![]() ![]() Meek Mill, ‘Dreams Worth More Than Money’Ĭut out all the peripheral noise surrounding troubled rapper Meek Mill, like his inability to stay out of legal trouble, his ill-conceived "beef" with Drake and his tendency to weigh down his albums with gauche attempts at radio airplay like "All Eyes on You," his googly eyed duet with paramour Nicki Minaj (and Chris Brown officiating the ceremony). ![]() He feels no shock, leaving that for his listeners. His lyrics are full of paranoia, drug abuse and depression, punctuated by a disturbing comfort with the tools of bloodshed. Perhaps his core talent is to convey violence in a way that feels honest, which makes his competition seem mediated, dishonest, even exploitative. But his words are artful, his language creative, his slang unique, his lyrics full of unexpected twists and turns, his verses full of rigorous discipline that never allows for a wasted line. Bladadah was, by a hair, the most substantial of his solo projects, from the Paid In Full-sampling title track to the lush morbidity of "Love Slidin." It takes time feel the definition of his sound. ![]() Over four solo records and multiple collaborative releases, Mozzy jumped from an obscure mixtape rapper from a forgotten rap city – Sacramento – to one of the genre's true shooting stars. Lots of rappers were prolific in 2015, but none were as consistent as Mozzy. On "No You Ain't," he raps: "I'm a Eighties baby/The best MC lately? Maybe." In London parlance: Safe. JME's bars are multitudinous, stick sharp and funny, varying from road brags to exhortations of his veganism to anthems that offer a good argument for unionizing grime MCs ("The Money," featuring Wiley). Globally, no one had a better year than Skepta's brother JME, whose third studio album exemplified why grime has stayed vital: malleability and nimbleness have enabled it to keep its raw roots, to the point where Integrity>'s second track, "96 Fuckries," is actually a single from 2012 but still sounds hulking and anti-gravity-chamber futuristic. Stateside, no one had a bigger year than Skepta, whose collaborations with Kanye and Drake (and boots-down touring schedule) cracked the mainstream consciousness for the first time since the mid Aughts. It was a banner year in British grime, with veteran artists putting down some of the best work of their careers, and the underground pirate radio stations that nurture it experiencing a resurgence both terrestrially and online. The epic story of an artist's rise against the odds is baked into hip-hop's DNA Boosie is one rapper whose music – and life – affirms this narrative's power while shattering the fairy tale. Yet from a creative perspective, it reaches for the commercial gold ring without compromising Boosie's essence: an expressive voice that radiates pathos, and a story in which mythic triumph and cold, ambiguous realism are locked in permanent battle. Touchdown 2 Cause Hell, his official major label album and first in nearly five years, sold well, but remained an underground phenomenon, with no major hits. Later in the year, he was diagnosed with cancer, for which half of his kidney was surgically removed. He also faced serious health concerns: At his first New York show, Boosie – who is diabetic – became sick on stage after a few minutes and couldn't perform. D.D.īoosie Badazz emerged from a prison-induced hiatus to a hero's welcome in 2014, releasing the acclaimed Life After Deathrow tape and hitting stages across the country. But his real strength is a rap style in which conflicting moods of anxiety and confidence, strength and vulnerability all coexist and collide. Nothing was lost in the transition: songs like the narrative "Ricky Killer" and lyrical exercise "Just Bars" are both contiguous with his wider story, and powerful songs in their own right. This step came in large part from his interest in newer rhythmic patterns, as his style evolved from the longer lines and fluid delivery in the lineage of T.I. With 2015's Cinco De Money, he locates a new sound, one suggesting musical savvy to match his topical depth. His early work showed extreme promise, with a sense for narrative detail that gave his stories an authentic, lived-in feeling. Ty is a nimble street rapper from Harvey, Illinois, a downtrodden suburb to Chicago's south. Despite his moniker's resemblance to Ty Dolla $ign, Ty Money is working from a completely different playbook. ![]()
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