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[phanphare]

Lack of Freddie Gibbs is a suprise so far.

love gibbs but this album was mixed for me. some good points, some bad points. overall just not a top 10 album despite being fairly solid outside of a few tracks.

 

[CRS]

Don't forget to quote the 2nd post to cast your vote.

 

[injurai]

I hate all of you.

Lack of Freddie Gibbs is a suprise so far.

This is where you realize people were voting for Madlib not Gibbs last year.

 

[MuddyDonut]

Dicks. Them dicks for all categories.

 

[Syntsui]

1 - Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly
2 - Young Thug - Barter 6
3 - Young Thug - Slime Season
4 - Waka Flocka Flame - Flockaveli 1.5
5 - Future - DS2
6 - 50 Cent - The Kanan Tape
7 - Drake - If You Are Reading This It's Too Late
8 - Pusha T - Darkest Before Dawn
9 - Freddie Gibbs - Shadow of a Doubt
10 - Rick Ross - Black Market

Artist/Group of the Year: Young Thug

Producer of the Year: Metro Boomin

Rookie of the Year: Anderson Paak

Feature Killer of the Year: Future

"L" of the Year: Meek Mill

Biggest Disappointment: Kanye West (not delivering the promised album, released trash track after trash track, collected a streak of struggle features)

Intro of the Year (Bonus): Shootin - Waka Flocka Flame (a lot of good choices this year, really hard to vote on this)

 

[Vman]

1. Lupe Fiasco - Tetsuo & Youth; 4 points
2. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly; 3 points
3. Dr. Dre - Compton; 3 points
4. Pusha T - Darkest Before Dawn; 2 points
5. Travis Scott - Rodeo; 2 points
6. Drake - If You're Reading This It's Too Late; 2 points
7. Logic - The Incredible True Story; 1 point
8. Vince Staples - Summertime 06' ; 1 point
9. A$AP Rocky - AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP; 1 point
10. Future & Drake - What A Time To Be Alive; 1 point

 

[Linkhero1]

I didn't get to listen to everything that came out this year so I might make some adjustments prior to the ballot end date. Anyways here are my votes.

Album of the Year

1. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly ; 4 points
2. Vince Staples - Summertime '06 ; 3 points
3. Young Thug - Slime Season 2 ; 3 points
4. Future - DS2 ; 2 points
5. Freddie Gibbs - Shadow of a Doubt ; 2 points
6. Young Thug - Barter 6 ; 2 points
7. Travis Scott - Rodeo ; 1 point
8. Pusha T - Darkest Before Dawn ; 1 point
9. Game - Documentary 2.0 ; 1 point
10. GoldLink - And After That We Didn't Talk ; 1 point

Song of the Year

1. Kendrick Lamar - Alright ; 4 points
2. Vince Staples - Like It Is ; 3 points
3. Future - Blow a Bag ; 3 points
4. Young Thug - Never Made Love ; 2 points
5. Future - Digital Dash ; 2 points
6. Young Thug - Check ; 2 points
7. Pusha T - M.P.A. ; 1 point
8. Travis Scott - 3500 ; 1 point
9. Future - Where Ya At ; 1 point
10. Future - Slave Master ; 1 point

Artist/Group of the Year - Kendrick Lamar/None
Producer of the Year - Metro Boomin
Rookie of the Year - Vince Staples
Feature Killer of the Year - Future
"L" of the Year - Tyga
Biggest Disappointment - Dr. Dre Compton
Intro of the Year (Bonus) - Future - Thought It Was a Drought

 

[Rastafarian42]

I'll reserve this for later

 

[Steez]

Yo, are we doing EPs?

lmao @ all the reserve posts.

 

[enzo_gt]

Yo, are we doing EPs?

lmao @ all the reserve posts.

Would like clarification on if EPs count as well.

EDIT: Nvm prob gonna leave it out just to give these full albums shine.

 

[CRS]

Free to vote for EPs. You feel like it deserves a top 10 slot? Go ahead.

 

[HiResDes]

Made a playlist to commemorate the past year in rap/hip-hop, definitely NSFW and I recommend turning on the shuffle option

The Year in Review (2015) Playlist

 

[Ovid]

Made a playlist to commemorate the past year in rap/hip-hop, definitely NSFW and I recommend turning on the shuffle option

The Year in Review (2015) Playlist

Is The Internet really considered hip-hop?

 

[HiResDes]

Is The Internet really considered hip-hop?

DOn't nitpick a list of 250 songs aight

 

[WanderingWind]

DOn't nitpick a list of 250 songs aight

ahahaha

Most Des post of the year.

 

[Ovid]

DOn't nitpick a list of 250 songs aight

I'll go through the rest of the list later.

I'll nitpick some more to annoy you.

 

[nns3d]

Albums

1. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly
2. Drake - If You're Reading This, It's Too Late
3. Lupe Fiasco - Tetsu & Youth
4. Future - DS2
5. A$AP Rocky - At Long Last, A$AP
6. GoldLink - And After That We Didn't Talk
7. Currensy - Canal St. Confidential
8. Mick Jenkins - Waves
9. Freddie Gibbs - Shadow Of a Doubt
10. Jay Rock - 90059

Songs

1. Future - March Madness
2. Kendrick Lamar - Complexion
3. Lupe Fiasco - Blur My Hands
4. Freddie Gibbs - Careless
5. Vince Staples - Summertime
6. Dr. Dre (feat. Anderson .Paak & Jill Scott) - For The Love Of Money
7. Young Thug - Never Made Love
8. Pusha-T (feat. Jill Scott) - Sunshine
9. Mick Jenkins - Piano
10. Fetty Wap (feat. Remy) - No Days Off

will finish list later today

 

[silentcapybara]

--- albums of the year ---

1. dirty sprite 2 - future
2. flockaveli 1.5 - waka flocka flame
3. what a time to be alive - drake & future
4. slime season 2 - young thug
5. if you're reading this, it's too late - drake
6. bye - blvc svnd
7. summertime '06 - vince staples
8. to pimp a butterfly - kendrick lamar
9. shadow of a doubt - freddie gibbs
10. mr. wonderful - action bronson

--- songs of the year ---

1. "new level" - a$ap ferg ft. future
2. "top" - lil uzi vert
3. "march madness" - future
4. "2phoneshawty" - robb bank$
5. "stick talk" - future
6. "street fighter" - key! ft. og maco
7. "i dont fuck with you" - big sean
8. "it g ma (remix)" - keith ape
9. "oh my dis side" - travi$ scott
10. "check" - young thug

--- producer of the year ---

metro boomin want some more

--- rookie of the year ---

lil uzi vert

--- biggest disappointment ---

--- L of the year ---

https://twitter.com/nbcchicago/status/677642255369400321

--- intro of the year ---

"thought it was a drought" - future

--- feature killer of the year ---

 

[Courage]

2015 was definitely one of the most exciting years in hip-hop. Drake vs. Meek, Future's 4peat culminating with DS2, solidifying himself as ATL legend, Tyga and his Ls, DJ Khaled's 🔑s to success, Young Thug showing us what rap, as a form, can do with Barter 6, plus a shitload of other releases, from high profile and underground rappers alike. We may have never gotten SWISH, but we did get a shitload of great music. Here's to 2016 being just as good, with its music and its fuckery.

And now my personal picks for 2015:

Artist/Group of the Year - Future
Producer of the Year - Metro Boomin
Rookie of the Year - Jazz Cartier
Feature Killer of the Year - Future
L of the Year - Meek Mill
Biggest Disappointment - Jay Rock’s album and the buildup to its release
Intro of the Year - Thought It Was a Drought


SONGS OF THE YEAR

1. Future - March Madness ; 4 points
2. Dalek - Masked Laughter (Nothing’s Left) ; 3 points
3. Kendrick Lamar - How Much A Dollar Cost ; 3 points
4. Young Thug - Halftime ; 2 points
5. Death Grips - On GP ; 2 points
6. Jamie xx - I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times) ft. Young Thug, Popcaan ; 2 points
7. Earl Sweatshirt - Grief ; 1 point
8. Vince Staples - Norf Norf ; 1 point
9. Action Bronson - Actin Crazy ; 1 point
10. Freddie Gibbs - Fuckin’ Up the Count ; 1 point

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

1. Future - Dirty Sprite 2 ; 4 points

I never imagined that 2015 would be Future’s year. After the lukewarm Honest, I expected him to stagnate with sappy, syrupy ballads. Monster releasing late last year corrected that assumption, and started his hot streak of albums that’d continue on to this year. On DS2 Future brings together his elite team of producers, which contributed to his recent output, and make one of the most memorable trap releases thus far. Southside, Metro and Zaytoven’s beats set a dark, sinister tone that permeates throughout the album. This is coupled with Future’s typical nihilism and bravado, dialed all the way up to eleven, as if he’s been possessed by lean after his breakup with Ciara and does not regret it one bit: Bitch, I’ma choose the dirty over you/ You know I ain't scared to lose you. It’s an album of Future overindulging in all his pleasures, whether when he’s fucking his groupies, blowing a bag a day, or fucking his cash up on a new toy. DS2 may seem like an endorsement of Future's lifestyle, but there’s also an undercurrent of depression and pain in its lyricism that does not paint a pretty picture. It’s a gut-wrenching, potent album and the perfect way to end his run this year.

2. Death Grips - The Powers That B ; 3 points

Death Grips once again pushing rap to its limits, with a fantastic combination of glitchy, industrial production and MC Ride’s aggressively relentless roars.

3. Billy Woods - Today, I Wrote Nothing ; 3 points

Billy Woods continues to improve in Today, I Wrote Nothing, where his vivid, thought provoking lyricism continues to shine via his off-kilter delivery and bitesized track lengths, both ostensibly inspired by MF Doom.

4. Young Thug - Barter 6 ; 2 points

Thugga’s most consistent project yet; a subdued canvas in which he flexes his technical aptitude and eccentricity, while also making some of the catchiest songs of the year. s/o to Slime Season 1 and 2, which are just as good.

5. Earl Sweatshirt - I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside ; 2 points

Earl continues to mature as an artist with IDLS, IDGO, ditching the monotony of Doris and providing darker soundscapes, solely produced by him, along with denser, harder hitting nihilist raps.

6. Denzel Curry - 32 Zel / Planet Shrooms ; 2 points

Psychedelic rap done right. Take notes ASAP Rocky.

7. Dr. Yen Lo - Days With Dr. Yen Lo ; 1 point

Ka builds on his signature style, with a more nuanced and complex album than Night’s Gambit. Preservation's eerie production is intentionally understated, in order to highlight Ka’s incredible rapping.

8. Freddie Gibbs - Shadow of a Doubt ; 1 point

Exactly what I wanted from Gibbs after Piñata. He goes back to his melodic trap sound, as he flows seamlessly on a variety of beats. It’s as catchy as BFK with none of the weed carriers that held back ESGN.

9. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly ; 1 point

This has grown on me throughout the year. Although I was initially apathetic towards the jazzy production and Kendrick’s surreal delivery, I ultimately couldn’t resist this album's warmth.

10. Milo - So the Flies Don't Come ; 1 point

Atmospheric but not boring like Toothpaste Suburb. In fact, Milo improves his rapping and the album remains engaging yet easy going during its 32 mins.

 

[CRS]

whew, what a post.

 

[manipulate]

1 Kendrick - TPAB; 4 points
2 Lupe Fiasco - Tetsuo & Youth; 3 points
3 Young Thug - Barter 6; 3 points
4 Dr Dre - Compton; 2 points
5 Future - DS2; 2 points
6 Drake - IYRTITL; 2 points
7 Young Thug - Slime Season 2; 1 point
8 Drake/Future - What A Time To Be Alive; 1 point
9 Earl Sweatshirt - I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside; 1 point
10 Ty Dolla $ign - Free T.C.; 1 point

and

1 Lupe Fiasco - Prisoner 1&2
2 Kendrick - Wesley's Theory
3 Kendrick - The Blacker The Berry
4 Lupe Fiasco - Mural
5 Future - Thought It Was A Drought
6 Young Thug - With That
7 Young Thug - Don't Know
8 Kendrick, Dre - Deep Water
9 Drake - Company
10 Future - Fuck Up Some Commas

Metro Boomin for producer of the year

 

[MoodyFog]

1 - Dr. Yen Lo - Days With Dr. Yen Lo
2 - Young Thug - Barter 6
3 - Future - DS2
4 - Freddie Gibbs - Shadow Of A doubt
5 - Billy Woods - Today, I Wrote Nothing
6 - Young Thug - Slime Season
7 - The Alchemist - Israeli Salad
8 - Curren$y - Pilot Talk III
9 - Starlito - I'm Moving To Houston
10 - Rick Ross - Black Market

Song of the Year: Young Thug - Check

Artist/Group of the Year: Future

Producer of the Year: Metro Boomin

Rookie of the Year: Fetty Wap

Feature Killer of the Year: Future

"L" of the Year: Meek Mill

Biggest Disappointment: The game - The Documentary 2

Intro of the Year : Thought It Was A Drought (Future - DS2)

 

[PlayDat]

A few people here have listed How Much a Dollar Cost? as a one of their top tracks of the year. Even President Obama says it’s one of his favorites. Is anyone willing to open up about why they like it so much?

I think the song’s religious undertones hurt its overall message. In general I like that Kendrick is encouraging listeners to help the needy when they have the means. I spent four months this year in a country where begging is outlawed. These past three weeks I’ve been back in the US has reacquainted me with how people react to such solicitation. Most people just ignore them and keep going about their day (I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that), but it really irritates me when people respond with scorn. The narrator in Kendrick’s song isn’t shy about expressing his grievances to the man asking for cash. In real life, people are more likely to wait until he’s out of earshot to get their jabs in. I don’t mind that the narrator is more open about his cynicism than usual because it helps serves the song’s purpose.

So far I’m mostly on board with Kendrick. Where I think he went wrong is by revealing the homeless man to be God incarnate. It’s possible that I’m interpreting the ending incorrectly. Maybe, Kendrick isn’t literally deifying the guy. The God in this story could have been a pantheistic one, but there are enough specific Judeo-Christian references to keep me from taking that viewpoint seriously. Regardless of how me meant it, my following critique still stands.

The reason we should care about the those who are less fortunate is not because some higher power can punish us eternally for viewing them with contempt. We should be helping because they are human. Whether their struggle is due to class, race, gender, or any other other area where people might suffer from inequality, you should be helping them because despite our differences we’re all still people. It’s not fair that their lot in life is less than yours, so you should try to do something about it. Who cares if doing so will benefit you (the privileged person) in the end? You probably will benefit in the long run, but that shouldn’t matter.

I was concerned that my personal irreligiousness was preventing me liking the song, but most rappers are at least somewhat religious and it hasn’t stopped me before. I like BIBLE on Liquid Swords. I like Jesus Walks even more. Part of the reason I like Jump off the Roof from Summertime '06 is the chorus. Based on some interviews I’ve come across, Staples doesn’t seem like he’s much more religious than I am, but he was able to use religion in a way that supported the song rather than keep it from fully realizing its goals.

You won’t hear me call How Much a Dollar Cost? terrible or anything like that. I appreciate how Kendrick is willing to make music that subverts the usual themes promoting materialism and consumption many have come to expect from the genre. The song just happened to be one of my least favorites on the album. Aside from the story it tells, I’m not a huge fan of the instrumentation and I don’t find the lyrics all that impressive on a technical level. I’m tempted to say that Lil Reese delivered the same message more effectively last year when he said “If you gettin' money lil ñ!66@ you should feed everybody on the block,” but I won’t go that far. Even though I like On My Soul a lot more, it’s a little strange to compare these two songs since Herbo and Reese weren’t as focused on social responsibility.

This post ended up being much longer than I expected. I haven’t had any outlets for my thoughts on music in a while. Thanks for reading this far. My own lists won’t be ready for at least another week. Just to give you a preview, To Pimp a Butterfly will definitely rank high and unfortunately the list as a whole will be heavily biased in favor of the first half of the year due to how busy things got for me personally from August onward.

I’ve enjoyed reading everyone’s posts so far and I’m looking forward to seeing how everyone else felt about the year in hip-hop!

 

[RespectThySole]

1. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly
2. Curren$y - Pilot Talk III
3. Travis Scott - Rodeo
4. Future - Dirty Sprite 2
5. Drake - If You're Reading This, It's Too Late
6. Curren$y - Canal Street Confidential
7. Young Thug - Barter 6
8. A$AP Rocky - At Long Last, A$AP
9. Pusha T - Darkest Before Dawn
10. Young Thug - Slime Season 2

 

[DominoKid]

Producer of the Year – Metro Boomin - I put this one before any other award or album/song ranking because he ran 2015 and it seems like he's only getting better.

The Weeknd & Future - Low Life
Yo Gotti & Kevin Gates - Ion Feel Em
Young Thug - Hercules
Future - I Serve The Base
Drake & Future - Diamonds Dancin

Artist of the Year – Future
Rookie of the Year – Bryson Tiller
Biggest Disappointment – TDE as a whole. Kendrick and Jay Rock’s albums were trash. No new Isaiah tape/album yet. At least Ab-Soul had the decency to not saddle the world with more of his crap in 2015.
Intro of the Year – Drake - Legend

Top 10 Songs (I tried to be a little more diplomatic with this cause otherwise it’d be all Future, Thug and Drake songs)
1. Drake – Know Yourself
2. Future – Trap Niggas
3. Vince Staples – Like It Is
4. MADEINTYO – Uber Everywhere
5. Kodak Black – SKRT
6. Drake & Future – Diamonds Dancin
7. Travis Scott – Nightcrawler (feat. Swae Lee & Chief Keef)
8. Young Thug – Best Friend
9. Dej Loaf – Back Up (feat. Big Sean)
10. Yo Gotti - Down in the DMs

Top 10 Albums
1. Future – 56 Nights
2. Drake – If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late
3. Future – DS2
4. Young Thug – Barter 6
5. Travis Scott – Rodeo
6. Bryson Tiller – T R A P S O U L
7. Drake & Future – What A Time To Be Alive
8. Fetty Wap

Spoiler

(feat. Monty)

– Fetty Wap
9. Rae Sremmurd – SremmLife
10. Vince Staples – Summertime 06

Honorable Mention
Big Sean - Dark Sky Paradise
Kodak Black - Heart of the Projects
Yo Gotti - Concealed
Young Thug - Slime Season 2
Rick Ross - Black Market

 

[Steez]

Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly ; 4 points
Open Mike Eagle - A Special Episode Of ; 3 points
Jay Rock - 90059 ; 3 points
Sadistik & Kno - Phantom Limbs; 2 points
Time & Materials - Cavanaugh ; 2 points
Blu, MED & Madlib - Bad Neighbor ; 2 points
L'Orange & Jeremiah Jae - The Night Took Us In Like Family ; 1 point
Ceschi - Broken Bone Ballads ; 1 point
Uncommon Nasa - Halfway; 1 point
Lupe Fiasco - Tetsuo & Youth; 1 point

 

[Koozek]

Top 10 Albums:
1. Slum Village - Yes! ; 4 points
2. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly ; 3 points
3. Young Thug - Barter 6 ; 3 points
4. Drake - If You're Reading This It's Too Late ; 2 points
5. GoldLink - And After That, We Didn’t Talk ; 2 points
6. Daye Jack - Soul Glitch ; 2 points
7. Freddie Gibbs - Shadow of a Doubt ; 1 point [EDIT: moved it up one spot]
8. Michael Christmas - What A Weird Day ; 1 point
9. Dr. Dre - Compton ; 1 point
10. ̶R̶̶u̶̶s̶̶t̶̶i̶̶e̶̶ ̶̶-̶̶ ̶̶E̶̶V̶̶E̶̶N̶̶I̶̶F̶̶U̶̶D̶̶O̶̶N̶̶T̶̶B̶̶E̶̶L̶̶I̶̶E̶̶V̶̶E̶ Rick Ross - Black Dollar ; 1 point

Top 10 Songs:
Really difficult to decide on, as I mostly consumed albums from front to back or radio mixes this year, but one of my favorites that comes to my mind first is:
- Dr. Dre - Animals feat. Anderson .Paak

Individual Categories
• Artist/Group of the Year - Young Thug
• Producer of the Year – Metro Boomin
• Feature Killer of the Year - Anderson .Paak
• "L" of the Year - Meek Mill
• Intro of the Year - Digital Dash

---

Bonus:

Best Mixes of the Year - First Ear Radio (listened to basically nothing else for weeks during Spring/Summer - s/o to our late RP912, RIP in peace)
- https://www.mixcloud.com/FirstEar/first-ear-radio-050-instant-vintage/
- https://www.mixcloud.com/FirstEar/first-ear-radio-052-anniversary-edition/
- https://www.mixcloud.com/FirstEar/first-ear-radio-051-duncan-gerow/

 

[CRS]

Remember to post your vote through Google and fill out as many categories as you can.

 

[Mik317]

AOTY:
Album A ; TMRW EP - Luke Christopher
Album B ; Rodeo - Travis Scott
Album C ; Summertime 06 - Vince Staples
Album D ; To Pimp a Butterfly- Kendrick Lamar
Allbum E ; GO:OD AM - Mac Miller
Album F ; Surf - Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment
Album G ; Darkest Before Dawn - Pusha T
Album H ; B4.DA$$ - Joey Bada$$
Album I ; The Ecology - Fashawn
Album J ; AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP - A$AP Rocky


SOTY:
Song A; How Much a Dollar Cost - Kendrick Lamar
Song B; Lot to Learn - Luke Christopher
Song C; New Religion - Jazz Cartier
Song D; These Things Take Time - Chaz French
Song E; Lift Me Up - Vince Staples
Song F; Everyday - A$AP Rocky
Song G; In The Bag - Mac Miller
Song H; Feel Right - Mark Ronson (Mystikal)
Song I; Broad Shoulders- Taylor Bennett
Song J; Maria, I'm Drunk - Travis Scott

 

[Soapbox Killer]

I better make the list next year. Yall better rep GAF.

 

[Cheddahz]

Hip Hop Albums of the Year List:

1) Vince Staples - Summertime '06
2) Earl Sweatshirt - I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside
3) Future - DS2
4) Robb Bank$ - Year of the Savage
5) Bones – BANSHEE
6) Nickelus F & Shawn Kemp - Trick Dice
7) Mac Miller - GO:OD AM
8) Denzel Curry - 32 Zel / Planet Shrooms
9) Dr. Yen Lo - Days With Dr. Yen Lo
10) Starlito - I'm Moving to Houston

Hip Hop EPs of the Year List:

1) Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire - Live Forever
2) Chester Watson - Summer Mirage/Autumn Mirage
3) Open Mike Eagle - A Special Episode Of
4) Ratking - 700 Fill
5) $UICIDEBOY$ & Pouya - $OUTH $IDE $UICIDE
6) Sir Michael Rocks - Populair

Hip Hop Songs of the Year List:
1) Vince Staples - Summertime
2) Chester Watson - Musuems
3) Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire - Ice Cups
4) Earl Sweatshirt - Grief
5) Future - The Percocet & Stripper Joint
6) Denzel Curry - Ultimate
7) Mac Miller ft. Miguel - Weekend
8) Drake & Future – Big Rings
9) Robb Bank$ ft. IndigoChildRock - FuckUMean
10) Meek Mill - Check

 

[TwiztidElf]

Thanks heaps guys. Digging under the surface, it's great to see real hip hop is still alive and well
This Earl Sweatshirt album is fucking amazing.

 

[Kopite]

Top 10 Albums
1. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly; 4 points
2. Vince Staples - Summertime ‘06; 3 points
3. Lupe Fiasco - Tetsuo and Youth ; 3 points
4. Dr Dre - Compton ; 2 points
5. Drake - If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late; 2 points
6. Remy Banks - Higher ; 2 points
7. Curren$y - Pilot Talk 3; 1 point
8. Travis Scott - Rodeo ; 1 point
9. Big Sean - Dark Sky Paradise ; 1 point
10. Young Thug - Slime Season ; 1 point

Top 10 Songs
1. Kendrick Lamar - The Blacker the Berry
2. Vince Staples - Lift Me Up
3. Dr.Dre (feat. Anderson.Paak - Animals; 3 Points
4. Drake - Know Yourself; 2 points
5. Big Sean (feat. Drake and Kanye West) - Blessings; 2 points
6. Lupe Fiasco - Prisoner 1&2; 2 points
7. Curren$y (feat. Freddie Gibbs) - Fetti ; 1 points
8. Kendrick Lamar - These Walls ; 1 point
9. Vince Staples - Summertime ; 1 point
10. Drake - You and the 6; 1 point

Individual Categories
• Artist/Group of the Year - Kendrick Lamar
• Producer of the Year – Boi-1da
• Rookie of the Year – Vince Staples?
• Feature Killer of the Year - Kendrick Lamar
• "L" of the Year - Meek Mill
• Biggest Disappointment - No Ye,Frank Ocean
• Intro of the Year - Lift Me Up

 

[HiResDes]

Not sure Rustie is very hip-hop...

 

[Koozek]

Not sure Rustie is very hip-hop...

Tbh, I thought this was about general AOTYs. If not, I would probably replace it with Rick Ross - Black Dollar (way better than Black Market).

 

[NipplesAndToes23]

Does albums of the year include instrumental albums too?

Good lists. Where are all the female rappers tho?

Gaf and The Coli don't seem to like them at all. I was searching hard for some this year. Most of the ones I already know of didn't put out music this year and all the ones that did, put out terrible work, but Akua Naru did put out a phenomenal album this year. Check out The Miner's Canary when you have the time.

 

[x Misogi]

Songs -
1. Vince Staples - Like It Is
2. NxWorries - Suede
3. Kendrick Lamar - These Walls
4. Mick Jenkins - Alchemy
5. Kendrick Lamar - Institutionalized
6. Lupe Fiasco - Prisoner 1 & 2
7. Big Sean - IDFWU
8. Jay Rock - Money Trees Deuce
9. GoldLink - Zipporah
10. Vince Staples - Norf Norf

Albums
1. Vince Staples - Summertime '06
2. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly
3. Earl Sweatshirt - I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside
4. Mac Miller - GO:OD AM
5. Mick Jenkins - Wave
6. Lupe Fiasco - Tetsuo & Youth
7. A$AP Rocky - At Long Last A$AP
8. Fashawn - The Ecology
9. GoldLink - And After That, We Didn't Talk
10. Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment - Surf

Artist of the Year - Kendrick Lamar
Producer of the year - Boi-1da
L of the year, Meek Mill
Rookie of the year - Anderson .Paak (Does this even count? This the first year I really heard of him)
Disappointment Of The Year - Action Bronson - Mr. Wonderful
Intro of the Year - Lift Me Up

 

[richardhawk]

Was typing up my list and I realized it's pretty much a mirror of Domino's. Except for let down of the year which was TPAB.

 

[wild wild rice]

1. Future - Dirty Sprite 2 ; Probably the apex of the auto tune trap genre. Long after the style fades, this album will stand as a classic. Future owned 2015.

2. Vince Staples - Summertime 06 ; Vince takes us to a time and place without sounding nostalgic or out of touch in the slightest thanks to the insane production and cocky but laid back rhyming style. Interested to see how he follows this one up.

3. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly ; Wasn't feeling it at first, after about 5 listens I'd had enough. Sonically it sounded dated, like something from the okayplayer/soulquarian era of conscious rap at the turn of the century. Then the events of the year continued to unfold and I returned to the album, Mortal Man wrapping up as a pulled in the driveway. I just sat there with an immense heaviness in my chest...through Kendrick's delivery on that track I could physically feel the energies and frustration of the civil rights struggles of the moment and all time leading up to where we are today. Sorry if that's corny, but it's true and incredibly powerful.

4. Freddie Gibbs - Shadow of a Doubt ; Freddie's most commercial sounding album, but still hard, Gangsta Gibbs does not disappoint.

5. Future - 56 Nights ; Somehow darker than DS2, short and succinct, the album that finally got me to appreciate Future.

6. Dr. Yen Lo - Days with Yen Lo ; This dark, introspective album oozes Brownsville and takes me back there to the sights sounds and people...the feeling in the air even. Ka is insanely underappreciated as a rapper.

7. Young Thug - Barter 6; Thugga at his most free and creative before shifting to the mainstream a bit with the Slime Seasons. An immensely talented dude who I predict is gonna lost his edge within a year or two. I hope I'm wrong.

8. Earl Sweatshirt - I don't Like Shit, I don't Go Outside ; Winter is coming, this shit is going back in rotation.

 

[Linkhero1]

First time going through I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside...damn. I might have to make some minor adjustments to my list soon. Going to give it another full listen.

 

[Bacon]

First time going through I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside...damn. I might have to make some minor adjustments to my list soon. Going to give it another full listen.

It's so good. Perfect time of year for it too

 

[PlayDat]

Sorry if that's corny, but it's true and incredibly powerful.

No disrespect rice, but I'm starting to dislike this term. People use it to describe everything so it's hard for me to figure out what they mean. I like when I have experiences like that with music though. Nothing wrong with it.

7. Young Thug - Barter 6; Thugga at his most free and creative before shifting to the mainstream a bit with the Slime Seasons. An immensely talented dude who I predict is gonna lost his edge within a year or two. I hope I'm wrong.

I haven't listened to much Young Thug so I can't comment on him, but I kind of feel this way about Future. In 2017 will we look at Future the way we do 2 Chainz right now? Tity Boi wasn't exactly dropping lyrical miracles, but his writing tended to be at least a bit more substantive than Future's and he already seems like he's been forgotten. Dropped 3 mixtapes in 2 years and none of them got much buzz. It's not really my favorite scene in hip-hop and I've only barely scratched the surface of either artist's catalog so what the hell do I know really?

BTW, your list won't count if you don't add 2 more albums. I don't make the rules.

 

[PlayDat]

Good lists. Where are all the female rappers tho?

Fuck, right I wanted to give a response. I always slack on this and did even worse than usual in 2015. The industry sucks when it comes to promoting women in rap, but it's not really an excuse. This was a good mixtape, but I can't say I was blown away by it.




Chelsea Reject - CMPLX

Wavy Spice/Princess Nokia came out with a new mixtape. She started going by her real first name, Destiny. I was pretty impressed by Metallic Butterfly and her verse on 700 Fill was one of the album's highlights for me. I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet though so I'm not even sure what the rapping:singing ratio is here. Like I said I've been slacking.

I didn't like how the tracks were tagged in the download link she tweeted so I retagged and uploaded them in the link below. If you'd prefer the original you can always just google them.

Destiny - Honeysuckle

Click the images if you want either. I've never used filedropper to host anything before so I can't vouch for the longevity of that second link.

Blasian, I noticed you were one of the few who regularly posted music by women. I hope the lack of attention didn't ward you off.

 

[wild wild rice]

No disrespect rice, but I'm starting to dislike this term. People use it to describe everything so it's hard for me to figure out what they mean. I like when I have experiences like that with music though. Nothing wrong with it.

You're right, it was probably unnecessarily defensive. I think I said "corny" mainly because my words failed to convey the experience.

I haven't listened to much Young Thug so I can't comment on him, but I kind of feel this way about Future. In 2017 will we look at Future the way we do 2 Chainz right now? Tity Boi wasn't exactly dropping lyrical miracles, but his writing tended to be at least a bit more substantive than Future's and he already seems like he's been forgotten. Dropped 3 mixtapes in 2 years and none of them got much buzz. It's not really my favorite scene in hip-hop and I've only barely scratched the surface of either artist's catalog so what the hell do I know really?

BTW, your list won't count if you don't add 2 more albums. I don't make the rules.

Thanks for the heads up, gotta add 2 more I guess though I was trying to stick to the stuff I really though was worthy.

Future has already made a bigger mark on music than 2 Chainz has, so I don't see him being forgotten, but I think Future definitely peaked in 2015. That album he put out with Drake was the weakest thing since he's been on his hot streak.

But that's the nature of the game really, shine as bright as possible, it's not really a long term thing for most rappers.

 

[NipplesAndToes23]

Fuck, right I wanted to give a response. I always slack on this and did even worse than usual in 2015. The industry sucks when it comes to promoting women in rap, but it's not really an excuse. This was a good mixtape, but I can't say I was blown away by it.




Chelsea Reject - CMPLX

Wavy Spice/Princess Nokia came out with a new mixtape. She started going by her real first name, Destiny. I was pretty impressed by Metallic Butterfly and her verse on 700 Fill was one of the album's highlights for me. I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet though so I'm not even sure what the rapping:singing ratio is here. Like I said I've been slacking.

I didn't like how the tracks were tagged in the download link she tweeted so I retagged and uploaded them in the link below. If you'd prefer the original you can always just google them.


Destiny - Honeysuckle

Click the images if you want either. I've never used filedropper to host anything before so I can't vouch for the longevity of that second link.

Oh, I didn't know Honeysuckle came out already, thank you. Is Destiny considered rap though? She sings mostly and there are some rhymes, but I don't know it never sounded like rap to me, couldn't really identify her style.

Blasian, I noticed you were one of the few who regularly posted music by women. I hope the lack of attention didn't ward you off.

Yeah, that was part of the reason why I left.

 

[IrishNinja]

RESERVED FOR BALLER PAGE 1 STATUS
DO NOT EDIT MODS

great to see TPAB rightfully killin it so far, the T&Y votes are something though

I need to go back to GAF-Hop some more, I've been slacking

you really do fam

 

[Net_Wrecker]

This post is to remind CRS to link to the Q4 Rap Up in the OP

and also because my list is incoming and I needs me a fresh page brehs

 

[CRS]

Thanks man and big thanks to Des for putting all that hard work on a consistent basis. That's 4 threads with nearly 100 tapes/albums of music so no excuse to NOT post a list.

Also, a reminder that voting ends two weeks from today. So plenty of time to think things through.

 

[enzo_gt]

Okay here's my list. First my song and individual categories, then albums with some descriptions:

Artist/Group of the Year - Future
Producer of the Year - Metro Boomin
Rookie of the Year - Fetty Wap
Feature Killer of the Year - Drake
"L" of the Year - Tyga's life
Biggest Disappointment - To Pimp A Butterfly
Intro of the Year (Bonus) - Kendrick Lamar ft. George Clinton & Thundercat - Wesley's Theory


Song of the Year

1. Lupe Fiasco - Madonna ; 4 points
2. Fetty Wap ft. Remy Boyz - 679 ; 3 points
3. Travi$ Scott ft. Future & 2 Chainz - 3500 ; 3 points
4. Travi$ Scott ft. Swae Lee & Chief Keef - Nightcrawler ; 2 points
5. AZ - Vintage ; 2 points
6. Future - News or Somethin ; 2 points
7. Future - Stick Talk ; 1 point
8. Rae Sremmurd - Up Like Trump ; 1 point
9. Drake - Know Yourself ; 1 point
10. Post Malone - White Iverson ; 1 point

HM: Up Like Trump, Speed Racer, Energy, Blessings, Dr. Pepper, Canal St., Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye II, White Iverson, Too Young, Senorita, Where Ya At, Deep Water, Pray 4 Love, Maria I'm Drunk, Unecessary Pain, Low Life, M.F.T.R.

This list was so hard to narrow down, I gave up trying to order it more. Too many great songs this year.




Album of the Year

1. Travi$ Scott - Rodeo ; 4 points

Rodeo tops this list very simply for it's outstanding number of highs and consistency throughout the album. La Flame manages to swirl together influences from trap, punk, Houston-rap and more into perhaps the most lushly-, nuanced- and well-produced project all year. Sprinkle some great songwriting on top and you get Rodeo. An album so good I can even agree with what Anthony Fantano had to say about it; the album weaves in and out of so many different soundscapes and vibes all whilst maintaining a very brash, unapologetic and larger than life vibe throughout. Front to back, the album has slow, bouncier jams with spurts of raw-energy headbangers wedged between and within. Looking down the list of things I like in albums, it hits on nearly everything. Memorable hooks, top notch productions, memorable verses, well-chosen and unexpectedly good features, a great variety of tracks, bonus tracks aren't throwaways, a good chunk of the album makes up my favourite songs all year, the list goes on. It's by no means perfect, and one of the things it definitely doesn't hit on my list is having no really low points as it does have one or two, but it's damn sure one of the most fun and varied listen-throughs all year. And one that keeps growing on me too; at first I didn't think it was better than Days Before Rodeo, but now I might even be able to say it's better and more consistent than Owl Pharoah.
​

2. Future - Dirty Sprite 2 ; 3 points

I'm sure people will have more well-written and better explained reasons for why DS2 is high on their list, for me it's just because this shit goes. I could have given less of a fuck about Future before this year but now Stick Talk has surpassed Through The Wire on my list of most listened-to songs. The songwriting is impeccable throughout and is probably the best collection of shit-talking songs and quotables in a while. Standouts like Where Ya At and Stick Talk can be described as nothing less than heat rocks that won't be forgotten in years to come. Future's adjustment of his delivery to be a bit clearer, less slurred, and choosing to only work with the best producers from the modern Atlanta rap scene has clearly paid off.
​

3. Fetty Wap - Fetty Wap ; 3 points

Fetty Wap owned this year. If you tell me a rookie MC essentially cobbled together soundcloud releases over the course of the year to comprise his or her debut album, I would laugh and refuse to even waste my time even listening to the project. But Fetty is an anomaly in this regard, and perhaps even in hip-hop. Fetty's handle on melody hit the game hard, and while you could trace influences in his style to many of his peers including Future and Young Thug, the twist and delivery he puts on it really makes the end product something special. This is an album that, within itself, has an album's worth of summer-defining anthems. Hell, one of the songs on here straight up rips most of the lyrics from Trap Queen and fashions them into a whole new song and vibe and still bangs. Even when you aren't listening to one of the smashes on here, this relatively long album keeps you entertained and remains fun to listen to front-to-back. The whole project and the road that preceded its arrival is a model and standard for melody-driven artists moving forwards.
​

4. Vince Staples - Summertime '06 ; 2 points

Prior to Summertime '06, I hadn't heard a single Vince Staples project; but afterwards I'm sure it won't be the last. It's hard for me to break down this project because it's just damn good music across the board. It's got both super tough, involuntary head banging cuts like Norf Norf and Senorita as well as arguably the best slower vibes this year with Summertime and Might Be Wrong, and everything inbetween. The highlights are also so good on here that you forget the few times the double album may slog or dip in quality. Just good ass music.
​

5. Tory Lanez - Cruel Intentions ; 2 points

This was a difficult pick and placement for this list, as it's an ultra-short EP, but simultaneously the most consistent release all year, or at least close to the top two on my list. That said, in that small selection of songs, you get a wide variety of production, delivery, flows, cadences, tones and more. A collection of equally part hip-hop and part R&B vibes for a variety of emotions. Before or after, I don't think Tory has managed a better marriage of his style to production. The production really can't be understated here, it's super punchy and melodic at the same time, playing to both Tory's singing and his style of punchline rapping. One other thing I'd like to say about the production is that even though there are some pretty big names from the EDM world on here (i.e. Baauer, RL Grime), they really show how flexible they are with this project.
​

6. Big Sean - Dark Sky Paradise ; 2 points

Much like Rocky below, Sean had a pretty big ladder to climb after Hall of Fame, and he managed to deliver a really diverse project with some of the most memorable of the year. From the infectious hook and back and forth with Kanye on All Your Fault, to one of the best displays of rapping ability this year on Paradise (Extended), to the instant classic that is Blessings, to the subdued delivery and overlapping verses on I Know, which transitions, in what is also probably the best transition between tracks all year, into Deep, where we get one of the best Wayne verses in years and another great verse from Sean; this album is just chock full of some of the best songs and moments of the year.
​

7. A$AP Rocky - At.Long.Last.A$AP ; 1 point

Rocky's path from his debut album to ALLA has been littered with doubt of his ability and place amongst his peers. In what is perhaps the surprise of the year, Rocky recaptures the vibes and emotion that made LiveLoveA$AP so special in ALLA. M'$, JD, Electric Body and Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2 deliver 4 different flavours of swag-injected shit talking and aggression, while on the opposite end of the spectrum, Holy Ghost and Canal St. give us slow and soulful introspection. Rocky decently managed perhaps the most difficult task any artist receives: evolving both from and with the sound that put him on the map without keeping his eyes glued to his rearview. I'm not saying this album is as good as LiveLoveA$AP, or even sounds like it as a whole, but it definitely touches on some of the same feelings that it gave me when I first heard it.
​

8. Drake - If You're Reading This Its Too Late ; 1 point

While I don't think this is a relatively consistent album front-to-back, the standouts do more than enough to make a case for the placing of this album. Most notable amongst those standouts is anthem for Toronto unlike any attempted before, Know Yourself, and one of the toughest shit-talking songs in recent memory and one of Drake's prime lyrical performances, Energy. The burn that the few highlights of this album get from me to this day keep it in the discussion.
​

9. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly ; 1 point

I've had a love/hate relationship with this record since it came out. I don't need to go into how hard it was to avoid being biased one way or another before or after listening to this album, but I'm confident I've given it more shots than I give the average album, and admittedly it's still growing on me with every subsequent listen. That said, Kendrick makes this Top 10 for his ambition. Multi-layered storytelling, flexing considerable lyrical muscle over diverse and divergent production, opening up and showing a ton of vulnerability (be it of himself of the characters he uses), and tackling very, very difficult subject matter; Kendrick crafted a unique project that succeeded in multiple respects.
​

10. Rae Sremmurd - SremmLife ; 1 point

A close tie with To Pimp A Butterfly is this unashamedly poppy album that released at the top of last year, featuring top notch production throughout and jams for the ages. I think this will be left in the dust a bit because it's biggest singles came out in 2014, but the album proper brought us the likes of YNO and Throw Sum Mo on top of the bigger hits, further cementing that they aren't one hit wonders and can put together a project full of smashes. With infectious hooks, memorable lines and unforgettable songwriting with few missteps, SremmLife stands out as an album that succeeds at what it wants to do with relative consistency, multiple anthems and a plain fun vibe throughout.
​

HM: Barter 6, Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude, Mr. Wonderful, Dreams Worth More Than Money, Tetsuo & Youth, Days With Yen Lo

 

[PlayDat]

Top 10 Hip-Hop Albums of 2015

1) Daye Jack - Soul Glitch

Soul Glitch is the perfect title really. This EP is packed with soothing, almost R&B melodies along with electronic influences throughout. A very pleasant surprise and one of the rare works that I had to force myself to take a break from listening to.

2) Vince Staples - Summertime ‘06

Staples wins the award for most interesting figure in rap for 2015. He’s a man who’s wise beyond his years. I can totally understand his desire to leave showbizness behind at the earliest possible opportunity. He has a world weariness about him that permeates Summertime ‘06. This snapshot of his past is brought to life by the wealth of experience he’s sure to have had since then as well as the fact that he has two albums worth of stories to share with listeners.

3) Ikey - Green Card EP

It’s not exactly a foreign record, but Ikey wears his Nigerian upbringing on his sleeves to great effect. I found myself impressed on both a technical level in terms of his delivery, as well as the success with which so many elements in the production could connect despite travelling across the Atlantic. The title is a little confusing though. I’d never listened to a 49 minute EP before this one.

4) Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly

5) Audio Push - Good Vibe Tribe

6) Your Old Droog - Kinison EP

7) DirtyDiggs - Rodman

8) Ratking - 700 Fill

9) Big Sean - Dark Sky Paradise

10) Future - 56 Nights

Didn’t Get to Them
I have a feeling I would have enjoyed the following albums, but time and/or money kept me from listening to them in 2015.

Alphabetical order by artist name

Earl Sweatshirt - I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside
Injury Reserve - Live From the Dentist Office
Joey Bada$$ - B4.DA.$$
Lil Ugly Mane - Oblivion Access
Lupe Fiasco - Tetsuo & Youth
Oddisee - The Good Fight
Open Mike Eagle - A Special Episode of
Sahtyre - LSD (Saga)
Tut - Preacher’s Son

Top 10 Songs

1) Big Sean - Blessings
2) Kendrick Lamar - The Blacker the Berry
3) Daye Jack - Bonds
4) Ikey - Timbuktu
5) Vince Staples - Jump off the Roof
6) Nile Ross - Feel That Way
7) Metro Thuggin - Speed Racer
8) Audio Push - Refugeenius
9) Ratking - Sticky Trap
10) DirtyDiggs - Hunting Season

Late to the Party Awards

While most of the music I listen to in a given year is new to me a large subset of those albums didn’t come out in that year. I’ll try to use these year end posts as a way to provide a more holistic view of my listening habits over the past twelve months.

2015’s 2011 Album of the Year

Earl Sweatshirt - Earl

Such a frustrating record. The tracks here contains some of the highest wordplay density I’ve ever heard, unfortunately it’s mired in some pretty juvenile subject matter. Look a Luper, for example. What could have been an interesting take on a high school romance ends with Earl raping and murdering his old flame. If his delight at the idea of violence against women doesn’t disturb you then maybe the gay slurs littered throughout the project will get you. Are you fine with that too? Well then on an aural level, the production is pretty spotty. Why then did I decide to honor the EP in this post? Mostly because Earl is so damn clever. He exhibits a pretty high level of technical ability when telling his often ugly stories. It’s loaded with polysyllabic rhymes often within each line rather than at their ends. His delivery is great at catching your attention without bludgeoning you with shout raps. I’d feel bad about liking it if I couldn’t come up with so many objective reasons why it’s good.

Classic Albums That Didn’t Wow Me

Black Star - Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star

Gang Starr - Moment of Truth

Mobb Deep - The Infamous

Outkast - Southernplayalisticcadillaccmuzik

I’ll never call any of the above albums bad. They just didn’t have the same effect on me as they do to most. I gave them all several chances since I really wanted to love them. By now I realize I’ll have to just accept that history doesn’t agree with me.

Classic Albums I Loved

2 Pac - All Eyez on Me

Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein

De La Soul - Stakes is High

Ice Cube - Lethal Injection

Last FM Data

The site may be dying slowly, but I’ll stick around for as long as they let me scrobble.

I’m always happy to add new friends. I go by AbominableFiend over there.

That’s all! I hope everyone has a happy healthy 2016.