TOP 20 INDIE SOUL/HIP-HOP ALBUMS 2014

The Best Albums of 2014
                    

1. AFRICAN SUPERNOVA by THE GRANDFATHER OF ALL AFRICANS  teaches as much or more as it entertains. "Celebration" is a heavy composition, THE GRANDFATHER takes no prisoners, mentions NAT  TURNER five times at least. He explains what his title means although i do take it literally: "Zimbabwe Complex" is nothing less than a death call to european involvement in Africa. THE GRANDFATHER is probably too controversial (whatever that means, or matters) in 2014 for most listeners: SUPERNOVA is a strong, pro-Black, pro-African experience like none i've heard on a full-length. It and THE GRANDFATHER OF ALL AFRICANS are way too important to be censored. Young children should hear the Truth so the ignorance can die a little more quickly. Bravo, kudos, Eternal Praise from me to you, GRANDFATHER. You've written the history i've been trying to hear. And God bless.  RATING ***** 5 STARS
2. MARCH ON WASHINGTON by DIAMOND DISTRICT.  yU, ODDISEE, Uptown XO returned this year with this flawless, abstract, conscious hip-hop opus. It's so profound and complete critics must've been muted when it was released. Its brilliance was predicted, its brilliance was guaranteed. Boom-bap never has and never will sound as pure in purpose, as clean yet gritty, as MARCH ON WASHINGTON. FUZE's little experiment with boom-bap fell short when this was let loose on the public.
3. THE GREAT YEAR by THE BLACK OPERA is the third installment for this eclectic group of mysterious masked artists. They are claimed to be the first hip-hop performance art crew, i've no reason not to believe. GEORGIA ANNE MULDROW keeps "Beginning of the End" nicely haunting.
4. ALBUM 0 by IZZY JONE$  The follow-up album to IZZY's cult classic (and Best Album of 2012) SQUID is every bit a work of artistic integrity and wild imagination as its predecessor. The difference in mood is significant. SQUID was paranoid with broad strokes of optimism, ALBUM 0 opens on a minor key with cynicism about fame. It's a bit more experimental than SQUID, which doesn't seem to be turning IZZY fans off. ALBUM 0 takes a bit of time to sink in, but it's worth it when it does.
5. BLVCK WVLLSTREET by AK47 is urgent and fiery with swag appeal added for texture. "Bedtime Story" is a powerful testament to Black power and strength -- as well a firm belief in the future. "Prayers" is about a young Black child "grounded in culture" raised in the hood, unafraid of the past who grows into a young man with positive values. Ultimately AK-47 (NuWORLD) at times sounds like PRT, at times like KAM. And neither is a bad thing if the Rage is Righteous.
6. MY OWN RELIGION by  VON TAE' The #VonTaeTakeover began last year once the multi-talented singer-songwriter got signed. If anyone deserved that, VON TAE' did. MY OWN RELIGION, his second album, topped the brilliance of his debut. "Natural Born Sinner" was right away the song to keep on repeat. But really from the opening moments of the bedroom anthem "Hot" to the bitter jealousy of "Touche", VON TAE' is a Natural. The real stunner is "Stuntin", sure to be a show-stopper. It's an energetic piece of bravado that pushed VON TAE' into a higher league. In "I Do My Thang" the artist takes the crown, literally calling himself the King, the Boss, etc. MY OWN RELIGION is a treasure, a remarkable mix of funk, hip-hop, and bedroom soul. VON TAE's going to go far.
7. UPTOWN STATE OF MIND by KID GLORY contains the line "this shit will be televised." Actually KID GLORY writes and spits so vividly, cinematically that other than the 2 or 3 obligatory videos it really doesn't demand to be televised. From start-to-finish GLORY's lyrical flow is urgent, sometimes pissed off (but always clear enough it doesn't need a "Genius lyrics" page). "Moonwalking" has a dizzying techno/dubstep beat, GLORY's flow is commanding, resolute like he's the King of New York. GLORY closes the album with "Boss Talk" a track produced by a hip-hop superstar in his own right, LS. KID GLORY does not disappointment, nor does he have a lame millisecond on this set. His integrity shines too brightly, there's no way to hide anything from GLORY.
8. WRITE ON KORI by KORI JAMES . KORI JAMES is a remarkable producer, songwriter, and all-around artist who makes RnB more original than most. The variety scans the prism: dark themes ("Point of No Return") to lighter, love-making themes. Dominance is what the "singer" KORI JAMES seeks. His vocals can be as haunting and disturbing as the subject matter, but boy can he sing. Even when he's confronting his girl with contempt and mockery when she's caught to be a liar, thief, and completely false as in the title "False Prophets." There are 2 compositions that hooked me early on before i fell for the album's dark themes. One is "Predictable (interlude)" where he can't love anymore, his lady is a boring thing, she barely sounds human and JAMES feels like he's "slipping thru channels."  And there's not much joy in "Blow U Away", with its techno throbbing and angry, almost vengeful words coming from MR. JAMES's deceptive, gentle voice ("I'm gonna blow you far away where all the love is gone.")
9. MEMORYBILIA by JULES BORN. As 1/2 of Voices of Black, JULES BORN has proven himself to be a versatile, eclectic musical artist. Now, here on his debut solo project MEMORYBILIA he really steps into his own voice. "Missouri Loves Company" is one of MR. BORN's takes on Ferguson and racism white supremacy. "Missouri" is misleadingly melancholy: Nothing but horror hides under those blues. Calling MEMORYBILIA experimental would be a lazy way of missing the point. JULES BORN is a visionary: there are hints of dubstep, folk, space music, shoegaze, i think, and something tells me that Terence Trent d'Arby would appreciate the hell out of this music -- i don't know why his name pops up.
10. WHO IS HE? by De'WAYNE JACKSON. De'Wayne Jackson is brilliant. And those of us who know this are jealous. We're probably all at least twice as old as MR. JACKSON is. And his album title asks a question that we've convinced ourselves it's too late to answer. There's not a flaw on this album "Metaphors" and "Bike and a Dream" are world-class hip-hop.
11. CILVIA DEMO  by  ISAIAH RASHAD secures RASHAD  a certain place in musical history.  "Brad Jordan" featuring MICHAEL da VINCI was a hit worthy of da VINCI's presence. "Tranquility" is one of the best songs RASHAD has recorded: a solemn rhyme over a light lounge piano summed up in one line: "we don't always be the leaders that they want us to be."
12. WATERMOUTH by COMMAND Alt-soul, are people still using that stale-born term? Maybe new-wave fusion soul is apt for COMMAND's music. The reggae-tinged "BLK GRL MRMD" is a gem. Plenty of innuendo complements the deadpan of the spit and sing mix COMMAND uses. And he uses it to great effect: the salacious bits aren't hidden by the subtlety of a refined voice. COMMAND  wants to hit you with chewed up profanity that has a strange beauty. "Smoke & Drink & Love" is a slow-tempo, exercise in minimalism while COMMAND dismisses love in favor of intoxication, giving facials and continous fucking. It leaves you cold, with a "what the fuck", end-of-the-world feeling. And "Many Faces, Many Forms" is rough eloquence, with tempo changes sneaking in unexpectedly, and COMMAND sounding resigned to the idea that his comfort zone may be ending. "Don't hide your love, you can keep your love, just don't hide it." COMMAND at times seems to be channeling the late BIM SHERMAN. With a bit of cynicism sprinkled on.
13. NO DAUGHTERS ARE SAFE by LEWIS ALLEN is one of the grimmer offerings last year. LEWIS ALLEN makes ASA DONAVAN and ARTHUR ALLEN sound sunny. "Baroque" is a standout track, with LEWIS ALLEN's husky vocal helping the dread become more dreadful. "Dem Me Wan Murda" ALLEN welcomes you to the jungle. Disjointed beats, horrific lyrics, tempo changes give a real artistry to this grim track: "Nobody notice me in public, i be in the nightmares of children." ALLEN spits about a landscape where nothing grows. Nothing other than the "we" in his narrative.
14. ROOTS 2 by ISAIAH LEE. "I'ma fuck him for real .. Emmitt Till," ISAIAH LEE aka Cairo spits in "Crooks". It's a devastating metaphor. ISAIAH is a devastating, bold young MC. Check "OMM" where ISAIAH warns, "On my momma i go hard". He's joined by a few other rising young talents including LAMAR ALI and the phenomenal GOLD BONES. In "My B***h" ISAIAH LEE proves his status goal as he spits like he's been at this for decades. Flow and lyricism are exceptional throughout but "My B***h" will clear any doubt: ISAIAH LEE is a hip-hop artist to watch. "My future lookin bright ... I'm a king, i work for it, i deserve it." No arguments
15. YOUNG HOT EBONY by FATHER is as fun and sexy and perverse as you'd hope it to be. FATHER is a great lyricist and his deadpan, almost talking, delivery make it all shine. (Just don't ask what it's shining in).
16. LAND OF ADV by RON SHAW Delightfully strange and hard-to-digest at first, LAND OF ADV is like an even more abrasive JOHN ADAMS piece. Well, but there is an emotional response after hearing RON SHAW. Especially a gem like "Oasis Tree". with its hypnotic rhythm and music while RON SHAW chants repetitively about an oasis tree. Not what i'd call soothing, it's a reflective piece that is calming yet disorienting at once.
17. A SINNER'S GUIDE TO LOVE by ISAIAH THE 3RD. "Thinkin out the box to become everlasting." ISAIAH THE 3RD makes many bold declarations on this late-year release. "Metanoia" is probably the well-known song on this album, but A SINNER'S GUIDE as a whole is consistent, self-confident hip-hop from a voice that we'll be hearing from for years to come.
18. ______BLACK by KEITH CORBETT JR. is an atmospheric treat. Songs like "Lust Love", "Time" and "Owe Me" are studies in love with a trippy space music soundtrack. The music stretches, affairs of the heart seem stuck in limbo on KEITH CORBETT's exceptional debut  _______BLACK.
19. BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS by SHALIEK is All True Soul. SHALIEK gives up some old skool vibes ("Fillin the Blanks") and confirms what "The Past" proved as a single: SHALIEK is no one-hit wonder. Nor is he a one-note wonder, it's an album that cries, complains,raises its hands in joy and delights in ecstasy. "Ain't Supposed to Cry" is here too, yes: SHALIEK is gifted beyond measure, i picture him singing before he could walk. But if BLOOD SWEAT TEARS is any indication, SHALIEK will be making quite a few trips up and down the red carpets. There is simply no way that awards committees won't be moved by his delicate yet subtly assertive vocal tones, and they would look inept if they denied his remarkable control of range. SHALIEK is one of the favorite of the so-called indie soul artists. His voice is like a sculptor sculpting, and not arbitrary or accidental in any aspect.
20. JE*SUS by ASA DONAVAN is every bit as disturbing and menacing as anything he, ARTHUR ALLEN or the rest of the crew have created. "Demons in an Angel" is a nightmare for insomniacs. "Go on ahead and sell your soul, i'll sell it back for a profit bitch." NIXO BREEZE joins ASA on the horrorcore/industrial sounding "Camera Man." Make no mistake; ASA exists in or describes a depressing, soul-rotting existence. "A Little Hope" has ASA counting black sheep for sleep. He dreams that they've chased his mom and some children off a cliff. And while Jesus walked on water, our protagonist surfs on a casket. ASA's not for all tastes (or moods) but the textures and the utter despair take you to a horrorshow you won't forget.