Best Albums & Music of 2009: K-Os & Tanya Morgan

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.

yes it is quite lovely in my atmosphere...

This post is the *official* interstate 8 space/stars/sky/martians/future/robots post. I figure, if so many hip-hoppers are taking this "I'm from outer space" angle, I might as well do a little chronicle of the (unexplained) phenomena, word to Fox Mulder. Honestly, not all these tracks fit the theme exactly but they do all contain lines stating their not-from-earthiness.

Ced Hughes - Polite Rap Song

This is the source of the title quote, and is one of my favorite Ced Hughes songs, which is actually saying a lot considering What Up Tho?! is one of my favorite mixtapes. Anyways, despite the atmospheric lyric, I'm posting this song because it has what I refer to as the "moment." For any song to be good, or worth listening to over-and-over again, it has to have that moment that makes you really notice it. Sometimes, the moment doesn't actually happen, but the song teases you the whole time with brief glimpses and never actually hits it (example: Gnarls Barkley - Open Book). Anyways, for me the moment when the beat swings up and Ced jumps in for the third verse is the reason I keep listening to this song. Check it out.

David Bowie - Space Oddity

A classic space song detailing the happenings in the mind of Major Tom as he experiences outer space. Probably one of the earliest really popular space-y songs.

K-Os - Mirror In the Sky

From Atlantis: Hymns for Disco. I honestly can't say if this truly fits the space theme, but this song is awesome and the whole album is awesome, and his new album YES! is awesome, so buy it (like I did).

B.o.B. - Starship Strobelite

The adventures of Spaceman BoB as he searches for a Strobelite honey. Just a very entertaining song all around.

KiD CuDi - Embrace the Martian (Round Table Knights remix)

I honestly wasn't a big fan of Embrace the Martian when I first heard it on A KiD Named CuDi, but this remix has changed all that. Usually, I'm not a big fan of CuDi remixes because they usually focus on Day N Nite and they pretty much always make it worse, so this is a refreshing chance to catch a CuDi remix that actually improves on the original.

KiD CuDi - Sky Might Fall prod. Kanye West

The early version of the CuDi single, great production by Mr. West, sorta makes me wonder what could've been if the KiD from Cleveland had done all the vocals for 808's. Beatwise, this song fits right in with Kanye's production on that album and of course KiD CuDi shows his skills on here. I'm certain that the album, when it comes, will be one of the best of the year.

Drake - I'm Still Fly

This is an amazing use of the Big Tymers song, and Drake puts down some very solid lyrics. Great moment a couple minutes in when he "wastes" some lines, if you're not looking for Drake's lady-killers like Best I Ever Had, this should fit right in your library.

U-N-I - Hey Neighbor

Alright just get on the spaceship and go. A pretty dope song from the Cali-based duo U-N-I, from Before There Was Love, the prelude mixtape to their album, A Love Supreme. This song and Night Nurse are my current favorites from them, and both the mixtape and album are definitely worth a listen.

I had sorta hoped that I could showcase a little bit of hip-hop history regarding the outer space theme, but I seem to have completely missed that target. Oh well, good music all around anyways.

I come in peace, but I need y'all rockin with meeeee, pleeeeease, embrace the martian, and this is how it sounds...

I ain't a bitch throwin darts, I'm the pink power ranger

Charles Hamilton - Just A Musician [mp3]

New kid Charles Hamilton killin it on Lil Wayne's "A Millie" beat, I still don't like the beat that much but Charles Hamilton is infinitely better on it than Weezy...




F... and at least he makes sense

bonus: Charles Hamilton - Sun Music [mp3]

K-Os - The Rain [mp3]

K-os is one of the better singer/rappers out there and I really like this track from his Atlantis: Hymns for Disco. I hesitate to use the term neo-soul as a genre because neo-soul was a label attached to certain R&B artists and the whole fad sorta died when it wasn't what it should've been. Anyways, I use it sometimes for artists that are doing something new but still bring that soulful depth to their music, like Gnarls Barkley and k-os, especially this song.

Wale - The Grown Up [mp3]

New song from the Mixtape About Nothing that takes on the topic of love and maturity. Ironically, Wale put a lot of substance on his mixtape about nothing. The Seinfeld theme is mixed in perfectly though and as far as concept mixtapes go this is one of the best, along with Rhymefest's "Man in the Mirror"

bonus: Wale - Smile remix prod. by Mark Ronson [mp3]

And because I love me some 80's samples...

Crooked I - Died In Your Arms [mp3]