I'm just going to post these willy-nilly as the inspiration comes, so this is really in no particular order, BUT that being said, these 2 are absolutely top-5 of the year and quite possibly top-2. Here's my judgement:
Tanya Morgan - Brooklynati
I've been a fan of
TM for a short while (follow the link for samples), starting with the mixtape Tanya Morgan Is a Rap Group, and during that short period I downloaded/bought almost everything of theirs I could (thanks to Don, www.mcdayjob.com) . Most of their stuff was a combination of good and not-so-good but they definitely showed promise, and that promise was realized with Brooklynati. The first time I heard "On Our Way," I wasn't halfway through by the time I'd gone to imculture and ordered the Brooklynati Survival Kit, in order to give these guys as much of my money as I could. This album is fantastic.
K-Os - Yes!
Another album I bought essentially "sight-unseen" (sound-unheard?), this album will only disappoint you if you're deaf, or an idiot. If you're lucky enough to have lived in Canada and preordered the album on iTunes, please email me a CD-quality version of "Dance in your car." With a full 2nd disc of fan-made remixes, K-Os continues to solidify himself as a man of the people, and his music, as a result, is unassumingly excellent. My personal favorite on this album is the Soundcrates remix of 4321, but this is an
easy album to get lost in from start to finish.
Thank you, K-Os and TM (Von Pea, Donwill, Ilyas), for the aural pleasure in 2009.
As my time in Korea progresses, there are some Kpop songs that are actually catching hold in my head, for better or worse. I suppose my favorite Kpop artist is Son Dambi, as she has 2 songs that I like. I already posted Saturday Night before, this time it's Crazy ft. Eric (whoever 'Eric' is). I could definitely, definitely live without Eric's verse but the song is catchy in a way. I guess it's supposed to me some kind of 80's shtick. Look up the video on youtube for the infamous (in Korea) 'chair dance'
