The Year in Hip-Hop

It's been a dramatic year, of earthquakes, oil spills and student demonstrations. But more important than any of that, it's been a great year for hip-hop, so here are my favourites.

10. Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday

Not quite as raunchy or inflammatory as I expected, but Nicki's debut is still a rollicking ride. Roman's Revenge is a gloriously puerile rant about Dungeons & Dragons that rapidly dissolves into a foul-mouthed back-and-forth with Eminem over spacey synths and fuckit-that'l-do beats. Unfortunately, it isn't really representative of the record as a whole which downplays her abrasive nature, a disappointing choice (it was the basis of her appeal to start with) no doubt made to make her more easily digestible in the squeaky-clean chart scene, but it is a sign of good things to come.

9. Curren$y - Pilot Talk

Hip-hop might not be the genre of choice for narcotic 'abuse', usually giving way to reggae, jungle or afrobeat, but Pilot Talk was made with nothing else in mind, other than where the nearest packet of Cheetos was. Lazy-ass guitar riffs form the majority of the backing, but a generous dose of G-funk keeps the record getting stale and appearances from Snoop, Mos Def and Jay Electronica make it clear Curren$y is doing something right.

8. Method Man, Ghostface Killah & Raekwon - Wu-Massacre

With a gestation period of less than 8 months, the long promised Wu-Tang reunion record arrived with shocking abruptness. Consider that Dr Dre's last hurrah Detox has been in the works nearly six years, this is not a genre defined by quick turnarounds. Nevertheless, Wu-Massacre doesn't suffer from many of the problems that plague the videogame industry's unforgiving deadlines, although it does fail to fully take advantage of Raekwon's critic-swooning Only Built For Cuban Linx... Part II. Altogether, it's an engaging reunion of three immensely talented rappers working together in the name of fan service, even if they are sort of running on autopilot.


7. Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr Rager

The poster boy for alternative rap returned this year with a gargantuan follow-up to last year's Man on the Moon and it's filled to bursting with everything that made its predecessor great. Schizophrenic stand-out Maniac is a neurotic head-nodder and Cage's verse provided one of the best lines all year:
I am the maniac I am the fool
I found a monser in me when I lost my cool
It lives inside of me eating what's in its way
I put black spray paint on my windows during the day

6. Rick Ross - Teflon Don

 One of the leaner rap albums of the year at 11 tracks, that modesty doesn't stretch to the rest of the album. Which is no bad thing, every rapper needs a planetary ego to service, though one could argue that Rick has taken that sentiment a little too far. But I'm not going to, Teflon Don amounts to little more than a swaggering monument to his own greatness (and he actually demands a statue be erected in the event of his death in opener I'm Not A Star) but its delivered with such exuberance that its impossible to argue with.

5. Twista - The Perfect Storm (Deluxe Edition)

Ranking as one of rap's highest syllable per-minute mouth magicians, Twista's latest is aptly named. It's a unrelenting hailstorm of machine-gun raps over crashing gangster beats. It's not exactly a radical new production ethic, but the formula is certainly not broken, the deluxe edition includes a pleasant change of pace though, in the form of pre-release single The Heat. All the qualities of an instant East Coast classic are present and correct with soulful background harmonies and a chorus with more funk per square inch than James Brown's bedroom.

4. Das Racist - Sit Down, Man

They may be the least recognisable name on this list, but Das Racist could have earned their place here on lyricism alone, luckily for them, their backing work is some of the best out there. Bastardising Sister Sledge for the sole purpose of poking fun at Puerto Rican stereotypes is an idea that only a couple of blokes with some quality recording equipment and a shitload of free time could come up with. And that's all Das Racist is, a group trying to rewrite the hip-hop blueprint with nothing but some easy-access pop culture references. But their sense of humour is so effortlessly entertaining and universally applicable that its easy to forget how fucking smart it all is. And they're not reinventing the wheel for the financial reward, they put that best themselves:
We don't even need rap 
To get a real job 
Only rap weekly
I don't need rap told ya rap need me

3. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Coming together as a result of months of emotional turmoil, family bereavement and media backlash, West's latest is a record of immense personal gravity. Featuring guest work from hip-hop's brightest and best, it also proves that the patronage of this producer is enough to almost guarantee your transferral to the A-list. Otherwise, West's Fantasy is business as usual pre-808s and Heartbreaks, all jazz and soul-tinted synth work, lyrical ambiguity and pop culture name-dropping. Sure there's a degree of auto-tune use, but it's relegated to choruses where it belongs and used with restraint and relevance. In fact, in a bizarre turn of events, the synthetic voice work is actually one of Dark Fantasy's best elements, giving the vocals far more versatility - Hell of a Life's sluggish chorus, already one of the highlights of the record lyrically, is definitely improved by Kanye's mechanical drone:
Have you lost your mind?
Tell me when you think we crossed the line
No more drugs for me
Pussy and Religion is all I need

2. Eminem - Recovery

In a very similar vein to West, Recovery followed several lacklustre releases and personal issues, but where Dark Fantasy was typified by acceptance and peace of mind, this is a record fuelled by rage. Sure it was Marshall's attempt at redemption, Talkin' To Myself closes with a sincere apology to his fans, but he extends the olive branch with one hand, and the chainsaw in the other. His hiatus hasn't blunted that razor-toothed sense of humour either, just look to So Bad, and its spinal-cord-warping pornographic boasting or On Fire and its slew of comic book character references. This is in every way the record fans have been waiting for since The Eminem Show.

1. Big Boi - Sir Lucious Leftfoot: The Son of Chico Dusty

It might not have the gripping personal drama of Em or West's work this year, but it's advisable not to worry about what it has, rather focus on what it is. And what it is happens to be one of the finest debut albums of the year, jammed with wit, vivacity and confidence. The skits are a good example, every big league release seems to need them these days, but Big Boi's meaningless meanderings between tracks are just proof-positive of a mind that has too many ideas to contend with. Everything about this record is polished and refined, but the impression I get is that every decision was made with nail-biting consideration, and the fact that it never feels forced is frankly astounding with that in mind. Rather than a selection of a prolific producer's best work, Lucius Leftfoot comes across as a brief showcase of Antwan's exemplary talent in the studio and behind the mic, with the constant suggestion, that he's barely even trying.