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A$AP Rocky - LongLiveA$AP

At this point, it’s no secret modern hip-hop records are often imperfect. One could assume their conception starts with an artist’s trademark style and approach, which is then exemplified in a handful of singles. Many rappers have great ideas within independent strands but they ultimately fall short of becoming the complete packages. They relish inventing a new formula, but aren’t always concerned with their success rate. A$AP Rocky could have easily been shelved as one of those many rappers. After the unusual ingenuity and attentiveness to current hip-hop, LongLiveA$AP as a whole, shows that his improvements are sharp and ever-present. But more importantly, it shows that A$AP is ready and able to break the mold of a modern rap artists achieving success. (7/10)

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Blu & Exile - Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them

Retro-soaked beats and unique lyrical approach may sound like the first ingredients of a modern hip-hop classic, alas, not all of us are so lucky. ”Give Me My Flowers…” is a re-released 2012 mix-tape from forward-thinking duo Blu & Exile and on this outing, we’re stuck with stale leftovers and wilted petals at the florist. On a casual listen, rambling flows accompany hodgepodge beat choices throughout a bloated set-list of seventeen tracks. And sure, when examined closer, Blu occasionally offers lyrical panache on tracks like “Maybe One Day” and Exile invents clever jazz-based samples that may raise a couple of eyebrows here and there. But at the end of the day, beautiful material handled with unmotivated artists tends to never bring in a crowd and that’s exactly the case here. (6/10)

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Top 100 Albums of 2012 

(High-Res Version Here)

Top 50 Songs of 2012 -

1. Purity Ring - Fineshrine
2. TNGHT - Higher Ground
3. Death Grips - Bitch Please
4. Tindersticks - Chocolate
5. Kendrick Lamar - Backseat Freestyle
6. Spiritualized - Hey Jane
7. The Weeknd - D.D.
8. Japandroids - The House That Heaven Built
9. Perfume Genius - Normal Song 
10. El-P - The Full Retard
11. Frank Ocean - Forrest Gump
12. Joey Bada$$ - Survival Tactics (feat. Capital Steez)
13. Bat for Lashes - Laura
14. Kitty Pryde - Okay Cupid 
15. AlunaGeorge - You Know You Like It
16. Theophilus London - Big Spender (feat. A$AP Rocky)*
17. The xx - Angels
18. Miguel - Use Me*
19. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Same Love (feat. Mary Lambert)
20. Hop Along - No Good Al Joad
21. Jens Lekman - Become Someone Else’s 
22. Tame Impala - Mind Mischief
23. Baauer - Harlem Shake
24. Young Magic - Sparkly
25. The Tallest Man on Earth - There’s No Leaving Now
26. First Aid Kit - King of the World
27. Schoolboy Q - Hands on the Wheel
28. Cloud Nothings - Wasted Days
29. Usher - Climax*
30. Jack White - Sixteen Saltines
31. Darq E Freaker & Danny Brown - Blueberry (Pills & Cocaine)
32. Mac Demarco - Freaking Out the Neighborhood*
33. Odd Future - Rella
34. Alabama Shakes - Heartbreaker
35. Jessie Ware - Running
36. How to Dress Well - & It Was U
37. Fiona Apple - Every Single Night
38. The Men - Turn it Around
39. Alt-J - Matilda*
40. Title Fight - Head in the Ceiling Fan
41. Dum Dum Girls - Lord Knows*
42. Zammuto - Too Late to Topologize
43. Beach House - Wild
44. Lil B - I Own Swag*
45. Grimes - Oblivion
46. Father John Misty - Funtimes in Babylon
47. Ondatrópica - Descarga Tropica
48. Fun. - Some Nights (Intro.)
49. Passion Pit - Constant Conversations
50. XXYYXX - About You

* - Newly Added Tracks

(Source: Spotify)

Top 50 Songs of 2012: #2, TNGHT - Higher Ground

Reaching for higher ground. 

You’re at a gorgeous party and the person of your dreams is next to the bar, looking more desirable than ever fathomable. Likewise, you make your way and without much effort, swoon the individual into a maddening and tantalizing session of fucking. The doors are slamming, the sheets are ruffling, the bed is running out of springs that work, the rug is ruined! Not only are you amazed at how unbelievably circumstantial the situation is, but also how dream-like everything is paced. And just when the metaphysical steam of the room is opening your pores and setting ablaze to all senses, the dream boy/girl eyes turn neon red and turn into a homicidal and menacing murdering robot. Tossing and turning, whilst still engaged in fucking, he/she begins shooting lethal lasers from its eyes and moving savagely for your death. Feathers from the pillows are flying, curtains are burning, furniture is being destroyed and, while dodging it all, you have never felt more turned on in your entire life. And, most likely, you will never feel that again. 

Big K.R.I.T. - Live from the Underground

On his major label debut, southern hip-hop MVP Big K.R.I.T. adds to his repertoire with “Live from the Underground”: a tremendous concept album plentiful with colorful personality, infectiously catchy singles and emotional depth; showing off the finest artistic potential of underground rap music this year. (7/10)

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Top 50 Songs of 2012: #5, Kendrick Lamar - Backseat Freestyle

I pray my dick get as big as the Eiffel Tower, so I can fuck the world for 72 hours.

Picking a single cut from “good kid, m.A.A.d. city” was the toughest decision for this list. It’s like choosing one gratifying scene from your favorite movie to convince your friends to see it; so much subtle tension in what works in showcasing the piece as a whole. In many ways, “Backseat Freestyle” is a stylistic antithesis to Kendrick’s vision on this record. To those familiar with the album’s structure, however, “Backseat Freestyle” serves as a pivotal and juxtaposing scene in Lamar’s sonic tale while displaying his profound technical ability. A full album play-through rewards the listener with crucial interludes that put “Backseat” through a unique dynamic. It’s a practice frequented by experimental film directors, but hardly adapted in concept albums. Another reason as to why Kendrick Lamar is one of the most ambitious rappers of this decade. We look forward to see where your future backseat dreams take you.

(Source: Spotify)

Top 50 Songs of 2012: #7, The Weeknd - D.D. 

I’ll be the freak you can taunt.

Abel Tesfaye’s rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Dirty Diana” was the most slept-on hit of 2012. Coming from his third act mix-tape “Echoes of Silence”, The Weeknd answers all calls by covering his most compared influence: the king of pop. Remarkably enough, Tesfaye delivers and then some. The classic single from “Bad” comes into a new sonic generation with the same high-intensity drama and larger-than-life production style from Jackson’s era topped with a modern, dark and twisted edge. “D.D” follows the rules of essential music covers with dignified grace, adding to what made Jackson’s version essential and blending Tesfaye’s own style in on a pitch-perfect ratio. As the vocal comparison, the resemblance is mystifying. 

(Source: Spotify)

Top 50 Songs of 2012: #10, El-P - The Full Retard

So you should pump this shit, like they do in the future. 

How many rappers are able to satisfy such a wide spectrum of listeners without sacrificing a drop of intellect and entertainment?  From a single lyric to a whole phrase, a sample choice to the entire beat structure, El-P gushes in on “The Full Retard” with his trademark intelligent personality, futuristic thought-provocation and a brilliant swagger for the ages. It unwraps with more detail and value upon each listen, yet never fails to excite and hype up a crowd. I cannot urge hip-hop listeners enough, “The Full Retard” is the best written song of this year and holds sustenance for years to come.

Action Bronson & Party Supplies - Blue Chips

I can’t praise the collaborative mix-tape “Blue Chips” much, but this can be attested: Action Bronson is one of the coolest personalities in underground hip-hop lately. Think not about the limited subject matter or the lack of creative decision and variety, “Blue Chips” admittedly falls on the safety cushion of independent mix-tape territory. But it’s the boom-bap panache, top-notch lyrical wordplay and defining personality which redeems “Blue Chips” something to catch a listen or two of this year. (6/10)

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Top 50 Songs of 2012: #13, Joey Bada$$ - Survival Tactics (feat. Capital Steez)

I’m in Marty McFly mode, so tell em’ that the future’s back.

I guess old-school never really left the streets of Brooklyn and 17-year-old Joey Bada$$ is living proof. Making a prominent splash on the underground east coast rap scene this year, Bada$$’s mix-tape “1999” featured double digit servings of impressive tracks loaded with “golden age” influenced hip-hop and dynamic personality. The track of interest is “Survival Tactics”: a stand-out moment built on violent beats, ear-hook flows and detailed socially-conscious verses. Aspiring kids have something to sweat about with this, Joey’s set the new bar for hip-hop and it’s not coming down anytime soon. 

Top 50 Songs of 2012: #25, Schoolboy Q - Hands on the Wheel (feat. A$AP Rocky)

Life for me is just weed and brew. 

Black Hippy member Schoolboy Q made quite an entrance in underground hip-hop’s public eye with his slightly deranged swag-rap album “Habits & Contradictions” and earned much deserved attention for a handful of his singles. A choice favorite of Schoolboy’s is “Hands on the Wheel”: an irresistibly catchy and sultry party anthem  sincerely dedicated to the Lana Del Rey-generation of gorgeous and faded youngsters, minus the YOLO and more of a devious twist. 

Top 50 Songs of 2012: #28, Darq E Freaker (feat. Danny Brown) - Blueberry (Pills & Cocaine)

Crazy, Psycho, Deranged. Poppin’ these pills, sniffin’ cocaine. 

If there’s anybody who deserves the ‘Most Improved’ award in the underground rap scene, it’s undoubtedly Danny Brown. Showing a level of diligence and resiliency by constantly reworking nearly every aspect of his performance, Brown took every show and feature spot as a learning experience and built on himself. In his constant manipulation and experimentation, his tag teamed effort with prodigy producer Darq E Freaker paid off with the absurdly swagged-out “Blueberry (Pills & Cocaine)”; a deviously lyrical jaunt through a grimy night of transgressions built on murderous retro-styled samples. Easily a high point of alternative hip-hop of 2012.

How to Dress Well - Total Loss

You were there for me when I was in trouble.

Front-man Tom Krell of R&B/ambient Brooklyn project How to Dress Well, Tom Krell wants you to dream with him. Not in a romantic or inspiring sense, more like the ‘seduce you on a beach at night and disappear by the morning’ type. His delectably under-rated debut 2009 record, “Love Remains”, an LP built for cathartic late-night drives but also marked the beginning of a slew of experimental R&B based projects in years to come. Three years later comes his sophomore effort, “Total Loss”: an ethereal sound built to please ears more R&B-laden and less lo-fi than Krell’s past work. “Total Loss” takes production cues from the likes of Michael Jackson and Prince while following similarities with his contemporaries like Purity Ring or Holy Other. In comparison to “Love Remains”, How to Dress Well achieves a set of more realized artistic sensibilities, then again, trades off large chunks of experimental value from his sound in the process. For me, Krell fits the proverbial glove of a dark and brooding ghost that he plays on “Love Remains” better than the omnipotent narrator character heard on “Total Loss”. Take your pick though. Artistic transitions are always welcome, some are just better than others. (7/10)

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Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d city

I’ll probably live longer than you and never fade away. I’ll never fade away, I’ll never fade away.

Hailing from the progressive minded Black Hippy collective and scoring points with critics from his 2011 mix-tape “Section.80”, all eyes were on Kendrick and his promising future endeavors. The attention paid off tenfold and now we’re blessed with Kendrick’s debut LP, “good kid, m.A.A.d city”, released with Interscope Records. 

Not too often do we get a debut hip-hop record on a major label that lives up to a solid bar of expectation. When it does, it usually marks history in the genre’s culture; making this album something not to be taken with a grain of salt. “good kid, m.A.A.d city” is the greatest hip-hop concept album of this decade. It comes as conflicted and sincere as Kendrick’s advanced psyche and sketches out a disturbingly accurate portrait of hip-hop and street violence culture. However, Kendrick never sets out an agenda of any sort. He follows the ultimate secret of film-making in his concept album, which is to only be concerned in telling a story and letting everything else fall into place.

Throughout the album’s narrative, we see multiple shades of Kendrick’s personality and reactions under certain pressures. Nothing, however, is drawn out to a cinematic depth. The focal point is always the track’s ingredients: beat style, lyrical content, flow rhythm; the personality plays out under serious crunch time.

The track “Backseat Freestyle” is Kendrick’s stab at a balls-out swag rap anthem, a frowned-upon sub-genre, yet hilariously enough, Kendrick strikes gold even with absurdist lyrics like “I pray my dick get big as the Eiffel Tower / So I can fuck the world for 72 hours”. One of the singles, “Swimming Pools (Drank)” is an intelligible and equally catchy song which secretly sketches out the horrors of alcoholism. Following that is the album’s magnum opus “Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst”: a 12-minute, three-act track featuring the nearly all of the record’s thematic moments, all of which are guaranteed to cause some watery eyes. 

In comparison to “Section.80”, we see production details, songwriting and storytelling ability drawn out to greater and bolder extents. Where “Section.80” often told bite-sized, inner monologue stories, featured jazzy samples and experimental song structures, “good kid” is a streamlined effort of traditional hip-hop textures and unique musicianship with the location being Kendrick’s mind and the character Compton, CA. 

“good kid, m.A.A.d city” is subtitled as ‘A Short Film: By Kendrick Lamar’, which is exactly what you’re promised. There’s a voice-mail audio clip towards the end of the album of Kendrick Lamar’s mother instructing him to learn some honest life values and when he does, to give back to his city and tell them his story. It’s one of the most evocative moments in hip-hop I’ve heard in years. A sentiment that could cut deep into the hearts of hip-hop storytellers from all eras. This is the true story of Kendrick Lamar. (10/10)

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