53. Mac Miller - Best Day Ever

I don't really know much about Mac Miller, other than that he's a white rapper from Pittsburgh and is signed to the same independent label as Wiz Khalifa. After listening to this album I still don't know much about him other than he has a new fan.


The overriding theme to this album is having fun, hence the album title (you cant imagine an album called 'Best Day Ever' being about depressing subjects, unless the title was an ironic one).


The production is fresh and the right level of poppy without being too in your face and he's definitely a talented MC. His ability is highlighted by the fact that there are only two guest appearances and both Wiz Khalifa and Phonte just sing on the choruses.


I'd recommend this album and it was releases as a free download on datpiff.com, so head over there and get it.


Until tomorrow.....
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Favorite song:

52. Raekwon - Shaolin vs Wu-Tang

If this blog was 52 albums in 52 weeks this would be the last one. Since it's 365 in 365, that last sentence is redundant.


Raekwon has built himself something of a reputation over the last few years as not only the most consistent member of the Wu-Tang Clan, but one of the best rhyme spitters in all of hip hop. This album is a somewhat of an oddity as it has no involvement from the RZA at all. Production duties are handled from an ensemble of beatmakers such as Scram Jones, Bronze Nazareth, The Achemist and Evidence (along with others), who stay within the grimey, street sounds that 'The Chef' usually likes. 


The highlight for me is the Nas assisted 'Rich and Black' which is the first time that the two MC's have appeared on a track together since Raekwon's 1995 classic 'Verbal Intercourse'.


You know what you're going to get from Rae: awesome street inspired lyrics, well thought about guest appearances, hard beats and a shit-ton of kung fu samples.


Until tomorrow.....
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Favorite song:

51. Q-Tip - The Renaissance

This is Q-Tip's second studio album (not including this work with A Tribe Called Quest) and it was probably the best hip-hop album released in 2008. The thing that makes this album work is that 'Tip' obviously used his experience within the music industry to create a hip-hop album that had a different sound to anything else popular at the time. 

The entire album, with the exception of two tracks, are produced by Q-Tip and although non of the songs sound the same, the whole album has continuity whereas a lot of hip hop albums generally sound like a bunch of songs thrown together rather than one piece. The album incorporates lush soulful and jazzy production using a refreshing mix of live instruments and samples to make a great overall sound. 

Q-Tip is no slouch on the microphone either. Throughout the album he regales the listener with stories about love, hip-hop, modern society and the music industry (which Tip surely has a few gripes about). Another thing which makes this album great is the opposite of what makes most hip-hop albums bad, there are no 'skits' and the album has a total of 12 track which is perfect for a rap album.

Until tomorrow.....
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Favorite song:

50. Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto

New release Mondays are back. This week it's the new album from Coldplay, entitled Mylo Xyloto.

I'll start this off by saying that I don't really like Coldplay, namely because I generally find their music quite boring. The reason why I said that is because there are a few songs on this album that I wouldn't have guessed were Coldplay if Chris Martin wasn't singing.

The album starts with a slow, almost orchestral, 40 second-ish intro that merges straight into 'Hurts Like Heaven' which doesn't sound like what I would consider a 'Coldplay' song at all. Granted once you listen to it again, you can tell that it's definitely Coldplay, but there's something different about it. 'Paradise' has definitely got a slight dubstep influence to it in parts and 'Major Munus' is surprisingly uplifting. 

Now, this album isn't going to make me suddenly realize how great Coldplay supposedly are, but 'Mylo Xyloto' exceeded my expectations, even though I'm not sure what they were.

Until tomorrow.....
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Favorite song:

49. John Legend - Get Lifted

This is probably my favorite R'n'B album ever. John Legend has an amazing voice and an amazing talent for writing great, soulful R'n'B music. 


The only odd song on this album is 'Alright', which for me doesn't really fit in with the rest of the album. 


I've totally ran out of steam now, seven blogs on the bounce have taken it out of me. Listen to this album, enjoy it and listen to it again. 


Until tomorrow.....
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Favorite song:

48. Lil' Wayne - Tha Carter III

Tha Carter III is probably Lil' Wayne's best album and certainly his best selling one. 


I think that with a few songs removed, this could probably be one of the best hip hop albums of the last 10 years. 'Mr Carter' featuring Jay-Z seems a little contrived these days considering the history that these to MC's have, 'Phone Home' is weird just for the sake of it and 'La La' is extremely tedious, the Busta Rhymes verse can't save it. 


That being said, 'Get Money' featuring T-Pain, 'A Milli', 'Tie My Hands' and the excellent Kanye West produced  'Comfortable' are all great songs. 'Nothin' on me' is a great posse cut with Fabolous and Juelz Santana is one of the best songs that Wayne has ever done, plus a sick alchemist beats doesn't hurt either...


Until tomorrow.....
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Favorite song:

47. Curren$y - Weekend at Burnies

This is the latest album from New Orleans rapper Curren$y. There isn't much more that I can say about him that I haven't said before. He's such a good MC and his beat selection is always incredible, no one raps over the type of beats that he selects. 


The insane thing about 'Spitta' though is that since this album was released in June, he's releases another mixtape with all new material and has another album due out by the end of the year. This guy's work ethic is nuts. 


Until tomorrow.....
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#365Albums 
Favorite song:

46. Cam'ron - Come Home With Me

Cam'ron is one of my favorite MC's out there. His flow and subject matter are nothing special but what he lacks in lyrical prowess, he make up for it through sheer personality and charisma. 


This album was really a showcase for his crew 'The Diplomats'. The whole album is basically saying 'Here we are and we're here to stay.' Cam'ron is at his best when he's sharing bars with Juelz Santana as Juelz's high tempo, energetic flow complements Cam's laid back delivery. 


There are some amazing songs on here such as 'Losing Weight Part 2', 'Welcome to New York City', 'Come Home With Me' and 'The Roc (Just Fire).


Until tomorrow.....
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Favorite song:

45. Frank Ocean - Nostagia, Ultra

Yep, another Odd Future post. 


This time it's R'n'B singer Frank Ocean, I think that it's probably the first R'n'B album I've done in this challenge. 


'Novacane' is without a doubt the best song on this EP, but one of the most interesting aspects about this EP is the songs that Ocean decided to sing over. For example when most rapper or R'n'B artists release an EP, mixtape or 'Street' album, they generally seem to rap over other artists beats within their own genres. On this EP the lyrics are written and sung over songs by artists such as MGMT, Coldplay, Radiohead and the Eagled which is one of the things that make Frank Ocean such an interesting artist. Since this album was released, Ocean has worked with Kanye West and Jay-Z on 'Watch the Throne', Beyonce and Pharrell Williams, so he must be doing something right. 


Until tomorrow.....
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Favorite song:

44. Guilty Simpson - Ode To The Ghetto

Guilty Simpson is one of those MC's that I don't know too much about if I'm being honest. I've heard him on various songs on albums by Madlib and J Dilla and every time I've liked his verses, so I thought I'd give his 2008 debut 'Ode To The Ghetto' a spin. 


To no-one's surprise, I liked it. The title 'Ode to the Ghetto' is very apt as a lot of the songs detail the trouble and strife of trying to survive in urban Detroit. Although a lot of the lyrics depict the illegal acts that he needs to commit to make a living, Guilty Simpson never glorifies it. The beats are superb too, looking at the production credits though, this was always going to be the case (any album with production from Dilla, Madlib, Mr Porter and Black Milk is going to be rife with bangers). 


'She won't go' is a great tale of Guilty Simpsons dealing with an overly suspicious (read mental) girlfriend who wont leave him alone over an awesome Madlib beat. 'The Future' is another Madlib BANGER (I needed to put that in caps, because the beat is so heavy.) and 'Run' featuring Sean Price, which is produced by Black Milk, is a great track. After hearing this song you can see why they make more music together as 'Random Axe. 


This is a very strong album by a very smart and talented MC. 


Until tomorrow.....
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Favorite song:

43. Ol' Dirty Bastard - Nigga Please

Due to the fact that I've been moving house over the last week I haven't been able to chronicle the albums that I've been listening to other than writing the titles on twitter, followed by the hashtag #365Albums. Now it's time to catch up. I cant imagine that any of these blogs will be long, substantial or even good but I committed to doing this challenge and, by gum, I'm going to finish it blemish-free. 


This album is Wu-Tang member Ol' Dirty Bastard;s second and, ultimately final, studio album. The best thing about this album is how crazy it is, being a mental crackhead will do that to you I guess. Take 'I Can't Wait' for example where the chorus is 'Big Baby Jesus, I can't wait, nigga fuck that I can't wait.' screamed at various different volumes and pitch (Big Baby Jesus was another one of Dirty's names, by the way). Other oddities are the cover of Rick James's 'Cold Blooded', despite that in no way, shape or form can Dirty sing. His lack of singing ability isn't enough to put him off though as he also performs a duet with Lil' Mo (remember her?) on 'Good Morning Heartbreak' which is one of the strangest songs I've ever heard. 


Among all this madness there are a few damn good hip-hop songs there though. The albums title track 'Nigga Please' has Dirty rapping (almost) coherently over a great Rza production, 'Recognize' is produced by the Neptunes and has a really odd guest verse from comedian Chris Rock and is a great intro to the album and, of course, the Neptunes produced 'Baby I've Got Your Money' featuring Kelis, which was an international hit on the pop charts. 


Ultimately this isn't an album that will be to everyone's tastes and it's not the best hip hop album ever made, but I think that it perfectly captures the madness that must have surrounded Ol' Dirty Bastard's life. 


Until tomorrow.....
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#365Albums 
Favorite song:

42. Slum Village - Fantastic Vol 2

The original line up of Slum Village consisted of producer/MC Jay Dee (Who would go on to rename himself J Dilla), and MC's T-3 and Baatin. The album was originally recorded in 1998 but due to record label issues it didn't get released until 2000.

The most important thing about this album is the extremely tight and soulful production by Jay Dee, who would eventually leave Slum Village to concentrate on a solo career and produce for Common and A Tribe Called Quest. The production matches the MC's laid back flow and delivery and although the rapping isn't of the highest standard, the MC's ride each beat perfectly. Plus, there are guest appearances from Kurupt, Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip and D'Angelo, all of which worked with Jay Dee either before or after this album.

Until tomorrow.....
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Favorite song:

41. Common - Finding Forever

This ablum is the follow up to 'Be', which was the second album I reviewed in this challenge. 'Finding Forever' is not as good as 'Be', but it's pretty damn good.

I said the last 2 blogs were gonna be short....

Until tomorrow.....
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Favorite song:

40. Chromeo - Fancy Footwork

The following 2 blogs are going to be very short.

This is the second studio album from Canadian electrofunk duo Chromeo and it's very good.

Until tomorrow.....
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Favorite song:

39. Casey Veggies - Sleeping in Class

There is a new breed of west coast rappers and producers who are completely different from other hip-hop artists out there now. If you wear snap-back caps, vans or supreme t-shirts and say the word 'Swag' a lot then I'm sure you've been familiar with Casey Veggies for a while, for the rest of us, Casey is just getting his first taste of mainstream success. 

'Sleeping in Class' is an appropriate title as he reportedly recorded this album over a period of nights and then attended high school throughout the day. The lyrics don't really venture too far from comfortable subjects such as  girls, money and of course, swag. I'm not too sure who handles the production duties but the beats are nicely chilled out (It wouldn't be too hard to imagine J Dilla era Common rapping on some of these beats) and perfectly match Casey's laid back delivery. This is a strong debut album from an MC who has boundless potential.

Swag.

Until tomorrow.....
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Favorite song:

38. MellowHype - YelloWhite

Yet another Odd Future album in this series, which makes it up to three so far. The thing about these kids is that they have only been releasing albums since 2008, but in that time they have released 16 albums and I haven't listened to many of them so it seems appropriate that when I do listen to a new OF album, I review it. 


MelloHype consists of producer Left Brain and MC Hodgy Beats. Unlike other popular OF emcees Tyler, the Creator or Earl Sweatshirt, Hodgy Beats doesn't seem as reliant on shocking lyrics and gruesome imagery so this album is a little easier on the conscience than other OF releases. He manages to create great, if slightly unusual stories using catchy hooks and clever wordplay. 


Like all OF releases, the production is minimal sounding and completely different than anything else that is currently going on in hip-hop. Like them or love them, MelloHype and the rest of their Odd Future brethren are here to stay.


Until tomorrow.....
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#365Albums 
Favorite song:

37. The Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde

This is probably the most fun hip-hop album ever made, but still should be treated seriously.


The best thing about this album is the subject matter which features tales of personal misfortune, braggadocios boasts, prank calls and, of course, ya mama jokes. All of the above subjects are all said in good humour and it is evident on the song 'Ya Mama'. This song pits all MC's dissing each others mom's with such lines as 'she has the wings and teeth of an African bat' which is funnier then it looks when written. 'Oh Shit' is a hilarious song rife with tales of mis-fortune and questionable sexual escapades and 'I'm the Type of Nigga' is one of the best party songs to ever been created. 


The production on this album is handled by group member J-Swift, who sadly left the group to take up a more important crack habit, and it's filled with lush, jazzy samples which compliment the manic sounding lyricism perfectly.


Until tomorrow.....
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#365Albums 
Favorite song: (Too many to pick really)

36. Jason Derulo - Future History

There is one day a week that I can generally get on board listening to something akin to Jason Derulo and that's a Saturday when I'm working in HMV. The high energy, pumping beats can be invaluable when working that last day of a six day week. Monday, is clearly not that day as you are about to read. 


Prior to even listening to this album I resented it. Today I wasn't supposed to listen to this album, you see. Along with this, a new Cliff Richard album titled 'Soulicious: The Soul Album' got released which I was pumped up to lay into, but the version that I downloaded didn't work so I am stuck with Jason Cuntrulo.


The first song 'Don't Wanna Go Home' is a mish-mash of songs, namely 'Get Low' by Lil' Jon and the Eastside Boyz, 'Day O' by Harry Belafonte and 'Show Me Love' by Robin S. Who the fuck though that these songs needed to be merged together? Even more insulting is that on those Saturdays when I hear this turd of a song, I really like it, which in turn annoys me even more. These days you don't even need to be creative to make a number 1 single, just take the beat from a early 90's dance song and sing the lyrics from two other songs with a fuck-ton of autotune to cover up your horrible voice and there you have it. And that's the highlight of the album.


What more should I expect from an artist that is signed to the same record label as the cretinous Sean Kingston and vomit-inducing Mann....


Maybe I'm being a bit harsh on this album as I am clearly not the target audience for this album, as it is directly aimed at the masses, but I like to think that surely there has to be more to making good pop music than this. For good pop music, I'll listen to The Pipettes and for good RnB, I'll listen to D'Angelo.


Until tomorrow.....
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Favorite song: (I had to pick something)

35. Nas - Illmatic

'Illmatic' is probably the perfect hip-hop album. It clocks in at about 40 minutes, has no pointless skits or interludes and contains 10 killer tracks. 

The major theme to this album is growing up in a poor urban environment and although Nas paints a grim image of early 90's Queens, New York, there still is an overriding feeling of optimism flowing throughout and this is a testament to Nas's storytelling prowess.

I guess when you've got DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Q-Tip and Large Professor handling production duties and you're as gifted a lyricist as Nas is, this album was always going to be a classic. The only thing negative that I can say about this album is that I know that Nas is never going to make another album as good a this. Granted, 'Stillmatic' and 'Untitled' were stellar albums but ultimately prior to listening to them I know that they're not going to be as good as 'Illmatic', it's impossible.

Until tomorrow.....
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Favorite song: 

34. Crooked I - Mr Pig Face Weapon Waist

Crooked I is one quarter of hip-hop supergroup, Slaughterhouse, the other members being Royce da '59, Joell Ortiz and Joe Budden.


On this outing, Crooked I shows why he's one of the best MC's not only from the West Coast, but in rap as a whole. Crooked manages to put words together in a way that I cannot even fathom and his beat selection is on point. The first song, 'Mr Pigface' is an aggressive guitar driven track which is guarenteed to get heads bobbing and 'U Shoulda Made a Phone Call' featuring Kay Young is a banger also.

The highlight though, for me, is the M.O.P. 'Woodstock hood-hop' which will get hip-hop heads dying for more collaborations between the two crews.

Until tomorrow.....
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Favorite song:

33. Saian Supa Crew - KLR

I don't know how much I can really write about this album to be honest. It's difficult to really get a gauge on the themes and tones of a hip-hop album when all of the lyrics are in another language.

Saian Supa Crew are a french hip-hop super- and they have great taste in beats, but that's all I know about them to be honest. I did like this album but I think that I need to give this album a few more listens before I can give it a proper review to be honest.

One thing that I will say in a negative aspect about this album is that 20 songs on hip-hop album is far too much. Skits on hip-hop albums are really annoying in any language.

This album has a great eclectic selection of beats and you can hear that their delivery is good, but ultimately, I can't really judge it too much without understanding what they're saying.

Until tomorrow.....
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Favorite song:

32. Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine

I've been cheating a bit recently. The pressure to keep this blog going every day is getting to be a real pain in the ass and I've been looking to listen to albums that are either really short or ones that I know quite well. For example, if it's not a Monday and I'm reviewing a hip-hop album then it's likely that I'm doing that one because it will be easier for me to write about as hip-hop is my favorite genre of music.


Anyhow, now that the aforementioned issue is out of the way, let's get into today's album: Rage Against the Machine's self-titled debut album.


I remember having this album (apart from the last 2 songs) on one side of a D-90 cassette and on the other side I had 'Nevermind' by Nirvana, what a great tape that was. The thing that I like so much about this album is that it's kind of like the best hip-hop acts and metal bands of the time fucked and out spurted baby 'Rage'. Obviously the biggest song on the album is 'Killing in the name of', but I was always a fan of 'Bullet in the head' and 'Wake up' myself, but to be honest the whole album is killer.


Until tomorrow.....
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Favorite song:

31. Earl Sweatshirt - Earl

This is the second blog that I've written about a member of Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All (or OFWGKTA or Odd Future). If you've never heard of them, they are a bunch of kids from Los Angeles who have formed a very anti-establishment movement and sometimes, in-between the controversy that they create, release albums.

Earl Sweatshirt is one of the youngest members of Odd Future (He was born in 1994, which makes him a good 10 years younger than me, which is quite depressing.) and is arguably the best MC out of all of them. The problem with Earl Sweatshirt, and a few Odd Future members in general, I find is their subject matter, which is pretty grim. No subject is taboo, whether it's indiscriminate murder, rape, necrophilia or any number of subjects, OF seem to revel in the controversial nature of their songs. The problem is that Earl and Tyler, the Creator (the leader of the group), are both extremely well versed in slinging words together and even though the lyrical content is quite tough to take at times, they can make it sound interesting.

The production duties on this album are mainly handled by the aforementioned Tyler, the Creator and something that is interesting about the music is how relaxed and chilled out the beats are compared to the harsh lyrics that Earl and co spit.

Ultimately, this is a decent album but it's not recommended for those with a weak stomach.

Until tomorrow.....
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Favorite Song: Earl

30. Wiz Khalifa - Kush & O.J.

"Kush & O.J." is the ultimate wake & bake album. The whole mixtape is centered around smoking weed as you wake up and then probably listening to this very album.

"Still Blazin" is a great reggae fused where Wiz utters the line "You say I look high, that's cos I'm high bro' and that is about the extent of the subject matter. 'The Spotlight' features Killa Kyleon and is one of the most laid back songs ever and is then followed up by the upbeat 'The Kid Frankie' which is inspired by Danny Dyers' character in the film 'The Business' and is rapped over a beat from 1980's RnB group Loose ends.

Ultimately the only thing that lets this album down is the lack of variety in the subject matter. None of the lyrics differ from one song to the next, but the all of the songs are very well produced and I wish that Wiz was more attentive of this when recording his first major label effort 'Rolling Papers'.

Until tomorrow.....
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Favorite Song: