Album of The Year

[Philaflava]

*major label releases

[Career Over Like Mike(NJJ)]

Man, gonna have to vote for Kendrick's vastly-overrated spoken word jazz-funk album purely on account of it having 2 killer singles + 1 good one.

[EMCEE DARTH MALEK]

Man, gonna have to vote for Kendrick's vastly-overrated spoken word jazz-funk album purely on account of it having 2 killer singles + 1 good one.

or you could be true to yourself and say with your dying breath, as you get shot in the back of the head by OVOBrian: "i love drizz brother"

[Versive]

Before this year, I wasn't a big fan of Kendrick Lamar, but To Pimp A Butterfly is easily one of the best "mainstream" hip-hop albums of the decade.

[drizzle]

From these Staples

[Versive]

After Gold Chain 2 and Hell Can Wait, I found Summertime 06 very underwhelming.

[drizzle]

You're not the only one who thinks that but to me the direction he's moving shows growth not regression. I don't love everything on the album but it adds up overall imo.

Hell Can Wait is a tough one to compare to, it's an ep of like 5-6 bangers each of which could've been an album single, with only 1 song that feels like a bside or filler. Makes a very different impression than a 20 track album.

[EMCEE DARTH MALEK]

i only nominated that earl joint to split votes from summertime 06 and now suckers are actually voting for it

[ChaMerZ]

i only nominated that earl joint to split votes from summertime 06 and now suckers are actually voting for it

yeaaa .... was a bit confused about that, as the reception for that album in M2C was very lukewarm.

vince took my vote of course

[EMCEE DARTH MALEK]

i don't like shit, i don't go outside

[Versive]

You're not the only one who thinks that but to me the direction he's moving shows growth not regression. I don't love everything on the album but it adds up overall imo.

Hell Can Wait is a tough one to compare to, it's an ep of like 5-6 bangers each of which could've been an album single, with only 1 song that feels like a bside or filler. Makes a very different impression than a 20 track album.

It's definitely a more "mature" perspective on display and a more cohesive project than either of the two aforementioned. But to me, it also came across as a very forced, even contrived, concept album. Like Good Kid, Maad City as performed by Vincent Staples, Odd Future affiliate, in double-album form.

I feel he has a more unique view than what was shown here.

From the list, I Don't Like Shit would be my second pick.

[drizzle]

I think calling it a Kendrick album without the jazz-fusion or preachy savior pretensions would be a compliment, not a detraction. Similar message but delivered in a stronger and more concise and clear and more palpable way. Also really like that Vince, unlike Kendrick, def sees rap as a powerful tool and an end onto itself instead of a launching platform for his preaching and a stepping stone into other genres.

[unclebengi]

Like the Earl far better than anything else. It's not for all moods, but it's perfect for what it is and has far less filler than anything else on the list, will sound even better as it gets colder. DS2 and Summertime '06 are really good when they're good, but not as cohesive or as good album wise.

[Versive]

Hell Can Wait is a tough one to compare to, it's an ep of like 5-6 bangers each of which could've been an album single, with only 1 song that feels like a bside or filler. Makes a very different impression than a 20 track album.

It's definitely a more "mature" perspective on display and a more cohesive project than either of the two aforementioned. But to me, it also came across as a very forced, even contrived, concept album. Like Good Kid, Maad City as performed by Vincent Staples, Odd Future affiliate, in double-album form.

I feel he has a more unique view than what was shown here.

I think calling it a Kendrick album without the jazz-fusion or preachy savior pretensions would be a compliment, not a detraction. Similar message but delivered in a stronger and more concise and clear and more palpable way. Also really like that Vince, unlike Kendrick, def sees rap as a powerful tool and an end onto itself instead of a launching platform for his preaching and a stepping stone into other genres.

My issue isn't that he's using concepts and storylines similar to Kendrick's; it's that, to me, it feels like in doing so, he's merely watering down his own perspective, which Gold Chain 2 proved to be unique and strong enough to hold down an album's worth of material. I don't want to hear Vincent Staples do the album that the people at Def Jam would've asked him for; I want to hear him continue to develop his own voice, which I think he will, which is why I'm still looking forward to whatever he does next. Point is I know he's got the potential to be way iller than Kendrick, but this wasn't a step in the right direction.

Like I said, I'm not even a big Kendrick fan, and I hated the preachiness of Good Kid as much as anybody, but it's unfair to characterize To Pimp A Butterfly as an exercise in jazz fusion. Whatever his ambitions are, as I've said before, I'm glad that his work has probably put some kids onto jazz, and call it what you will, TPAB is definitely one of the most ambitious mainstream hip-hop albums of the decade. I'm not sure Kendrick's trying to move on to other genres, but even if he were to do so, that wouldn't make me like this album any less.

[intuition]

As a complete cohesive album, my favorite was Summertime '06.

that being said, as a body of work for a 1 year period DSII, 56Nights, Beast Mode, Monster were shitting on everyone, but I don't think DSII was the strongest work from future as a project this year.

i'll probably end up revisiting IYRTITL the most because it's the easiest listen and has a ton of pop culture-y hits on it.

[Spartan]

Summertime '06

Gets my vote alone for the "la la la" bit on Lemme Know reminding me of the theme to Only Fools & Horses.

[B. Ware tha Siniq]

To Pimp A Butterfly. It's a tough album to really sit with, but it's really good. Sometimes I think it's important for music to take us places we aren't entirely comfortable going.

Also there's a few on this list I haven't given a full listen yet, so I need to do that. Ultimately though, I think it's a year that started pretty strong and really fizzled in the last half at least in terms of major releases.

[Blockhead]

I can't even front, by far, I listened to the drake album (or at least 8 or 9 songs of it) the most. Gotta be honest and just admit that. It gets my vote.

[EMCEE DARTH MALEK]

I can't even front, by far, I listened to the drake album (or at least 8 or 9 songs of it) the most. Gotta be honest and just admit that. It gets my vote.

i love every song on this album, but there are still standouts. hard to pick a best track but maybe "6 man". but you can throw on energy, know yourself, 6 god, etc etc in basically any situation & it will knock.

To Pimp A Butterfly. It's a tough album to really sit with, but it's really good. Sometimes I think it's important for music to take us places we aren't entirely comfortable going.

both these albums i love to burn a joint & throw on. the thing with butterfly is, there's two or (pushing it) three songs you can really throw on out of the context of the album & it's gonna have the same effect as when you play the album front to back. that speaks to the quality of kendrick's artistic vision+sequencing, but i feel it makes the album less versatile. also as a bunch of people mentioned, making a jazz fusion album in 2015 is a bit of a gimmick/'concept piece'.

in the end these are my 2 fav joints (along with JP "pregnant with success", but that came out too late to be included in these polls).

[EMCEE DARTH MALEK]

summertime 06 i feel like it's not quite in the same league. vince staples definitely surprised me here, but his rapping is not at kendrick or drake's level (i don't think anybody will disagree with this). i didn't realize it til i think @Versive pointed it out, but he does take a cue from kendrick in terms of the flow+social commentary on some songs.

skill, technique aside: i don't think vince has as much to say as kendrick. remember how controversial blacker the berry was when it came out? people disagreed on whether kendrick is saying some bold, real shit, or whether he's a cosby 'act proper' sellout. vince isn't going out on a limb like that, he's preaching to the choir.

[sleazy_j]

https://twitter.com/earlxsweat/status/6 ... 9156840448" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Employee]

EARL >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[Versive]

https://twitter.com/earlxsweat/status/6 ... 9156840448

[Gyangsta 4 Life]

Voted Drake, but it could easily have been Kendrick or Compton.

Each album has its share of bangeurs, along with a bunch of shit I will never listen to again and had forgotten about until I just looked at the track-lists. Like "Madonna" or "Legend".

Vince Staples doesn't have one song I'd burn to CD. He's wack.

[Gyangsta 4 Life]

I think calling it a Kendrick album without the jazz-fusion or preachy savior pretensions would be a compliment, not a detraction. Similar message but delivered in a stronger and more concise and clear and more palpable way. Also really like that Vince, unlike Kendrick, def sees rap as a powerful tool and an end onto itself instead of a launching platform for his preaching and a stepping stone into other genres.

Is this a fancy way of admitting it's just 'rap about rap'?

[drizzle]

no but I think you just came up with a fancy way of admitting you haven't actually heard a single minute of his album

[Employee]

TPAB is a piece of shit without any redeeming qualities. What fuckin' hot single was on there? The "Kunta" whatever song that fuckin' forty-year-old moms were reciting as they changed up their Spotify streams is a Rap Abomination. Culture Vultures, Pseudo-Europeans, and people who read Gawker are really the target audience for Kendrick's pablum. Going from his debut to this hunk of shit is like N.W.A going full Culture Club.

[Gyangsta 4 Life]

Emp, it's certainly a frustrating album, but can you not appreciate shit like "Mortal Man" or "These Walls"? Good beats, good flows.

no but I think you just came up with a fancy way of admitting you haven't actually heard a single minute of his album

I tried with the singles, "Norf Norf" and "Senorita". Don't care for either. What track might convert a hater like me?

[Rachel Hobozal]

Emp, it's certainly a frustrating album, but can you not appreciate shit like "Mortal Man" or "These Walls"? Good beats, good flows.

no but I think you just came up with a fancy way of admitting you haven't actually heard a single minute of his album

I tried with the singles, "Norf Norf" and "Senorita". Don't care for either. What track might convert a hater like me?

I'm not a fan of those songs in particular, but I recommend soaking in the entire album for a week or so. Shit grows on you. Solid album. His ep was great too. Hell Can Wait.

[Gyangsta 4 Life]

Listen to in anything for a week and it will grow on you.

So you don't have a favorite song?