Get To Know H.E.R.

Moving right along, without further ado here are albums number 20-11.

11. Atmosphere - When Live Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold

The emcee producer duo of Slug and Ant can do no wrong. Slug’s emotive rhymes over Ant’s beats have always been a surefire formula for a a great album to me since day one. And since Slug just gets better and better as an emcee, and Ant has slowly become an absolute monster behind the boards, this album was damn near guaranteed to be great. This was actually in my top ten for a good chunk of 2008, and got pushed out at the last second. I’m still wondering whether that was a good move or not.

12. Nas - Untitled

I was scared that this album would be absolute crap after all the hype that came about from its controversial choice in name (Untitled was a cop out move). But my fears were put to rest when I listened to this album for the first time. And upon multiple listens, I realized that this album was actually pretty damn good.

13. Pacewon and Mr. Green - The Only Color That Matters Is Green

To be honest, I don’t really know much about Pacewon or Mr. Green. All I know is that this album rocks.

14. Jake One - White Van Music

I first became turned on to Jake One when I heard his absolute beast of a track on De La Soul’s Grind Date (hearing it live was freaking amazing). Jake One’s production is consistent quality throughout and it helps that he brought along some of the best emcees of our time to join him.

15. Blu and Mainframe - Johnson and Jonson

Those who expect another Below the Heavens will be pretty disappointed. However, those who take it for what it is (some good music by a rising emcee and Mainframe I guess) will walk away pleased.

16. DJ Revolution - King of the Decks

This came out of freaking nowhere. I was expecting this album to be average at best but as soon as it started playing, I knew I had something special in my hands. Great beats, great rhymes. What more could you ask for?

17. Restoring Poetry In Music - Cave Drawings

The side project of Panacea’s Raw Poetic was actually more enjoyable than the new Panacea album itself. Raw Poetic’s rhymes just seemed so much more on point and focused on this and the jazzy beats suited him just fine. If you like Panacea or jazz rap in general, make sure you give it a try.

18. Common Market - Tobacco Road

Sabzi and RA Scion have done it again. I didn’t really enjoy Black Patch War, the pre album EP, but they were able to redeem themselves with this one. Make sure you check out their latest EP, Winter’s End, as well.

19. Sadistik - Balancing Act

I’ve never heard of Sadistik until my friend made me listen to this and I actually thought I was hearing Slug at first. The two really are quite similar in their voice and their choice in dark subject matter and if you’re the fan of one it’ll be easy to get into the other.

20. Heltah Skeltah - D.I.R.T.

I always tend to get worried whenever an artist or a group releases a comeback album after a long ass hiatus because let’s face it, such albums usually suck ass. This is one of those rare exceptions and while it’s still a fairly far cry from Nocturnal, it’s shits on Magnum Force any day.

Come back tomorrow for the conclusion to the top 30. In the meantime, get off your ass and hunt some of these down. It’ll be worth your time.