Before we get started, rest easy to the following artists we lost in 2021: MF DOOM, Double K, The Gift of Gab, Shock G, Biz Markie and Zumbi. May your music bump for a thousand years. Now, on with the show...
In a year with the longest list of new music I couldn't listen to before the clock struck midnight (and I had a deadline to submit a chart), I'm still proud of this list. Given the absolute spoil of audio riches, I don't think anyone is undeserving of recognition. These are artists whose styles best catered to my individual tastes after all. But as more and more musicians are finding their respected voices and audiences each passing year, I'm very glad to have found this art.
It’s time for the Forces Of Obvious Luck Top Ten Hip-Hop releases of 2021:
(In no particular order - unless you count the alphabet as a particular order.)
Aesop Rock x Blockhead - Garbology (Rhymesayers Entertainment)
How can I be more complementary than those who've verbosely sang Aesop Rock's praises over 25 years? I can't, so I'll let the man himself share a couplet from his latest album:
"You laughing because I'm different, I'm laughing 'cause you the same.
I been discovering a distant corner of the human brain."
Yep, that's a glimpse into Aesop with two bars. Bond that unworldly wordsmith wizard with the mystical beat composer known as Blockhead and you have 'Garbology'.
When Aesop fumbled a few artful attempts to pick up the pieces after a friend's death, he called on a longtime friend and old time collaborator to reunite. Blockhead provided full circle closure with coincidental nods to his work on Aesop's 2000 full-length debut 'Float'. Just more syrupy, refined and mature. While the two-decades apart projects both gave Aesop a shelter to fashion and unload his ricocheting philosophies, 'Garbology' was a more contemplative, third eye escape from a storm. Calmed by Blockhead's fluttering soundscapes, the sometimes over-it-all emcee sociologically pondered looking outward and posed questions he answered inwardly on last year's phenomenal 'Spirit World Field Guide' solo release [my #1 album of 2020].
Standout track: That is Not a Wizard
Afro Cluster - The Reach (self-released)
Pressure and release. Tension and relief. A controlled frenzy strategically swelling to an intended zenith. This was my first impression of Afro Cluster. And I wanted another burst! A nine-piece Welsh Afro Funk / Hip-Hop band with a colossally stout sound, Afro Cluster's tight arrangements cleverly left room to take a breath or two. All members got chances to step out and strut but the natural frontman, emcee Skunkadelic, commanded the album. His honest and down-to-earth, dry sarcasm mixed masterfully with the rhythm section and call-response interplay of the horns.
Some compositions veered towards being too buttoned up given the raw lyrical subject matter and skilled players, but that reserved nature built to several crescendo payoffs, including for the album's ultimate message and final track, "Young Shall Grow".
Standout track: Young Shall Grow (feat. Magugu and Asha-Jane)
David Begun - The PharTribe (self-released)
Why settle for one wonderous discography when you can harmoniously weave two into a cohesive and engrossingly fun mashup? New Hampshire composer and deejay David Begun has been churning out projects at a breakneck pace recently, but his crown jewel [so far] reimaged A Tribe Called Quest acapellas with Pharcyde instrumentals. A double dose of nostalgia, Begun combined both group's best vibes into something way too natural to not be somehow original - a supreme credit to the remixing maestro. Despite touring together in 1994 and becoming friends, the two groups never officially worked on a track. Luckily, this project reached back to capture the playful, jazzy and outright funky youthful exuberance of Ali, Phife, Tip, Bootie, Fat Lip, Imani and Slimkid. In other words, it was the People's Midnight Ride to the Bizarre Low End Cabin. No need for a deep breakdown of two sets of songs many heads already know and love, just enjoy them together.
Standout track: Soul Clap
Damu the Fudgemunk - Conversation Peace (Def Pressé)
With an invite to delve into the KPM Musichouse archives - a UK-based production library with 30,000+ releases that dates back to 1830(!) - Damu the Fudgemunk came away with a new world of sound to recraft. Nothing new for this F.O.O.L. year end list stalwart though. But on this go-around, his trademark journeys felt less methodical and more free. Did the DC MPC master abandon his road map for sake of moving forward while upholding a sense of heritage? Hard to guess, but easy to lose yourself in his stacked soundscape layers.
A select squad of guest emcees helped vocalize the album's vision and realize its destination. Enlisting frequent collaborators Insight, Blu and Raw Poetic while also linking up with Nitty Scott for the first time, Damu's friends narrated the excursion with flourishes to match his percussive flare. Never one to go on cruise control, Damu again arranged a lucid trip.
Standout track: Power of Mind (feat. Raw Poetic)
KOTA the Friend & Statik Selektah - To Kill a Sunrise (FLTBYS LLC)
Sometimes music is easy to timestamp; artists paint themselves into one fleeting moment with lyrical references that won't mean much down the road or trendy beats that'll lack replay value. KOTA the Friend doesn't clock into either realm. Even with an almanac, it's hard to place 'To Kill a Sunrise' on the calendar. Calling an album 'timeless' the year it was released is beyond cliché, but this DYI BK, multi-track multi-tasker has the poetic spirit and refined palette to age gracefully and confidently. Statik Selektah's Midas touch of Jazz doesn't hurt either. The chemistry was instant and really highlighted KOTA's vocals. Through relatable personal topics, KOTA's syncopated flow was easy to digest but the complex nature of his narratives - even within a simple delivery - will keep listeners engaged. He touched on more than enough rough patches, but this album's mood was so smooth and peaceful that you can't help but know KOTA found solace by the end.
Standout track: Day Glow
Little Simz - Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (AGE 101)
Heralded by theatrical fanfare, London emcee and actor Little Simz stepped out unapologetically herself on 'Sometimes I Might Be Introvert'. An acronym for her first name [Simbi] and a statement of intent, Simz connected with a lot of individuals in 2021 thanks to her compelling expressions, baring her deepest inner emotions. A born empath and quiet leader with loud tendencies to inspire, she turned her personal and family stories into an empowering march that others can use as a beacon to overcome.
Balancing anxiety and despair with joy and hope while musically embracing her Nigerian and West African roots (thanks to album producer Inflo, best known for his work with the mysterious London Soul dynamo SAULT), Simz boldly proclaimed, "Honesty is in my bones, I can't do the fake."
Standout track: Introvert
Mega Ran - Live '95 (Needlejuice Records)
Occupying the coordinates on the Venn diagram where basketball, video games, comic books and pro wrestling meet in musical harmony is Mega Ran's calling card and scouting report. Mirroring a veteran sixth man known for instant offense, the versatile emcee, deejay, producer and author wasn't shy about stuffing the stat sheet with loaded verses on 'Live '95'. Maximizing his minutes [on his 11th solo album!], the former classroom teacher strongly chronicled the vital, decade-long relationship where Hip-Hop and hoops fully intertwined.
With a majority of the 14 tracks handled by DJ DN³, the production playbook flipped through some of the best elements that made 1990s Hip-Hop so influential: a well-executed fast break that occasionally flowed smoothly into a triangle offense. Mega Ran charmingly directed traffic from the point with a witty point atop a moving plate of accentuating beats while a lineup of unexpected guests (both rappers and former NBA all-stars) filled the lanes and finished at the rim each time.
But the glue that held this team together was Ran's storytelling; it could inspire any halftime lockeroom to bring home a hard-fought W. Uplifting, autobiographical timestamping is one of his hallmarks, but on 'Live '95' especially, the Philly native's storybook was on full display.
Standout track: Live '95 (Basketball Diaries)
Raw Poetic - Big Tiny Planet (Moore And Moore Music)
A man with such prolific habits and creative forces shouldn't be allowed to operate on this level. Yet... Raw Poetic keeps on expanding his spacy range. With co-pilot Damu the Fudgemunk riding shotgun, Raw Poetic blasted off for a World music influenced EP that radiated Cosmic Prog-Soul. Is that even a real genre? Well, 'Big Tiny Planet' made it a viable vibe in 2021 as Raw Poetic exhumed powerfully positive poetry that fit tautly within any melody.
Standout track: BIG tiny Universe
Sidewalk Chalk x Sam Trump - Sun-Filled Sky (self-released)
The seven-piece Chi-Town ensemble snuck out of the shade for a mid-summer single, and it was so infectious with its all day warm embrace, it broke the rule and topped my full album chart. A cleansing and purifying wash of guitar strums and divine organ rolls, Chalk personified a nod and a smile (with a stomach full of butterflies) for one joyful stretch towards the heavens. If you ever need a solstice-style pick me up, rotate around "Sun-Filled Sky".
Standout track: Sun-Filled Sky
Skyzoo - All the Brilliant Things (Mello Music Group)
Skzyoo has released a dozen mixtapes, a handful of EPs and marked 2021 with this tenth full-length album. (And that counts only the music he's written for himself!) That's surprising to this late pass rider. Skyzoo's been a constant fixture for 15+ years, but he might not be the headline attraction who stands out for one single reason.
Conversely, he is Brooklyn's steady and ongoing orator: a blunt, yet very reliable, firsthand witness to his communities. With roots proudly planted in the Soul and Jazz that built Hip-Hop's foundational sound, Skyzoo dropped listeners in the middle of a familiar place with a new perspective on 'All the Brilliant Things'. The sample work was excellent; the snappy percussion and bright brass notes helped authenticate the recontextualizations. Aaria's airy background vocals throughout also added to the nostalgic summer flavor. With a running refrain to reprise the album's theme of change, Skyzoo sowed densely packed and impressively stacked rhymes that looked back but stressed moving forward without lament. Ambitious without being too conceptual. Truly brilliant!
Standout track: Rich Rhetoric
HONORABLE MENTIONS
ALXNDRBRWN - Glow Kid (Strange Famous)
Atmosphere - WORD? (Rhymesayers Entertainment)
Marlon Craft - How We Intended (self-released)
R.A.P. Ferreira - the Light Emitting Diamond Cutter Scriptures (Ruby Yacht)
Wesley Joseph - ULTRAMARINE (EEVILTWINN)
Kuf Knotz & Christine Elise - Ké myōōnėdé (Community) (self-released)
Magna Carda - To The Good People (self-released)
Toussaint Morrison - Social Science Club (Urban Home Companion)
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If you enjoy any of these artists, tune into my radio program - Forces Of Obvious Luck Radio - live from KRBX Radio Boise every Thursday from 9:00 - 11:00 PM MT for more powerfully positive Jazzy Hip-Hop Soul just like this.
And in case you missed it, check out my 2020 Top Ten feature.
Final note: All of my friends' albums were disqualified from consideration. Personal bias and whatnot.
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