As a staff of several members, we wanted to bring to our readers a list of songs and albums that we think made an impact in 2015. After releasing the top songs list two days ago, we are excited to follow it up with the albums list today. Our decision on the lists was collective but our criteria may be a little different from other critics or media publications so make sure you take a look at that before continuing to read the selections.
The criteria (albums):
We made our selections based on the following:
1. The list contains the albums which we played the most in 2015 hence the term “favorite”. Sales, radio spins or critical acclaim are no factors.
2. Only those Hip-Hop & R&B albums released between January 1 and December 31, 2015 have been considered.
3. The selections are based on collective votes from our staff members — Navjosh, Akaash, Maher, Eric, Joe & Jason.
4. And most importantly, the list is in no particular order.
Big Sean – Dark Sky Paradise
Big Sean went into album mode in 2014 coming off mixed reactions to some of his previously released music but he quickly turned it around with a smash single (‘IDFWU’ featuring E-40) and calculated promo moves. He then delivered one of the best albums of the year with heavy replay value.
Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp A Butterfly
To Pimp A Butterfly has received several #1 selections for best Hip-Hop album of the year and deservingly so. Very few Hip-Hop artists in the mainstream circuit are bold enough to attempt the creation of a Funk/Jazz driven Hip-Hop album with no obvious radio singles, and even less are capable of achieving this sort of feat. This is exactly what Kendrick Lamar accomplished with this landmark body of work, a monumental and conceptual piece which flawlessly portrays why K. Dot’s artistry is so profound and so necessary in a musical climate that doesn’t often reward such thoughtful and ambitious work. To Pimp A Butterfly may not have been what the masses were expecting, but Kendrick delivered with his rewarding substance and relayed a message that the world needed to hear… We gon’ be alright.
Lupe Fiasco – Tetsuo & Youth
Tetsuo & Youth will never attain the acclaim of Lupe Fiasco’s previously lauded albums such as Food & Liquor and The Cool, but this album was a return to form for Fiasco this year and reminded us why he still remains as one of Hip-Hop’s most talented emcees. The lyrical mastermind showcases his universally respected rapping ability on tracks such as the epic ‘Mural’ while also implementing strong conceptual songwriting which allows several Tetsuo & Youth offerings to shine (‘Prisoner 1 & 2’, ‘Deliver’. Overall, Tetsuo & Youth is a well-assembled, authentic body of work from Lupe and it received a lot of play throughout 2015.
Chris Brown & Tyga – Fan Of A Fan: The Album
Tyga is an easy target for folks on social media, given his friction with Drake and relationship with Kylie Jenner. But you got to keep the music aside and truth is, his collaborative album with Chris Brown, Fan of A Fan: The Album was a standout project of 2015. Banger after banger with hardly any need to skip a track, the album is perfect for the easy listening sessions.
Dr. Dre – Compton
Hip-Hop fans had been waiting over a decade for Dr. Dre to finally release Detox but rather than succumb to outdated expectations, the West Coast pioneer wisely decided to accompany one of this year’s best movies in Straight Outta Compton with an appropriate soundtrack to satisfy the masses. Rather than retreating to previously applauded play-books or just gravitating toward today’s trendy sounds, Dr. Dre was ambitious on Compton and selected just the right group of musicians to ensure the deliverance of a multi-faceted body of work. Compton has just the right blend of smooth riding nostalgia, in your face Gangster Rap, and forward-thinking novelty to make things interesting. Overall, Compton proved itself as a great project from front to back and it was a welcomed addition to a stacked year of quality music.
Drake – If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late
Drake didn’t need to drop Views From The 6 to dominate 2015, and If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late is the project that kick-started his continuous reign on top of the rap game this year. The first 4 songs on this tape alone proved to have a monumental impact throughout 2015 with Drake’s confidence shining on ‘Energy’ and the beat drop of ‘Know Yourself’ shaking venues across the world. If You”re Reading This It’s Too Late captured ‘aggressive Drake’ at his finest and its hard-hitting, alluring qualities were embraced by a rapid fan-base that enjoyed a high level of output from the King of Toronto this year.
Fetty Wap – Fetty Wap
Fetty Wap literally took the world by storm this year with his string of hits. His debut album wasn’t promoted in a big way and 80% of it featured songs which had been previously out in the public. Keeping that in mind, the album proved to be a joyful listen with infectious melodies and top notch production.
Drake & Future – What A Time To Be Alive
When two larger than life artists come together to collaborate on a complete body of work, it is difficult to evaluate it with a clear head, focusing on the music rather than the full steam ahead hype train. Drake and Future coming together to collaborate on What A Time To Be Alive caused a frenzy on social media and beyond, as Drizzy taking a dive into Future’s world resulted in an enjoyable, quick-strike collection commanding of everyone’s attention. The album is by no mean a display of advanced musicality, but the joint effort boasted booming production, several gems such as ‘Diamonds Dancing’ and ‘Jumpman’, and marked a powerful moment in time for Drake and Future, who ensured that their music would be mandatory inclusions on any party playlist. What a time to be alive indeed.
A$AP Rocky – At.Long.Last.A$AP
Despite it being a bitter-sweet year for the A$AP Mob with the passing of A$AP Yams, A$AP Rocky delivered one of 2015’s more captivating records in At.Long.Last.A$AP, an interesting body of work with genre-bending production that provided Rocky with an experimentally crafted platform to showcase his charismatic artistic qualities. Flacko’s confidence radiates over a fascinating sonic palette filled with layered backing vocals, off-kilter melodies, filtered effects, and Rap-Rock fusion. Musically unrestricted, A.L.L.A. contains some of A$AP Rocky’s boldest work to date and the replay value of the project is a testament to Rocky successfully working outside of the boundaries of what may be expected from him.
The Weeknd – Beauty Behind The Madness
The Weeknd, the once secluded misfit of Queen Street, Toronto, is a now a worldly figure and those who were late to the party became enthralled with his mysterious past and swift rise to fame in 2015. This was reflected in his breakout to the masses body of work Beauty Behind The Madness, which features The Weeknd taking his music to an accessible place, but one rooted in a sinful world where years of self-inflicted pain and misery meet the worthy adversaries of love and success. Vocally gifted, armed with hits such as ‘The Hills’ and ‘Can’t Feel My Face’, and an ability to capture an edgy yet authentic atmosphere unlike any other artist in his newly acquired stadium-packing realm, The Weeknd’s evolution came to life on Beauty Behind The Madness and did so without abandoning the home-grown elements of his craft.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Jeremih – Late Nights: The Album
After more than 1 and a half years of delay and shockingly no music video to his number 1 hits ‘Don’t Tell Em’ and ‘Planez’, Jeremih finally released his third album Late Nights: The Album amidst a lukewarm rollout from his label Def Jam. He wasn’t happy with the way the label handled it and neither were the fans. What we are really delighted about is that the album is a sonic masterpiece with plenty of replay value.
Future – DS2
Over the past two years, Future has proven himself as a bonafide Rock star in the rap game and after a remarkable string of mixtapes, he decided to label DS2 as an album. Thankfully, the execution on DS2 is similar to that of Monster/Beast Mode/56 Nights, which results in another enjoyable body of work fueled by standout production and an artist who is currently unshakable in his determination to create unfiltered anthems. Undeniable luxury (‘Colossal’), balling out (‘Blow A Bag’) and honest storytelling (‘Kno The Meaning’) are all featured on DS2 and the distinct variety of Future’s emotional admittance continues to resonate strongly with his attentive fan-base. The album wasn’t a masterpiece culmination of Future’s three previous tapes, but DS2 has a large handful of majestic moments and its consistently imperfect self-awareness qualifies the project as another win for Future Hendrix.
Ty Dolla $ign – Free TC
Combining compelling melodies and lyrical debauchery has become a recipe for success in today’s evolving Hip-Hop/R&B landscape. New artists attempting to strike a chord by bridging the gap between rapping/singing pop up every day, but Ty Dolla $ign is one of the modern day OG’s when it comes to the mastering of this balance and he proved it on his official debut album Free TC. A fascinating mixture of stimulating bedroom music and club-ready jams, Free TC has enough stellar musicality behind it to qualify the album one of the more diverse R&B efforts of the year and it is an accurate representation of Ty Dolla’s diverse skill-set.