LA Times: The Quarterly Report--The Best Rap Albums of the First Quarter of 2009

Apr 16, 2009

Not much to add that the title doesn't explain. All in all, a fair quarter for rap albums: two great ones (UGK 4 Life, Born Like This), one great mixtape (Superbad), and a half dozen solid to very good efforts. For better or worse, contemporary hip-hop is about keeping up. Product is increasingly disposable. It's hard to care. I get it. But if you dig, it's out there, the onus is just on you (I do what I can, but time + outside interests are a motherfucker.) Yes, I wish that the names Rick Ross and Asher Roth conjured jello-eating, high-waisted, Floridean retirees, rather than the two biggest names you're supposed to like. And yes, I often spend days like yesterday--flashing back to '93 Yo! MTV Raps and the video for Da Youngstaz's '"Crewz Pop." But I'm going to Coachella today, and for once, not in any mood to complain--now off to cop a Hadley's Date Shake. LA Times: The Quarterly Report--The Best Rap Albums of the First Quarter of 2009 Download: MP3: DOOM-"That's That" MP3: UGK-"Swishas and Erb" ZIP: Boosie-Superbad: The Return of Mr. Wipe Down (Left-Click) MP3: Camp Lo-"Gotcha" MP3: Exile-"The Sound is God" MP3: Finale-"One Man Show" (prod. by Black Milk) MP3: Blu-"Amnesia" MP3: Del-"Get It Right Now" ZIP: Tiron-Ketchup (Left-Click) MP3: Harmonic 313 ft. Elzhi & Phat Kat-"Battlestar"