For Nas, it happened on God's Son. Send Report. David Bowie, Blackstar Released on his 69th birthday, just two days before cancer claimed his life, David Bowie knew full well Blackstar would be his swan song. Many consider the album to rqp the best in his catalog, and the production and overall concept of the LP was quite brilliant. Konichiwa Records.

Music may be the driving force that has powered hip-hop over the years, but one aspect of the culture that is as prevalent and important as the beats and rhymes about life is the art inspired by it. Sure, an album or song can be dope, but if the actual artwork on the cover isn't up to snuff, it takes away a bit of the luster and the overall experience. It can also attract a casual listener who may not be familiar with a particular artist or group, but is drawn to the artwork enough to give the music a chance see Griselda Records' output.

In a genre as competitive as rap, having a dope or intriguing album cover has always been a bragging right, with the top artists in the game going to great lengths to ensure the look of the packaging mirrored the vibe of the music. A lot happened in the s remember when planking was a thing?! In fact, it feels like so much has happened that it's easy to focus on all the crazy things and forget all of the good stuff — and the music that's been released in the past decade is definitely some good stuff.

Streaming has completely changed not only how we consume music, but how artists create music. Many artists also have more creative control over their work than ever before, which has led to some serious masterpieces being created in the last ten years.

We've rounded up the albums with the most innovative sounds — artists whose work will stand up in the years to come beyond being a time capsule of the s. None of them sound the same, yet they share an original and timeless quality that will ensure their legacy stands the test of time. In no particular order, here are the albums from the s that will never go out of style.

Fiercely protective of her privacy, Queen Bey hasn't given an on-camera interview since before promoting The Lion King earlier this year. Then, Lemonade gave us a visually stunning album that combines dance, spoken word poetry, and original music to tell a narrative about betrayal, revenge, and forgiveness.

With this album's wholly original "maximalist' sound Best Rap Albums Of 2010s Ed and sincere meditation on ego and fame, there's no denying Kanye West is as frustrating and he is innovative. He has since launched a fashion line, lead pop-up church services, and made a laundry list of questionable decisions — but My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy remains his masterpiece.

We have come to expect reinvention from Taylor Swift. With each consecutive album, she either Best Rap Albums Of 2010s Class playing into or against a public persona that's been forged by tabloid-fodder. But Best Rap Albums Of 2010s Live it's 's that plays to all of Swift's strengths: catchy synth-heavy sounds, tongue-in-cheek lyrics that wink at her public relationships, and unabashed bubble-gum pop music.

It felt like there was a seismic shift in the pop music landscape when Adele released her soulful, blues-inspired sophomore album, all inspired by one relationship. While the charts had been mostly dominated by dance music in the previous decades, Adele's aching and timeless ballads on 21 changed what we expected from modern pop songs. Even after his more somber follow-up, Blonde, Frank Ocean's debut album still feels as startlingly original as it did when it was released in 2o Channel Orange combines musical styles like funk, psychedelics, and jazz Best Rap Album Covers Of The 2010s Game to convey stories about unrequited love like "Thinkin Bout You" and the haunting "Bad Religion.

Remember when we knew Lady Gaga as the girl in the meat dress? In , still a ways away from becoming Ally Maine, Gaga was at the peak of her avant-garde work. Lyrically and thematically out there, the elctro-dance album probably wouldn't have worked if it didn't have its underlying message of self-acceptance and empathy. You would be forgiven for thinking that the album that catapulted her to fame, Golden Hour, is Texas-born Musgrave's first album, but its actually a reinvention of sorts.

But Wiz Khalifa has been able to parlay his poppy, laid back sing-alongs into a deal with Atlantic, and to celebrate Khalifa turned out his first front-to-back solid mixtape. Young Jeezy feels like an artist who, by default, should be one of the most resilient in the game. His voice is so titanically unique as to be inimitable, and his angle to trapping so uniquely angled it seems almost impossible for him to be anywhere but on top as long as trap music remains relevant.

With that in mind, and his upcoming TM mired in label drama, Jeezy decided to return to his roots mixtape-wise as well. In the process, he nearly crafted the release of his career. Most notable is how hungry Jeezy feels.

He rarely invites guests to join him for Trap or Die II , relying on two Bun B features, Scarface, Trick Daddy, Clipse, Plies, and Birdman to help diversify the 22 tracks offered here, but even more surprising is how rarely he needs the help.

The status of TM is still very much up in the air many months later, but Trap or Die II may as well have been the album anyway. Stakes are high for J. Friday Night Lights , his third, takes stock of himself, his career, and his chances to maximize his potential.

But a lot of these releases have been mired by so-so beats and Starlito letting his worst tendencies get the better of him. Not so with Renaissance Gangster. At only 11 tracks and 42 minutes, the album is exceptionally compact by hip-hop standards. There are still some problems that most mixtapes inherit just by their nature. Incoherent styles of production, songs that end before their time, DJs hyping themselves endlessly. But with the rise of Internet distributors like Live Mixtapes and the New Music Cartel, the past two years have seen artists making a conscious effort to improve the mixtape experience.

The tape was better than most albums last year, and the Str8 Killa duo arrives as a similar gift from the gods. What makes the guy so appealing is that he approaches the mic with the sort of gangsta bravado required of most hip-hop artists, but he deftly balances it with an extremely warm heart and a desire to make life better for himself and his peers.

In a year when Definitive Jux has gone on hiatus and Fat Beats has packed up its snail mail addresses for the greener pixels of its online presence, a healthy love of downloadable mixtapes makes a lot of sense. Most of them are free. Yet, the fact that mixtapes are often more anticipated, more exciting, and even more satisfying than traditional releases is remarkable. It is perhaps a return to the original block party that pushes the DJs back to the fore as mediator between hot new material and eager listeners.

Still, free music has been accompanied by a robust work ethic, but instead of hustling tapes out of car trunks like in the old days, artists took to the tools at hand, or fingertip: Facebook, Twitter, Bandcamp, and blogs.

Meanwhile, Madlib churned out monthly Medicine Shows. Oddisee released seasonal EPs and travel-themed instrumentals. Quite a few producers emerged from the background to take on microphone duties. Some of these we were familiar with, like Black Milk and Kanye West. Some we were glad to get to know better, like Kno and Nottz. Others took us by surprise, like Big K. In addition to collaborating, we noticed producers who were experimenting with a wider range of techniques, song structures, and instruments.

With Minaj, when was the last time a release by a female rapper was so highly anticipated? Where will things go? Or sleeker, smoother, more pared down, like Big K. Mainstream or underground? Old or new school?

Sociopolitical or house party? This year it was all of the above. Skip to content Search for:. TAGS alternative hip-hop best hip-hop best music best music of big boi big k. The 15 Best World Music Albums of

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