2011 Hip Hop in ONE POST

I know you've been anxiously waiting for this post for days, so I've waited for the absolute, last possible day to post it. I'm going to do my favorite 10 15 20 albums* of the year and 10 favorite songs of the year. The basic criteria for this list was what was played the most on my iPod/iTunes over the year and which ones stuck out in my mind. I love/hate making this list because a lot of good ish gets left out but I did my best to get a good look around. I also tried to stay away from the bigger, more well known artists to leave you with at least a couple artists you could start keeping an eye out for in the future.

We've seen a lot go down this year and are left with questions. Will we ever forgive Ray J? Will Chris Brown ever rebound and have a good single life? When will Hip Hop heads stop hating on the new direction of Hip Hop (ie: Sampling others genres outside the prototypical funk/boom bap feel)? Some are easier to answer and some are impossible. What we do know is 2012 promises to be just as crazy, especially with new talent breaking out everyday.
Is anyone else waiting for Oprah to start a rap career? Or at least a record label? Yup. Just me...

*I included mixtapes, albums, EP's, and LP's under this category because it'd be too damn tough to compile an actual list for each of those categories. This ain't no Holiday Inn. And in my mind they're all made for the same purpose: spread dope music. I don't consider the monetary motivation.

TOP ALBUMS (in no particular order):

 

Top bangers: http://soundcloud.com/bryanhahn/sets/2011-bangers