 | Eardrum by Talib Kweli
Buy new: $13.98 / Used from: $3.99 This album is smooth, soulful, and has just the right touch of special guests. There is nothing over the top on this album, the tracklist flows to perfection, and the lyrics are all thought provoking. The album is simply dope.
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 | The Cool by Lupe Fiasco
Buy new: $10.97 / Used from: $3.50 Lupe really brought it on this joint. I wanted to give "The Cool" a little more time to marinate before I put it in the top 10 let alone the top 3, but it is just outstanding. I haven't heard such a diverse sounding hip-hop release since Mos Def's "The New Danger."
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 | Dedication by Rashid Hadee
Buy used from: $122.59 Don't sleep PLEASE! This guy is one of the most talented dudes making music right now and his rhymes and beats are so complimentary to each other that it really makes me wonder who truly is the best Rapper/Producer out of Chicago. If Mr. West is in the lead, he's losing ground fast.
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 | The Hunt For the Gingerbread Man by MF Grimm
Buy new: $17.98 / Used from: $6.19 Grimm's concept on this album is insane. He is a gangsta pastry. It sounds crazy and truthfully a little lame, but when you listen to the album, you'll hear how ill it actually is. He stays true to the concept and the creativity put into this project is mind blowing.
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 | The Scenic Route by Panacea
Buy used from: $12.97 This album is Fire. Simply put. Nobody that I have talked to has ever heard of it, but it is nasty. Great lyrics, killer production, the flow of the album is smooth. To the Reader: WAKE THE F UP and do not sleep on this album any longer.
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 | Desire by Pharoahe Monch
Buy new: $13.98 / Used from: $2.51 This is probably one of the most slept on albums of the year. Pharoahe Monch really does an excellent job with this project. He sounds different on this than he did on internal affairs or the organized konfusion joint, but I think this album just displays his diversity.
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 | Finding Forever by Common
Buy new: $13.98 / Used from: $2.10 He's smooth, he's soulful, the man is a quality album-making machine. I've stated it before and I'll state it again: Common is the emcee that most people will leave out of their top 5 emcee lists but nobody will have a reason why. The dude can't miss.
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 | Spell My Name Right (The Album) by Statik Selektah
Buy new: $16.98 / Used from: $6.82 Normally I don't like putting compilation albums on my lists. I did it last year with Hi-Tek's joint and I'm gonna do it again this year. The Murda Mass repper Statik Selektah has put together one of the best producer compilations I've ever heard with this release.
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 | Graduation by Kanye West
Buy new: $9.99 / Used from: $1.95 Another banga from a dude who in three attempts has always supplied a dope project. I like Kanye a lot but I do think that people got just a little bit carried away with the crowning of this album. However, it still is a dope album for sure. This is the fourth album from a Chicago artist in the top 10. (To every other city- step ya game up!)
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 | Below the Heavens by Blu & Exile
This album really shocked me because I had never heard of Blu or Exile before. They seemingly came out of nowhere and delivered a crafty joint. On the very first track, with one line Blu disses myself and all hip-hop critics alike and totally won me over at the same time.
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 | Getback by Little Brother
Buy new: $13.99 / Used from: $2.88 Honorable Mention: I gotta be honest, I liked Little Brother better with 9th Wonder. But I'm not complaining,they have their most different sounding album to date, and they managed to put together a solid collection of tracks. A Standout track: "Dreams" produced by Rashid Hadee. My only knock is that it's too short. "Time of your life" should not have been left off the album.
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 | Median's Relief by Median
Buy used from: $7.18 Honorable Mention. I like this album a lot. Very mellow, a real delight.
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 | American Gangster by Jay-Z
Buy new: $10.97 / Used from: $2.97 Honorable Mention: Solid effort by the Jiggaman. If he released it in any other year since 2002 this would have been top 10.
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 | 8 Diagrams by Wu-Tang Clan
Buy new: $11.99 / Used from: $2.65 Honorable Mention: The group members themselves are split on the quality of this album. I'm more inclined to agree with Johnny Blaze and Bobby Digital cause I really enjoyed this joint.
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 | Vol. 2-Dream Merchant by 9th Wonder
Buy new: $14.49 / Used from: $6.51 Honorable Mention: Another producer compilation hits the list. I couldn't resist, I love 9th too much to not give him props on another solid project.
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 | Stereotypez by Special Teamz
Buy new: $16.98 / Used from: $4.04 Honorable Mention: Boston-based group formed by the legendary Edo G. Pick this joint up for sure, it will not dissapoint if you like that true hip-hop that has meaning. (Which you do if you like any of the albums on this list)
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 | Don't Quit Your Day Job by Consequence
Buy new: $12.98 / Used from: $1.12 Honorable Mention: Style is a little bit too much like Kanye for my liking. However, lyrically he is better.
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 | Return of the Mac by Prodigy
Buy new: $17.98 / Used from: $0.76 Honorable Mention: I'm pulling for you P, believe me. He's not going to blow you away on this album but he can sure as hell still be entertaining. "HIGH ON DRUGS"
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 | The Big Doe Rehab by Ghostface
Buy new: $13.98 / Used from: $1.99 Honorable Mention: Ghost is a man on a mission right now. It seems like he drops every 8 months and he's always on point.
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 | MADE by Scarface
Buy new: $15.99 / Used from: $4.33 Honorable Mention: I'm pretty sure he was born during the Prehistoric age but Scarface just has a way about him where he always releasing something worth listening to.
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 | The Return of the Magnificent by DJ Jazzy Jeff
Buy new: $11.99 / Used from: $5.95 Honorable Mention/Overlooked - Jazzy Jeff on the cuts, a solid cast of features, this is a banga.
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 | My Last Good Deed by A Plus
Buy new: $13.98 / Used from: $6.97 Honorable Mention/Overlooked - I like the overall feel of this album. It has a uniqueness that I can't really define.
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 | The Offering by Killah Priest
Buy new: $16.98 / Used from: $8.95 Honorable Mention/Overlooked - King of the metaphors still on his game.
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 | The Death of Tragedy by Tragedy Khadafi
Buy new: $16.98 / Used from: $9.49 Honorable Mention/Overlooked - If you're a fan of the intelligent hoodlum this is a must have.
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 | Hi-Teknology 3 by Hi-Tek
Buy new: $10.49 / Used from: $0.01 Honorable Mention/Overlooked - Just fell a little short of Vol. 2. Still very good though.
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 | Ultimate Victory by Chamillionaire
Buy new: $10.97 / Used from: $0.54 Honorable Mention/Overlooked - solid effort by Cham. This album really suprised me.
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 | Free at Last by Freeway
Buy new: $10.97 / Used from: $0.30 Honorable Mention/Overlooked - Long awaited follow up to his debut isn't quite as good as his other, but worth the wait.
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 | For the People by Boot Camp Clik
Buy used from: $0.36 Honorable Mention/Overlooked - The Clik released two joints in '07. I give this one a slight edge over Casualties of War.
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 | Jesus Price Supastar by Sean Price
Buy new: $12.98 / Used from: $4.50 Honorable Mention/Overlooked - Not quite as good as Monkey Barz but still absolutely worth a listen.
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Listmania!
