Justin's Best in Hip Hop 2010

What a tremendous year for hip hop; you will see from this list that from coast to coast and especially down south, there has been a renaissance of ill lyricism and equally impressive beat making. I was so impressed that I had to make a separate list for it. There are definitely a few names on here you know, but it's the newcomers that I demand you give a spin because they represent the future of the genre, and hip hop is in great hands!

#12 Childish Gambino - Culdesac

Most of you know him as Donald Glover, who plays Troy on tv's Community. Dude is hilarious, and he can rhyme extremely well. He put out this free album because when you're rich and famous you can do those kind of things. There is a line in "Do Ya Like" that nails his style perfectly "Hova with glasses, Weezy but geeky". His lyrics are never over the top; he comes across genuine and has some great punchlines. Donald is a major talent, this album proves it.

Track you should check out - The Last

#11 Dom Kennedy - From the Westside, With Love

Yet another free album that impressed me thoroughly. Shouts to Nahright.com and 2dopeboyz.com who help keep me up on the new artists like Dom. He represents Leimert Park in Cali and he embodies everything you want in a westcoast rapper. Too $hort is a strong influence, but Dom isn't nearly as dirty. His demeanor is very slick and his wordplay is very polished and syrupy. The beats sound like they were lifted off a UGK album, that's always a plus.

Track you should listen to - Locals Only

#10 Von Pea - Pea's Gotta Have It

1/3 of the rap trio, Tanya Morgan (yeah that's their name) is Von Pea and an album that feels a lot like De La Soul in their heyday. Lots of fun beats with Pea rhyming about girls and school but dropping slick bars that make sure you're paying attention.

Track you should listen to - There U Were

#9 Apollo Brown - The Reset

Apollo Brown is not a rapper, he's a producer from Detroit and he single-handedly put underground hip hop on his shoulders this year. He gathered some of the best underground emcee's in rap (Buff 1, Magestik Legend, Finale) and let them loose over his soulful beats. This is as far from Gucci Mane as you can get, and will never get played on mainstream radio which keeps heads like me happy.

Track you should listen to - Beauty of a Day

#8 Big Krit - Krit Wuz Here

Part of the new breed of do-it-all rapper/producers; out of Mississippi, Krit excels in both aspects. Definitely the product of the dirty south, he names Organized Noize, UGK, and Goodie Mob as major influences. He stays true to that dirty south sound while dropping very poignant verses about poverty and the everyday life that stems from financial despair. He has the skills to blow up, watch out for him.

Track you should listen to - Children of the World

#7 Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty

Daddy Fat Sax finally dropped his long awaited solo album and it was just as good as all of us Outkast fans thought it would be. Big, loud and funky is the best way to describe it; this was a perfect extension of his Speakerboxxx disc which essentially was a solo effort. He is the answer to Parliament-Funkadelic for the 2000's. It's hard to listen to each track and not hear Andre 3000 complimenting his flow, it's the only flaw to this tremendous album.

Track you should listen to - Shutterbugg

#6 The Roots - how i got over

I don't have to go into great detail of why The Roots are THE most important hip hop artists of the past 15 years, yep I said that. History will show that their discography is the most impressive and comprehensive the genre ever produced. While not their most groundbreaking album, it shows that they can be a studio band for Jimmy Fallon at night and still create important and thought provoking music. Black Thought is one of the top 5 living emcees. Respect.

Track you should listen to - Radio Daze

#5 The Left - Gas Mask

We have Apollo Brown again supplying stark production for Journalist 103 and DJ Soko, together they are The Left and this album is scary good. Every one of my top 5 albums on this list have all vied for my favorite album of this year, this one was a contender. Guest emcees like Kool G Rap and Guilty Simpson compliment Apollo's ominous beats, the sampled instrumentation he uses is phenomenal and got stuck in my head for days. This was the second best album for pure hip hop that came out all year.

Track you should listen to - How We Live

#4 Roc Marciano - Marcberg

Dirty, grimy, filthy, raw, unapologetic New York hip hop. I feel like I'm on the street corner when I listen to this album. Roc, like Krit, handles both rapper and producer duties and the results are ridiculous. Early Wu-Tang mixed with Boot Camp Clik are immediate comparisons, this album sounds like it came out in '95. PURE HEAT!

Track you should listen to - Snow

#3 Curren$y - Pilot Talk 1 & 2

Talk about a rapper who's had to pay his dues, he's lingered on No Limit and Cash Money Records for years, waiting for a shot that never came. He hooked up with legendary producer Ski Beats (Jay-Z, Camp Lo) and created 2 of the most solid and rewarding hip hop albums of 2010. His flow is like the weed smoke he raps about, it floats over Ski's psychedelic and hypnotic beats. They're excellent party records that don't have to be given full attention to be enjoyed. Along with Krit, southern hip hop is in good hands

Track you should listen to - Skybourne

#2 Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fanatsy

The fact that this album is coming in at number two, once again proves the strength of hip hop in 2010. There is no doubt that Mr. West created a truly original album that hip hop has never heard before. It mirrors his grand ego, for better and for worse. Kanye is a genius, and most genius' can be a little eccentric and self-indulgent. The 3 minutes of muffled auto-tune at the end of Runaway is completely unnecessary to me, and I'm pretty sure Kid Cudi has no business being on the same track with Raekwon on Gorgeous. With those lows come euphoric highs, like Kanye rhyming over RZA production, the guest heavy All of the Lights which features Elton John, and the extremely revealing, John Legend assisted Blame Game. Kanye keeps raising the bar for himself with every album and he is truly one of the most important artists of our lifetime.

Track you should listen to - Devil In a New Dress

#1 Celph Titled & Buckwild - Nineteen Ninety Now

What is that you say, who are these guys you say? HIP HOP! That's who they are. Buckwild is a legendary producer who worked with one of the most revered hip hop collectives in history D.I.T.C. (Diggin In The Crates). D.I.T.C featured Fat Joe, Big L, Lord Finesse, and Diamond D to name a few. Celph Titled is a part of Demigodz which features heavy hitters like Apathy and Louis Logic. Together Celph and Buck create the perfect marriage of clever rhymes and classic east coast boom bap. Apparently Buck had these ridiculous beats sitting around for well over a decade and Celph murdered every one. Like Marcberg, this album has a classic nineties sound, which was the apex of hip hop. The true test of a classic album is the replay factor, Celph's bars and Buck's beats are still as fresh as the day I first heard them. This is the greatest hip hop album I've heard in over a decade, truth.

Track you need to listen to - All of them.