Well, it's that time of year again... the time when it all ends and we start a whole new one. A new year, new opportunities, new things to come to light and revolutionize the way we all look at music, culture, and/or life in general.
With that said, and since this is a music blog, I've decided to compile the ten albums that I feel like deserve to be given recognition. If there's one or two you think I missed, let me know in the comments, but I feel like my explanations will be quite clear.
Sidenote: I didn't put Return of the Weirdo on here because I made that motherfucker and I feel like putting that on here is kind of cheating. With that said, let's begin.
Honorable Mentions (no order):
- Days Before Rodeo - Travi$ Scott
- PRhyme - PRhyme (Royce da 5'9" & DJ Premier)
- 2014 Forest Hills Drive - J. Cole
- 11:11 - Puff Daddy & Guy Gerber
- Tha Tour, Pt. 1 - Rich Gang (Young Thug & Rich Homie Quan)
10. Art Official Age/Plectrum Electrum - Prince
Released: September 30
Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called... life.
The Purple One himself blessed music lovers with not one, but TWO new albums on the same day this year. Now, he's not the first one to do this; artists like Nelly and E-40 have famously done this in the past but this is fucking PRINCE we're talking about. A music GOD. So we knew we would get something special. The question is, would he come out with the groovy, funky melodies that made him so revered, would he showcase his new band 3rdEyeGirl to the best of their abilities? Or would he do some weird shit that no one understood but himself (like that awful The Rainbow Children album)?
Thank every deity that has ever existed in the consciousness of people's minds that it wasn't the latter of the three.
These two albums were definitely sort of a "back to basics" for Prince, particularly his solo album Art Official Age, which seems to call back to the 80's Prince sound, ranging from slower song "The Breakdown," to more funkier pieces like "What it Feels Like" and standout song "Clouds." With that song, Prince shows the listener that if age comes wisdom, then he is old as hell because he said some real stuff on there ("In this brand new age, we do everything quick fast in a hurry/All of our life's a stage, everybody's stars, reality's so blurry"), but then he shows the world that he still can pull off the moves of the youngsters like Trey Songz, Chris Brown, etc. with sensual jams like "Breakfast Can Wait."
Plectrum Electrum, however, is much more bold and rock-oriented. With 3rdEyeGirl, he showcases that he can still both rock a crowd and showcase some thought-provoking lyrics in songs like "Marz" and "Fixurlifeup", and do a smoother, yet still in-your-face song with the breakup tune "Anotherlove."
At the end of the day, both albums are great in their own right, but work better as companions to one another. They also show that if nothing else, Prince has still got it after all these years.
9. Michael Jackson - Xscape
Released: May 13
OK, here we go, another album made trying to capitalize off of a musical icon's death. This'll probably have some unfinished songs modernized and remixed to have contemporary music styles, features and things of that nature, right?
Wait, it doesn't? It sounds like a real MJ album? Like one he would actually approve of? SAY IT AIN'T SO!
Well, that's what we got. Yes, the songs were unfinished. And it does show a few times. But it captures the timeless vibe of so many of Jackson's timeless hits, especially the more danceable ones like "Love Never Felt So Good," "Slave to the Rhythm," and the title track, that it deserves at least some recognition. Kudos to those involved for not making this album sound like a cash-in (unlike that other posthumous MJ album that came out in 2010.)
8. ScHoolboy Q - Oxymoron
Released: February 25
Dubbed the next to blow out of Top Dawg Entertainment after Kendrick Lamar dropped his phenomenal major label debut in 2012 might put a bit (well, more than that) on a guy, right? Especially if you're already probably the most entertaining of the crew, right? Well, Groovy Q certainly felt the pressure with this. Luckily for him and the listeners, he was able to build off that pressure instead of letting it get to him.
This album plays out like a more drugged-out, cripped out version of "Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City," as it features on the gangsta lifestyle of Q's home of Hoover Street in Los Angeles, on songs like "Los Awesome" (featuring TDE's own Jay Rock), "Gangsta", "Break the Bank", and others, while also making it personal, as it also discusses his past addictions and love for his daughter on songs like "Prescription/Oxymoron." Coupled with excellent party songs like "Man of the Year" and the Kendrick-assisted "Collard Greens," this album feels like it shows all the sides of Q, while never going overboard with any of them, making this one of the more interesting rap releases this year to listen to.
7. Rick Ross - Mastermind
Released: March 4
Rick Ross is one of hip hop's biggest bosses. This is known. He also has one of the best ears for beats that sound either hard as hell or lush as heaven. This is also known. So, on album number six, how well can he keep this up?
Pretty damn well.
This album is actually one of Ross's strongest, showing him at both his most extravagant ("Rich is Gangsta," "War Ready," "The Devil is a Lie," "Sanctified") and at his most vulnerable ("Thug Cry," "Nobody," "BLK & WHT"). Telling his street stories with more intricacies than he has delivered in a while, Ross definitely made sure everything was right with this album, from the lyrics to the sound down to the features (ranging from Jay-Z to the Weeknd to Lil Wayne to the ever-reclusive Yeezus himself showing he still is a force to be reckoned with.)
All in all, Mastermind shows that Ross is just that when it comes to constructing a project. He seems to know what the hell he's doing. (Shame he didn't put this much time into the underwhelming Hood Billionaire, though...)
6. YG - My Krazy Life
Released: March 18
If Schoolboy Q put out the drugged out version of GKMC, YG put out the gangsta version. This plays out closer to Kendrick's opus though, in the "day in the life" reins. However, here he brings back his frequent collaborator, DJ Mustard, to make some more of the magic that they have so often made in the past.
This album really shows their chemistry at its most apparent on songs like "My N***a" (I'm white, that's why it's censored... just saying, lol), "Who Do You Love," "Do it to Ya," and "Bicken Back Bein' Bool." What separates this from just being another album full of club songs is the narrative that it carries throughout. No spoilers here, but I will say that it ends with a song with Ty Dolla Sign, another of his partners in rhyme, although it isn't the banger one would expect, "Sorry Momma" is more of a heartfelt, apologetic song that leaves the audience understanding where YG is coming from as a kid in the streets of "Bompton," as he calls it.
All in all, so-called "hip hop heads" probably won't appreciate this album too much, but it is precisely what rap music has been missing for the past who knows how long: a solid album oozing the classic West Coast gangsta rap sound.
5. RiFF RAFF - Neon Icon
Released: June 24
When you're in a position like Riff Raff, where no one really takes you seriously as a rapper, and just like you for a laugh, you have two options for your debut album: show them why they should take you seriously or just say the most absurd stuff over some even crazier beats.
Basically, what Jody Highroller did was up the ante for his brand of absurd rap music. The humor is still there, as are the catchy hooks, but this time a lot of them sound like they could actually be enjoyed on the radio or just in the car by those not in on the joke ("Maybe You Love Me," "Tip Toe Wing in My Jawwdinz). For example, he intro has one of the most banging beats he's ever spit over, one that could make even the strictest music critic would bob their head to.
In addition, RiFF calls on his fellow rap weirdos such as Mac Miller ("Aquaberry Dolphin") and Childish Gambino ("Lava Glaciers") to assist his assertion in being the icon he claims to be. At some point, at first glance, the persona the man keeps up may seem forced, but when the album is listened to, you realize this is all what's genuinely in Jody's unique brain. It's Riff's neon world, we're just honored to be living in it.
4. Taylor Swift - 1989
Released: October 27
She's been a huge star for years, but there's no denying it: 2014 was the year of T-Swizzle. The year she finally stopped pretending to be country, the year that she stopped writing solely about breakups in the veins that she had done in the past, the year that she not only put out a good album, but a STUNNING pop album. She's improved so much musically that SNL parodied the unexpectedness of it all.
In two years, Taylor's persona did a complete 180 from the girl who always had a new celebrity boyfriend who was amazed by every little thing that happened to a more confident, grown woman who, for lack of a better term, "don't need no man."
In short, it became all about the music. And it shows.
Taylor Swift not only switched up genres, but also created the most timeless pop album since who the hell knows when. Without relying on any dubstep, rapper features, electro beats or anything like that, she brought back a feel-good vibe that had long been missing from pop music. Her musical palette seems to have expanded, ranging from the confident "Welcome to New York" and "Shake it Off" to the pounding "Out of the Woods," "Style" and "Blank Space," to even drawing a bit of influence from 808's and Heartbreak-era Kanye West on "Wildest Dreams." (Sidenote: Now would be a great time for Yeezy and Taylor to come together and make the world explode.)
In addition, the songwriting became more potent with each song here. Even some of the weaker songs like "This Love" are so many lightyears ahead of both her younger self and her pop contemporaries that it's almost embarrassing comparing.
In short, pop works out well for Taylor. And, if she continues her streak of improvement, we will definitely see some more classic albums from her. Miss Swift, color me impressed. (Also, Taylor, you are insanely beautiful, and if you're interested in dating, then.... I assume you know the rest. #NoShameInTheGame)
3. "Weird Al" Yankovic - Mandatory Fun
Released: July 15
Weird Al has been the king of musical comedy, and of parody as a whole, since he broke out in the mid-1980s. However, since about 1999, with a few songs serving as exceptions, he mostly had been cruising off his existing legacy without much need to expand. And, in the age where anyone can make and upload a parody song, it seems like we were no longer in need of this man.
Turns out, we needed him more than ever. And he knew that.
Weird Al struck our funny bones harder than ever this summer, both with his parodies of Blurred Lines ("Word Crimes"), Royals ("Foil"), Happy ("Tacky"), and others, and even crafting his funniest original songs ever, he seemed like he had something to prove with this one, mostly that he still had it in him to do what he was known for. If I could mirror this to anyone, it'd probably be when LL Cool J put out "Mama Said Knock You Out" or when Nas put out his album Stillmatic.
All in all, Weird Al is back and bigger than ever. And if this really is his last album, and if he does therefore choose to go the route of strictly singles, I hope the quality and quantity only improve from here. Bottom line, if you want to laugh, look no further than the weirdest of the weird.
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2. Pharrell - G I R L
Released: March 3
Pharrell made a comeback in a BIG way in 2013 and 2014, culminating in an Oscar nomination for a song he wrote for a family film. The song, "Happy," became the quintessential feel-good song of the past decade or so. (And for good reason. It's an amazing song.)
With the release of his corresponding album, G I R L, Pharrell continued to go the pop-R&B-funk route that cemented his comeback, although he chose not to just throw a bunch of songs together, but he instead chose to use this album to convey his love, admiration and respect for women all around the world. He sung to women ("Gust of Wind," "Lost Queen," "It Girl," "Gush," "Brand New"), about women ("Marilyn Monroe"), with women ("Come Get It Bae," "Know Who You Are") and from the perspective of women ("Hunter").
Not only are all these songs just plain old feel-good jams, they also convey the same wit that Pharrell became so famous for as a songwriter in the first place. They remind us why Pharrell was everywhere ten years ago, and why he's back now. And with the negativity that a lot of music has been giving off recently, who better than Pharrell to lift our collective spirits. If you want a feel-good album from an all around feel-good guy, this is definitely for you.
1. D'Angelo & The Vanguard - Black Messiah
Released: December 15
Had you told me two months ago that D'Angelo would come out of hiding, I wouldn't have paid it any mind. The man is definitely the king of neo-soul, and both of his albums Brown Sugar and Voodoo are classics, but we've been teased so much about new music that it almost seemed unrealistic to get our hopes up. But, unlike some people (I'm looking at you, Dr. Dre), D'Angelo finally released Black Messiah, his third album, and first with his band, The Vanguard. And the best part was: IT ACTUALLY DIDN'T DISAPPOINT AT ALL.
The funky riffs! The vocals! The message in his songs! The vintage feel! It all felt so right! First time I heard this I thought, THIS IS WHAT WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR! I didn't know what to expect, but it soon became apparent that this was it.
Every once in a while, an album comes along that just wows all around. Last time it was Kendrick, now it's from D'Angelo, showing us all that, like Prince but more so, that he's still got it.
I urge everyone reading this to check this album out. I don't say this about every album, but this is what music needs. D'Angelo is proof that real soulful music will NEVER die.
