Best Hip Hop Albums of 2015 list

Just when you thought all of your Christmas presents had already been delivered I found one more under the tree. Below are my picks for the top ten hip hop albums of 2015 in no particular order plus one special mixtape.

Albums

Action Bronson: Mr Wonderful (Spotify Link)

Apart from the appearance of a few high profile names like producer Mark Ronson, you'd swear gourmet chef turned rapper Action Bronson's debut studio album was just another one of his mixtapes. Every requisite element of a classic Bronsolino joint is here: cartoony, vulgar and fantastical lyrics, odd coughing breaks mid song and at least one off key singing section. Behind the boards are veteran producers (and former Bronson collaborators) Statik Selektah and The Alchemist.

Big Sean: Dark Sky Paradise (Spotify Link)

Big Sean first came to my attention in 2012 with the brilliant "Detroit" mixtape. It was catchy, silly, heartfelt and honest. Since then I've been waiting for him to release a commercial album that could recapture those feelings. This one comes the closest with tracks like the silly, catchy (and my summer jam for 2015) "I Don't Fuck With You" and the heartfelt and honest "One Man Can Change the World".

Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment: Surf (Spotify Link) 

Chance the Rapper (from 2013's amazing mixtape "Acid Rap") lends his infectiously joyful vocals to this album while leaving plenty of airtime for the other artists to shine including Donnie Trumpet (Jazz trumpeter Nico Segal) himself.  If that combination didn't get you curious enough to listen there's also guest spots by Busta Rhymes, Big Sean, Chicago's own King Louie and "Migos" member Quavo.

Freddie Gibbs: Shadow of a Doubt (Spotify Link)

The Gary, Indiana native's latest album "Shadow of a Doubt" is a mix of old and new for longtime fans. The old is the gritty crack game/rap game lyrics and smooth flow you've come to expect from a Gangster Gibbs project.  The new is experimenting with his sound and including more melody in his songs as well as varying the production roster this time out. Gibbs is evolving as a hip hop artist and I'm excited to see where he goes next.

Joey Badass: B4.DA.$$ (Spotify Link)

Come for the 90's style "golden era" beats by production all stars like DJ Premier and Statik Selektah and stay for the genuinely talented MC that is Joey Bada$$. On "B4.DA.$$" Joey raps about topics not from the 1990's while being decidedly more thoughtful than 99% of the rappers out there today.

Lizzo: Big Grrrl Small World (Spotify Link)

This Minneapolis native artist's debut studio album is a roller coaster, one minute she's rapping along to a bumping club beat, the next she's crooning along to a poppy jazz tune and that's all on the first track! A less capable artist could have easily collapsed under the pressure of making an album that contains such a wide variety of styles and tones consistently sound good but Lizzo and her production crew are up to the task which makes listening Big Grrrl Small World an enjoyable ride.

Logic: The Incredible True Story (Spotify Link)

A sci fi space journey story line both mirrors and frames the journey the listener takes through a myriad of styles in Logic's second studio album perfectly.  The young MC is back with not only his smooth flow and honest lyricism, but also a bigger share of the production duties this time around and he does not disappoint on any front.

Lupe Fiasco: Tetsuo & Youth (Spotify Link)

Tetsuo & Youth is both thematically and lyrically a dense album. This is nothing new for a Lupe Fiasco album. What is new however (at least since Lupe's 2007's "The Cool") is that the message(s) actually feel contained in the music instead of overshadowing them. Bring out your good pair of headphones, sit down and take your time to digest this one it's worth the effort.

Oddisee: The Good Fight (Spotify Link)

It feels like the amount of "mo' money mo' problems" rap in the game today is reaching a saturation point so to hear an artist who's actually happy with his success after putting in the work (ten studio albums in seven years and that's not even counting mixtapes) is refreshing. Oddisee is still putting in the work here too, the production is tight, the lyricism is tighter and by first few tracks there's going to be something you can bob your head to.

Vince Staples: Summertime '06 (Spotify Link)

Vince Staples has only been in the game a few years and already has a string of quality mixtapes including the "Shyne Coldchain" series and an equally excellent EP (last year's "Hell Can Wait") under his belt. Summertime '06 is the young MC's debut studio album and while it's a two discs affair he keeps the lineup lean (20 tracks) telling a realistically bleak story that shines a gritty spotlight on the "Gangsta Rap" lifestyle and "Hood" mentality so many rappers glorify nowadays.


Mixtape

Run the Jewels: Meow the Jewels (Spotify Link)

El-P, one half of the duo that is Run the Jewels joked about releasing their second album (Run the Jewels 2) remixed using only cat sounds for music. One Kickstarter later this cultural/national treasure was a real thing with remixes by The Alchemist, Dan the Automater and Prince Paul among others. Even if you're not immediately in love with the idea give it a listen. You can blame me when you're meowing along to one or all of the tracks next week at work while your coworkers walk by with confused looks on their faces.