Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III
Comments: Many will hate this choice and many will love this choice and I kind of didn't really like it at first either but damn it really grew on me. It was a couple of months I believe before I could stop listening to this CD, the songs were nice. I was really impressed with songs like "Dr. Carter" for example especially impressed with Swizz Beatz on that beat sounding so A Tribe Called Quest like, I had no idea he had it in him. A Milli and Ain't Got Nothing On Me were the songs that really got me interested and made me decide to buy what turned out to be a really good album. On Ain't Got Nothing On Me all the verses were nice, Fabolous had the best, Weezy was second and Juelz Santana's was good as well (when are you going to drop another album Juelz?). Phone Home also could be perhaps the best song on Tha Carter III, Cool and Dre are amazing producers. Lil Wayne works hard I'll give him that he sure did on this album and with some of the guest appearances I've heard from earlier, perhaps his best is still yet to come. Can't wait to see this guy in concert Friday here in the D!
Favorite Tracks:
1. Ain't Got Nothing On Me featuring Fabolous, Juelz Santana
2. A Milli
3. 3 Peat
4. Phone Home
5. Tie My Hands featuring Robin Thicke
Nas - Untitled
Comments: When his album came out at the time I said by far this is the best hip hop album of the year with Tha Carter III close behind. I say that until Game's L.A.X. came out and then it was a tie both had amazing songs and made strong arguments so it was hard to decide. His lyrics are always on point the wordplay is always tremendous, the beats weren't even that bad. His guest list was pretty good as well especially the Last Poets who are just historic as I learned this year. He had some attacks on point such as "Queens Get The Money" where he attacked 50 saying something about he "gets rich dies rhymin." And all 50 says is I don't care Nas is almost done anyways. 50 I think you got it mixed up. One other notable track is Fried Chicken for some reason everytime I hear that song I get hungry. Project Roach is another it's such a good track yet it's so short I wish it would have been a little bit longer.
Favorite Tracks:
1. Queens Get The Money
2. Fried Chicken featuring Busta Rhymes
3. Untitled
4. Project Roach featuring The Last Poets
5. Breathe
The Game - L.A.X.
Comments: Probably the most slept on hip hop album this year. This album was really really good. Better than Doctor's Advocate lyrically with less Dre name dropping. This one track, "Let Us Live" where he sounds and flows exactly like Nas is straight crack. In fact he hints it in the song as well, "Who Am I Don't Ask Me That My ***** We Classy." The tribute track to Tupac, Notorious B.I.G. and Eazy-E called "Never Can Say Goodbye" is simply amazing. Especially when The Game does a great impressions of 2Pac and B.I.G. proving once again that The Game is extremely talented. "Game's Pain" was the perfect summer song for this summer since it reminded me of Notorious B.I.G.'s classic, Juicy, as he paid tribute to those who had inspired him to do what he does. It was also one of those songs where you just wanted to ride out in a convertible, have your sun roof down and have the song blaring from your speakers as your rolling down the street. I swear if you haven't even bought this album yet I recommend you go and get it now! It be a nice Christmas gift and this guy needs the sales. With his music he deserves so much more sales than what the album has sold now
Favorite Tracks:
1. My Life featuring Lil Wayne
2. Game's Pain featuring Keyshia Cole
3. Let Us Live featuring Chrisette Michelle
4. Never Can Say Goodbye
5. Money
T.I. - Paper Trail
Comments: My favorite tracks were not really the singles. Whatever You Like was okay and Live Your Life was great but I'm really starting to get sick of it right now. But what makes T.I.'s album the best hip-hop album of the year is all the motivational tracks to help you get energized or get you through tough times. For me the perfect example is "Ready For Whatever" because that makes me feel like I'm ready for whatever could be facing me so there will be no problem. Another one was "What Up What Happenin" which was actually T.I. putting out a tremendous diss to end the wack rapper's career (Lo). A track also that motivates me to take on the haters as well wherever they are. T.I. is my role model, I look up to him. I'm skinny like him and I'm handsome as well. The only thing that I hate is that he gets all the women and I don't. That's another reason I wish I was T.I. because if I was T.I. I could probably have any woman I want and be set for life! But I can't be T.I. because I don't have his talent I don't have the rapid fire flow he does, I don't have the lyricism he does and I don't have all the talent he does (as it shows on this album). It's ok though I'll just have to find a way to make the best way out of it the best way possible.
Favorite Tracks:
1. Ready For Whatever
2. I'm Illy
3. Every Chance I Get
4. What Up What Happenin
5. On Top Of The World featuring Ludacris
Kanye West - 808's and Heartbreak
Comments: Even when he steps away from the hip hop genre into the pop genre instead he still seems to have my favorite album this year. When I kept on hearing these songs drop "Love Lockdown", "Robocop", "Heartless", "Paranoid" and "Coldest Winter I was believing that the next album to ever come close to Thriller quality wise was coming. Then when after the album dropped I was convinced each song was really good there was not one bad song on that album. Heck even the song with Lil Wayne singing was amazing in "See You In My Nightmares" and that's when you know the album is pure gold when you have Lil Wayne sound good singing on one track. In fact you can pick any five favorites on that album and you could do no wrong that is how good that album seemed to me. But the one song that really stood out to though was "Street Lights" just so smooth and mellow and everytime I thought about it I thought about sleep for some reason, just dreaming while in the street. Well something like that it's really hard to explain but perhaps you kind of get the idea of what I'm saying. It's just something about that song. Pinocchio Story as well is truly amazing even though it's just a live track something about it just makes you just stop and say "wow."
Favorite tracks:
1. Street Lights
2. Coldest Winter
3. Paranoid
4. Pinocchio Story
5. Welcome To Heartbreak