There is a give and take in any good relationship; relationship meaning a status you hold with someone (or in this case, someTHING) in your life. There's always going to be someone or something that gives you a different perspective on life (or anything, for that matter). Variety in life means choices, such as different types of hobbies, or different kinds of people you associate yourself with, for example; there's the guy that has to make everything a competition, that guy who you could call your brother and open up to about anything, then there's those partiers that are just too fun not to hang out with, and maybe every now and then you'll encounter that person that just makes you feel cooler than the rest of the block. Such is hip hop; introducing the year of variety.
Drake owned 2015. In fact, if we name this year like people do the Chinese new year, then 2015 was the year of the owl. Despite the (not what anyone would call setbacks at all because, domination) setbacks that Drake encountered (Meek Mill beef, ghostwriting accusations, the "contract" struggle on Cash Money, and being in the middle of the battle of Lil Wayne vs. Birdman), Drake still managed to have the biggest year in hip hop (again). If You're Reading This It's Too Late was Grammy nominated, his collaborative album with Future What A Time To Be Alive was at one point the biggest album in the world, and his annoyingly catchy "Hotline Bling" became #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 list. Oh, and ever hear of a diss track becoming Grammy nominated? Also this year, Drake's Meek Mill diss "Back To Back" was Grammy nominated for "Best Rap Performance". October's Very Own did it again; the year of the owl.
(Because I didn't want to share a Drake and Future song. Also, this song represents what 2016 could bring. For those looking for change.)
Although the Grammy's are yet to happen (not until 2/15), hip hop heads can rejoice at the notion that this year's "Best Rap Album" nominees are (arguably, not really though) some of the most deserved. To say J. Cole's 2014 Forest Hills Drive has gotten all the attention it has deserved would be criminal, and the same goes for Kendrick's To Pimp A Butterfly and Dr. Dre's Compton; The Soundtrack (Dre could probably do without winning considering the movie's success as well) . Lupe Fiasco's Tetsuo & Youth might be the most slept on album of the year, while fans might also be angry that Mac Miller (GO:OD AM), Earl Sweatshirt (I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside), Big Sean (Dark Sky Paradise), The Game (The Documentary 2), A$AP Rocky (At. Long. Last. A$AP), and Future (DS2, 56 Nights, Beast Mode) didn't get the nods they thought they deserved. Also, Travis Scott, Rich Homie Quan, and Rae Sremmurd (as much as I hate to admit) all had huge years.
(Kendrick was one of the biggest contributors to bringing back the "music video with a concept")
What else did I miss that's worth talking about? Marvel did an incredibly dope thing called "Marvel Hip Hop Variants" with their very own super heroes remaking classic album covers (you can see a gigantic list of those covers here http://hiphopgoldenage.com/list/35-marvels-hip-hop-variants/), and Stretch & Bobbito finally got their just due with Radio That Changed Lives! If there is one piece on hip hop that needs to be seen from this year, the Stretch and Bobbito documentary is that piece. Old unreleased freestyles and interviews from the likes of legends such as Eminem, Jay Z, Nas, Fat Joe, and more surface in their documentary, and if you're one that likes "diggin' through the crates" as the old heads say, then this is your thing.
In terms of coming up, a lot of names could be put on this list. Michael Christmas, Boogie, and Mick Jenkins immediately come to mind, but it'd be wrong to say that there aren't several more artists that could blow up in 2016. Rap took a turn for hilarious, ridiculous fun when Run The Jewels put out their mega-cat-remix album Meow The Jewels made up of 90% cat sounds. The Game got into more beef and legal problems (surprise), and Grantland staff writer Shea Serrano also released his very successful book "The Rap Yearbook", which chronicled the biggest rap song of every year from 1979 to 2014, and also illustrates how hip hop is the product of multiple musical genres mixed with the poetic word expressing the oppression that blacks have faced throughout U.S. history.
(*I do not own any of these songs, videos, or the rights to them*)
Was 2015 the year of the wave riders (which Drake and Future so often got accused of being, although I can't say I disagree)? It could be argued that this is the case, certainly. But I think 2015 turned out to be much more than that. Not just because there were too many dope projects that dropped and made us all jig in our own way, but because you created a sort of relationship with every rapper you heard this year. Some rappers pushed you to do big things because of their competitiveness and work ethic (Eminem, just because he works on his craft, Kevin Gates because he doesn't get tired), some rappers opened themselves up to the world and were accepted (Kendrick), some rappers made you want to party until the world ends (Future, Rich Homie Quan, Rae Sremmurd, etc.), and some rappers just made you feel like you were fresher than the rest of the block (Fabolous). The year of variety happened so fast because people were looking for the next thing instead of enjoying what they already had (which makes an argument for 2015 being "the year of the wave rider"), but here's to hoping 2016 stops that trend. A flood of music forces the listener to move onto the next thing faster than the brain can process, so why would artists want to ruin the impact of the music that they just put out? Anyways, here's to an incredibly bumpy, roller coaster year for hip hop and hoping for a more consistent one, yet just as entertaining.
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