8. The Set Up -- Tha Suspekt
- First got my hands on this tape when I was up in Michigan over the summer. A Houston native with Punjabi blood, Suspekt mainly spits about his struggles-- but he leaves room for a few songs that address life's nicer things. Up-and-coming Cali representer, and incredibly dope lyricist, Push (another MC with Indian blood) makes two great guest appearances on the tape. While I might not be partial to "Bed Rock," it's clear that Suspekt has much untapped potential! What made this mixtape a favorite, for me, is that he tells a story on every song; well, that and his awesome/hilarious rendition of Rihanna's "Rude Boy," titled "Rude Girl," naturally. However, on "It's Too Much," you can feel the pain in his every word. Hip Hop needs more story-tellers.
- Check out:
- "Self-Made Man" w/ Push.
- "Rude Boy."
- "It's Too Much."
7. DISASTERKRFT -- Zeale (@Zeale)
- Zeale is a break-out artist from Austin, Texas, and you'll find that his sound is incredibly unique. Zeale gives you a blend of unique lyricism and spaced-out, sci-fi beats, which make this mixtape great for the club, the car, the treadmill, or at home when you're playing Halo with your friends. His lyrics cover a great deal of topics, but mainly focus on the state of the world and how he'd like to see things fixed. There's the occasional smoke break, girl break, bass break, etc., but it all comes back to his conscious awareness of the problems the earth (specifically, the U.S.) is facing. If this is really all a dream, when we sleep and we wake what the hell is in-between?
- Stand-out tracks:
- "I Get Doe" featuring Fat Tony.
- "The Island"
- "Solo Trippin'"
- "Monzter Hospital"
6. Concealed Weapons Vol. 1 & 2 -- The League of Extraordinary Gz (@LOEGz)
- Comprised of the three biggest rap groups from Austin (Da C.O.D., Dred Skott, and Southbound) the League are quickly becoming recognized as Austin's biggest rap group. Volume One features underground hits, such as, "That Ain't Right," (which was showcased at SXSW), "You Can't Bury Me," and, perhaps their biggest hit, "Loftin' n Austin." The rest of Vol. One is loaded with hits, like the soulful "Alright," the Beatles-sampling, "Keep Moving," and old-school mic-passing over Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" on the awesome "Raw."
No disrespect to Houston, but we got our own sound. -- from "Loftin n Austin."
Volume Two continues their Southern story-telling with "We Gon' Make It," the blues-inspired "Home," and "Go Hawd" which features Houston legend Trae. Volume two ends with "Trae Day," which features The League showing solidarity with Trae in his battle against Houston's 97.9 The Box (more on that later). It should be noted that The League are among the few Texas artists who have shown support for Trae during this whole ordeal. The League's debut album is expected to be released in the Spring; 'til then, I'm waiting to hear the completed version of the mythical song "Space Kush."
My nigga ridin' round with 100 years worth of time in his backpack, ain't thinkin' 'bout no rhyme or no ASCAP check. -- from "We Gon' Make It."
- The League's best:
- "That Ain't Right."
- "Alright."
- "We Gon' Make It."
- "Home."
5. The Diamond Collection (The Best of 1982) -- Statik Selektah (@StatikSelekt) & Termanology (@TermanologyST)
- Funny story about this one, when I first heard this mixtape I thought it was the actually 1982 album (it isn't) and was raving about how good 1982 was for about two weeks. Then I saw the 1982 track-listing, and I was like, "...Oh..." haha. Anyway, Termanology, the Massachusetts-born MC who has received the blessings of the legendary DJ Premier, is one of my favorite, new MCs, and Statik Selektah is becoming regarded as one of the best, new producers in the game. For the two to team up seems natural, and I jammed the hell out of this mixtape on my way to-and-from college for a solid two to three weeks.
The guest appearances (Cassidy, Saigon, Q-Tip, Styles P, Consequence, Talib Kweli, Royce da 5'9", M.O.P., AZ, Xzibit, and Bun B) are solid enough to let Hip Hop Heads know that Term has the respect of the most respected MCs. I won't say I played this straight through every time, but there are some extremely jammable songs to more than make-up for the weaker songs.
Me and Hip Hop go together like swastika-Nazi. -- Royce, from "Come Around."
- Stand-outs:
- An updated version of N.W.A.'s "Express Yourself" w/ Consequence and Talib Kweli.
- "Nobody's Smiling," Term's best lyrical performance on the album.
- "Come Around" featuring Kweli and Royce (who spits an incredible verse).
- "Streets of MA" featuring MA's finest.
- "You Should Go Home," featuring Bun B & Masspike Miles.
4. It's Been About Time -- Cory Mo (@CoryMoMusic) (hosted by Bun B).
- Cory Mo is creeping his way up my list of favorite producers, and his MCing skills are catching up, too! He (along with Pimp C's other proteges) has just the right ear to translate Blues into Country Rap Tunes, in a way that perhaps only Pimp C could do better. Guitars and church organs abound as Cory and his friends submerge you in the syrupy swamp that is Houston Hip Hop. There are almost too many guest appearances to name, so just download the tape to see who shows up (hint: Talib Kweli, Mistah F.A.B., and more). The best part about the mixtape is Cory's beats are as stellar as the line-up, and the line-up is an all-star cast.
"Get Out The Way" and "Rollin'" are new Houston classics as far as I'm concerned; and "Gettin' High" is a soulful smoker's anthem, produced by Houston's DJ Rapid Ric, featuring an awesome Cheech & Chong sample.
- Check these out:
- "Get Out The Way" featuring Bun B.
- "Rollin'" featuring Z-Ro.
- "Luxury Smokin'" featuring 4-Ize.
- "Let The Pimpin' Commence" featuring GLC & Mistah F.A.B.
- "Gettin' High" featuring Devin the Dude, B.o.B., & Chalie Boy.
3. Can't Ban Tha Truth -- Trae (@TraeABN).
- Absolutely the best mixtape to come out of Texas in 2010, Can't Ban Tha Truth plays out more like an album than most albums released last year. It is truly a mixtape with purpose and meaning behind it. Can't Ban Tha Truth was released in response to controversy surrounding 97.9's ban of Trae's music. As a result of the ban, artists were afraid to come out in support of Trae (fearing they would be banned as well), so Trae adapted. The end result worked out largely in Trae's favor, as he landed features from Lupe Fiasco, Young Buck, Young Jeezy, and more. The only Houston MCs to make an appearance on the album are Screwed Up Click legend, Big Pokey, and a new artist on the A.B.N. label, Yung Quis.
Trae's lyrics are more focused and heart-felt than ever before; as well, his ear for dope beats seems to be growing stronger. "Cop a Drop" is new Houston classic, as is "That's Fo Real." "Deuces & Treys" finds Young Buck at the most thoughtful he's ever been, lyrically, and "Radio Won't Play This" is the perfect anthem for Trae's situation. Folks should be afraid of what Trae does next.
I see the snakes no longer in the grass, they in the open. -- from "That's Fo Real."
- Check out:
- "Cop a Drop."
- "Deuces & Treys" featuring Young Buck and Big Pokey.
- "Radio Won't Play This" featuring Wyclef.
- "Bad Don't Seem So Wrong" featuring Lupe Fiasco.
- "Pimp C Speaks."
- "That's Fo Real."
2. Soul Like Khan -- Soul Khan (@_soulkhan).
- After being heralded as one of the greatest freestyle battle MCs of the past few years, Soul Khan finally put out a debut album. This falls on my "Favorite Mixtapes" list (as opposed to "Favorite Albums") only because it was released for free-- which blows my mind. If you're not familiar with Khan's freestyle abilities, I encourage you to spend a few hours on YouTube watching his battles (which I did with no shame). Among his most famous lines is, the day anyone calls you a rap star, you gon' hear Taylor Swift singin' 'Allah u-akbar.' -- From his battle vs. Deacon Frost.
The production is on-point for every song, and it would be ridiculous to question Khan's lyrical abilities. Being a battle MC, Khan's lyrics range from mind-boggling, to silly, to deeply-thoughtful; whichever he decides to use, you can rest assured that you'll get nothing less than the wittiest from Soul.
On "Place That Birthed Me," Khan paints a picture of his native Los Angeles; this song is likely his way of addressing questioning of his California loyalty after his move to Brooklyn. It's clear he hasn't forgotten where he comes from. "Suck My Dick" is infinitely clever-- Khan uses vulgar language to draw in the ignorant (a la Lauryn Hill) and then proceeds to destroy excessive consumerism, materialism, general ignorance, etc. The most stand-out of the stand-out tracks has to be "Fahrenheit," also the lead single, which features Khan at his lyrical best.
Here are a few of the things I burn: Cartier glasses, Louis V purses / the money of the fools that think that she's worth it / the Nikes of the white boys that all rock dunks / when four years ago they were hard rock punks. -- from "Fahrenheit."
- Stand-out tracks:
- "Place That Birthed Me."
- "Suck My Dick."
- "Fahrenheit."
- "So I Says."
1. Pre-Act II: Greatest Hits -- Jay Electronica (@JayElectronica). Mixtape done by @RealHHHead!
- Well, if you haven't heard by now, Jay Electronica (along with Lupe) is Hip Hop's savior. (Shoutout to Jay-Z for signing Jay Electronica to Roc-a-fella, that was a BIG move) This mixtape is a compilation of Jay's greatest songs and features done by the homie, Real Hip Hop Head. The amount of depth in every Jay verse (heck, every Jay bar) will blow your mind. Jay is partial to rapping without drums or hooks, and it's this abstract approach that sets him apart. What's more, his beats are as unique as his words; his beats are so far from cliche, they might be avant-garde. The imagery, subject matter, and samples he uses are so incredibly unique, it's hard to say Jay Elec sounds like any other MC you've ever heard.
"Exhibit C" was crowned by many as the best song of 2009, and, now, after hearing all the songs Jay put out in 2010, I have no idea which is the best song of 2010 (I just know it'll be one of his songs). On "Suckas" he perfectly emulates The Notorious B.I.G.'s style and delivery in a way text cannot convey. "Voodoo Man" is an incredible stand-out track, from Jay: Voodoo man tap dancin' in the French Quarter, walkin' on water with a scroll in my hand, the blueprints forged this shape like vessel that was chiseled out of metal off the coast of Japan. What's even more incredible is that, for all its awesomeness, "Voodoo Man" is 80 seconds long.
Jay has to be the only guy who has ever said, catch me in Mexico meditatin' with Quetzalcoatl (From "So What You Sayin'"). His intellect and thought process are such that you have to playback every single one of his verses, and every time you do you discover new meaning in each bar. It's hard for me to recommend even just five songs, this is an absolute must-have mixtape. Jay can do more in a two-minute song with no hook than most can do with three verses. If you want to expand your mind, this is for you. In addition to Jay's solo material, his best feature appearances have also been compile on this mixtape (and he steals every feature he does), so you'll get his verse from Talib Kweli's "Just Begun," Paul Wall's "Live It," and Curren$y's "The Day," among others. Keep in mind, this whole mixtape is FREE!
Simply put, no new MCs come close to addressing the topics Jay Elec addresses. He raps for the oppressed people of the entire planet, From Baton Rouge to Jerusalem, as Jay says himself on "The Ghost of Christopher Wallace."
All you 'Pac imitators, you ain't doin' what 'Pac was doin'-- 'Pac was tryin' to start the motherfuckin' revolution. -- From "So What You Sayin'."
- Stand-out tracks:
- "Act I: The Pledge" (Eternal Sunshine, Rules, Voodoo Man, FYI).
- "The Announcement," featuring a killer John F. Kennedy sample.
- "My World (Nas Salute)."
- "I Feel Good."
- "Suckas."
- "Dealing."
- The whole damn mixtape.
Well, there you have it, folks, my favorite mixtapes of 2010!
You can follow me on Twitter @SamaanAshrawi.
