We are half way through the year already and 2014 has seen some pretty dope releases. Instead of waiting till the new years for a ‘best of’ list. We decide to go through some of our favourite’s of the year so far. Hit us up in the comments to let us know yours and discuss the list below.
1. Isaiah Rashad – Ciliva Demo (January, 2014)
Isaiah has already features on our pages as #SongOfTheWeek a few weeks back, but he’s here again thanks to this january release. In Cilvia Demo, Isaiah gives some raw lyrics and melodies over some fine productions. Definitely one of the most cohesive projects of recent time and on the same wave as label mate Kendrick Lamar’s 2011 Section 80 album
2. YG – My Krazy Life (March, 2014)
In march, two west coast artists dropped their albums; YG and Schoolboy Q. As popular as YG was in the charts with hit singles like ‘My Hitta’ and ‘Who do you love’, it’s safe to say that Schoolboy Q had the more anticipated album. This made ‘My Krazy Life’ all the more great when it dropped. As expected DJ Mustard and co. came through with some solid production, but we also saw YG’s great energy, presence and story telling skills that resulted in a well crafted body of work from the duo.
3. King Los – Zero Gravity 2 (March, 2014)
Shortly after leaving Diddy’s Bad Boy label, King Los, dropped his Zero Gravity 2 mixtape. Sprinkled with a bag load of metaphors, alliterations, flows and delivery all over, King Los came out demanding to be heard. Stepping up his game in all ways; with bangers, bars and features only showed the massive potential waiting to be unlocked. The mixtape also feature what Kendrick Lamar calls the best ‘control’ response.
4. SZA – Z (April, 2014)
Another TDE artist with a dope project (no surprises there). SZA, who featured all over “Cilvia Demo” comes with her own release in 2014, the very dreamy, soulful and aesthetically vivid ‘Z’ Album. Her third release but first major label introduction, is imperfect yet still strong enough to leave you wanting more.
5. Asher Roth – Retro Hash (April, 2014)
Better remembered as the ‘I Love College’ “Frat rap” rapper of 2009, Asher Roth released his sophomore album this year. ‘Retro Hash’, produced soley by Chicago’s Blended Babies duo, displays an introspective rapper, who’s creativity runs wild, allowing for a wonderfully unique and cool piece of music.