By Planet Ill Staff
2011was a startling year in music and as a team we aimed to capture the broadest spectrum possible on our canvas so our readers could get the real flavor. By Divine Will, lack of sleep and a humbling amount of dedication to our craft and this site, we gutted through nearly 200 reviews from Hip-Hop to electronic to soul to rock and alternative music. Sometimes we got what we expected, other times we were disappointed and much more than usual, we were surprised by the caliber of music put out in 2011.
This particular piece is a bit more personal. Aside from the ratings and science of what we do, there were albums that were our personal favorites; records that filled the precious few hours when the music wasn’t our jobs. Here is a smapling of five favorites from our three most active reviewers. Enjoy.
-Planet Ill.Odeisel
2011 was one of my favorite years of music in a long time. There was something for everyone, but my favorite five albums ran across many areas and dealt with earnest truth and artistry. Hopefully if you haven’t heard them, these short words will move you to check them out. I think you will be glad you did.
Pharoahe Monch – W.A.R. (We Are Renegades)
This album was just so ambitious, Its towering lyricism was just so far-reaching, from the beginning to the end. The album was loosely based on a concept and stuck to its story for the most part and was so well-managed musically that it sped up when it needed to and slowed down when the momentum became overwhelming. One of the most uplifting endings in Hip-Hop memory. Monch spoke of this album being a call to arms of art against trash; music that stood for something. After an hour or so, Monch’s art was “Still Standing.” Please listen.
Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi Feat. Jack White and Norah Jones – Rome
Here’s an idea. Let’s make a Western! We’ll get all the Italian musicians who originally crafted the music to those movies, get Jack mother effing White, who seems intent to prove that his freshness is genre proof, and add Norah Jones, while changing her sleepy suicide voice into something smokier and sexier. That would be a dope idea. Only it’s reality. The album features sprawling instrumentals that conjure rustic images of the barren landscapes that colored the Old West and for just a while, gunslingers still roam the countryside. Brilliantly composed and flawlessly executed in narrative form, Rome was a sharp left from the every day album.
Tyler the Creator – Goblin
I’m a firm believer that rap music SHOULD make people uncomfortable and the old people should be frightened by it. With hamsters rapping in car commercials and 40 year old men popping teenager shit, that feeling had subsided. That is, until Tyler’s music got exposed to the masses. “Kill people, burn shit, fuck school!” The rage of youth was in full effect. In a year of violent revolution, class insurrection and random flash mobs, Tyler terrified the establishment the way Ice Cube did 20 years ago, albeit for wholly different reasons. With so many popular acts that suck dick it was refreshing to see a middle finger throw to the establishment. “I’m a fuck up, fuck Harvard, I ain’t got no fucking money, I ain’t got no motherfucking daddy,” raged Tyler, reflecting a nation of broken homes, broken promises and broken dreams. The real was back and there were a few locked doors and clutched purses because of it. Amen.
The Roots – undun
A string of funky but bloated albums preceded last year’s How I Got Over and newfound Fallon fame would lead you to believe that there was room to slack off. Philly’s finest beg to differ as they turned in an album leaner than Rocky Balboa after his Clubber Lang beating. Undun weighed in at a Spartan 39 minutes with a 14 track reach. In their corner, swinging with intent, were Greg Porn (P.O.R.N), Truck North, Dice Raw, Phonte, Bilal and Big K.R.I.T. with razor sharp focus and execution. Black Thought, 15 years after The Roots’ debut, delivered the finest lyrical performance of his career with grit, determination and narrative excellence. I can’t tell you how many years of the last decade this album would have been the best record of the year.
Thurzday – L.A. Riot
On the 20th anniversary of both the L.A. Riots and Ice Cube’s otherworldly Death Certificate, a rapper I never even heard of, dropped a powder keg of an album that thumbed its nose at the police, challenged Black people socially, dealt with hood politics and haters, took a swing at religion and fused Rock and Hip-Hop sensibilities with genuine SoCal love. In a year full of dope albums and a legitimate West Coast resurgence, L.A. Riot towered head and shoulders above Hip-Hop with hardcore beats, real content, societal significance and dope rhymes. A smoldering guest verse from Black Thought didn’t hurt. The balance between the streets, the skills, and the culture has rarely been done with such facility. It Takes a Nation, Death Certificate, and Me Against The World come to mind. The bourgeoisie was reached. The boulevard was rocked. Thurzday walked away with the best album of 2011.
click page 2 for Liz’ list.
