Alright, so
it’s almost the end of April and I’m just getting to the Best of 2012. I know,
I know, a little late. But there was just so much music to listen to in 2012
and it took a while for me to really shrink down my list. Right before I sat
down to write this, I made another change to my Best Songs list. So that gives
you an idea of how much time I’ve spent trying to trim this thing down. As per
usual, this is my list with my favorite songs and albums of 2012. Record sales,
iTunes downloads, radio rotation and popular opinion have no weight on my
picks. I chose the songs and albums that meant the most to me over 2012 or that
I just felt were clearly above the rest of the pack. Anyway, let’s get on to
it….
Best Songs
20. “Oh Hail No” – El-P feat. Mr. Muthafuckin’
eXquire & Danny Brown
El-P’s Cancer For Cure was highly acclaimed by
hip-hop heads in 2012. And for all the talk I just put in the intro to this
about how much music I had to get through, Cancer
For Cure remains one of the few albums I didn’t get the chance to listen
to. I did hear a good portion of it and this track is the standout to me. The
opening 45 seconds draw you in and then El-P kicks in with, “Ever notice when
you talk I just cut myself/On some ultimate fuck you, go fuck yourself.” Yeah,
this song wasn’t going to get any radio play. All three MCs bring it, as I love
Danny Brown’s “I’m Ric Flair/With thick hair/Yellin’ out ‘Woo’ getting head in
a director’s chair.” But eXquire steals this one with the perfect flow and
lyrical dexterity.
19. “What It Look Like” – Curren$y feat.
Wale
I’m a fan of
Curren$y’s work, but an even bigger fan of Wale. This track is extremely mellow
and has the perfect vibe to match both Wale and Curren$y’s styles. Wale gets
things started with a verse so interspersed with intelligent wordplay that I
find something new every time I hear this track. Wale flips the Chicago Bulls
and Derek Rose into a line with seemingly no effort when he spits, “No
bullshit, every shy bitch can get a rose/Meaning aroused, I’m sorry I’m not too
good with vowels/I got 1,000 bitches, I’m not too good with vows.” Really dope
mood music with intelligent MCing by both Wale and Spitta.
18. “Chum” – Earl Sweatshirt
There had
been so much hype surrounding Earl Sweatshirt that I didn’t know what to expect
from him. I can say for certain that I’m not a fan of Odd Future and Tyler, The
Creator does not impress me in the slightest. Sure, Frank Ocean’s got a ton of
talent, but he’s a singer. Then I heard “Chum” and understood all the hype. The
beat is so sinister on this track and Earl just breaks down what it’s like to
be a teenager growing up with no father and overcoming personal demons. It’s
sincere, it’s introspective, it’s dark and it’s a head nodder all the way
through. Much respect to Earl and I’m eagerly anticipating what 2013 will bring
from this gifted MC.
17. “Dear Moleskine” – Jay Electronica
Speaking of
underground favorites that the hip-hop world is dying to hear more from, Jay
Electronica didn’t make a lot of noise in 2012, but he did release this gem.
Electronica uses a “diary entry” to discuss a battle with depression with his
escape being a joint and his notepad. The beat on this uses the same sample (“Free
Angela” by Bayete) that De La Soul used for “Sunshine” off of Stakes Is High, but of course Just Blaze
added his own personal touch to make the song unique. Jay’s verse is just over
a minute long and the remaining four minutes is all instrumental, but there’s
something about the impact of Electronica’s lone verse and the beat that make
this song stand out.
16. “Goldie” – A$AP Rocky
I’ll admit
that I didn’t like this song the first time I heard it. I was tired of
Hit-Boy’s shit and because of that I blindly decided I didn’t like it. Well, I
stand corrected because this shit knocks. A$AP Rocky has become one of
hip-hop’s biggest stars over the past 2 years and songs like “Goldie” are the
reason why. This song isn’t watered down or radio friendly, it’s unapologetic
and in your face. The beat is a banger and A$AP flows effortlessly over it on
some braggadocio, gangster type shit. Track makes me crank the volume every
time it comes on.
15. “The Symbol” – Action Bronson
Bronson
continued his lyrical onslaught in 2012. This dude loves to rap. Bronson put
out two mixtapes in 2012 - the excellent Blue
Chips (which may just be my favorite mixtape of 2012) and the Alchemist
produced Rare Chandeliers – and made
countless guest appearances. I almost chose the Roc Marciano assisted “Pouches
of Tuna” for this list, but “The Symbol” is just too nasty to overlook. The
beat on this track is raw. The guitar riff and Action spitting dope line after
dope line are just too perfect together. Not to mention this track easily had
the Video of the Year honors wrapped up. Seriously, if you haven’t peeped the
video for this track yet, do yourself a favor and hit up YouTube right now.
14. “Prove Me Wrong” – O.C. & Apollo
Brown
I couldn’t
have been happier to get a return appearance from O.C. in ’12. Trophies will be
discussed later on, but there were plenty of Best Song list nominees from that
album. Not to mention the bonus track, “The Biggest Loser” which sampled Pat
Benatar’s “Love Is A Battlefield” to perfection. But the first track I heard
off Trophies was “Prove Me Wrong” and
is was the perfect introduction to a brilliant album. Apollo’s production is
the perfect backdrop for O.C. to do what he does best – spit dope lyrics like, “For
O.C. addicts, sorry for the wait/Tie off your arms, here’s another dose, a few
years withdrawal.”
13. “Damn” – Styles of Beyond feat. Michael
Buble
This is the
most surprising song of the year. I heard Styles of Beyond put Buble on a track
and thought there’s a reach for some mainstream exposure. But this song is
completely enjoyable. Buble sings the hook and Ryu and Tak share MC duties in
typical S.O.B. fashion. There’s nothing overly complex about the track. It
won’t make you think like “Dear Moleskine,” it’s not in your face like “The
Symbol” and it’s not a lyrical tour de force like “Oh Hail No.” But it works
and it remains one of my favorites of ’12. Makes me want to hit up the bar with
my crew and when a song puts you in that place, it can never be bad.
12. “Ruby ‘81” – Aesop Rock
Aesop has
always had the ability to paint a vivid picture with his words (see “No
Regrets”) and “Ruby ‘81” is no exception. Ruby is a 2-year-old who gets free
from her parents’ view during a 4th of July celebration and falls
into the swimming pool only to be rescued by the family beagle. Aesop strikes
with a two-and-a-half minute narrative that makes the hair on your neck stand
up. The best song off Skelethon and
there are plenty of highlights to choose from.
11. “Black Lip Bastard (Remix)” – Ab-Soul
feat. Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q & Jay Rock
Then entire
Black Happy family comes together to spew verbal acid over a menacing beat.
Kendrick gets things jumping before Ab and Q bless the mic respectively. Jay
Rock is the star of the show, however, as he rips into the beat for a solid
1:36 reminding us of Cappadonna on Ghostface’s “Winter Warz.” It’s a superb
posse cut from Top Dawg’s finest.
10. “The Recipe” – Kendrick Lamar feat. Dr.
Dre
Kendrick was
hip-hop’s MVP in 2012 without question. He dropped his official Aftermath debut
with good kid, m.A.A.d city (more on
this later), blessed both Ab-Soul and ScHoolboy Q’s albums with incredible
verses and made every appearance count. He did all this by sticking to his
script and being the artist he wanted to be (much props to Dr. Dre for allowing
Kendrick to be Kendrick on his debut album as well), not the artist major label
execs would’ve pushed him to be. “Swimming Pools” was his biggest hit in ’12,
while a lot of hip-hop heads will point to “Cartoons & Cereal” as his
finest offering from the past year. But I’ll take the bonus cut that dropped
well before the release of good kid,
as Dre and Kendrick sound perfectly at home on the cut together and reminds me
of Dre passing the torch to another up-and-coming MC much like he did with
Snoop back in ’92. While Kendrick made a name for himself before having Dre’s
backing, hearing this track built my anticipation for Kendrick’s album and he
did not disappoint.
9. “The Kick” – XV
XV may be
underground hip-hop’s best kept secret. This cat gets no attention, yet
continues to release solid project after solid project. Last year’s Zero Heroes mixtape was one of my
favorite projects of 2011. XV struck again in ’12, with another top notch
mixtape in the form of Popular Culture.
“The Kick” plays off the theme from Inception
and XV delivers punchline after punchline, while giving us introspective lyrics
as well. Heard this track for the first time while sitting on the beach and it
just blew me away. Can still see that beach scene every time this song comes
on.
8. “Hammer Dance” – Slaughterhouse
Their second
album, and the first with Shady Records in their corner, was a bit of a
disappointment. Some bright moments, but
not what I was expecting with Em in their corner. Regardless, “Hammer Dance”
plays to the strength of Slaughterhouse which is raw lyricism over dope
production. AraabMuzik brings the heat with the beat on this one and Joell
Ortiz, Crooked I and Joe Budden all go off on the mic. Would’ve liked a verse
from Royce, but when you have three sharp verses over one of the best beats of
the year there really is no reason to complain.
7. “Autographs” – Reks
Much like
Action Bronson the year before, Reks went to Statik Selektah to produce his
entire album. And much like 2011’s Well Done, Reks and Statik compliment
each other extremely well on Straight, No
Chaser. “Autographs,” the album’s opening track, is the true highlight of
the disc as Statik uses a Beastie Boys sample to perfection and Reks shows just
how talented he is on the mic, weaving hot line after hot line over classic
Statik production. This was my favorite song of 2012 at one point, and only
fell after I got my hands on the top 6.
6. “Same Love” – Macklemore & Ryan
Lewis
Macklemore
and Ryan Lewis are easily my surprise artist of 2012. While “Thrift Shop” went
on to be a No. 1 smash and could be heard in car stereos, TV commercials, bars,
clubs and the like everywhere, it was a song that wasn’t so fun loving that
truly grabbed my attention. On “Same Love” Macklemore tackles the issue of Gay
Rights, something you simply don’t hear in hip-hop music. Macklemore brings a
poignant case for equality and does so in truly thought provoking fashion. The
hook sung by Mary Lambert is terrific and the production by Lewis – who hit it
on the head for the entire album – grabs you from the first piano key. This is
what makes music so powerful and like Macklemore says, “I may not be the same,
but that’s not important/No freedom til were equal, damn right I support it.”
5. “Hands On The Wheel” – ScHoolboy Q feat.
A$AP Rocky
Taking
Lissie’s cover of Kid Cudi’s “Pursuit of Happyness” and flipping it for the
hook on this track is brilliant. The song is as simple as the hook says, “Weed
and brews, weed and brews, life for me is just weed and brews.” It’s a party
song, with terrific production and a great guest spot from A$AP. ScHoolboy has
gone on record to say it’s the song that he hates from his album Habits & Contradictions, which blows
me away because I say it’s easily the best track on the disc. To each his own,
I guess.
4. “Daughters” – Nas
Nas released
one of his finest albums in 2012 with Life
Is Good. You can easily argue for “The Don,” “Loco-Motive” and “Bye Baby.”
But this insightful look at parenthood is my favorite track off Life Is Good. The production, provided
by No I.D., sounds like it could’ve been an extra for Common’s The Dreamer, The Believer. And Nas
doesn’t have to prove his lyrical chops to anyone at this point in his career,
in fact he didn’t have to after 1994’s Illmatic,
but the closing lines of this song are among his best. “The way mothers feel
for their sons, how fathers feel for they daughters/When he date, he straight,
chip off his own papa/When she date, we wait behind the door with a sawed
off/Cause we think no one is good enough for our daughters.”
3. “Allen Iverson” – Don Trip
This song is
going to be high on my list for the name of the subject matter alone. I love
Allen Iverson. Behind Michael Jordan, he’s my favorite basketball player of all
time. But naming your song after A.I. isn’t enough to land the No. 3 spot. That
comes from the lyricism Don Trip displays on this song (okay, the Iverson sound
bites don’t hurt either). Trip talks about overcoming adversity and being
ostracized for being yourself when society thinks you should talk, dress and
look like something else (get the Allen Iverson reference). Trip spits, “Please
show me a king that’s never suffered a loss/Or show me a man that never
suffered a scar/And I’ll show you a man that’s never given his all/I’ll show
you a man that’s never given his heart.”
2. “Grown Up” – Danny Brown
This may be
the most fun song of the year (sorry “Thrift Shop”). It’s Danny Brown
celebrating his success as he rose from nothing to “blowing big blunts on the
way to brunch.” It’s not about black cards and taking exotic trips overseas,
it’s about Danny being able to eat, smoke as much as he wants and genuinely
love life. The video is probably the 2nd best of the year (after
Bronson’s “The Symbol”) and the production may be my favorite beat of the year.
1. “New God Flow.1” – Pusha T, Kanye West
& Ghostface Killah
When the
first version of this track dropped I thought it was good, not great. After
Kanye’s verse he went into a chant to close out the song that I found annoying.
It just sounded cheesy. Then Cruel Summer
dropped and that ending was substituted with a show-stealing verse by none
other than Ghostface. After the new version dropped, I found myself cranking
the volume every time this song came on and the more I listened, the more I
loved Pusha T’s opening verse. Add in the Ric Flair “Woo’s” during the hook and
I’m sold. The production is top notch, Pusha and Ghost deliver absolute heat
and Kanye proved to be a smart business man as his finished product added a
legendary MC delivering a legendary verse. Good Music indeed.
Best Albums
10. R.A.P. Music – Killer Mike
Atlanta’s
own Killer Mike made an interesting musical decision by having his entire album
produced by El-P. The results speak for themselves. A lot of hip-hop critics
compare the pair to a 2012 version of Ice Cube and The Bomb Squad. I’m not sure
I’d go that far, but there are moments on this album that certainly warrant the
sounds of early 90’s Cube-Bomb Squad. The standouts on this disc include “Big
Beast” featuring Bun B, T.I. and Trouble, “JoJo’s Chillin’” (which was in and
out of my Best Songs list too many times to count), and “Reagan” which provides
quite a commentary on the Reagan Era and the War on Drugs. I didn’t find this
to be the classic that others have touted, but it’s definitely Top 10 worthy.
9. Vodka & Ayahuasca – Gangrene
It’s almost
not fair to have an entire album produced by The Alchemist and Oh No. And you
can tell the two had fun on this project, trying to outdo the other on the
production side of things. The surprising thing for me wasn’t the great
production, which was a given, it’s the MC presence of both Al and Oh No. It’s
not Rakim and Nas going head-to-head on the mic, but they’re efforts on the mic
certainly live up to the quality of their production. Then there’s the guest
spots from Kool G. Rap, Roc Marciano, Evidence and Prodigy that puts this album
over the top. It sounds like a Mobb Deep meets Dilated Peoples album, which
again is no surprise given Alchemist’s past history with both groups.
8. Straight, No Chaser – Reks
It’s no
coincidence that albums No. 8-10 made the list. All three albums demonstrated
great consistency and that’s thanks to having the same production team on each
project. On Straight, No Chaser, Reks
tabbed Boston’s own Statik Selektah to handle all the production duties. While
Termanology and Statik have already formed the Boston group 1982, Reks and
Statik certainly can lay claim to the Boston version of Gang Starr. Reks hits
on various topics on the album, including his mother choosing against abortion
to give birth to a baby boy on “Sit/Think/Drink,” growing up a fatherless child
and raising a child of his own on “Parenthood,” and the Seven Deadly sins on
“Sins.” Then there’s the aforementioned “Autographs” which starts the album off
in grand fashion and lets you know you’re in for a special album.
7. Mourning In America And Dreaming In
Color – Brother Ali
No surprise
that Ali makes a Best Albums list again. I’m an Ali junkie. But that’s not to
say this album isn’t deserving of this list. The music speaks for itself. Oh,
and Ali followed the basic guideline that Killer Mike and Reks also used, as
the album was produced entirely by Jake One. I’m used to hearing Ali spit over
Ant’s production, but Jake One more than holds his own laying the soundscape
for Ali’s topical lyrics. “Stop The Press” was omitted from my Best Songs list
today as I sat down to write this. It’s a great look into Ali’s life over the
past few years, dealing with depression, the loss of his father, the loss of
his friend Eyedea, his tour DJ quitting to spend more time with his family, etc.
It’s as personal a song as you’ll find.
“Letter To My Countrymen,” “Work Everyday,” and “All You Need” are among
Ali’s best songs to date. The only thing holding this disc back was the amount
of political commentary and not that it’s not important, but it’s not always my
cup of tea. Great album regardless.
6. Control System – Ab-Soul
This album
opens with a bang and after the first six songs I thought this would be a Top 3
album. Not to say the rest of the album is bad, it’s far from bad. It just didn’t
hold my attention the same way all the way through. The highlights on the album
are among the best you’ll hear as “Double Standards,” “The Book of Soul” and
“Black Lip Bastard (Remix)” are all tremendous. I can see this album growing on
me more and more over time, but it will never reach that classic status and
it’s just missing that extra something to push it further. Can’t really put my
finger on it, but No. 6 just seems like the right place for this album.
5. Skelethon – Aesop Rock
This is my
second favorite Aesop album after Labor
Days. It has all the staples of a great Aesop album with complex wordplay
that takes a few listens to truly grab what he just said and unique production.
When “Leisureforce” started to kick off the album, I knew I was in for a treat.
Aesop doesn’t let go with standout cut after standout cut. The highlights here
are “Cycles To Gehenna,” “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Ruby ’81,” “Crows 1,” and “Gopher
Guts.” I saw Aesop perform a good chunk of this album in January and it only
solidified how good this disc is.
4. Trophies – O.C. & Apollo Brown
Starting to
see the theme here, one producer and one MC equals great music. Apollo brought
out the best in the underground favorite. When I went back to listen to all the
albums from 2012 to finalize this list no album stuck out more to me than Trophies. I knew it was great the first
time I heard it, but it had such a different impact the second go round. Now, I
smile every time I hear this disc. I already discussed “Prove Me Wrong,” but
“The Pursuit,” “Anotha One,” “The First 48,” “Angels Sing,” and “The Formula”
are all standouts. Hell, there is no weak moment on this album. It delivered in
every aspect and deserves to be enjoyed by all hip-hop heads.
3. The Heist – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
This album
continues to gain steam as “Can’t Hold Us” has now entered the charts while
“Thrift Shop” won’t go away. “Can’t Hold Us,” “Thrift Shop” and “Wings” have
all been used in commercials or NBA promos and it’s a great nod to what is the
most surprising album of 2012. To pretend I knew shit about Macklemore or Ryan
Lewis before 2012 would be a bold-faced lie. And after all the hype surrounding
this album, I wasn’t sure where I’d stand. But it lived up to the hype for
sure. Two of my favorite songs of 2012 can be found on this album in the
aforementioned “Same Love” and “Starting Over.” On “Staring Over” Macklemore
discusses his battle with alcoholism and his recent relapse. Macklemore doesn’t
pull any punches giving full details of his fight and asks for forgiveness as
he hopes to be a symbol for starting over. And while Macklemore impressed the
hell outta me as an MC and lyricist, Ryan Lewis deserves the same top billing
as his production was top notch from start to finish. I’ve listened to this
disc more and more in 2013 and it will remain in my rotation for a long time.
2. Life Is Good – Nas
Everyone
needs to get over that fact that another Illmatic
isn’t going to happen. Once you do that, you’ll see just how good Nas’ latest
album is. Nas sounded extremely hungry on 2011’s “Nasty” and his guest spot on
Common’s “Ghetto Dreams” and it carried over on his latest album. I listened to
this album for a week straight while in Long Island for work and I never
reached for the eject button or scanned the radio to hear something different.
The album kicks off with “No Introduction” and doesn’t slow down until the lone
wart on the album “Summer On Smash.” “Loco-Motive” with Large Professor is
worthy of a spot on the Best Songs list, as is “Bye Baby,” “The World Is An
Addiction” and “Accident Murderers” featuring Rick Ross. Nas delivers the album
we expect from him at this point in his career and then some. This was my Album
of the Year winner for a long time until….
1. good kid, m.A.A.d city –Kendrick Lamar
Some are
calling this a classic. I don’t know I’d go that far, but it is great. It’s
deserving of Album of the Year title, hip-hop or otherwise. As I said earlier,
allowing Kendrick to make the album he wanted to make and not trying to push a
radio-friendly single on him gave Kendrick the license to make a complete album
that is best digested from start to finish. Like Life Is Good, I listened to this album for a week straight on a
trip to Massachusetts and never wanted to push eject. It’s a truly unique album
in every way. It doesn’t sound like traditional West Coast hip-hop, which was
obvious after hearing ScHoolboy Q and Ab-Soul’s albums, it’s got a sound all to
itself. The highlights are the entire album and that’s rare in today’s hip-hop.
Bringing his Black Hippie brethren along for the ride, as well as guest spots
from Drake, MC Eiht and Dr. Dre added that extra something to the disc, all the
while not taking away from the album’s true star which is Kendrick. I don’t see
this having the same lasting power of Enter
The 36 Chambers or The Chronic,
which is why I won’t put the “classic” stamp on it. But it was a breath of
fresh air in a genre that has had to endure some painful music from the likes
of Trinidad James, Chief Keef and Future. The future (no pun intended) is
bright with Kendrick leading the charge.
