v/a - The Roots of Dubstep (2006)

01 - Steve Gurley - Hotboys (Dub) (5:59)
02 - El-B - Express (5:13)
03 - El-B Buck + Bury (Original Mix) (5:03) Vocals Feat - MC Juiceman
04 - Roxy - Breakbeat Science (4:47)
05 - Phuturistix 551 - Blues (5:48)
06 - Horsepower Productions - Gorgon Sound (4:09)
07 - Horsepower Productions - Classic Deluxe (6:34)
08 - Benny Ill vs. DJ Hatcha - Highland Spring (3:28)
09 - High Plains Drifter - Sholay (5:33) Feat - Goldspot Productions
10 - Menta - Snake Charmer (4:36)
11 - Artwork - Red (4:53)
12 - Benga vs. Skream - The Judgement (5:33)
13 - DJ Abstract - Touch (7:54)
14 - Digital Mystikz - Pathwayz (4:53)

PitchFork Review

HERE

Top Hip-Hop Albums of 2011: 30-21

30. DJ Revolution - Steel Wheel

From: Long Beach, CA

This beat tape would be higher but it's so hard to find I wasn't able to listen to it much. From what I did listen to, it was excellent. All types of different styles here, from 80s b-boy shit to blaxploitation, something-bad-bout-to-happen, cinematic shit.

Key tracks: 'Street Beat', 'Break Loose'

29. E-40 - Revenue Retrievin': Overtime Shift

From: Vallejo, CA

At this point, E-40 is just on autopilot. The Bay Area creates a new crop of producers and MCs every couple years and a number of them prop up this muthafucka's career into his mid-40s...haha

Key tracks: 'Slow it Down', 'Gunz', 'Stay Gone'

28. Maybach Music Group - Self Made Vol. 1

From: Miami/D.C./Philadelphia

Not a fan of Ross or Wale, but as usual, anything associated with Ross has superb production and Meek Mill is finally gettin some shine after years toiling in the Philly mixtape circuit.

Key tracks: 'Tupac Back', 'By Any Means', 'Fitted Cap'

27. One Be Lo - L.A.B.O.R.

From: Pontiac, Michigan

One half of snob rap favorites, Binary Star, One Be Lo dropped a lot of material this year. L.A.B.O.R. is his first proper album in 4 years.

Key tracks: 'Ox y moron', 'LabORhood'

26. Apollo Brown - Clouds

From: Detroit, Michigan

Just a straight up beat tape from dude who's behind a lot of good stuff coming out of the D. Record static, boom bap drums, soul samples, you know what's up.

Key tracks: 'Shoot the Heart', 'Push', 'Black Pearls'

25. Jadakiss - I Love You (A Dedication to My Fans)

From: Yonkers, New York

I think we all are starting to come to terms with the fact that Jada ain't gonna make the mafioso classic we all wanted, so at this point, we gotta be satisfied with whatever he drops.

Key tracks: 'Hold You Down', 'How I Feel'

24. Gangrene & Roc Marciano - Greneberg

From: LA/Long Island,NY

Mid 90s revivalist Roc Marciano teams up with The Alchemist and Oh No for this EP that thankfully sounds like ALC got to contribute the majority of the beats...

Key tracks: 'Hoard 90', 'Jaws'

23. Kendrick Lamar - Section 80

From: Compton, CA

I know folks is puttin dude out there like he came to save hip-hop from itself, but I think he is a tad overhyped right now. Still...Section 80 is solid.

Key tracks: 'Hol Up', 'A.D.H.D.', 'Chapter Six'

22. Apathy - Honkey Kong

From: Willimantic, Connecticut

Underground whiteboy gets a lot of production favors on his album. Dude has mad connections. Possibly best single of the year on here, too.

Key tracks: 'Stop What Ya Doin', 'Check to Check', 'The Villian'

21. Young Chris - L.I.F.E.

From: Philly

The fact that this cat ain't HUGE is testament to the fact that the hip-hop industry is fucked up. I mean, Jay-Z pretty much ganked the kid's flow to re-invigorate his own career, while Young Chris is back on the mixtape circuit. SMMFH.

Key tracks: 'U R', 'None of Dem is U (Remix)', 'Me & My B*tch'

Cunninlynguists - Best of 2006-2011

Hey folks, it's been a while...

Here's a 'Best of' collection I just made. Check it out. One of my favorite groups right now.





1. Caved In (feat. Cee-Lo)
2. Hourglass
3. Brain Cell
4. The Gates (feat. Tonedeff)
5. Valley of Death
6. Dirty Acres
7. Wonderful (feat. Devin the Dude)
8. Yellow Lines (feat. Phonte & Witchdoctor)
9. The Park (Fresh Air) (feat. Chizuko Yoshihiro)
10. Never Come Down (The Brownie Song)
11. Die For You
12. Don't Leave
13. Streets (feat. Sean Price & Poison Pen)
14. To Be For Real
15. The Park (Blue Sky Black Death Remix)
16. Cocaine
17. Darkness (Dream On) (feat. Anna Wise Of Sonnymoon)
18. Hard As They Come (Act I) (feat. Freddie Gibbs)
19. Murder (Act II) (feat. Big K.R.I.T.)
20. Get Ignorant
21. Stars Shine Brightest (In The Darkest Of Night) (feat. Rick Warren)
22. Enemies With Benefits (feat. Tonedeff)


CLICKY

Termanology & Statik Selektah - The Radio

Top 25 Hip-Hop Tracks of 2010

1. Joell Ortiz - Project Boy
This DJ Premier produced monster also got one of the better videos, too. But honestly, I'm a sucka for black-n-white vids...

2. The Jacka & Ampichino - Devil's Reject (f/Rydah J. Klyde)
Outside of the Bay, Jacka is seriously slept on. It doesn't help that he comes out with 10 mixtapes a year that got a lotta filler on there, but when he's got a gem, it's somethin.

3. Young Gully - 93 Freestyle (f/Pep Love, Hongry)
Another Bay cat who's slept on, he's been getting some attention this year over his Definition Of Gas and Oscar Grant tribute mixtapes. Him and Hongry absolutely destroy this old Souls of Mischief beat.

4. Curren$y - Airborne Aquarium
I never paid attention to Curren$y cuz I knew that he used to be on No Limit and Ca$h Money back in the day, but his two albums this year (Pilot Talk 1 & 2) and almost exclusive production from Ski Beatz has forced me to appreciate.

5. Celph Titled & Buckwild - Eraserheads (f/Vinnie Paz)
Buckwild gave Celph Titled a whole album of beats he made from the mid-90s. Even though Celph is a pretty average MC, the production is childproof. You could through a 7th tier Wu-affiliate from Lithuania and it would knock. Let's hope folks like DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Da Beatminerz, etc. do the same with their vaults...

6. Scarface - Lyrical Assualt (f/Malice, Mr. Low Key)
Facemob can never go wrong. Anything he's had a hand in (aka not those Rap-A-Lot ripoff compilations) is guaranteed to be decent. This is off his Dopeman mixtape.

7. Termanology & Statik Selektah - The Lottery
Don't know how this didn't make their 1982 album, as this is better than every track on that.

8. The Jacka & Lee Majors - Can't Get Enough
This is off one Jacka's 10 mixtapes from 2010.

9. Black Milk - Keep Going
A lot of people have been hating on the live instrumentation featured on Black's new album, but fuck them. Hip-hop is 30+ years old, we ain't gotta keep doin' loops and samples.

10. dead prez - Malcolm, Garvey, Huey (f/Divine)
Hearing DJ Drama scream 'Free Mumia' is probably one of the biggest bizarro moments of 2010. How did this happen? Well, dead prez did a Gangsta Grillz tape with em! Good stuff.

11. Drake - The Resistance
I know you can lose your hip-hop cred over openly liking Drake's stuff, but that's some bullshit. I don't always wanna listen to 'drill a hollow tip in a niggas head' shit. We need a break once in a while. Yeah, he's soft as hell, shit, I even kinda agree he's a label manufactured imposter, but there's been worse in the game that get acceptance. Rick Ross was a fuckin prison guard for chrissakes...

12. Smiff-n-Wessun - Follow Me
Off of Statik Selektah's 100 Proof album.

13. Ruste Juxx & Marco Polo - Pre-eXXecution 10
Real short track that was put out in the lead up to their eXXecution album, this track smashes buildings down.

14. Reks - Pray For You (The Homicide Note)
Any song that disses Obama, ringtone rap and Solaar is worth my time. Reks ain't got no self-censorship guy in his head at all. I can dig that.

15. The Left - Reporting Live (f/Guilty Simpson)
Guilty Simpsons album with Madlib was probably the biggest disapointment of the year. I'm really into Detroit hip-hop and I had high hopes for it. Fortunatly, The Left came through and dropped one of the best albums of the year. This is the best track off Gas Mask.

16. Andre Nickatina - 1 Flight (f/Lawrence W)
Most likely one of the more cheesy, but disturbing, videos I've seen in recent memory.

17. Kanye West - Devil In a New Dress (f/Rick Ross)
After 808 & Heartbreaks, Kanye really needed to redeem himself. Well, that's just what he did. He even made Rick Ross tolerable to me.

18. Joell Ortiz - Battle Cry (f/Just Blaze)
All bars, no hooks. Joell sounds like he could go another 10 minutes on this.

19. Young Gully - Heaven & Hell (f/Young D)
Gully put out a whole mixtape called The Grant Station Project, which is centered around police brutality in the Bay and specifically the Oscar Grant murder.

20. Apollo Brown - Beauty of a Day (f/The Regiment)
Detroit producer Apollo Brown had 2 excellent projects this year: The Left's album and Reset, which is all remixed tracks.

21. Big K.R.I.T. - They Got Us
K.R.I.T. made a lotta noise in circles that aren't known to have good taste in hip-hop (hipsters, Rolling Stone), but this time they're right.

22. DJ Muggs vs Ill Bill - Illuminati 666
Loony conspiracy theories over Muggs beats, what's not to like?

23. Kno - I Wish I Was Dead (f/Tonedeff)
Depressing emo-rap that sometimes make me wanna smack Kno and say get over it....but it's still amazing.

24. El Da Sensei & The Returners - Nu World

25. E-40 - I Get Down (f/B-Legit)

2010 Best Hip-Hop Albums (#14-1)

14. Freeway & Jake One - Stimulus Package





13. The Pack - Wolfpack Party





12. Marco Polo & Ruste Juxx - The eXXecution





11. Young Gully - The Grant Station Project





10. Curren$y - Pilot Talk 2





9. Termanoloy & Statik Selektah - 1982





8. Celph Titled & Buckwild - Nineteen Ninety Now





7. dead prez - Revolutionary But Gangsta Grillz





6. Drake - Thank Me Later





5. Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty





4. Statik Selektah - 100 Proof





3. The Left - Gas Mask





2. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy





1. Black Milk - Album Of the Year

2010 Best Hip-Hop Albums (#25-15) and Honorable Mentions

No time to compile a collection of individual songs to make up a best of collection. Nor do I have the time to drop links to these albums, but this should point you in the right direction. I'm posting my Top 25 albums plus some honorable mentions. Here we go....

Honorable Mention #5
El da Sensei & The Returners - Nu World





Honorable Mention #4
Roc Marciano - Marcberg






Honorable Mention #3
Andre Nickatina - Khan! The Me Generation






Honorable Mention #2
Stat Quo - Statlanta







Honarable Mention #1
The Jacka & Laroo - Neva Be the Same 20 Bricks: Season One

25. Ski Beatz - 24 Hour Karate School

24. E-40 - Revenue Retrievin: Day Shift/Night Shift






23. Joell Ortiz - Free Agent






22. PackFM - I F*cking Hate Rappers





21. Nas & Damian Marley - Distant Relatives






20. DJ Muggs vs. Ill Bill - Kill Devil Hills






19. Skyzoo & Illmind - Live From the Tape Deck






18. Kno (of Cunninglynguists) - Death Is Silent






17. Big K.R.I.T. - K.R.I.T. Wuz Here






16. Scarface - Dopeman Music






15. Apollo Brown - The Reset

Detroit Hip-Hop Drop Part 1

So...the Detroit hip-hop scene is by far my favorite right now. Maybe cuz it's perfectly attuned to living in medium and large sized industrial shitholes, but it makes sense where I'm at.

Here's a run down of a bunch of artists I'm diggin, along with an album link.

Black Milk

Album: Sound Of the City Volume 1

Guilty Simpson

Album: Ode to the Ghetto (2008)

Phat Kat

Album: Carte Blanche (2007)

Elzhi

Album: The Preface (2008)

Finale

Album: A Pipe Dream And A Promise (2009)

TO BE CONTINUED...

Cunninlynguists - Dirty Acres (2007)

Some laid back Southern shit. Took me a long time to even give this group a chance (the name is BULLSHIT!). But this is worth it. Some ol' sit on the porch in the country during the hot ass summer drinkin a beer muzik.

1 - Never featuring Big Rube
2 - Valley of Death
3 - Dirty Acres
4 - Kentucky (Interlude)
5 - K.K.K.Y.
6 - Wonderful featuring Devin The Dude
7 - Yellow Lines featuring Phonte and Witchdoctor
8 - The Park (Fresh Air)
9 - Summer's Gone
10 - They Call Me (Interlude)
11 - Gun featuring Sheisty Khrist
12 - Dance For Me
13 - Georgia
14 - Things I Dream
15 - Mexico featuring Club Dub

HERE