Top 5 Hip-Hop Albums of 2009

With all this talk of hip hop being dead always floating around, there sure was a lot of good hip-hop music released in 2009. So much in fact it’s really hard to narrow down a best of list to five spots. With lots of listening, we at The Urbanian have picked five albums we feel are better than the rest of them. In no particular order, here’s what we’re going with:

Blakroc – “Blakroc”

One couldn’t help but take a quick second listen to “Hoochie Coo” when it first dropped. Mos Def had a killer hook alongside what seems to be a whole new Jim Jones. Yes, Blakroc made Jim Jones relevant. This little project Damon Dash came up with featuring the Black Keys on production and enlisting some of the best hip-hop artists around to grab the mic is an easy pick for the list. Blakroc is the best example of hip hop changing to a more experimental route than the generic ways it’s been settled at for some time. Blues, rock, hip-hop and R&B are all easily distinguishable and meshed into a web of awesomeness that is Blakroc. The album was recorded in eleven days. Just imagine what they could have done with more time.

K’Naan – “Troubadour”

This Somali rapper might be the most underrated lyricist in hip hop. With his sophomore effort, K’Naan brings the Somali heat to hip hop. Joined by the likes of Damien Marley, Adam Levine, and Mos Def, K’Naan created a more mainstream album but managed to stick to his roots at the same time. Full of songs with powerful messages and standout tracks, “Troubadour” is an under-the-radar album in need of more appreciation. Not many other hip-hop artists out there have the heart and soul that K’Naan brings to every track on the album. “Take a Minute” is a song that should make other hip-hop artists jealous.

P.O.S – “Never Better”

Similar to Blakroc, P.O.S is another example of a rapper that strays away from the generic. P.O.S brings punk rock to hip hop. “Never Better” is armed with a plethora of heavily reliant drum beats which makes P.O.S have to adapt his flow into an array of quickness. The punk spirit of P.O.S is found all over “Never Better” along with the typical punk cynicism, yet contains much hope at the same time. The production is some of the best you’ll find in 2009 and the lyrics will challenge you. P.O.S also pumps out one of the best songs of the year, “Purexed.”

Wale – “Attention: Deficit”

Wale’s “Attention: Deficit” may have been the most-anticipated album of 2009. Wale had been kicking the underground popularity for quite some time and people wanted to hear the debut album. When it finally dropped in November, just after one listen through, most could tell it was worth the wait. Wale did enlist a lot of help by having a lot of features. This is very similar to Jay-Z’s “Blueprint 3.” However, Jay-Z threw on just about every big rising star in the industry. Minus Gucci Mane, Wale got the perfect person for each track that contained a guest spot. Wale further proves he’s one of the best lyrically with the release of this album. Also, if it wasn’t for this album, we’d never have one of the best verses of 2009 in J.Cole’s appearance on “Beautiful Bliss.”

Mos Def – ‘The Ecstatic”

It was a very good year for Mos Def. Easily his best album since “Black on Both Sides,” “The Ecstatic” created this whole new coming out party for Mos Def. With hints of funk, soul, jazz, Afrobeat, and Latino music, Mos Def incorporated it all. Mos Def showed why he should be considered one of the best. What really makes “The Ecstatic” stand out is that Mos Def primiarily went in alone. The only guests to appear on the album were Slick Rick, Talib Kweli and Georgia Anne Muldrow. With top-notch production from Madlib, Oh No, J. Dilla, Chad Hugo and others, “The Ecstatic” is one of the must-own albums of 2009. Songs like “History” prove why.

Author’s Note: Did Raekwon’s “Only Built for Cuban Linx Pt. 2″ get snubbed? Probably. It is one of the best albums of ANY genre this year. It’s an excellent album but since so many people put it on their lists we wanted to show some other albums that we loved some attention as well.

Related Posts

1. 2009 Rapper of the Year: Mos Def
2. Mixtape Monday: The Best of 2009 Edition
3. ATTENTION: Blakroc Album Drops Tomorrow
4. 2009: The year of G.O.O.D Music
5. The Good & The Bad Behind Collaborations

This entry was posted on Friday, December 25th, 2009 at 9:38 pm and is filed under Features, Music and tagged with Blakroc, damien marley, Damon Dash, J. Cole, Jim Jones, k'naan, mos def, p.o.s, raekwon, slick rick, Talib Kweli, The Black Keys, wale. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.