My Bass Rocks

As I’ve been on a blogging sebattical for several months now (my bad), I never got around to giving a proper “Best of” list for 2009 albums.  Keep in mind these are records that My Bass Rocks messes with, and while most are straight hip-hop/rap oriented, there are some that expand this genre (and then some).  Without further ado, I give you MBR’s Best of 2009 List:

10 ) Kid CuDi: Man on the Moon

This record definitely creeped up on me…After a first listen, the abstract production didn’t hit for me.  Mainly, I’d been hoping some of these new rap dudes would bring the boom bap back, not continue down the hipster path that had been made a trend in 2008.  After letting my guard down a little bit, this LP continued to get better and better after each listen.  Definitely dope overall, and I’m for sure looking forward to the follow-up…

9 )  Dam-Funk: Toeachizown

A little guilty here for sleeping on Toeach when it initially dropped.  A lot of buzz has circled around Dam for years now, but nothing officially released until earlier last year.  If you’re a fan of boogie, funk (Parliament, etc.), or just good music, then this is a must cop…”Mirrors” is one of the best songs to come out last year, while “On & On” is the pimpiest by far.  Don’t sleep on this, or the limited 5LP box set from Stones Throw.

8 ) Methodman & Redman: Blackout 2

I was shocked at just how good this overall project is…Usually when artists attempt to recreate classics several years after the fact, the outcome is underwhelming to say the least (think Indiana Jones 4).  However, in this case it doesn’t feel like Red & Meth were trying to do this at all.  Dope beats, top-shelf rhymes (what’s new?), and most importantly relevant sound for today’s audience (without selling out).  Peep the review HERE.

7 ) Drake: So Far Gone

At first it’s easy to hate on dude…He’s the epitome of clowning on the surface, complete with hipster attire and overall cheesiness…I have to admit I fell into this trap and passed up multiple opportunities to listen to this mixtape when it initially dropped.  However, once I let the ego down and gave it an unbiased listen-through, I was pretty impressed.  Drake is fresh on the mic (with wit for days), and seems to know how to write catchy hooks for every single track included.

Ladies and gentleman, I give you the new LL Cool J for this millenium.  You know, balancing raw lyrics and credibility, with a knack for the ladies to near perfection.  Looking forward to seeing what Drizzie has up his sleeve for 2010.

6 ) Slaughterhouse: Slaughterhouse

Usually when you get four MC’s of this caliber (Royce, Budden, Ortiz, and Crooked), it’s something special…Add in beats from DJ Khalil and it’s even that more worthwhile.  As each of these individuals never really broke into the mainstream after multiple attempts, it’s good to see they are finally getting some well deserved recognition as a collective.  Their debut as a group is solid overall, complete with head knocking beats, and dominant lyrics throughout.

5 ) El Michael’s Affair: Enter the 37th Chamber

Typically homage albums tend to fall flat on their face, and it’s rare that any stick around for longer than one listen.  Definitely not the case with El Michael’s Affair’s tribute to the Wu.  Throughout, they provide knocking instrumentation to everyone’s favorite RZA ballads, even adding their own flavor to such staples as “C.R.E.AM.” and “Criminology.”  I was seriously blown away by this album, and you can read all about my thoughts HERE.

4 ) DOOM: Born Like This

If you’re a fan of MF DOOM and anything he’s done in recent memory, then this is the album for you.  Typically when an artist takes years off between projects and loses touch with his fans in the process (impostor DOOM anyone?), it’s a disaster waiting to happen.  I was one of the naysayers who lost faith in this joint over time, and casually picked it up when I stumbled across a copy on CD (when I would normally cop on day of release)…To my surprise he didn’t skip a beat, and actually made one of his strongest solo efforts to date…Don’t sleep on this one.  Review HERE.

3 ) Clipse: Till The Casket Drops

This is about as close to perfection as a rap album can get in the 2000′s.  While the first album is pretty solid after revisiting years later, their sophomore effort Hell Hath No Fury really raised the bar for the Virginia duo.  Questions arose as to whether or not they could ever top Hell, and this album would really prove what type of hip-hop artists they are.  Till The Casket Drops is so dope throughout, that I will never be able to question their abilities ever again.  Neptunes stepping their production game up?  Check.  Infectious drug raps?  Eeyuck.

2 ) Raekwon: OB4CL2

Dope.  Dope.  Dope.  Dope.  Review HERE.

1 ) Fashawn: Boy Meets World

It’s not too often that an artist of this caliber comes out the gate with a certified classic like Fashawn did with Boy Meets World.  Now don’t get me wrong, this LP isn’t on the same level as Illmatic, but the similarities are definitely there.  He reminds me very much of a young, hungry Nas from back in the day, and this overall project has a similar feel to it…Oh, and by my count, that’s two collaborative classics in a row for Exile.  Not too shabby…Review HERE.