Welcome to the 2015 edition of HipHopDX’s Year End Awards. In keeping with tradition, this is the time of year when we collectively reflect on all that has transpired in Hip Hop during the last 12 months. To be sure, there have been high points and moments many may consider to be the exact opposite. We aim to cover them all before the calendar flips on what we expect to be a monumental year for the music and the culture.
Throughout the remainder of the holiday season, DX’s editorial staff and a stable of freelance contributors will update this page with those that made this year memorable. Check back each morning for a fresh round of award winners. Salute to the victors and runners-up who made 2015 one of the strongest years in Hip Hop history, and we hope our selections make you debate and reminisce while being entertained during a safe and happy holiday season. Major appreciation to all of the music industry experts who also participated in this year’s voting.
Emcee Of The Year
Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar is our “Emcee Of The Year” not only because of the magnificent To Pimp A Butterfly but because of the fluidity of his Hip Hop identity. Not only has he managed to take up the mantle left by the likes of Rawkus, The Soulquarians, The Native Tongues and G-Funk, but he’s managed to do it while bridging both rap worlds with relative ease. His staccato, rapid-fire rhyme schemes, and vocal intonations are now a signature instead of a mask, and he’s ascended into the stratosphere of rap royalty. Kendrick Lamar is in his prime.
He’s also thoroughly crossed over. His single with Taylor Swift titled, well, just perfectly, “Bad Blood” was also nominated for a Grammy award. His strange blue light of a song “i,” won the Grammy last year in what seemed like almost a makeup for losing the trophy to Macklemore the year before. He didn’t attend. He knows now, like almost no one else in the game, exactly what people don’t know they want. That makes him a visionary giving a fickle 2015 audience what they don’t even yet know they desire. He straddles all these worlds while being buried in his faith, which informs his message at every turn. And, sure, sometimes he can be a bit heavy-handed (Lucy?) but he’s melded down all those parts of himself into a rap elixir both substantive and intoxicating.
For that, Kendrick Lamar is our champion for 2015. And even if the crown is heavy upon whoever wears it, Kendrick’s got as good a chance as any to wear it long into the distant future.
Runners Up
Drake
Drake’s year was a tumultuous one. The guy who said if you dissed him you’d never get a reply to it did reply. It was ferocious, methodical and musical, a light storm whipped into a hurricane and Meek Mill felt the wrath. His own reply came much too late and underwhelmed, and, in the meantime, “Back To Back” has seen unbelievable popularity and a Grammy nom. That was only part of Drake’s year, though.
“Hotline Bling” is easily the breakout hit of the latter part of the year, dominating the airwaves. It almost became his first number one if it weren’t for Apple Music. Speaking of Apple, choosing Jobs land over Tidal proved to be another right move in a sea of them for Drake. And that doesn’t even speak on IYRTITL, one of the best albums of the year and, probably, a beautiful low-key jab at his boss Birdman. Is there anyone more calculated and on the pulse of what’s happening than Drake? Did we mention he’s rapping better than he ever has? With two of the game’s best emcees in their prime right now it’s going to be fun going into the second half of the decade.
Vince Staples
This is the second year in a row Vince made the “Emcee Of The Year” runner-up, and the young, Long Beach emcee deserves all of the praise he’s getting. His talent is remarkable. A deft combination of wit and irreverence. And that project! Summertime ‘06 was a stark look at fame and rap as mere zoo’s for a voracious, savage public. He’s right.
Album Of The Year
To Pimp A Butterfly
The media loved it. Virtually everyone else touted its merit, too. Heck, even HipHopDX gave it a perfect 5 in its album review. Yes, Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly is HipHopDX’s Album Of The Year.
The Compton, California rapper’s second major label album was introduced through the ambitious single “i,” a rare Rap single about loving yourself. Lamar’s confidence to confront those lacking said quality in such a potent manner speaks volumes to his artistic power. His ability to make it a palatable message to those who needed to hear it most makes it exemplary art.
Much of the rest of To Pimp A Butterfly follows suit with equally important but different topics, whether it’s pro-Blackness (“The Blacker The Berry”), perseverance in the face of adversity (“Alright”) or the need to treat each person with respect, not disdain (“How Much A Dollar Cost”).
Showing his deft songwriting, Lamar even injects social commentary into his songs with an extra thump (“King Kunta”). In fact, the collection’s smoothest selection boasts multiple entendre in its storyline (“These Walls”).
Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly was among the most anticipated albums of 2015. It ended up being the best, too.
Runners Up
Vince Staples – Summertime ’06
Referencing the summer when Vince Staples graduated into manhood, Summertime ’06 serves as the starkest Rap soundtrack of 2015. On his debut album, the Long Beach, California rapper looks inward and documents the confusing chaos taking place in Staples’ mind and the world around him. “Lift Me Up” is a bleak call for help, while “Norf Norf” details the hypocrisy of utopian social movement slogans compared to the grim reality in the trenches of urban America. With beats as moody as Vince’s poignancy, Summertime ’06 isn’t a safe place to visit.
Big Sean – Dark Sky Paradise
After proving he could make hit songs, Big Sean took the next step in 2015. Dark Sky Paradise showed he could make a great album. Single “I Don’t Fuck With You” expertly walked the fine line of commercial and credible, while “Blessings” featured the Detroit rapper partnering with Drake for a legendary lyrical exercise.
Underrated Album Of The Year
The Good Fight
Artists like Oddisee are sometimes faced with being overlooked despite making extremely high-quality music that never ceases to impress once given a chance. Getting one’s voice heard is always the difficult part. In an industry where trap and shallow themes become commercially addictive ways of getting attention, The D.C. native’s opus The Good Fight does a fantastic job of showcasing both his strive for making uncompromising music and inner turmoil. Tracks including “Contradiction’s Maze” and “Meant It When I Said It” aren’t just tracks featuring top notch rhymes and mood setting production. Both are honest views into the plight of an emcee attempting to win a seemingly losing battle within the rap game. Thankfully whether he knows or not, he’s definitely winning by a landslide. Simply put, Oddisee has officially made himself Hip Hop’s underground statesman through The Good Fight.
Runners Up
Curtiss King – Raging Waters
West Coast emcee/producer Curtiss King spent the past several years releasing projects that flew under-the-radar alongside his time producing for artists including Murs and Ab-Soul. His best work to date, Raging Waters is a grand statement from the Inland Empire native. King displays his ability to curate rhymes that are witty, introspective and flat-out comical. There isn’t a better example as “Give It 2 Me” and “Hump Day.” His production also managed to improve significantly as well, which feels like a more mature take on West Coast sounds. Taking that notion even further, Raging Waters ends with one of the unique covers of 2015 as King remakes Domino’s classic jam “Ghetto Jam.”
Ghostface Killah & Adrian Younge – 12 Reasons To Die II
Ghostface Killah not only kicked off the year with his Sour Soul collaboration with BadBadNotGood but rejoined Hip Hop’s favorite analog guru Adrian Younge for a sequel to 2013’s Twelve Reasons To Die. Those appreciating the street-tale/comic book fantasy of the original are treated to a project that feels even more finely tuned. If Wu-Tang albums are the equivalent to The Justice League, Twelve Reasons To Die II is a side story that features other members as notable side characters (RZA and Raekwon specifically) for Tony Stark’s gritty crime drama. And yes, Younge is as good as ever in his role as producer. The vintage feel returns with an even greater vibe.
Underrated Artist Of The Year
Skeme
2015 is officially Skeme’s breakout year. He released both Ingleworld 2 and 3 this year, making him one of the most consistent emcees of the year. In fact, both projects saw him rise from hyper-local L.A. sensation to bonafide breakout act, and it’s several years in the making. His style echos Tupac without biting him and his considerable wit have only become more seasoned as his career has continued. Hard work really does pay off.
“Khalil’s Song” was a beautiful if not hood version of Ta-nehisi Coates Between The World And Me, a careful ode to his son and the rare leak off of Ingleworld 2. The follow-up to Ingleworld was set to be a double-disc, however — all the rage these days — and so Ingleworld 3 burst onto the scene again soon afterward with stripped down guest features, creating a more intimate feel. It’s what he needed, and now there seems to be nothing stopping the newest Inglewood representative to breach the national stage.
Runners Up
Earl Sweatshirt
The morose I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside is the yin to the yang of starry-eyed youth spectacles like Surf. It stands as a relayer of the stark inner realities that make Earl so difficult to listen to and yet also so satisfying and so beloved. All that considerable talent is not only still there on this years saddest project, but so is all the angst of a young man adrift amongst a sea of “yes.” He moved to Hollywood, dead smack in the center of excess and he hated it. That’s good enough for me. Here’s hoping Earl becomes the sober rap Bukowski to this generation’s focus on droll, meaningless encounters, and hyper-sharing.
King Mez
King Mez was featured on three of the best offerings off Dr. Dre’s long awaited and decidedly final project Compton: A Soundtrack By Dr. Dre. He showed out, but the North Carolina kid with the penchant for K. Dot like rhymes has been a long-time-coming. He’s got it all: wit, candor, and flow. And he’s a deep thinker, penetrating topics that other emcees dare not tread upon. Will that be enough? We hope so.
Producer Of The Year
Metro Boomin
When you produce the biggest artists and several of the biggest songs from said artists in the same year, you’re running the game. Check how artists and songs are both plural? There are no droughts in Metro Boomin’s ZIP code. Believe that.
The Atlanta-based beatsmith showed that he could work in concert behind the boards, cranking out the sonically schizophrenic club and party anthem “3500” for Travi$ Scott, Future and 2 Chainz with a cadre of other sonic masterminds and also getting his tag-team on with “3500” cohort Allen Ritten for the spooky sonics of Future’s depraved “Thought It Was Drought.”
Of course, Metro Boomin kept DS2 flowing with the peculiar “Where Ya At,” perfectly setting the stage for the Future and Drake’s What A Time To Be Alive and its atmospheric “Jumpman.”
From smash singles to street-certified album cuts, Metro Boomin ran 2015.
Runners Up
No I.D.
As the sonic mastermind behind Vince Staples’ dynamic double-disc debut, No I.D. showcased the power of Rap’s dark side. Summertime ’06 indeed demonstrated that Rap still resonates when it transmits the pain and poignancy of uber articulate artists bent on highlighting the scores sapping salvation from urban America. The haunting potency of the Chicago beatsmith’s work on both discs of the Long Beach, California rapper’s album are textbook examples of mournful soul that lingers long after the music stops.
Mike WiLL Made-It
Yeah, he produced for other cats in 2015, but Mike WiLL Made-It’s year was all about his work on Rae Sremmurd’s SremmLife. The tremendous trio of “No Flex Zone,” “Throw Sum Mo” and “No Type” alone showcased the Atlanta-based beatsmith’s sonics at their best: hypnotizing, hood and somehow simultaneously ratchet and mainstream radio-ready. Talk about producing.
Beat Of The Year
“F*ck Up Some Commas”
Getting lost in the large majority of music Future released between Fall of 2014 and the release of DS2 is fairly understandable. One of the highlights was obviously Monster’s “F*ck Up Some Commas” which eventually re-released as his third feature length album’s first single. DJ Spinz and Southside allowed Future Hendrix to ride everything from the piano loop and blaring siren to the bass overload on this Trap epic. All of it allowed the next generation Dungeon Family representative to spit his best hook to date. The backing track gave Future the ability to do exactly what he does best; spit rhymes in a melodic way that doesn’t sound loose but extremely focused within all the sonic chaos.
Runners Up
Travi$ Scott – “Antidote”
“Antidote” is Travi$ Scott’s breakout single and drug filled turn-up of the year. The producer/emcee finally perfected his Wild West approach to trap. It wouldn’t be a Scott production without some interesting touches including the warbled bass that always kicks in at the right time or the dynamics that rise until its unfortunate end. If this is the soundtrack to the “late show,” the pure unadulterated debauchery mentioned should make sense for anyone spending a check on the weekend.
Kendrick Lamar – “Alright”
To Pimp A Butterfly literally could be considered a timeline through the history of black music as K.Dot spits poetic commentary on himself and a plethora of black issues. For those looking for immediate gratification, “Alright” is clearly the album’s most approachable track. Sounwave and Pharrell manage to make trap sound intelligent. Even more so when one adds Terrace Martin’s aggressive sax into the mix. It’s the blending of live instrumentation and current trends that feels like a bridging the gap moment.
Video Of The Year
“Alright”
We are in a time where an artist drops videos for just about everything from freestyles to studio sessions to vlogs. With video content dropping all day every day, it’s like a breath of fresh air when you see a grippy new visual from an artist. We chose Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” for video of the year because it was such a powerful song and featured an even more powerful video. Kendrick starts off reciting parts of the poem we heard on “Mortal Man,” a track with striking images of poverty, police shootings, community fluctuations, violence and more. Which then leads into Kendrick in the car with his Black Hippy label mates as he recites a new verse that we all wish would secretly just drop as a full song already. We come to the end of that verse with the powerful image of four policemen carrying the car the men are riding in. The rest of the video you can find Kendrick floating around the city like a superhero while all the kids look up to him as he reassures them that everything will be alright in the world. Then he’s shot, but does he die? “Alright” is an idea, a credo that will surely survive long after him.
Runners Up
Drake – “Hotline Bling”
The runner-up had to go to Drake’s “Hotline Bling,” of course. In a time where rap is seen as hardcore and explicit, Drake drops a very fun and vivacious video for his hot new single that still has the Internet going nuts. It was hard not to see a #DrakeAlwaysOnBeat video floating around a timeline near you.
Vince Staples – “Señorita”
Second-runner-up is Vince Staples “Señorita.” The jaw-dropping, soul punching black and white visual for Vince’s Future-assisted single. The video starts off depicting what you believe are urbanites set against the backdrop of a typical suburban community, but it’s not until you see bodies dropping that you realize there is nothing typical about this community at all. There’s police brutality, cultural appropriation and so much more all jam packed in just under four minutes. At the very end you realize the deeper meaning, these people are prisoners in their own community and the picture of the white family at the end shows you that this is how “white” America view minorities and their communities. So deep, so touching.
Verse Of The Year
“Back To Back”
It was the verse heard ‘round the world. Everyone knew that Drake was going to retaliate against Meek Mill’s Twitter allegations that ghostwriters pen his platinum hits. We just didn’t expect him to reduce Philly’s finest to a set of Twitter Fingers. As soon as Drizzy dropped that scathing “is that a world tour or your girl’s tour… this ain’t what she meant when she told you to open up more” couplet, Milly had absolutely gotten “bodied by a singing nigga.” Even if he had taken three weeks… a month… two months to respond, it’s hard to imagine if he could’ve countered the way “Back To Back” commanded the club and national radio.
That’s Drake’s battle M.O.—create caustic responses that are unavoidable; that everyone will hear. In the end, “Back To Back” wasn’t just some piece to a rap-culture only conflict. It was a bonafide smash, becoming the first diss track to snag a Grammy nomination in the process. Win-or-lose, at least, Meek gets to be a part of history.
Runners Up
Kendrick Lamar – “The Blacker The Berry”
The third verse to Kendrick Lamar’s “The Blacker The Berry” has it all: nuance, self-assurance, self-reflection, contextual relevance, style, a surprise conclusion. “So why did I weep when Trayvon Martin was in the street when gang banging make me kill a nigga blacker than me? Hypocrite!” Compton’s lyrical king invited a conversation that’s unfortunately too common and too often has no easy real world solutions, brought it all home by turning the pen inwards, then had the gumption to make the track one of To Pimp A Butterfly’s singles. Bravo.
Lupe Fiasco – “Mural”
It’s difficult to say whether “Mural” is Lupe Fiasco’s best collection of bars. But it might be. Those eight minutes and 49 seconds of mega-stanzas move like “Dumb It Down” on performance enhancers, harkening to early Cornell Westside, yet infinitely more polished. “You gotta treat your vocal chords like it’s a fortress,” Lu flows like a fountain full of words. “And treat every single one of your words like reinforcements and especially when you’re recording because that’s the portion that’s important when I was reporting that I was poor / But now I’m more than.” It’s the art of emceeing at its finest—the perfect way to set off his incredible comeback album, Tetsuo & Youth. Fiasco fanatics rejoice.
Rising Star
Fetty Wap
Fetty Wap dominated airplay this year with his breakout single “Trap Queen.” But the Paterson, New Jersey native did not stop there. He churned out hit after hit with “679,” “Again” and “My Way,” which was graced with a Drake verse for the remix. Fetty Wap has an uncanny ability to turn street content into radio-friendly pop singles. Those pies aren’t from Marie Calendar’s… Where can Fetty Wap go from here? We don’t know, but we are excited to see.
Runners Up
Anderson .Paak
Anderson .Paak first caught our attention when he was one of the many new artists on Dr. Dre’s Compton tracklist. Then, when we heard the music, we, and the rest of the world, were impressed. When we learned that he literally poured water on his face while recording “Deep Water,” we knew this guy took his artistry seriously. Since his breakout on Compton, the Oxnard, California singer appeared on The Game’s The Documentary 2.5 and teamed up with Knxwledge, Blended Babies and others to create some solid music. It’s looking up for .Paak.
Travi$ Scott
We don’t really know what to label Travi$ Scott as, but that’s ok. He’s a rapper whose shows are punk-inspired and he definitely has a rock influence, too. Travi$ Scott released his debut album Rodeo this year and gave us some heat like “Antidote” and “3500.” His work with Kanye West should help propel him to even further heights. Straight up!
Comeback Of The Year
Dr. Dre
2015 was an incredible year for the city of Compton. Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly is still collecting accolades. Game returned with two albums in two weeks (The Documentary 2 & 2.5). Both sit comfortably near the top of his catalog. The N.W.A biopic, Straight Outta Compton grossed over $161 million domestically and $200 million globally. All of which, in one way or another, are directly tied to rap’s richest man, Dr. Dre. Oh yeah, and he also found room to drop his first album in 15 years, Compton: A Soundtrack By Dr. Dre. Whether a fan of the music, the movie, the moves made by his proteges or Apple Music, no one from within the genre has ever dominated so many separate mediums so magnanimously simultaneously.
Runners Up
The Game
Game’s reality TV exploits and social media shenanigans have been the catalyst for his popularity in recent years. While VH1’s Marrying The Game and She’s Got Game, along with his Instagram account made him a bonafide superstar, his music is what resonated most in 2015. Game released The Documentary 2 and 2.5 in consecutive weeks, reasserting all the lyrical reasons why we cared about the Compton emcee in the first place.
Future
To say Future is prolific is an understatement. In 2015, the Atlanta artist released Beast Mode, 56 Nights, the heralded Dirty Sprite 2 and the inescapable What A Time To Be Alive with Drake. The latter two both debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts. All of which were not only found rattling whips and strip clubs nationwide, but critically praised as well.
Disappointing Album
What A Time To Be Alive
When it came out that Drake and Future were in the studio together, the world went nuts. Rumors starting flying that the two might drop an album together and it felt like when Jay and Ye announced Watch The Throne. If their collar “Where Ya At” was any indication of what the project would sound like it was sure to be a banger, or so we thought. This album was easily one of the most disappointing albums this year. It’s said that the album was made in six days and that’s exactly what it sounds like. A rush album with no chemistry whatsoever. All the songs sounded like typical Future track or a Drake me classic instead of a cohesive blend of the two artists sharing their talents in a studio together. The last track on the album didn’t even feature Future and that is the one track we would have love to hear him tackle since it was indeed a collar album. We just wanted so much more from an album that was pumped up to possibly be the album of the year.
Runners Up
Wale – The Album About Nothing
Not that we expected much from an album about nothing but that is exactly what we got, an album about absolutely nothing. Wale’s cries for attention don’t really make the situation any better. We wanted so much more from the Seinfeld-themed album being that his 2010 mixtape of the same theme was so successful. This should have been Wale’s “1,” his best album yet, instead it was quickly forgotten as fast as it came.
Casey Veggies – Live & Grow
Everyone wanted a great album from the young Inglewood native. With this being his first full-length major-label project and having more access to resources and creative freedom, we thought this album would surely be a gem. Instead, Live & Grow fails to show enough evolution to move into Hip Hop’s major league. Instead of sticking to his usual, the album sounds like Casey was attempting to bridge the gap between mainstream radio hits and music from the past, but it just didn’t blend together cohesively and didn’t really show the growth from the artist we had such high hopes for.
Mixtape Of The Year
Big KRIT – It’s Better This Way
Big K.R.I.T. brought smiles to our faces when he quietly dropped It’s Better This Way with DJ Drama. K.R.I.T. unleashed his signature storytelling and experimented with old school soundscapes to create quite a project. The Mississippi rapper enlisted heavy hitters to make appearances on the tape including Warren G, Ludacris and Young Dolph. The material ranges from jazzy grooves like “No Static” to straight bangers like “86.” Even though K.R.I.T. is a household name for most Hip Hop Heads, he has yet to break into mainstream success and this adds to his catalog that keeps us scratching our heads as to why he remains off the radio airwaves. But he doesn’t seem to mind, so we won’t question it too hard, either. Perhaps it’s better this way.
Runners Up
Future – Beast Mode
Future dominated airwaves with songs like “F*ck Up Some Commas,” “Where Ya At” and “Jumpman,” but when he joined forces with Zaytoven to create Beast Mode, he gave us one of our favorites mixtapes of 2015. Future plastered the mixtape scene this year with the success of 56 Nights, too, but this one stands out as the cream of the crop. At nine tracks, Beast Mode is fairly short and the lone feature comes from Juvenile. But despite its run-time of less than 30 minutes, the replay-ability is heavy. Future sets the stage nicely for his Dirty Sprite 2 album and Zaytoven reminds everyone why he is one of the most highly-sought beat-smiths in the game.
Young Thug – Barter 6
Young Thug has made plenty of headlines this year from beefing with The Game to being accused of conspiring with Birdman to kill Lil Wayne. His Barter 6 mixtape is no less guilty of controversy from the title, a ripoff of Weezy’s Tha Carter series to the fact that Thugger posed naked for the cover art. But what matters is that we loved the music. Loved it. This was the most articulate the Atlanta rapper sounded yet. He wowed us with his wordplay and melodies that he does in a way that is utterly his own. And the fact that he got some stellar verses from Birdman doesn’t hurt the tape’s case for one of the best of 2015.
Non Hip Hop Of The Year
Beauty Behind The Madness
The Weeknd’s Beauty Behind The Madness marked his second major label release, and it came after cementing himself as a bonafide pop sensation. A few forces conspired to his ascension. The alt-R&B genre he helped usher in with House Of Balloons became backed by a societal focus on the darker side of love. 50 Shades Of Grey became a motion picture. And the book that saved the publishing industry produced a soundtrack that featured The Weeknd’s softcore VHS “Earned It.” The tongue-in-cheek titled ear turner created a typhoon for The Weeknd that seemed to only build in intensity throughout the year.
Everything else he put out was just as much of a smash. The Kanye West produced “Tell Your Friends” rounded out the year, but the meat of the sandwich were radio staples “Can’t Feel My Face” and “Often.” The monumental achievement for Abel Tesfaye, though, was his bridging of the druggy, macabre R&B he specialized with into the soul of the mainstream audience. Everyone from housewives to emo-kids bump Abel, and he’s transcended into naked superstardom. For a while there it seemed unlikely that Abel would reach his pinnacle the way Frank Ocean did with Channel Orange. But, in fact, he may have flown even higher, becoming a pop star without seeming to sacrifice his dark matter in any way.
Runners Up
Kehlani – You Should Be Here
Her second mixtape in two years saw her put all the pieces together, as Kehlani broke through the alt-R&B haze into the limelight. Chances are that she was always a star, but it was her breakout single with Chicago luminary Chance The Rapper, “The Way,” that thrust her into Spotify playlists of young millennials all over the country. She’s ridden the wave with aplomb, applying her signature songwriting to slick Aaliyah like flow to create an updated version of the introverted hymns sweeping the nation.
Ty Dolla $ign – Free TC
Free TC is Ty’s debut album, and it lives up to the hitmaker’s billing as one of the most innovative proto-R&B voices in the game. His lithe sound, created along with DJ Mustard, ushered in the second wave of West Coast dominance with hits like “Blase” and “When I See Ya.” His album delivered when almost everyone thought he was nothing but a string of radio hits, and now the sky’s the limit.
Collaboration Of The Year
“Where Ya At”
Years back, Drake hopped on the remix of “Tony Montana” with a then-unknown Future. Eventually, a rift would form between the two over an alleged failed video appearance. Drizzy ascended to pop icon status while Future Hendrix pushed forward to earning hit after hit despite a disappointing sophomore album Honest. Of course, the Atlanta rapper found newfound inspiration by releasing the now classic trilogy of mixtapes Monster, Beast Mode and 56 Nights. This all set the stage for what would become his best album to date, DS2. Interestingly enough, the only feature verse came from October’s Very Own himself for “Where Ya At.” Hearing Toronto’s hero collaborate on an equal playing field with Future over Metro Boomin’s drug infused production set the stage for this year’s biggest joint project What A Time To Be Alive.
Runners Up
Kendrick Lamar f. Pharrell – “Alright”
Let’s be honest, Pharrell’s hook for “Alright” is more than just a catchy call of hope. For heaven’s sake, nearly every civil rights march of 2015 following the release of To Pimp A Butterfly has featured chants of “We gon’ be alright.” Some, in fact, called “Alright” this generation’s “We Shall Overcome.” King Kendrick also spits his aggressive flow giving himself confidence in the face of personal demons and troubles of the outside world. If black America needed a sign of assurance in the midst of police brutality and racism, “Alright” is exactly what the doctor ordered.
Ty Dolla $ign f. Future & Rae Sremmurd – “Blase´”
Ty Dolla $ign could be considered this generation’s king of ratchet R&B. “Blase” could be considered his club turn-up record for this climate of the music genre. The West Coast/Atlanta collaboration could be considered one of 2015’s most pivotal club bangers thanks to Future and Rae Sremmurd. In terms of his debut Free TC, “Blase” is the most turnt moment of the album that’s mainly full of contemporary R&B moments including features with Babyface and Jagged Edge of all artists. If anyone needed a backing sound to their nightly club hop around Hollywood, Ty Dolla $ign full delivered.
Nailed it!!. Support that real Hiphop in the new year yall… Be Healthy
game has album of the year and real nigga of the year and mc of the year
Day One of the jack off Kendrick awards. Dude’s sick, but open it up a little bit.
How is vince staples on here but Lupe isnt?? GTFOH…im confused….Tetsuo is the hands down the most underated album of this year and way better then anything vince has put out this year DX is wilding
Decent choices but Drake’s album was better than Big Sean’s. Lets be real
DX is on point with this
I feel Doc 2 and 2.5, and testuo and youth should be ahead of Drakes and Big Seans album. Drakes first three albums were better than his latest album.To be honest i didn’t like that album. Vince staples is overrated,should be on the list.
Dx on Kendrick dick hard… Game definitely had album of the year but I guess
I feel Doc 2 and 2.5, and testuo and youth should be ahead of Drakes and Big Seans album. Drakes first three albums were better than his latest album.To be honest i didn’t like that album. Vince staples is overrated,should not be on the list.
I felt the Game’s Doc 2&2.5 way better than kendrick’s uninteresting collectively hyped shitty album
no replay value for kendrick’s tpab album.
forget about what the media hype has done for the album that album is shit cuz that hype will soon fIZZLE OUT like the LIL WAYNE BEST RAPPER ALIVE HYPE
Game DOCUMENTARY 2&2.5 got album of the year!!!
To pimp a butterfly is one of the best album of the decade
No PRhyme???
PRhyme won best album last year.
Where’s Game? Documentary 2 counts as a double album.
My est album is IYRTITL runners up, TD2.5, Tetsuo & Youth, TPAB
Please DX don’t use the word EMCEE when you DON’T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK IT MEANS! Just because you are black does not mean you have any fucking knowledge on Hip Hop. Eminem, is a MC, Kendrick is an MC, Sean and Drake are average RAPPER’S. Let me tell you something, you might think “Oh we can use this Word, nobody knows what it means anyway” there are a LOT of educate people with knowledge around here. Knowledge is One of Hip Hop 5 Elements and by using MC instead of RAPPER you are disrespecting people’s intelligence and only making a fool out of yourself. Vince Staples an MC??? GTFOH! DX Ya’ll got some LAMES working for ya’ll.
So can you tell us the difference then, if you feel so strongly about it? You never exactly said what made them difference
Just like somebody below said How isn’t LUPE on here but Vince Staples is? Kill yo’self
Mural, Chopper Donw and blur my hands >>anything vince has done this year
TPAB is a given for *best album of 2015….but DSP by BIG SEAN needed to be on here as well…90059 by JAY ROCK was the #1 Street album of 2015..and TETSUO & YOUTH is one of the most lyrical albums of the decade…..GO LUPE!…..
Lupe at least needs a mention. None better than his album.
SUMMERTIME 06 AND DARK SKY PARADISE RUNNER UP? OK EVERYONE LETS JUST ACT LIKE DS2 NEVER EXISTED. DX, DO US A FAVOR AND DO NOT RELEASE ANYMORE AWARDS.
oh yea DS2 shitted on a bunch of shit this year hands down
This website has become a joke. 1) Drake is the emcee of the year. Most downloads, most times on the chart, he’s released more albums than Kendrick has. 2) Drake should win album of the year. 3) Noah 40 Shebib should be producer of the year.
If it ain’t Drake it ain’t banging or classic.
Just because Drake jams new songs out way more then he shoud doesn’t mean he deserves Emcee if the year for most downloads
If anything Boi-1da should over 40, since he had more productions for Drake if that’s what you’re arguing. But Drake’s ass, his beats were ass and he hasn’t had good music since a select few songs from NWTS.
What a joke. Kendrick deserves both awards but hhdx has runner ups for aoty wrong. Tetsuo & Youth and Documentary 2 should be there.
Can we at least wait until Pusha T drops before we do the end-of-year lists?
Maybe if Pusha T had a chance at an award..
Yo it’s a shame that even a Hip-Hop site like this can’t be real and not follow a damn trend. By putting Kendrick as Best Emcee and having him win album of the year basically shits on the artist that actually made a better HIP-HOP ALBUM THAN HIM AND WERE BETTER MASTERS OR CEREMONIES THAN HIM!!!! SMH I love Kendrick but not he’s getting undeserved praise
Fuck you guys. Lupe’s album aint even in the runner ups.
Lupe’s album was real cool, but it didn’t get enough promotion. He needs to ditch Atlantic Records, because a dude who’s had classic albums and mainstream success in the past shouldn’t be so slept on. I love Game too, but you’re trippin if you really think Documentary 2 was the album of the year. I wish I could say wait for Pusha’s to drop before naming aoty. But if any of his solo work up to this point tells me anything, it’s that it’ll have 4-5 great songs, and the rest will be mostly forgettable. Hope I’m wrong.
To Pimp a Butterfly was so hard that no one is listening to it! That album wasn’t worth the wait in my opinion. It’s definitely a step back from good kid madd city. Just being real
shoot urself please
Biggest L Of The Year goes to Nas for those Justin Beiber and Madonna songs. Even Meek Mill getting bodied by Drake or whatever Stitches did this year won’t top those.
Emcee: Kendrick (sure)
Album: Testou & Youth (are u retarded?)
Everyone is still talking about Drake and ghostwriting and you guys fail to bring that nugget up. You also fail to bring up how everyone was clowning Drake for the dance moves on Hotline Bling. You guys really love Drake so much, you can’t see how his stock fell off. SMH -When writer becomes a Stan-
This is by far the most anti-Drake website. You fuckers don’t even try to hide your bias!!! OVO over everything!!
MC Of The Year: Drake
Runners Up: Kendrick Lamar, Future, A$AP Rocky, Vince Staples, Logic
Album Of The Year: To Pimp A Butterfly
Runners Up: Tetsuo & Youth, Dark Sky Paradise, The Documentary 2, AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP, Top 5 Dead Or Alive
I’d also say that if it were just for trap music, DS2 would be Album Of The Year, and either Future or Migos would be MC
i know its a popularity contest, and too bad more underground emcees dont get shine….but if listen Elli$’s ‘Ocean Grown’, you’ll be singing a different tune….easily album of the year.
i think K Dot is dope, but i’m not sold TPAB….it ranks 3rd in his catelog behind Section80 and GKMC
Lupe…no better album than his this year.
Why, did hiphopdx not put doc 2/2.5 on the list and lupes album.doc 2/2.5 and lupes album were far better better than drakes and big seans album
Big Sean’s album was boring as.. Dude can’t make a good album to save himself.
Biggest underrated album was Scarface. While it didn’t get a shred of promotion it was the most complete work of the year with music that didn’t sound like anyone else. But much respect to Oddisee, Curtiss King, and Ghostface. They dropped great project too. All of them were better than Drake and Big Sean. Way better works. Lupe dielivered a masterpiece tho, second to only Kendrick and Scarface, but I respect your opinions all the same.
To Pimp A Butterfly was NOT all that great. People are just saying that because it’s politically correct. Album of the year? HELL NAW. I can give you three albums off TOP that were better;
Dr. Dre – Compton
Scarface – Deeply Rooted
Tech N9ne – Special Effects
Just to name a FEW. There are CERTAINLY others. TPAB was cool, but not to the extent people are making it seem. Just my opinion.
Points on Scarface – Deeply Rooted. That’s the true underrated AOTY.
Drizzaveli needs to be the winner in every category. #DrakeIsLoveDrakeIsLife
Dude you are literally the definition of a bitch ass nigga. Get Drakes dick out of your mouth, we get it, he’s your emotional hero. Just get a life
Is it just me, or was TPAB not all that great. I gave it a few listens. Really paid attention to it. But I don’t think it deserves all this hype. Just because it’s Kendrick? GKMC was dope, but this one…I dunno. Not record of the year material.
Yes its you. You are truly your username…….so hold this L and go away
Forreal
Stitches album was the best i had heard in years. #DrugDealersOnly
How you don’t mention Lupe or Tetsuo and Youth is laughable for a hip hop site. Thought you guys were more clued up at DX. TPAB is the obvious choice, it’s been hyped up ridiculously though. Tetsuo was the better album imo. Show me the rapper this year that opens their album with 9 minutes of just lyrical mastery. Lupe made art. Fair enough if you want to follow everyone else and pick kendrick but you have to mention Lupe somewhere.
Such a good album, I pump that intro all the time, ridiculous flow.
The problem with that album is Lupe has about the most boring delivery in history man. Dude has lyrics but he literally sounds like he reading from a piece of paper in a class room. Its like hearing a robot rap the song. I bought it based on hiphop dx 4.5 rating but it was very very vanilla. Just boring but lyrically sound.
Man I must be dumb and deaf at the same time coz your k dot is average at best and Ima bump all his albums just to make sure, all these praises just make me laugh.
Nah nigga. A dude like Wiz Khalifa is average at best. Kendrick is an elite emcee and song maker. I didn’t fuck with TPAB like GKMC or Section 80, but it’s literally the highest rated rap album of all time on metacritic. Obviously he’s doing something right.
pple just like to follow the crowd. .the media is just imposing Tpab on us as the best rap album whereas most of us don’t fuck with that album anymore cuz its cool but boring as fuck…..this is the same way kendrick & the media imposed Andre 3000 who has no single hiphop record on us as BEST EMCEE..this shitty media hype is just misleading the hiphop community. FUCKING ANNOYING!
You are fucking stupid if you really think that 3 Stacks isn’t top 10 all time….That’s one of the safe choices..no one even argues that..lol…and because in your opinion you didn’t like TPAB it has nothing to do with the public..people love this album…
MGK album general admission is far better than that of drake any any other artist admit it and he is also an underratted artist
Great, credible choices and arguments.
You’re growing up, HHDX.
my top 5 albums of 2015: 1. jay rock- 90059 2. asap rocky- a.l.l.a. 3. donnie trumpet & social experiment- surf 4. lupe fiasco- tetsuo & youth 5. game- documentary 2. i liked tpab, just not as much as everyone else. jay rock’s album was much better.
You lost me right away! Jay Rock’s album was a weed plate at best! Nobody’s checking for him. Wasn’t for Kendrick, we wouldn’t even hear about him. That’s good news for you hipsters though! Don’t have to worry about him becoming too popular and selling out.
Hey DX Staff, Could we get a Criminally Slept on category? I feel like the Oddisee album was under rated this year and it deserves some more spotlight. But there are guys out there that have never even got the spotlight that Oddisee has. There are guys out there putting out album after album of quality material that don’t see even see a glimmer.
Underrated Album – Joey Bada$$ “B4.Da.$$.”
Producer gave me a beat, said its the beat of the year, i said if EL-P didnt do it, then get the fuck out of here!
No Run The Jewels mentions in beat of the year, or producer of the year for El Producto? = Fuck Boy List
Rtj 2 dropped near the end of 2014 or else they probably would have been on here. El- p the rawest tho so i feel you.
Not one mention of Run The Jewels or El-P in last year’s list… FUCK BOY LIST
The aim of tpab was clearly not to break sales, radio hits when it first got released I was like what is kendrick trying to do but I listen to it more nd it’s just grows on me different to most of the albums maybe expect lupe fiasco t&y but even if kendrick were to go with the sotheren south ppl will still be not satisfied
Thank you.you understand the art behind tpab and you clearly understand hiphop
It’s fucking sad when USA Today has a better year end hip-hop album list than hiphopDX. Guess what they put as #1: Lupe’s T & Y. FUCK HIPHOPDX!
Lmfao! You ain’t lyin’
I cant be the only one who thought Hotline Bling was complete trash and Alright was just a average ass filler track?
Majority of people disagree with you
Hotline Bling, absolutely. Alright, absolutely not.
Lupe Fiasco’s Tetsuo & Youth Album underrated
Who is vince staples?
Lupes’ Tetsuo & Youth deserves more reconigtion. shame he was buried behind kendrick drake big sean etc etc.
Back To back verse of the year? looooooooool. Ahead of Mural? pretty soon you guys will be calling it the best diss track of all time smmfh
Ruffling feathers keeps people interested. Take Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith for example
Game had comeback of the year, no ones listening to Dre’s album anymore
Comeback?? Game didn’t go nowhere
Negative ghostrider! I am still listening to Compton! Attention spans these days?
Future>>game
i’m not gonna listen to an album full of features fuck outta here
gaame shits on future every which way
you can tell that this is west coast base hip hop site, 95% of the people getting nominated are west coast rapper vince staples, earl sweatsuit, king mez, skeme, and of course kendrick You have the game on here as producer of the year, you can’t be serious!! this must be an early April Fools Joke. I know y’all could of found better artist to nominate than these nobody’s..And no J.Cole…the bet awards was better than this..
I have to disagree about Wale having a disappointing album. I thought it was one of the better Hip-Hop albums of the year but what do I know? Did Wale diss DX or something?
I am with you! Wale’s album, to me – is top 10 of 2015. “but what do I know? Did Wale diss DX or something?”?
Same here. It was an actual Wale album not a label ridden album like his others. It was a good step in the direction of what he is capable of. But as stated “what do we know?”. I know this, this is the laziest Year end list the site has ever had and last years was pretty awful.
I thought it was a fire ass album too…he definitely must have pissed somebody at DX off
“and it felt like when Jay and Ye announced Watch The Throne” – ummm no it did not, actually far from that.
that DRAKE & FUTURE waz TRASH….the best song was 30 by 30 by DRAKE(by himself)……..worse MIXTAPE waz BARTER 6…LOL…HOTLINE BLING *best song of 2015….DRIZZY is going to be #1 for 2016…
So y’all know Lupe is better than the other rappers and that Mural is among his best collections of pure BARS but you give the trophy to emo battle rap bars that only the hypebeasts REALLY got into? Makes no sense
Our voting system includes freelancers, staffers and industry experts from outside of the organization.
Really DX Future and Drake album most disappointing clean out the wax build up in those ears ! I’m still knocking that album shit is fire the Beats the songs the flow of Future and Drake combined and it’s still selling on the charts !
Its actually one of the few things they got right on this Article. That’s Drake and Future’s worst shit ever it wasn’t good at all just cause its Drake and Future doesn’t mean its always good. If this was an up and comers effort nobody would of gave a shit. So enough Dick riding admit when something is trash.
Halloween Havoc 2 easily the best tape of the year. It aint mainstream tho so Banks gets no credit smh
I can’t front threw all young thugs ridiculous antics and soundbites, Barter 6 was a dope album!
I doubt that. Dope and Young Thugs Music don’t belong in the same sentence. I assure that album was Trash just like everything else he does.
Exactly! Young Thong is an ambiguous embarrassment! How many unforgettable 20 track mixtapes does one have to drop before an album? Trolls the internet with homo propaganda etc. Mumbles the same lines over and over. music for homosexual zombies
love the fact you put Casey Veggies in the conversation, even though his album was quite disappointing like stated by DX.
Good to see you guys are still trying to check everyone even when some have the lack of exposure.
Not even a mention: (Joey BadA$$ – B4da$$), (Skyzoo – Music for my frieds), (Logic – The Incredible True Story), (Pusha-T – King Push – Prelude….), (Rick Ross – Black Market), (Currency – Even More Saturday Night Car Tunes or Cathedral Music or Canal Street Confidential)?? The Dre album was dope, so no complaints there. If you’re gonna exclude the above albums then I guess Drake’s IYRTITL is fair, but Kendrick Lamar album is way over hyped; and WFT with the Big Sean love affair the media has, but I guess if you can bang out that chick from GLEE and Ariana Grande you ought to be recognized – so salute on that front Big Sean.
The Wale album was NOT disappointing at all. Top 10 albums of the year. Y’all buggin
I agree remember this is the same article that says Young Thugs album was good. I wouldn’t trust what they say they pretty much lost all credibility when they said that.
It was a high vibration album. It may have been too positive for most folks. Its definitely a very unique album.
i swear i dont get hip hop 2015. How the hell is ds2 a great album?? Its not even rap! Wale, Jay rock, sweatshirt, Mac miller, Asap rocky, Bada$$, Game, Scarface, Lupe, logic, Bronson, and pretty much every other actual rapper’s albums were better. And young thug? wow. DX actually said thugger has world play.
Wale and Mac Miller are wack. Thugger has wordplay, but you’re not listening. That’s ok too. As for DS2, sure it’s not a lyrical masterpiece or going to tell you the meaning of life, but it is a fun album. Sometimes in life its ok to let loose from time to time Bosoton.
Mac could rap circles around thug and future honestly. I’m not a huge mac fan but dude can rap his ass off when he tries, don’t sleep on him jus because he’s a white boy and used to make corny party music. Cmon son if anyones whack its the dude callin himself a thug and wearing skirts and callin his homies bae..
I wonder what this editor thinks wordplay is in hip hop, because I have never heard young thug use any form of wordplay… idk I watch battle rap alot idk if there wordplay is a different wordplay then regular hup hop but I would think it’s all the same… moral of the comment, Young thug has never spit any wordplay in his bars
“Big Sean and Drake” and “legendary lyrical exercise” in the same sentence. I agree, it was just like hearing Big Daddy Kane and Koop G Rap trade bars.
Wale’s album was easily top 10. I get back 2 back being verse of the year due to impact but name a
song in the last two years with that much word play, content, and complexity then Mural?
I respect Big Krit but Dave East had the mixtape of the year. His project was album quality.
So we all have our preferences but keeping it 100 to pimp a butterfly wasn’t the album of the year. Oddiseee The good right has been the most listened to album ive picked up this year, I do have the kendrick album but stop fronting. You take away that bomb production and good singing on hooks and you got what? Pretty solid lyrics but nothing crazy fire. Oddisee who rap/sung/produced that album made a monster record. It was conscious but it was honest. It was well grounded. The documentary 2[The game] was just a banger of an album but because it’s not “conscious” I know it wouldn’t get the nod for best album[Standing on a ferrari right now]. Deeply Rooted by Scarface WAS the comeback album of the year. That album takes you on a journey that outside of vince staples summertime 06 nobody out wrote scarfaces story telling. Kendrick is talented but I feel folks were too afraid to admit after declaring in January that its album of the year, that they were wrong. It was good though.
Also Non rap album of the year I’ll take The Internet “Ego Death” long before The Weekends album. I bought that based on the reviews and man that dudes voice is just too feminine.
The collaboration of the year should be smuckers tyler feat. kanye west & lil wayne smh
Only thing y’all did right was mixtape of the year LMAO , its so obvious y’all west coast based “…and I don’t believe in dick riding …”-YFR
Kendricks album hand down most overrated album of the yr
Drake Futre was top 2 worst mixtape of the yr
2016 wack as f**k for rap hiphop SMH
Why you hate on that album?
First of all that Oddisee album, wasn’t even that great. In my opinion the efforts of The Diamond District as a whole set a bars for them gentlemen that I don’t think any one of the individually can reach. Pick up March on Washington…case and point…and here is a sleeper for you closed minded folks who calls yourselves “hip hop traditionalists” or “purists” Touchdown 2 Cause Hell by Boosie Badazz…Let me just tell you first…Black Thought is my favorite rapper so you know where my mindset is. I don’t bullshit with my music… But that Boosie Badazz album..again in my opinion was right under TPAB and Tetsuo&Youth as my favorite albums this year. Lyrics Beats and he is really talking about some things on that album that Kendrick is talking about as well, its just with a southern drawl. No comparison of Emcees, its just if you feeling certain types of subject matter and you havenet heard Boosie album, you are missing out like crazy. For mixtape, Check out that J Cole & Dreamville joint. Return of the Dreamers 2. Yeah straight fire.
Oddissee spits grown man shit, he didn’t use one swear word on that whole project , that alone says something about his craftsmanship to me, also did all the production himself and all of those beats were on point plus good hooks and clever lyricism. Boosie in the past has had 0 bars in my opinion but ima peep touchdown 2 cause hell
Trust me you wont be disappointed if you truly listen to it with objectivity….your points are valid but to me does not mean its something to sneeze at…when you listen to that boosie album from START to FINISH, give me your true opinion
Best albums of the yr
1. Scarface Deeply Rooted
2. E40 EP
3. DR Dre Compton
4. Lupe Fiasco T&Y
Kidd Kidd Fuck Da Fame, G-Unit The beast Syrem Life…………………., E40 and em not only
how df is there no jadakiss or logic on here….future LMAAOOOOOO……
And they Put that Bullshit Young Thug trash album on here and left the real lyricist off like you just pointed out. This might be one of the worst award list ever. Future shit sucks. He hasn’t been good since Planet Future or Planet Pluto whatever it was called. Logic and Jadakiss albums are way better that Futures and So was all of Chance the Rappers stuff.
dx staff need ro revote on album of the year, cuz DSP was not it, I’ll replace that with Documentary 2, B4.Da.$$, Good AM,
I 100% agree all those albums were better than the Suggestions they gave forsure.
here is my top 10 list: http://dogg-n-roll.blog.hu/2015/12/21/2015_top_10_lemeze
As good as it was, its not even TOP 5 this year
LOL @bulletproof _Wallets – No one that listens to Scarface surfs the web.
You read that right unfortunately. This site has posted some ridiculous claims but that may just take the prize….
Vince Staples honestly should not be up there and I’m not even hatiing
Scarface’s ‘Deeply Rooted’ was album of the year and anyone who actually heard it agrees.
As good as it was, its not even TOP 5 this year
Did they just say Fifty Shades of Grey was “the book that saved the publishing industry?”
Are Drake and Kendrick the only rappers that existed this year? Jeez
See my nigga see that, Kidd Kidd, Meek Mill too he did good numbers Fetty Wap mayne
1. EP of the year,
G-Unit – The Beast Is G-Unit
Underrated of the Year
Kidd Kidd – Fuck the Fame
I basically stopped reading this one I read “did we mention drake is rapping better than he ever has now?” foh
peope are hating so hard on kendrick on this website. Jesus