Kings of 2009, Part Two

This is the top half of 2009 and these artists are ranked in order, starting with #5 and ending with my choice as the #1 MC of 2009. So, without further ado, the top five MC's of 2009. . .

5. Lil Wayne: How can an MC who found out he was probably heading to jail and not release a new studio album have a good year? Well, its Weezy, and its hard to argue he's had a more successful year than 2009. For starters, Wayne released one of the top mixtapes this year "No Ceilings" that had songs such as "Swag Surf" and "I'm Good" and "Sweet Dreams." Weezy has always been a great collaborator and this year he stepped it up. The MC hailing from New Orleans had eight, yes EIGHT, songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100. He also was a contributor in the huge hits of "Every Girl" and "Bedrock" off of "We Are Young Money". Add that Wayne won "Best Rap Album" at the Grammy's in February, and I'd say he had a pretty good year. This upcoming year will be interesting for Weezy, as he will be spending some time in jail and releasing his new rock album, "Rebirth". Wayne also has already started recording for the latest Carter sequel, "The Carter IV".

4. Jay-Z: Has Jay-Z EVER had a bad year? You have to go back to 2006 when he released "Kingdom Come" which was met with mixed reviews, although it was a big success in a sales point of view. It's hard to believe that Hova turned 40 almost four weeks ago, but let's face it, the guy can still rep it on the mic. Jigga released "The Blueprint 3" back in September and I'm sure we can all quote at least three of his songs off it. The album had a few skippable tracks after the gem "Empire State of Mind", but for the most part, the album was well done both production wise and lyrically. As quoted in "Thank You", Jay says "Please don't bow in my presence How am I a Legend? I just got 10 #1 albums Maybe now 11. More hits than a Now! 11." Hova is right about that and he broke Elvis Presley's record for most #1 albums released by a single artist. "The Blueprint 3" was the second highest selling hip-hop album of 2009, only behind "Relapse", and Jay-Z had a very, very good year.

3. UGK: With the passing of Pimp C, producer/rapper for UGK, you wouldn't think that a posthumous album could be very successful. Boy did Bun B prove me and many others wrong. "UGK 4 Life", the final album of the duo, was one of the best ever released by UGK. Why? For one, Bun B made sure that the album included the inner circle of guests that the majority of UGK purists love. Too Short, E-40, B-Legit, Eightball, MJG, Goodie Mob's Big Gipp, Boosie, and Webbie are all here and shine on tracks such as "Still on the Grind", "Used to Be", and "Steal Your Mind". The production is well done with nearly half the tracks produced by Pimp C himself before his death. The album, except for the song "Hard As Hell", is devoid of any subpar moments and it has done well commercially, debuting at #6 on the Billboard 200. It may not be more successful than UGK's previous album "Underground Kingz", but it's a damn good album and certainly one of the year's best.

2. Mos Def: Eminem made a great comeback this year, but his return still doesn't top Mos Def's. Mos Def released his latest album, "The Ecstatic", this past June and it still has critics jittery. The album isn't just good in certain parts, it's a lyrical ride that will have many remembering Pretty Flacco's (Mos Def's common nickname) first album, "Black on Both Sides". "The Ecstatic" has only three guests featured in it and that's a breath of fresh air for hip-hop and Mos Def. Many artists today clutter their albums with too many guest appearances, leaving us wanting more from the artist credited with making the actual album. Mos Def makes sure that we know how good of an MC he is by not letting this happen. Even in his guest spots, they're blended in perfectly with the album like Slick Rick on "Auditorium" and "History" with Talib Kweli. This album also has a standout track that will continue to be played for a long in "Casa Bey". The album peaked at #9 on the Billboard 200, making it Mos Def's second highest ever for an album and it has been nominated at the upcoming Grammy's for "Best Rap Album". Mos Def hasn't been the most consistent MC in his career, but he responded this year.

1. Raekwon: Despite Mos Def's comeback, or Jay-Z's new Blueprint, or Weezy's dominance on the charts, one MC was truly king over the rest. That man was Corey Woods, a.k.a. Raekwon. Raekwon released "Only Built for Cuban Linx. . .Pt. 2" this past September and has been one of the most critically praised albums all year, and that's not just hip-hop. Time magazine named it the #9th best album of the year, the only hip-hop album to even make the list. Rolling Stone, which usually looks down upon hip-hop, placed it in the year's top 25 albums. The list goes on and on, and I could seriously make a seperate post just publishing every top ten or top album list its been included on. How can Raekwon, an artist who hasn't made noise in nearly 14 years when he released "Only Built for Cuban Linx", the prequel to "Only Built for Cuban Linx. . .Pt. 2", drop such an outstanding set of tracks? Well, Raekwon was focused when he made his new album and the lyrics show that. Listen to "New Wu", "10 Bricks", "Surgical Gloves", "Gihad", or "House of Flying Daggers" and you'll realize pretty quickly how skilled Raekwon really is. I haven't even mentioned the commercial success, which it did very well in. The album peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200 and has already sold more than 149,000 copies. Raekwon has been named MC of the year by numerous sites and he gets my nod on this one as well. Chef Raekwon is the King of 2009 for hip-hop and has earned it.

Kings of 2009, Part One

Now that I finished the 2009 Flops list, I can breathe a little easier because this next list is going to be much more enjoyable to make. Although there were plenty of MC's who didn't hold their own this year, there were more that stepped up and delivered. Because I believe that more people should be recognized for achievement rather than failure, this list has the top ten, rather than five, MC's of the year. This post includes the bottom half, in no particular order, of who ruled this year. So here we go. . .

- Eminem: This one was an easy choice. Slim came back after a saga of drug problems for the past five years. His new album "Relapse", was a huge commercial success, with a #1 debut on the Billboard 200. The album was also nominated for "Best Rap Album" at the 2010 Grammy's. A couple of tracks on "Relapse" didn't really belong such as "We Made You" and "For Old Time's Sake", but the majority of the album was very good. Sure, it was sick and demented at parts, (just listen to "Insane"), but tracks like "Underground" and "Déjà vu" proved that Shady is back.

- Kid CuDi: I'll admit, I was skeptical of CuDi when he was preparing his debut album with Kanye. Don't get me wrong, Kanye's a great producer, but I feared that CuDi would stray away more from hip-hop and move to R&B. I'm glad I was wrong though, because CuDi' "Man on the Moon: The End of Day" was a strong debut. The album was deep and emotional, as CuDi explained how he's always been a misfit, looked down upon by others. My only problem with "Man on the Moon" was "Make Her Say". This cut just didn't fit and probably should never have made the album. Still, it was an impressive show by CuDi, and I'm already looking forward to his next album, "Cudder", set for release this upcoming year.

- Drake: Love him or hate him, you can't deny that the artist hailing from Toronto had a super year. His mixtape "So Far Gone" was a bigger success than many albums released this year. "Best I Ever Had" rocketed up the charts, #2 at its peak, and Drake later signed with Young Money Entertainment. Drake has already said, "I love R&B music, man, that’s what you gotta understand, I listen to R&B music more than I listen to Rap. That’s kinda my thing. I just want to make genuinely sexy music for women to listen to and for men to play for women," so I expect him to stray away more from hip-hop in the upcoming years. Regardless, Drake had a monster 2009 and should be recognized for it. (For more about Drake's R&B, check this out)

- The Neptunes: Maybe not the best year for the combo of Pharrell and Chad Hugo, but when you win Producers of the Decade, you deserve a spot on this list. These guys have been making hits for the past ten years, most recently for Jay-Z's "The Blueprint 3" and Clipse's "Til' the Casket Drops." Pharrell has also assisted on a few tracks this year, which he usually does, like "Let it Loose" by Wale. The Neptunes always produce unique sounds and have remained consistent in 2009.

- Slaughterhouse: THIS is what a rap supergroup should be. The first five tracks off of their self-titled debut album were insane. For instance, read the lyrics for "Lyrical Murderers" or "The One", and you'll see why this may be the greatest collection of lyricists ever heard. There are still some things that Joe Budden, Royce Da 5'9", Crooked I, and Joel Ortiz need to work out, like not adding so many filler tracks. However, these guys know what rap is about and Slaughterhouse is no side-project for them. Expect big things from them in the near future.

For the top five Kings of 2009, check out the next post. . .

Flops of 2009

Alright, so being that this is the first post on an actual topic, why not start with something BIG?

It's New Year's Eve, and yeah, I'm going to be another one of those people that wants to review the year. Now I could go all out and try and do a decade in review, but considering I started the decade at only nine years of age and still thinking Pokemon was the be all and end all, I'll keep it to just 2k9.

I'll save the predictions for the Grammys and Oscars for another post, so in the next one, I'll give my take on who was this year's top MC and who to look forward to next year.

OK, so we started out the year bumpin' to "Crack a Bottle", Eminem's first single off "Relapse", his first album in 5 years. By the end, Young Money has soared up the charts, #9 at its peak, and is finishing the year with successful singles like "Bedrock" and "Every Girl".

There's a lot in the middle, and some artists have been met with huge success, while others are leaving some disappointed and looking to rebound fast.

Before I get to the best of the year, I'm going to start with the worst.

- Fabolous: Just as some girls will tease guys to no end, Fab is very good at it with hip-hop/rap. His intro on "Loso's Way" was one of the best to open an album all year. Unfortunately, that was the peak on "Loso's Way" as there were way too many filler tracks. Cut out half the album, and Fab could've made a lot of noise.

- Wale: Wale's year was a lot like the new Transformers flick. Lot of hype, great production, but a weak result. Wale's "Attention: Deficit" certainly had its moments such as "Mirrors" and "Triumph", but there was no identity or meaning behind most of his tracks. Sure, "Let it Loose" could be a successful radio hit, but this isn't coming from the same rapper that was exciting and fun to listen to on "100 Miles and Running".

- Rakim: He may be the best MC from the 90's, but definitely not today. "Seventh Seal" was uninspiring and sounded nothing like the guy who helped make "My Melody".

- Asher Roth: It's hard to put Asher on this list because he had so much success with "I Love College", but let me pose this question: Has anyone who didn't buy "Asleep in the Bread Isle" heard any other track that "I Love College" on the radio? I didn't think so. Sure, it may be a fun album to listen to once, but a few times through and I know I was already sick of the line "She don't want a man man man man, she just want a dance dance dance."

- Busta Rhymes: "Back On My B.S." was, well, a load of B.S. This album had no direction with some awkward tracks and cheesy rhymes. "Layin' the law like I'm the head of Congress" on "We Miss You", really Busta?

Dishonorable Mentions

- Cam'ron

- Young Money

- The Game

- Kanye West

- Hurricane Chris

There were a lot of disappointments in 2009 and that list could be much larger if I wanted to call out everyone who had a bad year. Still, the list gets the biggest flops on them so it makes its point.

Oh, and if you're wondering why The Game and Kanye were listed as dishonorable mentions in a year they didn't release an album, well these should be a refresher.

The Game Disses Jay-Z

2009 VMA's

Pilot

So with my upcoming show, The Spot on ACRN.com, coming up next month, I decided to start a blog to keep up with it.

What will this blog be about? Well for starters, read the title. I want to be focused, so most of the topics will be on Hip Hop and what's happening in its world. But there are other things that I care enough about to put in my own input, so expect the occasional post from sports and movies. Sometimes you just have those "OH SH*T" moments too, so a few of those will make it.

Feel free to comment on anything that I post, I'm always up for listening to reader feedback. There really isn't a time table on when I post something, so for those that will want to check all the time, don't expect new things to pop up every day. I'll be posting the link for each blog on my facebook page, so you can keep updated pretty easily. Remember that each post is my own take on something, so I don't expect everyone to agree with everything. Honestly, I'd rather more people disagree so I can get my voice heard.

Anyways, that's it in a nutshell. Make sure to check back soon for more. . .