Welcome all to my yearly super-bias list of
music that I found most enjoyable. This year I finally just shut up and
complied all of my music into one list, instead of making people suffer through
multiple blog posts for no reason. That being said, this list is being broken
up into two parts, so the end result is still the same and I am still the
worst! On a more serious note, 2016 was such a great year for music,
specifically black music. After the major resurgence of black sound with The Epic and To Pimp a Butterfly last year, in addition to the growing traction
of Black protests and the importance of having our voices heard, most of my top
music reflects this. I want to push
forth music that sounds amazing and helped change me or teach me something
along with way. With all that being said, let us begin a trip down the melody
that was 2016.
Love and Hate-
Michael Kiwanuka
I discovered this gem while watching
“The Get Down” on Netflix over the summer. A significant chunk of the album was
used to set the stage for a musical show that told a soulful story about a
young man’s discover of Hip-Hop music in the Bronx during the 70’s. The music
fit the setting remarkable well, combining the smooth soul sounds of Otis Redding and Bill Withers with a modern tale of being a Black man in America.
Although the music is beautiful and crisp, it hits your ears like one long
ballad of turmoil and revolution. From Kiwanuka’s small person booms out a voice
aged far beyond his years. It tackles themes of racial prejudice (openly
proclaiming to understand the full weight of being a Black man in a White
world), wronging loved ones, and also coming to terms with himself after that
same wronging. Here is an artist who has found a way to tell his story without
compromise or remorse. This album is a masterful piece of modern soul music
that will make you sway and throw your hands in the sky. It is an unapologetic black album that breathes life back into older music and never loses sight of
its oppressed roots.
Floss-
Injury Reserve
Last
year Injury Reserve topped my underplayed rap album list with their debut Live From The Dentist’s Office, a
wonderfully cartoonish project that put a trio of down on their luck rappers in
the spotlight and allowed them to blow the Hip-Hop world away. Needless to say
I was pumped to hear about them dropping an album not even a year later. Hands
down, this album has my favorite hooks of 2016, each song has an insanely
simple yet catchy hook that completely pulls you into the song. Over the course
of the album this results in a project that grabs your attention from moment
one and demands you listen to its insanity and it is very insane mind you.
Injury Reserve, with their fusion of Jazz/Blues/Gospel samples with wonky atonal
bass and drums, hits everything from spending money, to party culture, to
trying to do well for the sake of making their families proud, and back to the
futility of trying to sound like any other rap group and make hits. It is
seamless transition between the introspective conscious movement that so many
old heads rave about and the fun bangers that can make rap so engaging. Through
this project they challenge convention and establish themselves as one of the
of best rap groups emerging on the scene, and they do it all while smiling like
idiots.
RTJ 3- Run The Jewels
Run The Jewels, a Hip-Hop power-duo
consisting of Killer Mike and El-P, will most likely end up going down as the
most important rap duo since Outkast. The two veteran rappers have not only
dropped another genius project, but did so weeks before their expected release
date simply because they couldn’t think of a good enough reason not to. Returning
with their signature style of anarchistic themes delivered through clever and
often comically dark wordplay, the group now sounds more advanced than ever.
El-P (the producer of the duo) stepped it up and managed to concoct the groups
most musically focused album yet. While still dark & gritty, the addition
of heavy synth work gives the album a futuristic vibe that bodes well with the
groups out of this world aesthetic. RTJ has created a very specific niche for
themselves, they talk shit about the government while at the same time
encouraging their listeners to be more active participants in their own lives.
They carve out paths of destruction with their music, while at the same time
paving the way for people to rise up, rebel, and have the courage they need to
fight for what they believe in. Considering the year we had in 2016 this album
could not have come at a better time.
American Boyfriend- Kevin Abstract
A
year ago I remember reading an article about this up and coming indie rapper,
Kevin Abstract, in which he was talking about how much of an influence Childish
Gambino was on him as a creator. Due to that interview alone I kept him on my
radar, and when his sophomore release dropped I had to check it out. What I got
was an eclectic mix of Hip-Hop with everything from Pop to Indie Rock and
Acoustic music. This album chronicles Kevin’s life growing up in the white
suburbs of his home state, Texas, and doesn’t shy away from the hardships he had
to face coming to terms with his sexuality and environment. There are specific
portions of the album where he points to his best friend being racist and
others where he is painfully grieving over his conflicted love life. It all
feels like the soundtrack to an Indie movie about teenagers going through the
same thing, and I believe that was the purpose going it. The pictures painted
on this album are clear, and by sacrificing subtly it becomes naked and
vulnerable, which is where it gets its charm. Here a Black artist not only
opens up about being gay, but embraces musical styles from his surroundings
that would get him ostracized if he lived in another community. He makes the
best with what he was given, and his best turns out to be one of the most
diverse and sonically pleasing projects this year.
IV-
BBNG
Aptly named 4, the now Jazz Quartet
(previously being a trio) celebrates the beginning of a new era for one of my
favorite bands out there. In adding Saxophonist Leland Whitty, the already
dynamic group was given another layer of sound to work with. This album sound
like the results of a the one long jam session, wherein the group plays off of
each other perfectly and songs are more akin to conversations that they
recorded with their instruments. There is a bit of a vintage tinge to this
album harking back to the 60’s and 70’s era of the stereotypical Jazz musicians
who never leave the studio, but this is not a bad thing. Outside of their
trademark tightness and lavish solos there are even vocals hidden through this
album. Sam Herring and Mick Jenkins both make an appearance to the album in
order to give it a dash of experimentation and flavor, but even in their
fantastic cameos you never forget that this is a Jazz album. The kind of album
you put on at the end of a long day to relax and let yourself get swept away by
BBNG’s lush tunes.
99.9%- Kaytranada
This
album reminds me of a planetarium. Through the upbeat and dance provoking
rhythms, House producer Kaytranada takes you on a trip into his mind. Once
inside you are treated to bright stars in the forms of the many guest artists
on this album, all leaving a distinct touch that blends perfectly with
Kaytranada’s wavy sound, and vast space as the music lasts a lifetime but never
feels like it is overstaying its welcome. This is an album designed to make you
move, but if you decide to sit and listen instead you can find the myriad of
details in each song that feels almost like discovering musical secrets you
weren’t meant to find. The tracks all feel like they are doing their own
separate thing, but all come together under the theme of being a byproduct of
one artists colorful vision. There are splashes of synths, dabs of heavy bass,
a light coat of rap/sung parts, all on the decorated canvas of steady drum
loops. Kaytranada upholds the tradition that DJ’s are and always have been
musicians, and can make amazing music without ever having to touch an
instrument.
Atrocity Exhibition- Danny Brown
This one of the darkest albums
released this year, wherein Danny Brown sounds like a person at the end of his
rope trying to cope with his own insanity rather than recover. It is a twisted
stream of conscious that often sounds, musically, like a nightmarish carnival.
With that being said, I loved every minute of it. Raw is a term often used to
describe rap that is grittier in its story telling and therefore perceived as
more “real” in some circles, yet on this album we see raw in a new light. Here
raw is a rapper saying anything and everything on his mind, opening up a
dependency on drugs and reminding us of his trademark sexual appetite.
Sonically the album is diverse, but every peg of that diversity hits some sort
of dark corner, from haunting old vocal samples looped in creepy ways to
blaring horns that could not possibly be perceived as anything but maddening.
All the while Danny Brown navigates this hellscape like he was born in it,
which is both impressive and depressing. While some people may ask for an
artist to invite them to their world, the menacing rabbit hole that is this
album may be more than some bargained for, but if you survive the trip you are
treated to one hell of an experience.
Splendor and Misery- Clipping.
A week after having watched Alien for the first time I listened to
this album, and throughout listening to it, I kept hearing semblances between
the music and the suspense I felt watching Ripley hunt down the Xenomorph. This
album is a conceptual story about a lone space survivor on a ship from the
experimental Hip-Hop trio Clipping, whose musical arsenal includes such things
as power drills, steam hisses, and electrical currents. The main MC for this group, Daveed Diggs
(known mainly now for his role of Lafayette and Jefferson in the musical Hamilton) has slowly become one of my
favorite writers in Hip-Hop. He possesses a lethal combination of lyrical
dexterity and the performance skill to back it up. His verses on the album are
often delivered at breakneck speeds but still contain novel worthy passages
about the albums main hero, Cargo #2331. Through the album’s clever use of
experimental production that is made to sound like the interior of a large
industrial space ship juxtaposed with gospel A Capella provided by the group
Take 6 (which are meant to simulate Cargo #2331’s faith), listeners are hear a
story of struggle and desperation. This album has challenged how I approach my
writing, showing me different ways of telling a gripping story without having
to rely on expected musical elements. It may not be the easiest listen if
everything you listen to is pretty and resolves nicely, but the experience of
hearing 2331’s tale is well worth it.
Bucket List Project- Saba
Saba
is a Jazz fueled record producer and rapper who is the first of many artists on
my list from the Chicago area, boasting a steady mixture of stark introversion
and wild percussion. Much like the title suggests; the album is thematically
about chances and opportunities. Just about each song ends with a person
explaining what their bucket list consists of over the phone, people ranging
from Lupe Fiasco to Chance the Rapper. The songs preceding these interludes
often reflect Saba’s own desires from his personal bucket list. We are given
lyrics that talk about his college experience and how that didn’t end up
changing his life like many would suspect, memories of riding around his city
when he was younger pretending he was king, and dealing with his family’s
history of mental illness. The production on this album is a mixture of smooth
neo-soul chords changes, Jazz solos, and excellent drum work, all ranging from
live instrumentation to artificial tones. It shows you the side of Chicago that
is not often shown without artists pushing the narrative: residents strong
desire to help their city grow. The album does its best to show Saba and the
many guests involved in the making of it as people. All natives of Chicago who
are doing their part to help support and love their city one way or another,
albums like this remind me that there is always a way to better yourself and
help your kin.
Blank Face LP-
ScHoolboy Q
A
modern Gangsta Rap masterpiece, Blank Face does something many people would
consider impossible. It gives a voice to one of the most feared groups of Americans
in the country. Being a native from the harsher areas in Southern California,
ScHoolboy Q is no stranger to poverty and violence; however instead of fearing
his hometown he embraces it and shows you what a day in the life is like. Throughout
the albums powerful mix of G-Funk, Soul, and heavy production, Q introduces us
to the people who inhabit the areas that are heavily criminalized and
stereotyped. He talks about drug dealing, violence, sex, and power, yet it
never comes off as malicious. The blank face seems to refer to all of these
actions being constantly attributed to a nameless faceless threat, when the
reality is these are all ideals and survival methods of real human beings. These
same people that are grouped together as being dangerous are often
misunderstood or have methods to their madness. This album is a testament to
the lifestyle that so many have had to succumb to due to factors outside their
control, and ultimately serves to remind us all that before they were blank
faces and statistics, they were people.
Lemonade-
Beyonce
I
have never been a fan of Beyonce, I respect her as a performer but just never
got into her music. So when I randomly decided to check out this album, I wasn’t
expecting much. I expected a collection of pop singles, but what I got was a
carefully crafted story about infidelity and power told through everything from
reggae to soul. On the surface the album is about Beyonce having to deal with
her husband being unfaithful during their marriage (whether or not that
actually happened doesn’t matter). She grieves through her music and goes from rage
to sorrow to hopelessness in a matter of songs. All of this was accompanied by
the albums visual component which not only gave certain songs new context but
shined a light on a bigger issue plaguing Beyonce: the mistreatment of Black
women. While upset at her own martial problems, she smartly used this as a
chance to talk about vindication of all Black women everywhere. This is a call
to arms encouraging her sisters not to let people (especially not their
partners) walk all over them. It is a beautiful statement coming from the most
cherished woman currently in the music business. By the albums end she wraps it
up by forgiving the man who wronged her, showing the burden of being the better
person never falls on perpetrator, and once again solidifies herself as a type
of role model for the very women she fights so hard to give voice to.
Emily’s D+Evolution-
Esperanza Spalding
Esperanza
Spalding is one of my favorite artists in music right now. A self-taught Jazz
Bassist from Portland, Spalding was the first Jazz artist to ever win the “Best
New Artist” award at the Grammys. So far her musical career has consisted
mostly of Latin and contemporary Jazz with some Neo-Soul thrown in for fun, but
her latest album is a hard turn in a new direction. Now her neo-soul has been
replaced with funk and rock, giving her music a bite that it did not have
previously. This isn’t to say the music is no longer beautiful, it still very
much is, but now she has proved that she can expand her sound and make an
incredible album drawing from influences many people did not even know she had.
She has stated in interviews that this album is meant to be a sort of spiritual
release, and Emily is another part of her that she let loose during the making
of the project. This lead to the album taking on a more chaotic and raw sound,
since Emily was all about experimenting with new ways to express herself. The
pianos and keys we are so used to have been replaced with electric guitar riffs
and dynamic vocal work. Without any warning, Spalding changed up her entire
musical image and aesthetic in order to satisfy her own cravings as an artist,
and ending up crafting one of the most powerful musical projects this year.
