The Urban Retro Playlist

Yeah lets flash back to 2011 one of the years that produced the best rap albums. I remember this year so well there were too many good albums out there, the competition was so much though there is an album I consider to be the best that yet but that’s beside the point. SO real quick I would list the albums that came out that year and then I would talk about them briefly

Lasers

 This was nice album by Lupe Fiasco he had a lot of songs from this album on radios and on t.v It could be said that it was commercial but I really like it though, with songs like: The Show Goes On, Words I Never Said, I don’t wanna care right now, Outta My Head and many more I really felt the album and I also liked the people he choose to feature from Trey Songs to John Legend Chipmunk I was a really nice album to vibe to and He didn't lose his Lupe feel on the album.

Cold World: Sideline Story

Well this was the first J.Cole album I listened to fully and truthfully it was because of the song “Who that” when I heard he produced it himself I was really intrigued (Because of the drums men, the drums) and I wanted more so I listened to the album and I became a fan. But, I think he likes to be too monotonous with his work, He should feature people more and work with more producers. But really dope tracks were on this album like Mr. Nice Watch, Can’t Get Enough, Work Out, In The Morning. His story telling is also too good I have to mention that.

Finally Famous

Yeah I really didn't know what to expect when my friend gave me this album to listen to but I ended up liking it though. He just had this kinda cocky playful swag going on and I was feeling it though and he had a number of hits off this album. The he was able to tell stories well like from the songs Memories, Don’t tell me you love and get it. He also had a lot of good features on the Album with people like Kanye West, Chris Brown, Lupe Fiasco and other guys. Then popular songs  like My Last, I Do It & Dance(A$$).

Rolling Papers

I had heard a lot of Wiz Khalifa songs at the time I mean the guy just kept on rolling out song after song Like No Sleep, Black and Yellow, On My Level, Roll Up so I just decided to listen to the full album. I dint realize how good the album was until like some time this year, The guy has a different understanding of music and he has the Snoop Dogg flow in him. Then the guy has too many songs that can escalate you my personal favorite being Top Floor you should listen to it with really good speaker you would get what I’m saying.

Tha Carter IV

Let me start by saying comparing this album to Tha Carter III was what really made people to think this album was a letdown. I actually took my time to listen to the album again after it came out and the hype had died down the album was chilled surprisingly my favorite song was the Intro/interlude/Outro the kind of guys weezy was able to get for the album though but I do not think he really arranged the features his tracks very well that was like his main problem he should have spread the guys of the outro well. But he still had some tight songs like John, Mirrors, President Carter and How To Love.

Take Care

I want to start by saying the album was not purely a rap album but the guy killed it too much entirely. He made the mix with the whole emo and the rapper guy mix well but sometimes he just sounded bitter. Other than that it was crazy. Then Kendrick’s Buried Alive Verse DAMN! Drake had a lot of nice jams like HYFR, Headlines, Crew Love, Take Care and some I’m not mentioning. I would say again this was a very good album only short of great because he was singing too much, but that’s just my own opinion.

Hell the Sequel

Starring Bad Meets Evil Eminem and Royce Da 5’9 made one of the only two collaborative albums on this list. If you've been listening to Eminem or you listen to him normally your reaction should be “ooooo, he has come again, why now?” He came in with… I don’t even know how to explain him. Then Royce Though I usually just heard him from slaughter house freestyles and I could recognize his voice but I never really knew how hard he could go until I heard the album he was usually keeping up well with Eminem and well Boy so Bad. A lot of “wicked” tracks of this album like Fast Lane, I'm On Everything, Loud Noises and Lighters just to mention a few.

Section 80

I would not lie I did not listen to this album in 2011 I listened to it after I listened to The GOOD kid maad city album. After listening to that late in 2012 I was hungry for more Kendrick Lamar projects I've listened to six of his works since then but that’s beside the point. In my own opinion this is where he really fully discovered his direction, the whole deep guy thing he has going on this I where he polished it very well. It wasn't a playful album at all; I’m guessing he really knew what he wanted to say and he just went out and said it. The guy had me with the Ab Soul’s outro that’s the song you should listen to first to really grab the Hiiipower movement he was talking about. Then Rigamortus was another crazy track entirely I can’t even begin to explain the tracks individually you should just go and listen to the album.

Watch the Throne

Starring The Throne: Kanye West & Jay Z. Firstly I want to start by saying AHHHHHH!!! These guys just vexed and lowkey made the craziest album that year and refused to feature many people. Instead they just went and got crazy producers and weird ass concepts. Like Kanye should have spaced this album from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy he just put the two works of art too close together is the only problem I can identify. The first thing that took me was the album art, shii. I’ve seen the real physical one it’s just too crazy. Then they featured only Frank Ocean, Beyoncé, Curtis Mayfield, Otis Reading & Mr. Hudson asin no rapper or main stream guy they just wanted to hug the spotlight. The luckiest person to be featured was Frank Ocean because Kanye listened to his Nostalgia, ULTRA mixtape he did that same year and became a fan and wanted to work with him. That aside the whole mixtures of themes just went too well on the album and the instruments they used were just I don’t know how to say it. Kanye really worked hard slyed his guys and just kept all the production projects he embarked on for himself and Jay Z then the just went harrrd on it together. Then a lot of production for the album was done in hotel rooms because he was angry that on his previous album the one just before Watch the Throne people were leaking his work. If I keep talking about the things that went on this topic would just be too long. Straight to the songs a lot of amazing songs were on this album like No Church In The Wild, Niggas In Paris, Otis & Murder To Excellence just to mention a few. But if you are able to go through the albums booklet there are some controversial images. But I guess the controversy is one of the things that they enjoy and leaves them in the public’s eye. 

Honorable mentions

Ambition - Wale

The Red Album - The Game

Camp - Childish Gambino

My Super C Season - Naeto C

M.I2: The Movie - M.I

Everybody Loves Ice Prince - Ice Prince

This post is only about the albums I have fully listened to.