Top 9 Hip Hop Albums of 2009

I've been trying to avoid this post all week. It's easy for me to explain why I don't like an album, as you can tell from my previous posts "Top 5 Worst Albums of 2009" and "Top 5 Album Let-Downs of 2009," but not so easy to narrow this category down to 5 albums. There were a lot of good albums this year surprisingly and I've created a list of my 9 favorites for 2009.

9. BLAKROC

Dame Dash truly surprised me with this compilation album. The album is entirely produced by The Black Keys, who is Dash's favorite blues band from Ohio. It features artists such as the RZA, Raekwon, Pharoahe Monch, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Ludacris, Q-Tip, Mos Def, Jim Jones, Billy Danz, and NOE. It only has 11 tracks, but I like all of them except one. The production is great and the rhymes are off the hook. The only beef I have with this album is that it is too short. For more info on this great record, peep my review here: BLAKROC ALBUM REVIEW
I gave the album a 4 out of 5.


8. J. COLE: "The Warm Up"

My boy Khamal put me onto J. Cole at the beginning of the year. He hales from Fayetteville, NC and is a producer/MC with an immense amount of skill at a young age. He is the first rapper signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation record label and was featured on "The Blueprint 3." This album is technically a mixtape, but is so good you wouldn't even know it was a mixtape. "The Warm Up" was a breath of fresh air for me because J. Cole is one of the scarce few new, upcoming rappers who can actually rhyme his ass off. He goes in hard on this album with a crisp flow, smooth delivery, quality content and great similes/metaphors. If Jay doesn't fuck it up for him, J. Cole could be and should be way bigger and better than Drake. Yes, I said it. Trust. Peep my approval post of J. Cole including two free downloads of his official mixtapes here: J. COLE FREE DOWNLOADS

7. SHA STIMULI: "My Soul To Keep"

Stimuli is an artist who released 12 mixtapes (one every month) in 2008. He is a a lyrical phenom whose flow is so smooth, you feel like you had a casual conversation with him after listening to this album. This was an album that went under the radar this year, but contained so many jewels that I have to recognize it on this list. He was a former Roc-A-Fella Records intern and was featured in the Source's "Unsigned Hype" section. This album delves deep into Stimuli's psyche, where he allows us into his mind where we realize that there is so much he has in common with all of us. From politics, to jobs/careers, women/love, and financial struggles, Stimuli discusses a lot of topics that are important and relevant to ordinary people. My Soul To Keep is a record that is a pleasant departure from the overdone "bang, bang" shoot-em-up, flossin' chips records we're so used to hearing. Peep HipHopDX's album review for My Soul To Keep here: MY SOUL TO KEEP REVIEW (HIPHOPDX.COM)

6. METHOD MAN & REDMAN: "Blackout! 2"

This album was my SHIT this summer. It came out in May and really stayed in rotation throughout the summer for me. These two are possibly the best duo of all time (possibly). With production from Pete Rock, Havoc, Allah Mathematics, Erick Sermon, Rockwilder, DJ Scratch, and Buckwild accompanied by the immaculate flows of Mr. Mef and the Funk Doc, how on earth could you go wrong? YOU CAN'T. It's not as good as their first album from ten years ago, but it's definitely one of the illest this year. Like I said, this shit is perfect summer music while ridin' in the whip, "Gettin' Tore Up Under City Lights."


5. ROYCE DA 5'9": "Street Hop"

Royce 5'9" is a beast on the mic. This album definitely has some bad commercial tracks on it; however, the good tracks are nothing less than amazing. From his three bangers over DJ Premier production to his incredibly original "On The Run" and "Murder" tracks that were strategically placed back-to-back on the album giving you the outcome of the story on the first track and then flashing back in time on the second. I've never heard a flashback done on a record before and Royce pulled it off perfectly. His battle rhymes on this album were practically unmatchable this year and his story telling ability improved to levels of greatness. He's an MC's MC and despite this albums flaws, the positives clearly outweigh the negatives. Peep my review for this album here: STREET HOP REVIEW

4. EMINEM "Relapse: Refill"

Don't get all crazy on me here. I've always had my issues with Eminem, especially the production on his last two albums. Once he re-released this album this month with seven extra tracks, I was convinced that this album is amazing. Nobody can deny his lyrical talent. I feel as though he had to write the rhymes of this album on fucking graph paper to get his inner rhyme patterns and flow so perfectly tight and crisp. Right down to the placement of breaths, Eminem's precision is extraordinary. The content is off the wall, which makes this album very entertaining. I feel like it's the best commercial album I've heard in a while. There's just something about it that keeps me listening to it over and over again, even though I played most of it out on its first release in May. Peep my review of this album here: RELAPSE: REFILL REVIEW

3. JOE BUDDEN "Escape Route"

This was the second solo album Joe Budden released this year (not including the group effort from Slaughterhouse). When I heard this album and realized how good it was and how much of a close second it was to his other release "Padded Room," I was sure he would be recognized as the MC of the year. (Unfortunately for Joey, the man he beefed with this summer - Raekwon - dropped the most classic album since Supreme Clientele. Looks like Rae & his crew knocked him out figuratively and literally!) Padded Room is an intense emotional roller coaster of an album. You almost feel as though you've been through therapy with Joe as he welcomes the listener into his mind and all of its struggles, torments, and opinions. Without going into detail, this album is lyrically incredible. Joe can rhyme for hours upon end and this dark album is perfect for zoning out to. It showcases his lyrical ability, his emotional maturity, and his artistic vision. It's an outstanding album to say the very least.

2. JOE BUDDEN: "Padded Room"

This is Joe Budden's classic album. Rhyme for rhyme, nobody is fucking with him on this album. It's one of the most candid pieces of artistic work that the Hip Hop genre has ever seen. From talking about a girl on "Exxxes" who we ultimately find out is his right hand to the banger "Now I Lay," Budden is one of the few emcees who can create an incredibly intimate, deep, and introspective song that has commercial appeal. Listening to this album, you get a sense that Joey is simultaneously in complete control of his life while completely out of control in a padded room with a straight jacket on. I guess that's a true sign of someone who is insane. This is a concept album that Joe executes with precision. None of my words will do this album any justice. He is the hardest working emcee in the game and never wastes a single line that he writes. You can tell he takes pride in his bars and it clearly shows from the beginning to the end of this album. For those of you who can only think of "Pump It Up" when you hear Joe Budden's name, you are doing yourselves a disservice because you are missing some of the best Hip Hop of this era.

1. RAEKWON: "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II"

I'm not even gonna say a fuckin' word here. If you need an explanation for this top choice then you need to go eat a dick sandwich. This is the best album to come out since Ghostface Killah's "Supreme Clientele" in 2000.

Peep my review here: OB4CL2 REVIEW

Peep my "MC of the Year" post here: MC OF THE YEAR