AOTY 2013 Revisited - Magna Carta Holy Grail - Jay-Z

It's July 4th 2013. Jay-Z's brand new album is platinum via a distribution deal with Samsung. Magna Carta Holy Grail did not release until the 8th. How's that for some numbers?

Almost three years later it's safe to say this was a little bit of a flop. 2013 might not have been the best year for rap but picking the best album of the year is often difficult given our (ENTIRE) criteria. It's safe to say this was a very pop, radio heavy album. If Jay is your favorite rapper you'll understand. Jay-Z is at a level it doesn't matter what he releases it WILL go platinum. He's just at that stage of his career. When you're that good you only compare your music to your music. This is near the bottom of the Jay-Z discography stack which says a lot about how good his is. I'm not saying this was complete and utter garbage because otherwise it could not have trumped Nothing Was the Same, Long Live A$AP, Born Sinner and more that released in 2013. It also helps when you have super producers like Timberland, Pharell, No ID and Swizz Beats in your back pocket. Funny enough it was the production of WondaGurl & Travis Scott that produced my favorite jam on there Crowns.

As I said earlier the singles were surperb and good enough to get the nod. After much debate in the studio with Queen, Niles, Issah, and others there was no denying this was the album of 2013. Features from Frank Ocean, Rick Ross, Justin Timberlake, and Mrs. Carter herself put this one out of reach that year. Great album at the time, but really lacking in replay value. Perhaps this is opinionated but really think to yourself, when was the last time you listened to F*ckWithMeYouKnowIGotIt on your own time? Read the original review here.

AOTY 2011 Revisited - Watch The Throne

In a world were everyone is making collaborative projects, Watch the Throne most definitely is the blueprint. 2011's Album of the Year by Jay-Z & Kanye West is still probably one of the best pieces of both of their careers. That's saying a lot.

I remember hearing No Church in the Wild with Frank Ocean & co-written by The-Dream kicking off as the opening credits. Lift Off featuring First Lady Beyoncè followed up. Jay didn't have much of an appearance in this song but Bey did an amazing job on the hook. Kanye really murdered the production with help from Q-Tip. I really enjoy the bridge that's looped on the end which Cole used on his song The Cure. It's time to get into the meat of the album, Niggas in Paris and Otis. Both songs were gigantic. I swear five years later they both are on the radio in regular rotation. I can't think of too many other artists that have done that in recent years. Otis was one of my favorites at the time. "Sophisticated Ignorance, Write My Curses in Cursive," was probably my Facebook status once a week for the entire summer. A lot of people complained about the duo's braggadocios rap style. Sure, they talked their shit but it wasn't all vanity. In the original review I mentioned that Made in America paid homage to those who paved the way. What I didn't mention is Murder to Excellence. This is probably the deepest track on the album. Swizz Beats and S1 did an amazing job producing this one. While they laced the record Jigga and Kanye combat important topics like Black on Black murder and systematic racism. Lyrically they went in: "Niggas watchin the throne very happy to be you. power to the people when you see me see you." "If you put crabs in a barrel to ensure your survival you're gonna end up pulling down niggas who look just like you." This song might have been years before it's time and stays prevalent in today's times too.

Through and through it's clear that this was a Kanye influenced album. What I mean is Kanye really put his heART in it and Jay let him. It's almost and Kanye featuring Jay-Z album. Production, lyrics, and feel really leaned in a Yeezy direction. This was the beginning of Kanye's prime in my opinion. Some people say the beginning of his career and the Late Registration through Graduation series was his best. I say the artsy Yeezy was better. Even down to the album covers from here MBDTF & Cruel Summer made me feel like I were in a gallery in Europe. This is no diss to Jay he delivered and took the spotlight when necessary. I'm impressed he didn't let an ego take over. The partnership sold well and could not have been done any better. The world really needs a Watch the Throne 2. Read the original review here.

#TBT Thank Me Later - @Drake by @SimONE_OFMYKIND

If you’re reading this it’s time to go back a few years. 2010 to be specific, that's when Drake dropped his freshman album Thank Me Later.

Personally my favorite album by the 28 year-old Canadian rapper. While there were a lot of mixed opinions on the album the numbers this project produced disregarded the negative feedback, proving that this was a pretty solid album. In the first week of sales it sold 447,000 copies. Thank Me Later peaked on the US Billboard charts at number 1, and held that spot for three weeks.

Following his tape So Far Gone, Drake continues to prove and showcase his talents as a rapper that is well prepared to be mentioned along with some of the biggest names out. We are also given a better taste of Drake talents as a singer and as a great songwriter. Drake delivered smooth, articulate flows over majority down tempo beats throughout the whole album. The 14 track album Drake talks a lot about relationships, women, his grinds trying to keep a name for himself. The singles from Thank Me Later included Find Your Love, Fancy, Miss Me, and Over. In my opinion the singles were the throw aways from the album so if this was done on purpose kudos to Drake and his team for leaving the treasure tracks hidden. I wouldn’t skip any tracks on the album but my favorite tracks from Thank Me Later were Karaoke, Fireworks, and Unforgettable.

Collaborations on albums can go two ways. On one side collaborations actually add to the quality of the album, and if the artist and their feature have sounds that compliment each other the product will be gold. Unfortunately the downside to collaborations is that having too many features can take the spotlight off of the artist’s talent. There is also the chance that their feature might even give too much to the track. I know it does not hurt to share the wealth but I would be a little embarrassed if somebody else lit up my track. With that being said, Drake could’ve chilled out on the features especially for a studio debut. Half of the tracks feature another artist or two, so it makes you think was this album held down by some of the features? Drake collaborated with some very heavy hitting artist on this project such as Alicia Keys, Nicki Minaj, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, T.I., Swizz Beats, Young Jeezy, and The-Dream. Because Drake has a style that is so versatile he sounds great collaborating with all of those artist, but Nicki Minaj’s flow went a little harder on the song Up All Night so it definitely sounds like she briefly stole his shine.

Compared to his latest project If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late,  Thank Me Later was a very turnt down, chilled out album with dope beats and smooth coherent  flows combined with all of Drake’s emotions that we love. This is not turn up music, or conscious music, or the "I’m a rapper so let me stunt on y’all" music. This is music to really vibe and ride out to, something that can be played in any setting honestly. During summer 2010 whether you were at a party, just riding around with the homies (even by yourself), chilling with the bae, whatever you were doing I bet at least three songs from Thank Me Later were playing. That was definitely the case for me, this was my whole summer’s background music.