1. El-P, I’ll Sleep When Your Dead (Definitive Juxtaposition)
Rap music is great because it hypnotizes you and convinces you that caring about anything but making money is a sign of mental illness. And I thank rap music for this, normally. But El-P’s album reminded me the reality is that we are still paying “30 Percent a Year to Fund the World’s End”. And the everday conversation with many of youse may be worse than the government’s intentions. El touches on that as well.
Video:El-P performing TPC and Smithereens at Little Brothers in Columbus
2. MIA, Kala (XL/Interscope)
M.I.A.’s record is kinda like a futuristic Robin Hood if Robin Hood was a female that made music that people will dance to in Third World Countries 50 Years from now after the American dollar becomes more worthless than a Congolese franc. I also want to be the first to point out that MIA is not physically attractive. I’d hump a terrorists daughter on GP, but she still is pretty average looking.
LINK:Value of Dollar Dropping
3. Times New Viking Presents The Paisley Reich (Stiltbreeze)
I have a friend that paints graffiti a lot and works a really shitty job. He is really nice and only listens to Lil Wayne and Nirvana because they sing romantically about despair, love,drugs, and death. Lil Wayne is a lot funnier than Nirvana as is TNV. My 2008 resolution is to get him into TNV.
Video:Some Guy in Canada named “DipsetMuthafucka” Dancing to TNV’s Little Amps.
4. Wu-Tang Clan, The Eight Diagrams
Most of all the other Hip Hoppers were out here trying and failing at trying to figure out the formula to sell records, ring tones, and themselves. Wu remembered that they are the sole controllers of their universe, and it is their duty as poor righteous teachers to civilize the uncivilized in the Wilderness of North America. So they made a Wu-Tang album that sounded like a good Wu-Tang album. Can a devil fool a Muslim?
Hypem:Wu-Tang Clan-Campfire
5. Lil Wayne, The Drought
Lil Wayne boasted in Fader that he does nothing all day but take xtc, and receive oral sex while constantly recording. The result of drug use, work ethic, and an inability to keep his music from being uploaded meant we got to experience exactly what was going on in Wayne’s brain at all times.
HYPEM:Lil Wayne-Dipset
6. Cam’ron, Public Enemy Number 1
You know that game where you say: what if I was alone in the bathroom with a douchebag CEO of a Major Corperations?Would I take his head and slam into a urinal? Well Cam got in earshot of both Jay-z and 50 Cent and made fun of how they dress and said that only DIY rap bosses are cool. Cam got himself blackballed. So what did he do? He record two discs worth of good music and gave it away for free on the internets and out of his friends automobile. Punk.
MP3:Cam’ron-The Cycle is Sick
7. Lupe Fiasco, The Cool (1&15th/Atlantic)
Lupe’s album is pretty great despite of not having heard Midnight Marauders. The so-called Islamic jihadist has the ability to jump around from double-time Twistaesque joints to artsy defiant manifestos to poignant tacks that humanize crappy myspace rappers who front on how many clicks they get on their page cause he knows they aren’t the enemy. They are just trying live. Lupe takes a route that rejects what he probably views as American Colonialist activity without demonizing the lumpen proletariat. So while backpackers argued about how their culture is being disrespected, Lupe made a really moody, conceptual album that revealed him as a talented story teller.
Video:Lupe explaining Paris,Tokyo for a Radio Station.
8. Justice, +(Ed Banger/Vice)
I hate techno and ravers. So this album must be really good.
Video:Justice Live on Jimmy Kimmel
9. Black Lips, Good Bad Not Evil (Vice)
True True. Worst record. Still real good. Anyone who sees the correlation of sipping on lean, hitting up the Magic City boob hut and garage rock n roll makes more sense to me then trying to reinvent the Munsters over and over again. Betty Page has a fat ass but thats where it stops.
Video:Black Lips Performing Bad Kids
10. R.Kelly, Double Up (Jive)
The difference between Micheal Jackson and R.Kelly is that R. Kelly is a creep that likes 14 year-old black girls, and Micheal Jackson is a creep that like 6 year old white boys. Who do you think has a more relevant taste in music?
Video-R.Kelly:Real Talk
11.Kayne West, Graduation (Roc-a-Fella)
Kanye’s worst album but still pretty great. This made him to the most important man in music right now.
Video:Kanye West addresses Gay Rumors
12. Little Brother, Get Back (ABB Records)
Jay-z abandoned grown-folks music in order to sell heroin while missing the point of American Gangster because his publicist told him white bloggers in all-over print shirts and fitted hats would think he is cool if he rapped about selling drugs again. Little Brother showed you can make music for grown people if you are funny and and still like making music. It’s true you can go to the club, and not get laid or kill people. Ooh Ooh real school Hip Hoppers please stop defending Jay-z and 50 like it was Betty Shabazz’s last wish as an extra feature on Style Wars and support a group that got dropped from a major for actually being about something. I mean these guys said, hey we don’t like how black people are portrayed in the media. Got dropped. Kept it moving independently.
Video:Producer Khrysis on the Making of Little Brothers “After the Party”
13. Gucci Mane
Gucci Mane didn’t make any albums of the year. However my favorite song this year was “Pillz” cause it was about being fucked up and having some annoying broad disrupt your happy stupor. This song isn’t even from 07, but I spent the time I shoulda been listening to Panda Bear, Wilco,Battles,Radiohead, and Animal Collective bumping Gucci Mane.
Video:Karoake Video for Pillz
14. Walter Rocktight, School of Rocktight
Columbus Hip Hop is at the lowest point since, iono, Da Mad Clown couldn’t stop selling yayo in 1993. Fronting is at a whole new high, and most people aren’t really labbing or creating their own identities. They think myspace and mixtapes are enough. Fuck branding, btw. At Least Rocktight put this cd out so we get to hear Jakki,Copywrite,Illogic, Spitball over topnotch bangers made by a much slept on producer. If you like Dre,Timbaland and Primo then you will prolly should check for Rocktight. Obviously I just listed the greatest beatmakers in hip hop history, but hyperbole is warranted when you think attention is deserved. Especially when hip hop in Columbus is pretty terrible.
Preview the Album on CD Baby(Please say the baby)
15. Budos Band, II (Daptone)
I am pretty anti-funk and soul but this shit is textured and variegated enough to keep me interested.
Video:Budos Band at Ravari Room
