Mainstream Album of the Year 2016

[TheBigSleep]

Last Year's Winner:

Vince Staples – Summertime '06

[unclebengi]

Blank Face and The Sun's Tirade take the top album spots for me easy. The challenge is picking between the two. Rashad's is more lived in, replayable, and consistent in it's sound and aesthetics. Schoolboy hasn't gotten near the credit he deserves for Blank Face though. The standout songs are flat out some of my favorite songs of the last few years, and while I may skip a few from time to time depending on mood, there is so much tightly crafted talent throughout the record (producers/musicians, Paak, Jada, Vince). It's the perfect mix of gangbanging braggadocio and nihilistic psychedelia. Has some of the best guitar sounds I've heard on a hip hop record in a while too.

I love the YG record and understand the love it's getting, but IMO it pales in comparison to Blank Face (or The Sun's Tirade for that matter).

[Krook]

Islah

[Philaflava]

From the list I'm going with ATCQ. Probably for sentimental reasons, but I also played it more than the others. Nobody wants to admit The Life of Pablo is atrocious. The Game's 1992 was cool but his problem is always little replay value. The rest on this list are alright and while Paak started as a rapper, he is more like Frank Ocean with a few bars here and there. I can't truly consider him an artist who made a hip-hop album. Blank Face probably got the most spin outside of ATCQ for me.

[Soren]

Respect to Tribe but their album was not close to being album of the year but the rest of the album on that list is straight up garbage!!!! No serious hiphop head would consider any of them album of the year!!! Disappointing.....

[TheBigSleep]

That's actually pretty close to where I stand with it. But I mean, c'mon, ya gotta figure that voting on rappers on major labels, with songs on the radio, and / or getting media notoriety in 2016 is pretty much akin to trying to find the best TV shows on when all you get with your janky rabbit ear antenna is the major networks. It's an increasingly limited medium, especially in contrast to the demographic that's going to be posting here.

I agree with a lot of the other sentiments in this thread as well.

[Career Over Like Mike(NJJ)]

YG's album was a disappointment, but it's got 2 classic singles and YG's equivalent to Ice-T's Drama:

YG - Bool, Balm & Bollective



Voted that.

[Rhyme 4 Rhyme]

From the mainstream list, Tribe.

Didn't listen to all of them but Schoolboy's was good too.

[ardamus]

Felt like TDE ran shit. Voted Isaiah and Schoolboy.
Ab-Soul's shit was pretty good, too, imo.

[drizzle]

Gates for me. I liked YG's too, more than the last one tbh.

[ric]

really gotta hear this Kevin gates album I guess

[TheBigSleep]

Felt like TDE ran shit.

Between Kendrick's EP, ScHoolboy Q, and Isaiah Rashad, they certainly did. Ab-Soul is becoming a little more with the lyrics at times. I liked the D.R.U.G.S. video and he's still got more buzz than Jay Rock though.

YG's album was a disappointment...

I liked YG's too, more than the last one...

I've definitely noticed this split between YG fans on other forums and also from reading year end best lists. I haven't revisited the new one as much as I did his debut, I can't call it. For whatever it's worth Metacritic has My Krazy Life at 80/100 and Still Brazy at 83/100, so they seem fairly evenly rated.

[EMCEE DARTH MALEK]

brazy didn't hit me right away but it grew into AOTY. listened to that & malibu the most.

"she wish she was a nigga" is one of the best g-funk beats ever recorded. the album is surprisingly deep -- the only weak points are the songs that aren't g-funk throwbacks /with trap drums.

[ardamus]

I don't know what it is but I did not rush to check out that new YG. I'll give it a listen finally today because I liked the last one. Some reason, I was not trying to hear the new shit. Probably because I was listening to the new Joe Budden, Isaiah Rashad, Schoolboy Q, Tribe, and Z-Ro albums way more.

[EMCEE DARTH MALEK]

the "red friday" EP is pretty slick too. has some mustard on there, but the best joint is "one time comin"

also he did the best song on mustard's "cold summer" tape imo