1. Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d City
Released: October 22, 2012 ~ Reviewed: October 29, 2012 (5 out of 5 Stars)
It seems like ever since I joined the nappyafro crew there has always been an undertone question that we all set out to answer. We wondered if we lived in an era where the classic Hip-Hop album no longer existed. Well this year we got our answer, and what an answer we got. Kendrick Lamar, to many people, has seemingly come out of nowhere to release what many feel is Hip-Hop’s most important album since the legendary Illmatic. Everything album seems very intimate. Listening to his lyrics you feel like you are on a journey with a young man that has a decision. This decision has repercussions that will dictate the events of his future. He can either go down the path of another hood guy, which is the easy choice or he can choose to do something greater. Even looking at his album cover for too long begins to feel extremely intrusive. This is the most thought provoking, intimate, yet fun album that I have heard in the last decade. Kendrick Lamar may only be the second artist on nappyafro to receive 5 stars, but he is the man who crafted the best body of work ever reviewed by the ‘Fro. – DuB