upsets Weezy mainly because they correctly spell the word he wants misspelled.  Reviewers, being giant wimps, publish reviews reflecting views of WTT fanboys.  The rest of the country ignores them and C4 outsells every hip-hop record of 2011.  Fanboys respond by saying Birdman somehow bought all of them.

So, there you have it.

3. Jay-Z & Kanye West – Watch The Throne (album, released August 8, 2011)

What I said then: “Throne is at the end of day what it theoretically should be.  It’s a great work of art from two of the greatest artists in their field.  Better than what most anyone else could do, but not as good as what either of its creators is capable of when not sharing the stage with someone who commands equal attention from the listener.  The Throne definitely belongs to these two at the moment, but WTT doesn’t quite knock out every challenger to it.”

What I say now: GQ magazine described this album as “two grandiose motherfuckers exploring the theme of grandiose-motherfuckerdom,” which is a phrase everyone in the world should read out loud at least once.  It’s also very accurate.  The duo tries very hard to balance social consciousness with unashamed self-glorification, and in fairness they do it better than anyone who’s ever attempted it before. That said, the hyperbole surrounding this record gets a bit out of control when people run around throwing out phrases like “legendary” when Kanye himself released a significantly better album less than a year before.  “N-Words In Paris” is a great record, but how insane are these concertgoers who enjoy listening to it six times in a row in concert?  Didn’t My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy have at least two better songs?  Maybe three?  Can we shoot for four???  In that respect, the idea of this album skewed the ability of most people to properly evaluate the album itself, kind of like the 2011 Miami Heat.  Don’t get me wrong though; this record holds up extremely well after repeated listens, and I don’t have it ranked #3 as a concession to anybody.  So if this write-up comes off as overly negative, just pretend it’s about Chris Bosh; it’s great no doubt, but it’s not of the same transcendent status as the top two on this roster.

2. Drake – Take Care (album, released November 15^th)

What I said then: “It’s obviously too early to say that this will be an immeasurably influential or a landmark album, but it’s also obvious that Drake is not just headed down a different path from the rest of his piers, he’s on a different plane. From the opening piano chord of ‘Over My Dead Body’ to the last choral swirl of ‘The Ride,’ there is not a moment when either genuine artistry or mainstream accessibility overwhelms the other and breaks the perfect balance struck between the pair in genius works of pop music…Obviously this isn’t technically official until January 1, 2012, but I’d feel dishonest if I didn’t immediately brand this my pick for RAP ALBUM OF THE YEAR 2011.”

What I say now: Well, it’s only December 31, 2011 but pardon me for jumping the gun and saying, yeah I was spot on in picking this as RAP ALBUM OF THE YEAR 2011 (what? It’s only #2! We’ll get to that…).  Can we properly appreciate what Drake did with this disc?  He put out 20 songs (that technically outlast the length storable on one disc so I use the word loosely), most of which deal with topics that most people kind of assumed were totally off-limits for a rapper.  And he somehow did this without a “Lift Off”-type abomination (regarding the WTT vs. TC debate that dominated 2011: one of these albums had “Lift Off” and one didn’t.  That should end the discussion).  In fact, the track list was so consistent that you could easily ask 10 people to name their favorite track off the album and get 10 different answers (Mine? “Over My Dead Body.” No, “Headlines.”  No, “The Ride.” Ahh, fuck it).  I truly believe that in a few years’ time, we’ll look back at the road mainstream hip-hop has gone down and easily identify Drake as the key player that set it on its course, with Take Care being the point of no return.  But the craziest thing is that Take Care might not have even been Drake’s biggest contribution to hip-hop in 2011.  It might’ve been his role in launching 2011’s breakout artist into the public consciousness, the same artist holding down our #1 spot…

1. The Weeknd – House Of Balloons, Thursday & Echoes Of Silence (mixtapes, released March 21^st, August 19^th & December 21^st.  Download them for free here.)

What I said then, then and then:

• “House Of Balloons is the most fully realized artistic vision to emerge in pop music so far this year.  An instant classic, it will undoubtedly stand up with So Far Gone and Friday Night Lights as monumental turning points in both the prevailing worldviews in hip-hop and the way unknown artists reach the masses.  Written descriptions of either the music or the buzz it caused do justice only to the latter.  Music this good should not be free, but it is, so do yourself a favor, and download.”

• “Is Thursday as good as House Of Balloons?  House Of Balloons keeps getting better with every new listen, and Thursday is no different, so it wouldn’t even be right to answer the question within 48 hours of Thursday’s release.  No… there is little to question about Thursday.  Except this: with music this good available legally for free, how are other artists getting away with charging anything for theirs?”

• “I can’t help but wonder what the future holds for The Weeknd. The large part of me hopes and expects him to continue producing quality work for years to come. However, if he vanished from music in a Lauryn Hill-esque fashion, no one could say that he didn’t leave his mark. When taken as one work (which it really is), The Weeknd’s trilogy is a 145-minute masterpiece that will undoubtedly stand the test of time.  Echoes Of Silence is a haunting finale devoid of virtually nothing except disappointment.”

What I say now: Okay, so I totally cheated and put three different releases as my pick for #1.  You know what?  Deal with it.  I’m close to running out of ways to describe how much I love this trilogy… except not really.  This music is so beautiful that I would divorce my still-imaginary wife if she told me she didn’t like it.  I want this music playing in the church, at the reception, and throughout the night in the honeymoon suite on my wedding day.  I will openly confess that abstracting so much pleasure from music so seductive and lyrics so filthy makes me question whether or not I have a soul.  If you haven’t been fortunate enough to hear these records yet, I understand if these 400-and-counting words have given you zero indication of what to expect other than something that makes me write insane things down in a Microsoft Word document and then publish them on the Internet for the entire world to see.  But if you have been fortunate enough to hear these records (and YOU’RE WELCOME if I had anything to do with it), you know exactly what I’m talking about.  There’s not much left to say except for thank you, Abel Tesfaye.  This was definitely your year.  If 2012 does indeed bring about the end of the world, at least we have the trilogy for the soundtrack.

Questions?  Comments?  Complaints?  Leave a comment and/or tweet them to me @RVRossi.