Best Hip Hop albums of 2006

Whaddyaknow...Hip Hop managed to come through in what should have been a crappy year for the genre. I mean, who woulda thought that the same year that brought us "Chain Hang Low" and "Chicken Noodle Soup" would have given us a few ceritified classic albums. We got a death declaration for Hip Hop, a return of our Michael Jordan (unfortunately wearing the 45 jersey this time) and the debut of a new rap great (Lupe of course). So here we go...on with the list!

10) Mood Muzik 2- Joe Buddens. Yea, it’s a mixtape, but I’m sure that if those crack- umm…folks at Def Jam would play him fair, his album would have been higher on the list. And, I mean, give Jump Off a break. The mixtape was the illest thing on the shelf for the whole first quarter. Depression, side disses at Jay and Three Sides to a Story all make for a compelling album to Jump of the Year.
9) School Was My Hustle- Kidz in the Hall. Naledge is nice, ya’ll. He ain’t Lupe, but he’s nice. In a year that brought us a lot of kiddie rap, SWMH was for the college kid. Naledge hit us with school angst and issues of being an educated black man. This album fell under the radar in 06’, but it’s worth a few listens.
8) True Magic- Mos Def. When did Mos drop a new album? Have no fear, it hasn’t dropped yet. It’s coming on Dec. 29th, but with my ear being to the street, and the good folks over at Smokingsection.net, I was able to hear it a few weeks ago. Mos got rid of that inexplicably bad Blackjack Johnson thing from the last album and opts to just spit for most of the album. When he does this, not many can do it better.
7) The Healing- Strange Fruite Project. Who? Strange Fruit Project is a group of rappers from Waco, TX who hit us with a soulful surprise this year. Their debut is very reminiscent of Phonte’s Foreign Exchange project from a couple of years ago. Darren Brockington comes through on a lot of hooks, making this a peaceful album that you and your mom can listen to together. Who can be mad at that?
6) Dedication 2 Mixtape- DJ Drama and Lil’ Wayne. Hahaha! That’s all that we from the south have to say. 06’ saw more complete domination in album sales from southern rappers and more bitchin and moanin’ from their northern counterparts claiming that the south can’t rhyme. Well, Lil’ Wayne’s mixtape of the year shows why people are considering Weezy one of the best out right now. And who says he’s not political? Just listen to “Georgia…Bush”
5) Idlewild- Outkast. No, Big Boi and Dre didn’t seem to make the album together. No, Dre doesn’t hardly rhyme. What was up with that Killer Mike verse? Yes, those are valid concerns, but c’mon y’all. This is freakin Outkast. No matter how hard they try, their album is still going to be amazing. And listen to “Hollywood Divorce” (my choice for song of the year) and you can understand what makes this duo and their album, great.
4) Hell Hath No Fury- The Clipse. Disclaimer: albums 2-4 on this list are pretty interchangeable as they were all great. I had a 3 step reaction to this album: a) wow, it’s amazing. B) Damn, I wanna go murder someone at Jive for making me wait 4 years. c) Sh**, I’m prolly gonna have to wait another 4 years for the next one. No fear, though, the crazy beats and vivid lyricism make this album repeatable until the next one comes out. Many people like to sleep on the Clipse lyricism instead opting to fawn over the Neptunes beats, but listen closely and the words will grab you (“open the Frigidaire/ 25 to life in there/ so much white/ you think that Holy Christ is near”). Eghk!
3) Food & Liquor- Lupe Fiasco. Lupe is a great rapper. By the time his career is over, he may be one of the greats of all time. However, his debut could have gone two ways: it could have gone the Reasonable Doubt route, or it could have gone the Can-i-bus (Who? Exactly) route. Fortunately for him and us, Lupe comes somewhere in the middle, much closer to RD. Unfortunately, like many albums on this list, Lupe didn’t move as many units as he should’ve, but his message is positive and his delivery is next generation.
2) Hip Hop is Dead- Nas. Nas has had a pretty tough career. He drops the greatest album ever put on wax and then spends the rest of his career in its shadow. News Flash (and pay attention here, people): There will NEVER be another Illmatic. Ever. So stop it. With that being said, HHOD comes pretty damn close. Nas definitely has something to say and each song adds to that message. Plus, the CD has the rap fan’s wet-dreamed-about Hov and Nas collabo and Dre’s best beat ever (Hustlas) all on one album. And f*** what Pitchfork says, “Who Killed it?” is a brilliant idea and a great song.
1) Fishscale- Ghostface Killah. The internet music Bible, Pitchfork, has this album as their fourth best overall for the year. Rolling Stone has it at number 5. I have it at number one. Ghostface has been my favorite rapper for almost a decade now, but how bout we start entering him for mention as a great of all time. Why? Look no further than Fishscale. While Jeezy and Rick Ross (neither of which you’ll see on this list) talk about how cool it is to be involved with dope, Pretty Toney will rather give you horrific, troubling, and sometimes funny (“I put one in my balls!”) narratives about hard times. Skip the skits and you have a classic from beginning to end.