It’s a great time to be a music fan because we are overwhelmed with so much free music, i.e. mixtapes, singles, EP’s. We can agree the lines are blurred on how artists release their material, mixtapes vs. albums, but I believe we should always expect the best of the best on an album. If your favourite rapper delivers a sub-par mixtape you might let it slide and when it comes to an album it’s no holds barred and why shouldn’t it be? Most artists record anywhere between 20-100 songs for an album. Without further ado, The Come Up Show presents our favourite albums of 2012.
Clear Soul Forces – Detroit Revolution(s)
These guys really caught my attention this year with their 15-track album debut. Soulful beats, hard-hitting drums, and dope chemistry between all four emcees. This album has been in steady rotation since April.- M-Bomb.
Brother Ali – Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color
Brother Ali’s latest album is a truly ambitious, heartfelt project. Jake One’s production on here is stellar, and Ali sounds as inspired as ever. Had to cop this one.- M-Bomb
Kendrick Lamar – Good Kid, m.a.a.d City
I really believe we’ll be calling this album a classic years from now. This album is one of those rare projects where the sum is greater than its parts; each song sounds much better in the context of the rest of the album rather than as a standalone track. The storytelling on here is incredible, too. Ya BISH.- M-Bomb
What else is there for me to say that you already don’t know about Kendrick’s debut? GKMC embodies everything I look for in an album, and more. OD and Section 80 let us know that Kendrick Lamar is an absolute beast on the mic, but his debut album showed that he could one day be amongst the best to ever do it. The beats, the rhymes, the story, GKMC has it all. 2012 was the year of King Kendrick.- David
As cliché as it sounds these days to say GKMC is a classic, the truth is it’s just that good. With the amount of singles driven albums in today’s hip hop it’s definitely refreshing to hear something different and cohesive from such a young artist. Great album? I say yes. Classic? Only time will tell. Favorite tracks: mAAd City, The Art of Peer Pressure. -BigSke
Being one of the most talked about albums this year, Kendrick Lamar delivered on many levels with his debut album. Gaining positive criticism from many, this project was labeled as a classic from the beginning. Producing two singles before it’s release; the album debuted at number 2 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling over 242,000 copies in the first week. This CD lived up to the hype and is still in heavy rotation. -Mlav
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – The Heist
There really isn’t one song on here that I find myself skipping. Ryan Lewis does a great job providing the instrumental backing, and Macklemore finally gets the attention he deserves from the masses. “Thrift Shop” is one of the catchiest rap songs I’ve heard in a minute, and “Can’t Hold Us” is fantastic.- M-Bomb
Killer Mike – R.A.P Music
I had this album on repeat from April right through the summer. Killer Mike is a beast on this one, blending storytelling, slick rhymes, and just overall swagger. “Southern Fried” has got to be one of my favourite songs of all year, and “R.A.P. Music” is another strong track. El-P handles the production throughout, and perfectly complements Mike’s raps.- M-Bomb
Miguel- Kaleidoscope Dream
Kaleidoscope Dream got a lot of praise upon its release end of September, but I’ll be the first to admit I slept on the album for months. Miguel puts a unique twist on R&B music making a sound that is both soulful and futuristic. I gotta say, Channel Orange was good enough to take KD’s spot here… but tracks like “Adorn”, “Candles In The Sun” “P*ssy Is Mine” and “The Thrill” have gotten way too many plays from me to not acknowledge.- David
Ab-Soul- Control System
I think I listened to Control System from start to finish every day this summer. Not only because it’s an amazing hip-hop album, but because I needed more time to decipher the intricate mind of Ab-Soul. Listening to Control System at times is like watching a documentary on America’s different conspiracy theories. Ab touches on the government, love, drugs and more with incredible wordplay and double-entendres throughout the album. “Track Two”, “Illuminate”, and “The Book Of Soul” are the highlights for me, but there isn’t one track I couldn’t have on replay all day. It’s Soulo ho, the one and only….- David
Rick Ross- God forgives I Don’t
As much as people want to hate on Rick Ross there’s one thing that can’t be denied, the man knows how to make hot songs that crossover. For many Rick Ross should have been written off a long time ago, unfortunately for his naysayers he keeps delivering quality music with every release. With GFID he carries on tradition doing what he does best, crafting cinematic street anthems that later become club staples that even his biggest hater can’t avoid bopping to in the club. – BigSke
Nominated for a Grammy, this album received positive reviews from music critics. Known for great production from producers like Cardiak, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League and Cool N Dre, along with Rozay’s lyrics, God Forgives, I Don’t was a great album. It was certified Gold in October, while support on the album came from big name rappers such as: Jay-Z, Andre 3000, Dr. Dre and Usher to name a few. Songs like “3 Kings”, Touch’N You”, “So Sophisticated”, and ‘Diced Pineapples” really stood out. -Mlav
Nas –Life is Good
With Nas entering elder statesman status in Hip Hop many skeptics (myself included) weren’t too sure if the Queens emcee could ever deliver on the same level as the masterpiece that is Illmatic. For many there has always been a sense of disappointment with respect to Nas’s releases post illmatic. Then as a gift and a curse Nas marries and later divorces singer kelis only to release one of his most personal and cohesive projects to date.- BigSke
Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
Despite telling us the truth about his sexuality, Frank’s music is what truly mattered as this album proved to be his best work yet. Songs like “Thinkin Bout You”, “Crack Rock”, “Lost” and “Pyramids” really paint a picture. An appearance from Andre 3000 is a nice addition as well as Frank Ocean leading all nominees this year for the 55th Grammy Awards with 6 nominations.- Mlav
Smash Brovaz- Think It’s A Game
I almost missed this album on our Favourite of 2012 since it was just released mid December and I’m so glad it did make the cut. Toronto duo Smash Brovaz consists of Junia-T and Crooklin, we’ve supported their music as a duo and individually. If this was the early 2000’s I would tell you insert the CD and just press play, since its 2013 go download the album, unzip it and then click play, HA! From the first song Whatever until the last The Kitchen, they did such a great job on selecting the right producers and topics. You can hear their growth, and struggles from both perspectives and songs like Toronto to LA gives me hope that this rap game can take you to unimaginable places that wouldn’t be possible if it was for Hip-Hop.- Chedo