Year In Review 2008
written by JusHH
written by JusHH
2008 was a huge year for Hip-Hop. Riding the strong 4th quarter that Kanye/50 and Jay-Z gave us in ‘07, we had a lot to look forward to. With Lil’ Wayne leading the hype machine, some of rap’s biggest heavyweights decided to drop albums this year. Also some not so “hot” (MTV’s definition not mine) but extremely talented artists put their name in the hat as well. With so many different styles to choose from, it was tougher than ever to make this list.
** Just to let you know, you will not see Kanye West’s 808’s and Heartbreak on this list. No, it’s not because I hate it (read the review) but he’s not rapping and this is a PTM list so its Hip-Hop albums only.**
But before we get to the list…
Major Disappointments – These are albums that many expected to be much better but fell short of expectations.
Fat Joe – Elephant in the Room
Young Jeezy – The Recession
Q-Tip – The Renaissance
Major Surprises – The following joints definitely turned a few heads and were better than people might have thought.
Buckshot & 9th Wonder – The Formula
Honorable Mentions – Projects that almost made the list but just fell short.
Bun-B – II Trill
G-Unit – T.O.S.
Skillz – The Million Dollar Backpack
Evidence – The Layover (PTM 2007 #8)
Jean Grae & 9th Wonder - Jeanius
Now on to the list…
So the theme of this list is “stripped” – I literally had to strip away the rapper’s name, reputation, hype and my personal feelings and just listen to the music. For those who know me, trying to be objective about Hip-Hop is like asking Al Sharpton to have dinner with Don Imus but I tried my best. No choice proved my efforts more than when I settled on my #1 album. It was fun, I got to listen to some great music and I hope you like the list. Let the debate begin…
10. The Game – L.A.X.
Face it Game isn’t going anywhere and no one can do anything about it. He’s also proven that he can make a good album. Unfortunately, this album loses steam towards the end and Game’s punchlines sound too forced and unnatural.
9. Snoop Dogg – Ego Trippin’
There was a time after he left Death Row that Snoop put out some terrible music. Then in ’06 he dropped Blue Carpet Treatment and it was like he was standing on top of that record store with the French braids. He’s showing why he’s an American music icon. He loses some points for not writing all of his rhymes and a few songs fall short but the overall quality is solid and there are some certified bangers on this album.
8. The Roots – Rising Down
The best live band in the world was back this year with their 10th album. On “75 Bars”, Black Thought reminds the world why he is one of the most underrated rappers in the game. “Rising Down” which features Mos Def and Styles P and the Chrisette Michelle assisted “Rising Up” are two highlights on this album. As usual, the bass heavy drum patterns are a staple but at times it feels that the music sounded “over-produced” and went away from the unique live instruments that we’re used to.
7. Lil’ Wayne – Tha Carter III
WTF?? You mean there’s 6 albums that are better than Weezy’s? Get the f**k outta here. Without question, no one put out more music than Wayne and if you picked his best 12 songs of 2008 you would probably have had the best album but that’s not what this list is about. Of course you’ve got classics like “A Millie”, “Mr. Carter” and “Comfortable” but there’s simply too many songs that don’t meet the quality that Weezy is capable of. Too many songs like “La La La” and “Play with Fire” sound like a compilation of verses rather than complete songs. Based on hype alone, this was supposed to be the album of the year but strip that away and you’re left with #7.
6. Scarface – Emetrius (PTM 2007 #10)
With the music industry being so fickle, its impressive enough that Scarface is still relevant enough to drop albums, but Face wanted to go out with a bang. Claiming that this is his final project, he left it all out on the table. His legendary use of imagery and detail show up on songs like “Can’t Get Right” and “High Note”. He more than holds his own with Lil’ Wayne and Bun B on “Forgot About Me” and tells a story about overcoming the odds with “Who Are They?”. And as expected the sound of the South blasts through your speakers with tracks like “High Powered” and “Soldier Story”. If this is truly the last then he went out with a complete album that further solidifies him as one of the best to ever do it.
Come back tomorrow to see the TOP 5!
6 comments:
Whoa. Might I interject with a difference of opinion? I would certainly like to switch The Renaissance with LAX. I think Tip delivered what we know him for and I Game fell short of expectations. He had enough non-heat to make the album lukewarm as a whole.
My other mans tried to talk to me about q-tips album but that joint bored me to tears. Seriously it was like if Kanye and Common's album had a retarded baby.
I feel you on Game's album but to me none of those honorable mentions were a better album from start to finish than L.A.X. Alot of people rate Game's music based on how they feel about him as a person. But on pure beats and rhymes, its solid.
I can care less about what post-catepillar tattoo homeboy gets on his face. Dude's not all there, but he can rap.
But he just didn't bring it like that on the LAX disc. He even went so far as to try to make it a compilation CD, but still no dice.
Eh, the Q-Tip CD could understandably bore some. Fair argument. I loved it, though. Can't wait to see the next 5. If Nas's joint ain't numero uno, we beefin'!
Wait, and speaking of disappointments, did we neglect Electric Circus 2?
And just my opinion, I was NOT happy w/ Carter 3. Seriously, what was he doing on that track with Juelz and Fab?
Just, you are gonna have a lot to talk about tomorrow... haha.
I too was bored with Q-tip but i still got like 3 tracks on the ipod, Bun B's joint should've been on instead of snoop's, Jeezy should've been honorable mention, the g-unit album should be where jeezy's is, the roots, face, and game made really good albums, one of em should be top 5, the other two 6-7ish, no particular order, they were all good for diff reasons and in their own right, another two cents
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