Youngan's On Their Grind: January 2011

So if you have yet to notice, I have yet to put up my top 10 albums of 2010. Well over the last few weeks, I have been quite busy with the holidays, moving, getting settled in, and starting my internship. Well now that I have some free time, here are my top 10 albums from 2010.

10.) Wu-Massacre - Method Man, Ghostface Killah, & Raekwon

When any members of Wu Tang team up, there is usually something great in the making. This album had a few bangers (Gunshowers and Smooth Sailing). They always come at you with that raw lyrical flow that each one of them has. They just seem to compliment each other so nicely. I'd say this was a pretty good album all together.

9.) Rihanna - Loud

What can you say? Rihanna always seems to come up with something magical. Her voice is simply amazing and she always seems to make an unbelievable track. I'm not going to lie here. Only Girl was one of my favorite songs of 2010. It is one of the most catchy tunes I've ever heard. And that is dis-counting her other songs. What's My Name was a radio hit and California King Bed proves can sing with the best of them.

8.) Drake - Thank Me Later

This album was so difficult for me to get used to. For me, I was looking at this Drake album as a rap album when it came out and it was quite hard for me to really enjoy it. But that was looking at this album as a rap album. Andrew told me to look at this album in a different light. He said to look at this as an R&B album. Ever since then, this album has grown a lot on me. To be blatantly honest, Drake as a rapper is not that good. I believe that he is still growing as an artist and will come into his own very well. This album has definitely has it's ups and downs but I believe the positives outweigh the negatives. Fireworks, Shut it Down, Find Your Love, and Thank Me Now are simply brilliant. They are R&B songs. A slower beat and have a more R&B type feel to me. I would say go out and give this album a shot if you have not already. But be ready...it's not rap, it's R&B.

7.) Curren$y - Pilot Talk 2

Wow. This guy puts in work. Two albums in one year? Between January 1, 2010 and January 1, 2011, Curren$y has released two great albums and also put out two legitimate mixtapes. I think Pilot Talk 2 shows just how different this guy is. He works with beats that I believe are different than what I would normally hear and he doesn't work with that many big names (other than the Raekwon feature). A few highlights are Airborne Aquarium, Michael Knight, Silence, and Hold On. This album took all the hype from the Pilot Talk release right into the release of Pilot Talk 2 and Spitta delivered. People thought it may be rushed, but I believe this album was solid. Now who thought a stoner would have that much motivation and such a good work ethic?

6.) Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Legend of Chico Dusty

OutKast. Now who do people usually think of when people talk about OutKast? I would think of Andre 3000. But Big Boi proved that he can work on his own and make a great CD by himself. He created what I think is the song of the year in Shutterbugg and that's not counting the rest of the album. This album is a trunk rattler. With songs such as Fo Yo Sorrows and Daddy Fat Sax, this album proves to have bass bumping beats along with great lyrics. I would say that Big Boi really showed us that he can work alone and I will be looking for more of his great work in the future. I'm hoping it will be as great as this album is.

5.) Yelawolf - Trunk Muzik 0-60

This guy is raw. Very raw. But he has flow and he can rap. And he does it very well. Well enough to where Shady has recently signed him to his record company. And yes by Shady, I mean Eminem. To me this album is much different and that is because of Yela himself. Being a white southern rapper is tough enough, but he managed to make it. Yela has this raw punk type of feel. Daddy's Lambo is my favorite track from Trunk Muzik 0-60 with a simple beat and a catchy chrous. Other great songs are Box Chevy and Get the Fuck Up. Go out and check out Yelawolf for yourself. It may take some time in getting used to him, but his music is great.

4.) Rick Ross - Teflon Don

All Ross does is get better. He has grown so much since his release of Port of Miami (which I still think is a pretty good album). But Teflon Don was jaw dropping. He had unbelievable features and that helped. The album turned out to be a great one. The album begins with a song that just like hits you in the face with I'm Not a Star. It goes on with Free Mason and later on Maybach Music III and Live Fast Die Young. Then in the ending stages two of the best songs come up in B.M.F. and Aston Martin Music, which is my favorite song on the album. Drake and Christte Michelle absolutely kill it on that song. All in all, after seeing Ross' development and production on this album, I am expecting nothing less than perfection for his next album.

3.) Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Let me start this off by saying, I am not a huge Kanye fan. Andrew can attest to that. But in the past year, the man has grown on me. Starting with the G.O.O.D. Friday tracks and then this album. I'm not going to lie, I even got caught up in the hype of this album. And the album delivered. Song after song seems to be a hit, but not in a radio hit type of way. A few of my personal favorites are All of the Lights, Blame Game, and Lost in the World. I believe that few albums speak for themselves, but I think that this album does. Go check it out if you already haven't and you will be impressed.

2.) Curren$y - Pilot Talk

For me this album did not have that much hype behind it. I waited for it but the hype wasn't as big as it was for Kanye's MBDTF. However, this album delivered big time. There are so many good tracks starting off with Example. Right away, the beat is something much different than anything I've really heard. It continues on for a few songs until the album gets to one of my favorite songs in Breakfast. The beat is just so smooth and he flows so nicely over the beat. The album continues on with some more banger tracks in Roasted, Skybourne, and The Hangover. The album ends with my other two favorite tracks in Address and Life Under the Scope. These songs simply put, amaze me. Address is one of my favorite beats and Spitta and Stalley kill it lyrically. Life Under the Scope is super catchy and it was the first track that really caught me ear. All in all, Pilot Talk was one of my favorite albums of the year and if you haven't heard of Curren$y then get to the store and buy Pilot Talk or even Pilot Talk 2.

1.) The Dream - Love King

Before 2010, I had no idea who The Dream was. And boy am I glad that Andrew informed of who he was. At first, I was just looking for a song or two just to get into the guy. So I was told to listen to F.I.L.A. (Fall In Love Again). I loved it. So I kept listening to this CD and little by little I was falling in love with this album. This album is still played almost everyday at some point during my day. Whether it be one song or multiple songs, I am falling in love with different songs now. I feel like every time I listen to this album, I hear something I haven't heard before. And there aren't many albums that do that for me. And the other thing about The Dream is, he has opened my eyes to R&B. I'm beginning to love the genre more and more because of what I've heard from him. He himself has opened my eyes to R&B with just listening to Love King. I would say go out today and give this album a listen!