This is just my Top 20 projects of the Year from the things that I have heard. Of course I am only 1 person and naturally I can't here everything from everybody! I decided to to do a Top 20 Projects instead of a mixtape or a album category because some of the artist mixtapes are albums and I don't want to take anything from them by adding the mixtape name to there project!I am not going to add the usual albums like Beyonce's 4 or Watch The Throne or Adele's 21 Some of my choices might be biased but so fucking what! List after the Jump!
*IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER!*
1. The Boy Illinois - Inhale Pt. 4: Horai - This is a very well put together project with Production from the Baron Boys, and Rel and Features from TreStyle,Rel,Blink, Asia Monique,G.o.D.Jewels and more.This Project was well Thought through and has a very dope concept as far as song alignment and meaning!
2. G.o.D. Jewels - ReasonbleMatic - Now This one took songs from Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt and Nas's LLMatic and combined into on great project. Jewels is one of the dopest artist in Chicago and his flow is insane and he drops thought provoking bars in all his music just listen to Dead Slave Owners for Example!
4. R.O.E. - A BackPacker Named R.O.E.- Now R.O.E. is an acronym for Rising Over Envy and just in the past year I have seen this young man make so much progress and I am happy for him. He dropped his 1st EP earlier this year and rocked shows all over captivating crowds. A Backpacker Named R.O.E. is short sweet and to the point another project I have been listening to all year! He is also currently working on his album The Radiant Child
5. Kay Cola - Love & Music - Kay Cola is a dope singer she reminds me of Jhene Aiko and her EP Love & Music was a dope EP her single It Aint Gonna Hurt you blew me away. It features production from SHO & Roosevelt and Skeme, H.O.P.E,Papa and more all drop bars on here EP.
6. Pennjamin Bannekar - Heart Beat - This is Penn Bannekar who released his rookie album Heart Beat in the first quarter of the year riding the success of his mixtape Hello World in early 2010. The album is a pretty personal album it conveys his life in parts of almost every song which helps you relate to his music. The album features Phil G, Omen Jai Will and Davion. Currently available on iTunes!
7. Chris Shields - Man On Fire - 747 Shields came hard with his sophomore album and he definitely rep'ed Chicago and 100 Grand Ent very well sometimes his punchlines are straight cut throat. He raps with punchlines but he can switch it up and add content to his music like on Rush and Real Life with Eric Mobley which just happen to be my favortite songs off the Album but its a dope album even got a few club bangers that'll make the girls at KOD happy!
8. Wale - Eleven One Eleven The Theory/Ambition - Now I combined them because they came out around the same time and Eleven One Eleven was sort of a prelude to Ambition if you listen to the poem in the beginning you can see how that works The mixtape was the first 3 quarters and Ambition was the clutch 4th quarter. E.O.E. laid the ground work for Ambition! Both are dope projects from Mr. No Days Off.
9. J.Cole - First off let me say Cole World wasn't Friday Night Lights or The Warm Up okay I get that but it was still a very very good album Can't Get Enough and Work Out weren't his best efforts but it made his fan base multiply tremendously because the radio played the hell out of those songs.Then he went and sold over 200,000 thousand the 1st week and it is already a gold album.Oh and don't deny the fact it had hella content all through it!
10. Kids These Days - Hard Times - Hard Times was one of the best EP's to drop all year these are some very young artist they have a very Jazz influenced sound mixed with Hip Hop from the young spitta Vic Mensa and Soul/R&B from the sultry Macie Stewart. This is something you can ride to with grandparents in the car and all. Very dope music!
11. Big K.R.I.T. - Return Of Forever - Okay i will be the first to admit I was sleep in Big K.R.I.T. until this year I seen his name all the time and just kept passing him over until one of my Co-Workers (Kris) literally forced me to listen to the Return Of Forever everyday he asked did I listen to it yet until I did. When I heard The Vent and Free My Soul I was like GOT DAMN my nigga has talent. Still waiting on that album though K.R.I.T.
12. Freddie Gibbs - Cold Day in Hell - Straight outta East Gary Indiana Freddie Gibbs killed with this Mixtape easily a canidate for mixtape of the year my nigga Gibbs spit some real lyrics throughout the whole album then went and grabbed 2 Chainz for Neighborhood hoes and Dom Kennedy for Menace II Society and set the mixtape with a great feel. Great job Gibbs!
13. F.A. The Squad - The Pilot - The Pilot finally dropped earlier this year after a long wait for the fans. Group Members TreStyle, Rel and The Boy Illinois all game together and put in work and got The Pilot off the ground. They Released the first video Back Down which was directed by Damon L Thomas then they followed that up with the video for Top Of The World and Just for Now which helped them gain quite a few more fans. Make sure you all go D/L The Pilot the debut mixtape from F.A. The Squad!
14. Omen - Afraid of Heights - Another MC out of Chicago makes the list Omen from J.Cole's crew Dreamville dropped his dark mystical mixtape for us. It takes us through the mind-state and mind-frame he was in thought the process of making the mixtape. He really blew me away with Lift Me which is a JoeF favorite! He produced the whole project himself which is why you probably get the same feel throughout the whole project and it has features from J.Cole, Volli, Ari Lourdes, Kendrick Lamar and more.
15. Pavy - The Book Of Pavy - The Book Of Pavy was the prophet version of Pavy there were a few biblical quotes and references throughout the album even his first video was sort of like The Book of Eli. My favorite song was Predator though and it G.o.D. Jewels, D2G, and Capitol K all came through to drop verses! It was a very solid album from front to back! Be on the lookout for his new album Middle Class Ignorance which will be dropping on 1.17.12.
16. Albe Back - Raphael De La Ghetto - Albe came correct with this one he combines poetry with hip hop and its like his quoting a poems in a hip hop format. He definitely does something different than most rappers I strongly suggest you check this one out!
17. Grumpy Old Men - Sunday Skool - The duo of Pete Sayke and Mike Schpitz hook up together and put together a great mixtape. It has over 18,000 views on livemixtapes.com alone so its definitely worth a listen it featured production from Wes P Beats, Maja 7th, ILL Brown and More!
18. Ab Soul - Longterm Mentality - You might have heard him at the end of Section .80 Ab Soul is similar to Kendrick Lamar he is kinda in his shadow a little bit but he still holds his own with TDE. His Longterm Mentality album was dope front to back with songs such as Loosen My Tie and More of Euphoria hit spits just as hard as any MC in the game
19. Machine Gun Kelly - The Rage Pack - MGK really came hard on this mixtape I like the little white boy he really cathches my attention with his flow its so fluid and choppy and fast all at the same time but Imma Wild Boy is a club banger and he can switch it up and make a song like chasing pavement and spit something real. MGK might have ruined his career by signing with Bad Boy but so far he got a bright future!
20. Add 2 - One Missed Call - Mr One Man Band himself has dropped gems all year long like Got Damn and Modern Day Coon which is one of the coldest songs I have ever heard! He has been working on Save.Our.Souls all year long and to hold his fans over til it dropped he dropped One Missed Call where he actually let fans call and leave a voice mail and he added to the mixtape as skits great way to get the fans involved. Then just a few weeks he got a shout out from Common on the radio as an artist to look out for then he went and bust on Common's Ghetto Dreams as a thank you to him. Save.Our.Souls Coming Soon.
Honarable Mentions: Royce da 5'9 - Success is Certain, Childish Gambino - Camp, Nitty Scott MC - Doobies and Popsicle Sticks, Marsha Ambrosuis - Late Nights and Early Mornings , Cyhi Da Prince - Royal Flush 2, Elzhi - ELMatic, B.o.B. -E.P.I.C., Lupe Fiasco - Friend of The People, 2 Chainz - T.R.U. Realigion, Legit - Coloring Outside the Lines
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