2015 will go down as one of the best years for not only hip-hop, but for music in general. We barely went two or three weeks without a new album being released. With all these great artists putting out tons of new music, it is time to release my top 10 albums of the year.
If you don’t know by now, I almost exclusively write on hip-hop and R&B. While there are other great albums in different genres that were released this year (Tame Impala’s “Currents” and The Internet’s “Ego Death,” just to name a few), I will be ranking my top 10 albums in the hip-hop and R&B categories. Feel free to debate my list with me on Twitter.
#10: The Weeknd
“Beauty Behind The Madness”
Listing my top nine albums is easy; it’s deciding which album deserves to get the No. 10 spot that is so difficult. But then again, The Weeknd had a remarkable year with one gold and three platinum singles from a No. 1 album that has over 800,000 album sales to date.
So having “Beauty Behind The Madness” at No. 10 is fair. The Weeknd transitioned to a more pop sound, and it clearly worked out well. Top 10 for sure.
#9: Lupe Fiasco
“Tetsuo & Youth”
Lupe Fiasco’s fifth studio album was released early in 2015, and it remained one of the better albums throughout the whole year.
“Tetsuo & Youth” is great because of songs like “Mural,” which is arguably one of the best songs of 2015, with eight minutes of straight bars and no hook or bridge. Fiasco’s raps combined with his dope beats, and of course the four “seasonal” interludes, all come together to form a work of art.
#8: A$AP Rocky
“At.Long.Last.A$AP”
Over two years later, A$AP Rocky followed up “Long.Live.A$AP” with “A.L.L.A.” From start to finish, Rocky’s smooth voice and exceptional verses captivate us with both up-tempo songs, like “M’$,” and slower, trippy songs, like “L$D.”
The album has impressive features coming from Future, MIA, Kanye West, Miguel and even Rod Stewart. “At.Long.Last.A$AP” is surely one of the best albums this year.
#7: Meek Mill
“Dreams Worth More Than Money”
I know what you’re thinking: “Drake ended Meek Mill at OVO Fest! How can you say he had one of the best albums?” Forget about that for a second, because “Dreams Worth More Than Money” is crazy good. Every song on this album is great and, even though the features are on point, some of the better songs on this album are the ones where he’s solo.
Meek Mill is one of the best and “DWMTM” deserves the No. 7 spot.
#6: Mac Miller
“GO:OD AM”
Back in September, I wrote about how I never really listened to Mac Miller before this album, and I suggested you listen. Mac made a really solid album with “GO:OD AM.” The album’s tracklisting just feels right. Mac floats over every song and makes it sound effortless. With only a handful of features, Mac Miller alone gives us more than enough to label this a top 10 album.
#5: Future
“Dirty Sprite 2”
Future was, without a doubt, the hottest rapper of 2015 and had the best run a rapper could have by dropping three mixtapes and a solo album in less than a calendar year.
What’s most impressive is Future had only one feature coming from Drake on “Where Ya At.” With banger after banger, “DS2” is an easy top five album of the year.
#4: Rae Sremmurd
“SremmLife”
With many different rap albums coming out in 2015, people began to seriously argue over what real hip-hop is. While I could go on for hours about this, I’ll keep it short: There are different types of hip-hop, and it doesn’t make sense to label it all as the same.
Nobody is going to be playing Joey Bada$$ or Nas in the club or at a party, because people don’t want to listen to “real” hip-hop all the time. Most people would rather be dabbing to “March Madness” or pretty much anything off “SremmLife.”
There’s a time and place for certain artists and certain types of rap. Don’t be that “real” hip-hop head and just enjoy “SremmLife” for what it is: an album full of dope songs and fun hooks. If you doubt Rae Sremmurd’s talent, then I suggest you go watch their 20-minute freestyle on Tim Westwood’s radio show.
#3: Big Sean
“Dark Sky Paradise”
Big Sean has been a fairly consistent artist so far in his career and he’s made some good music, but he finally got over the hump to solidify his spot as one of the great rappers of today.
“Dark Sky Paradise” is darker than his last albums, and it’s been his best project to date. Big Sean is one of the better lyricists and can body a variety of songs from “IDFWU” to “One Man Can Change The World.” “DSP” is absolutely perfect.
#2: Kendrick Lamar
“To Pimp A Butterfly”
Kendrick Lamar finally released his sophomore album after nearly two and a half years. To be completely honest, I wasn’t really feeling this album when I first listened. But, after giving it several more complete listens, it quickly became one of my favorites. From “Wesley’s Theory” to “King Kunta” to “Alright,” “To Pimp A Butterfly” can be listened to whenever, whether you’re in a chill mood or trying to turn up.
The problem people may have is they expect an artist to make the same music forever and don’t understand artists need to progress and make different music or else they’ll fall off. It’s definitely possible for an artist to progress but continue to make great music, and that’s exactly what Lamar did. “To Pimp A Butterfly” is a masterpiece.
#1: Travis Scott
“Rodeo”
Ever since “Days Before Rodeo” dropped in August of 2014, I have been hyping up “Rodeo” and trying to get people to listen to Travis Scott if they weren’t already. 2015 was the year that Travis Scott finally blew up and received mainstream attention. He had his debut album released, toured with The Weeknd while simultaneously building a reputation for having the wildest concerts (which I can attest to). He continues to shine on other artists’ songs, whether producing or rapping.
The production on “Rodeo” is out of this world, and Scott’s flow and use of autotune mix perfectly. Combine those two factors with the list of artists featured and you get the best album of the year.
