Best Of 2011
Musically, 2011 was a bit of a let down for me. I was anticipating a lot of albums that came and went that just didn’t do what they should have done. However, 2011 was the year of the emerging artist. Kendrick Lamar and Big K.R.I.T. proved that the new kids could bully the vets on the court. 2011 also brought about a lot of loss, anguish, and anger as we mourn the loss of Heavy D, send Conrad Murray off to prison, and watch Casey Anthony SOMEHOW get a not guilty verdict.
But not all was bad as 2011 saw the reemergence of Common and Robin Thicke, gave us INCREDIBLE laughter at Ray J’s expense, and gives us something to look forward to as we now embark on 2012.
Y’all know the routine by now, let’s start this off with the most controversial category!
Most Disappointing Album of the Year
Drake – Take Care – Are we done yet? No? God DAMN!
M.O.P. – Sparta – While this album was by no means wack, it wasn’t overly dope either. For 11 years, we’ve been waiting for that definitive album, that definitive single, that definitive banger. The production on Sparta was flat, so much so that the album sounded like it was 2-tracked.
Jay-Z & Kanye West – Watch The Throne –Talk about a shit turd of an album. Holy shit this album was horrible and I don’t care what anyone thinks about that. Kanye proved, once again, that he’s the corniest rapper of all time. And Jay-Z? He took more plays off on this album than Randy Moss in Minnesota.
Danny Brown – XXX – I’m fully prepared for the backlash I’m going to get for this but it is what it is. The first half of XXX was chocked full of empty rhetoric and punchlines just for the sake of punchlines. The second half of the album was solid. Overall, the album left me disappointed because of how high Danny has set the bar with previous releases such as The Hybrid and the Detroit State Of Mind mixtape series. The production also left me scratching my head on a lot of the tracks.
The Cool Kids – When Fish Ride Bicycles – Here’s to hoping that we won’t see another TCK album in 2012. Not that they’re weak, but this album was anything but audible. The thing about The Cool Kids is that they’ve waited so long to capitalize off of their buzz that they inspired a whole generation of new artists. A generation of new artists that have taken their niche and do it better than they do.
Snoop Dogg – Doggumentary – Snoop, for the love of God, please stop.
Lupe Fiasco – Lasers – There has always been one bright spot in Lupe’s career – his music. If you can get past his arrogance in his every day speech as if he’s better and smarter than everyone, his music was the catalyst for greatness. Then he dropped the shit turd of the year.
Winner: Jay-Z & Kanye West – Watch The Throne and Lupe Fiasco – Lasers
Video of the Year
Cold Men Young – Time Bomb – Talk about a video that’s not only aesthetically dope but completely fits the theme of the song in a unique way! Cold Men Young did just that with the video for, “Time Bomb.”
The Black Opera – Villains – The Black Opera, whoever the hell they are, dropped one of the most powerful videos of the year. The symbolism in the video is amazing!
Mayer Hawthorne – The Walk – An amazing video from an amazing artists, Mayer Hawthorne put a musical bed to a Mr. & Mrs. Smith themed movie.
Hawdwerk & Jansport J – Respect – The West Covina duo of emcee Hawdwerk and producer Jansport J dropped a stirring video to a musical backdrop depicting how black youth are often caught up in the destructive cycle of their surroundings.
RenCen CoolBeanz – Bad Ass – If you’re not familiar with RenCen, don’t worry. You will be soon!
Pusha T – Trouble On My Mind feat. Tyler The Creator – It’s no secret that I’m what you would call the polar opposite of a Tyler, The Creator/OFWGKTA fan but dope is dope no matter who it’s from and this song/video was dope.
Clear Soul Forces – Strangers In The Night – The four man duo of Clear Soul Forces made some huge waves in 2011. The visuals for Strangers In The Night were crazy!
Winner: The Black Opera – Villains
Movie of the Year
The Hangover Part II – To be the sequel of one of the funniest comedies of our time, Part II didn’t disappoint. While most people point out that the plot was the same as the first, I say to them: What the fuck did you expect? Idiot.
Transformers: Dark Of The Moon – Yo, Transformers 3 was dope. Screw you guys!
Fast Five – Yo, Fast Five was dope. Screw you guys! I’ll off myself if they end up making a part 6, though.
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol – Good ‘ol Tom Cruise took some time off from worshipping space aliens in the hills of Los Angeles to bring some of that good ‘ol crazy magic he has to the big screen.
30 Minutes Or Less – Although I was hoping Aziz Ansari would have been funnier in this movie, the movie was hilarious none the less.
50/50 – This movie did an amazing job on riding the fine borderline of comedy and drama. It tugged at the emotional strings while keeping you in stitches.
Bad Teacher – Cameron Diaz is back! Wow, she NAILED this role.
Winner: Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
“Where You At?” Award for Best Disappearing Act
Ted Williams – Yo, what in the ENTIRE fuck happened to Ted Williams?
Charlie Sheen – Had a spark when you started but now you just garbage. #WINNING!
2 And A Half Men – Had a spark when you started but now you just garbage. #TIGERBLOOD
Kat Stacks – Wasn’t she being deported?
Winner: Ted Williams
Concert/Event of the Year
Royce Da 5’9” album release for Success Is Certain – I’m not biased to Detroit artists and events but if you’re familiar with just how stagnant local progress can be in Detroit then you know it’s an amazing thing to see Detroit come out to pack a 2k + venue for a local artist. They did that for Royce. It was an amazing night, packed with everything from a surprise performance by Bun B and Slaughterhouse to Paul Rosenberg presenting Royce with his Gold plaque for Bad Meets Evil.
Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival – Q-Tip took over the BK Hip Hop Festival 2011 and really made it his own. What an amazing idea the Brooklyn Bodega had to have Q-Tip headline and run through his rich catalog of music and inviting everyone from Kanye West to Busta Rhymes to rock the stage with him.
Paul Rosenberg’s PR40 Birthday Celebration – The much publicized 40th birthday celebration for the man who has helped introduce Detroit Hip Hop to the world’s eye. The evening was chocked full of special guest performances from the likes of Nas, Rakim, EPMD, Craig G, and Dana Dane.
eLzhi’s album release for eLmatic – Like Royce’s album release party for Success Is Certain, Detroit came in record numbers to celebrate the release of eLZhi’s album release party for eLmatic. It was truly a great thing to see.
Winner: Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival
“Where They Do Dat At?” Excellence in Ignorance Award
Kwame Kilpatrick – How does this jackass continue to make the news?
T.I. – T.I. is the ONLY person on Earth who can go BACK to jail because of the way he went HOME from jail. It’s not funny, but it’s so fucking hilarious!
Arnold Schwarzenegger – Congratulations, it’s an 18 year old Mexican boy!
The Jury in the Casey Anthony Trial – You’ve GOT to be fucking kidding me!
Gucci Mane – Ice cream cone on the face, huh? Dude likes cream on his face, huh?
Rappers STILL having sex with Kat Stacks in 2011 – SMH!
Winner: The Jury in the Casey Anthony Trial
“N*gga, Please!” Award of the Year
Herman Cain – Perhaps the worst thing to happen to me in 2011 was finding out this African baboon footed sambo coon was my 3rd or 4th cousin. Everything about his Presidential campaign was a joke.
Canibus – From Twitter slander to Royce Da 5’9” and former group mate Ras Kass from a page he claims was a fake page to verbally attacking J. Cole for the way he gave him praise. Really? Are you serious? Nigga you should be happy anyone even knows your name these days!
The Entire Tea Party – Really? These people are a joke and a slap in the face to democracy. The scary part is all of the people they’ve inspired to ignorance.
Ray J – MONEY TEAM! Right now, Ray J is outside of Fabolous’ house with 50 Toyota Prius’. #MONEYTEAM
Winner: Ray J
“o_O” Award for Worst Line of the Year
Kanye West on Niggas In Paris – “What’s Gucci my nigga?//What’s Louie my killa?//What’s drugs my deala?//What’s that jacket, Margiela?” What in the letter-f, ampersand, asterisk, k does that even mean?
Kanye West on Niggas In Paris – “You know how many hot bitches I own?” What? You OWN people, now?
Kanye West on Gotta Have It – “Racks on racks on racks//Maybachs on bachs on bachs on bachs on bachs//…oh shit it’s just blacks on blacks on blacks.” SMH. Go fall on a blade.
Kanye West on Illest Motherfucker Alive – “Bullet proof condom when I’m in these hoes//Got staples on my dick (why?) fuckin’ centerfolds.” SHUT THE FUCK UP!
Kanye West on every verse – Look, I could make an entire Best (Worst) of 2011 blog based solely off weak ass Kanye lines so I’ll stop now.
Winner: Kanye West
Best New Artist – Hip Hop
Big KRIT – When Return Of 4eva dropped, I damn near lost my mind. I couldn’t believe that for the first time in YEARS, there was finally a legitimate new artist about to take over the game.
Kendrick Lamar – I’ll be honest, it took me a LONG time to warm up to Kendrick Lamar. I never thought he was weak, but I just wasn’t impressed. Then Section.80 came out but by that time all of the over-hype convoluted my viewpoint and I didn’t give it a fair shake. Once I DID give it a fair shake? Well, you’ll find out later as you continue to read.
J. Cole – Finally, we have a Roc Nation album release. For the half-assed promo and lack of attention to him by his label, J. Cole had a good year.
David Dallas – Back in January, I was introduced to the New Zealand emcee. Then his album – The Rost Tint – dropped and I’ve been spreading the word about him ever since.
Winner: Kendrick Lamar
Best Indie Label of the Year
Stones Throw – This year Stones Throw celebrated its 15th year in business and saw all of their hard works with who is probably their highest selling artist in Mayer Hawthorne move on to the big leagues with a deal from Universal Republic. They’re definitely doing something right!
Duck Down Music – Duck Down had release after release this year, from Pharoahe Monch and Kidz In The Hall to teaming up with Statik Selektah’s Showoff Records imprint and 9th Wonder’s Jamla Records imprint to release SO much quality in 2011.
Mello Music Group – Perhaps the most consistent label in Hip Hop, Mello is out here living life like a Denzel Washigton quote, “This shit’s chess, not checkers!”
Winner: Stones Throw
Producer of the Year
Hir-O – Hir-O continued his musical dominance in 2011 with the release of his instrumental LP, The Freakstrumental Joint.
14kt – As if 2010 wasn’t a great year for KT musically, he continued with the tradition of excellence in 2011. He dropped two instrumental albums this year and teamed up with Bun B for a track.
9th Wonder – 9th introduced the world to his label imprint Jamla Records in 2011, in addition to dropping quality joints of his own.
Winner: 14KT
Best Song of the Year
Common – Sweet – BAHAHAHAHAHAH! Man, I hate Drake!
Kendrick Lamar – Fuck Your Ethnicity – What a major fucking way to start off an album. WOW!
Common – Blue Sky – One of the game’s best singles this year.
Kendrick Lamar – Ronald Reagan Era – Kudos to Kendrick for getting the generation he inspires to actually get back into LYRICS and LYRICISIM. Not since 2Pac has someone with commercial aspirations been able to inspire with lyricism.
Kendrick Lamar – A.D.H.D. – 8 doobies to the face? Nigga, fuck that!
Young Jeezy – Way Too Gone feat. Future – I could care less about a Future but Jeezy went to work!
Moe Dirdee – We Know feat. Jamall Bufford – Holy shit! I’ve placed this track on about 4-5 mixtapes I’ve made in 2011 easily.
JYoung The General – We Got Ya – JYoung takes on the challenge of tearing down a smooth, 40’s-50’s inspired Rat Pack type of vibe laid down by StewRAT and creates a lyrically digestible, commercially viable single for everyone.
Big Sean – Dance (Ass) – It’s no secret that I’m no fan of Big Sean but props have to be given where they are due. Sonically, his album was crafted perfectly and, “Dance (Ass),” is one of the year’s most addictive songs.
Lupe Fiasco – All Black Everything – Even on that shit tastic of an album, a little bit of the Lupe we used to love was able to shine through.
David Dallas – Caught In A Daze feat. Freddie Gibbs – When I’ve turned this track on, no one could believe that a white guy from New Zealand could have such a smooth, lyrical flow. David Dallas is that dude!
Jay-Z & Kanye West – Murder To Excellence – I’m surprised that one of the worst album of the year could produce such a quality song.
Winner: Moe Dirdee – We Know feat. Jamall Bufford
Mixtape of the Year
Jean Grae – Cookies Or Comas – It’s been a while since we were blessed with a full-length anything from Jean Grae so to hear her in her element on Cookies Or Comas was good for Hip Hop.
FowL – Live From The D – The next one up from Detroit, FowL opened the year with his debut mixtape Live From The D to RAVE reviews and coverage from everywhere.
FowL – Good Vibes – His 2nd mixtape of 2011, FowL spazzed out on some of Hip Hop’s greatest instrumentals of the 90’s to create amazing music any hip hop head could vibe to.
Skyzoo – The Great Debater – Skyzoo is the fucking man. Hands down. Nothing else to say.
Kid Vishis – Sick Em Vol.2 – The baby brother of Royce Da 5’9”, Kid Vishis, has been showing the world he can more than stand on his own two feet – on Sick Em Vol.2 he stood on one foot while balancing the pressure of being kin to one of the greatest lyricists in the game.
Nametag – Classic Cadence 3 – The final installment in Nametag’s Classic Cadence series, Classic Cadence 3 perfectly displayed what the cousin of Black Milk is all about.
Winner: FowL – Good Vibes
Instrumental Album of the Year
Hir-O – The Freakstrumental Joint – There seems to be nothing this guy can’t do, and no type of beat he can’t make. Hir-O reached out to the ladies for this sensual stimulating effort that included more than just the beats but a complete visual experience.
Yungclassix – Life On The Grid – One of Detroit’s best kept secrets behind the boards, Yungclassix dropped his highly anticipated Life On The Grid in 2011. From Detroit to the UK, the response has been crazy!
14KT – 14killatape – Any time 14KT drops, it’s a good year.
14KT – A Friendly Game Of KT – TWO 14KT drops in a year?
Trebles And Blues – The Blue Note – In 2011, I was introduced to Trebles And Blues out of Los Angeles. Dude is SURGICAL with an MPC!
Winner: 14KT – A Friendly Game Of KT
Extended Play of the Year
JYoung The General – Black History Year: Installment 2 – Black History Year 2 is the second installment in the first EP series of its kind; a musical series paying homage to the history of an entire race through dope music. G-Unit in-house producer Nick Speed is back behind the boards for this one as JYoung delves into deeper subjects about Black History.
Bad Meets Evil – Hell: The Sequel – Everyone wanted this EP to be what THEY wanted it to be, completing negating the fact that it’s 2011 and not 2001. As Royce told me in the studio when he let me hear it, “I don’t even remember my verse to Scary Movie.” To hear these guys trade bars back and forth like old times – having complete disregard for commercial song structure – was AMAZING. These guys got in the booth for fun, made it an EP, completely disregarded conventional standards for a commercially viable project, and went Gold.
Black Milk & Danny Brown – Black And Brown – Danny Brown redeemed himself from the misses on XXX with the Black And Brown EP with Black Milk. This project had been rumored for a while but it was amazing to finally see it come to light!
Mobb Deep – Black Cocaine – Last year I asked the question, “Where the hell is Mobb Deep?” Welp, I’m guessing they heard me because Black Cocaine saw the duo reach back to some of those roots that got them to where they are now.
Slaughterhouse – The Slaughterhouse EP – Completely under the radar for most but Slaughterhouse dropped a free EP in 2011 that was better than a lot of people’s entire albums.
Zo! – Just Visiting Three – I’m not sure if Zo! considered Just Visiting Three an EP but I categorized it as so because of its length. Zo! is an AMAZING musician!
Winner: Bad Meets Evil – Hell: The Sequel
Album of the Year – R&B
Goapele – Break Of Dawn – Goapele can never do any wrong.
Robin Thicke – Love After War – Robin Thicke is on fire. From the Jesus sandals to the Tuxedo, he’s never released an album short of amazing!
Jill Scott – The Light Of The Sun – One of the best singers of our time, hands down.
Marsha Ambrosious – Late Nights And Early Mornings – If I could create a category for Marsha’s legs alone, I would. My God. Late Nights And Early Mornings made its way through the R&B AND the hip hop head scene.
Winner: Robin Thicke – Love After War
Album of the Year – Hip Hop
Royce Da 5’9” – Success Is Certain – Royce will never make that definitive crossover album and, to me, that’s what makes him so great and worthy of his spot in my top 5 of all time. Royce has the unique ability to evoke the masses via an underground means of communication and he does it better than anyone in the game ever has.
Big K.R.I.T. – Return Of 4eva – K.R.I.T. is the best artist out of the South since T.I. Hands down. And, until T.I. gets his act together, K.R.I.T. has the crown. Return Of 4eva was easily one of the greatest albums from a new artist in the past 10 years.
Kendrick Lamar – Section.80 – I’m truly glad I gave myself the opportunity to warm up to Section.80. The hype machine can be a dangerous beast in the eyes of a critic like myself. Kendrick deserves every ounce of that hype, though. Another one of those albums by a new artist that one of the greatest of the past 10 years.
Common – The Dreamer, The Believer – It felt really good to get Common back from the edge of the cliff that Universal Mind Control put him on. Pharrell should be BARRED from stepping foot near ANY classic-status artist. This album is proof why Common is one of the top 10 Hip Hop artists of all time.
Young Jeezy – TM103: Hustlerz Ambition – Jeezy is an undeniable force for any urban individual. If you’re from the inner city, REALLY from the inner city, Jeezy resonates with you in a way any of your current sophistications can. I don’t care if you’re a Harvard Alumnus. I bet you Obama listens to TM103 everyday.
The Roots – Undun – The Roots can do no wrong. Ever.
eLZhi – eLmatic – Maybe it’s not that definitive eLZhi solo album we’ve been waiting for for so long, but it’s the closest we’re going to get for a while. The fact that eLZhi was able to take one of Hip Hop’s top 3 albums of all time, and COMPLETELY make it his own? Nothing short of amazing.
Winner: Kendrick Lamar – Section.80
Best Moment in Hip Hop
The Roots’ Michele Bachmann Intro Song – Holy crap, The Roots are amazing humans. God bless your souls!
Common dissing Drake – Clearly the best thing to happen in Hip Hop music all year.
A BET Award Show that was actually tolerable – Who woulda thunk it, huh? God bless you, Kevin Hart! And God bless you, Shady 2.0 Cypher!
Winner: The Roots’ Michele Bachmann Intro Song
Artist of the Year – R&B
Robin Thicke – Robin Thicke is one of the few artists that can step away for a period of time, come back, and reclaim his spot like he never left. He’s THAT good.
Marsha Ambrosious – It’s not often an R&B artist can really transcend the hard body Hip Hop scene and OWN it with making classic R&B music like she did. Goapele kinda did it with, “Closer.” Jill Scott CAN do it at times. Marsha Ambrosious DOES it.
Jill Scott – Truly an amazing talent, she’s another one of those artists who can step away and come back like she never left.
Mayer Hawthorne – People may not consider Mayer an R&B artist but I’ll be damned if he doesn’t continue to OWN the category. 2011 saw him transition from indie label success with Stones Throw to major label success with Universal Republic.
Winner: Mayer Hawthorne
Artist of the Year – Hip Hop
Danny Brown – One of the more polarizing artists in recent Hip Hop years, Danny Brown’s presence is undeniable. He’s been EVERYwhere in 2011 from Rolling Stone to Fader Magazine to the top of the charts for rap and rock magazines alike for XXX. While it may have not been that album for me, it definitely left its mark.
Kendrick Lamar – There’s no downplaying the amount of success that Kendrick Lamar has had in 2011. What Kendrick Lamar did for independent Hip Hop artists everywhere will have a lasting effect for years to come. There hasn’t been a new artist to dominate like him, with NO major label presence, in a long time. Now he has Dr. Dre committed to working on his next album. It’s his time.
Winner: Kendrick Lamar
Who/What To Be On The Lookout for in 2012…
Danny! – It’s ok if you don’t know who Danny! is yet because you will in 2012. Mark my words. You WILL know Danny Swain in 2012.
Slaughterhouse Album – From what I heard of the Slaughterhouse album in mid 2011 was nothing short of pure neck breaking euphoria. Early contender for 2012 album of the year.
Chell – The youngest member of the BLAT! Pack, Chell is poised for an amazing 2012. The young vocalist has already landed a handful of major label features, a potential tour, and is gearing up for the release of her debut EP – Coming Out My Chell. It’s going to be a great year for her.
Stryfe and Marc Byrd are The Last Resort – Trust me when I say that The Last Resort is going to break the mold of what Hip Hop can be sonically.
Red Pill x Hir-O – The Kick – The Kick WILL make SEVERAL top websites and publications favorite album of the year. This album is another one of those early contenders for 2012 album of the year.
Big K.R.I.T. – After dropping Return Of 4eva, I can’t wait to hear Big K.R.I.T.’s official Def Jam debut. Def Jam has the ball in their court – here’s to hoping they don’t dribble it off their foot and out-of-bounds.
The official WHUTUPDOE.COM SXSW Showcase – WHUTUPDOE.COM will be doing an (unofficial) SXSW Showcase this year. It ‘s going to be a BANGER!
Ketchphraze – This man already has THREE projects done and ready to go for 2012. After giving the Hip Hop world a taste of what he can do in 2011 leaking some of his tracks with eLZhi, Guilty Simpson, and others – he’s going to destroy 2012.
Vstylez – I don’t overhype things too often but Vstylez’ s album in 2012 WILL be in contention for album of the year. I’ve heard it several times – each time having pissed myself.
