Can't think of one album I've liked so far and there were some 2007 albums I really enjoyed (The Shape of Broad Minds, Pharoahe Monch, Little Brother, EL-P, etc.).

I'd love to hear any and all recommendations.

I'd agree, it's not been a great year so far. I've mainly been listening to hip hop released last year. This year, all that's really caught my imagination has been Metaform. I also like The Roots album, Living Legends, Giant Panda, but that's about all I can muster any enthusiasm for. Still to hear EMC and 9th Wonder, so maybe they'll be what I'm looking for.

The Metaform comes highly recommended, what about Subtle's new album?

Year's been pretty subpar. Or at the very least, quiet.

The Cadence Weapon album is rad, but I kinda feel like if Lil Wayne is the best major rap album this year, then it's definitely a slow year. Not that it doesn't have some great tracks ("Mr. Carter" comes to mind), but not all of them are, unfortunately.

I really like Subtle's new album, and I'm close to trying to start a discussion about it somewhere. But sadly, it doesn't fit at all in a Hip Hop thread. Subtle is very much a Hip Hop based group, but this new album is pretty much electro-rock-pop with rapped vocals.

A good album, but nothing that is going to save Hip Hop for 2008.

Black Spade's 'To Serve With Love' and Ayatollah's 'Louder' are my two favourite Hip-Hop albums of this year. If you like the Metaform album, then check out Clutchy hopkins, Flying Lotus, Blue Sky Black Death. If you like Sage Francis then check out B Dolan and if you like singing over Hip-Hop then check out Erykah Badu, Nneka and Dwele. Little Brother have a new album out that I put a review up of on this forum, and its one of five from Phonte and Pooh(including a new Foreign Exchange)

I'll be posting my ten fave Hip-Hop albums so far this year in a few days so check that out.

Its worth pointing out that the majority of Hip-Hop albums come out in the second half of the year, and personally I find this year no better or worse then this time last year. Clipse, Talib Kweli, Common, Rhymefest, Nas etc are all due to drop this year. For example, the Monch, LB and Shape of Broad Minds album were all released in the after June last year.

quote:

Originally posted by Turenne:
Its worth pointing out that the majority of Hip-Hop albums come out in the second half of the year, and personally I find this year no better or worse then this time last year.

I dunno. By this time last year (roughly) I was into Brother Reade, Hell Razah, Wisemen, Brother Ali, Sean Price, C-Rayz Walz & Sharkey, Thes One, Klashnekoff, ScholarMan, Lifesavas, Black Milk, El-P, Dalek, Sage Francis...

quote:

Originally posted by Shadrach:
I really like Subtle's new album, and I'm close to trying to start a discussion about it somewhere. But sadly, it doesn't fit at all in a Hip Hop thread. Subtle is very much a Hip Hop based group, but this new album is pretty much electro-rock-pop with rapped vocals.

A good album, but nothing that is going to save Hip Hop for 2008.

'A New White'? I've seen it discussed around here, but I don't remember where. Anyways, I checked it out based on that and have really enjoyed it - more than almost any other hip-hop/anti-con like album this year. Atmosphere's 'When life gives you lemons..' was my favorite and on heavy rotation for a long while, but I'm weary of most all the tracks now except for "You". The Cool Kids EP is, well, cool but the inane lyrics that repeatedly get stuck in my head are starting to annoy me.

quote:

Originally posted by Borachon MD:

quote:

Originally posted by Turenne:
Its worth pointing out that the majority of Hip-Hop albums come out in the second half of the year, and personally I find this year no better or worse then this time last year.

I dunno. By this time last year (roughly) I was into Brother Reade, Hell Razah, Wisemen, Brother Ali, Sean Price, C-Rayz Walz & Sharkey, Thes One, Klashnekoff, ScholarMan, Lifesavas, Black Milk, El-P, Dalek, Sage Francis...

Black Milk produced his best album yet with Fat Ray, and he has been much busier so far this year then last. He is on every new Detriot album for christ sake, the new Elzhi, Invincible, Guilty Simpson etc.
And Hell RAZAH has a new album on the way featuring BSBD and Ayatollah, and his best album last year came out in winter. There is a decent bit of Klashnekoff esque UK Hip-Hop out this year as well like Anathema.

In fairness, I'm not mad about half of those artists on your list so maybe thats why I don't agree. I'm sure we can agree that traditionally the bulk of Hip-Hop albums come out late in the year.

Its also probable that Lifesavas, Hell RAZAH and Brother Reade will release something in the coming months. These are quite prolific artists. And you know the Little Brother/Cunninlynguists/Slum Village camps will all drop a half a dozen quality albums between them...

quote:

Originally posted by La La Love Pixies:

quote:

Originally posted by Shadrach:
I really like Subtle's new album, and I'm close to trying to start a discussion about it somewhere. But sadly, it doesn't fit at all in a Hip Hop thread. Subtle is very much a Hip Hop based group, but this new album is pretty much electro-rock-pop with rapped vocals.

A good album, but nothing that is going to save Hip Hop for 2008.

'A New White'? I've seen it discussed around here, but I don't remember where. Anyways, I checked it out based on that and have really enjoyed it - more than almost any other hip-hop/anti-con like album this year.

I'm curious to see if you are actually listening to A New White, because that was actually the album that they put out before For Hero: For Fool. The new album is called ExitingARM. And it is one of my top 10 albums of the year. But the rapping vocals are really the only thing keeping it in the realm of Hip-Hop, and they are so faded back and out of focus most of the time that it doesn't even matter. I love Subtle though and there are some really amazing tracks on the album.

45. Food For Animals - Belly (HOSS) = Glitch for days
40. Clutchy Hopkins - Walking Backwards (Ubiquity) = very interesting
32. Mochipet - Microphonepet (Daly City) = essential
30. The Herbaliser - Same As It Never Was (!K7) = funky
26. B. Dolan - Live Evel EP (Strange Famous) = his album is rad too, splitting the difference between Sage Francis and Buck 65
25. Prolyphic & Reanimator - The Ugly Truth (Strange Famous) = Reanimator's beats are breathtaking
24. Cadence Weapon - Afterparty Babies (Anti-/Big Dada) = Far out
23. Tim Fite - Fair Ain't Fair (Anti-) = unapologetically white
18. James Pants - Welcome (Stone's Throw) = more '80s funk than hip-hop, but close

Lyrics Born - Everywhere At Once
J-Live has a new album out
Blue Sky Black Death - Late Night Cinema = instrumental soul hip-hop that really kicks their sound up a notch
Mad EP - Bass.Hed = glitch hardcore from Ad Noiseam
Odd Nosdam - Pretty Swell Explode = more of a compilation than an album, but I love this guy
Tipper - Wobble Factor = crazy, crazy warping basslines, but not really hip-hop per say
Time Machine - Life Is Expensive = a prime example of conscious West coast indie hip-hop
Kail - True Hollywood Squares = party rhymes formed into a concept album

All in all, I'd say it's been a pretty good year for hip-hop.

Ya I've heard a lot of great stuff about Metaform. I downloaded it a while ago but for some reason it was corrupted so I need to get on that. Subtle sucks hard. Ayatollah sounds pretty good so far from the myspace. I'll check that out. Also are there any rap-based hip hop albums that are good? What a wasteland, jeez.

quote:

Originally posted by Shadrach:

I'm curious to see if you are actually listening to A New White, because that was actually the album that they put out before For Hero: For Fool. The new album is called ExitingARM.

Oh, whoops, wrote the wrong album, although I have been listening to a 'A New White' a lot lately along with the rest of their stuff so I must have confused the chronology. Do you listen to Why? at all by chance?

quote:

Originally posted by DFelon204409:
Ya I've heard a lot of great stuff about Metaform. I downloaded it a while ago but for some reason it was corrupted so I need to get on that. Subtle sucks hard. Ayatollah sounds pretty good so far from the myspace. I'll check that out. Also are there any rap-based hip hop albums that are good? What a wasteland, jeez.

Dude there has been dozens of suggestions in this thread, and you've only checked out three of them, one of which isn't even Hip-Hop(Subtle). You don't think you're been a little too negative no?

For rap oriented stuff, then check out Black Spade, Little Brother, Fat Ray/Black Milk, The Roots, Prodigy, Invincible, Kidz In The Hall, Raashan Ahmed etc.

quote:

Originally posted by La La Love Pixies:

quote:

Originally posted by Shadrach:

I'm curious to see if you are actually listening to A New White, because that was actually the album that they put out before For Hero: For Fool. The new album is called ExitingARM.

Oh, whoops, wrote the wrong album, although I have been listening to a 'A New White' a lot lately along with the rest of their stuff so I must have confused the chronology. Do you listen to Why? at all by chance?

I thought that might have been what happened. A New White is a good album too. I would put it equal to ExitingARM, even though they have two different styles to them.

I picked up Why?'s Alopecia earlier this year, and liked it so much I had to check out Elephant Eyelash, which I liked just as much. I like their melodies and their creative instrument sounds and how they mix up their song structures. I have found I can't listen to the lyrics for a long period of time though. I want to say they are disturbing, but I think it's not so much disturbing as just... unappetising. I much prefer Subtle's nonsensical nightmare wordplay to Why's matter-of-fact stories about bathing in hair.

I'm glad you like Subtle though. I'm surprised at how many people are hating on it.

quote:

Originally posted by Shadrach:
I'm glad you like Subtle though. I'm surprised at how many people are hating on it.

Me too. They haven't changed all that much.

quote:

Originally posted by Turenne:

quote:

Originally posted by DFelon204409:
Ya I've heard a lot of great stuff about Metaform. I downloaded it a while ago but for some reason it was corrupted so I need to get on that. Subtle sucks hard. Ayatollah sounds pretty good so far from the myspace. I'll check that out. Also are there any rap-based hip hop albums that are good? What a wasteland, jeez.

Dude there has been dozens of suggestions in this thread, and you've only checked out three of them, one of which isn't even Hip-Hop(Subtle). You don't think you're been a little too negative no?

For rap oriented stuff, then check out Black Spade, Little Brother, Fat Ray/Black Milk, The Roots, Prodigy, Invincible, Kidz In The Hall, Raashan Ahmed etc.

Well I didn't want to commit to giving full opinions of all the artists I did check out. I listened to everything on Filmore's list (myspace streams that is) just to sample. I definitely respected the recommendations and am researching more but I didn't want to give full thumbs up thumbs down evaluations. I'm just keeping a running total. Also, I had already heard Subtle and some Metaform, which is why I mentioned them. Don't think I'm some hater. I made this thread to open up, not close up.