We almost to 2014. We’ve had four years of hip-hop so far this decade, but which one was the best. What I wrote below covers each year with the highlights, and at the bottom is my opinion of what the best year has been.
2010:
Drake became more than just “The new guy”. Cementing his status as a superstar, dropping quite a bit of hit records, and dropping his successful, debut album, Thank Me Later.
Eminem returning to being a good rapper. Relapse was pure ass. He had a mission to redeem himself, and dropped Recovery, another album of his I’m not crazy about, but it was ok.
Nicki Minaj became a superstar that year. She murdered everybody on “Monster”, and dropped the last passable thing I think she will ever create, Pink Friday.
Kanye dropped the classic My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Kanye was the MVP of that year, no doubt.
Kid Cudi put out his last dope project, MOTM2. Very good album.
Smaller stuff happened too. Five projects that I’m still a big fan of came out that year. J. Cole dropped the great Friday Night Lights tape, Childish Gambino dropped Culdesac, Mac Miller dropped K.I.D.S., Kendrick Lamar dropped Overly Dedicated, and Wiz dropped his dope Kush & OJ tape.
2011:
Big Sean, Wiz Khalifa, Mac Miller, & J. Cole all became stars, and dropped their debut albums. All of which were disappointing. None of these niggas should be proud of those debuts.
Drake was crowned emperor of the lightskinned niggas after he dropped his 2nd album, Take Care, packed with shitty songs like “Marvin’s Room”, and “The Motto”. Fuck this album….
Jay Z & Kanye West dropped the very hyped Watch the Throne album. Nothing classic, but still good.
Eminem & Royce da 5’9, a.k.a. Bad Meets Evil, dropped the Hell: The Sequel, EP. People slept on this project, shit was dope.
Lil Wayne dropped the anticipated Tha Carter IV, and the best song on it was one he wasn’t even on.
Smaller stuff that happened was Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino, and Big K.R.I.T. dropping my favorite projects that year, with Section.80, Camp, and Return of 4Eva.
2012:
Nicki Minaj just got whacker….and whacker…..and whacker….. “Stupid Hoe” = Rap Abortion
Kendrick Lamar worked his way to the head of the rap game, dropping the modern day classic, Good Kid, m.a.a.d. City, my second favorite album to drop this decade.,
G.O.O.D. Music dropped some hit records like “Mercy” and “New God Flow”, then they dropped the ball with the Cruel Summer album. Shit was eh…
Meek Mill dropped an album that I give zer0 fucks about. But it sold well, so it’s relevant, ig…
The legendary J.Cole/Diggy beef. Too far?
2013:
Kanye dropped his worst solo album to date, Yeezus.
Jay Z dropped the “eh…” album, Magna Carta, Holy Grail, but that shit had “Tom Ford”, so it ain’t awful. Then again, “Tom Ford” coulda just been an instrumental and Jay saying “Tom Ford” and I still would’ve bumped it.
Mac Miller, Pusha T, Tyler the Creator, and A$AP Rocky all managed to put out dope albums.
“Versace, versace versace versace versace”
Hip-hop decided to accept Miley Cyrus. I didn’t, but whatever…
“Control” came out and everybody lost they damn minds over it. Kendrick made everybody forget it was Big Sean’s song.
Drake dropped hit after hit, then came out with Nothing Was the Same. Had its fair share of duds, but good overall.
Eminem returned with The Marshall Mathers LP 2. Had a few whack singles, but I like the album.
And the Winning Year Issssss:
2010 The best mixtapes and best album of this decade so far dropped that year. I was always provided with some new dope shit to listen to in 2010.
EXPhits 