When I did my radio show in Chicago (Time Travel), every year I did a really extensive "award show" with about 10 pages of my favorite lists of everything that I could think of. I would get listener votes, artists votes, and all kinds of stuff. It was fun, interesting, and very exhausting...ha. I've decided to take it easy on myself at Redef. These lists are more personal to me and though I did put some definite thought into them I don't swear on them to the grave or anything dramatic. It's just how I feel as I'm putting this together.
In other words, if you are an artist and you aren't on the list, don't fret, I may have still enjoyed your album, so relax. If you are a fan and I didn't include your favorite artist(s), please refer to my advice for the artists. :)
Anyway, here it is in all it's trivial existence:
REDEF 2007 HIGHLIGHTS (a.k.a the things I'm most proud of about the show)
-The Theme Shows (this is really my biggest passion in doig the show)
Cut Short Careers: One Album Only
The Sophomore Jinx: True, False, or Over-exaggerated
Music As Therapy
Fast Rap Vol. 1 & 2
History of Wise Intelligent/Poor Righteous Teachers Vol 1 & 2 *(w/interview) B Girl Be 3
Mothers Day Special
Greatest MC Of All Time: Mele Mel Vol. 1 & 2
Tribute To Hip Hop Radio Vol 1-4
Food For The Soul
Tribute To James Brown (R.I.P) Vol 1-5
-Misc Highlights on the show:
-The addition of: Alternate Definitions (web only exclusives. Check them all out!)
-connecting with some artists that I'm a big fan of thru the show: Future Sound, King Grand, KMC, DJ Stitches of Class A Felony, Yaggfu Front, Muffla of LA Posse, YZ, etc...
-Our first and only live guest: I Self Devine
This list are in particular order (most are almost-alphabetical)
-16 "Favorite" new* albums of 2007
Atmosphere-Strictly Leakage
Aesop Rock-None Shall Pass (Def Jux)
Brother Ali-The Undisputed Truth (RSE)
Buck 65-Situation (Strange Famous)
DJ Muggs Vs Sick Jacken-The Legend Of The Mask and the Assassin
Fresh Daily-Illy For Rilly
Hangar 18-Sweep The Leg
High Priest-Born Identity
Jay Z-American Gangsta
Lifesavas-Gutterfly
Masai Bey-Vitamin EP (digital only)
Musab-Slick's Box
Percee P-Perseverance
Superstar Quamallah-Godfood (The Break-fast)
Y Society-Travel At Your Own Pace
Zeph and Azeem-Rise Up
*I stress "new" because some of those "finally dropped" and reissues are what
I was most excited about (see list below)
-20 Albums You Should Check Out If You Missed 'Em:
Brother Reade-Rap Music
Big Quarters-Cost Of Living
Carnage-Sense Of Sound
DJ Alibi-One Day
Dyme Def-Space Music [Prod By Bean One]
Hezekiah-I Predict A Riot
Klashnekoff-Lionheart
Krukid-African (Rawkus)
Mercies May-Broken Heart, Crooked Valentine
Sully & Sentamental-Holes In My Shoes
UNI-Fried Chicken & Watermelon
Wise Intelligent-The Talented Timothy Taylor
Zimbabwe Legit-House Of Stone
Yung Mars-Yung Mars
Robust-El Foto Grande
Rob Sonic-Sabotage Gigtante
Evidence-Weatherman
Esoteric-Ego Clapper
Top Shelf-8-8-88
Mos Def-True Magic
-16 records I didn't get a chance to check out, but would like to...and should:
Beanie Siegal-The Solution
Scarface-Made (just got this and haven't heard it yet) Bus Driver-Roadkill Overcoat (my girlfriend got it and I haven't had a chance to hear it :() Camp Lo-Black Hollywood
Freeway-Free At Last
Hell Razah-Razah's Ladder
Kanye West-Graduation
Little Brother-Get Back
Lupe Fiasco-The Cool (just got it!)
NYOIL-Hood Treason
Pharoahe Monch-Desire (how the hell did I not hear this?!?! he's one of my all time favs) Doom Tree-False Hopes (just got it!) Prince Poetry-Saga Of The Simian Samurai
Pns-Audiotronics
New MC-White Jesus
Common-Finding Forever
6 Non Rap Albums I Enjoyed
Sharon Jones-100 Days
Santiago-Steel Yourself
Dinner At Thompsons-and funky young souls are we
Heliocentrics-Out There
Dap Tone Records Remixed
Wax Tailor-Hope & Sorrow
-Reissues and/or Finally Released albums/projects that made me happy
Freshco & Miz-The Greatest Flow On Earth 1989-1992
Freestyle Professors-The Best Of The Freestyle Professsors
Mikey D & The L.A. Posse-Better Late Than Never
Wildpitch 25th Anniversary Edition
Ultimate Force-I'm Not Playing
Godfather Don-Slave Of New York EP (DWG)
Godfather Don-The 90s Sessions (No Sleep)
Kwest-These Are My Unreleased Recordings
Grand Daddy I.U.-Stick To The Script
Kurious-A Constipated Monkey Reissue + Bonus Tracks
J Rock-Streetwize CD reissue
Wascals-Greatest Hits
MC Shan-Down By Law (2CD w/Bonuses)
Biz Markie-Make the Music CD
Intelligent Hoodlum-Intelligent Hoodlum/Tragedy: Saga Of Hoodlum 2XCD
Kool G Rap-Road To the Riches 2XCD w/Bonuses
JVC Force-Forcefield
…..I'm sure there were some more of these that I can't recall right now…
-mix CDS: OK, there was just too many of things to even try to keep up. Not so
much of the traditional (DJ Playing/Cutting up music kind but the rapper type)
that I don't even have the strength to try to remember them all. I'll tell you off the
top I enjoyed "Mix" CDs from these peoples: Brother Ali/BK One, Eternia,
Lil Wayne, Skratch Bastid, King Otto & Mike the 2600 King, DJ Food Stamp, Hip
Hop Project,
OK, just because I put it together to help me as a reference point to making the above lists, here's a list of all the records I got my hands on this year in some way or another (this is NOT a complete list of 2007 releases, for all you detectives):
2007 Releases (that I remember from this year…)
Anti MC-It's Free, but It's Not Cheap
Aesop Rock-None Shall Pass (Def Jux)
AG-Get Dirty Radio
Army Of The Pharaohs-Ritual Of Battle
Atmosphere-Strictly Leakage (digital only)
Atmosphere-Sad Clown Bad Summer EP (RSE)
Atmosphere-Sad Clown Bad Fall EP (RSE)
Atmosphere-Sad Clown Bad Winter EP (RSE)
Brother Ali-The Undisputed Truth (RSE)
Brother Reade-Rap Music
Blue Scholars-Bayani
Black Milk-Popular Demand
Buck 65-Situation (Strange Famous)
Bus Driver-Roadkill Overcoat
Beanie Siegal-Solution
Big Quarters-Cost Of Living
Big Quarters-Zip Disc Breaks (instrumental)
Caveman Theory-The Stone Quartet
Capital D-Return of The Renegade
Carnage-Sense Of Sound
Clan Destined-Abracadamn!
Camp Lo-Black Hollywood
Desdamona-The Source
Dyme Def-Space Music [Prod By Bean One]
Doomtree-False Hopes
Deejay OM-Reheated Naan and Curry
DJ Alibi-One Day
DJ Muggs Vs Sick Jacken-The Legend Of The Mask and the Assassin
Esoteric-Ego Clapper
Edit-Certified Air Raid Material
Educated Consumers-Write Hear
Evidence-Weatherman
Eternia-Where I'm At (The Set Up)
Freeway-Free At Last
Fifty Cent-Curtis
Fresh Daily-Illy For Rilly
Grayskul-Bloody Radio (RSE)
Ghostface-The Big Doe Rehab
G&D-The Message
Golden-Peddling Medicine
Hangar 18-Sweep The Leg
Hell Razah-Renaissance Man
Hell Razah-Razah's Ladder
High Priest-Born Identity
Heliocentrics-Out There
Hezekiah-I Predict A Riot
Hi Tek-High Technology 3
Jay Z-American Gangsta
Joell Ortiz-Bodega Chronicles
Junk Science-Grandad's Nerve Tonic
Kanye West-Graduation
KRS One & Marley Marl-Hip Hop Lives
Klashnekoff-Lionheart
Krukid-African (Rawkus)
Little Brother-Get Back
Lifesavas-Gutterfly
LuckyIAm-Most Likely To Succeed
Little Brother-Get Back
Lupe Fiasco-The Cool
Marco Polo-Port Authority
Macromantics-Moments In Movement
Masai Bey-Vitamin EP (digital only)
Mac Lethal-11:11 (RSE)
Mele Mel-Muscles
Mercies May-Broken Heart, Crooked Valentine
Mestizo-Dreamstate
C Rayz Walz & Sharkey-Monster Maker
Mos Def-True Magic
Musab-Slick's Box
MF Grimm-The Hunt For The Gingerbread Man
Necro-Death Rap
NYOIL-Hood Treason
Offwhyte-Mainstay
Ohmega Watts-Watts Happening
Paper Tiger-False Hopes
Pharoahe Monch
Panacea-Scenic Route
Peanut Butter Wolf-2KB
Phat Kat-Carte Blanche
Prime-Pray For Karma
Percee P-Perseverance
Rico Pabon-Louder Than Fiction
Rob Sonic-Sabotage Gigante
Robust-El Foto Grande
Robust-Free Dope Too
Rza-Afro Samurai
Sage Francis-Human The Death Dance
Sean Price-Master P
Steele-Hotstyle Take Over
Shape Of Broad Minds
Scarface-Made
Signify-45's Plus
Skyzoo-Cloud Nine
Storm The Unpredictable-What Should Have Been
Sully & Sentamental-Holes In My Shoes
Strange Fruit Project-The Lost Documents
Skratch Bastid-Get Up
Superstar Quamallah-Godfood (The Break-fast)
Top Shelf-8-8-88
Theory Hazit-Extra Credit
UNI-Fried Chicken & Watermelon
Y Society-Travel At Your Own Pace
Yung Mars-Yung Mars
Wax Tailor-Hope & Sorrow
Wisemen-Wisemen Approaching
Wise Intelligent-The Talented Timothy Taylor
Wu Tang Clan-8 Diagrams
Zimbabwe Legit-House Of Stone
Zeph and Azeem-Rise Up
Z Trip-All Pro
8/8/88 Compilation
-Various good and/or great tracks that I heard from artists w/o albums in '07:
Nas-Where Are They Now Remixs [80s Mix, 90 Mix, West Coast Mix]
The Cook Kids (various)
Dagha-wildfellow
Yak-YBTV
Craig G-the day hip hop died, just what I need
The Custodian of records (various)
Blitz the Ambassador-The Hands Of Time
Supastition-Worst Enemy, Word Has It
Memphis Bleek-Breakfast
J Live-Feel Like Spittin
Jaz O-Be There, Nobody Can Stomp Me
I Self Devine-Opaque (Musicapolis Compilation)
Pugslee-Stereo
Qwel & Jackson Jones-Pygmalion
9th Wonder-BK In My Mind
Raydar Ellis-Rookie
Saigon-Don't You Baby
Scienz Of Life-Ginsu
Vursatyle And Shines-Mr Gusto
Rip Shop-You Don't Want It
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