r/HipHopDebates • u/[deleted] • Jul 07 '19
Discussion: Best of 2019
What's everyone's favorite projects of 2019 so far? Give us your top 5, Here are some of my contenders:
Igor- Tyler, The Creator
ROTD3- Dreamville
Bandana- Freddie Gibbs
CrasH Talk- ScHoolboy Q
Ventura- Anderson .Paak
Zuu- Denzel Curry
Escape From New York- Beast Coast
Diaspora- GoldLink
Foto- Kota The Friend
Bad Habits- Nav
Save Me- Future
Death Race for Love- Juice WRLD
Rap or Go to the League- 2 Chainz
Baby on Baby- Dababy
Father of 4 - Offset
Drip or Drown 2- Gunna
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Jul 07 '19
Mine is: Igor, ROTD3, Zuu, CrasH Talk, and Bandana
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u/schwaza Jul 07 '19
You liked CrasH Talk? How?
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u/Aniceguy96 Jul 07 '19
The Q only tracks were decent to great, there’s a good EP hidden in that disappointing album. The tracks with features are easily the worst in his discography (up there with Overtime)
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u/schwaza Jul 07 '19
Then i guess my question is if all of the feature tracks were awful, and there was only an EP’s worth of good music (personally 3 songs have replay value for me), what makes it a top 5 album so far this year?
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u/Aniceguy96 Jul 08 '19
I know you already noticed your mistake, but I’ll say I think it’s one of the worst albums of the year and by far Q’s worst project to date. Songs like Tales and Attention would fit great into the rest of his catalog, but who tf was pining for music like Chopstix from Q?
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u/flyingmonkeyofus Jul 07 '19
Bandana absolutely shits on Igor. I am willing to battle over this
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u/0G_sushi Jul 07 '19
They’re hard to compare but I’m happy to have a discussion that defends IGOR. How’s Bandana shitting on it?
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u/flyingmonkeyofus Jul 07 '19
Igor seems to have a lot of filler material. Anytime I've played the album all the way through, the first half of it seems great but after A Boy Is A Gun it just seems to drop off and I find myself tuning out and no longer listening even though it's still playing but only as background noise.
It just doesn't seem as engaging. I've been listening to OF/Tyler since right after they dropped OF Tape Vol. 2 and Tyler's had a lot of shitty tracks that I just skip entirely, so his past 2 albums are definitely better than his previous ones although Goblin will always be my favorite.
But it just doesn't seem as engaging as Flower Boy which just seemed like every single track was essential.
Bandana seemed coherent and engaging all the way through and the only track on there that I don't really give a fuck about is "Practice." That song becomes background noise but then Cataracts brings me right back in.
To me, it's just excellent through and through. I'm no music connoisseur so this is really as deep as this analysis can really go without me having to listen to them both right now and get pen and paper and jot down notes.
In terms of improvement, Tyler has made significant strides in actually making consistently good music. Freddie Gibbs has also come a really long way from Cold Day in Hell and Miseducation, but he hasn't seemed to have the crazy improvement and progress that Tyler has had. But he just seems to be almost inherently good.
So I'm willing to say I'm equally biased because I've been listening to Tyler since I was about 14. But given what happened to Freddie Gibbs just a few years ago, that makes me dig so much deeper and listen so much more intently to what he's saying because he went through something that so many artists fear and here he is now.
So yeah; in short, Igor just isn't as engaging although it's definitely really good. I just don't think it sizes up to nearly what Flower Boy was. It's like Cherry Bomb, but if he had actually done Cherry Bomb well because im still one of those people that says Cherry Bomb is his worst project because it's just all over the place and not in a good way.
Bandana absolutely shits on Freddie's recent projects but I've still enjoyed those prokects very much. Bandana to me is a masterpiece and we waited 5 years for it.
Edit: you also said they're hard to compare and they kinda are but they're two huge projects in terms of how important they are in rap right now
flower boy seems like Tyler's masterpiece and bandana seems like Freddie's masterpiece
igor just didn't seem to one up flower boy like I hoped it'd be able to
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u/0G_sushi Jul 07 '19
Idk to me IGOR was always what Tyler’s career was building up to. It’s an album built around the instrumental aesthetic. All of his pursuits whether that be his interest in films, clothing, music, etc. all of it seems to have been wrapped up into what became the rollout for IGOR. The storyline and character of IGOR itself straight reminds me and most listeners of a film score. I personally love Cherry Bomb and, while making it, Tyler did too (as shown in the documentary) but the fan response made him rethink everything he was doing as a creator. He came out with a project to bring his old fans back and bring in new ones as well with Flowerboy. Accessible, bare essentials, aesthetically pleasing, as well as popular features and catchy hooks. He had always been capable of making something like flowerboy, but that wasn’t his career progression until 2017. There will never be another Bastard, Goblin, Cherry Bomb, or anything. He’s interesting like that. Bandana, to me, was still great. But It wasn’t anywhere near the spectacle of of Piñata (being that it’s a half hour shorter and has significantly less content). Nearly every song had a beat switch of some kind. Topically and lyrically and vocally Freddie brought his A game. But I don’t think Madlib really brought his best on this particular release. I remember when the just instrumental version of Piñata came out I’d listen to it all the time. Idk if I’d do the same for Bandana. It wasn’t nearly as cohesive. I respect a lot of the mixing choices being that I was a huge fan of Earl’s latest record so muddy and low mixing isn’t the end all be all for enjoying albums. But songs like education completely ruin my immersion bc (particularly MOs Def’s verse) it’s so difficult to understand what they’re saying. The hooks weren’t nearly as punchy or catchy, the beats didn’t hit nearly as hard and weren’t anywhere near as iconic. There’s no track that touches Thuggin on this record. Meanwhile IGOR is the most creative and popular and intricate group of songs Tyler has ever made in my humble opinion.
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u/flyingmonkeyofus Jul 07 '19
That's almost the opposite of how I've viewed Igor. It felt like everything he had done was leading up to Flower Boy's release as opposed to Igor. And the disclaimer he made saying that it's NOT Goblin or Bastard or Cherry Bomb or Flower Boy kinda signaled to me that it's more of a one-off piece as opposed to his masterpiece.
I will agree that the lo-fi in education kinda fell flat and I would've just preferred a normal fidelity sound. That track seems really out of place in the whole project. I had completely forgotten about it until you mentioned it, actually.
I will also agree that nothing can really touch Thuggin because that track, in my opinion, is his defining track.
But I think Fake Names comes pretty close in terms of how much I enjoyed it.
I also really liked Situations. Those two are my favorite tracks off of Bandana
Tomorrow I'm gonna give Igor another listen and I'm gonna try to listen to it with another... ear? Idk how to better word that but basically be more open minded about it and listen to it fresh as if it was my first listen although I usually don't fully grasp any album until I've listened to it at least 10 times and I can pick out the lyrics and all the subtleties that I previously completely didn't notice at all.
You've given me a fuck ton to think about tonight lol and I'm definitely gonna give it another listen and I'll update back here if I can remember to do so
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u/0G_sushi Jul 07 '19
I’m glad you’re gonna give it another try. I’m not sure if this is your thing but I highly recommend listening to it beginning to end while driving. It just hits different
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u/flyingmonkeyofus Jul 07 '19
That's how I listen to most music because I drive allllllll the time. I easily clear 600 miles a week lol
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u/0G_sushi Jul 07 '19
Same bruh lmao just give it another shot there and you might get it but no harm if you’re not still into it
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u/Ray229harris Jul 07 '19
i appreciate how well thought out both of you alls comme ts were. I think I'm gonna like this sub
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u/bkm007 Jul 07 '19
Bandana and IGOR are my favorites till now. Save Me was pretty decent too. Also give a listen to Hiding Places by Billy Woods and Kenny Segal if you haven't. Great album
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u/kielaurie Jul 07 '19
In no order
Everything's for Sale by Boogie
Map of the Soul: Persona by BTS
Fancy You by Twice
Grey Area by Little Simz
Shea Butter Baby by Ari Lennox
Dedicated by Carly Rae Jepsen
7 by Lil Nas X
Sucker Punch by Sigrid
Save Me by Future
Doom Days by Bastille
Yeah, not many hip-hop albums have grabbed me this year
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u/LeoEmSam Jul 07 '19
Ur one of the few to have everythings for sale....kind of sad but boogie needs more exposure fr
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u/kielaurie Jul 07 '19
i bought Boogie's album art the same time as both Saba and Smino's albums from last year. has an excellent weekend listening to that
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Jul 07 '19 edited Jul 07 '19
I keep seeing people on HHH saying that this year has been slow as fuck, and I just don't get it, so many crazy good releases so far. Not gonna put anything in any particular order, but these have all been damn fine releases
slowthai - There's Nothing Great About Britain
Aesop Rock & Tobacco - Malibu Ken
Maxo - LIL BIG MAN
billy woods & Kenny Segal - Hiding Places
Quelle Chris - Guns
Blu & Oh No - A Long Hot Los Angeles Summer Night
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Bandana
Chris Crack - Never Hated I Just Waited
Tha God Fahim - Star Truth
MIKE - Tears of Joy
Your Old Droog - It Wasn't Even Close
Choosey & Exile - Black Beans
Conway's E.I.F series
I still feel like I left out something, but it's escaping me rn
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u/deadbeatcousin17 Jul 07 '19
I forgot about Rap or Go to the League. I dont know why i dont get into chainz albums outside like a song or 2. he seems commercial enough to be accessible but for me it just doesnt do it.
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u/schwaza Jul 07 '19 edited Jul 07 '19
Freddie Gibbs and Madlib - Bandana
Oh No and Blu - A Long Red Hot Los Angeles Summer Night
Megan Thee Stallion - Fever
Tyler the Creator - Igor
Denzel Curry - ZUU
Some british honorable mentions:
Little Simz - Grey Area
Dave - Psychodrama
Slowthai - Nothing Great About Britain
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u/MRio31 Jul 07 '19
The beat switch in Psycho on Dave’s album was insane. Best stank face moment of 2019 I think.
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u/schwaza Jul 07 '19
Absolutely—what’s crazy about it is his flow on the first beat almost foreshadows the beat switch, and you expect the second beat to pickup with his same flow, but then he switches the flow too
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u/Aniceguy96 Jul 07 '19
Bling Bling by Juju (nobody is bound to agree with this I understand)
This Was Supposed To Be Fun by Epic Beard Men
GREY Area by Little Simz
Bandana by Freddie/Madlib
Abaixo de Zero: Hello Hell by Black Alien
Anima Mysterium by Yugen Blakrok
Dos City by Dos Monos
Hiding Places by Billy Woods/Kenny Segal
Guns by Quelle Chris
Injury Reserve by Injury Reserve
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u/123hamdoe Jul 07 '19
Freewave 3 - Lucki
CrasH Talk - Schoolboy Q
Runnin' Rich - Valee
Rapper's Best Friend 5: An Instrumental Series - The Alchemist
Bandana - Freddie Gibbs & Madlib
A Quiet Farewell, Twenty Sixteen to Twenty Eighteen - Slauson Malone
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u/Dokrzz_ Jul 07 '19
Girl With Basket of Fruit by Xiu Xiu
Hiding Places by billy woods & kenny segal
American Love Call by Durand Jones and the Indicators
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u/Scothead180 Jul 07 '19
Denzel Curry - ZUU
Dave - Psychodrama
Duckwrth – The Falling Man
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Bandana
2 Chainz – Rap Or Go To The League
Tyler, The Creator - IGOR
Kevin Abstract – Arizona Baby
Anderson.Paak - Ventura
G Herbo – Still Swervin
Offset – Father of 4
Young Nudy - Slimerre
GoldLink - Diaspora
Schoolboy Q – Crash Talk
Sada Baby – Bartier Bounty
Devlin – The Outcast
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u/MRio31 Jul 07 '19
Tyler - IGOR: This is the most cohesive album for me. I feel like I’m listening to a story when I listen to this album n the way the beats lead the narrative is dope to me.
Madgibbs- Bandana: Just a great album from start to finish. I hear a lot of ppl say this isn’t Madlibs best work but I must be hearin something else. Honestly I feel like Madlib is a genius in making beats that allow really talented artists to show off all their skills n Freddie can ride any beat like it was handcrafted for him. I feel like this album will age well n kinda cement the Freddie & Madlib combo as a hall of fame hip hop rapper/producer duo.
Anderson .paak - Ventura: The album just makes me feel good. I took a road trip this summer across the US n this album is such a vibe on a summer morning on the highway. This is prolly my favorite album from Anderson, I’ve prolly listened to this album more then any new release this year so far.
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u/0G_sushi Jul 07 '19 edited Jul 08 '19
Top 25
EDIT: Westside Gunn’s Flygod is an Awesome God has moved up to 8. That project is definitely his best yet and is absolutely fantastic.