2013. aasta kokkuvõte

Albumid, mis küll kolmekümne hulka ei mahtunud, aga siiski sümboolse pai väärilised on:

Big K.R.I.T. – King Remembered In Time

Freddie Gibbs - ESGN

John Legend – Love in the Future

Julia Holter – Loud City Song

King Krule – 6 Feet Beneath the Moon

Mac Miller – Watching Movies with the Sound Off

Roc Marciano – The Pimpire Strikes Back

Stalley – Honest Cowboy

The Underachievers – Indigoism

The White Mandingos – The Ghetto Is Tryna Kill Me

Trombone Shorty – Say That to Say This

30. Roy Harper - Man & Myth

„Sümpaatne etteaste vanameistrilt“ oli üks 2013. aastal sagedamini esile kerkinud motiive, nagu tõendavad albumid Nick Cave’ilt, David Bowie’lt, Wayne Shorter’ilt, Paul McCartney’lt ja ilmselt veel mõneltki muult. Roy Harperi album „Man & Myth“ võib neist isegi kõige muljetavaldavam olla, olles samuti ka – Harperi karjäärile iseloomulikult – nendest kõige rohkem radari alt märkamatult läbi lennanud. See on kahetsusväärne, kuna Harper on siin äratuntavalt Harper – folk-rock äratuntavas kuues, aga siiski meeldejäävate meloodiatega kokku õmmeldud. Sisu on mõtlik, tihti nostalgiline, emotsioonikogum üsna laiahaardeline (ühes äärmuses läägevõitu nostalgia, teises mürgisus, enamasti siiski midagi vahepealsest valikust). Kõla on kaunis, unelevale akustilisele kitarrile lisanduvad aeg-ajalt keelpillid, vahepeal ka midagi muud (elektrikitarriga astub läbi Pete Townshend, kuulda on ka saksofoni). Plaadi märkimisväärseim hetk on 15-minutiline „Heaven Is Here“.

29. Homeboy Sandman - Kool Herc: Fertile Crescent/All That I Hold Dear

Kaks projekti panin kokku, kuna 30 on siiski väike number ja need kaks EP-d on ühildatavad – mõlemad kuuluvad Sandmani planeeritud EP-de seeriasse, millest igaühe peaks olema täies mahus produtseerinud erinev produtsent. Nõndaks. Homeboy Sandman on täpselt Stones Throw laadi emcee – ülitehniline ja alati mõtestatud sisule rõhku asetav värsisepp, kel siseriime jätkub piisavalt, et nendega paar talve üle elada, kui need sooja andma juhtuks. Esimene kahest EP-st – „Kool Herc: Fertile Crescent“ on kahest tehniliselt ja kõlaliselt komplekssem – kõlaliselt on tegu džässi-, klassikalise roki-, samba- ja muuhõngulise kompotiga, mis alati soojakõlaline ja mahe. Peterockilikul kombel asub mõne loo alguses või lõpus biidist eraldatud instrumentaallõik, millega produtsent justkui näitaks, mis tal veel plaanis oli. „All That I Hold Dear“ kõlab klassikalisema boom-bap’i moodi ja jahedamalt, aga on samuti pigem ekstsentriline kui hall ja tavapärane. Mõlema projekti vältel laob Sandman salmidesse tähelepanekuid ja lugusid endast ja inimestest enda ümber ehk kokkuvõtvalt elust enesest. Muuhulgas kriibib ta hinge tõsiselt hip-hopiga seotud stereotüüpide paljusus ja lahterdamine, etteheidetest on moodustet vastavalt „Oh, the Horror“ ja „Musician“. Midagi klassikalise räpi ja pädeva lüüriliste oskuste pagasi austajatele.

                                                       28. A$AP Ferg - Trap Lord

Oma debüütalbumiga „Trap Lord“ tõestab Ferg, et A$AP Mob ei olegi võib-olla one-man team. Rocky’st on ta üsna erinev, rohkem ekstsentriline ja mitmekülgne, rakendades mitmeid eritempolisi rütme ja viljeledes pisut ka laulmist. Selge on Bone Thugs-n-Harmony mõju (kes siin ka külalisetteaste teevad, ühel plaadi parimal lool, milleks on „Lord). Taustad on ootuspäraselt kvaliteetsed, esineb nii meloodilist ja siirupihõngulist („Make a Scene“, „Cocaine Castle“) kui ka tooremat trap-i, mis on üllatavalt hea, ilmselt tuleb muljele kasuks tempokate rütmide viljelemine. Loo „Work“ remix on samas ehe näide sellest, mis siis juhtuda võib, kui mingit inspiratsiooni uksest sisse ei astu (French Montana „värss“ võib kuulaja IQ-d ajutiselt langetada). Kõigi eelduste kohaselt on ta alles oma teekonna alguses, kuid A$AP Ferg on ühe sümpaatse ja meeldiva albumiga maha saanud.

27. Yelawolf - Trunk Muzik Returns

Peale seda, kui „Radioactive“ saabus ja nii karakteri kui kvaliteedi osas täielikuks lapitekiks osutus, on Yelawolf maha istunud ja asjade üle korralikult järele mõelnud. Loos „Rhyme Room“, kus löövad kaasa Raekwon ja Killer Mike, vabandab ta otseselt oma faux pas eest ja vannub edaspidi vaid südame poolt dikteeritud rada pidi sammuda. Teemad tulevad tõesti elust enesest – nagu eelnevalt välja toodud, räägib ta oma kogemustest muusikatööstuses, konformismi õnge langemisest ja plaadilepingusaagadest. „Box Chevy“ neljanda osaga saab lisa Yela auto-oodide kogu, „Gangster’i“ pääl mõlgutab ta mõtteid, kuidas tema lapsepõlv on tema väljakujunemist mõjutanud. „Tennessee Love“ on pühendatud tema kihlatule Fefe Dobsonile. Ilmneb ka, et Yelawolf oskab vägagi pädevalt narratiivi valmis vormida; see väljendub eriti loos „Catfish Billy“, mis on justkui reisikiri värsisepa kodukohast ja juurtest – Lõunaosariikide valge töölisklassi ja indiaani päritolu kujundavad vastavalt I ja II värsi, millest esimese toimumispaigaks on porine, pumppüsse täis treileriparkidest ja taluhoonetest ja viskilehalistest autodest koosnev ümbruskond, teine värss aga kasutab eluteekonna jaoks jõe metafoori, milles Yela kanuul oma saatuse teekonnal kulgeb. Tehniliselt on ta järjekindlalt terav ja emotsionaalne, flow on meloodiline, vahepeal poollaulev ja kõnetempost galopi ja raevuka karjumiseni ulatuv. WillPoweri poolt tulev produktsioon arendab edasi eelmiste projektide iseloomu ja nõjatub õhulise atmosfääri loomiseks eelkõige süntesaatorikõladele; huvitavalt mõjub „F.A.S.T. Ride“, kus värsse saadavad vaid trummid. Üle kivide ja kändude on Yelawolf ennast valgenahaliste värsiseppade hulgas isikupärase ja tõsiseltvõetavana kehtestama hakanud, näidates, et paralleelselt habemega on ka tema artistlik visioon vohama hakanud.

26. Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire – Kismet

„Kismet“ on eXquire’i teine täispikk projekt ja näitab teda suuresti sootuks teises valguses: kuigi mees, keda me näiteks „The Last Huzzah!“ ja „Oh Hail No“ peal kuulsime, pole kuhugi kadunud, on siin fookuses teised asjad. Vastukaaluks eelnevale hoogsusele on „Kismet“ introvertne ja introspektiivne, toimides justkui vaimse märkmikuna, kuhu sisemonoloogi vormis rändab läbisegi ja vaheldumisi kirev assortii (tihti alkoholivines esile kerkivaid) mõtteid ja mälestusi, millest mitmeid võib esitleda binaarsete opositsioonidena: minevik/tulevik, fassaad/sisu, võimsus-uhkus-ülevus/haavatavus-paranoia, vaesus/rikkus ja nii edasi. Enamjaolt räpib eXquire aeglasemalt kui tal varem tavaks on olnud, ent ta flow on sellegipoolest mitmekesine, rääkimata sellest, et sõnakasutus ja kujundid tõstavad teda kenasti üle tänapäeva keskmise. „Kismeti“ kõlaline külg on väga tugev ja kiiduväärselt terviklik algusest lõpuni, evides film noir-ilikku öist ja pisut salapärast karakterit.

25. Drake - Nothing Was the Same

Kanadas on vahel päris külm. Külm ja kalk on ka Toronto kuldne pojake Drake: vähemalt oma kuulajaskonnale tõsise näoga münchausenliku iba ajamine ei ole tema jaoks püüdmatu kõrgus, nagu „Started from the Bottom“ ja ka albumi pealkiri - mis pigem tundub nagu „Pretty Much Everything Was the Same“ olevat - näitavad. Kui eetika kõrvale jätta, on asjalood aga paremad – tõik, et koos Noah „40“ Shebib-iga väljatöötatud kõla juba kolmandat kauamängivat järjest areenil on, on igati kiidetav, kuna unelev, öine – Drake’i rajatud OVO Sound’i logo on ju ikkagi öökull – sobib temaatika ja Drake’i häälega hästi ja mõjub nagu Etihad Stadium hetkel Manchester Cityle. Kui temaatika juba jutuks tuli, siis see on käsitleb endiselt 1) naisi, endisi, praeguseid, tulevasi ja ehk on veel mõni kategooria 2) kuulsuse ja jõukusega kaasnevad probleemid 3) kuulsuse ja jõukusega kaasnevad hüved 4) Drake’i enesekehtestamine ja enesekiitmine 5) enda vigade ja nõrkuste siiras tunnistamine 6) verbaalsed hoiatuslasud anonüümsetele konkurentidele. Arengut oleks võinud olla rohkem, kui oli, aga „NWTS“ parimad palad (eriti „Too Much“) kuuluvad Drake’i parimate hulka ja artist, kes teab, mis talle sobib, ja seda järjekindlalt viljeleb, ei ole sugugi kurb nähtus.

24. Tech N9ne - Something Else

Kuivõrd Tech N9ne’i nimi viitab tema muljetavaldavale räppimistempole, on see iseloomulik ka tema tuuritamis- ja produktiivsushoole. Mitte ainult ei avalda ta palju albumeid, vaid need on ka äärmiselt kogukad ja seeläbi on tema üllitistel kahjuks alati suurem rasvakiht, kui tema kaliibriga artistil tegelikult olema peaks. Sel korral on tal õnnestunud võib-olla paremini kui kunagi varem kaalukausid kvaliteedi suunas kaldu lükata: teemavalik, kõla ja külalisnimekiri on eklektiline ja tasemel. Läbi astuvad muuhulgas Serj Tankian, alati terav Kendrick Lamar ja the Game, kellega koostöös sündinud pala „Priorities“ on justkui filmilinalt (võib-olla midagi Denzel Washingtoniga?) välja hüpanud. Lool „Strange 2013“ teeb Tecca Nina koostööd the Doorsiga, luues uuendatud versiooni nende loost „Strange Days“, mille järgi ka tema plaadifirma Strange Music oma nime saanud on. Kahjuks on ka paar täiesti tarbetut hetke, nagu näiteks „With the BS“ ja Wiz Khalifa ja B.o.B poolt asustatud „See Me“. Kokkuvõttes on tegu siiski muljetavaldava albumiga.

23. Foxygen - We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic

Esimene mõte, mis mul selle plaadi kirjeldamisele mõeldes hetkel tekkis, oli mõte saekaatrisse kukkunud ajamasinast – siin segunevad erinevad fragmendid kõikvõimalikest 1950ndate ja 60ndate muusikapaladest ja –žanritest. Postmodernism extraordinaire -  nii vist võiks öelda küll. Identiteeditu mahaviksimine – nõnda ma sõnada ei tahaks. Kõlapilt loob algselt küsimusi originaalsuse kohta, ent samas näitab see laia teadmisi ja kõikide mõjutuste oskuslik kokkusulatamine, nii et tervik ei kõla hüpliku ja kunstlikuna, nõuab annet, nii et see fragmentaarne kõlapilt muutub kohati žanriks iseeneses, pisut nagu pilt kubistlikus võtmes ei ole sama, mis see pilt korrapärases vormis oleks. „San Fransisco“ on ehk albumi üks tipphetki ja mõjub kõlalise ajakapslina. Minu mõtted ja eneseväljendus on selle plaadi lahtris sobivalt seinast seina, kuid tuleb öelda, et olgu genealoogia ükskõik kui hägune, „We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic’u“ näol on tegu väga nauditava albumiga, eriti 60ndate austajatele.

22. Black Milk - No Poison No Paradise

Järjekindlus on omadussõna, mis Black Milk’i tegevusi ehedalt kirjeldab. Tema viimased soolalbumid „Tronic“ ja „Album of the Year“, samuti kolmepealise supergrupi Random Axe samanimelise albumi kohta on siinkõnelejal öelda valdavalt vaid head; „No Poison No Paradise“ jätkab seda jada. Värsisepana on Milk järk-järgult arenenud ja siin demonstreerib seda peenelt kootud riimide võrgustik. Terviklik narratiiv on albumil samas mõnevõrra hägune, kuid selle foonil võib nentida, et teemavalik ongi pisut liiga lai, et seda concept album’iks taandada, pigem on tegu teosega, mis võtab kokku elu-olu Detroit’is. Esineb tõuse, esineb mõõne, süžee laveerib peategelase erinevate eluetappide ja varieeruva eduga ettevõtmiste vahel. Produktsioon on siiski albumi peamine külgetõmbenumber. Nagu alati, on trummid tasemel, ent kogu tervik on töine, erinevatest nüanssidest kihav, ja mitmekülgne: koorikõla poolt juhitud „Sunday’s Best“ on vast ilusaim hetk albumil, samas kui „Codes and Cab Fare“ on ülimal minimalistlik, kasutades atmosfääri loomiseks vaid rahutut kontrabassi ja elektriorelit. „No Poison No Paradise“ on tükati robotlik, ent orgaaniline, mitmekihiline, ent elemendid sobituvad viperusteta kokku. Uusim saadetis Black Milk’i meiereist on igatahes värske.

21. Arctic Monkeys – AM

Sheffieldi kvarteti neljas album, mille nimi sisaldab nende initsiaale, justkui sümboliseerib kollektiivi, kes on „ennast leidnud“ või „endaks saanud“, kuna albumist õhkub täies ulatuses enesekindlust ja eneseteadvust – mitte ühtegi sammu ei saada kõhklus või enesekindlus järgmise suhtes. Üles on ehitatud tihe, kõiki aspekte harmooniliselt hõlmav gruuv, kuhu ka vokalist Alex Turneri sõnarohked read mängulise lihtsusega lülituvad. Turneri sõnad käsitlevad armastust kõikvõimalikest aspektidest, bändi rifid ja rütmid – väidetavalt on kõlapilti mõjutanud hip-hop, ent Motown ja glam kergitavad ennast vast kõigepealt esile; rütm on vahel galopeeriv, enamasti kõndiv, kõndiv jamesbondilikult kõnnin-stiilselt-plahvatusest-eemale-tagasi-vaatamata-ja-soeng-jääb-šrapnellidest-puutumata mõttes - on võrdväärselt kütkestavad, doo-wop’ilikest refräänidest rääkimata. Yorkshire’i dialekt ja omapärased metafoorid ning kujundid lisanduvad eelmainitule ja aitavad moodustada albumit, mis eirab tarvidust millegi „sügavaga“ tegelda ja keskendub kaunile muusikale, mis, nagu „Mad Sounds“ seda kajastab, on aeg-ajalt suurim väärtus iseeneses.

20. Pusha T - My Name Is My Name

Kuigi „Fear of God II: Let Us Pray“ koosneb 12 loost ja vältab üle 40 minuti, loetakse „My Name Is My Name’i“ Pusha T debüütsooloalbumiks. See on sobilik, kuna kui „Let Us Pray“ näitas veel oma kõla otsivat artisti, kes nii hea kui kesisema peale sattus; siin on tulnud appi Kanye West, kelle visioon on plaadile eelnevast oluliselt terviklikuma kõlapildi toonud. Produktsioon, autoriteks muuhulgas West, Pharrell, Don Cannon ja muud, on reeglina tume ja vähem-on-rohkem stiilis minimalistlik. Push on endiselt sama isik, kes ka „Hell Hath No Fury“ peal kuulda oli – aeglase, enesekindla flow-ga edastatud eneseupitusriimid ja kokapajatused, nii glamuur kui allakäigujärgne rottidest kubisev osmik, kus end varjatakse, teevad visiidi. Tema teravmeelsus ja punchline’i-lembus on säilinud: bambuselõhnaline „Numbers on the Boards“ on toores, refräänitu ja räpisõbrale ülimalt nauditav. Külalised on valdavalt hästi valitud: Kendrick Lamar laob endale omaselt letti ühe albumi parima värsi, Rick Ross on lõpuks leidnud konteksti, kuhu ta natukenegi sobitub, ja isegi Chris Brown’i panus osutub šokeerival kombel ülespoole osutava pöidlažesti vääriliseks. Eranditeks on Kevin Cossomi nigel refrään ja külalisetteasted 2 Chainzilt ja Big Seanilt – ma ei tea, miks ükski oma loomingu kvaliteedist hooliv indiviid neid kahte stuudiosse laskma peaks. Viimasest lausest hoolimata saab öelda, et kaanekujundusel esinevad põhjusega selged mustad ja valged toonid, mitte minisugune vahepealne soga – Pusha on laboris koostise täiustamise ja lihvimisega vaeva näinud.

19. Chance the Rapper - Acid Rap

Chicago on olnud juba pikka aega koht, kust võrsub iga natukese aja tagant üks tõeliselt märkimisväärne värsisepp:märkimisväärseimalt  Common, Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco... ja järgmise koha jaoks on Chance the Rapper tugev nominent. Chance on joviaalne ja väga eklektiline, evides stiili, kus räppimine – seejuures meloodiline ja nõtke, vaheldudes lonkivast tempot paari hetkega aaronlennonliku väleduseni –, laulmine ja ad-lib’id sulanduvad kokku üheks energiast pakatavaks tervikuks. Tema eeskujude nimekiri on ilmselt arvukas, aga sarnasusi võib täheldada vast OutKastiga, oma parimate päevade Lil’ Wayne’ga ja muidugi ka Kanye Westiga: „Good Ass Intro“ arvukas külalisvokalistide nimekiri ja puhkpillifanfaar meenutab teatud moel „All of the Lights’i“ ja tuleb märkida, et „My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy“ kandis ju algselt hüpoteetilist nime „Good Ass Job“. Nii see lugu kui näiteks „Juice“ räägivad tema teekonnast tunnustuse ja eneseteostuseni ja seda ilma mõru alatoonita, mis räpis enamasti seda saadab (teadagi, selline „säh, teie kiuste saavutasin kõike seda, raisk“ stiilis suhtumine); ka muud palad näitavad, kuidas ta suudab säilitada oma entusiastlikkust ja värvikust ka süngemateemaliste lugude puhul, nagu seda on „Pusha Man/Paranoia“ ja mõtlik „Acid Rain“. Albumi nimi kajastub nii lillelises-psühhedeeliahõngulises kõlas kui selles, et LSD ja muud sõbrad saavad siin tihti mainitud. Produktsioon on (Chicagole sobilikult) džässilik-soulilik, nagu öeldud, psühhedeelne ja mahlane, palju panustavad sellesse elektriorel, puhkpillid ja klaver. „Chain Smoker’is“ sõnab Chance, kuidas tema muusika ja selle kvaliteetsus talle korda läheb, ja see peegeldub ka kõlas: Chance on üks värvikamaid ja muusikaliselt kirevamaid emcee-sid, kes viimasel ajal esile kerkinud.

18. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories

Teades, kuivõrd tuntud Daft Punk on, ja et võrdväärselt laia levikuga jutuvada on ka selle plaadi ilmumist saatnud, ei oskagi ma mitte midagi värsket ega rabavat sissejuhatuseks öelda. DP on oma kõla drastiliselt muutnud ja robotid on nüüd laetud 70ndate ja 80ndate elektriga. See kallikõlaline teos rõhub stiilile, ent samas võetakse ka riske: suurtes kogustes leiduv pompöössus ja kitš pööratakse enda kasuks täpselt nii nagu pudelil on võimalik kork nii üle vindi keerata, et kork jälle lahti on. Kasuks tuleb kindlasti see, et muusikast hoolitakse: live-instrumentidega loodud helid on kaunikõlalised, albumi märkimisväärseimad palad on kolossaalne „Touch“, samanimelisele mehele tema enda jutustuse saatel sobivalt austust avaldav „Giorgio by Moroder“ ja müstiline „Motherboard“. Nile Rodgers’i panus aitab diskole hinge sisse puhuda – esimest korda kahte Pharrelli kaasavat lugu kuulates tundus siinkõnelejale olukord kuidagi chic-ilik, pilk albumil kaasategijate nimekirja tekitas selle näol ühe korraliku „ahaa!“-momendi. Retro poole pöörates läks Daft Punk riskile välja ja tulemuse põhjal võib öelda, et ju siis they got lucky.

17. Flatbush ZOMBiES – BetterOffDEAD

Flatbush ZOMBiES kuulub rühmitusse Beast Coast. Kuivõrd kõikide BC liikmete ühine nimetaja on idarannik, ka Beat Coastiks võidaks end nimetada (produktsioon on kõigil, eriti A$AP Mob’il, oivaline) ja mööndustega võib nõustuda ka Best Coasti sildiga (kuna siin on vaieldavalt Best (of the contemporary East) Coast või lihtsalt kuna East > West), ent nimisõna Beast vääriliseks teeb selle kollektiivi vaieldamatult just Zombies. Trio on nooruslikult deviantne ja hetketi ühiskonnakriitiline, nende raevukas, kirglik ja tehniline stiil asetab nad selgelt 90ndate New Yorki põlvnemisliini. Grupi suhtumise muusikasse võtab ehedaimalt kokku järgnev Meechy tsitaat loost „Regular and Complex“: „If rap was illegal you bitch nigga wouldn’t even write a bar/Shit, I’d probably be behind  bars“. Kõlaline pool on postregionaalne ja mitmekülgne, laenates võrdselt palju nii boom bap’ist kui trap’ist ja ulatudes psühhedeelsest kontsentreeritult raevukani. Üks selle aasta parimaid mixtape’sid.

16. Boards of Canada - Tomorrow's Harvest

Boards of Canada esimene kauamängiv viimase kaheksa aasta jooksul, „Tomorrow’s Harvest“, on nagu keegi, keda sa üle mitme-mitme aasta näed ja tal võib olla sama välimus riietusest soenguni, sama hääletämber ja nii edasi, ent silmavaates ja isikus on midagi, mis lihtsalt ei ole sama. Antud kontekstis on muutunud element see, et kuigi kõlapilt on BoC eelnevatele üllitistele sarnaselt atmosääriline ja ilus, on siit kadunud mingisugune rahulik lapsemeelsus ja kõla on nüüd kurjakuulutavam. Seda efekti ainult süvendavad nii pealkirjad – stiilinäideteks võib tuua „Reach for the Dead“, „Cold Earth“, „Sick Times“ ja „Come to Dust“ -, albumi kaanekujundus, mis on küll heledates toonides, aga kuidagi elutu, ja ka albumi pealkiri, mis justkui annab mõista, et tegu ei ole parima viljaga, mis olla võiks; samuti tundub kuidagi iseenesestmõistetav, et külvaja rollis on olnud inimkond. Paljud lood ei oleks eraldiseisvana silmapaistvad, aga album näib olema mõeldud tervikuna tajumiseks, kuna „Tomorrow’s Harvest“ on teosena rohkem kui pelgalt oma osade summa.

15. Ka - The Night's Gambit

Nagu tema kamraad Roc Marciano, on ka Ka üks kõrvaklapiräpi don Quijotesid, kes panustab, et elus hoida detailirohket, peenelt kokku põimitud muusikat. Kõlaliselt on album peaaegu juba ambient-valdkonda langev, kuna taustad on palju kõikjalolevamad ja hõljuvamad kui räpimaailmas tavaks. „The Night’s Gambit“ on filmilik, mitte odav action vaid detailne ja mitmekihiline – ei tundu juhuslikuna, et siin esineb ka sämpel sarjast „The Wire“. Ka kui jutustaja  rullib lahti narratiive kuritegelikust elust, kus ellujäämine nõuab halastamatust, esineb palju metafoore, sõnamänge ja nüansirohkeid kirjeldusi, segunenud on religioosne temaatika ja süngem maailm. Pealkirjas esinev malemetafoor väljendub nii tegelase käitumismaneeris kui Ka lüürilises stiilis – iga käik sünnib kaalutletult ja hoolika planeerimise tulemusena, nõnda et pseudonüüm Anatoli Ka ei oleks sugugi sobimatu. Selge on Ka kiindumus hip-hop’i, mida ta ka väljendab („if this ain’t meant for me, nothing is“); viimane pala, nimega „Off the Record“ põimib tekstiks suure hulga erinevaid räpialbumeid, demonstreerides selle žanri mitmekesisust ja seda, kuidas heal kunstil on kalduvus samaväärset sünnitada.

14. Darkside – Psychic

Darkside, Nicolas Jaarist ja Dave Harringtonist koosnev duo, loob üpris müstilist muusikat. Kollaboratsiooni nime poolt tekitatud vihje Pink Floydile ei tundu juhuslik, kuna briti progehiidude kosmilised kõlad oleksid siin justkui oma lähtepunktist teises, vähem struktureeritud suunas viidud. Sarnaselt Floydile demonstreerib Jaar oma annet pikkade, aeglaselt pulseerivate rütmidega ja sama aeglaselt, ent järjekindlalt arenevate kompositsioonide loomisel, mille parim näide on avapala, „Golden Arrow“. Alguspunktist hakkab tasane kulgemine, vahepeal jõuab teekond ka mõne crescendoni, misjärel kompositsioon jälle teist nägu tegemata jätkab, aeg-ajalt suubuvad kõlapilti mõned kajad ja meloodiad, seejärel jälle sama sujuvalt kadudes. Õhulisse, nüansirohkesse tervikusse sobituvad orgaaniliselt ka kitarr ja Jaari hääl. Neljandal palal paiknev fraas „paper trails on a mountain“ loob albumi kohta huvitava pildi: „Psychic“ on teos, kus suur ja väike, võimas ja habras, ühinevad üheks kauniks tervikuks.

13. Bilal - A Love Surreal

Neo soul’i hiid Bilal hindab kvaliteeti üle kvantiteedi: kui mitte arvestada ametlikult väljastamata jäänud albumit „Love for Sale“, siis on „A Love Surreal“ tema kolmas kauamängiv. Võrreldes eelmise albumiga, 2010. aastal ilmavalgust näinud „Airtight’s Revenge’iga“ on sisu pisut vähem tõsine ja raske – nagu pealkirigi viitab, on tegu sisuliselt vaid armastuslauludega. „A Love Surreal“ on inspireeritud Salvador Dali loomingust ja kuigi see mõju näib olevat pigem abstraktne kui selgelt tajutav, õhkub teosest sellegipoolest omapärast, südamega loodud kunsti aurat. Kõlapilt on paletile värve varunud nii klassikalise R&B, džässi, psühhedeelia kui funk-i valdkonnast; lüüriliselt saavad kaetud erinevad armastuse aspektid, eri variatsioone rõhutab oskuslikult ka Bilali hääl, varieerudes sensuaalsest „Back to Love’il“ saabuva kaotusevaluga seostuva ahastuseni „Slipping Away“ pääl. Läbi astub klahvpillimängija Robert Glasper, kes võluvale „Butterfly’le“ oma pitseri lisab. „A Love Surreal“ on suurepärane, nüansirohke neo soul.

12. Earl Sweatshirt – Doris

Earl on Frank Oceani järel teine Odd Future’i – lõbu pärast võib ju üritada ka akronüümi OFWGKTA välja hääldada – liige, kes loomingulise küpsuseni otsustava sammu astub, olles seejuures mõnevõrra irooniliselt rühma tuumiku noorim liige (käesoleva albumi ilmumise ajal on ta 19). Tõepoolest, noorus on tema senise loo keskne motiiv: aastal 2010 kerkis eponüümse mixtape’ga esile vulgaarne, mängleva kergusega siseriimiahelaid kokku lükkiv wunderkind, kes peatselt areenilt kadus ja muutus omamoodi Waldo’ks, kellest jälgegi järgi polnud. Seejärel hakkasid levima kuulujutud pagendusest internaatkooli Samoal ja hüüdlause „Free Earl“; sama ootamatult, kui ta kadus, kerkis ta 2012. aastal jälle udust esile. Debüütplaat „Doris“ on suur samm edasi: Earl lahkab isiklikumaid teemasid, ent ei ole täielikult minetanud ka möödunud aegade toorust ja muidugi on endiselt kohal teravad riimimisoskused. Mis puutub kõlalisse poolde, siis on plaat mässitud monotoonsesse ja udusesse atmosfääri, mis lähemal uurimisel osutub oskuslikult loodud tervikuks. Rabavaim instrumentaal kuulub kummituslikule „Hoarse’ile“, mille jaoks siinkõneleja sobivat epiteeti hetkel ei leia ja otsustab kompromissi näol mittemidagiütleva ent kiitva „fantastilise“ kasuks. Üllatusi on plaadil veelgi: üks nauditavamaid värsse tuleb OF isiklikult croonerilt Frank Oceanilt. Hämmastav mõelda, et selle albumi autor on alles 19.

11. Janelle Monáe - The Electric Lady

Cindy Mayweatheri – nõnda on Janelle Monáe Metropolise-saaga peategelase nimi – seiklused jätkuvad neljanda ja viienda süidiga, millel nimeks „The Electric Lady“. Lady on pealkirjas väga sobilik, kuna Janelle on daamilikum kui kunagi varem: „Dance Apocalyptic“ video oli vähemalt siinkõnelejale esimene teadaolev kord, kus teda lahtiste juustega nähtud. Üleüldiselt esineb albumis sel korral midagi rohkem eneseteadlikku naiselikkust (või diivalikkust? Terminoloogia jääb hetkel mul natuke häguseks), mis viib nauditavate tulemusteni, näiteks duett Migueliga, mil nimeks „PrimeTime“, on tugev kandidaat aasta kaunima dueti tiitlile. Mis puutub saagasse endasse, siis tunnen ma ennast pisut nagu Anton Bruckner, kes „Nibelungi sõrmuse“ esietenduse järel Wagnerilt küsinud olevat, et „tore oli, aga miks nad seal lõpus selle naise ära põletasid?“ Sellesse storyline’i lihtsalt on raske süveneda, kuigi viga võib vabalt olla ka siinkõnelejas ja 21. sajandile omastes keskendumishäiretes. Mis puutub muusikasse, siis on kõla pisut konventsionaalsem kui „The ArchAndroid“ oli, aga endiselt vägevalt mitmekülgne: eelmainitud „PrimeTime“ on quiet storm, esineb toorest funk’i, Prince’iga koos loodud „Givin Em What They Want“ on suitsune psühhedeelne funk. Lisaks on Janelle hakanud viljelema tempokaid räpivärsse (näiteks lugude „Q.U.E.E.N.“ ja „Ghetto Woman“ peal), mis asetavad teda teele saama André 3000 naisekvivalendiks. Jään pingsalt järgmist episoodi ootama.

10. Kanye West – Yeezus

Kanye on põhjalikult vaeva näinud näitamaks, et stagnatsioon talle ei meeldi. Iga järjekordse sammuga astus ta „The College Dropout’ist“ järjest kaugemale, kuni oma „Dark Fantasy’ga“ pompöössuse Olümpose ületas. Järgmine samm? Korruta senine summa -1-ga: „Yeezus“ on rõhutatult robustne ja minimalistlik. Avapalas „On Sight“ õrritab ta kuulajat, sähvates hetkeks vana Kanyet justkui rõhutamaks, et teda enam ei leidu. Albumi jooksul suudab ta iseendale vastu rääkida ja ka muudmoodi ebameeldivalt mõjuda, fraas „soon as they like you make ’em unlike you“ „I Am a God’is“ näitab, et ta teab, mis ta teeb, ja teeb seda äärmise pühendumusega. Hämmastav on see, et kuigi plaadi vältel leian ma end paaris kohas mitte just heakskiitvaid grimasse tegemas, siis tervikuna on „Yeezus“ siiski nauditav! Juhtrolli mängib selles ilmselt energia, mille poolest on tegu fantastilise teosega. Plaat on muidugi paras enigma, mida on kergem kas armastada või vihata kui sellesse suhtelise ükskõiksusega suhtuda, kuid see ongi üks Kanye võlusid: ei ole võimalik selgeks teha, kas ta parodeerib iseennast, teeb kõike siiralt, või on karamazovlikult iseenda trikkide õnge läinud ja maski tõeliseks näoks pidama hakanud? Või kõik need juhtumid korraga? Või midagi muud? Või mitte midagi? Või on kõige taga tõik, et ta sarvesaiad ei jõudnud piisavalt kiiresti kohale?

09. Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City

 „Modern Vampires of the City“ on Vampire Weekendi kolmas album. See on ühe kollektiivi (ja selle liikmete jaoks) piisavalt pikk aeg, et järjest küpsemaks võrsuda ja elu erinevaid tahke näha. „MVOTC“ on album, mille üks läbivaid teemasid seostub vananemisega ja lapsepõlve saladuslikust ja turvatunnet loovast illusioonidepuntrast lahkumisega. Selle tulemuseks on jalgealuse teekatte järkjärguline muutumine hõredaks ja pragunevaks jääks, mis tõstatab hulga eksistentsialistlikke küsimusi, teeb piinlikult selgeks selle, kui kiiresti aeg liigub, ja muud. Vokalist Ezra Koenig kasutab palju aega usuliste teemade üle mõtisklemiseks. Samas ei ole Koenigi tekstid üheselt mõistetavad, vaid mitmetasandilised, vahel novellilikud värsid, mis võimaldava mitmeid tõlgendamisviise. Sisuga huvitavalt kontrastne on albumi kõla, mis on – suurimaks erandiks on ehk kauni-ent-sünge koorihäält kasutav „Hudson“ – enesekindel ja tempokas indie-pop, mida vahepeal vürtsi lisamiseks rikastavad nii klavessiin kui keelpillid. Rõõmutu vastusteotsimise kiuste edastab eesriide langetamist saatev „Young Lion“ mantraliku soovitusega võtta rahulikult aeg maha ja järgmine samm hoolikalt, tormakate liigutusteta planeerida. Ja miks mitte teha seda näiteks „Step’i“ saatel?

08. Thundercat – Apocalypse

Nagu Jaani Seegi kirik Tallinna kesklinna kõrghoonetemeres ja „Narziss ja Goldmund“ Hermann Hesse bibliograafias ehedalt näitavad, jääb suurte asjade ja inimeste varju tihti teisi samavõrd väärtuslikke ja andekaid. Sama lugu on ka Flying Lotuse lähikondlase, bassivirtuoosi Thundercat’iga, kes on viimasel ajal end artistina täies mahus realiseerima hakanud. „Apocalypse“ on tõsiselt mitmekülgne album: see algab kosmilise „Tenfold-iga“, järgnevad kaasahaarav singel „Heartbreaks + Setbacks“, vabadžässilik „Lotus and the Jondy“ ja mänguline ja funky „Oh Sheit It’s X“. FlyLo loominguga esineb ka ilmselgelt sarnasusi (nagu näiteks glitchy ja öine „The Life Aquatic“, mis on ilmselt seotud tõigaga, et tema on albumi produtsent. Albumi lõpupala on kaunis järelhüüd varalahkunud Austin Peraltale. Loodetavasti kogub Thundercat’i nimi üha rohkem tuntust ja tunnustust, pole kahtlust, et ta väärib seda.

07. Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels

„R.A.P. Music“, Killer Mike’i 2012. aasta meistriteos, oli produtseeritud El-P poolt. Too album näitas, kuidas tegu on suurepäraselt kokku sobiva meeskonnaga, kuna regionaalsed erinevused kaalus üles mõlemale omane jõulisus, pühendumus ja kompromissitu suhtumine oma loomingusse, mille summaks on üks äärmiselt vägev high-five. Mõeldud-tehtud – moodustati duo nimega Run the Jewels, mis on nimetatud ühe LL Cool J tsitaadi järgi. Viide tollele ei ole sugugi kohatu – RTJ samanimeline debüütprojekt suhestub räpi lätetega sel moel, et siin ei ole fookuses mingisugused sotsiaalsed teemad või mis tahes muu kontseptsioon – siin istub troonil Muusika ja ei keegi muu. Terve plaadi vältel esineb siin toores enesekehtestus, miski, millele sai rajatud algselt näiteks Rakim’i karjäär – räpitakse sellest, kuivõrd hästi räpitakse (ja eks ka oma võimsusest üleüldse), ja räpitaksegi hästi! El-P taustad on sama kompromissitud, radioaktiivsed dissonantsilaigud, mis justkui iiri make-up kaasnevad verbaalsetele vasak- ja paremsirgetele. Kvaliteetsest hip-hop’ist lugu pidavale kuulajale on kaks tšempionit toitva eine valmis küpsetanud – „Run the Jewels“ on aasta kõige räpim räpialbum. Ükskõik mis žanris.

06. Wardruna - Runaljod – Yggdrasil

Kui juba esimene Wardruna album („Runaljod – gap var Ginnunga“) oli unikaalne kogemus, siis on Gaahl ja sõbrad ületanud ootusi ja suutnud ühe sammu kaugemale astuda. Esimese albumi müstilisest põhjala udust, vihmast ja lõkkepragina ääres loitsimisest on saanud miskit peenelt nikerdatud drakkari sarnast ehk oopustele on lisandunud struktuur, misläbi toimivad palad nüüd põhjalikult läbitöötatud kompositsioonidena, ja rikkalikum hulk tämbreid kui eelnevalt. Sõnad on norra, vanapõhja ja muinaspõhja keeltes, millest ühtki ma kahjuks ei oska, seega lüürilise poole lahkamine osutub siinkõnelejale vallutamatuks kantsiks. Kõlaliselt on aga tegu sarnaseima asjaga autentsele viikingimuusikale, mis on... kaunis. Eriti ilmekalt võtab selle kokku albumi lõputriloogia „Solringen“ – „Sowelu“ – „Helvegen“. „Yggdrasil“ ei ole kindlasti igaühe tass teed, kuid ambient-hõngulise põhjala folgi austajatele peaks ta ideaalselt sobima.

05. A$AP Rocky - Long.Live.A$AP

Peale seda kui A$AP Rocky kaardile tekkis ja 1) väljastas tugeva LiveLoveA$APi 2) tema plaadilepingu väärtus meediasse lekkis, on ootused päris kõrged olnud. Siinkõneleja ei oleks igatahes oodanud, et ta nendeni küündib. Kuid omal moel teeb Rocky just seda – ta säilitab esimese projektiga loodud vundamenti, aga lihvib projekti, arendades nii kõla kui lüürilist poolt. Rocky on endiselt parem räppar kui emcee, aga palad nagu „Phoenix“ ja „Suddenly“ näitavad, et ka temale ei ole püüdmatu kõrgus pisut lüürilist sügavust arendada. Produktsiooni poolest on „Long.Live.A$AP“ meisterlik: see on verstapost postregionaalse räppmuusika jaoks, kus segunevad kõlad erinevatest osariikidest ja erinevatest ajastutest (kuigi selle nähtuse uudsuses võib vaielda, kuna näiteks Los Angelese kuulsa G-Funk’i esimeseks viljelejaks hip-hop’is võib pidada EPMD loomingut aastal 1988, mil Dr. Dre ja tema lähikondlased veel märksa toorema kõla kütkeis olid). Unarusse ei jää ka Rocky kodukant: „1 Train“ on fantastiline austusavaldus nn. posse cut’i traditsioonile, lool astub üles assortii tänapäeva koorekihist, esindatud on nii ida- kui läänerannik ja lõuna. Tegu on väga nauditava albumiga ja kuigi Rocky loomingut ei tule pidada mõttevaeseks, on tegu ühe aasta parimakõlalise albumiga, esteetika triumfiga sisu üle.

04. James Blake – Overgrown

James Blake on kaasaegset tõugu singer-songwriter, kes folkroki pastoraalsed unelmad ja akustilise kitarri elektroonilise muusika unelevate sfääride ja sellega kaasneva aparatuuri vastu vahetanud.  Albumil esinevad järjekindlalt üksinduse, kahtluste, kaotatud kiindumuse motiivid. Blake’i iseäralik hääl peegeldab selles emotsioonis leiduvat haprust ja haavatavust suurepäraselt. Samuti on tema stiil suhteliselt lakooniline, igas loos esineb vaid paar erinevat fraasi, millest mõni jääb mantralikult korduma, jättes nõnda palju ruumi tõlgendamisele; RZA külalisvärsis on näiliselt sama palju sõnu kui ülejäänud albumil kokku! Kvantiteet ei ole muidugi kvaliteediga võrdeline, ja sõnad maalivad huvitavaid pilte, näiteks viited vihmale või tähistaevale annavad ilmekalt edasi albumi hõngu. Mõiste ’täht’ ei esine plaadil vaid taevalaotuse kontekstis – nimilool väljendab Blake tahet hoiduda superstaaride leegioniga liitumast ja pigem liikuda omas tempos omal trajektooril, seega tahet toimida pigem planeedi kui tähena.  Kõlaliselt on album hõrk segu peamiselt dubstepi ja R&B elementidest, „Digital Lion“ ja „Voyeur“ on ehedad näited muutlikkusest, kus vaikne sulnis algus muutub aegamööda tihedamaks helidekeeriseks ja jälle tagasi. Vaikus on üks võimsaimaid  helisid, ja Blake oskab seda kasutada.

03.   Kurt Vile - Wakin on a Pretty Daze

Meie rahututes aegades mõjub Kurt Vile väga teretulnud võõrana, kuna temast ei õhku mingit rahutust. Kui bussipeatusesse kõndimiseks kulub kaks tundi, võtku. Kui üks riff tahab kesta orienteeruvalt 9 minutit ja mõned sekundid pealegi, siis olgu nii. Kuivõrd suhtumine on rahulik, on ka kõla kaunis – Vile’i kitarr ja unelev, meditatiivne hääl loob vaimusilma pildi sulnist ja kuldsel, pisut punakal toonil päiksepaistelisest olesklemisest kusagil California rannikul (sobib ka mõni muu ülimat kergust kajastav pilt tõlgendaja valikul). Helikooslusesse lisandub ka muid instrumente, muidugi mõista, ent juhtrolli haaravad vokaal ja kitarr. Achilleuse kanda albumil ei ole – kaunis on ta otsast lõpuni, märkimisväärsed on muuhulgas kaunid „Never Run Away“ ja „Girl Called Alex“, samuti aasta parim öökulli-impression, „Shame Chamber“. Kui keegi soovib aja voolu hetkeks või paariks enda suva järgi aeglustada, siis „Wakin on a Pretty Daze“ on väga hea teekaaslane.

   

02.   Arcade Fire – Reflektor

Edul on kõrge hind ja Arcade Fire senine tähelend on nende õlule äärmiselt kõrgeid ootusi ladunud. Grammyvõidule järgneva neljanda albumi jaoks on punt oma inspiratsiooniallika sel korral Põhja-Ameerika suburbanitest üle Kariibi mere Haitile nihutanud, retke teeb nendega kaasa James „LCD Soundsystem“ Murphy. Temaatika on mitmekülgne ja kuigi kõikehõlmavat narratiivi pole, siis paar keskset elementi saab välja tuua. Nimelt: Kierkegaardi mõjutustest tuleneb albumi pealkiri ja ka lugude teemad käsitlevad tihti sellega haakuvaid asju nagu kommunikatsiooniprobleemid, sotsiaalsed maskid, ühiskondlik isoleeritus, silmakirjalikkus jne. Kontrast Haitiga, kus,nagu „Here Comes the Night Time“ näitab, õhtuti elektritki olla ei pruugi, tugevdab seda efekti. Kariibide mõju väljendub peamiselt muusikas, esmalt otseste stilistiliste mõjutuste näol, nagu eelmainitud loos ja „Flashbulb Eyes-is“, aga ka üldisemalt, nimelt on bändi muusika kuidagi elulisem ja pingevabam kui kunagi varem (kuigi nende looming on ka eelnevalt suurepärane olnud). Kõla on võrratu ja iga uus meloodia, uus käik, tempomuutus jne – nagu „Normal Person-i“ raevukas kitarririff, nimiloos esinev saksofonisoolo, naisvokaal, mis „You Already Know-ile“ taevaliku dimensiooni lisab – teeb kuulamiskogemusest ühe esteetilise karussellisõidu.

01.   Danny Brown – Old

Detroit hakkas 1950ndatel järk-järgult alla käima ja automeka staatust minetama; 60ndate lõpuks oli Motowni lugu lauldud; 1967. aasta mäss pani linna hoogsalt allakäigu suunas veerema. Järgnevad kümnendid muutsid linna narkoäripesaks ja suudeti võita ka mitmeid väga ihaldusväärseid tiitleid (mitmekordne USA süütamispealinn ja mõrvapealinn ja suisa Ameerika ohtlikuima linna tiitel toodi võidukalt koju). 2013. aastal läks maapealset põrgut meenutav linn pankrotti. Selline elukeskkond ei soodusta just liialt lilleliste mõtete õidepuhkemist. „Old“ kujutab Danny Browni elu-olu tema nooruspõlvest – mil tal ilmselt pisut teistsugune naeratus oli – tänapäevani. Tore oleks ju küll jääda erinevaid termineid pilduma, aga assortii albumil levinud motiive võtab piisavalt hästi kokku ainuüksi „Wonderbread“, mille raames väike Danny Brown saadetakse ema poolt poodi saia tooma, ta näeb pealt tulistamist, „patrullkäigul“ olevat prostituuti ja poest naastes pekstakse noorsand saia pärast läbi. Plaadi teine pool on laias laastus üks suur pralle, kuid detailidesse süvenedes saab selgeks, et siin ei ole erilist rõõmu, vaid pelgalt robotlik hedonism, katse düstoopilise ümbruskonna ja elu raamidest natukesekski väljuda. Produktsioon on väga mitmekülgne, ulatudes klassikalise boom-bap’i kõlast avangardsema õhulise ja kummitusliku helimaastikuni ja sealt trap’i ja grime’ni, erilise kiituse vääriline on Paul White. Värsisepana on Danny sisuliselt Janus, kes on kord mõtlik, tõsine tänavapoeet ja järgmisel hetkel nasaalse häälega elupõletaja. Viimasel palal (nimeks „Float On“) räägib Brown oma eelistatud meetodist mineviku- ja olevikuraskuste eest põgenemiseks ja avaldab lootust rahulikumaks tulevikuks.„Old“ on järjekordne tõestus sellest, kuidas masendav reaalsus sillutab tihti teed kaunile kunstile.

Hip-Hop - 2012: A Retrospective

HONOURABLE MENTION) Meek Mill – Dreams and Nightmares

Meek Mill's debut album follows a familiar – and rather frustrating – pattern comprising of trap beats and more soulful tunes, well executed lyrics and moments of extreme tastelessness, something which could possibly be branded the „MMG Concept“.

The intro adequately encapsulates the purported concept of the album, the dichotomy of dreams and nightmares; from there onwards, however, Meek's more successful in depicting everything gloomy. The 'dream' aspects come across as generic and dull most of the time (that said, in both music and literature, good always seems to be more difficult to portray in a manner which does it justice, a point well demonstrated by Liszt's Faust-Symphony in my opinion). Of the more serious stuff, Traumatized is a highlight, as a fiery Meek promises demise for the slayer of his father. Maybach Curtains is a rare occasion where a happier song is enjoyable, a lush musical backdrop and a Nas guest verse helping elevate the track.

Ultimately, the album is a decent first step by Mill, but he still faces a long battle against mediocrity and occasional lack of character if he’s to make a name for himself. Meek yells his way through sixteen bars after sixteen bars; the album screams for more quality control and a better realised concept.

50) Styles P – The World's Most Hardest MC Project

The World's Most Hardest MC Project (that's quite the name!) is Styles' fifth solo album. It arrives a year after Master of Ceremonies; the two projects have a fair bit in common.

The similarities: both are short. Both feature the typical street talk and gangster posturing of old. Both manage to be worthwhile despite of what was said in the last sentence, courtesy of conventional yet fresh production and a veteran MC using his skills to instill a touch of quality into commonplace themes. Styles is calm, cool and collected throughout, with the Intro hinting that the project opts for a slightly humorous edge (in that the braggadocio can be somewhat tongue-in-cheek). The beats make use of echoes and piano samples, for example, creating a slightly murky atmosphere.

Once again, this is one of those projects about which there is not much to be said; rather, one should simply go ahead and give it a listen.

49) Chaundon – The Jammington

I must admit to never having heard of Chaundon until only recently, after stumbling upon this album of his at random. A lucky accident, to express myself bluntly! Here goes nothing.

One thing I found about Chaundon is that he's a Little Brother affiliate. That certainly reflects in the album's character, as soulful beats give birth to a vibe 9th Wonder would be proud of. Chaundon equips a smooth flow (so as to match the beats) and proceeds to make his way through the tracks with some being more commonplace braggadocio and some having an emphasis on storytelling. His charisma and energy makes the album, short as it is (clocking in at a mere 27 minutes!), sound like a delightful swift flurry of soulful joviality.

48) Reks – Straight, No Chaser

After releasing Rhythmatic Eternal King Supreme (in all honesty, hip-hop has been witness to worse acronyms), Reks carries on an active bout by releasing two albums in 2012, the first of which is Straight, No Chaser, a collaboration with Statik Selektah behind the boards.

Selektah has recently caught some (justified) flak for his „quantity-over-quality“ methods, but his beats are on point here – a mishmash of vocal samples, boom-bap-ish drums, horn, piano and bass loops, all adding up to a New York-esque dusty atmosphere. The album finds Reks in a contemplative mood as he touches on topics such as the rags-to-riches tale, political issues and parenthood, with some braggadocio being thrown in just in case. The locations of the stories told vary from the cradle to the grave, from the sphere of the streets to the confines of a confession booth.

In recent times, Reks has established himself as a consistent wordsmith in the classic East Coast mould; Straight, No Chaser continues that trend.

                                             47) Large Professor – Professor @ Large

After being near invisible for a few years, Large Pro returns with his fourth solo album. The Professor does not bother himself with experiments, rather opting for a formula he perfected about two decades ago.

This is reflected in both the sonic and lyrical aspect of the album: The sample-heavy, groovy beats often sound like they've arrived via a time machine straight out of 1994; the samples either are familiar, or they at least sound familiar, bearing that soulful-slash-jazzy flavour. Extra P is in confident mode throughout, as the ever-present heaps of braggadocio-laden punchlines reflect. He's mostly concerned with preserving the integrity and vitality of the boom-bap era and sound. The guests are also, by and large, veterans: it is a pleasure to hear Busta Rhymes on a good beat after a long while, as he brings his raucous machine gun flow to the table on Straight from the Golden. Lil’ Fame of M.O.P., Cormega and two more recent breakthroughs, Roc Marciano and Action Bronson, also step by among others to help make this quite the roundtable.

A confident, vintage album that's seemingly devoid of any innovation and proudly so (in a positive way!), Professor @ Large is precisely the kind of album a veteran can afford to make: a solid summary of his characteristics and strengths.

46) Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – The Heist

In recent times, emcees who break through either close to or slightly past their 30th birthday seem to be an increasing trend: Freddie Gibbs. Roc Marciano. Action Bronson. So forth. The Seattle-born Macklemore joins the club in 2012.

An independent artist's path towards success is a long, winding and rocky one; as a result, Macklemore is not exactly short on subject matter. Through the course of the album, he tackles subjects such as alcoholism (on Neon Cathedral, he likens the denizens of pubs and bars to a religious parish in), the time and effort required for an artist to break through, gay rights, he advocates all kinds of relativism, elaborates on materialism and, for example, how it influenced his fixation with shoes at some point in his life and brings up second-hand garments as a financially shrewd example of overcoming materialistic folly. Black Hippy members Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul drop by, the former featuring on a Cadillac-embracing track and the latter being present on Jimmy Iovine, a song elaborating on the grim reality of record labels. Ryan Lewis' production is, for the lack of a better word, alright, though on occasion it's stale and lifeless (the corny train wreck of a song that is Cowboy Boots is the best example).

With some clear weak points, such as the hooks – a problem present nearly everywhere in the rap world - often being a weak point and some more moments of questionable taste, The Heist is not perfect by any means, but the strong points outweigh the weak ones and make up a strong debut album rich in substance.

                                                    45) Reks – REBELutionary

REBELutionary, Reks' collaboration with Numonics, is the fiercer one of his two albums released in 2012. The focus is on social critique, with the education system being one of the targets. Shotgun featuring the up-and-coming Jon Connor is a highlight.

                                                             44) The Game – Jesus Piece

 

Starting with LAX, The Game has been artistically adrift, so to say. He's a capable rapper, he picks a lot of good beats, however his songs often descend into aimless cliché-laden namedropping marathons. With Jesus Piece, we've more of the same.

Apparently, Jesus Piece is a concept album, symbolising how Game can be both a „champagne-poppin’ thug“ and a „religious hoodrat“ simultaneously. All that is extremely lovely, but for the most of the time, the song titles are the ONLY thing hinting towards a concept. The tasteless moments have been taken to extremes on occasion. An example of this is the title track, where the Game decides to devote himself to perfecting the „HAAAAAAAAANH“ shout so as to compensate the fact that Kanye's „feature“ consists of approximately seven words. The purportedly amusing interlude at the end of Church is the epitome of facepalm-worthiness. As said before, though, the production is Game's redemption here, as are the features: Jesus Piece is saved by a delicate, violin-driven background and a Common verse; J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar live up to their potential, Rick Ross and 2 Chainz deliver OK verses. There is the flipside as well: I Remember is another extremely trite track, with the genocidally awful hook by Future being the final nail in the coffin.

All in all, Jesus Piece is as patchwork an album as one could be: greatness mixed with moments of sheer misery balance each other out, resulting in an album that lies somewhere in the middle.

43) The Alchemist – Russian Roulette

 

The Alchemist has had a busy year which has had him pass dope beats left, right and centre, do collaborative projects, thus definitely staking his claim for Prolific Producer of the Year. On top of all this, he's also dropped Russian Roulette.

The sound is largely what one would expect of a project by Alchemist: mesmerising sample-based grooves in the flavour of the 60s and 70s, vocal samples, ethereal echoes, etc, with a slight Russian vibe added this time around. The structure is unique for Alchemist though: it's a Madlib-esque work of sorts, consisting of short vignettes – the longest track is 2:37 in length -, some lyrical, some instrumental, which segue from one into another. He enlists guests from both the East and the West, such as Fashawn, Evidence and Schoolboy Q on one hand and Roc Marciano, Action Bronson and Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire. Whereas most verses hover around without utilising any unique lyrical themes, eXquire has a standout verse on The Explanation, where he incorporates the phone call scene from Biggie's Warning and elaborates on an extraterrestrial experience.

Russian Roulette is a somewhat unorthodox – and delightful! -  piece of the puzzle that is Alchemist's discography; it can be recommended for both long-time fans and people who appreciate New York production in general.

                                              42) Oddisee – People Hear What They See

Oddisee hails from Washington DC and is a rapper-producer, another one competent on both fronts. People Hear What They See is his debut LP.

As he states on the starting track („They say you've got your whole life to make your first album/Guess I’ve been busy living...“), he's a sincere emcee who raps about what he's encountered, no hubris, no gimmicks, no bullshit. Aside from his sincerity, Oddisee also sports an unorthodox flow and possesses plenty of wittiness, which allows him to successfully deliver on all the songs, regardless of the subject. On some he talks about his own path, his relationship issues, his career as an artist (he asserts that persistence pays off and advocates the importance of staying true to your goals, but also notes the importance of taking some time off every once in a while), friends and enemies, but also larger-scale topics: he points out how both in the States and elsewhere, money plagues people's consciousness („We assess success like herbivores/More green..“). His production is layered, with ominous sounding brass, serene string loops, booming bass, jazzy keys all popping up every once in a while. With this album, Oddissee certainly claims his spot as one of DC's most creative wordsmiths.

41) Azealia Banks – Fantasea

In late 2011, Banks' 212 became a massive song almost overnight. The single was followed by the 1991 EP, which in turn is followed by Fantasea, her debut mixtape.

While she showcases her rapid-fire delivery and charismatic in-your-face attitude throughout, some tracks stand head and shoulders above others. Styles P drops by on Nathan, a track destined for rotation in the whip; Jumanji is also nothing short of beastly. The pick of the bunch, however, is Esta Noche, which, much like 212, showcases different shades of her style in dynamic fashion, alternating between dreamy and devilish. This house- and rave-influenced project makes a move towards establishing witch-hop as a distinct subgenre; 2013 looks set to follow through on that promise.

40) Lushlife – Plateau Vision

Lushlife, who hails from Philadelphia, is a man of many talents: a producer, a rapper and a multi-instrumentalist. The wide scope of his interests is reflected in his music. He's an expert crafter of dreamy eclectic beats that bear a tinge of psychedelia, of jazz, of electronica. Albeit not lacking technical prowess, his lyrics are fairly commonplace: tales of his hometown, some romantic phrases thrown about, good old hip-hop, various artists who influenced him (Joy Division and Large Professor are mentioned). As the last two topics imply, nostalgia is a dominant theme throughout: even a Satie piece – featuring the Canadian MC Shad - gets reworked here! On Hale-Bopp Was the Bedouins, he teams up with fellow Indian-American Heems of Das Racist fame.

All in all, Plateau Vision is a gorgeous sophomore album with the production being the strongest aspect. Recommended to boom-bap aficionados and everyone who appreciates ethereal hip-hop production.

39) Joey Bada$$ - 1999

It's a common occurrence to see the boom-bap style still being practiced by emcees who hail from the period; the Pro Era, and Joey Bada$$, their leading figure, differ  in the aspect that they were born around the time when albums like Illmatic and Enta da Stage were released.

17-year old Joey Bada$$ goes to show that age and talent do not go hand in hand; over vivacious, soulful productions that point towards the past without turning into tacky imitations, he lays down multisyllabic and otherwise technically adept lines. He reminisces about the past, talks about his life, the life and times of his kin, of his neighbourhood and so forth. Braggadocio and waving the flag of boom-bap is also common, understandably. The tape ends with a 12-minute posse cut, a tradition New York through and through. 1999 demonstrates that Joey and the Pro Era are well worth keeping an eye on. No gimmicks, pure, soulful hip-hop.

38) The Coup – Sorry to Bother You

Boots Riley's lyrics often pack the punch of a John Arne Riise free kick. This remains the case with Sorry to Bother You, the Coup's sixth LP.

Riley's lyrics are often poetic, often vitriolic, often cryptic, often more than one of these at a time. Strange Arithmetic is an interesting take on the school system, showcasing its disregard for a variety of more delicate (and important) issues, as well as the intention to raise generations of obedient, non-thinking workers in the another-brick-in-the-wall mould („they will never show the line between the takers and givers“). All of the songs depict various issues in the States; Your Parents' Cocaine, for example, refers to the power financial affluency can garner. The Occupy movement, something Riley's been involved with, is also mentioned; on Long Island Iced Tea, Neat, he speaks of his admiration for the movement and the joy of seeing people unite for a common cause. On WAVIP, The Coup team up with Das Racist and Killer Mike, and – this is how I interpreted it anyway -, use a nightclub as an allegory for the U.S.

The serious content is drenched in satire and theatricality, as a result of which Sorry to Bother You avoids being a preachy, tedious album and instead comes across like an eccentric hood operetta of sorts. If Tom Waits is into funk and hip-hop, I could imagine him appreciating this.

37) Stalley – Savage Journey to the American Dream

Rick Ross has gone for potential above everything else when building up the roster of MMG; one of the lads on the up is Stalley.  Savage Journey is the first project the bearded ex-basketballer has made during his time in the MMG Ranks.

It's another one so-called concept mixtape, an enjoyable occurrence. As the title implies, one can detect the influence of Hunter S. Thompson and his work here, the great man is mentioned in the rhymes on occasion and his voice can also be heard on the project. The concept strives towards depicting the chase of the American Dream, so the title is an adequate one. Production is on point – it's surprisingly consistent for a MMG project -, starting with the slightly mystical-sounding title track, where Stalley lays down rhymes with devotion. Thence onwards it changes its character as it progresses – there are Hammond-grooves, synth-driven tracks and else. Stalley maintains a strong lyrical level throughout the voyage, Curren$y and Rick Ross do solid guest appearances. A pretty strong project.

36) Action Bronson – Blue Chips

Rap music's most beloved bald-headed-red-bearded-obese-culinary-education-possessing-Albanian returns with Blue Chips. It’s a funky trip filled with loads of kitchen-related commentary, promiscuous female characters among everything else, all delivered through the humorous vernacular of Action Bronson. Oh, I almost forgot, Mary Jane also gets mentioned by the bucketloads. The production harks back towards the New York of the 90s and it provides a fitting foil for Bronson’s flow. Roc Marciano and Meyhem Lauren also stop by. Bon appetit.

35) Brother Ali – Mourning in America & Dreaming in Colour

Brother Ali is known for emphasising message; this is, above all, the focal point of his body of work (well, it sounds dope as well, of course). This album is no different.

Ali kicks it off with the poignant Letter to My Countrymen, featuring a spoken word feature by Dr. Cornel West. Most of the time he's talking about issues without necessarily pointing fingers at anyone, a commendable trait. The songs take a delicate tone most of the time; Mourning in America, however, is one moment where the sounds are draped in a darker cloth, as Ali drops vicious rhymes commenting on poverty looming loose in America and that instead of solving these, the country focuses its attention on pillaging and looting foreign lands. Need a Knot is an interesting one, as it paints illusions of certain professions, then turns everything on its head with the last line of each verse.  Jake One deserves much credit, as he's responsible for the album's production in all of its variety.

All in all, Ali delivers another album of solid message music, backed by beats worthy of the same adjective.

34) Lupe Fiasco – Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1

Coming off the heels of the absolute fiasco that was Lasers, F&L2TGARAP1 was expected to be Lupe's return to form, ever more so because the title implies it being the sequel to his magnificent debut. It kind of is...and it kind of isn't.

Lupe elaborates on the U.S., its past, present and future, mostly focusing on social critique, covering subjects such as poverty, slavery, the decline of all moral values in a materialistic society where money is the be-all and end-all, the bad impact of media, the ecological footprint and so forth. The subjects are weighty, but Lupe confronts them successfully, owing to his strong lyrical (the third verse of Unforgivable Youth serves as a fine example of an unique approach to making a statement) and technical skills. The production is primarily an array of synth-driven beats with some being good, some less so. The Achilles' heel of this album, though, is the hook department, as a flock of bubblegum-sounding poppy choruses do their best to undermine the album's seriousness and overall quality. They don't manage to burn down the entire house, but leave a blemish on the listening experience regardless.

All in all, Lupe Fiasco's fourth album is definitely an improvement on the one preceding it. If Lupe's ever to reach the heights of the original Food & Liquor, though, he must find production worthy of the lyrical side.

33) Rick Ross – God Forgives, I Don’t

After Rick Ross proved he can make a really strong album with Teflon Don, there came tales of the follow-up, titled God Forgives, I Don't, being „a dark, grandiose mafioso rap classic“ and „the album that's going to cement his place among legends“.

What ultimately arrived, though, was a step back from Teflon Don: a patchwork album with very notable highs and lows. The low points on GFID owe to dreadful lyrics, cheesy R&B cuts and tacky trap tracks. Where Ross opts for soulful flavour, things get better, though some songs could have been much better (such as 3 Kings, which features three shockingly weak verses by Jay-Z, Dre and Ross respectively, also Diced Pineapples, which suffers from a tasteless attempt at poeticness by Wale). The album also has some brilliant moments. Where „3 Kings“ fail, André 3000 lives up to his status as he delivers a performance fit for a duke, a king, and an emperor combined with a gargantuan verse that could well be verse of the year on Sixteen. Triple Beam Dreams is perhaps the best example of the album's potential being fulfilled, as it has a standout verse from the featuring Nas plus a majestic, slightly eerie instrumental with strings added for some extra tension, all adding up to a bona fide mafioso rap opus.

All in all, it's somewhat ironic that, given Ross' reputation as a gourmand, the album fails to deliver primarily because of bad taste, as a „dark and cinematic opus“ turned out to be a patchwork release that’s hampered by tales of empty fridges, cheesecake and fancy machinery. It's a decent album, but one that falls country miles short of being a classic.

32) Blu & Exile – Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them

When Below the Heavens dropped in 2007, Blu seemed to be destined for greatness, as that album was a brilliant listen both on the lyrical and musical front. What's happened in the mean time is that Blu's delivered a horde of eccentric releases with varying quality, so the news that he and Exile were to drop another collaborative album was greeted warmly by many a listener.

The sophomore effort isn't exactly brimming with any... artistic restlessness as such. This is not necessarily a flaw, as the album is extremely enjoyable throughout, Blu is lyrically on the top of his game, Exile the monarch of the boards. Blu's lyrics range from conversational to insightful, though all topics are presented with an effortless flow, which shifts the attention over to the beats. This is not bad at all, as Exile's beats – most have a jazzy or bossa nova'ish vibe here – are simply drop-dead gorgeous. More than anything, GMMFWICSST (now that's an acronym!) is a triumph of aesthetics.

31) G.O.O.D. Music – Cruel Summer

A compilation album by Kanye and his eclectic crew of henchmen? Artistic, pompous, grandiose, commercial music with a midas touch? Promising! However, the compilation – titled Cruel Summer – doesn't really reach the heights one could hope after the likes of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Watch the Throne.

A lot of the elements present in other recent works by West still exist here – the glossy sound, beat changes here and there, the themes are also roughly the same. However, one change is the occurence of poor taste: this is the reason for some of the failures. To the World, the opener, is perhaps the best example: a generic background, a tasteless, auto-tuned vocal contribution by R. Kelly, and, to top it all off, Kanye quoting one of Rick Ross’ worst ever songs. Proceed to the next song and you'll witness the other side of the coin: Hit-Boy brings his A-game with a hard-hitting instrumental, Kanye and Jay-Z are in fine form, Big Sean pretty much manages to keep up. All this adds up to a great example of how good commercial music can be. This sums up the character of the album: some songs work, some don't.

All in all, the high points and low points on CS add up to a decent final product, but one that could've been a lot better, had the pieces of the puzzle been assembled with more care. Also, the absence of Mos Def, Q-Tip and Common (the latter of the three was the only one involved, contributing one verse) is peculiar, although in the light of talk about Cruel Winter it's starting to make more sense.

30) MellowHype – Numbers

After the pleasantly disturbing 64, one would have expected MellowHype to tread eerie-grimy-gloomy path all the way, but that's not quite the case.

Much of the album rather finds Hodgy and Left Brain creating a vibe that is as much hazy and relaxed as it is tense. Hodgy's technique is still good – as previously – but he's improved lyrically. Common themes include the Wolf Gang's breakthrough, undying love for the green goddess that is marijuana, music being a form of escapism, basically all that Hodgy's encountered in his life and travels. 2012 has also been big for Left Brain, who is improving leaps and bounds, incorporating various different sounds into his musical palette. Instead of further increasing their griminess they've augmented their sound by making it more subtle and versatile. This is a good move as it enables them to avoid drifting into gimmick-territory by pigenholing themselves into the horrorcore sub-genre.

29) Gangrene – Vodka & Ayahuasca

Gangrene is a duo comprised of The Alchemist and Oh No. Vodka & Ayahuasca is their sophomore album.

As the title and artwork imply, this projects finds them mixing rap with psychedelic influences. The instrumentals do this successfully, demonstrating how only a bit of added flavour can make the boom-bap sound still surprise audiences. The lyrics are alright, if nothing more (one could imagine the likes of Ishmael Butler and Jay Electronica using these beats to full effect and turning in fittingly drowsy, ghostly performances), deducting nothing of the album's allure but not adding much either.

Ultimately, no bad words about this one – Vodka & Ayahuasca is boom-bap dipped in a slightly different, exotic sauce.

28) Curren$y – The Stoned Immaculate

Curren$y is a very, very, very productive artist. The following quote from the album works as a shrewd description of his modus operandi: „I work hard, bloggers thinking that it's 10 of me.“ Interestingly enough, despite the plethora of projects he's put out, Warner Bros. Records have called TSI his „debut album“.

That claim is absolute tomfoolery, but they are on to something: TSI is different from most of Spitta's other creations in the sense that there’s a large variety of producers and featured artists present: Wiz Khalifa, Big K.R.I.T., Wale all make appearances among others, whilst The Neptunes and Daz Dillinger are present. It's surprising that Ski Beatz, the man behind both editions of Pilot Talk, is absent here, though. In other aspects, it’s a classic Curren$y project. The tempo is lethaaaaargiiiiiiic most of the time, possessing a rather „green“ vibe (obvious reference is obvious). Curren$y's mindstate is fitting: lethargic to the point of near-apathy, yet confident and clever. The lyrical aspect of the album is also Curren$y's „nine-to-five“, so to speak: it is brimming with braggadocio, verses depicting everything that comes along with wealth, such as a myriad of females, a legion of cars and tons of high-quality weed. Curren$y's eccentricity helps him reinvigorate the paltry subject matter (think „I chase that money down like it said somethin' bout my mama“). 

The Stoned Immaculate is a smooth record, one which definitely holds a high place (double entendre!) in Curren$y's discography, a pleasant comrade for many a pastime.

27) Public Enemy – Most of My Heroes Still Don’t Appear on No Stamp

Public Enemy marked the year of their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with two albums, the first of which is this. MOMHSDAONS – as the title already implies – carries on themes that hark back to their prime, the times of A Nation of Millions and Fear of a Black Planet. The sound is also vintage without sounding tired, as the blueprint crafted by The Bomb Squad is resurrected and is as vivacious as ever. Brother Ali stops by on Get Up Stand Up, turning in a spirited performance, as do Large Professor and Cormega on Catch the Thrown, both spirited highlights.

26) SpaceGhostPurrp – Mysterious Phonk: The Chronicles of SpaceGhostPurrp

SGP's first retail album is a good summation of his character and talents.It's a very bleak album, sound-wise, with the eerie, lo-fi sound that Purrp’s known for being abundant. His lyrical style is very simplistic, mostly morose in mood, as he's disappointed by what the world is. The world is, in his opinion, a „house with a yard full of snakes“. Haters, hypocrites, the futility of the money-worshipping world is a recurring topic, something which he loathes, but admits that he is also driven by a thirst for money and success. His relationship with the world is a love-hate one as well, on occasion he equates it with hell, but on some occasions he also claims to love it and his hometown – Miami – as well despite all the problems. The production fits the somewhat dystopian, nihilistic and paranoid mood. A very interesting album by the young misanthrope, with the alien-sounding production justifying the Space in his name.

25) Action Bronson – Rare Chandeliers

Action Bronson brings more of the same to the table. The Alchemist is the star of this one, though, as his beats are the main reason for the project’s shine. Bronson’s establishing his foothold and it reflects in his confidence. Hopefully he will find the prospect of expanding his sound worthwhile at some point, though.

24) Public Enemy – The Evil Empire of Everything

The second album released by P.E. this year, The Evil Empire of Everything is also aggressive and passionate. Musically, it's even more stirring than Most of My Heroes Still Don't Appear on No Stamp, with Ziggy Marley and Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine making notable appearances. The grim, menacing Beyond Trayvon is perhaps the pick of the bunch. Chuck D's lyrics and voice are still so powerful that it's simply a delight to hear, with him proving there is room in the game for MCs over 50.

23) Homeboy Sandman – First of a Living Breed

Tradition is molded with freshness on First of a Living Breed. The album is largely a backpack rap opus in character and sound, with glitchy samples complementing the gentle giant's unorthodox flow and charismatic, laid-back character. Sandman drops a pretty good love song (a rare occurrence in rap music!) in Couple Bars, discusses traits of the era, the capabilities of technical gadgets and more in the Orwellian Illuminati and visits other autobiographical and/or educational topics. Recommended for all lyric-heads.

22) JJ DOOM – Key to the Kuffs

DOOM teams up with Jneiro Jarel on his most recent collaborative album. Jarel's eccentric, occasionally fun, occasionally hazy, occasionally pacy, occasionally something else beats suit DOOM's unorthodox flow and character, which seems to prosper alongside eccentric, off-kilter production (see DANGERDOOM and Madvillainy). DOOM delivers some braggadocio, some affection-imbued lyrics and more, all lethally technical. He can also be credited with probably using the name of Eyjafjällajökull for the first (and probably last) time in rap. Beth Gibbons and Damon Albarn of Portishead and Blur, respectively, are the most notable guests.

At a time when Anne Hathaway constitutes nearly all that's worthwhile about the most recent Batman movie, DOOM holds high the reputation of masked men.

21) Death Grips – No Love Deep Web

It was a surprise to see Death Grips signed to a major label; that, however , is no more. The phallic-coverart-wielding NLDW is the group's middle finger to label executives, being leaked onto the Internet by the group members themselves after they were informed that the album wouldn't be released in 2012. No Love Deep Web largely carries on the sound of The Money Store, but a new step is that they're utilising space in their compositions. Check out Artificial Death in the West for an example. Those cryptic lyrics are still present, that gloomy, almost demonic sound is still present and as menacing as ever, making No Love Deep Web a rewarding listen.

20) Sean Price – Mic Tyson

If you’re not aware yet, Sean Price is not to be fucked with. His raps slap the Earth off its axis and should you bother him, he will pistol-whip your brains out your ears, use them to cook up a stew, feed an entire nation with it, and wipe out a few planets and pistol whip everyone on the planet just for kicks at the same time, all in the blink of an eye. All tight-jean-and-jewelry-wearing-bubblegum-ass rappers are particularly exposed to this danger. The album is packed with multi-syllabic rhymes riddled with braggadocio, intentionally overblown to such gargantuan dimensions that it brings a comic element to the table. The busy production provides a suitable backdrop to all the verbal battery.

The shortness of the songs and dopeness of the beats make this a fresh, captivating project. Mic Tyson is an energetic click-clack-try-to-move-and-get-snapped-back-and-gat-slapped-slick-rap album.

19) Big K.R.I.T. – 4 Eva N a Day

Since 2010, KRIT's released a few free albums of very high quality in a row, all following a formula that works wonders for him. 4 Eva N a Day is the third.

It's a mixtape with a loose concept – a day in the life of KRIT, from the first rays of the morning sun to the late dark hours. It's a demonstration of his prowess behind the boards first and foremost, with the backgrounds being being lush, ethereal yet distinctly bearing the nostalgic Southern stamp. He's also a competent, heart-on-sleeve style wordsmith. Red Eye is probably the highlight of the entire project – the lyrical content and the emotions of KRIT are all present, as is a beautiful beat. Something for the Southern aficionados.

18) Freddie Gibbs – Baby Face Killa

Freddie Gibbs hails from Gary, Indiana, as he often feels inclined to inform you. His Midwest heritage does express itself in his music, with a Bone Thugs-n-Harmony influence audible in his slightly melodic flow, which itself can be both the as intense and pacy as a machine gun or as mellow as anything under the sun.

One of Gibbs' strong points is his versatility, as he can adapt to a variety of beats with no difficulties. The beats here are mostly soulful, mid-paced backdrops in possession of a thoroughly 90s timbre. He talks about the life of crime, specifically that of a dealer, the unpredictability of street life (Krazy is a good example), occasionally switching into boast-mode to celebrate his various triumphs (Bout It, Bout It; Boxframe Cadillac). Nods to hip-hop's favourite form of flora are also understandably present, with the hazy-yet-pacy Kush Cloud being the most obvious of those.

Summing up the trials, tribulations and rewards of street life, Baby Face Killa is another piece of pure-bred gangsta rap made by Gibbs.

17) Big K.R.I.T. – Live from the Underground

So here it is. Big K.R.I.T.'s debut album. „Debut album“ is a misleading term in itself in these days and times, as this is already his fourth full-length project, crafted with care for every detail. Nonetheless, having your album released by Def Jam does result in many pairs of ears hearing your music for the first time. On those grounds, it makes perfect sense, that LFTU resembles its three predecessors both in terms of sound and content.

This is not bad, not bad by any means – K.R.I.T. is at the forefront of people striving to keep alive the sound of groups such as Goodie Mob, UGK, OutKast and so forth. The soundscape is dominated by funk, soul (of the Stax variety) and blues, thematically it can be divided into two rough categories: the bangers and the introspective, thoughtful tracks. The album is solid throughout, albeit the beginning and the end overshadow the tracks in between. The last third of the album is particularly impressive: the tracks situated there (Rich Dad, Poor Dad and the B.B. King-featuring Praying Man in particular!) are some of the best work K.R.I.T.'s done yet.

Although one or two tracks slightly compromise the overall quality of the album, Live from the Underground is a strong debut. And by all signs, this should only be the start. Stay tuned – and buy the record, support the artist!

16) T.I. – Trouble Man: Heavy Is the Head

Trouble Man is T.I.'s first album after exiting the confines of the penitentiary. As a result, he's a man on a mission, intent on re-establishing himself as the monarch of Southern rap.

Sound-wise, Trouble Man is largely a dichotomy made up of trap music (listenable trap songs!!! I was surprised that this is actually possible) and more groovy, soulful productions. Drug talk is still the most common source of subject matter, though Tip's lyrical finesse helps avoid the tone getting monotone.  The standout tracks involve – understandably – a bit more subject matter: Sorry is the moment where Tip finally teams up with (and gets slaughtered by) André 3000; their verses primarily revolve around the negative effects fame can have on one’s life. On Can You Learn T.I. talks about the magnetic field surrounding him that just keeps pulling trouble around time after time. Other guests involve Meek Mill, ASAP Rocky and Lil Wayne (who surprisingly manages to avoid fucking up a song he's featured on, something he's prone to do).

T.I. is back on a roll with Trouble Man. Watch the throne.

                                                       15) Aesop Rock – Skelethon

Aesop is as enigmatic as ever, lining up cryptic, metaphore-laden rhymes one after another. On occasion, he can get a bit too obscure for any comprehension, so if you're feeling like an Enigma machine, you'll probably appreciate Skelethon.

He talks about issues weighing down his own mind, such as desolation and alienation stemming from relationships that keep breaking down and even his family connections dying down (expressing his doubts about the „blood is thicker than water“ saying) and names riding a motorcycle as one of his preferred methods of escapism. There's also an odd sort of humour present, as Fryerstarter (an ode to a place called Bob's Donuts) and Grace (a track depicting his resentment of vegetables and the trouble it caused him back in the day). There are moments of pure storytelling present, such as Ruby '81, a short-story-in-music about a beagle saving a little girl from death by drowning. The macabre Crows pieces are probably the closest thing to Edgar-Allan-Poe-meets-hip-hop one has heard. ZZZ Top has three characters signifying their love for music by inscribing a names or symbols. An album rich in lyrical depth, well worth the scrutiny.

14) Danny! – Payback

Payback is a concept album about an upset Danny Swain's backlash at the music industry, with the reason for his angst being his lack of success. Danny! feels that people don't believe in him and the industry is at blame for this stagnation. „If underrated is a compliment, then keep it“, is a line that sums up his frustrations. The album showcases his candid lyricism and talent for producing, as it's full of dense, soulful production with some great beat changes also present. El-P, Lil B, Blu ?uestlove all belong to the colourful guest list.

13) O.C. & Apollo Brown – Trophies

1994 was one of those magical years in hip-hop: Nas delivered the holy scripture of hip-hop, Biggie, OutKast and others delivered classic debut albums. One of those 'others' was Omar Credle's debut, Word...Life. The sales were meagre but the album was met with critical acclaim, that was followed by a song as one of the Crooklyn Dodgers, followed by a solid sophomore album. After that, O.C. faded into obscurity. Trophies is the grandmaster's biggest accomplishment in more than a decade.

The album is made in conjunction with Detroit beatsmith Apollo Brown, who hails from a younger generation than O, but their styles mesh with real chemistry. Brown's input is characteristic of him: sample-driven soundscapes, with hard-hitting drums and different fragments (strings, brass and more) form an ethereal, often majestic whole. The album is cohesive both musically and lyrically: the dominant theme is the paradigm that materialism plays a major role in the deterioration of mankind and could prove to be its bane. Most tracks point out the looming lust for fame, hypocrisy being found nearly everywhere in society, mostly in a contemplative tone that expresses hope for overcoming these problems. The Formula is O's nod to his idols – primarily The D.O.C. -, Fantastic, the closer, is also a personal track.

A remarkable feat is the album having NO guest features, a risky, yet rewarding move. 1990s in character, yet – thankfully – not sounding dated, Trophies is a spirited homage to classical hip-hop and an admirably consistent album.

12) Skyzoo – A Dream Deferred

Skyzoo is a Brooklyn-bred emcee with approaches topics with a heartfelt, sincere attitude. He's  -in my opinion, of course - an emcee in the mould of Talib Kweli: conscious yet avoiding preachiness, in possession of a mellow voice, equally adept at being a griot of the ghetto and a loverman respectively. Saying „fuck an E for effort, don't celebrate the attempt“, he celebrates hard work and the success that follows on the opener, Dreams in a Basement. That song is also a good example of what elevates A Dream Deferred to a higher position than a variety of other similar albums: a bit more attention being spent on detail. The instrumental codas that cap off many of the songs augment the album's sound, demonstrating what a difference a few minor additions can make. Skyzoo is a skilled wordsmith who maintains a solid level throughout, with the lush instrumentals keeping up the pace.

11) Captain Murphy – Duality

The mysterious author of Duality, Captain Murphy, eventually turned out to be Flying Lotus. This project – the first project of his rapper alter-ego – has him engaging in cult leader talk, braggadocio, and more. Murphy is in a raunchy mood throughout, showing glimpses of paranoia on occasions, also expressing his discontentment as he compares himself to Bruce Wayne (split into two different characters). The production here is positively mad, with a maniacal, heathen sound helping elevate this to a project unique in sound. Psychedelic rap really could be the term to use here. The Ritual depicts a virgin sacrifice, making this something of a rap peer to Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. Audiophiles with a taste for the peculiar should definitely hear this out.

10) Ab-Soul – Control System

Black Hippy has been establishing itself as THE contemporary powerhouse/supergroup of hip-hop. Ab-Soul has, in his own words, gone „from underdog to secret weapon“. Those are not empty words.

Of the four – none of whom are pushovers when it comes to bars – Soul is probably the most potent lyricist. He's a very eccentric wordsmith, combining charisma with intellect, being contradictory just like any other human being (all this is summed up by himself: „Genius idiot, best description of myself“). On Terrorist Threats, he, among other things, expresses his disapproval of the common rap topics such as gang life, drug talk and all that. He's no hypocrite in that regard, as he possesses a large variety of topics, all related to his own life, thoughts and experiences („I'm all about that real, about that real, this ain't no motion picture“): DMT and its effects, the troubles and inequalities of America, fear of death and its futility and gender-related double standards among others. He salutes his own „vices“ (not really a fitting word, one'd say, but it'll have to suffice), such as purple drank (Mixed Feelings) and the allure of beauty on Lust Demons. On Track Two he taunts the opposition and expresses his joy of TDE's rise to glory. The Book of Soul is the definition of poignant, covering his childhood, troublesome and near-fatal health issues and his relationship with Alori Joh and her suicide. All four members of Black Hippy combine to strike a powerful final chord in the closer, the remix to Black Lip Bastard.

Control System is a fascinating album, rich in substance, lyrical prowess, and esoteric work with fitting (occasionally minimalistic beats influenced either by soul, jazz or electronica, all with a mystical and contemplative sound) production to match it.

09) Schoolboy Q – Habits & Contradictions

Habits & Contradictions, Q's sophomore release, is another invigorating release from the Black Hippy camp – the crew responsible for the West Coast rising from the ashes, phoenix-style. Until 2012, Kendrick Lamar had been overshadowing the other members, but with H&C, Q establishes himself as a distinct character.

The production is largely similar to that of Section.80, being ethereal, melodic and esoteric, thus contrasting Q's rapping. With regard to the lyrical side of things, hedonism is by and large the law here, with Schoolboy's spark, sharpness and skill inserts some much-needed vigour into overused themes and concepts. It's a notably consistent album that sounds alluring throughout. The guests are well-picked as well (Blessed with Kendrick Lamar and Hands on the Wheel with ASAP Rocky are highlights of the album without a shadow of doubt).

Habits & Contradictions is a lush opus that suits many scenarios – roaming the streets in an automobile, a social pastime or just mellow lounging.

                                                     08) Roc Marciano – Reloaded

Roc Marciano is possibly the most notable contemporary practitioner of mid-90s New York Hip-Hop. He's no ersatz artist, though, having created a sound that, while harking back to the 90s, is distinctively his own.

This has Marciano delivering verbose, technical rhymes with the acuteness of an assassin song after song, usually without any hooks. The lyrics, while containing rhymes hinting at braggadocio, are images of what goes on in the Rotten Apple, rather than autobiographical lines, at least most of the time. Marciano's delivery, which is almost always eerily devoid of any emotions, lends the atmosphere – much like Prodigy did during The Infamous – a considerably more sinister aura. The production, mostly also by Marciano himself, is very cohesive, and also warrants a comparison with classics of old – the icy echoes and piano notes paint the milieu of New York's dark alleys at night time with a majestically authentic flair, a sound reminiscent of the crystallic sound of Liquid Swords and the bleakness of The Infamous.

Reloaded, Marciano's sophomore album, is a carefully polished album that places emphasis on nuances. Thus, this elegant street suite is particularly rewarding for the patient listener.

07) Death Grips – The Money Store

In the last few years, the numerous new and interesting artists have popped up on the rap scene like mushrooms after heavy rain. One of the most notable newcomers are Death Grips: aesthetically, they might put the tolerance threshold of many a conservative listener to the limit, but if you manage to dig deep into the music and let it reach you, The Money Store turns out to be an exhilarating (for example the primitivist, yet powerful chorus of Hustle Bones) and, in a strange enough manner, melodic listen!

The Money Store sounds like the bastard child of many a genre in the best possible meaning such a term could convey – really, ignore the negative connotations - , as the tracks are made up of temperamental, chopped-up samples, menacing bass and pacy drum rhythms which, along with the vocal, form a maniacal whole. Most of the time, MC Ride's slightly Mayakovsky-esque, slightly primal, slightly simply raving mad shouts form another layer of the music, but they would be very interesting even without any sort of a backdrop: by and large they come across as gloomy, cryptic (often to the point where only Ride himself probably knows whatever meaning lies behind them) and symbolist , often coming across as absurd when one only concerns him-/herself with the facade of the lyric („visit Tesla's grave for the ninth time today“). The hooks, often comprised of one and only one recurring phrase, obtain a mantra-esque effect.

Death Grips seem to be a polarising group: their high-tempo and raging sound can either amaze one or make one nauseous. Worth a listen – many a listen -, regardless of the outcome.

06) THEESatisfaction – awE naturalE

Shabazz Palaces – whose debut album, Black Up, was one of the highlights of 2011 regardless of genre – was the first hip-hop collective in the ranks of Sub Pop; in their footprints follow THEESatisfaction, who for all intents and purposes come across as a sister-group of sorts to Shabazz Palaces.

Here's why: both are members of Sub Pop, both have somewhat similar styles – the sound, which is vaguely characteristic for both of them, happens to be unique when compared to most projects of whatever genre -, and they also happen to be close collaborators. The two members of this group helped give Black Up its finishing touches and last little details, on this album, Palaceer Lazaro (previously known as Butterfly of Digable Planets fame) of Palaces has a fair bit of input here. Both groups are duos, both groups have an unique sound, an amalgam of different genres that oozes of some inexplicable – yet perceptible! – spirituality and mystique, as if it were made by griots from Western Africa. The unconventionally-structured, slightly psychedelic tracks often remind one of incantations, rather than rapping or singing or what ever is going on during a particular moment.

Catherine Harris-White's beautiful, dreamy singing and Stasia Irons' raps also contrast one another, forming a contrasting, yet delightfully assonant whole. A rewarding experience, blown together by four winds, eight directions and various cultures. As wonderful as it sounds, though, awE naturalE is a tad TOO brief (really, the brevity of this album makes me want to weep) not to leave a listener wishing for more.. thus, hopefully it’s a blueprint for more similar projects in the future.

05) Big Boi – Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors

OutKast are one of THE great duos of all time. They did sort of – and successfully at that – go solo with Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. However, Big Boi's the only half of the duo to release a full-fledged solo project thus far, that being Sir Lucious Left Foot: Son of Chico Dusty, released in 2010. This is his sophomore effort.

Where SLLF rather emphasised tradition, VLDR goes for unbashed experimentation most of the time, sometimes more, sometimes less successfully. Phantogram and Little Dragon are two of the most consistent collaborators on here. Shoes for Running, featuring Wavves and B.o.B, is probably the least impressive – albeit not bad – track. Descending, the outro, could've used some rapping by Patton to feel fully developed, but is still enjoyable, even if slight. The best moments occur when all involved harmonise with complete success, such as on Thom Pettie (featuring the ever-aggressive Killer Mike and Little Dragon) and Lines (where Big Boi teams up with Sarah Barthel of Phantogram and Houston-influenced new boy ASAP Rocky). The production is mostly an amalgam of indie, electro and funk, though some more traditional bits are also present (The Thickets, featuring Sleepy Brown, and the Atlanta-rap showcase In the A).

All in all, Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors finds Big Boi ambitious and as sharp as ever; it's not a perfect album, but an innovative one, and one that helps the 'Kast camp maintain their record of no trite releases.

04) El-P – Cancer 4 Cure

2012 was a busy year for El-P. The New Yorker with an impressive CV is responsible for two albums released in the month of May: one is his collaboration with Killer Mike (with El Producto behind the boards), the other is his newest solo project, Cancer 4 Cure.

C4C is dedicated to the memory of Camu Tao, a friend and colleague, whose departure has most likely left its mark on the character of the album. It's a vivid encapsulation of El-P's quirks and strengths: a distinctive producing style full of psychedelic echoes, ominous blots of bass and powerful percussion. The sci-fi-influenced, often cryptic verses – the author himself references said character: „I'm a „holy fuck what did he just utter“ marksman“ – are present and well audible. The mood is paranoid and often morose, the atmosphere always colourful. Themes are rich in variety: True Story is a comment on overpopulation, Tougher Colder Killer viciously lashes out at war, Drones Over BKLYN agitates one to look over his shoulder (and above his head!), Oh Hail No a verbal lash of the whip aimed at wack emcees.

The guests are few in number, but well chosen: Killer Mike maintains his 2012 standard, Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire introduces himself to a larger audience with a pleasantly flowing verse, Danny Brown... is Danny Brown. C4C is an interesting, expertly composed and conducted album; a carrousel ride inside the dome of an enigmatic multi-talent.

03) Killer Mike – R.A.P. Music

Killer Mike has been worthy of being called a veteran for some time, but R.A.P. Music is the album which can cement that reputation and propel him into the Hall of Fame of Southern rap as such. The reason is simple: he had a strong oeuvre even before, but this album looks set to be a Southern classic, only Sir Lucious Left Foot has been of similar quality in recent years.

One of the main things which makes R.A.P. Music special is probably the fact that El-P is responsible for the production. Albeit on paper this would seem – before 2012, at least it certainly did – a strange combination, it works magnificently: as a duo they complement one another, creating a multifaceted sound: tension is the common denominator as a deep-fried Southern vocal and left-field hip-hop's dark, occasionally ethereal and always powerful production join forces. Having one producer take care of the entire album helps to make it cohesive in spite of the wide-ranging subject matter: the album starts with an imposing posse cut (carrying the name Big Beast, which obtained a pleasantly gory video - inspired by Drive - in June), which works as an ode to Atlanta. Over the course of the album, both jovial (the freestyle-flavoured Go!) as well as serious, message-centered cuts (the vicious, candid Reagan for example) can be found. The two last tracks of the album also stand out: Willie Burke Sherwood is a deeply personal piece and the album's title track is an ode to hip-hop (and African-American music in general, with Miles Davis and Curtis Mayfield being but two of the greats mentioned) and its ability to speak to people's hearts. Both technically and lyrically, Mike is in top form throughout.

R.A.P. is pretty much a flawless album: versatile YET cohesive, just about the perfect length (not miniature yet not an overlong opus) and with plenty of character and spirit. The teamwork of two artists has given it an unique spice. R.A.P. Music is one such moment, where an artist has had exact knowledge his goal, and executed it with precision.

02) Nas – Life Is Good

While Nasir Jones has been releasing good albums in recent years, his personal life has been less of a triumph, with tax issues looming about and his marriage with Kelis breaking up. As it often is with artists, the problems seem to have rejuvenated him, as he returns to classic form for this one.

The album kicks off with No Introduction, in which Nas goes all the way back to his humble beginnings and ends the song by dedicating the album to Kelis, all next to a lush pop-jazzy groove crafted by the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League. Loco-Motive, the follow-up, sounds like the brother of New York State of Mind, returning home donning a beard and reeking of whisky after a being lost for a long time. The orchestral A Queens Story is a tale about some lost comrades of his, depicting the bloody character of said borough. Accident Murderers, the only song on the album with a guest verse – surprisingly enough, it's by Rick Ross – points out how people get killed by amateurs who - despite all the bravado present in their talk – know next to nothing about firearms. Daughters is perhaps the most interesting song of all, made about the difficulties of raising a daughter, especially when you're no role model yourself. Bye Baby, the closer, is Nas' adieu to Kelis, where he chooses to remind the good times and move on, rather than washing the dirty laundry in public.

Life Is Good is not a perfect album – Summer on Smash, a complete mess with Swizz Beatz largely responsible, is the one big blot on the parchment -, but it's an album that has a grandmaster at the top of his game, taking on large topics. Nas' lyrical game – metaphors, all sorts of wordplay, etc – is on top and he sounds motivated and passionate throughout. For the first time in quite a while, Nas has also gathered top-notch production (largely 90s-influenced yet fresh) for the entirety of an album. Life Is Good is an album showcasing Nas' different traits in kaleidoscopic fashion, an album which has him waving his troubles goodbye and moving on, an album fit for a claimant of the Golden Mic of New York.

01) Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city

On Section.80, Lamar's tales were mostly in third person. Good kid, m.A.A.d city, his retail debut, is Kendrick's own tale.

It's subtitled A Short Film by Kendrick Lamar and it does run as such. Sherane kicks off with an eerie party scene, with Kendrick's lust for her in the forefront, but themes of crime and the danger of Compton are already present. Backseat Freestyle has Kendrick making his first attempts at rapping in the company of his friends, who then go wilding out on the hood in the following track, a brilliant and evocative take on peer pressure. M.A.A.d city depicts the pointless violence looming the city in demonic fashion, with veteran MC Eiht showing up on the second half of the track to unite Compton of new and old. Swimming Pools is a great track: it’s conceptually crafted and laced with deep meaning, yet also in possession of a sound a wider audience can also appreciate. The 12-minute Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst has Kendrick telling the tale of two people he knows, immortalising them in the process.  It's a beautiful piece about the character of the poverty-plagued Compton. Skits present between songs also help establish a connection between them and give the album a semi-linear progression. The production is a mix of in-house producers and big names such as Hit-Boy, Pharrell and Just Blaze, with most being spacy, cinematic soundscapes, with the hard-hitting Backseat Freestyle and closing-titles-track Compton (Just Blaze laces it with a Zapp-influenced beat and Dr. Dre joins his new protege on the trak) differing from the pattern.

Simultaneously connected with the past and present, good kid, m.A.A.d city is an astoundingly cohesive work that also withstands being scrutinised song by song; a triumph creatively, musically and commercially. A short film brought you in musical form by a talented writer.

Non-Hip-Hop picks:

                                                   

                                                    Frank Ocean – channel ORANGE

With this, Frank Ocean establishes himself as one of the most talented songwriters of the generation.

Grizzly Bear – Shields

An eccentric work where different elements are expertly sewn into one cohesive – and gorgeous – opus.

Jack White – Blunderbuss

Jack White goes... Jack White. And it's great, as usual.

Jessie Ware – Devotion

An alluring album that seems slow and stagnant for a few seconds, then simply runs you over with its beauty.

Miguel – Kaleidoscope Dream

Miguel's angellic tenor croons and wails in vintage fashion. Marvin Gaye would probably be proud of this slightly psychedelia-flavoured opus.

Tame Impala – Lonerism

Proudly displaying its influences yet in possession of a distinct character, Tame Impala pull off a breathtakingly beautiful album. My overall favourite of 2012.

WHOOP WHOOP