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.
