Top 25 Rap Albums of 2011
Rap Genius has spoken. Another few polls have decided the community’s top 25 rap albums of the past year.
Before you go biting my head off because one album is ahead of another, remember, the whole damn community had equal say so once again… #bythepeopleforthepeople
If it was up to me, I would have put #25 way higher, but I can agree with the list and understand why each album ended up where it did. Also, BlackenedWhite was re-released in 2011 so it is eligible. Anyway, here’s our top 25 albums of 2011…
25-11
25. W.A.R. (We Are Renegades) by Pharoahe Monch
24. Shaolin vs Wu-Tang by Raekwon
23. Charity Starts At Home by Phonte
22. Finally Famous by Big Sean
21. LiveLoveA$ap by ASAP Rocky
20. Zero Heroes by XV
19. Black Up by Shabazz Palaces
18. Radioactive by Yelawolf
17. BlackenedWhite by Mellowhype
16. The R.E.D. Album by Game
15. XXX by Danny Brown
13. Cole World: The Sideline Story by J. Cole
12. Hell: The Sequel by Bad Meets Evil
11. Oneirology by Cunninlynguists
10-1
10. Goblin by Tyler the Creator
The second album from the OFWGKTA alpha male was widely enjoyed by fans of the mantra, “kill people, burn sh-t, f—k school,” Goblin dissected Tyler in the second session with Dr. TC as he kills his friends and mocks his white fanbase.
Considered anything but a sophomore slump, Drake’s November entry provided hip hop fans with more of his R&B side. That being said, he still delivers (takes off the sweater, if you will) on top tracks such as “Lord Knows” or “Underground Kings.”
8. Camp by Childish Gambino
Donald Glover’s second studio album Camp is backed by some powerful production and some of the wittiest lines of the year like “That’s why I come first like my cell phone,” or “All I wanted was some more like Ashton,” and those lines don’t scratch the surface. Also, Rap Genius will always show one of their editors some love, unlike twisted and inconsistent hipster sites.
7. All 6s and 7s by Tech N9ne
The predominantly underground rapper turned in one of the best performances of the year with his twelfth studio album. The critics favored the album. Read a strong review of All 6s and 7s by a fellow editor here.
Elzhi’s re-imagining of certified classic Illmatic was good enough to honor Nas' debut, something that could be considered a near impossible task. This mixtape earned the second highest ranking of any on our list.
5. Return of 4eva by Big KRIT
But KRIT’s seventh mixtape takes the crown as the top mixtape of 2011. Return of 4eva is solid from top to bottom as KRIT spits some of the best Southern rap of the year.
4. The Dreamer, The Believer by Common
Common’s ninth studio album was released apart from G.O.O.D. Music but still remained a quality LP. Solely produced by No I.D., TDTB reminds us that Common can release an album like Universal Mind Control and still remain among the most skilled rhymers in the game. Read a Rap Genius review here.
Philly’s rap band released undun to tell the story of fictional character Redford Stevens and describe the out look of the poverty stricken in urban areas. Critics loved The Roots' eleventh album and so did Rapgenius
2. Watch The Throne by Kanye West & Jay-Z
Two of the biggest stars in the game released their incredibly hyped up collaborative album Watch The Throne. Kanye and Jay’s dual effort was a cocky and in-your-face LP that described how far the black man has come in America with arguably the best production of the year. From the moment hip hop fans heard “Otis,” it was impossible to not be excited for what turned out to be the biggest album of the summer behind only one other album.
1. Section.80 by Kendrick Lamar
As I mentioned in our Top 100 Rap Songs list, 2011 was Kendrick Lamar’s year. Hip hop heads can’t help but respect what the Compton native has done. Tracks like “Keisha’s Song (Her Pain)” can’t help but remind listeners of Tupac. And the production on Section.80 is perfect for Kendrick, as it gives him room to flow as dangerously and smart as he possibly can (see “Rigamortus”). The 24 year old rapper has found crazy success over the internet and gets much love on Rap Genius. It’s obvious that Kendrick has a bright future ahead of him.
