Did 2015 live up to the expectations?
2014 was very quiet in terms of big name releases, which meant that ’15 should have been stacked with bangers since artists rarely go 12 months without releasing new material. In February, Drake got the ball rolling by surprising everyone with an unexpected album and everyone else hopped in to keep the momentum going all the way up the final few weeks of the year. Along with a lot of strong projects that floated under the radar, we were treated to a wide of array of albums, mixtapes, EPs and more that kept our playlists fully stocked at all times. And with 2015 coming to a close, we gathered together as a staff to pick our favorites from the year that was.
15. Young Thug’s Barter 6
Via iTunes
The eccentric Young Thug is a bit like one of those raw basketball prospects who is all athleticism, and very little in the way of fundamentals. All the tools are there, but the player lacks the innate skills to become a complete basketball player, and every coach in the land is convinced that under their tutelage they can become the player that’s brimming under the surface. In 2015, Thug began to finally put it together and fulfill some of that potential.
What Barter 6 does that no previous Thug solo project accomplished is surprisingly and finally give the animated Atlanta rapper a cohesive sound. For 13 songs, Thugger bounces around booming production with a melodic delivery that makes almost every verse feel like a catchy hook unto itself.
Thug is not much in the way of content, and much like Wiz Khalifa, Lil Wayne, or Future, his topics of discussion are typically limited. But his lyrical acrobatics make each verse exciting and infectious, like on “Halftime” — maybe the album’s best song — where he gracefully leaps between a half-dozen flows, stops for a breather/bridge, and then hops right in with a rapid fire delivery for the song’s final third. It’s there he drops “phallus” in a bar, just moments before a threat about “Lil Whodi” shooting someone which ended up being used as evidence in the Lil Wayne tour bus shooting case.
But Thug is not all cunnilingus, drugs, and wet diamonds. On “OD,” he wails out “RIP Mike Brown, f*ck the cops,” in the opening verse before unfolding a dedication to his family and children. It’s riveting music, but again the content is secondary to the delivery, in which bars drip onto each other, syllables are stretched for the sake of rhythm and somehow — like the album as a whole — all the jagged pieces are arranged perfectly by Thug to create a glossy and impressive puzzle. The potential of the artist Young Thug is finally began to crack through the surface on Barter 6, giving him one of the best albums of the year. — Banksy
14. Ty Dolla $ign’s Free TC
Taylor Gang
They say a leopard can’t change its spots, but better a leopard you know than a cheetah you don’t. After a seemingly endless stream of number one features and knock-off Ty Dolla $ign records permeating the airwaves over the last two years, the New Nate Dogg finally dropped Free TC, a blazing hot ode to his locked-up brother.
While most would expect a formulaic replay of “Cabana,” “Paranoid,” and “Loyal” singles that Ty saved for himself, the Dolla $ign Man goes in the other direction, opting to dig deeper into his musical warchest and story. Dolla $ign took it a step beyond obsessive, and dropped 60 racks of his own paper for the Benjamin Wright Orchestra to make sure the strings sounded just right for you to stroke down that PYT.
Don’t be surprised when you see the upper echelon of R&B flexing on the ‘gram to cuts from Free TC because the melodies, lyrics, and production are squeezed from the kind of grapes that just get better and better with age. With contributions from Brandy, James Fauntelroy, R Kelly, Diddy, Jagged Edge and his day one homeys Sa-Ra, it’s obvious that Ty knows his shit musically and places more emphasis on creating timeless records than most give him credit for.
Every dollar from this LP goes to his brother’s appeal, so anyone who has ever sung the hook to “Loyal,” smoked a blunt to “Or Nah?” or gotten brains to “Saved” while crawling down the PCH in 6pm gridlock should skip a blunt and put some money on the books for the man behind the music. Now if Boosie and T.I. could lend their lawyer’s out for a minute, we’ll be able to get an authentic TC and Ty Dolla collab to introduce album number two. Until then, roll one up and keep screaming “Free TC!” — Aspektz
13. Dr. Dre’s Compton: A Soundtrack By Dr. Dre
Via iTunes
There was no way Detox was ever going to meet anyone’s wildest expectations, and so Dr. Dre smartly scrapped the project altogether and announced a new album completely out of the blue, Compton: A Soundtrack By Dr. Dre.
Dre still employs the same formula as his classics of years past: enlist an army of producers, writers, and features to create a spectacular collaborative environment which brings out the best of everyone. Yet, Compton has a completely different feel compared to any of his previous works. While The Chronic and 2001 were more party-themed and fun, this album is darker, and features an underlying narrative throughout.
The features include the typical big names associated with Dre, past and present: Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, The Game, Xzibit, Eminem, and Kendrick Lamar. However, deviating from the proven formula, the foundation of Compton is built on the strength of the LA up-and-comers, Anderson .Paak and especially King Mez, as well as new signees Justus and a TSS favorite, Jon Connor, who was even given his own song. But as a necessary mention, 50 Cent does not appear anywhere on Compton, and his absence is absolutely noticeable.
The record excels not only in the music itself, but on the technical aspects as well. While Dre is most known as a producer, his skills as an engineer go below the radar. The mixing and mastering on Compton are easily heard, especially as the listener cranks up the volume, with zero distortion anywhere.
And while Compton is not a perfect album, its cohesion and woven narrative gives each song a purpose and ties the entire project together as one, rather than a collection of singles. It’s sure to add to Dr. Dre’s mythical legacy as one of the greatest, most prolific artists in the genre. — Raj
12. Freddie Gibbs’ Shadow Of A Doubt
Madlib and Freddie Gibbs’ Piñata was in heavy contention for best album of 2014 — not just the best hip-hop album, but the best album of any genre. With little advance fanfare, the release of Shadow Of A Doubt finds Freddie back on his solo grind, continuing to refine his traditionalist brand of gangster rap, while slowly expanding his repertoire.
A brooding fatalism hangs low over most of the album, with Gibbs exhibiting the same technical mastery he’s used to build his career over the years. Opting for the typically darker hued production over which he tends to excel, songs like “Rearview” and “F*ckin’ Up The Count” are vintage Gangster Gibbs, while slow burners like “Narcos,” “Forever And A Day,” and “Freddie Gordy” showcase his ability to detail deeply compelling narratives, whether introspective or imagined. Inspired by Midwest rap acts like Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Do Or Die, melody has always been part of Gibbs formula, but he goes full Freddie Kane this go ’round, subtlety adding harmonies to some songs (“McDuck,” “Careless,” “Insecurities”) and flat out crooning on others (“Lately,” “Basketball Wives”). A solid run of features in the album’s midsection show Freddie deftly attacking contemporary efforts like “Mexico” and “Packages” with the same tightly controlled intensity he brings to standouts like “Extradite,” featuring Black Thought, and the album closer, “Cold Ass N*gga.”
It might read like a mess, but it comes off pretty seamless, and overall, the entire project has a strong sense of continuity. It’s versatility that allows Freddie Gibbs to flow from one stylistic choice to the next, never compromising, but yet never afraid to challenge himself. Shadow Of A Doubt won’t garner the same amount of attention as Piñata, but it’s just as essential a piece of his catalog. It’s his most consistent project to date, showing Freddie Gibbs’ range as an artist, but with the sense it is merely a workshop — just a glimpse at a virtuoso discovering nuance, further perfecting his sound. — Amp Geez
11. Lupe Fiasco’s Tetsuo and Youth
Via itunes
8 minutes and 49 seconds. That’s all it took for Lupe Fiasco to announce to the world on “Mural” that this album was anything but business as usual. Rapping comes as easy to Lu as breathing comes to mere mortals, and Tetsuo and Youth works as a comeback project for a dope MC with a couple stumbles in the recent past.
It’s his most focused joint since The Cool and easily his most creative since. By dividing the album into sections, (“Summer,” “Fall,” “Winter,” “Spring”) he’s able to convey different feelings and themes. The brightness and hopefulness of “Blur My Hands” and “Dots and Lines” juxtapose the darkness and bleakness of “Chopper” and “Deliver.” The latter joints speak to life in Chicago in 2015, and as always, Lu’s finger is so on the pulse that it’s scary. His storytelling has always been great, but never as vivid as it is with “No Scratches,” telling three different stories in three different cadences, and with different effects to convey three different people.
Beat selection is no longer an issue here, as Tetsuo and Youth’s sound can only be described as “Lupe.” There are elements of jazz, hip-hop, blues, and even a tinge of country, as he’s finally found a way to unify all of his influences into one ambitious project. It’s a project that demands more than one listen due to its density but what else do you expect from Lu? The last track, “Spring,” not only represents the end of the album, but the rebirth of an artist. — Marky Mark
10. The Internet’s Ego Death
SoundCloud
Syd the Kid and Matt Martians have come a long way from their early days as a duo. After adding a band, they’ve made their biggest stride yet on their latest, Ego Death.
With few exceptions, Syd spends the album in various states of finding love, from making her significant other feel special (“Girl”), to the aftermath of a breakup (“Just Sayin’”), to realizing she might not be ready for love altogether (“Something’s Missing”). Syd’s soft vocals enhance the production by bringing the listener into her world of girl trouble, instead of just playing to the background.
On the production side, Martians shares instrument playing duties with Jameel Bruner, Patrick Paige, Christopher A. Smith, and Steve Lacy, while Martians and Lacy handle the bulk of the production. To borrow from the Grammys category, “contemporary R&B” is a much cleaner — albeit simplified — explanation of the group’s mixture of styles than the “part soul, part R&B, part jazz” examples which always seem to always be a genre short. To put it another way, the brooding bassline and handclaps from “Get Away” work fine with the laid back guitars of “Under Control,” and the Neo-Soul Rhodes keyboard on “For the World” feel like they belong on the same album, with each being very different individually. Many tracks also include an instrumental interlude or beat change, which works better as an extension than a standalone skit, the best of which can be heard on the Janelle Monáe-assisted “Gabby.”
With notable improvements upon each release, it’ll be interesting to see where The Internet can go from here. — Chet Manley
9. A$AP Rocky’s At.Long.Last.A$AP
iTunes
A$AP Rocky does drugs, and he makes albums based on drugs. The three projects the Harlem rapper has dropped all either directly reference substances, or appear dedicated to them. His debut mixtape, Live.Love.A$AP, showcased what happens when a NYC rhymer subscribes to lean. His debut LP, Long.Live.A$AP, builds, peaks, and then plummets like an epic coke binge. And his most recent album, At.Long.Last.A$AP, is inspired in part — as he told Complex earlier this year — by psychedelics.
For most rappers, this formula would not only become tired, (*cough* Wiz Khalifa *cough*) but lame. Rocky, somehow, evaded any sort of roteness with A.L.L.A., and, frankly, made the most well-rounded project of his career — all because of dropping acid. Sure, he penned a surprisingly melodic-but-literal ode to LSD on “L.$.D.,” but the rest of the album smoothly rises and dives into the nooks and crannies of a psychedelics trip. “Canal Street” and “Fine Wine” provide the heady, introspective moments. “LPFJ2” and “Electric Body” electrify like the shocks that bad trips encounter. And sexy, sensual cuts like “Jukebox Joints” and “Wavybone” represent the laidback, good-time vibes that happen when the mental machinery behind a good trip are in motion.
What appeared to be for show at once doesn’t look like it anymore. Rocky seems to consciously model his projects on getting some sort of lit, and he’s doing it better than most rappers nowadays. This is all juxtaposed against the death of Rocky’s mentor, A$AP Yams, whose own struggles with substance abuse were well-known in the hip-hop world. But it wouldn’t be hard to imagine that Yams — wherever he may be now — approves of Rocky’s drug-fueled transition from pretty motherf*cker to mood-music orchestrator. This is A$AP, b*tch. — Ryan Joseph
8. Big Sean’s Dark Sky Paradise
Via itunes
Big Sean’s not only Finally Famous, he’s finally matured into the artists many hoped he would be once he signed on with G.O.O.D. Sean leveled up from all angles by adding in stronger, more gripping production from the likes of DJ Mustard, KeY Wane, Boi-1da, Mike Will Made-It, Da Internz and more and managed to put more substance into his lyrics instead of relying on playful rhyme schemes and metaphors to get by. Dark Sky landed at no. 1 on the charts, fueled by the early singles “I Don’t F*ck with You” with E-40 and the Drake-assisted “Blessings” and managed to sustain momentum once “Play No Games” hit radio – and received the one of the year’s best videos.
Part of what gave Sean’s material a boost was his decision to divulge a bit of his private life. “IDFWU” sounded like a final “f*ck you” leveled at Naya Rivera while the Detroit MC moved on to greener pastures with Ariana Grande, who he later broke up with, too. Besides the tabloid fodder, the deeply personal “One Man Can Change The World” found Sean opening up about his family life growing up and the role his grandmother played in his upbringing. For him, the song represented a welcome stride as he works his way to the top. — John Gotty
7. Donnie Trumpet and The Social Experiment’s SURF
Via iTunes
While Chance The Rapper fans didn’t get the solo full-length they had been desperately waiting for since Acid Rap’s 2013 release, they did get a good dose of the Chicago MC, who followed Donnie Trumpet’s lead on this most unique of collaborations with the Social Experiment. Mixing local friends from his hometown with some of the biggest names in music, like Busta Rhymes, Erykah Badu, Big Sean and more, Donnie, Chance, Peter CottonTale, and Nate Fox were able to achieve something often overlooked and rarely achieved today in music: a unique moment with Surf.
In fact, just about everything about the project was unique in some way. From making it available for free on iTunes, the first album of its kind (falling in line with the collective’s penchant for free releases), to the omission of features on the track listing, to the ability to surprise listeners sonically in a way which Soundcloud doesn’t lend itself to visually.
What Donnie Trumpet and The Social Experiment did with this album is a microcosm of the kind of work they’ve been putting in their whole careers. They have a plan and they’re going to execute it, but they are going to spread ideas along the way. Surf was the realization of many ideas coming together beautifully, into what is certainly deserving of one of the best albums of the year. — Jake Krez
6. Future’s 56 Nights
LiveMixtapes
Thanks to Monster and Beast Mode, Future was already buzzing, but when he dropped 56 Nights in March, it was like he hit the NOS button on his already massive bandwagon. Produced almost entirely by Southside of the 808 Mafia, the condensed, 8-song mixtape largely provided the template for the first No. 1 of his career later in the summer.
The palette Southside provides is woozy, full of digital chirps and 808 drum kicks. It’s perfect for Future’s ramblings about depression, and the codeine and random collection of women he uses to cope with it. The condensed tracklist is a plus, because the uniformity of sound and content could have grown tired with just a few more songs.
The final third of the album is the highlight. There, you’re treated to “March Madness,” the best rap song of the year, “Trap N*ggas,” a song so dope it was tacked onto DS2, and the titular “56 Nights.” On the latter, Future weaves effortlessly through Southside’s pulsating cascade of keys, chimes, and shrieks to deliver a fitting end to the project. To start the final verse of the mixtape, Future proclaims, “Promethazine took my concentration to another level, then I elevated.” Truer words have never been spoken. — Bansky
5. Future’s DS2
Via iTunes
First and foremost, I would be remiss not to mention the chemistry between Future and Metro Boomin on DS2, the album that was a culmination of Future’s hot tape run which started in late 2014. Metro handles nearly all the production on here, and it’s like he’s able to sense Future’s moods and feelings, and lace him accordingly with the appropriate beats.
Content-wise, it’s what you’d expect of Future returning to his roots. Drugs (“Serve The Base”), women (“Freak Hoes,” “Groupies”), and street tales (“Rotation”) are all prevalent themes throughout the album. Really, there’s no sense in reinventing the wheel, and Future sticks to what he knows.
The thing is, though, that while these might be considered fairly basic topics, Future managed to create really, really good songs about them that’ll stick in your head for days. We’re not sure how or why “I just f*cked your b*tch in some Gucci flip flops” works, but it does, and as the first thing we hear him say, it pretty much sets the mood for what’s to come on DS2.
It isn’t all just misogynistic, drug-fueled music, though (although those topics find their way into his deeper cuts, too). There’s the sonically beautiful love song, “Rich $ex,” full of Future whispers, the poignant “Slave Master,” and “Rotation,” where he gives us a rare glimpse into his solitude and paranoia by saying he “bought all the soda at the gas station.”
There’s more to Future besides codeine and fancy hats, and DS2 shows and proves. — Julie J.
4. The Game’s The Documentary 2 and 2.5
Via Blood Money/Entertainment One Music
Whether it’s officially considered a classic or not, The Documentary was a notable album during its era. The Game followed up with Doctor’s Advocate and LAX, solidifying his place as one of the top rappers in the game, no pun. Recently, the Compton MC has been more notorious for making headlines than good music, but of course, he dropped a sequel to his debut album during its 10th anniversary year. The Documentary 2 was pushed back several times, but perhaps it wasn’t a bad thing. The delay allowed Jayceon to first reunite with Dr. Dre on a standout solo cut off Compton.
The Documentary 2 and 2.5 is essentially a two-disc extension of Dre’s alleged final album. It’s another love letter to the West Coast, and per usual, The Game has recruited friends in high places to help him tell his story. During “On Me,” Kendrick Lamar helps set things off with a fiery verse, and the album doesn’t let up from there.
There are too many guest appearances to list, but one of the highlights is an appearance by Scarface on the 2Pac tribute, “Last Time.” Diddy stops by to help Chuck talk sh*t on the nod to Biggie, “Standing On Ferraris,” while Nas blacks out on “The Ghetto.” The Jay Rock and Schoolboy Q assisted “Gang Bang Anyway” is another standout, along with the DJ Mustard produced posse cut, “My Flag.”
Overall, The Documentary 2 probably isn’t a classic, but it’s definitely a return to form — and there enough standout tracks to make it one of the best albums of the year. — Eddie Fu
3. Vince Staples’ Summertime ‘06
Via iTunes
It’s been quite a while since I’ve taken to a new artist and album the way I have with Vince Staples’ Summertime ‘06. After watching his Future-assisted “Senorita” music video on TSS, one thing was immediately apparent: Vince Staples could rap his ass off. What wasn’t as obvious, however, is that he was capable of putting together an equally impressive debut album which would see me carrying the torch for Vince as one of the best young rappers in the game.
A major part of Vince’s appeal is that his music is almost unendingly depressing and devoid of hope. It might not have seemed smart to drop an album so low on good vibes in the middle of a summer run by the likes of Future and Fetty Wap, but if life is all about balance, then Summertime ‘06 provided more than its fair share. Tracks like “Lift Me Up” are heavy on head nods, but dense with subject matter, “3230” is a rambunctious lyrical display of the love for his old stomping grounds, and “Summertime” sees the rapper at his most vulnerable.
Liking an album because it’s devoid of hope might seem odd, but there needs to be appreciation for someone willing to take the risk to speak honestly without the pretense of being hopeful. On the album, Vince is going through a heavy transformation, which sees the loss of his innocence and the full-time entry of his gang lifestyle. He’s just speaking his truth. And it’s a powerful one. — Garfield H.
2. Drake’s If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late
Via iTunes
In a year when Drake linked up with Future, won a social media beef over Meek Mill, and scored one of the hottest singles with “Hotline Bling” (and its meme ready music video), it could’ve been easy to forget the Toronto native also dropped a surprise mixtape via iTunes early in the year.
If You’re Reading This… finds Drake reining in the indulgences of Nothing Was the Same, creating a barebones, moody backdrop with co-executive producers Noah “40” Shebib and Boi-1da. The result is one of the most cohesive and consistent albums of the year.
Drake goes at his haters on frenetic “Energy” before Meek Mill was even a gleam in his eye, while the anthemic “Know Yourself” asks everyone to chant along as they run through the 6 with their woes. “10 Bands” and “6 God” are lean lyrical exercises, while the MC presciently warns others to not “speak to me like I’m that Drake from four years ago” on “No Tellin’.”
Although there are slower, R&B-influenced songs like “Preach, “Now and Forever,” and “Jungle,” If You’re Reading This… centers on tighter, more focused rhymes with an atmospheric soundscape which returns to basics. As a result, the project had staying power, an impressive achievement considering everything else Drake accomplished this year. Let’s get Views From The 6 next year, yeah? — Eddie Fu
1. Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly
Interscope
There’s an inherent danger to being black in America. It’s often a matter of safety, not pride, when black people are demure in the face of white supremacy. Too much dignity is a slap in the face to some. If you dare to raise yourself above the social strata designated for you, you will face resistance, obstacles, and even death.
In these instances, blackness is more of a suggestion to be ignored than an intrinsic part of one’s being. It’s an unspoken faux pas. It is a whisper.
Kendrick Lamar does not whisper on his sophomore album, To Pimp A Butterfly. Like the opening to the haunting “u,” the album is a primal scream. Butterfly is the culmination of generations of black pain and black music, revealed as a naked expression of one man’s influences and experiences.
The album is at once secular (“These Walls”) and spiritual (“How Much A Dollar Cost”), jazz and funk, rock and soul, angry (“The Blacker The Berry”) and hopeful (“Alright”). Production work by Terrace Martin, Thundercat, Sounwave, and Pharrell, along with a varied guest list including George Clinton, Ron Isley, Lalah Hathaway, and Rapsody, personify the inspirations that direct this album, but the 28-year-old Compton native’s singular vision is evident in every note of music and in every line of lyrics. To Pimp A Butterfly is the rare album that is influenced by the past, speaks to the present condition of the world, while still remaining forward thinking in its approach and delivery. — Greg Whitt
Looking for more potential listening material? May we suggest you check out the Best Sleeper Albums for this year and stay tuned as we continue to review all the good in music for 2015.