Royal Throne: #AOTY 2014 by @AQueens_Crown

2014 has got to be the  hardest year of my life this far. It just drained me emotional, and spiritual but I managed to make it out alright. Only because of my love music and the energy it provides me. With that being said it was a weird year for hip-hop. With artist albums leaking weeks before the release date, resulting in a lack of sales for a lot of artist. In 2014 only one album went platinum and is was Taylor Swift's 1989 selling 1.2 million in its first week . The music industry has taken a major hit in revenue sales due to these leaked albums. Even so this was a pretty dry year for hip-hop albums in my opinion. Here is my top five best albums of the year.  


5) YG - My Krazy Life

When I heard YG was dropping an album I thought great another piece of trash is being dropped. Boy was I wrong. I loved it and was so surprised. I really liked that is was a story being told in this album about his life living in Compton.  YG's MY Krazy Life made my list of top five for the fact that I played this album a lot when it came out. My favorite tracks are Bicken Back Being Bool, and Left, Right. I know there was a lot of hype around him this year. Hopefully  he continues to live up to it.

4) Nicki Minaj - Pink Print 
I was honestly surprised to actually like this album. I have never been a fan of her music before because of all that pop music crap, but after hearing a couple tracks I was impressed. I really like the track with Meek Mill on it Buy a Heart and Feeling Myself . You can really tell she bared her soul with this album. Talking about the death of her cousin, and the hopes of having a child in the near future. Now I'm not saying I'm a Barbs, but the Pink Print will not get skipped when it comes on. 

3) Schoolboy Q - Oxymoron

You can't tell me that anyone listened to Q's without feeling like a baller futuristic groovy gansta with an attitude. Within it's first week Oxymoron debuted at number one on Billboard's list. That helped earn a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album. One of my favorite songs is Prescription/Oxymoron. You can really hear his struggle with drug addiction. That's something you don't hear about from most rappres these days. Instead most brag about it as if its something to be proud of. Afterwards you get haunting vibes from What They Want making me feel like no one can touch me.

2) Childish Gambino - STN MTN / Kauai
I loved this dual sided concept album. Upon first hearing about it I thought it would be an extension of Because the Internet. I was nicely surprised it wasn't. I wrote more about it in my review of the project here.

1) J.Cole - 2014 Forest Hills Drive

As far as numbers goes this album did really well in the first week considering that he didn't drop a single or do promotion tour. The album itself is a great piece of work. He spoke on a variety of subjects. I really liked this album for the main fact that I agreed with what he spoke about. From the racial tension in hip-hop today, when you have "rappers" like Iggy Azalea doing a terrible job of respecting  hip-hop culture. Making lame pop hits claiming its hip-hop then being rewarded for it. How love is all that really matters. Love for your family, for your friends. We get caught up in the capitalist system of thinking that money will make us happy. So we spend all our time trying to get money only to realize that it can't make us happy. He had a great interview with Angie Martinez on Power 105.1 FM talking all about the capitalistic system we live in, as well as the state of the black man in America. If you haven't given it a listen you can check it out below.

Album of the Year 2014 by @Best_ofda_Worst

2014 was kind of a disappointing year in hip-hop to me. Most albums ranged this year were just OK you know good enough to listen to but not enough to love. However few did stand out and a gem popped up towards the end of this year. Most other albums were just eehhh. I liked Schoolboy Q's Oxymoron, I liked Rick Ross' Mastermind but I didn't love it actually after buying those albums I had this feeling of maybe I shouldn't have made such an impulsive buy. That's coming from a fan of their music. Wiz Khalifa's Blacc Hollywood was dope. If this was a top six review, my list would've definitely been different. Other than Blacc Hollywood, here is my list of albums that was then best of 2014. I ranked these albums according to their content and how they stood out from competition.

Number Five: YG - My Krazy Life

Listening to this album for some reason makes you do strange things. You twist your fingers and do the best you can to make up signs from gangs and block you have no knowledge of, you use strange terminology that might be dangerous around the wrong people. You blast it at loud volumes. At the light you feel embarrassed when an older person pulls up next to you when they hear the lyrics (okay maybe you don't).

This album takes you through the life of a gang-banging burglar. For some songs you feel like you're a blood, others you feel as though you're tip toeing in someone's house looking for anything valuable and easy to snatch up. YG was able to make one feel his lyrics and present to you what it's like to walk in his shoes as a Tree Top Piru Blood member. I give this album 2.99 of 5 stars. The lyrics are simple, but did its job of introducing who he is and forces you to feel and love Compton from his eyes.

Number Four: Nicki Minaj - The Pink Print

I'm happy for Nicki. I remember "Starships Nicki" and hated her, but looking at her now I can understand why she did that. She had to play that role to get herself a big enough name. As a female and an MC (who can actually spit), who's actually better than a lot of her male counterparts she had to dumb it down for people. Now with a solidified fan base she has broken all boundaries and stands out as one of the best rappers of this time. In her album she opens up and expressed a Nicki we may not have known about her before. It's an emotional album. I don't want to give away too much so you're just gonna have to listen for yourself. With The Pink Print I can confidently say that Nicki Minaj is the Queen of Hip-Hop and shaping out to be like Beyonce as far as hip-hop greatness goes. She is a master of her craft and loved on a worldwide level and I'm glad to see that happen. Rating 3 of 5 stars.

Number Three: The Game - Blood Moon: Year of the Wolf 

This is your typical Game album. By typical I mean no restraints on what he says. All raw, unapologetic lyrics. If you've listened to the previous albums you know exactly what I'm talking about. This is a good buy (yes I said buy, purchase, you get the drift) and worth the listen if you get a chance. He gives you both sides of hip-hop. There's a couple of deep songs here and there, a couple of turn up have a good time songs, and the nitty gritty pure rap. Game doesn't disappoint 3 of 5 stars.

Number Two: Young Jeezy - Seen it All

Wanna know why I love hip-hop so much? What other genre of music do you have entrepreneurs who talk to you about how they started from humble beginnings? What they did with resources they had available to them? Against all odds they still made it to the top and became millionaires. Seen it All is that album. It is a how to and self motivation album. Jeezy has really lived up to the names of many previous album titles. He is a Thug's Motivation. He's The Street Dream. From start to finish the message could be heard over and over again. "If I can do it so can you," proof of this especially in the song Enough encouraging the listener that hard work one can achieve greatness. This album as far as content goes speaks to the fire in everyone that refuses to give up. That is the same fire that drives you to get yours. I give Seen it All 3.89 of 5 stars.

Number One: J. Cole - 2014 Forest Hills Drive

"Do you wanna be happy?" My number one spot has to go to Forest Hills Drive. This album is a classic! I wish I heard this album when I was in my teens. It speaks to me in so many ways. I haven't related so much to an album. It's almost as if Cole was telling my story (well, not exactly though). I goes from regretting not being a better son to his parents to how he lost his virginity. Another song he explained how he wished to live a life like his homie, who in turn envied his own life. 2014 was really a year of content. I've heard better bars from Cole on previous projects but the message in each song far surpassed anythinghe dropped thusfar. I give this album 4.5 of 5 stars as the best 2014 had to offer. This is the classic that everyone needs to hear. Alright, stop reading and listen to the album. Thank Me afterwards.Thank me afterwards.