Favorite 32 Projects of 2016 (with explanations)

Hip-Hop in 2016: the Year of Love; For the Culture

Such a stacked year.

The top 10-15 albums could all compete for AOTY. Projects like Introverted Intuition, Bears Like This Too Much, Smino’s Blkjuptr, and Big Baby D.R.A.M being near the bottom of the top 30 and projects like Young Dolph’s Rich Crack Baby, ScHoolboy Q’s Blank Face, and Big K.R.I.T.’s #12For12 not even making the list is revelation to how much quality was released this year.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

#1. Anderson .Paak – Malibu // Oxnard, CA // Alternative R&B

• Extremely melodic.
• Very lyrically inclined.
• Veteran song structuring ability.

Standout songs: Come Down, The Season / Carry Me, Parking Lot, Heart Don’t Stand A Chance

#4. YG – Still Brazy // Compton, CA // Gangsta Rap

• Surprisingly socio-political.
• Distinct West Coast production with no Mustard features.
• Best sophomore album in years.

Standout songs: Who Shot Me?, Twist My Fingaz, Still Brazy, Word is Bond, Police Get Away Wit Murder, I Got a Question (feat Lil Wayne)

#5. Chance the Rapper – Coloring Book // Chicago, IL // Rap & Gospel

• Great mix of gospel & rap.
• Focused Chance > Acid Chance
• Mixtape of the year.

Standout songs: Blessing 1 & 2 (feat Noname & Ty$), No Problem (feat Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz), Angels (feat Saba), Mixtape (feat Young Thug & Lil Yachty)

#6. KAYTRANADA – 99.9% // Canada // Alternative Instrumental

• Variety of sounds.
• Sonically colorful.
• Musically ambitious and cohesive.

Standout songs: Glowed Up (feat Anderson . Paak), Got It Good (feat Craig David), You’re The One (feat Syd Tha Kid)

#7. Isaiah Rashad – The Sun’s Tirade // Chattanooga, TN // Hip-Hop

• Doesn’t sound like any other contemporary rap.
• Mellow vibes.
• Best non-Kendrick TDE project?

Standout songs: Free Lunch, Park

#8. Frank Ocean – Blond(e) // Odd Future Land // R&B & Soul

#9. Kendrick Lamar – untitled, unmastered // Compton, CA // Rap & Hip-Hop

• Best compilation album since Nas The Lost Tapes
• Hopefully this is eventually titled and mastered.

Standout songs: Track #3, Track #7

#10.  Noname – Telefone // Chicago, IL // Spoken Word Rhythm

• Great exhibition of how to merge spoken word + rap.
• Lyrically profound.
• Good/suitable beat selection.

Standout songs: Diddy Bop (feat Raury & Cam O’bi), Reality Check (feat Eryn Allen Kane & Akenya), Forever (feat Ravyn Lenae & Joseph Chilliams), 

#11. Phonte and Eric Roberson – Tigallerro // Greensboro, NC // R&B & Rap

• Good mix of R&B and rap.
• Grown man music; soothing.

Standout songs: Waiting 4 Ya, Hold Tight, 3:45, It’s So Easy

• Socially aware.
• Spoken word influenced.
• Great song concepts and skits.

#16. Kamayiah – A Good Night in the Ghetto // Oakland, CA // Rap & Hip-Hop

• Female MC from Oakland with charisma.
• Numerous slaps/bangers.
• Good production.

Standout Songs: How Does It Feel?, Come Back, Fuck It Up (feat YG), For My Dawgs

• Effective story/concept album.
• Cinematic feel.
• Best Toronto album in 2016.

• Dave B floats over Sango’s bouncy production.
• Intimate, easy listening project.

• Uzi deploys a plethora of original flows and cadences over bass-y production.
• This LP has some of the bangers of the year including Money Longer.

• Creative, sonically engaging.
• Well executed.
• Original teachers of Hip-Hop STILL teaching.

• Very wordy and lyrical.
• Hidden messages throughout album.
• At times feels like an easter egg hunt – constantly hunting for hidden gems in the album.

Standout songs: “Womanogamy“, INvocation (feat Kokane), “D.R.U.G.S (feat Mac Miller)“

• Project based on LOVE.
• Mick deploys amazing rhyme schemes and concepts throughout.

• Soulful yet poppy.
• Moody yet bright and exciting.
• Great merger of different sounds; inspiring rhythms.

• Eerie production like on Local Time.
• Mixture of singing/rapping, sing-rapping (vibing).
• Melodic tunes and riddles throughout.

Standout songs: “Shadow In The Dark”, “IT GOES“

• Well executed concept album.
• Great piano +chords.
• Lots of funk, R&B, and pop influences throughout.

• Colorful production.
• Spastic drums.
• Overlooked release from TDE camp in 2016.

• Raw, gutter, southern rap album.
• Reminiscent of Boosie, Webbie, Gucci, and other pre-Trap South artists

• Bouncy and uptempo at times but still lyrical.
• Relatable lyrics over left-field Soulection/Monte Booker type production.

• Fast-paced, uptemp, at times.
• Intricately placed features.
• A musical experience.

2016 gave us some great moments, including the ultra-hyped LEMONADE surprise album/video by Beyonce, Curren$y dropping a project every month for a total of 12 projects on the year, album releases by living legends Kanye West, Drake, and A Tribe Called Quest, and more!

We were treated to a swath of high-profile releases such as Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo, Drake’s Views, Beyonce’s Lemonade, and J. Cole’s 4 Your Eyez Only. Listeners also enjoyed a wide range of independent Soundcloud releases including Jay IDK’s Empty Bank project.

Hip-Hop in 2016 was a year centered around the theme of love. Whether it was Mick Jenkins releasing a concept album of love The Healing Component, Lil Uzi Vert crooning to his girlfriend Britney all over Lil Uzi Vert vs The World, or Ab-Soul unexpectedly delving into intimacy and infatuation on Do What Thou Wilt., 2016 was the year Hip-Hop artists stressed the importance of LOVE.

 Despite social and human rights violations against African Americans in America, Hip-Hop in 2016 was largely focused on love and positivity. Perhaps the biggest beneficiary to this “feel good” year was Anderson .Paak, the artist formerly known as “Breezy Lovejoy”. Anderson .Paak was the centerpiece of Dr. Dre’s 2015 Compton album. .Paak followed it up by dropping two of the best albums in a stacked 2016 year: Malibu and Yes Lawd! (as the group NxWorries).

Malibu is musically ambitious, drawing on a wide array of instrumentation while Yes Lawd! is more familiar with a singular producer, Knxwledge, handling most of the production. Yes Lawd! is unforgivably pimpi-ish in the same vein as a blaxploitation film. Two very different albums from Anderson .Paak but infectious in their own way.