The Best of Underground Hip-Hop

I'm a Senior in college, and known by my peers as the go to "intellectual authority for everything hip-hop". I post and review the best songs hip-hop has to offer, old and new. Most will be in the “underground” genre, considering that’s where the vast majority of hip-hop's true art resides these days. I update my tumblr daily with new music. I also occasionally post mashups I've put together and poetry I'm working on. I'm currently living in Toledo, Ohio...in case you were wondering. _______________ My Favorites: . Hip-Hop Artist: . Masta Ace .

Hip-Hop Group: CunninLynguists

Favorite Band: Modest Mouse

Hip-Hop Fights Back: The 30 Best Hip-Hop Songs of 2011

1) Tyler, The Creator – Yonkers

Yes, it’s true he’s a punk who probably deserves to get his ass kicked, but he put together one of the grittiest/darkest/rawest/most profound pieces of music ever created. This is the epitome hip-hop’s darker side, no argument.

2) Joell Ortiz - Night Train (ft. Novel, Bun B, & Tech N9ne) (Remix)

I’m not sure how this song is so damn amazing and still extremely lowkey. Some beautiful shit. Everyone on this track does an outstanding job, and the listener get’s a more personal perception of each artist.

3) The Roots - Make My (ft. Big K.R.I.T. & Dice Raw)

Definitely the best song off their outstanding album Undun. It’s my new favorite track by The Roots.

4) e-dubble – Hard Bargain

I’ve been following e-dubble for a pretty long time. He’s definitely going places, regardless of how underground he remains. He mixes/produces his own music and has a real badass flow with intelligent lyrics. Keep an eye on this guy, one day he’ll be big.

5) Jay-Z and Kanye West – Niggas In Paris

Honestly, not much to say about this. It’s a really amazing track. If only the rest of Watch The Throne could have been this good…

6) Nikki Jean – Million Star Motel (ft. Lupe and Black Thought)

Even though I was kind of disappointed with Nikki Jean’s debut album Pennies In a Jar there was still one song that definitely stood out, which is this gem.

7) Slain – Can’t Go Home

Slain has been through more shit in life than most hip-hop artists, and he beautifully depicts the negative emotions and perceptions he’s grown accustomed to in this haunting song. If you’ve never felt completely helpless with no place to turn to, you wont fully appreciate the emotional magnitude of this song. It sends shivers down my spine.

8) B.o.B – New York New York

I have a love hate relationship with B.o.B. It seems that when he isn’t making disappointing sell out songs, he’s making classics. I deemed his song The Biz the 2nd best song of the year for my 2010 list. He’s managed to make my list again, and once again it’s his distinctive mixtape material.

9) Shaun Boothe - Poor Boy (Stylust Remix Mashup)

You might say, “Wait a second, didn’t he release the original song in late 2009?” Well yes, but I feel in instances where a song is completely reinvented and has a completely different feel and aura, it’s essentially a completely different musical entity than its original counterpart. It can’t be any truer for this song. The original was decent, but this dirty dubstep version is absolutely mind blowing. One of the most intense songs to be released this year, with out a doubt.

10) Saigon – Too Long (ft. Black Thought)

I’m still not sure why Saigon’s album The Greatest Story Never Told was slept on the way it was, but it’s a very comprehensive album. When it comes to Ghetto knowledge being spit over a well produced instrumental, Saigon illustrates that he’s one of the best.

11) The Roots – Tip The Scale

12) Common - The Believer (ft. John Legend)

13) Dumbfoundead - Run Home

14) Apathy - I Remember (Thomax Remix)

15) Lupe Fiasco – Words I Never Said

16) Mexicans with Guns – Highway to Hell (ft. Freddie Gibbs & Bun B)

17) Slain – 99 Bottles

18) Kendric Lamar – Ronald Reagan Era

19) Dumbfoundead - Cell Phone (ft. Breezy Lovejoy & Wax)

20) Clinton Sparks - Favorite DJ (ft. Jim Jones, Bun B & Game) (Green Lantern Remix)

21) B.o.B - Beast Break (DOSVEC Remix Mashup)

22) A-Trak - Ray Ban Vision (Remix) (ft. Danny Brown, Donnis, Pill, & CyHi Da Prynce)

23)e-dubble - Robots Can’t Drink

24)Lupe Fiasco - Til I Get There

25) Hassaan Mackey & Apollo Brown - Mackey’s Lament

26) Asher Roth - Not Meant 2 Be (ft. Nathan Santos)

27) Talib Kweli - Cold Rain

28) Hopsin – Ill Mind Of Hopsin 4

29) Has-Lo – Fiber Optics

30) One Be Lo – Pigs (ft. Mike Posner)

Lana Del Rey – Video Games

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Lana Del Ray - Video Games

In addition to making my annual list of what I think the best hip-hop songs and albums are for 2011, I’m also making a list of my favorite Indie songs that came out this year, and this particular song will mostly likely get number 2. I don’t see how it’s possible to not get the chills the first time you hear her voice over these angelic instrumentals. Her voice is soooo beautiful. A true work of audio art. I absolutely cannot wait for her album to come out in January.

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My Song Rating: 10 out of 10

Played 776 times.

My Review of Evidence’s album “Cats & Dogs”

I really love a lot of Evidence’s music, so I had fairly high expectations for this album. Unfortunate it wasn’t nearly as strong as I had hoped. What could have been a classic album of 2011 was just an above average work that blended in with many of the albums already released this year. There wasn’t much that stood out on the album as “ridiculously amazing” (nothing I would have rated above a 9). Actually, there wasn’t really much on it I’d rate over an 8. Don’t get me wrong, every song was sufficiently good…but not great. Each piece seemed to be missing something, or had an aspect that didn’t fit well, but remained enjoyable to listen to due to Evidence’s musical creativeness. Some songs felt mundane, like James Hendrix. This honestly could have been a solid song, but it’s plagued by a monotonous beat and flows that could have been more provocative (this also goes for a few other songs on the album). There are a decent amount of solid features, like Slug and Aloe Blacc, but they all seem to be lack luster as well and not utilized to they’re fullest potential. Overall Cats & Dogs is an enjoyable album, but nothing you’ll be banging for months to come.

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My Album Rating: 6.8 out of 10

In your opinion, what’s the best mixtape of 2011?

Obviously there are still some great albums coming out this December, but now that the year is coming to a close, what’s your favorite album of 2011?

Hassaan Mackey & Apollo Brown – Mackey's Lament

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Hassaan Mackeye & Apollo Brown - Mackey’s Lament

This boasts some really amazing/dark lyricism and a very cold/intense beat. My favorite song from their album Daily Bread.

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My Song Rating: 9.6 out of 10

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If you haven’t already, you should check out my review of their album Daily Bread

http://hiphopfightsback.tumblr.com/post/9756623911/my-review-of-hasackey-apollo-browns-new-album-daily

Easily in the top ten best albums of 2011.

Played 196 times.

The East Flatbush Project – Tried By 12 (Instrumental)

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The East Flatbush Project - Tried By 12 (Instrumental)

The instrumental used by Eminem, Slaughterhouse, and Yelawolf for their mindblowing cypher at the BET Hip-Hop Awards. This is one hell of a freestyle beat. I highly recommend you bust this out whenever you cypher next, everyone will be like “yo I know this beat…that’s what’s up!”

My Freestyle Instrumental Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Played 101 times.

My Review of Danny Brown’s new mixtape “XXX”

Danny Brown is a fairly unconventional rapper in many senses. He uniquely portrays two distinct personas on this album. The first 2/3 of the album consists of his wacky rapper mentality that doesn’t care, loves to make tons of metaphors and cultural references, and boasts Danny Browns distinguishably sharp and almost nasally sounding flow. From my first impressions, it seems he uses this “I don’t care” mentality to an extreme for some of his songs in the first 2/3 of the album to make fun of the “ignorant gucci and gold loving” genre of rappers. I think you can think of quite a few off the top of your head.

This type of music is similar to Tyler, The Creator’s new song Come Threw Looking Clean, which is clearly a clever joke to make fun of every dumbass rapper that makes songs which sound similar. Even though it’s an intelligent message delivered in a unique fashion, its not quality music…and should not be played as such. This is also the same for Danny’s songs like this…I cannot give them a good rating simply because of the implied message. It isn’t quality stuff that will be played for many years to come.

I know he can successfully utilize his wacky flow to make AMAZING music, like from the song I posted earlier Ray Ban Vision (Remix). His part on it blew me away. If he made more songs on this level, his XXX album would have been a true classic.

I would give the first 2/3 of the songs on the album a rating between 4.3-7.3 out of 10 (Bruiser Brigade being my favorite song from this selection).

The last 1/3 of his album instantly starts off on the right foot with DNA, and drops his wacky flow for a more toned down emotionally driven spitting. These songs are almost the oposite in sound from the first 2/3, and honestly are the highlight of the album. These have meaning that can be felt, such as Party All the Time. However, they aren’t stong enough to save the album. They are good, but not mind blowing.

I would give the last 1/3 of the album’s songs ratings between 7.4-8.6.

Overall Album Rating: 6.6 out of 10

What is your favorite hip-hop song of 2011 thus far?

Whats your favorite Hip-Hop album of 2011 so far?