The Mother of all Hip-Hop Look-Back and Preview Round-Ups (with Top 20 discs and Top 50 singles of 2009)
Hip-hop minded Phoenix readers this past week might have noticed that we got shafted in the year-end issue. While every other genre was allotted space, rap music was nowhere to be found among the other round-ups.
It’s all good though, as I’ve done more wrap-up shit this month than ever before. Between THIS PLAY LIST, THIS LOOK at the year in Boston hip-hop, and THIS TIRADE about how Jay-Z can either sink or save boom bap, there’s plenty to digest.
In addition to those features, I’ve also listed my Top 20 Hip-Hop Discs and Top 50 Hip-Hop Singles of 2009 (see below). And for a peek at what’s dropping in 2010, you might want to sniff THIS PREVIEW that’s running in tomorrow’s paper.
Finally; for an on-point list of the Best Rap Discs of the Decade, check THIS POST on HipHopDX. I’m sure mine would have been a smidgen different - it is, after all, a whole decade - but those dudes are on point as usual.
Top 20 Hip-Hop Albums of 2009 (in no particular order)
P.O.S. - Never Better
Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt. II
Brother Ali - The Truth is Here EP
Fashawn - Boy Meets World
Blak Madeen - Sacred Defense
Bekay - Hunger Pains
Boycott Blues - Irony
Esoteric - Saving Seamus Ryan
KRS-One & Buckshot - Survival Skills
M.O.P. - The Foundation
Mass Movements - The Album
Masta Ace & Edo G - A&E
Fresh Daily - The Gorgeous Killer in Crimes of Passion
Awol One + Factor - Owl Hours
The Narcicyst - S/T
Audible Mainframe - Transients
La Coka Nostra - A Brand You Can Trust
Marco Polo and Torae - Double Barrel
Reks - More Grey Hairs
Dashah - Rap Burglar 2.5
AG & OC - Oasis
Top 50 Hip-Hop Singles of 2009 (in no particular order)
Boycott Blues featuring Insight and Consequence - “Da Math”
Fashawn - “Samsonite Man”
Reks - “Bitter”
La Coka Nostra featuring Snoop Dogg - “Bang Bang”
Raekwon featuring Ghostface - “Gihad”
M.O.P. - “Foundation”
Ghostface - “Do Over”
Masta Ace & Edo G - “Little Young”
Eminem - “Underground”
Inspectah Deck & U-God featuring Masta Ace - “Kill Too Hard”
The Dunnas - “Monsta Rap”
Brother Ali - “Palm the Joker”
Ape$hit & Undu Kati - “Do Our Thang”
The Closers featuring Reks - “East Coast Renaissance”
Wasted Talent - “Khed”
Clipse featuring Vinnie Paz - “Street Wars”
M-Dot featuring Singapore Kane and Trademarc - “You Won’t Get It”
K’Naan - “Wavin’ Flag”
Jay Rock featuring The Game, Busta Rhymes, and Gorilla Zoe - “All My Life”
Statik Selektah featuring Styles P and Talib Kweli - “The Thrill Is Gone”
Audible Mainframe - “Subi Alto”
Esoteric - “Spending the Day Together”
Blaq Poet - “Sichuwayshunz”
Jay-Z - “Death of Auto-tune (D.O.A.)”
Will C - “Trainspotting”
P.O.S. - “Purexed”
The Narcicyst - “The Narcicyst”
WMS the Sultan featuring Kool Keith - “Two Scoops”
Homeboy Sandman - “Gun Control”
The Greater Good (Speks & J the S) - “Marvelous”
DJ Slim - “I Wonder”
KRS-One & Buckshot featuring K'Naan - “Think of All the Things”
Blak Madeen featuring Lord Jamar - “Engage the Enemy”
Ol’ Dirty Needle - “Fuck the Young Cons”
Brown Bag All-Stars - “Undeniable”
Father Abraham - “All My Friends Are CFOs”
Fresh Daily - “Crimes of Passion”
Matty Trump featuring Al-J and Big Shug - “Life is a Mutha”
Awol One + Factor - “Back Then”
Joe Budden - “If I Gotta Go”
Wale - “Chillin”
Singapore Kane featuring Big Shug and Termanology - “My Boston”
Bekay - “My Life”
Solillaquists of Sound - “Popcorn”
R.A. the Rugged Man featuring Jo Jo Pellegrino, Hell Razah, Remedy and Blaq Poet - "Posse Cut"
Tanya Morgan - “Bang N Boogie”
Trife Diesel featuring Ghostface - “Live Nigga Night Out”
JDO - “Devotion”
Rite Hook - “Beaten Badly”
Amadeus the Stampede - “Company of Saints”
Keelay & Zaire featuring Fortilive & Saafir - “I Used to Ride”