Bless 1 came out of nowhere with the voice of a seasoned veteran, commanding respect and demanding the world's attention by blessing the mic with frightening precision and poise. The ceiling is infinitely high for this mc with talent that could fill the Grand Canyon and I'm hoping that the industry takes notice soon, because he most certainly deserves a permanent "Place in the Sun".

For fans of: Common; the Roots, One Be Lo, Percee P, old LL Cool J, Typical Cats

It's also time for the world to wake up to the effortlessly layered and nearly perfect lyrical stylings of Citizens of Sleep, fronted by underground legend waiting to happen, Baraka Noel. This is raw energy at its best and in its natural essence. It is something fresh and new, but it will also bring back fond memories of a time when hip hop was fun and when rapid-fire, tag team vocals were practically a prerequisite for becoming part of the game.

It's a shame how people keep whining about the demise of rap music when stuff like these 2 albums exists. Instead of doing some research and approaching the light at the end of the underground tunnel, they concentrate on the negativity that dominates the majority of mainstream rap. That's their problem. I'll be over here whether you decide to join me or not. And by the time you get here, you're going to have a lot of catching up to do.

For fans of: Arsonists, Atmosphere, El-P, Oddjobs, Funkdoobiest

The Wrath of Sean
23. Sean Price - Jesus Price Superstar (Duck Down)
In 1996, Sean Price was one half of one of the most promising young duos in rap, Heltah Skeltah. After releasing the cult classic Nocturnal, things were looking bright for the pair, but one failed album and a few personal woes later, he was basically out of music altogether. Luckily, he didn't fall too far and when he resurfaced as a solo artist for the first time, he unveiled something that he had been apparently hiding for nearly a decade: one of the strongest personalities in rap music today.

He always had the raw ability, as he displayed with Heltah Skeltah, while he was still known as "Ruck". But it was like as soon as he decided to use his real name as his stage name, the true, inner voice was unleashed and what a powerful, confident voice it was. He raps about drugs, violence, money, and other stupid shit like that, but he does so more creatively than the average mc and uses enough tongue-in-cheek sensibility for it to not sound too abrasive or run-of-the-mill. His latest full release is probably his best and he deserves some praise for at least that much.