Top 50 Albums of 2013: 50-31

My list is 50 albums this year because I couldn’t fathom making just a top 20, 25, 30, etc. list.

Ten years ago 1993 was ending, the best year hip-hop has ever seen, maybe until this passed one.  2013 came strong and every album on this top 50 list did the same.  If you haven’t heard the album refer to the “Must Listen Rating” that’ll tell you how culturally significant, underrated, original, and/or unexpected the release was before you go and download 50 albums.

Save Yo Time Section

While both The Internet’s Feel Good and Toro Y Moi’s Anything in Return were both incredible, incredible I say!, they won’t be on this list for a lot of complicated reasons I don’t feel like explaining but when I say incredible I mean incredible so bump them if that’s your thing.

I made a quick look through at all the year end best albums list and some of them were really truly and embarrassingly terrible.  So if that’s what you’re looking for I can assure you Migos’ Young Rich Niggas won’t be anywhere on this list and you will not see Nothing Was the Same or The Marshall Mathers LP 2, because this is not a list of the 50 albums that radio DJ’s liked the best so if you’re here to see where they ranked on my list I’m saving you some time.  They don’t.  Also A$AP Ferg’s Trap Lord isn’t on here I know you all were smitten with trap music but I’m still kinda hoping it was a bad dream.

0-10: absolute garbage, 11-20 terrible, 21- 30 bad, 31- 40 passable, 41-50 okay, 51-60 good, 61-70 great, 71-80 amazing, 81-90 classic, 91-99 legendary, 100 It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back!

If two albums have the same rating the tie breaker is the “Must Listen Rating”

50. King Remember in Time- Big K.R.I.T.

Favorite Track(s): Shine On, Serve this Royalty, King Without a Crown,

Least Favorite Track: WTF

Best Instrumental: My Trunk (Prod. Big K.R.I.T.)

X-Factor: No it’s not the best release from the southern MC but it has a jazzy feel that’s new to his canon.

Rating: 48

Must Listen Rating: 2/10

49. Stay Trippy- Juicy J

Favorite Track(s): Stop It, Bounce It ft. Trey Songz & Wale, Wax, Scholarship ft. A$AP Rocky

Least Favorite Track: Talkin’ Bout ft. Chris Brown & Wiz Khalifa

Best Instrumental: Wax (Prod. Juicy J)

X-Factor: Juicy J is the either the smartest idiot ever or the dumbest genius of all time.  I don’t know, decide for yourself.

Rating: 51

Must Listen Rating: 2/10

48. Albert Einstein- Prodigy & Alchemist

Favorite Track(s): Death Sentence ft. Roc Marciano, Bible Paper, The One ft. Action Bronson

Least Favorite Track: Lmdkv

Best Instrumental: Dough Pildin (Prod. The Alchemist)

X-Factor: No, Prodigy is not the best rapper out but the gritty beats work well with his old NYC flow and as 2013 proved the rapper-producer duo is the best thing since sliced bread and condoms not made from pig intestine.

Rating: 53

Must Listen Rating: 4/10

47. The War Within- Wreckonize

Favorite Track(s): Paper Trails ft. Benz, Anxiety Attacks, Adrenaline ft. Crooked I

Least Favorite Track: Floating Away

Best Instrumental: Adrenaline (Prod. Seven)

X-Factor: Don’t let the low ranking fool you, this kid can spit and honestly this was one of my favorite albums of the year despite being at 47.

Rating: 53

Must Listen Rating: 8/10

46. She Got Game- Rapsody

Favorite Track(s): Dark Knights ft. Wale, Lonely Thoughts ft. Chance the Rapper, Generation ft. Mac Miller, Jedi Code ft. Phonte & Jay Electronica

Least Favorite Track: Complacent ft. Problem

Best Instrumental: Dark Knights (Prod. E. Jones)

X-Factor: Rapsody is in fact the best female rapper out so give her a listen it’ll be a nice change of pace from all the songs about fucking bitches.  Also get the deluxe edition without Drama on it, Drama is the fucking worst.

Rating: 54

Must Listen Rating: 9/10

45. More Missed Calls- Add-2

Favorite Track(s): The Almighty Add-2, Boombap Blues ft. ANTHM, Underdog, Rings & Crowns

Least Favorite Track: Week Shit

Best Instrumental: NobodyIKnow (Prod. Quasare)

X-Factor: Chicago native is on the come up and if you like packed verses this is your guy the number of quality lines he manages to deliver in 8 bars is insane.

Rating: 57

Must Listen Rating: 8/10

44. The Color Grey- Uptown XO

Favorite Track(s): Errybody, Manace ft. Gordo Brega, Media Lies,

Least Favorite Track: Fishburn

Best Instrumental: Flowers (Prod. AB the Pro)

X-Factor: DC hip-hop is by far the most unique subgenre in hip-hop and XO does it better than anyone else.

Rating: 58

Must Listen Rating: 10/10

43. More is Than Is Isn’t- RJD2

Favorite Track(s): Descended from Myth, Behold, Numbers!, Her Majesty’s Socialist Request, It All Came to Me in a Dream, Temperamental

Least Favorite Track: Dirty Hands

Best Instrumental: Descended from Myth

X-Factor: Easily the best producer out does it again.  I just wish there was more rappers on this album

Rating: 59

Must Listen Rating: 3/10

42. Born Sinner- J.Cole

Favorite Track(s): Villuminati, Crooked Smile, Forbidden Fruit ft. Kendrick Lamar, Let Nas Down

Least Favorite Track: LAnd of the Snakes

Best Instrumental: Rich Niggaz (Prod. J. Cole)

X-Factor: When Cole first came out there were mutters of “best rapper of all time.” Looks like he’s starting to try and live up to that, by far his best work thus far.

Rating: 59

Must Listen Rating: 6/10

41. The Golden Age- Dizzy Wright

Favorite Track(s): Untouchable ft. Logic & Kirk Knight, Killem With Kindness, Maintian ft. Joey Bada$$, Tellem My Name

Least Favorite Track: B.T.T.

Best Instrumental: Bout That Life (Prod. 6ix)

X-Factor: Funk Volume’s savior right here.  His flow is perfect for the smooth production

Rating: 59

Must Listen Rating: 8/10

40. Long.Live.A$AP Rocky

Favorite Track(s): Goldie, Lvl, Fuckin’ Problems ft. Drake, 2 Chainz, Kendrick Lamar, 1Train (feat. Kendrick Lamar, Joey Badass, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson & Big K.R.I.T.),

Least Favorite Track: Hell ft. Santigold

Best Instrumental: Ghetto Symphony (Prod. V Don)

X-Factor: This was one of the only albums that everyone could agree on this year so listen and enjoy.

Rating: 59

Must Listen Rating: 10/10

39. The Abstract & The Dragon- Q-Tip & Busta Rhymes

Favorite Track(s): God Lives Through, Thank You, The Abstract & The Dragon, both versions of Scenario

Least Favorite Track: Vivrant Thing ft. Missy Elliott (just got my hopes up and dashed them)

Best Instrumental: We Taking Off (Prod. Abstract)

X-Factor: Come now… Busta Rhymes released a mixtape with Q-Tip do you need more than that?

Rating: 60

Must Listen Rating: 10/10

38. 6ix Commandments- Da Mafia 6ix

Favorite Track(s): Go Hard ft. Yelawolf, Betta Pray ft. The Outlawz, Lil Wyte, Break Da Law

Least Favorite Track: Yeah High

Best Instrumental: Remember (Prod. DJ Paul)

X-Factor: We all love Three 6 Mafia– we just do.  So I shouldn’t have to convince you about this one.

Rating: 62

Must Listen Rating: 6/10

37. Yong Sinatra: Welcome to Forever- Logic

Favorite Track(s): 925, Roll Call, Feel Good, Walk On By, Nasty, Young Jedi ft. Dizzy Wright

Least Favorite Track: Welcome to Forever (ft. Jon Bellion)

Best Instrumental: Ballin (Prod. Arthur McArthur)

X-Factor: Most successfully diverse album of the year a little bit of everything for everyone.

Rating: 62

Must Listen Rating: 9/10

36. Sunday School II: When Church Let’s Out- TREE

Favorite Track(s): FAME, The King, NO Faces ft. Danny Brown, Busters, White Girls

Least Favorite Track: Say How u Feel ft. Lili K

Best Instrumental: White Girls (prod. by Bobby Johnson)

X-Factor: Super weird… I love it.

Rating: 63

Must Listen Rating: 5/10

35. INNANETAPE- Vic Mensa

Favorite Track(s): Orange Soda, Lovely Day, Magic ft. Jesse Boykins III, YNSP

Least Favorite Track: Fear & Doubt ft. Kenna & Joey Purp

Best Instrumental: YNSP (Prod. DJ Dahi)

X-Factor: Did you like Acip Rap?  Of course you did.  You’ll love this.

Rating: 63

Must Listen Rating: 9/10

34. Come As You Are- Audio Push

Favorite Track(s): Come As You Are, I Like It Feat K Roosevelt, Theme Song ft. T.I., Tis the Season ft. Joey Bada$$, Club 380

Least Favorite Track: Space Jam

Best Instrumental: Space Jam (yes you read that right, I think you should just listen to this album to wrap your mind around how that’s possible)

X-Factor: Exactly 95 seconds in to the album Octane reminds you that these two were responsible for this, then immediately spends the following hour redeeming themselves like I’ve never seen.

Rating: 64

Must Listen Rating: 10/10

33. Nostaligic 64- Denzel Curry

Favorite Track(s): Zone 3, Dark & Violent, Mystical Virus,

Least Favorite Track: A Day In The Life Of Denzel Curry Pt. 2

Best Instrumental: Dark & Violent

X-Factor: Horrorcore + Cloud Rap + Grim hip-hop + Chopped & Screwed Memphis rap = the most quietly intelligent release of the year

Rating: 65

Must Listen Rating: 8/10

32. Watching Movies with the Sound Off- Mac Miller

Favorite Track(s): I’m Not Real ft. Earl Sweatshirt & Vinny Radio, Matches ft. Ab-Soul, Red Dot Music ft. Action Bronson, Watching Movies, REMember, O.K. ft. Tyler, the Creator

Least Favorite Track: Gees ft. Schoolboy Q

Best Instrumental: The Alchemist

X-Factor: Well that was quite the turn around the Pittsburgh MC made.

Rating: 65

Must Listen Rating: 10/10

31. Beautiful Loser- KYLE.

Favorite Track(s): This is a Hit, Fruit Snacks & Cups of Patron, BANG ft. Mr. Man, Raining Love, Keep it Real, Sex & Super Smash Bros., GirlsGirlsGirls, When Can We

Least Favorite Track: Focus On You

Best Instrumental: Keep It Real (Prod. Carnage)

X-Factor: Just so damn happy!

Rating: 66

Must Listen Rating: 7/10