WTM Presents The 5th Annual Hip-Hop Album of the Year 2015 Edition

I could talk about how amazing 2015 was for hip-hop all day. For the most part the staff picks summed that up on it's own.

Spoiler Alert: Fetty Wap didn't Make @WatsTheMovement #AOTY2015 List. I count him as R&B since he sings waaaay better than he raps.

— JC (@RamseySaidWHAT) January 8, 2016

Lots of debuts of new artists. Lots of genre bending music. If you're wondering why your favorite artist isn't on this list remember we rate this list on lyrics, production, flow, popularity, sales and uniqueness. Your favorite didn't do all of those (or it was a mixtape) as well as these did. There's no denying everyone on this list encompasses all aspects of the criteria. . All in all these lists are opinionated at the end of the day. I still did my best to remove self from the equation. I preach all the time there is a difference between the best and your favorite. Either way it's subjective. I hope this sparks conversation (not controversy) but I present to you, What's The Movement's 5th Annual, Hip-Hop Album of the Year: The 2015 Edition.

Number Five: The Incredible True Story - Logic

Picking a number five is probably the hardest thing ever. To deny so many great albums like The Documentary 2 from The Game, Summertime '06 from Vince Staples, Dark Sky Paradise from Big Sean, and more from this list pains me. It really does. However my pick last year got a nomination and rounds out our top five. Logic's sequel to Under Pressure is the album to really open ears everywhere. His first got everyone's attention and now everyone is listening. Chronologically the album paints a great tale of Tom, Kai, and their AI, Thalia (from the last album) and their journey to Paradise. The skits are funny but have their deep moments. Although his debut got a higher rank, musically this album was much better. That really says a lot about how much better 2015 was than 2014. The singles Like Whoa and Young Jesus featuring Big Lenbo are still in rotation. I also really like City of Stars. He combats being a kid that looks white but is really mulatto and how that effects him, the people around him, and the industry itself. I guess we could call it a response to J. Cole's Fire Squad verse. "I didn't talk about my race on the whole first album. But black vs white bullsh*t was the still the outcome." Deep stuff, deep album. Read my original review here.

Number Four: B4DA$$ - Joey Bada$$

The official debut album of Joey Bada$$ makes our list at number four. Lots and lots of growth since we first heard from the 20 year-old from Brooklyn. I enjoyed this album a lot. Probably the best way to kick off a new year. To still make it on this list from January to December is no small feat. This is the oldest album on the list so to remain relevant this long is impressive. I enjoyed Paper Trail$ which is a rework of his collab with DJ Premier, Unorthodox. Like Me is my favorite song on the album. Everything was perfect. It was produced by the legendary J. Dilla, and features the talents of BJ the Chicago Kid on the hook. I also enjoyed Teach Me featuring Kiesza. It takes a spin from the normal sound we are used to hearing from Joey. I still listen to Christ Conscious in the gym too. Song is too gritty and the beat and delivery is fire. Read the original review here.

Number Three: The Album About Nothing - Wale

I could go on and on about this album. This was probably my favorite album to listen to this year. It was refreshing having the old Wale back and for good. The continuation of the About Nothing series brought joy to the heart of his core fans. I'm sure it was a lot of pressure eased after he released it. Lots of people could say he fell off (including myself) post-MMG. I'd say I was wrong. All and all I enjoy the direction he is headed. TAAN served as a new debut to what Wale could (and probably should/want to) be. Lyrically he showed how clever he was, and the use of Jerry Seinfeld on the skits was golden. The singles were great especially The Matrimony featuring the talents of Usher on the hook. Beautiful song I think our generation may even dance to at our weddings. Other songs that stood out were The Need to Know featuring SZA and The Bloom featuring Stokley Williams. You can check out what I had to say in my original review earlier this year.

Number Two: Surf - Chance the Rapper, Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment

In May I knew this was definitely going to be in the conversation of Album of The Year. It was dropped as a surprise. No singles and Free99 on iTunes. Surf was like a feel good version of The Roots as Queen and I say. Chance serves as the Black Thought to Donnie T and the Sox. I said my words on it in July and they stand true today. Replay value is still important and I can still listen to every song on here. Every song is a surprise, you never know who could feature on here next. J. Cole, Erykah Badu, Jeremih, Busta Rhymes, Quavo, Big Sean and many many more make appearances. Some people played Chocolate Factory at their cookouts this summer, I played Surf. Read the original review here.

Number One: To Pimp a Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar

Since Good Kid m.A.A.d city dropped the world has been saying one name as far as hip-hop goes, Kendrick Lamar. In my opinion the general public handed him the game on a silver platter as if the way was paved for him. Frankly that train of thought was wrong. Countless features on hit songs, dropping an instant classic in GKMC, and the verse heard round the world in Control has garnered the public's respect. Overrated? Possibly, but it wasn't a question if TPAB was the best album of the year. The question was finding an album that was better. When all was said and done there wasn't.

To Pimp a Butterfly was our unanimous pick this year. It was so complex Issah AND Niles both wrote reviews. It contained elements of Jazz and Funk to compliment his music. We saw that in his work with George Clinton and frequent collaborators Thundercat, Bilal, and Anna Wise. Kendrick also kept true to his west side roots and made G-Funk songs like Institutionalized that include the talents of Snoop Dogg while still preaching the good fight. I was surprised no one from the TDE stable made an appearance on this album. The singles were cool. His lead single I was dope because he changed it to sound like a live performance on the album version. He always has a twist to his radio edit and his album version like he did on Swimming Pools from the previous project. He also dropped videos for King Kunta, These Walls, and more. u was super super deep to my heart. I understood what it was like to self evaluate and climb from a state of depression so that hit home for me. Climbing out of the funk was important and Alright was just the song to do it. Song order was perfect here. It's no question in my mind that Alright was the best song this year, don't argue with me. "If I got you and if you got me and if God got us then we gone be alllllriiight!" You can't help but be excited listening to that at any venue whether it's your dorm, the club, shoot even at church. Kendrick wrapped up the album in the most amazing way with a posthumous interview with his predecessor, Tupac Shakur. The song was titled Mortal Man and featured James Fauntleroy.

I didn't think this was going to be a sequel to GKMC. Beforehand I figured the album was going to touch on where he's grown as a man. Kendrick has an amazing ability to spark the minds of his listeners to think. Not necessarily relate and agree but to formulate thoughts of our own. Like Cole before him he performed a song in tribute to those lost from Police Brutality before the album on Colbert Report. You can see that in our preview. I think the album was very timely. Really important in the stage we are and where this country is headed. I used to wonder how he could talk about money, cars, clothes, hoes, God, and history in the same sentence. It makes sense now. . TPAB gets 4.77 of 5 stars on the Ramsey Rating Scale. With that being said King Kendrick has successfully won repeat AOTY's on What's The Movement. What's to come this 2016? It doesn't matter as long as the music continues to get better. Keep listening my friends.

#AOTY Staff Picks 5-1 A Niles P. Joint

And I’m back. I gave you the criteria and revealed albums 10-6 of my list here. That half was much murkier inasmuch as some of those albums could be interchangeable depending on your palette on any given day. The top 5 has been solidified for over a month. Let’s get down to it, here’s my top 5 albums of 2015.

5.) Grandeur by Apollo Brown - While he’s been active for a few years now, 2015 was the year that was his magnum opus (for this year, at least.)  Whether he was crafting songs for legends like M.O.P. and Masta Ace or assisting up and coming artists like Dynasty and Westside Gunn, this album had replay value that will last for awhile.  The tempo was pretty even keel throughout but it just means that pretty much ever song was a banger.  If you were wondering what (Apollo) Brown can do for you, Grandeur was the answer. Detroit beatsmith Apollo Brown cemented himself as one of the top producers in hip hop. He also raised the profile of his label, Mello Music Group considerably. Grandeur

4.) LOA by Bobby Sessions - Talk about coming out of left field, or in this case, Dallas, TX.  Everyone else on this list I had heard of before and some of these albums I was expecting.  But Bobby Sessions came through with a debut album that was too good to ignore.  To have that much versatility to be able to have a fun jam like Peyton Manning on the same album as social commentary like Black America is astounding.  I usually temper my expectations for rookies but every once in awhile you find one good enough to make the All-Pro team.  That’s what Sessions did.  I gave it an honest listen and realized I had no real qualms with this album.  Stakes is high for the young
southwestern spitter from here on in, but I have a feeling he can deliver.

3.) B4DA$$ by Joey Bada$$ - Technically this was Joey’s debut album but he had gained an audience already via the mixtape circuit so I was already acquainted.  And he had three singles with videos come out before a release date was even announced.  When the album dropped in January, it not only exceeded expectations but also held up throughout the course of the year.  Previously heard songs like Big Dusty meshed well with newer ones such as Save the Children.  Joey also experimented with different sounds and guests, such as helping introduce Raury on Escape 120 and making a danceable poppy song with Kiesza on Teach Me. He made the transition from mixtapes to studio albums, now the trick is figuring it out where to go next.

2.) Lucky 7 by Statik Selektah - This was also the year we saw super producer Statik Selektah completely master part of his craft.  Dude made his seventh and final producer/compilation album in the span of three months.  In tradition with last year, let me just list the people he could get on short notice: Rapsody, Action Bronson, Joey Bada$$, Your Old Droog, Styles P, Royce Da 5’9”, Big KRIT, Mick Jenkins, Smiff & Wessun, Young MA, Dave East, Illa Ghee, Sean Price, Fame, Bun B, Ab-Soul, Talib Kweli, CJ Fly, & Cane.  That’s unbelievable clout.  He continued his tradition of bringing in live horns to play over his sampled beats and also  had a couple joints that were completely made by him (In the Wind being a stellar example). I’m vaguely sad that Statik won’t make any more albums of this ilk, but I know he has some things up his sleeve for years to come.

1.) To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar - This may be one of the most anticlimactic AOTY lists King Kunta was a funk-infused dance hit. How Much A Dollar Cost was a great storytelling track and Obama’s favorite song of the year. Alright became the new Black National Anthem and was played everywhere from music festivals to protests. The album’s staying power was incredible and I feel like its impact and themes will be discussed and dissected for years to come. Even more astounding is the fact that Kendrick’s debut album was arguably an instant classic and he more than exceeded expectations on this one. If his eventual third album is even half as good, he’ll be able to sit at the table of the genre’s royalty. But as it stands he’s the best rapper in the game and the king of the West Coast. Since its premature/accidental midnight release on iTunes, I knew TPAB was special.  And now, it’s my 2015 Album of the Year.
in the history of the culture.  But Kendrick Lamar created an undisputed masterpiece.  While there was a ton of great music released this year, nothing encapsulated the social climate while still sounding great. And it was still eclectic and fun. 

Staff Picks AOTY 2015 - @Natural_Nation

So first let me start off by saying that I find lists a bit silly. A majority of the time it's an inaccurate depiction of a vast sample size. I've heard a sliver of all of the music released this year and yet I'm supposed to judge who's music is better than the other. So I can only rate the work of rappers that I've heard.

Number 5: Barter 6, Young Thug/ Sremm Life, Rae Sremmurd

Yeah I'm cheating, but I can't help it. The Barter 6 and Young Thug are my guilty pleasures for 2015. I actually listened to the Barter 6 more than any other album this year.. I'll admit I didn't expect much from him at all. I summed him up to a two to three song fad. But honestly the overall production of the album was really dope. I blasted this album in my car all summer, all fall, and it's still hanging on. But, there’s really no denying the success of the shrimp boys. SremmLife is mainly making my list due to its popularity, it was too big to ignore. This is not an album you listen to if you want to be blown away by lyrical content. But the style of rap that we've heard in 2015 puts this album near the top and for many people in the top 3. I happened to absolutely hate the last song. I thought it was a lame attempt to appeal to the masses but that aside it was the party album of the year. When it comes to these two I am honestly not able to separate my bias so I’ll let you choose for me.

Number 4: If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late

Drake has yet to disappoint when it comes to music, almost since the beginning of his career.  Whether it’s mixtapes, singles, albums, the man is currently one of the greatest. Period. And this is coming from an individual who has always found him to be a crybaby. The amount of music Drake has showered his fans with this past year was unmatched. It started to get to the point where it was hard for me to keep track of what he released and who's song he was featured on. The man single handedly made a word famous. How many of ya’ll ( outside of the south) knew what a woe was before Drake?...I’ll wait. Don’t lie, most of ya’ll thought it was a ho with a 'W'. This is the album all Drake fans will refer to when he decides to tone it down and sing a few more melodies again. It was an album you could bump in your car. It was Drake unapologetic, a man who spit with conviction and gumption. He definitely poked out his chest with this one. 

Number 3: The Incredible True Story

The thing I love and appreciate about Logic is that (so far) he always comes with great production, flow, and content. He is successful at creating exactly what an album should sound like; a collective body of music that flows from beginning to end.  This album was a story. On this sophomore project we again hear familiar references to Quentin Tarantino and Frank Sinatra. We also get insight on his issues with the way he is viewed in the rap industry based off of his race. Logic is solid and anyone who says otherwise is childish. The sample near the end on track 18 spoke to me immediately. The way the album phased out alone snatches the third spot from Drake.

"But its absolutely stupid to spend your time doing things you don’t like, and to teach our children to follow in the same track...therefore it’s so important to consider the question: What do i desire?"

Number 2: Dark Sky Paradise

Dark Sky Paradise!!! Let us address the thoroughness of this one. Big Sean once again brought his A game with the creation of his 3rd album. This is one of those artists where  took me a while to appreciate them. I remember hearing his voice on the radio allll the time. I was always asking, "who is that?”  Sure enough, every time I didn't know who the artist was, it was Big Sean. Eventually it got to the point where all I could hear was his voice and I had his music on repeat. Dark Sky Paradise is definitely some of  the best collection of work I have heard from him so far. It's awesome to see and hear the progression of his music up to this point. He's working hard and it shows in his music. And I don't care what anyone says, Paradise was one of the best rap songs of 2015. It will probably go down as one of the best songs in his career. The album does not disappoint in any area. I wouldn't feel right giving this spot to anyone else but Big Sean, not even Logic.

Number 1: To Pimp A Butterfly

Okay, I mean I guess this may be an argument to some people but uh...not to me. Kendrick Lamar grabs the #1 spot without question. To Pimp A Butterfly claims the throne because it was an instant classic...in hip-hop history. This album easily joins the likes of other great rap albums like The Chronic, Life After Death, All Eyez on Me, Aquemini, etc. etc. etc.. It's going to be timeless and for that, it automatically becomes best rap album of 2015. This is the product of a creative mind not stuck in the boundaries of the "2015 sound". This is what happens when you study your craft, pay homage to the oldies, and approach with a listening ear not consumed by ego and pride. The progression of the album was genius. The features were perfect and the musical influence of the album flowed from beginning to end. It was the only piece of artwork I listened to all year.... and I don't really see how he could top this album. If he retired now he would already have two of the best rap albums in the past 3 years. One of the greatest in my generation, album of the year goes to King Kendrick.

Honorable mentions

Travis Scott: Rodeo

Lupe Fiasco: Tetsuo & Youth

Wale: Album About Nothing

Staff Picks AOTY 2015 - @AQueens_Crown

2015 has been a crazy one for me, and I wouldn’t have gotten thru some it without music. So here is my top 5 of the best of the best in music this year.

Number five: Drake - If You're Reading This Its Too Late

Yes it’s a album!

As the kids would say, Drake’s IYRTITL went HARD! Drake was much more aggressive on this album compared to the others. Maybe he was tired of the jokes, who knows, but the Drake we have seen since this album dropped has been a beast. “Is that your world tour, or your girls tour” I don’t even have to say anything else, and I already know you’re picturing your favorite meme.You heard the aggressive tone on tracks 6PM In New York and 6 God. He spit raw bars into some of these tracks. He didn’t sing on this album that I know many expected. One of lines where Drake is letting you know how they feel comes fom Engery "I got rap niggas that I gotta act like I like. But my actin’ days are over, fuck them niggas for life." 

Number four: Ty Dolla $ign- FreeTC

I was honestly surprised with how much I liked this album. Granted Ty Dolla $ign leans more on the R&B side of things. He often crosses into the rap genre so I was expecting more rap. However, you get a nice medley of his voice and feels of old school R&B. Horses in the Stable is one of my favorites. Mirale/Wherever ft TC & d-Loc was another song that was nice to listen too. Even though you can tell the features were done behind prison walls, it doesn’t take away from TC’s amazing voice.

Number three: Chance the Rapper, Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment - Surf

Overall, this was a fun album. Filled with great features such as Big Sean, KYLE, Busta Rhymes, Erykah Badu, and many more. I know many look as this project as the work of Chance the Rapper, but its not. This comes from the great minds of Donnie Trumpet and The Social Experiment. Think of them as similar to The Roots if you need a reference point. It's hard to find a track that I didn’t like on this album. The whole thing is filled with smart lines, beautiful instrumentals, and uplifting messages like on Wanna Be Cool, about being yourself, or Sunday Candy, an ode to Grandmas everywhere.

Number two: Wale - The Album About Nothing

This is the album I have always wanted from Wale.  Going with the same theme as his most popular mixtapes  The Mixtape About Nothing and The More About Nothing. Wale enlists the help of stand up comedian  Jerry Seinfeld  to narrate the album.  They talk about love, drugs, and just life in general. I wish Wale was appreciated more as an artist. His viewpoint on all things life have always been expressed in his work, but with this album I felt like it was really delivered properly. The Girls on Drugs was a great song about, as the title suggests, girls on drugs. It describes a cautionary tale of a woman's battle with pills. I hope Wale continues to deliver and be received by old and new fans to come.

Number one: Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly

Everyone is lying if they say Kendrick didn’t have one of the best albums of the year. To Pimp a Butterfly is a milestone in the history of hip hop. I cant descried the album anything less than beautiful. The theme of black empowerment, which ran throughout the whole album, heard clearly in Complexion. I cherished the poetry in These Walls, Kendrick speaking on different types of “walls” and what they mean for the person.  I know when the first single i was released, people didn’t really like it, but it set he tone of Kendrick’s mindset when making this album. In u he faces his own demons as a black man, that is suddenly thrust into the spotlight. Feeling like everyone is changing, causing him to question his faith. A place I am sure people can relate to. If you haven’t already or even if you already listened go give the album a listen, make sure you listen carefully.

Staff Picks AOTY 2015 - @Maryyy_UK

It seems like we are getting hip hop back. We must be because it was actually difficult to pick my top five albums for this year. There were a lot of albums with a lot of different sounds. Sometimes I think music can blend so much that they're aren't specific genres any more. This can be a positive thing, because it enhances the community of the music world, but it can also make artists not stand out. The albums in my top five were able to find a way to stand out among the crowd, especially for their quality.

 #5 The Album About Nothing - Wale 

Wale’s Album About Nothing received some criticism when it first came out. it sold pretty well, but some people thought the piece was boring. I disagree. While it’s not trap music, and it doesn't have many club beats in it, is was very well-crafted. I love the way that even though it’s a album about nothing in particular, it has the common Seinfeld theme (which is a show about nothing, for non-Seinfeld watchers out there). His single, The Matrimony featuring Usher, was well received by audiences. He also had J. Cole in The Pessimist. This track was the realest sh*t he ever wrote to be honest. He and Cole list the reasons why our people are feeling hopeless, and most of them are pretty relevant to now. “If a nigga kill a nigga he another statistic, but if his skins a little different they gonna say it was self defense, a nigga feeling hopeless.” Sza, and Stokley Williams are also featured on the album. It’s definitely not the album that listen to before you go out Friday night, but like the show Seinfeld, it has classic moments that we can all relate too, and sometimes laugh about.
4.0 out of 5.0


 #4 If You're Reading This It’s Too Late. - Drake 

 WITH MY WOES! sorry, I had to do it.

Just when we thought Drake was getting too soft, he gives us this album. I’m not going to pretend that I wasn't a fan of his emotional pop stuff; Take Care was my album, but not everyone was on board with that. He gave the people who say, Drake doesn’t rap a reason to shut up. In No Tellin’ he says “Please do not speak to me like I'm that Drake from four years ago, I’m at a higher place/ Thinking they lions and tigers and bears, I go hunting/ Put heads on my fireplace." Yup its clear that Drake is in a different place now. He’s not all hard, but this more aggressive side he is showing is waking people up. This isn't the new Drake, this is the real Drake, and he is taking control of his own sound.
4.25 out of 5.0


 #3 Tetsuo and Youth - Lupe Fiasco 

As a Lupe fan, I was satisfied with this album. It was about a three year wait between this and his previous album, Food and Liquor II, but it was well worth the wait. His second track, Mural, is what had everyone talking. Eight minutes of rap; no chorus, bridge, or even another person featuring. It was just Lupe and the beat. Even if you hated what he said in the track, anyone would respect the ability to actually flow for that long. But I loved it. It was what a mural would sound like: different images that are seemingly independent, but in the end create a masterpiece. But that wasn't the only song that was great. There is this amazing religious imagery in songs like Madonna, Adoration of the Magi, and They.Resurrect.Over.New, that connect to faces you see in your neighborhood. Dots & Lines probably has the most intelligent and well crafted lines in a rap. This is a treat for you who like math and rap. I’m not even a numbers person, but I respected the hell out of it. Lupe also incorporated the youth in the seasons interludes, showing how kids would see each one. This was an intricate construction of an album, no wonder it took him three years.
4.4 out of 5.0


 #2 Summertime '06 - Vince Staples 

The up-and-coming Vince Staples surprised me with this album. “Man the sea’s been polluted baptism for the shooter." Damn. This guy has bars, I want to compare him to my number one spot holder (scroll down to see.) He just has a gift with words, building a distorted image in your mind like a twisted dream; somehow he makes the strangest comparisons make sense. He has a two disc album, and while all the songs are hearty in content, most of them are 3 minutes or less. These short vignettes aren’t scene of a warm and happy California, this album is picture of the Long Beach that most people don’t see. Lift Me Up and was a favorite of mine, other good ones were Dopeman, featuring his old group member Joey Fatts and Kilo Kish and Might Be Wrong featuring Haneef Taleb and eeeeeee. On this track Staples doesn't even rap. Its a speech followed by a phone recording. Rolling Stone called Staples “the most exciting rapper” this past summer. But this isn’t his first rodeo. This was technically his debut album, but he caught our attention with his EP Hell Can Wait. This album is just another stepping stone for him. I have a feeling he’s the type of artists that gets better with age.
4.5 out of 5


 #1 To Pimp a Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar 

I don’t know how there can be any dispute on this one to be honest. This album is what hip hop needed at the right time. I've been a Kendrick fan for a while and I think this is his best work yet. From the beat to the arrangement and of course the lyrics, Kendrick makes an album that is a perfect mix of rap, poetry, and ultimately art. The song that haunts me is How Much A Dollar Cost. The development of the story peeks inside the mind of every person who has walked by a homeless person who asks for money. This was President Obama’s favorite song in 2015 and the man has good taste in music. Even if you can’t relate to the content that he raps about, you can appreciate the way he conveys a message to his audience. The reoccurring character Lucy, short for Lucifer, comes and tempts Kendrick throughout the album with glitters that ultimately kill us all in the end. In “u” we get into K.Dot's mind. It is a dark track, where he battles with his own thoughts of despair and depression. However In “i” he combats that saying “I love myself.”  However this isn't just a celebration of him escaping the prison of self hate. This is a version where he breaks up a fight in the middle of a concert, reprimanding kids who say “fuck niggas” telling them to have respect of themselves and each other. And his interview with Tupac in Mortal Man was the icing on the cake, the greatest of our generation talking to his mentor is genius. The whole thing is raw. Good raw.
4.65 out of 5

This year showed me that we have real rap. One honorable mention was Big Sean’s Dark Sky Paradise, his third studio album. He is the one of the top MCs in the game, but he leans more to a commercial audience and hasn't reached his full potential yet as a lyricist. I always come in contact with people who always try to downplay rap. They tell me it’s disrespectful, mysogynistic, and violent. Before I would have to go far back in the crevices of my mind and find the most obscure rappers to prove that they were wrong, with this years productions I don’t have to do that. These rappers are making art and yes while the lyrics can include all of the aforementioned things, they are creatively and intelligently making beauty of the environment that surrounds us. Yeah it can be grotesque sometimes, but they have made it a true reflection of this world. Artists this year have held up the mirror to their audience and are basically saying just what Tupac said in Mortal Man “We aren't even really rapping. We are letting our dead homies tell stories for us.” In short, they're letting their lives and experiences motivate the message in their art.

Staff Picks AOTY 2015 - @Best_ofda_Worst

2015 was a great year personally for me, it was a year I found my stride and decided what kind of man I wanted to be. I made a lot of memories in 2015 each with the intention of making sure that I am doing whats best for me professionally and doing what makes me happy. In addition to myself having a great year, there were so many gems that dropped in 2015 as well to my regret many of which i was not able to listen to, unless I felt as though I just had to hear that album thus bearing my top 5 albums of 2015.

Number Five Future: Dirty Sprite 2

In 2015 i was on a different wave where i spent most of the year listening to old school hip-hop and occasionally whenever I turned on the radio or went out this guy Future was playing and honestly speaking he might be tied with only one person in terms of who dominated air waves this year.  With so many future singles out I had to give this a listen. Trap N*ggas, Blow a Bag, Freak Hoes, etc this album had nothing but hits. Club banger after club banger and for the kind of artist Future is he did a great job with this one. Although I wouldn’t count Future as a lyricist he knows exactly what his fans want and he did not disappoint when it came to DS2

Number Four Fetty Wap - Self Title

Again not the greatest lyricist of 2015, but he dominated every radio station with only 4 songs (679, Again, My Way, Trap Queen) in addition to his airwave takeover this man opened up the door wide for all Jersey Artist to follow and thankfully so Garden State MCs are bum rushing forward on to finally be able to put Jersey on the map and solidify its place in hip-hop next to NYC, Cali, ATL, Houston, and Chicago. It's been long over due since an artist from Jersey the whole state is proud to claim and with his distinctive vocals and trade mark “yeah baby” Fetty was able to break records and be He became the first male rapper with three songs occupying the top 20 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 chart since Eminem did so in 2013. To be honest, I just really like the album.

Number Three Chance the Rapper, Donnie Trumpet and The Social Experiment: Surf

My whole summer probably sounded like this album, just feel good vibes song after song.  This album just makes you happy when you hear it. I mean really, listen to songs like Slip Slide, Wanna Be Cool, and Familiar; just jam out with your peoples and stop acting tough for a minute. That enjoy your life and spread good vibes kind of album.  I enjoyed this album very much as it always boost my mood when I hear it.

Number Two The Game: The Documentary 2

I remember the 1st time I ever heard Game rap. I was sitting there playing Def Jam Fight For New York in my boy’s house and I just heard the bass kicking from the radio, at 1st i thought Joe Budden had a new song out, like who else was that nice at that time? Then my boy told me naw, this is Game, he’s 50’s new artist.  The song was Higher which would later be on the album The Documentary. Ten years later, Game releases the Documentary 2 and 2.5. Hearing this you would hope that this isn’t some sort of marketing ploy because Game might be losing some of his edge and then you hear the album and all fears are put away. This album brought back that feeling I first had when i heard Game for the 1st time. Listening to this album, in the car, in the gym, walking down the street; it gives you that aggressive rhyme style that Game is famous for while backing up his style with bars. This was my 2nd favorite album that I heard this year a true gem from 2015.

Number One Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a Butterfly

I've always liked Kendrick Lamar because he makes music I feel like I can directly relate to, almost as if he is telling a story I was there to witness as well so when I heard To Pimp a Butterfly, I was amazed at how much it correlated to my life at the time.  Listening to TPAB I really thought that maybe Kendrick was stalking me all of 2013 and 2014 because how else could he have known to make a song like u, or Alright? How could he have known I needed a song like I? I connected to this album on a emotional level because when I first heard it it was at a time where my life was finally on a come up. I was on my way to graduating college, I was finally comfortable, with my religion, and most of all I learned the true value of loving myself and then this funky album drops and its like Kendrick was going through the same thing too. I’m happy a rapper like Kendrick is in the game, someone I can relate to who makes music for people like me who don’t have that ability to rap at his level, so I thank him for making such a great album, its nice to know that a point in my life has a soundtrack and I can always use this album as a bookmark to where I was at a point in time

All of the albums I chose as a top 5 of the year vary greatly from each other from trap music to pure lyricism but I feel as though in essence this is hip hop, and dynamic collaborations of different lifestyles and emotions to describe the human experience through the environments that one may have been placed in.  Hip Hop is a phenomenal genre of music that is has the ability to reach so many demographics of people. 2015 was a great year in hip hop as it showcased that, Hopefully 2016 will take note on all the positives of '15 and replicate and enhance the good that Hip-hop has done.

Watch: God is Gangsta - @kendricklamar

You know we never did get that short film on Good Kid Maad City (More on that later). This will have to do.

I woke up early this morning relaxing and excited for the last day in 2015. As promised I was recapping the last winners of Album of the Year and that included listening to GKMC by Kendrick Lamar. Before my speakers could let ScHoolboy Q finish his yawks in Maad City, TDE released his new short film, God is Gangsta. The film includes visuals for u and For Sale, two very important songs on To Pimp a Butterfly. u was super emotional as Kenny battles his inner demons and self reflects with bottle in hand. I swear the first time I hear this song I cried so you could imagine what a visual could do to a young brotha. The latter part takes on the audio of For Sale where K. Dot does battle again, this time with Lucy (Lucifer) himself. See who wins after the break below.

Watch: These Walls - @KendrickLamar feat. @annathewise @Bilal & @Thundercat

Its been while since we last heard from Kendrick Lamar and out from left field he goes and releases his video for These Walls. 

Comedian Corey Holcomb narratives this wild tale of a house party gone wrong or well depending on who you were. The video is similar to the i video in terms of lighting and mood. It offers some comical scenes and other times confusion. Why is he hitting that Quan with Terry Crews? Who is Miss Thickie who behind strong enough to throw you through walls? And how did black hippy miss this banger? SZA and Isaiah Rashad made a cameo running around or in bed with a few beautiful women. Either way, the visual is funny and at other times serious. Check out the visual for These Walls after the break.

Watch: Alright - @KendrickLamar

"If I got you and you got me, and if God got us man we gone' be alright."

Fresh off an amazing performace at the BET awards Kendrick Lamar released a new video for Alright. The visual has an amazing show of symbolism as Black Hippy makes cameos. It is indeed a deep visual but Kendrick does show a fun side throughout the video. He does recite the poem To Pimp a Butterfly in the video as well. You can check that yourself. Alright below after the break.

@KendrickLamar's #TPAB Review by @Best_ofda_Worst

We all know what Kendrick Lamar is capable of as an artist. I am going to start by saying this: I do not think this album is better than Good Kid MAAD City. That’s the only negative thing I can say about this album. Now that that’s out the way its time to give my feedback on what I like about To Pimp A Butterfly.

I knew I was going to love this album from the moment the beat dropped on track one, Wesley’s Theory. With a feature from George Clinton & Thundercat , this album wasted no time drawing you in with a spellbinding instrumental and equally hypnotizing hook this song is easily one of my favorites on the album. Following up is an interlude/poem called For Free.  The piece is about a man who’s been through too much to continue doing things as favors to people. This is a great set up to King Kunta. Me and Niles touched base on the track here. In addition I feel like Kendrick was channeling his inner Pac with how aggressive he approached in the track.

Let's fast forward a few songs to track six titled U. It hits of close to home for me. The first words are "Loving U is complicated." You feel hurt, guilt and failure to meet the standards and expectations we give ourselves. Sometimes we even feel as though we let family and friends down. That depressing inner demon won't let you forget all the negatives about you. I’d like to imagine Kendrick was looking into a mirror in a hotel room by himself when the concept of this song came to mind. Anyone who's ever internally battled themselves probably fought back a tear or two listening to U. I say this because I've personally come from the same place this song portrays. The only way out of this feeling is to face yourself and believe that all the good about you will come. That leads to a perfect transition into his next song, Alright.

U is great but I'd rather not remember the feeling that comes attached with it (haha). Alright serves as a great pick-me-up from the last depressing a** song. The next track contains the only "real" feature (person with a verse) in Rapsody. The song is titled Complexion. Here she steals this track as her verse is soulful and fits right along with the central theme of the album (poetic blackness). It was pretty tight, and each time I hear it I get more excited to here her voice than Kendrick's. Looking forward I'm excited to hear more from the North Carolina spitter in the near future. The album version of I is better than the single. It's the second deepest track on the whole album. I'd rather not give away too much so listen after the break.

 

The album closes off with Mortal Man. If you haven't heard it already I'll tell you, it's the deepest track on the album. Jonathan breaks down the track here. I serves as a great closing and a tremendous finale to this poetic album we call To Pimp a Butterfly. As Wesley’s Theory drew you in, track after track opened to a new piece of the ongoing poem presented throughout the album. Mortal Man finalizes the poem and puts it all together. You actually find out that the album was really just a conversation between K. Dot and Tupac! After little exchange of question and answer he ends the conversation with one more poem. It leaves the listeners wanting more like "This can't seriously be it. Pac got to have more to say! Kendrick got to have another song! 


I always felt like I knew Kendrick as if he were a personal friend of mine. That's the feeling GKMC gave me. I felt like I was in the van with him or maybe Compton and Rosecrans was a block in my city where I used to hang out. This album made me relate to Kendrick on a more emotional level, I'm glad it happened that way. My favorite tracks were Wesley's Theory, King Kunta, U, Alright  Hood Politics, and How Much a Dollar Cost. It's been so long since I could relate to music in such a way. I don't want to call this album a classic yet because of it's youth and early stages. However I can say I'm happy with this purchase. If you haven't already go grab this album. It's a great buy.

To Pimp a Butterfly - @Kendrick Lamar album review by @Niles_C

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Editorial: (Im)Mortal Men - @KendrickLamar by @RamseySaidWHAT

It's tough when the whole world sees you as Pac reincarnated....

In a world where Kendrick Lamar has been seen as "New Black" for some of his opinions on world matters, I think it's interesting. What makes K. Dot real is what he really wants for you. When most people give their opinion they are trying to enlighten you to their way of thinking and persuade you to be like them. In today's age people lean towards different rappers for different reasons, at least in this generation. Some listen to J. Cole because he has this amazing ability to make people relate to him. Between College life, Significant others, struggles with his mom, family, father or lack thereof you can really feel him. However Kendrick does the opposite and to me, that's amazing (to you that's a quick check with all disrespect..okay weak pun alert). "I've spent 23 years searching the world for answers til one day I realized I had to come up with my own (Ab Soul's Outro)."

You wanna know what makes Kendrick so great? He has this amazing ability to provoke ppl to create their own original thoughts. Not his.
— Jonathan from #WTM (@RamseySaidWHAT) March 19, 2015

I do not think To Pimp A Butterfly was the best album ever. I don't even think it was even better than GKMC. I think it was what was needed for what's going on in today's trying times. I chopped it up with some friends in the industry and lowkey I predicted that much for the album. I actually took it a little deeper. I explained that I thought he was gonna drop an album so deep it would kinda be like his eulogy.

Yes, I said Eulogy. Let me explain. We were seeing Kendrick so rough in between albums. He wasn't doing much press. He was only in studio, and not seen in the public eye too often. I imagine that has an effect on a young blogger like myself. He looked stressed, and not just for the album. I could see the pain in his eyes. It was the same pain I felt everyday watching the news or reading about another young black kid unjustly murdered by the police. Almost becoming a regular thing. The album was coming and people weren't exactly happy with Kendrick's comments regarding Ferguson and what's happening there. He then reminds us how important loving ourselves is when he recorded I. The messages conveyed kind of had a Dr. King essence. I compared it to how Martin gave his last speech I've Been to the Mountaintop. Visions of Martin Luther staring huh? Perhaps I was a little dramatic but that's just how I took it. Thank God I was wrong in that sense. I guess I'm too deep for the intro (If you've read this far I applaud you. I'm getting to the point soon.).



Kendrick once said Pac visited him in a dream urging K. Dot to never let his music die. That alone is the inspiration to the end of Mortal Man. Let's break it down. Kendrick is known for really deep Outros on his project with Hiiipower and Sing About Me respectively. Mortal Man is the same if not deeper. I think he took parts of both to complete an interview with Makaveli himself, Tupac Shakur. It was incredibly clever the way he took bits from past interviews and his own responses and questions to the immortal man. He starts by reading a poem to Pac then asks him about metaphors he once spoke. Kendrick asked about how he came up, his battles with stress, and his opinion on what's going on today. The part of the interview that stood out to me was the last bit about music being the only thing important thing we have left. Pac responds:

"Because it's spirits, we ain't really rappin' we just letting our dead homies tell stories for us."

The background music stops. Kendrick and myself both stunned only say one thing. "Damn." That kinda flashes back to Sing About Me on GKMC. "And if I die before your album drops POP! POP! POP! (gunfire*)...promise that you will sing about me." After the initial shocks wears off Kendrick reads another poem to Pac. This poem uses metaphors and analogies concerning a caterpillar and the journey to become a Butterfly like the title of the album. The poem generally sums up Kendrick's messages throughout. He pauses, and asks for his mentor's opinion. Sensei grew quiet.

"What's your perspective on that? Pac? Pac? Pac?"

No answer, like his friend in sing about me. Perhaps opinionated but that takes me to the before-mentioned quote in Ab Soul's Outro from Section 80 about coming up with your own answers.

Mortal Man seems to be a promise to 2Pac that his music will live on. His message will be conveyed if by no one else, Kendrick will do it himself. The two have outrageous similarities and mentors in Dr. Dre. I remember an old interview 2Pac once said "I'm not saying I'm going to change the world. But I guarantee I will spark the brain that will change the world..."  Maybe that brain is Kendrick, maybe it's not.  Hell maybe it's you and Kendrick is simply the channel to convey this communication. There's my opinion. It's time for yours' to be heard, that's what these Immortal Men want from you. I guess only time will tell. Keep that in mind and keep a lookout on the review of the entire album from one of our staff members soon.

P.S. Kendrick when your time is up we'll sing about you too. We owe you that much. Thank You.