61:25 minutes is all it took for Asap to make me a big fan. He's so underrated and his debut album (there seem to be a lot of those in my countdown) is arguably the best hip-hop album of the year. Asap is another rapper that successful mixes hip-hop and art.
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J. Cole-Born Sinner
I feel like Cole's World is a better album, but Born Sinner is definitely a solid sophomore LP and one of the best releases in rap this year. Power Trip and Crooked Smile may have killed urban radio this year, but the stronger material is definitely on the album. Forbidden Fruit and Rich Niggaz are the real gems.
#7 Ariana Grande- Yours Truly
I listen to this album from start to finish. It's refreshing to see a young, talented songstress actually live up to her potential and actually deliver quality music. With her Mariah-esque vocals, Ariana delivered an album full of contemporary R&B with a 90's feel and completely shat on her peers.
So Royals is probably one of the most infectious songs that's been released this year. I loved it and I didn't really put too much energy into the rest of the CD because for some reason I had doubts about it. I was so wrong. Pure Heroine is the best pop album of 2013. Royals is perfect, but so is Tennis Court, Team, Buzzcut Season, 400 Lux, and pretty much the whole CD. It's one of the few CDs released this year that I can listen to from start to finish. She's only 17. She has a bright future.
Yours, Truly and Settle. Love in the Future was definitely one of the best R&B records released this year, I feel like it hasn't gotten enough recognition. John's best album, too.
Long.Live.A$AP, need to listen to that album Ariana! and the amazing Pure Heroine of course, that album is perfection, one of my favorites from this year