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For 2007’s best, hip-hop resurrected
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Also by Daniel Sullivan:
- Clipse mixtape typically contemporary (February 5, 2008)
- For 2007's best, hip-hop resurrected (December 13, 2007)
- Beanie Sigel finds 'Solution' (December 11, 2007)
- Rapper's latest not 'Extraordinary' (December 5, 2007)
- Freeway shrugs off hired help, makes posturing feel fresh (November 26, 2007)
Related Stories:
- Pulling a "Cheap Trick" (April 9, 2003)
- The battle for hip-hop (September 12, 2007)
- Score some 'Dope' this Sunday (October 30, 2003)
- Aging album maintains high sales (September 21, 2005)
- Music scene heats up with Monkeys (February 6, 2006)
by Daniel Sullivan
Thursday, December 13, 2007
If the main criterion for a good year in hip-hop is a high volume of dope albums, I'm not really sure how 2007 could be regarded as weak. Hip-hop's established vets dropped many quality releases, and the good sleepers flew under the radar and into my headphones. So, given it's that time of year when hacks like myself reflect on the 12 months that were and somehow consolidate all the stuff we were feeling into arbitrary listmania, discussion turns to the matter of 2007's best albums. Before I reveal my selections, there are some ground rules.
First, this is all stuff I dug initially and then returned to later. Relistenability and originality are the hallmarks of the greats. Second, I'm omitting all unofficial releases, i.e., no Lil Wayne, Cam'ron or whoever. There was a plethora of mixtapes in 2007, but that's a different article entirely. Third, if you haven't heard of something on this list, and you enjoy raps and beats, chances are you're going to enjoy it. So cop that. Anyway, without further ado, here's what I was feeling in 2007.
5. Black Milk — Popular Demand (Fat Beats Records)
The best Kanye West album of the year didn't exhaust Vice City synths or Daft Punk samples. It was a collection of irresistible, booming cut-and-paste soul from Detroit's latest prodigal son producer/MC, Black Milk. Milk laced tracks for Pharoahe Monch, Guilty Simpson and Bishop Lamont this year, but in true Kanyesian form, kept the best for himself. But don't get it twisted: Milk has a distinct sound all his own, capitalizing on blue-sky Motown grooves and sputtering electro fuzz to distance himself from his other sample-crazy peers. The rapping on Popular Demand is by no means groundbreaking, but the lyrics do cover a range of fly-guy assertions ("So Gone"), microphone assaults ("Action" featuring Slum Village) and flat-out spooning soundtracks ("U"). Just as West got people to overlook his glaring weaknesses with feel-good jams, Black Milk provides a variety of aurally pleasing fare that'll keep listeners revisiting Demand.
4. Devin the Dude — Waitin' To Inhale (Rap-A-Lot Records)
They don't come more likable than Devin Copeland. Hip-hop's greatest anti-hero is a nymphomaniac stoner from Screwston, and his fourth solo album, Waitin' To Inhale, continues his quest to win listener's hearts and sofas. While the rumors are true (yes, his rhymes rarely deviate from pot and chickenheads), a one-trick pony he's not. His goofy lyrics set him apart, like the faux-slow jam "Just Because" or the muddy blues of my personal favorite, "She Want That Money." "What a Job," an ode to recording studio life co-starring Snoop Dogg and Andre 3000 is a remarkably well-executed track-of-the-year contender. It's tempting to laugh off the Dude, but those who stick around will meet rap's most charming everyman.
3. Ghostface Killah — The Big Doe Rehab (Def Jam)
With the catalog Tony Starks has put together over the past few years, it's hard not to single him out as one of the most consistent MCs of the decade. The James Joyce of hip-hop, he balances esoteric and dope better than any rapper on the scene. It becomes obvious on The Big Doe Rehab that his Slick Rickian storytelling skills are still on-point (the hilarious embarrassment on "Yolanda's House," the paranoid grit on "Walk Around," the comical nerves on "Yapp City"), and he still has a great ear for beats (the menacing "Toney Sigel A.K.A. The Barrell Brothers," the schizophrenic "Rec-Room Therapy," the nostalgic "Shakey Dog Starring Lolita"). The Big Doe Rehab satisfies longtime Pretty Toney fans, but it's also a great introduction for those not already familiar with the Wally Champ — the charismatic face of contemporary rap beyond the top 40 singles.
2. UGK — Underground Kingz (Jive Records)
One of 2007's crowning moments came when Houston's UGK, or Bun B and the late Pimp C to you, improbably debuted atop the charts for the first and only time with their self-titled seventh album. Underground Kingz was two hours of Southern-fried bliss, rap legends affirming their legacy with the unabridged UGK album. But where other double CDs tend to run in circles and employ plenty of filler, Underground Kingz is unrelenting, thorough and most importantly, consistent. Pimp and Bun wax on the state of hip-hop ("Gravy," "Quit Hatin' The South"), the harsh realities of the streets ("Shattered Dreams"), the value of freedom ("Life Is Too Short 2009"), even a history lesson on trap-rap's glorified currency ("Cocaine"). This is a layered album that may be an acquired taste, but you could certainly do worse than two hours of quality, stereo-ready jams.
1. Scarface — Made (Rap-A-Lot Records)
The latest and perhaps greatest work by one of hip-hop's most known unknowns, Made is Scarface at his most somber and, at times, funniest. Though the album artwork suggests a Godfather veneer, Facemob is more Tony Soprano than Michael Corleone. His life isn't a cartoonish gangster chronicle, but a relatable tale of grown-man interiority (anxieties of marriage, the suicide of a friend, lack of trust in government) cast against the backdrop of bleak street life (the remorseless "Burn," the apathetic "Dollar"). His rhyming is careful, concise and clever — he may not have the flashiest wordplay, but Face speaks his mind with an honesty and conviction you'd have a difficult time matching in any artistic medium. Timely, dark and free: Made is the state of the union for hip-hop in 2007.
Dan Sullivan (dsullivan@badgerherald.com) is a sophomore majoring in history.
Anonymous (December 13, 2007 @ 5:20pm):
I suspect that if you would have waited one more week for that Lupe Fiasco to drop, this list would look a little different
Anonymous (December 13, 2007 @ 8:11pm):
No Talib, Common, or Kanye? I know not all of em deserve to be Top 5, but I'd expect at least one of the conscious backpackers to make the list.
Also Jay deserves a top 3 position for an album thats more of a musical experience than a rap cd.
Anonymous (December 14, 2007 @ 11:05am):
define "conscious backpackers"
Anonymous (December 14, 2007 @ 11:41pm):
ma, you know your problem? you never been nowhere dudes you dealing with is like a number 9 from McDonalds Filet of Fish
Anonymous (December 16, 2007 @ 12:25pm):
Black Milk's album was definitely a solid release--to be expected from a Dilla protege. The rest of your list, ummm, not too solid buddy: marco polo, percee p, Dilla, common, oh no, pharaoh monch, blockhead....couple others too..all put out quality music this year. Step your game up son.
Anonymous (December 16, 2007 @ 2:32pm):
Where's Brother Ali?
Anonymous (February 15, 2008 @ 3:28pm):
Black Milk now sounds like Kanye West 5 years ago. They are not on the same level. not even close.
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