So I watch year-end lists for music, it's always interesting to me. This year everyone's is really different... as a result I am just hearing certain projects for the first time now, and I wasn't as into a lot of the stuff that is consistent on other people's lists. This is what I personally listened to the most, what inspired me, and what I really appreciated.
Janelle Monae
The Electric Lady was unquestionably the album of the year for me. I believe Janelle Monae is one of the greats of our time, and definitely one of the best live performers I've ever seen. Not to mention the content, the ongoing science-fiction storyline that's been going on with all of her projects... the fact it sounds like she's channelling James Brown at times, Stevie Wonder at other times, and then dropping incredible rap verses when she wants to. She is one of my current heroes in terms of just being the music you want to hear, telling the story you want to tell, and not having to fit into any pre-determined role, package or genre to do it. To invent the path you want to walk and to win the entire time your walking it. Her album should be listened to in it's entirety, often. Also... Victory might be my favorite song of 2013. Get it on iTunes.
Oddisee
I thought I was gonna listen to Janelle Monae forever until Oddisee dropped his 2 part album The Beauty In All / Tangible Dream. I don't even remember how I ended up on his bandcamp page one day. I just started listening to one song and before I knew it I had listened to the whole album, and wanted to hear it again. The beats are really dope, there's no gimmicks here, I relate to a lot his lyrics, and his flow is so unmistakably DMV. I spend a lot of time out there myself these days, and don't think I've ever heard an emcee rep the DC & PG County area that I know, so honestly. I also love that he seems so firm in his truth, that he doesn't even care if you feel him or not. It's good medicine for Hip Hop as a whole. Check him out on bandcamp.
Shad
Another one of my favorite albums came from one of the most consistently dope emcees anywhere right now, Shad! I believe Flying Colours is another project that should be listened to in it's entirety, there's really no weak moment. The Epilogue is another one of my favorite songs this year from anyone, he's just got so many bars. Get it on iTunes.
Wayna
There's a lot of albums that I loved from beginning to end here, and my sister Wayna's is no exception. The Expats is my favorite record she's ever done. My favorite moment on the record is a song called Long As You Know which features a beautiful masinko and guest vocalist Setgn Satenaw who sings in Amharic. The lyrics make me think of my entire family, and anyone who ever felt forced to leave a place they loved. Another must-have album, and she is an incredible live performer. Get The Expats on iTunes.
Tumi
For the month of February one of my new favorite emcees (since meeting him in South Africa last year) Tumi, released a new song every day of the month, via his website tumipoetmc.com If you missed it, you just missed it... but the music was incredible, and the layout was fresh too. I don't even know where to get all that music now. He also dropped one of my favorite videos this year, Troublemaker (posted above) featuring youth in a township with superpowers!
The Reminders
The Reminders are kind of living my dream. I love their music and the videos they dropped this year... it definitely stayed in rotation over the summer. When they perform, seeing the love they share with each other is infectious. I think the world needs more of that.
Farrah Burns
The best emcee I heard in 2013 that I never heard of before this year is Farrah Burns. Shoutout to Davey D for posting about her. Her New York State Of Mind (Tribute To Hip Hop) was also one of the most creative rap videos I've seen in years, where she embodies 7 different emcees and kills it with 7 different styles, amazingly not making fun of any of them. She "speaks fluent Hip Hop" for real.
Bahamadia
I finally got a portable home recording set-up in 2013, and I have to thank Bahamadia for the inspiration. After not hearing anything new from her in a long time, she dropped an 11 minute self-produced mixtape called Dialed Up in March, which was dope! And after listening to it I checked out what else it said on the bandcamp page: Produced, written and recorded completely on a handheld mobile device by Bahamadia. What?! Later in the year when she posted this video of one of her car sessions (posted above) where she makes a beat, records the song and mixes it, all on her iPhone... I said there's no excuses anymore. If you want to make music from now on there's nothing to it but to do it. Technology's exponential growth is quickly making recording equipment and production software accessible to anyone that wants it. Thank you Bahamadia, both for being a master at the craft and showing us the future now.
Ishkan
This should of been on the 2012 list, but I didn't hear it until 2013... so I'm including it now. Ishkan (from Victoria, BC - one-half of Nowfolk with Moka Only) dropped an album that didn't leave my system for months at the start of the year: 2 Lights. To me, Ishkan has always had both one of the most unique voices in Hip Hop, and one of the most unique ways of putting words together. Accurate, clever, and hilarious. This record is all about his growth as a man. If you care about lyrics you should feel this one too. Get it on bandcamp.
The Physics
The Physics new album Digital Wildlife is what I call grown-up sexy time rap music. I didn't know Thig Natural could sing. I love this record tho. I also don't think another Seattle Hip Hop group has ever had an album run as impressive as The Physics... from Future Talk to Love Is A Business to Tomorrow People and now Digital Wildlife. Every album is such quality and they keep growing, transforming, while making a sound that I don't think could come from anywhere but Seattle. It's hard to maintain as a group. Also... the last track, On My Mind featuring Vitamin D and Maneak B is just brilliant: a love song about video games. Get it on bandcamp.
There were other musical moments I loved in 2013, but these are the projects that stayed with me the most. It was a good year. I love how Kendrick Lamar started calling out names in his Control verse and got the whole mainstream to step their bars up. That moment with J. Cole and Nas was beautiful and necessary. Pharrell made a 24 hour music video! And I wasn't even a Beyonce fan before, but her new record with a video for every song is ridiculous.
It all feels like the music industry is becoming over-saturated, with everything, since everyone can make music and put it out now... and what we're experiencing is a time when it comes back to the only thing that really matters: skill. Everyone has to step it up to survive and the result is a lot of good music. Almost too much to pick from... but like everyone's year-end lists are showing me... whatever kind of music you love, there's somebody somewhere pushing the growing edges of that form. Let's keep that up in 2014.
Personal retrospective coming next...
The Electric Lady was unquestionably the album of the year for me. I believe Janelle Monae is one of the greats of our time, and definitely one of the best live performers I've ever seen. Not to mention the content, the ongoing science-fiction storyline that's been going on with all of her projects... the fact it sounds like she's channelling James Brown at times, Stevie Wonder at other times, and then dropping incredible rap verses when she wants to. She is one of my current heroes in terms of just being the music you want to hear, telling the story you want to tell, and not having to fit into any pre-determined role, package or genre to do it. To invent the path you want to walk and to win the entire time your walking it. Her album should be listened to in it's entirety, often. Also... Victory might be my favorite song of 2013. Get it on iTunes.
I thought I was gonna listen to Janelle Monae forever until Oddisee dropped his 2 part album The Beauty In All / Tangible Dream. I don't even remember how I ended up on his bandcamp page one day. I just started listening to one song and before I knew it I had listened to the whole album, and wanted to hear it again. The beats are really dope, there's no gimmicks here, I relate to a lot his lyrics, and his flow is so unmistakably DMV. I spend a lot of time out there myself these days, and don't think I've ever heard an emcee rep the DC & PG County area that I know, so honestly. I also love that he seems so firm in his truth, that he doesn't even care if you feel him or not. It's good medicine for Hip Hop as a whole. Check him out on bandcamp.
Another one of my favorite albums came from one of the most consistently dope emcees anywhere right now, Shad! I believe Flying Colours is another project that should be listened to in it's entirety, there's really no weak moment. The Epilogue is another one of my favorite songs this year from anyone, he's just got so many bars. Get it on iTunes.
There's a lot of albums that I loved from beginning to end here, and my sister Wayna's is no exception. The Expats is my favorite record she's ever done. My favorite moment on the record is a song called Long As You Know which features a beautiful masinko and guest vocalist Setgn Satenaw who sings in Amharic. The lyrics make me think of my entire family, and anyone who ever felt forced to leave a place they loved. Another must-have album, and she is an incredible live performer. Get The Expats on iTunes.
Tumi
For the month of February one of my new favorite emcees (since meeting him in South Africa last year) Tumi, released a new song every day of the month, via his website tumipoetmc.com If you missed it, you just missed it... but the music was incredible, and the layout was fresh too. I don't even know where to get all that music now. He also dropped one of my favorite videos this year, Troublemaker (posted above) featuring youth in a township with superpowers!
The Reminders
The Reminders are kind of living my dream. I love their music and the videos they dropped this year... it definitely stayed in rotation over the summer. When they perform, seeing the love they share with each other is infectious. I think the world needs more of that.
Farrah Burns
The best emcee I heard in 2013 that I never heard of before this year is Farrah Burns. Shoutout to Davey D for posting about her. Her New York State Of Mind (Tribute To Hip Hop) was also one of the most creative rap videos I've seen in years, where she embodies 7 different emcees and kills it with 7 different styles, amazingly not making fun of any of them. She "speaks fluent Hip Hop" for real.
Bahamadia
I finally got a portable home recording set-up in 2013, and I have to thank Bahamadia for the inspiration. After not hearing anything new from her in a long time, she dropped an 11 minute self-produced mixtape called Dialed Up in March, which was dope! And after listening to it I checked out what else it said on the bandcamp page: Produced, written and recorded completely on a handheld mobile device by Bahamadia. What?! Later in the year when she posted this video of one of her car sessions (posted above) where she makes a beat, records the song and mixes it, all on her iPhone... I said there's no excuses anymore. If you want to make music from now on there's nothing to it but to do it. Technology's exponential growth is quickly making recording equipment and production software accessible to anyone that wants it. Thank you Bahamadia, both for being a master at the craft and showing us the future now.
This should of been on the 2012 list, but I didn't hear it until 2013... so I'm including it now. Ishkan (from Victoria, BC - one-half of Nowfolk with Moka Only) dropped an album that didn't leave my system for months at the start of the year: 2 Lights. To me, Ishkan has always had both one of the most unique voices in Hip Hop, and one of the most unique ways of putting words together. Accurate, clever, and hilarious. This record is all about his growth as a man. If you care about lyrics you should feel this one too. Get it on bandcamp.
The Physics new album Digital Wildlife is what I call grown-up sexy time rap music. I didn't know Thig Natural could sing. I love this record tho. I also don't think another Seattle Hip Hop group has ever had an album run as impressive as The Physics... from Future Talk to Love Is A Business to Tomorrow People and now Digital Wildlife. Every album is such quality and they keep growing, transforming, while making a sound that I don't think could come from anywhere but Seattle. It's hard to maintain as a group. Also... the last track, On My Mind featuring Vitamin D and Maneak B is just brilliant: a love song about video games. Get it on bandcamp.
There were other musical moments I loved in 2013, but these are the projects that stayed with me the most. It was a good year. I love how Kendrick Lamar started calling out names in his Control verse and got the whole mainstream to step their bars up. That moment with J. Cole and Nas was beautiful and necessary. Pharrell made a 24 hour music video! And I wasn't even a Beyonce fan before, but her new record with a video for every song is ridiculous.
It all feels like the music industry is becoming over-saturated, with everything, since everyone can make music and put it out now... and what we're experiencing is a time when it comes back to the only thing that really matters: skill. Everyone has to step it up to survive and the result is a lot of good music. Almost too much to pick from... but like everyone's year-end lists are showing me... whatever kind of music you love, there's somebody somewhere pushing the growing edges of that form. Let's keep that up in 2014.
Personal retrospective coming next...
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