2010 was kinda challenging in terms of picking a clear front-runner for release of the year.  There were many anticipated releases, some didn’t quite measure up (Drake, Kanye West), some did (Bruno Mars, Janelle Monae) and some surprised us (Erykah Badu, Nicki Minaj, R. Kelly, Eminem).  Last year, and the year before it was easy to pick clear standouts (Trey Songz “I’m Ready” and John Legend’s “Evolver”, respectively).  But this year, the quality heated up in terms of how many good albums blessed us this year.  It was hard to pick one.  So I picked two.  Well, four.  The reason I separated R&B (Urban) and Hip-Hop this year is because Hip Hop made huge moves this year with valiant releases from vetarans and rookies alike.  I came up with split decisions for both categories. 
First up, R&B (Urban):

When Erykah Badu’s “New Amerykah, Part II” came out early in the year, I was like, “This is it.  This is the best album so far this year.”  At that point,… it was.  Very creative, with the classic Erykah that we’ve all missed since her first two albums.  Poignant, sensitive.  It was a great album.  Unfortunately, there were a few filler tracks on that album.  If you put filler tracks on your record, you’re leaving the door open for something better to take your spot.  Enter Janelle Monae’s “The Archandroid:  Suites II and III”.  This is Janelle’s opus, her Masterpiece.  This self-made mystery is at once a punk rocker, and one of the best vocalists you’ve ever heard.  She has an ability to make the abstract seem familiar as she immerses you in her imaginary world where she is a futuristic queen of a forgotten society.  It is a crazy, intensely musical ride that grabs you from the first track to the last.  This album in terms of NEW Urban music that promotes progression rather than repetition was hard to top.

Then out of the blue we were all smacked in the head with a big Fuck You.  If you listened closely as Cee-lo’s single got bigger and bigger, you could actually hear the world exhaling and loosening up a little bit.  This single was not written for mass consumption as you can tell by the title, but it became an over-night smash.  Not because of the repetitive use of expletives, but because of the amazing writing by one of 2010’s sensations, Bruno Mars, and the catchy instrumentation.  But how do you follow that?  Impossible?  Not for the Lady Killer.  Cee-lo had another amazing pre-album-release with a viral video for “No One’s Gonna Love You (Like I Do)” and a post-album-release smash with “Bright Lights, Big City”.  While one is a unique sounding epic ballad, the other is catchy with a groove that is as addictive as your favorite vice.  But it doesn’t stop there.  Each track on The Lady Killer has it’s own mood.  So much so that if it wasn’t for Cee-Lo’s unique sounding voice, you’d think they were sung by different artists.  This is, most likely, due to the fact that Cee-lo attacks each song uniquely, and gives them a complete work over.  This album, even more than the song that launched it, is definitely one of the highlights of 2010.

Hip-Hop:

Five major impressive Hip Hop releases this past year:  Eminem’s “Recovery”, Rick Ross’ “Teflon Don”, Drake’s “Thank Me Later”, Kanye West’s “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” and Nicki Minaj’s “Pink Friday”.  All improvements more or less on the releases from the previous year, except for Jay-Z’s “Blueprint III”.  However, when picking a best album, I based my choices on things like Lyrical content, and listenability (as, I believe those are fair meters to use when judging Hip-Hop records — my opinion).  Unfortunately, although all of the releases were good, not one of them were perfect with regards to this.  Some had great lyrics, but poor production or boring hooks (Drake, a large percentage of Kanye West’s album).  People can hate on that but there’s a reason why Kanye’s College Dropout is still considered a classic and shows up on many different lists as the best album (not Hip-Hop album, but album, period) of the last decade.  On Dropout he was able to find the perfect mix of great lyrics with great music.  On Dark Fantasy, he missed the mark a little bit, as much as people hold that album in high regard.  Perfect example, we all loved Chris Rock’s inquisitive musings to his girlfriend on “Blame Game”, but after you’ve heard it a few times, tell me you’re not forwarding that to the next track.  And can ANYONE tell me the point of the last track on the album?  Interesting points, but not very relevant when you actually have a black President in office.  That would’ve been more effective 10 years ago.
I digress.  Rick Ross put a lot of sugar on his releases, amazing hooks, but then he’ll come out with “B.M.F.”  A track with an annoying repetitive hook in which he refers to things that the average urban listener can not relate to.  Big Meech?  I shouldn’t have to do research when I’m listening to my music.  I don’t have to with Drake or old Kanye, or Nicki, or Eminem for that matter.  Why is Rick Ross trying to pretend that he’s smarter than me when all he’s doing is just renaming familiar things with unfamiliar names.  It’s tiring.  But his hooks with Ne-yo, John Legend and Chrisette Michele are some of the best this year.  “Aston Martin Music” is a classic.
Drake, much anticipated, but I think even he knows that he missed the mark.  If ALL of your mixtapes are better than your album, you cannot get album of the year.  Period.  He let me know that he realized his mistake when only months after his release, he announced that he’s hard at work on a new mixtape that we have yet to see.  I love Drake, he is the future, but this was his rookie release and it showed.
But someone who didn’t drop the rookie ball, was Nicki Minaj.  She made the most of her Moment with Pink Friday.  Every single track except for one, which to me is reminiscent of N.W.A., is listenable, multiple times, over and over.  Let’s put it this way, before I previewed this album, I didn’t like Nicki Minaj.  I’ll be honest, I hated her.  Her features on other people’s tracks were, for the most part, weird, annoying, and non-sensical.  To me, she was just a female rapper who was just jocking Lady Gaga’s position, in order to be the first Lady Gaga of rap.  She annoyed me.  I figure her album would be more of the same.  Instead, what we got was what happens when you contemplate your moment.  You have the mic in your hands, you have everyone’s ear (which she earned, respectfully)… now what are you gonna say?  Are you gonna come all abstract and way out there and over your listener’s heads, or are you simply gonna move the crowd, lyrically, and musically?  Nicki’s first release was “Your Love”.  Good track but the shining part of that song was the production, so I was still unconvinced, but I was open.  Then prior to the record release, she dropped “Right Thru Me”.  This was ALL Nicki, contemplative, sensitive, vulnerable, human.  This is everything she hadn’t shown through all of her cartoonish features in the previous year.  It turns out she has thoughts, feelings, and ambition that we can all relate to.  Think about it, this album, could’ve been a Lady Gaga album.  We all know that was the direction she was headed.  Instead, she actually thought about what she wanted to put out.  Thought, effort.  Sometimes that’s what’s missing from albums these days.  Success.  “Pink Friday” slams all the way through.  If you are listening to an album where any one of the tracks on the album could be a hit single on the radio except for one, you’re probably listening to an album of the year.
But other than listenability, that defines “Pink Friday”, you need lyrics, which it lacks in parts.  That’s why Hip Hop album of the year is shared with Eminem’s “Recovery” which I have nicknamed “Rebirth”.  Eminem hasn’t sounded this good lyrically since…, well, honestly, maybe never.  How did he achieve this?  Introspection, going inside himself to reignite the fire he had when he had nothing.  This album is raw, hard to listen to sometimes, but always honest… and CRAFTY.  Em’s metaphors kick every other rapper’s (other than maybe Drake’s) ass.  You actually have to listen to Eminem’s album multiple times to actually get ALL of the metaphors.  And it WILL blow your mind how many he’s crammed into each song.  This is wordplay at it’s finest.  Eminem, on Recovery, has rediscovered his genius, and shares with R. Kelly & El Debarge, the award for Best Comeback of the Year.
Honourable mentions:
Great album.  If you’re feinding for that Outkast Noize, this should hold you over for awhile.  Get it.
 
 You have no idea how amazing El Debarge’s comeback is.  Just a few years ago, this man was practically killing himself with drugs, and if he died, it would’ve been our loss, because his voice is legendary.  Now add great production, great writing, great features, and we ALL get a Second Chance.  This is a must have.  He’s R&B’s Ted Williams.
It was very strange to me, why Jazmine Sullivan would want to retire from music weeks after releasing her sophomore effort “Love Me Back”.  But good news, she has changed her mind.  This album is slightly less brilliant than the phenomenal “Fearless”, but do the math, that still makes it EXCELLENT.  Her vocals are even better than before.  My only complaint is that this record isn’t long enough.
Just when you were ready to give up on R. Kelly, he releases “Love Letter” which could easily be his best album in a decade.  It’s a true throwback to earlier, simpler, less raunchy MUSIC.  This album is full of MUSIC.  And R. Kelly’s years of vocal training has probably been just for this project, as he has never sounded better.  Some have said he sounds too good to represent the rawness of the time period that he is throwing back to.  I just love all of it.  Not one track is bad on this album.  Why didn’t it get album of the year?  Because there’s very little new things on this album.  It’s a familiar voice bringing his unique, amazing style to a genre of music that has his unique spin on it.  This is a classic R. Kelly album that is the lateral heir to 12 Play.  Pick it up.
Comments are welcome.
– Sexyblack