This is nothing more than my personal favorite list for 2007. I'm not trying to beat Pitchfork or mirror Pitchfork. I'm not trying to give a comprehensive review of rap music. I'm only listing my personal favorites: the albums that truly made a difference this year, the ones that have some kind of staying power and will still find their way into my CD player at this time next year. These are the albums that affected me, and by sharing this list, I hope that they might affect you as well. Without further ado, here is my top ten of 2007.

1. Lil Wayne - Da Drought 3

How couldn't this be the top album of the year? Is there anything that hasn't already been said of this double disc that I can add? How about this: Da Drought 3 is not only the best album of the year, it will be remembered as one of the greatest releases of this decade--something to go down in rap history, next to other classic discs from the 90s such as Ready to Die or Aquemini. Yeah, I said it.

The album signals the beginning of something new, a significant return to lyricism and creativity, as well as a rebirth and new direction for southern rap. With Da Drought 3, Lil Wayne gave everyone a peek beyond the borders of What Rap Music Can Be, and he did it for free. This disc still exists online, without charge, and is accessible to you at any time. A musical triumph, intensely fun, endlessly repeatable and forever whimsical: it is Lil Wayne at his crowd pleasing best. The word apotheosis was invented for moments like Da Drought 3.

2. Amon Tobin - Foley Room

From Brazilian composer Amon Tobin's brain comes Foley Room, an album composed entirely of the random bits of noise floating around in all of our brains. Amon Tobin took the time to adhere those noises into something coherent, and called it Foley Room, after the special sound-effects studios used by movie theaters for soundtracks. Tobin created every sample used on the record himself. Using high-intensity microphones he recorded everything from roaring tigers to the sound of ants munching grass, and out of that, he manufactured a 50-minute long dreamspace.

3. A-Trak - Dirty South Dance

Forget Girltalk. This is the mashup album of the year. Handed out from the stage at SXSW earlier this summer, this 5000 copy limited release disc is a piece of booty-shaking brilliance. A-Trak (Kanye West's DJ) created a masterpiece electronica and dirty south, mashing together songs from the likes of Yung Joc, Simian Mobile Disco, Rick Ross, and more. This CD is infinitely pleasurable to listen to from start to finish, and becomes more rewarding with each repeat. You'll want to be standing up for it, preferably holding a drink and near someone to grind on.

4. Blue Scholars - Bayani

The Blue Scholars were the underground success of the year. Seattle's activist duo of Geo and Sabzi created an honest record showcasing their feelings about topics ranging from the War in Iraq, to immigration and even the WTC riots of a decade ago. The sounds are purely Pacific Northwest underground--deep, melodic and slow-rolling--and after having interviewed and seen the two in concert, I can say that Bayani is a product of blood and sweat more than a few years.

5. Justice - †

Who doesn't like this album? It's any easy pick to make, handing out props to the French dance duo for Cross, but it seems right. I can't count how many times I've repeated their spastic techno bleepers in my headphones, dreaming of somewhere far from my desk.

6. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

Though I'm not all that qualified to critique music from this genre, I can at least praise it. I found Spoon's release Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga to be one of the most fun, enjoyable albums of the year from any artist. The sound they bring smacks of 50s nostalgia and deals with topics close to the heart. It's tight, practiced and beautiful in every way. I love it, and now acknowledge that there is something to Billy DeFrain's fandom with this Austin four-piece.

7. Busta Rhymes & J. Dilla - Dillagence

Man. This album just dropped and seems something like an accident: Busta Rhymes appears from left-field with a fistful of J. Dilla tracks that he's all of a sudden decided to spit over--and they're great. It's a return to form for Busta, who has been in somewhat of a career-lull (they happen when you've been in the game for 20+ years), and it makes me a lot more excited for whatever he's got coming next. Perhaps the album is a bit more real because Busta is rapping over music from his deceased friend, J.Dilla, a man Busta called "the best producer." That's a big statement from Bus-a-Bus, but I can't disagree with him. Do yourself a favor and get a copy of this gem--it's free, after all.

8. Lil Wayne - Carter III Sessions

We all know the story by now: Lil Wayne, working on the third installment of his Carter series of albums, has a CD full of masters taken from his car by an overzealous valet and subsequently leaked to the net. Weezy didn't get mad, he just let it go and headed back to the studio to make some more tracks.

The group of songs on this CD represents only a tiny portion of the material Wayne put together for The Carter III, with more leaked tracks showing up on Da Drought is Over, Part 4. Both sets of songs are genius. Weezy departs from the whimsical, unstructured style that was so apparent on Da Drought 3 and Lil Weezy Ana Vol. 1, instead focusing on more concrete topics and adding choruses as well as branching out in his style (see: "I Feel Like Dying" and all of the 80s rock samples). It's a great disc for the experienced Wayne listener, and if it had come out as a studio album--as it had been slated--it may have landed much higher on this list.

I wanted to include all of the leaked Carter III tracks in this pick, but they were split over a few different mixtapes, so I had to take the first, and strongest release. In the words of The Empire, it's not for the weak hearted!

9. Pharaoh Monch - Desire

Monch has always been one of my favorite MCs, and unlike longtime pal Mos Def, he hasn't fallen off. Desire is true to his roots and sound, and he sticks with the deep, emotionally-bruising topics that have been a mainstay in each of his releases. This is an amazing album.

10. Ghostface - The Big Doe Rehab

Ghost rounds out my top 10. For the past few years, every CD he's dropped has been a winner, and this is no exception. There's not much new here in terms of style--he sticks with the same production that had heads nodding on Fishscale and More Fish, but his delivery hasn't blunted at all in the time between the releases. He's sharp, angry and still playing the part of Tony Starks. Ghostface: the definition of NYC hip-hop since before most of us understood what hip-hop even was.

Honorable Mentions

Spank Rock & Benny Blanco - Bangers & Cash
Diamond - Bitch Music
UGK - Underground Kingz
Thunderheist - Thunderheist Promo
Talib Kweli - Ear Drum
Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals
Alchemist - Rapper's Best Friend

Year's Worst

Kanye - Graduation
Lupe Fiasco - DIdn't put anything out but still awful

Yeah, the hate in my blood is thick. So that does it for my top 10 of 2007. I'm slightly disappointed in my picks: I know that I've been a bit more insulated this year than I was last, but I stand behind each of the albums I've held out to you. Go download, buy, steal or whatever you have to do to get a hold of these--and then bump them! Happy holidays.

brett at 08:58 AM on November 30, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (2)

Well, this could be the most ridiculous news item of the Winter. Meet 2008's Green Car of the Year!

Yes, 2008's Green Car of the Year is actually an SUV. A 5,000 pound V8-powered SUV that can carry 8 passengers and tow 6,000 pounds. It gets about 21 miles per gallon in the city. Green car of the year, indeed. All I can really do is shake my head in wonderment at the strange place I live.

brett at 10:39 AM on November 27, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Lil Wayne released the first mixtape for his newest group, Bad Ass Grasshopper. Yeah, that's right, Bad Ass Grasshopper (I can't believe I actually just wrote that).

I guarantee you've never heard anything like this before--Weezy's just having fun now, and after hearing this I think we can safely say that he's certifiably insane. If his mixes get any stranger, he's going to enter Kool Keith territory. Get your download on.

For a slight bit of context, imagine if an artist like Jay-Z or 50 Cent, someone at the apex of national fame, had--during an inebriated aside--stated that he was coming out with a new group called Bad Ass Grasshopper, and that the "first album is gonna be called 'Put the Party in the B.A.G.,' but the first single is going to be called 'Rap, Rock & R&B.'" (And by the way, their music is a muddled amalgamation of the three genres). If you had heard Jay stand up and say that, you would have laughed--but imagine now that he had actually followed through on the project, and that the music was nearly as ludicrous as the initial statement. Well, that's exactly what Lil Wayne did--and the album is free, again, as always. Anyone else keeping count on how many albums dude has given us this year? You're going to need two hands to count it out. Middle finger to the RIAA.

During that initial interview--widely quoted online--he goes on to say that he doesn't care if the fans are prepared for it or not; because he is.

brett at 08:42 AM on November 26, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Hi there. I'm trying to update my entire contact list before I leave Nebraska, so if you're reading this and you are my friend, then you owe me an e-mail. Send me any contact info you'd like: your mailing address, phone number, e-mail, AIM, etc. I'd really appreciate it. Hook me up.

brett at 09:40 AM on November 16, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0)