5. Fishscale by Ghostface Killah. Until Method Man came through this week, his fellow Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface and the aforementioned J.R. Writer were pretty much the only major label New York artists making an imprint on hip hop this year. Fishscale is a fantastic album featuring an eclectic mix of songs, relentless lyrics from Tony Starks, and a diverse mix of both substance (Ghost covers a wide range of topics) and style as the album is backed by very solid production. The track "Be Easy" is classic Pete Rock and doesn't sound anything like the normal squeaky, grimy Wu-Tang number. I'm actually surprised it didn't get more airplay. In fact, the fairly liberal use of Pete Rock tracks was probably the highlight of the album, as the veteran producer also provided the banger (as the kids are calling hot tracks these days) "Dogs of War" which features approximately 800 guest rappers and the obligatory Raekwon duet "R.A.G.U." By centering the album on Rock's smooth production, Ghostface was able to move in opposite directions with this other tracks. He enlisted critically acclaimed producers like MF Doom and J Dilla on the one hand and hit makers like Just Blaze and Cool and Dre on the other. The net effect is that the album feels consistent without being boring, and artistic without being sparse. More than anything, there are just a lot of really good songs. The Just Blaze track "The Champ" is particularly memorable as crashing horns and smoking lyrics ("Who wanna battle the don? I'm James Bond in the octagon") are merged with some memorable Clubber Lang quotes from Rocky III, offering us one of the best battle rap tracks of the year. The only flaw I can find with the album is that there are too many skits that get old really fast and prevent repeat listens all the way through.
4. King by T.I. I'm not a huge fan of Southern rap, but there is no denying the quality or importance of T.I.'s second major label album. When Urban Legend came out last year, leading off with the Jay-Z sampled single "Bring 'Em Out," I chalked T.I. up as just another southern rapper riding the "Crunk" movement to a big payday. However, when he followed it up with "King," I realized he was for real. From the dramatic cover art to the seamless collection of diverse tracks, he knocked this out of the park. It doesn't hurt when you can enlist everyone from Just Blaze ("King Back") to Swizz Beatz ("Get It") to the Neptunes ("Goodlife") to Mannie Fresh ("Front Back") to handle the production. The best way I can summarize this album is to say it is the South's equivalent to 50's "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" - an instant classic that will, over time, become too popular for its own good and become diluted in the long run. Either way, it is safe to say that T.I. and his brand of Trap Muzik is here to stay.
Article comments
1 - soulstreet
No love for Game Theory?
2 - ti wifey 4lyfe
please don't ever compare T.I. with 50 cent. T.I. is so much better than he is.
3 - ti_wifey_4lyfe
besides that though i agree with you on the T.I part. except i liked him since he first came out.
4 - thatsfucked
lol as fuckin if
5 - thatsfucked
ti and fifty both lick ass
6 - Adam Hoff
My bad on forgetting The Roots. I missed that one.
As for the T.I./50 comparison it may be an apt one of T.I. ever suffers from overexposure at some point. I probably shouldn't make comparisons when projecting a mere possibility though, so I take that one back. I do think though that King is to big budget Southern rap what Get Rich was to big budget NY rap.
As for the last two comments, wow, thanks for articulating your thoughts and contributing to the dialogue. Great stuff there.
7 - ti_wifey_4lyfe
^^(thatsfucked) don't hate
8 - ShawnnDawwg!!
hey hommies i met fifty and he is so cool.. Ti isn't like that at all.. i went to one of his concerts and he paid no attention to us like 50 did..
9 - ti_wifey_4lyfe
tip is a busy man. he probably just missed you.
10 - Bizzle
damn man, get a real job... T.I. owns 50 Cent
11 - Scott
some albums got missed out on there i think.
but i understand this was widely mainstream,
Chino XL - poison pen > Obie trice - Second Rounds On Me
Vakill - Worst Fears Confirmed > OT - SROM
12 - Franklin
Common guys you are the starters and the deserts dut you ain't calling the meal. I know the methodman cuts were pretty sharp but. The four best hip hop albums came from
1. Jay Z - Kingdom Come
2. Nas - Hip hop is dead
3. The Game -Doctor's advocate.
4.Ludacris - ..............
and the chamillionare sh!yt
13 - Tibo
Nas - Hip Hop is dead
is the best 2006 album easily, no doubt!
/T from france