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Here it is. After months of procrastination, my top ten albums of 2008 is finally put together (sort of). As with the other groups of ten, there really is no order of preference within this set itself, with the exception of one album, which I will get to when I get to it. Now I give you the top 10.

1. Q-Tip - The Renaissance

First of all, I thought this album wouldn’t even see a proper release within my lifetime. Kamaal the Abstract and Open both suffered this fate and I figured this effort would be no different. And in the small chance that it did come out, I thought that it would be because Tip had sacrificed some of his artistic vision to create a more “marketable” album and that we would have another Amplified on our hands (which I will admit, is not as horrible an album as most people make it out to be). Thus, it would suffice to say that this album was without a doubt the pleasant surprise, maybe even shock, of the year. Q-Tip sounded focused and there were moments when he regained a full blown Abstract Poet mindset that I hadn’t seen in him in years. Some people were knocking the beats, but I think the beats were beautiful. Seriously, kudos Tip. You’ve restored my faith in the veterans of yesteryear and made me believe anything (maybe even an A Tribe Called Quest reunion album) is possible.

2. Reks - Grey Hairs

I go to school in Boston, and I’ll be the first to tell you, it’s not exactly well known for it’s hip hop scene. Sure there are a handful of good acts here and there (Mr Lif, 7L and Esoteric, etc) but other than Esoteric, none of these rappers have really been able to hold my attention. Then along came Reks. I’ve heard the name before but never really bothered to give him any time. So many albums, so little time. you know how it is. But one of my friends was able to get his hands on an advance copy and he hyped this shit up so much, eventually I had to listen to it, just to see what he was talking about. And I’m glad I finally caved in because this album grabbed my attention with the first track and didn’t let go until the damn thing was over. Say Goodnight and Stages, in particular, are some pretty incredible songs.

3. Elzhi - The Preface

I knew this album was gonna be good. As soon as I heard Motown 25 with Royce, I knew this was an album to look out for. And I was right. Elzhi takes a no fucking around, straight lyrical approach to rapping and comes out all the better for it. Especially because unlike most intensely lyric centered rappers (Canibus, Ras Kass, etc) he’s backed up by good beats. Lyrics over beats any day but people gotta remember, the musical backdrop can make or break a hip hop song.

4. Jazz Liberatorz - Clin D’oeil

French production group (I think they’re French), Jazz Liberatorz were able to provide the perfect balance of Jazz (duh) and hip hop with this release. Starting with the instrumental intro track (on which they pay homage to some greats of the Jazz Hop sub-genre), the album goes through song after song on which jazz and hip hop are combined in a way that I haven’t heard in a long time. I discovered at a great time too. I was still vomiting after the crap that was Del’s 11th Hour and AZ’s Undeniable, and along came this little gem to save the day.

5. Dela - Changes Of Atmosphere

If you didn’t get your fill of jazz rap with Clin D’oeil, don’t worry. 2008 actually provided us with two excellent jazz infused releases that are both coincidentally French. You won’t hear anybody blasting this form their car stereos any time soon (probably never actually), but this type of music wasn’t meant for that. Too loud and you’ll actually be missing the subtle elements of the production that add up to give a complete musical experience. And since this recently experienced a US release, there’s really no excuse to pass on it.

6. J-Live - Then What Happened

J-Live is a sick ass emcee who for reasons I will never know, is also criminally underrated. He’s released nothing but top quality throughout his careers and even his EPs will easily shit on most full length albums released these days. Expect nothing different from Then What Happened. Seriously, stop sleeping and pick this up.

7. eMC - The Show

The rap supergroup is a hard thing to make succeed. There has been many failures in the past and most supergroups never even manage to release a proper debut. This album is proof that there is a hip hop god out there and that he loves Masta Ace (seriously, everything this guy does is sick). But Masta Ace isn’t the only emcee in this group carrying his weight and in fact, each of the four emcees do their job throughout. Hopefully this means good things for 2009’s future supergroup release, Slaughterhouse.

8. DJ KO - Picture This

Great compilation that features some of the best emcees over beats by some of the best producers in recent times. It features a wide range of said emcees and producers and some of the combinations were completely unexpected. That’s really all I can say about this except it completely rocks.

9. Presto - State of the Art

I’m pretty sure he’s had releases before this one, but this is the first album by the Californian producer that I was turned on to. I picked it up off the strength of Pour Another Glass with Blu, and was pleased to find that the rest of the album was consistent in quality. With guests such as OC and CL Smooth, you really couldn’t expect anything else other than good music from this one.

10. Raashan Ahmad - Push

Crown City Rocker’s emcee steps away from his live band for a bit to give fans a solo effort. However, if nobody told me this was a solo album, then I would’ve thought it was another Crown City album. The sounds found throughout are very similar to the group’s sounds and therefore Raashan seems very comfortable throughout. This album though is probably the weakest album on the top ten and for the longest time I wanted to switch it with Atmosphere’s newest effort. Still, it’s a great listen and especially Crown City fans should give it some time.

Well, there you go. With today, you now know what albums I enjoyed listening to over and over again in the past year. To be honest, a top X list is always difficult to do, because it’ll always be subjective no matter how unbiased one tries to make it. However, I write this with the hope that there is a common taste that binds most fans of hip hop together and that this list will help you to discover artists and albums that you may have been sleeping on. I really do encourage you to search out any of the albums I’ve put on and give it a serious listen when you’re bored one day.

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