Album of the Year #1: clipping. - There Existed an Addiction to Blood - HipHop | HipHop Channel

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Album of the Year #1: clipping. - There Existed an Addiction to Blood - HipHop

Album of the Year #1: clipping. - There Existed an Addiction to Blood - HipHop

Album of the Year #1: clipping. - There Existed an Addiction to Blood

Posted: 01 Jan 2020 07:55 AM PST

Artist: clipping.

Album: There Existed an Addiction to Blood

Listen/Purchase:

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Background - provided by /u/yung_hokage_stef

Comprised of rapper, actor, film producer, Tony award-winning thespian and frequent Sesame Street guest Daveed Diggs, alongside noise producers Jonathan Snipes and Bill Hutson, clipping. is an experimental hip-hop group hailing from Los Angeles, California. Since their inception in 2009, the trio has steadily released numerous projects to online audiences, each receiving acclaim from music publications and experimental fans alike, and in doing so have built up one of the most unique and critically celebrated discographies of the decade. Known primarily for their incorporation of harsh noise elements, clipping. have continuously rejected the comfort of familiar time signatures, standard song structures and catchy beats in lieu of hideously distorting them beyond recognition with unlikely inspiration from early avant-garde musicians such as John Cage and Pierre Schaeffer. Ambient art rap for the apocalypse, if you may.

And yet, despite their near-inhospitable soundscape, clipping. have remained firmly rooted within hip-hop, proudly embracing the genre's spirit of interconnectivity, anti-establishment and DIY ethics. From collaborations ranging from Hellfyre Club to Gangsta Boo, a consistent use of out-of-the-box samples, and ever-present political undertones, clipping's discography is more like the music of yesteryear reprogrammed for a digital age in which every point of history has coalesced into one. Sonic Youth spliced with ODB. Kendrick Lamar aboard the Event Horizon. And now, Afrocentric mythos on Elm Street. Though clipping. consistently push the envelope by seemingly tearing down every expectation of what rap music should be, they simultaneously harken back to its earliest and purest forms. It doesn't take long to see how Public Enemy collaborators The Bomb Squad's harsh, music-concrète-inspired production holds as much influence on their sound as industrial pioneers like Throbbing Gristle.

Their first release in 2013 saw the group turning West Coast hip-hop on its head with the mixtape midcity, depicting the inner-city life and gang culture of California in perhaps the most disorienting and oppressive way imaginable. The G-funk of Long Beach and the bounce of Bay Area hyphy remained only in spirit as Diggs wove nihilistic passages of drugs, sex, and violence smothered between brash walls of static and ear-piercing synths, sometimes resembing a beat. Like E-40 on a Merzbow record, this dichotomy of old-school hallmarks blended with the hellish pulse of the future was enough for midcity to garner considerable online coverage and favourable reviews despite minimal promotion. They signed to the record label Sub Pop three months later.

With Sub Pop's backing they wasted no time getting to work on their self-titled debut, CLPPNG, taking the ideas they had with midcity and weaving them into a more digestible offering without compromising the abrasive qualities that drew fans in initially. With the harsh noise infusion taking a slight back seat this time around, clipping. focused their efforts on earworm hooks and upbeat instrumentals that were just fringe enough to keep the party going while making you question what the hell you were listening to. If a commercial rap album was manufactured by the deep web, it would materialize as CLPPNG. Released in 2014, it would go on to receive glowing reception, finding its way onto several year-end lists.

In between tours of Broadway juggernaut Hamilton where Diggs starred as both Thomas Jefferson and Marquis de Lafayette, clipping. dropped the hypersexual EP Wriggle to tide fans over until the release of their upcoming full-length, Splendor & Misery, slated to drop later that year in 2016. An Afrofuturist space opera, Splendor & Misery tells the story of a lone survivor of an uprising on board an intergalactic slave ship where the AI becomes infatuated with the protagonist. A soundtrack born from a barely living hull, the survivor wrestles between relinquishing his freedom in hopes of salvation, or sentencing himself to a lonely existence in the black ocean of space. Intertwining the slave songs of the Underground Railroad with 2001: A Space Odyssey, it's an incredibly ambitious work of art that feels more like a play than an album at various points. Aside from clipping.'s typical critical fanfare, Splendor & Misery would go on to receive a nomination for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation in Short Form, the first album in the award's history to earn that honour since 1970.

Aside from releasing aquatic musical novella "The Deep" in 2017 (also nominated for a Hugo Award), clipping. would remain relatively quiet for the next three years. On August 14, 2019, their vow of silence would be broken when they dropped the song "Nothing is Safe" paired with the announcement of their upcoming third studio album There Existed an Addiction to Blood. Billed as a "transmutation of horrorcore", listeners prepared for a revisiting of classic horror tropes through the lens of clipping.'s dystopian workings, supported by assisting singles "La Mala Ordina" and "Blood of the Fang". Unleashed a few weeks later on October 18, There Existed an Addiction to Blood would arrive just in time for All Hallow's Eve.

Review - provided by /u/yung_hokage_stef

Much discussion can be had from the title of the album alone, There Existed an Addiction to Blood. On the surface, it clearly echoes vampiric imagery, supported by the numerous wooden stakes on the album's cover. But with a few Google searches, one comes to find that the title pays homage to Bill Gunn's 1973 experimental horror film Ganja & Hess, specifically a line from "The Blood of the Thing" composed by Sam Waymon for the film's OST. Regarded as a landmark within African-American independent cinema, Ganja & Hess tells the story of Dr. Hess Green, an anthropologist studying an ancient civilization of blood-worshippers originating from Africa, the Myrthians. After his assistant attacks him with a Myrthian ceremonial dagger, Hess discovers his newfound immortality as a vampire, and with that an insatiable sanguine thirst. Amidst struggling to cope with his addiction, his assistant's wife, Ganja, comes to Hess looking for her husband who has since killed himself. The two quickly form a bond, with Hess turning Ganja into a vampire, and they soon begin to live out their ghastly lives together.

Unfortunately for Gunn, Ganja & Hess was the exact opposite of what its financiers had hoped for. Hot on the heels of box-office hits like Blacula and Blackenstein, a modest budget of $350,000 was supplied to create a cheap, sufficient black horror film that would satisfy audiences with mainstream horror schlock and blaxploitation tropes. Instead they got a challenging, albeit rewarding piece on addiction, religion, black identity and cultural assimilation/extinction. To the chagrin of Gunn, the film's producers pulled it from release shortly after its first post-Cannes Film Festival premiere, where its length was cut drastically, its name changed, its rights sold to another company, and it was ultimately forgotten (though it has found a home amongst cult audiences).

Why bring all this up? Because the inspiration Gunn's film has on clipping.'s newest outing goes far beyond a title. Much like Ganja & Hess, There Existed an Addiction to Blood uses the classic horror iconography of violence, mortality and the paranormal as a vehicle for something far more poignant and political. Topped off with masterful storytelling, mind-bending flows and production that is both breathtaking and bone-chilling, clipping.'s third LP is a contorted portrait of the fragility of life within a city stained with shit, piss, and of course, blood.

In true clipping. fashion, the project begins with an "Intro" track, typically characterized by Diggs setting the stage for what's to come through snappy rapid-fire flows, essentially a capella save for some ambiance and background noise. Over the sound of what appears to be somebody digging a grave, Diggs details a rushed story in second-person about a former drug dealer haunted by past ghosts, the scent of death approaching. Aside from being an enticing introduction, if you're a first time listener it's an apt summation of Diggs' capabilities as an MC. In a near-robotic fashion, Diggs' breakneck vocals start and stop on a dime, with the ability to switch between intricate flows fluently as his sharp, careful diction enunciates each and every word with a precision that demands your attention. Amongst clipping.'s organized chaos, Diggs is alarmingly calm and calculated. While his all-too-perfect delivery has been criticized in the past for being monotone and hollow, I think it's a perfect match for There Existed an Addiction to Blood's grisly themes as he approaches the macabre with the numbed ease of a seasoned killer.

A testament to the trio's appreciation of horror media and its history, the following 10 tracks each contain their own concepts inspired by specific films or tropes, but still ultimately come together. Take "Nothing is Safe" for example. A faithful ode to the works of John Carpenter, "Nothing is Safe" features a sparse piano-based instrumental eerily reminiscent of the score to Halloween. Continuing the Carpenter homage, Diggs bases the plotline of the track on a clever reimagining of Assault on Precinct 13), a personal favourite of his. The original film follows a team of police officers tasked with defending a defunct precinct from swarms of gang members in response to brutal police killings. The album, however, puts things in reverse. The protagonists are now gang members holed up in a trap house, taking turns keeping watch as they continue their drug-dealing duties. To the dismay of our protagonists, it's not long before things go south, starting with just one casualty, and then eventually a full-blown police raid as the surviving members are picked off one-by-one while they stare imminent death in the face. It's an excellently paced track, with Diggs' nimble vocals slowly becoming more hostile as the night draws on, and when all hell breaks loose, the ominous chorus becomes backed by 80's horror movie synths. The transformation of police officers into inhuman predators is simple but effective, but it also iterates on a common thread found throughout There Existed an Addiction to Blood. For a genre that regularly defies the laws of nature, much of the horror clipping. shines a light on is all too real.

The squalor of poverty, the looming threat of law enforcement, the depravity of gang conflict, the specter of white supremacy. Struggles of survival in spite of all this is what propels each individual narrative that clipping. offers here to the fullest effect. The Ed Balloon-assisted "He Dead" finds a small-time trapper on a run for his life from cops, likened to werewolves, as he scrambles to find his allegorical silver bullet amidst a sea of racist profiling and violence. An all-too-common result of the mistreatment of minorities via the powers that be, subtle nods to PTSD and anxiety are given but brushed aside as our lead shifts gears to one thing and one thing only: "stay alive at all costs". An excerpt from Ed Balloon's intro carries the point home:

'Cause they don't think you matter, oh no

They want to take your power, oh no

And make you even lesser, oh no

And add you to the number

Don't let them get close

They're screamin' out murder

You've got to be cautious

Before they destroy ya

Conversely, "The Show" transports us to the set of a fabled online "red room" where unlucky contestants get horrifically mutilated for the viewing pleasure of others. Equal parts Saw and Videodrome, Diggs presents the listener with gory details of his victims' torture over a clunky mechanical beat of whirrs and drones. Broken bones, flayed flesh, all to the tune of paying customers, and it does a formidable job of displaying how easy it is to be dehumanized when you're merely pixels on a screen for someone else's entertainment.

Now, while it'd be unwise to label There Existed an Addiction to Blood as simply horrorcore, it does aim to scare, even with its heavier implications. Horror is a genre where sound design is many times more important than what's actually on screen, and with its pantheon containing some of film's most iconic soundtracks and effects, one should expect an album that is equally memorable. Thankfully, the work of Snipes and Hutton on this album is brilliant, combining their trademark noise and usage of ambiance with a darker, more sinister sound pioneered from the cassettes of Memphis hip-hop. The end product is a score that is stunning, if only for how downright disturbing it manages to get. Snipes and Hutton's production stays loyal to Diggs' ill-omened air, elevating already-morbid vignettes into something hideously captivating. Whether an urgent tense rhythm or a drumless vacuum of dread, There Existed an Addiction to Blood's instrumentals compliment Diggs every step of the way.

"Club Down", the byproduct of Vaudeville Villain and Night of the Living Dead swapping zombies for drug addicts, is a production highlight. Diggs sets the stage for a city rife with trash, drifters, and criminal activity, and though his harrowing account does more than enough to make the listener uneasy, it's the restless, carefully built atmosphere that makes this track a standout. Beginning with hefty industrial clangs and a gravelly bassline, it's not long before the odd reverb-heavy scream gets thrown into the mix. Things only ramp up from here as Diggs, certain of the city's implosion, becomes nearly enveloped by the screaming, the cries for help getting louder as the gutter rises to the surface. By the end of the track the shrieks have echoed into each other creating an endless stream of pain and suffering that doesn't let up until the very last second. It's easily the most frightening song I've heard in recent memory, and its execution shows Snipes and Hutton's understanding of the nuance it takes to craft something truly terrifying.

On a lighter note, There Existed an Addiction to Blood also continues clipping's tradition of inventive audio techniques. The most notable example is "Run for Your Life", a tale in which a kleptomaniac tries to evade a murderous drug queenpin after doing her wrong. The track relies almost exclusively on ambient recordings of a downtown area, but occasionally the sound of a car driving by can be heard blasting a Three 6 Mafia-type beat from its speaker as it passes the narrator (in a recent AMA they confirmed that they actually recorded real cars driving by them playing the instrumentals). This is what serves as the rhythm for Diggs' flow, and its diegetic use, along with the ambiance, brings the urban setting to life. This song isn't about somebody scrambling for survival, the song is somebody scrambling for survival. Another sonic layer is added to the fray when guest star La Chat enters. The music heard in passing becomes the backbone of the beat as La Chat raps from the perspective of the pursuer, transporting the listener into her car, the very same car from which the music was playing from earlier! While reinforcing the self-contained world building without seeming gimmicky, it's an ingenious artistic choice that adds much to the track and makes it yet another highlight on the production side. Even with numerous releases under their belt at this point, it's endearing to see clipping. as eager to innovate as they were when they first broke out.

The hip-hop spirit that clipping. carries with themselves still rings true on There Existed an Addiction to Blood, most notably with its guest appearances. In contention for most unexpected collaboration of 2019, "La Mala Ordina" features Benny the Butcher and El Camino of Buffalo's Griselda collective. A reference to the 1972 crime drama The Italian Connection, "La Mala Ordina" exposes the rap tropes of the gangster lifestyle with its harsher, more cruel realities, making several allusions to Mafia-related matters. Doing his best Leatherface impression, Diggs rhymes of cracked skulls, peeled skin and dismembered limbs like an unhinged hitman, calling out all glorified "actors" who fail to understand the gravity of the set they supposedly claim. While Camino and Benny pull off solid performances, their verses aren't that much different from what they usually offer, and I do wish they played more into the theme of the track (especially with a stage name like "the Butcher"). Regardless, the fact that this pairing simply exists still makes it one of their more notable guest appearances. Painting the mob life as a grainy, sleazy slasher film and recruiting two artists that embody the mafioso styles of 90's East Coast rap is a smart concept, bridging the seemingly incompatible worlds of horror films and organized crime into something very fluid.

It continues with the aforementioned La Chat feature, which has clipping. paying respect to the city where sampling Halloween is a rite of passage: Memphis, Tennessee. Host to artists such as Tommy Wright III, Al Kapone, and of course Three 6 Mafia and its associates, Memphis, while perhaps not the birth place of horrorcore, served as a breeding ground for the subgenre in the 90's. Hundreds upon hundreds of cassette tapes would spawn from the region at its peak, featuring double time flows, satanic subject matter and lo-fi production, like the audio equivalent of a cursed VHS tape. Memphis is an absolute treasure trove of the stuff, and anybody willing to dig a bit beyond the reach of modern streaming services will find a scene that is bountiful as it is twisted (in fact I even did a writeup on some lesser known tapes from the city a while back). On the topic of La Chat, her appearance on There Existed an Addiction to Blood is clipping. coming full circle, melding old-school traditions with cybernetic bedlam. Aside from her inclusion, the likes of horrorcore pioneers Geto Boys, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and Brotha Lynch Hung can be heard all over this album in Diggs' flow, mannerisms and subject matter, revealing yet another tether that keeps the otherwise astral trio grounded.

Though it's packed with subliminal stances beneath all its guts and gore, There Existed an Addiction to Blood's political angles are at their most overt on "Blood of the Fang". Returning once again to Ganja & Hess, "Blood of the Fang" samples the titular line from the film's OST throughout the song, interspersed between Diggs' bars and breaks in the beat. It's a fitting use, as the topic at hand is indeed a need for blood. Not involving ancient vampires however, but rather, the history of bloodlust towards African-Americans brought forth by white supremacists. In a political climate where the deep American tradition of racism has more willingly emerged from its hiding places as of late, "Blood of the Fang" is clipping.'s militant call to arms against those who perpetuate it. Serving as a celebration of black empowerment by way of the Black Panther Party, Diggs pays tribute to the numerous activists who fought to reject the normalized ideals of white nationalism whilst urging others to follow suit. There are no dissenting "opinions", respectful debates or nebulous "both sides" cop-outs. Quoting Malcolm X, Diggs reiterates that the civil liberties of black people is something that will be fought for, "by any means".

The first verse is structured as an origin story for the Black Panthers, referencing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the subsequent founding of the Panthers in 1966. Brief recounts of the opposition faced are alluded to, but the most striking aspect of this section is the framing used to portray the Panthers. With the opening line

Drink it up, fifty years 'bout enough, time to come back...'

it's as if Diggs is summoning them from the depths, depicting them as a primordial force amid slumber, patiently waiting in the shadows for whatever cursed act awakes them. It's an extremely powerful metaphor given that the Panthers were dissolved, but certainly not forgotten through their cultural impact, while also playing into the campy horror aesthetic. After a nod to social activist Angela Davis, the song bursts into a lively chorus sampling a work song from the Bongili people of the Congo Republic, furthering "Blood of the Fang"'s Afrocentric themes. Diggs rolls with the topic of revolution, and by the third verse has assembled a newly resurrected Black Panther Party, back from the dead, unclaimed by the murderous attempts of White America. Like an undying Jason Voorhees in the eyes of racists, the reanimated likes of George Jackson and Bobby Seale to David Hillard and Afeni Shakur have risen from their graves, thirsty for blood and ready to strike. The song is a lot to grasp, squeezing several historical metaphors into three tight verses, but the hook sums it up flawlessly:

Look back, blood on the ground

Look straight, they still shooting'

Jump back, still here

Now what that tell you 'bout death?

Death ain't shit, you got to-

The history of black people in America is bloody to say the least, with the usual suspects being slavery and Jim Crow laws, among other things. Despite overcoming said hurdles, their long lasting effects cut deep. What's more, in the present gun violence towards black people is still an all-too common occurrence in the form of police brutality and domestic terrorism. But still, the fight against racism persists, for not even the great equalizer of death is enough to stop those who spit in the face of oppression. It is hopeless and optimistic. Desolate and empowering. This is without a doubt one of clipping.'s finest pieces.

Lastly, I felt that this review wouldn't be complete without glossing over "Piano Burning", the album's closer. Its audio of a piano...burning.

For 18 minutes.

This track serves as a tribute to composer Annea Lockwood's 1968 performance art piece of the same name. After contacting Lockwood herself for permission to recreate the composition, clipping. proceeded to follow its instructions and do just that. I'm not going to pretend I understand it, and admittedly it's something I've only sat through once, skipping it on every subsequent listen. I doubt it'll get many spins from anybody, but I do commend clipping. for adding it nonetheless. It's something that could easily be viewed as pretentious or detrimental to the album's experience, and yet, clipping. saw fit to incorporate it into their vision out of love for the music experimentation they hold so dear to themselves.

As the piano is softly reduced to ash you are left with nothing but dead stillness, a ghostly but oddly welcome respite from the onslaught of death and decay you just bore witness to. For the second time this decade, clipping. have managed to take the medium of the concept album to a plane few artists would dare travel to. Lacking neither the theatrics nor the pure musical foundation to direct whatever splintered views they conjure, the trio regularly draws attention to previously dismissed perspectives while inspiring new ones. Much like a horror film, There Existed an Addiction to Blood to many will be viewed as abhorrent, distasteful and downright unenjoyable to engage with. But for those willing to stand in the crossfire of clipping.'s digital warpath, an electrifying, forward thinking and politically charged love-letter to outsider art can be found.

Favourite Lyrics

They hunt as a pack and they packin' more firepower than you ever imagined

The pack on your back rattles back and forth, no slack

Go faster, go faster, they masters of trapping and

You just a trapper who went for a Masters

And dropped out when it didn't matter no more

Your body of work didn't embody bodyin' bodies

And watchin' them pile on the floor

So what them books got you but dreams of everything lost?

What does sleep bring you but screams at night when you toss?

And turn hope into stone, your motto embossed

Stay alive at all costs

  • "He Dead"

Rock, paper, ice pick, nice trick, no homonym

Cutouts from a magazine, make letters for your mom n' them

Who remember arts and crafts, these killers is artisans

With an arsenal to elevate your arteries, start again

Rock, paper, zip tie, that slow burn, that drip dry

That fissures in your field of vision make your world a fish-eye

That round edge make it worser when the bubble burst you just cry

Laid out on the floor without a tongue, trying to ask why

Rock, paper, gunshot, classic out in some spots

If you prefer the sweet life maybe you can die like gum drops

Smooth and round and melting if you're left out when the sun's hot

This is the preferred method of smart killers and dumb cops

  • "La Mala Ordina"

The symphony is tectonic, it shifts as the Earth is settlin'

Precious metals are mined and a million minds have been meddlin' with time

In the hopes of getting a golden noose for the neck

Golden goose from a fairy tale, shittin' Fabergé eggs

  • "Club Down"

Fist in the sky if you ready, dice a ofay like confetti

They thought you was playin'

Though really the game was more trainin'

There finna be (Blood)

And much of it blues

Time to fly, 'cause you know time fickle

So cold, finna snow, swing a icicle

Takin' out a police or a politician issuing a statement sayin'

Turn it on a dime or get the nickel

And it ain't just money, B, this ain't honey

Sweet, but it's funny to think of them wantin' to speak

When this pain is deep and ingrained in (Blood)

  • "Blood of the Fang"

Talking Points

  • Much of the subject matter on this album (at least on the surface) could easily be viewed as edgy and repulsive. Do you find it easier to overlook and go along with content that's rather unpleasant when it's intentionally done in the name of being scary or unsettling, much like with a horror film?

  • Does this album have enough merit to rise above the pigeonholed categorization of a "Halloween rap album" and stand on its own, or could you only see yourself spinning this whenever October comes around?

  • What is it about clipping.'s music that you find allows them to utilize rather outlandish backdrops (a sentient space station, the paranormal etc.) in an evocative and effective manner when drawing parallels with more grounded topics such as racism or civil rights?

  • Given that this album is heavily inspired by a cult-classic independent horror flick, are there any obscure horror films you feel more people should know about?

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2019 /r/HipHopHeads Awards - Voting Thread

Posted: 01 Jan 2020 11:11 AM PST

Hey /r/hiphopheads!

Welcome to the 2019 HHH Awards!

How it works

Basically, you fill in the Google Form with your ranking from #1 to #3 or #5. Each rank has a set a value. A #1 vote gets 3 points, all the way to #3 which gets 1 point (except on project and song of the year).

Most forms will have three text boxes for you to fill in, except for song of the year and album of the year which will have five.

Please make sure you read the form carefully, follow all instructions, and don't make any spelling mistakes.

Please be sure to not put the same album in multiple ranks!

Google sign in is required to vote. This is to cut down on vote manipulation and reduce my workload (that and I'm still mad at the fuck that voted Faneto in every spot over 500 times in every category in 2015).

You can edit your response after voting.

When Do I Need To Vote By?

Take your time, think about it if you need to. The deadline to submit your rankings is Friday January 7th, 2019.

Where Do I Vote?

Categories:

Best Project (Album/Mixtape/EP) of 2019

Previous Winners:

  • Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly (2015)
  • Kanye West - The Life of Pablo (2016)
  • Kendrick Lamar - DAMN. (2017)
  • Pusha T - Daytona (2018)

Best Song of 2019

Previous Winners:

  • Kendrick Lamar - Alright (2015)
  • Kanye West - Ultralight Beam (ft. Chance The Rapper, The-Dream, Kelly Price & Kirk Franklin) (2016)
  • Kendrick Lamar - DNA. (2017)
  • Kanye West - Ghost Town (ft. Kid Cudi, 070 Shake & PARTYNEXTDOOR) (2018)

MVP Artist of 2019

Previous Winners:

  • Kendrick Lamar (2015)
  • Chance The Rapper (2016)
  • Kendrick Lamar (2017)
  • Travis Scott (2018)

Most Improved Artist of 2019

Previous Winners:

  • Young Thug (2015)
  • Tyler, the Creator (2017)
  • 21 Savage (2018)

Best Producer of 2019

Previous Winners:

  • Metro Boomin (2017)
  • Kanye West (2018)

Best Beat of 2019

Previous Winners:

  • Danny Brown - Ain't It Funny (Prod. Paul White) (2016)
  • Kendrick Lamar - DNA. (Prod. Mike WiLL Made-It) (2017)
  • Travis Scott - SICKO MODE (ft. Drake & Swae Lee) (Prod. Rogét Chahayed, Hit-Boy, OZ, Tay Keith & CuBeatz) (2018)

Best Guest Verse of 2019

Previous Winners:

  • Kendrick Lamar - Deep Water (Dr. Dre) (2015)
  • Chance The Rapper - Ultralight Beam (Kanye West) (2016)
  • Kendrick Lamar - Yeah Right (Vince Staples) (2017)
  • J. Cole - Off Deez (JID) (2018)

Best Hook of 2019

Previous Winners:

  • Travis Scott - 3500 (ft. 2 Chainz & Future) (2015)
  • Rae Sremmurd - Black Beatles (ft. Gucci Mane) (2016)
  • BROCKHAMPTON - GOLD (2017)
  • Kids See Ghosts - REBORN (2018)

Best Posse Cut (4 or more artists on one track) of 2019

Previous Winners:

  • Danny Brown - Really Doe (ft. Kendrick Lamar, Earl Sweatshirt & Ab-Soul) (2016)
  • A$AP Mob - RAF (ft. A$AP Rocky, Playboi Carti, Quavo, Lil Uzi Vert & Frank Ocean) (2017)
  • Powers Pleasant - Please Forgive (ft. Zombie Juice, IDK, ZillaKami & Denzel Curry) (2018)

Best West Coast Project of 2019

Previous Winners:

  • Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly (2015)
  • YG - Still Brazy (2016)
  • Kendrick Lamar - DAMN. (2017)
  • Vince Staples - FM!

Best Midwest Project of 2019

Previous Winners:

  • Lupe Fiasco - Tetsuo & Youth (2015)
  • Danny Brown - Atrocity Exhibition (2016)
  • Smino - blkswn (2017)
  • Saba - CARE FOR ME (2018)

Best Southern Project of 2019

Previous Winners:

  • Travis Scott - Rodeo (2015)
  • Denzel Curry - Imperial (2016)
  • Big K.R.I.T. - 4eva Is a Mighty Long Time (2017)
  • Travis Scott - ASTROWORLD (2018)

Best East Coast Project of 2019

Previous Winners:

  • A$AP Rocky - AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP. (2015)
  • A Tribe Called Quest - We Got It From Here... Thank You 4 Your Service (2016)
  • Jay-Z - 4:44 (2017)
  • A$AP Rocky - Testing (2018)

Best Project From Outside of the USA of 2019

Previous Winners:

  • Skepta - Konnichiwa (2016)
  • Wiley - Godfather (2017)
  • Avantdale Bowling Club - Avantdale Bowling Club (2018)

Best Debut Project of 2019

Previous Winners:

  • Bryson Tiller - T R A P S O U L (2015)
  • Noname - Telefone (2016)
  • Lil Pump - Lil Pump (2017)
  • Sheck Wes - MUDBOY (2018)

Best Project by a Female Artist

Previous Winners:

  • N/A

Best R&B Project of 2019

Previous Winners:

  • Frank Ocean - Blonde (2016)
  • SZA - CTRL (2017)
  • Kali Uchis - Isolation (2018)

Best EP (6 tracks or fewer or titled an EP by the artist) of 2019

Previous Winners:

  • Earl Sweatshirt - Solace (2015)
  • Vince Staples - Prima Donna (2016)
  • Denzel Curry - 13 (2017)
  • Young Thug - On The Rvn (2018)

Best Overall Verse of 2019

Previous Winners:

  • Pusha T - The Story of Adidon (Verse 1) (2018)

Best Music Video of 2019

Previous Winners:

  • Childish Gambino - This Is America

Best Album Cover of 2019

Previous Winners:

  • Kids See Ghosts - KIDS SEE GHOSTS

NEW THIS YEAR:

  • "Best Project by a Female Artist" category added

Have fun!

If you see any issues please let me know. I'll get everything fixed up asap.

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[DISCUSSION] Kendrick Lamar - The Kendrick Lamar EP (10 Years Later)

Posted: 01 Jan 2020 07:22 PM PST

On December 31, 2009 Kendrick released his first project under the name Kendrick Lamar - his previous mixtapes were under K-Dot.

From wikipedia:

Kendrick Lamar is the self-titled debut extended play (EP) by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, released as a free digital download on December 31, 2009, by Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE).[1] It is his first project to be released under his birth name, rather than his original moniker K-Dot. The EP features guest appearances from Angela McCluskey, Ab-Soul, JaVonte, Jay Rock, BJ the Chicago Kid, Punch, Schoolboy Q and Big Pooh. The EP's production was handled by Sounwave, Black Milk, Jake One, Q-Tip and Wyldfyer, among others. The free-download EP premiered exclusively on online mixtape distribution platform DatPiff and has since then been downloaded over 100,000 times on the website earning a gold certification status.

submitted by /u/DFWTooThrowed
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Bone Thugs N Harmony - 1st of tha Month

Posted: 01 Jan 2020 05:01 AM PST

YG apologizes to the LGBTQ community - REVOLT

Posted: 01 Jan 2020 01:48 PM PST

Noname announces album Factory Baby to be released in 2020, says she's done with touring

Posted: 01 Jan 2020 09:30 AM PST

https://twitter.com/noname/status/1212420518248239104?s=19

After the discussion last year about her discomfort with performing live and the possible end of her music career, I'm glad that she's still planning on making and releasing music.

submitted by /u/orboth
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Kanye West: The Making of "The Life of Pablo" | Part 1

Posted: 01 Jan 2020 05:08 PM PST

Jeezy - Seen It All(feat. Jay Z)

Posted: 01 Jan 2020 03:57 PM PST

Future - News Or Somthin

Posted: 01 Jan 2020 11:03 AM PST

Young Thug - January 1st (ft. Jacquees & Trapboy Freddy)

Posted: 01 Jan 2020 09:03 AM PST

Billboard Hot 100 Discussion - December 20-26 2019

Posted: 01 Jan 2020 02:30 PM PST

From the Billboard Hot 100

Songs marked with a '*' are songs by hip-hop artists, or featuring hip-hop artists.

Position Title Artist Last Week Weeks Charting Peak
(3x) 1 All I Want For Christmas Is You Mariah Carey - 1 37* 1
2 Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree Brenda Lee - 2 32* 2
3 Jingle Bell Rock Bobby Helms ▲+6 9 30* 3
4 A Holly Jolly Christmas Burl Ives ▲+2 6 15 4
* 5 Circles Post Malone ▼-2 3 17 1
* 6 Roxanne Arizona Zervas ▼-2 4 8 4
7 It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year Andy Williams ▲+8 15 15 7
8 Someone You Loved Lewis Capaldi - 8 33* 1
9 Memories Maroon 5 ▼-2 7 14 4
* 10 Good As Hell Lizzo - 10 18 3
11 Last Christmas Wham! ▲+6 17 14 11
12 Feliz Navidad Jose Feliciano ▲+11 23 9 12
* 13 The Box Roddy Ricch ▲+5 18 3 13
14 Dance Monkey Tones And I ▼-3 11 12 9
15 Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow Dean Martin ▲+13 28 8 15
16 The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You) Nat King Cole ▲+14 30 21* 11
17 10,000 Hours Dan + Shay & Justin Bieber ▼-4 13 12 4
18 Lose You To Love Me Selena Gomez ▼-6 12 10 1
* 19 Ballin' Mustard ft. Roddy Ricch ▼-5 14 23* 14
* 20 BOP DaBaby ▼-4 16 13 11
21 Sleigh Ride The Ronettes ▲+16 37 7 21
22 Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer Gene Autry ▲+14 36 8 16
23 Bad Guy Billie Eilish ▲+2 25 39* 1
24 Happy Holiday / The Holiday Season Andy Williams ▲+16 40 4 24
* 25 No Guidance Chris Brown ft. Drake ▼-5 20 29* 5
26 Senorita Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello ▼-5 21 27* 1
* 27 Bandit Juice WRLD & YoungBoy Never Broke Again ▼-8 19 12 10
28 It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas Perry Como And The Fontane Sisters With Mitchell Ayres And His Orchestra ▲+22 50 4 28
29 Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) Darlene Love ▲+72 - 3 29
* 30 Panini Lil Nas X ▼-1 29 27* 5
31 Underneath The Tree Kelly Clarkson ▲+70 - 5 31
32 Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) Gene Autry ▲+15 47 6 28
* 33 Hot Young Thug ft. Gunna ▼-2 31 19 11
* 34 Old Town Road Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus ▲+7 41 43* 1
* 35 Truth Hurts Lizzo ▼-3 32 34* 1
36 Run Rudolph Run Chuck Berry ▲+65 - 5 36
37 (There's No Place Like) Home For The Holidays Perry Como ▲+64 - 3 32
* 38 HIGHEST IN THE ROOM Travis Scott ▼-11 27 12 1
* 39 Heartless The Weeknd ▼-13 26 5 1
40 Blue Christmas Elvis Presley ▲+61 - 2 40
41 everything i wanted Billie Eilish ▼-7 34 7 8
42 White Christmas Bing Crosby ▲+59 - 16 12
43 Jingle Bells Frank Sinatra ▲+58 - 2 43
44 Like It's Christmas Jonas Brothers ▲+9 53 4 44
45 Baby It's Cold Outside Dean Martin ▲+56 DEBUT 1 45
46 Trampoline SHAED ▼-13 33 30* 13
* 47 Woah Lil Baby ▼-12 35 7 16
* 48 Futsal Shuffle 2020 Lil Uzi Vert ▼-43 5 2 5
49 You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch Thurl Ravenscroft ▲+52 DEBUT 1 49
* 50 Ran$om Lil Tecca ▼-11 39 30* 4
51 Falling Trevor Daniel ▼-13 38 6 36
52 Don't Start Now Dua Lipa ▼-10 42 8 30
53 Adore You Harry Styles ▼-29 24 3 24
54 One Man Band Old Dominion ▼-10 44 18 20
55 Hot Girl Bummer blackbear ▼-4 51 15 41
* 56 Suicidal YNW Melly ▲+2 58 5 56
57 Lover Taylor Swift ▼-9 48 19 10
* 58 On Chill Wale ft. Jeremih ▼-12 46 20 22
59 Even Though I'm Leaving Luke Combs ▼-10 49 17 11
60 No Idea Don Toliver ▼-17 43 4 43
61 Graveyard Halsey ▼-9 52 15 34
* 62 My Oh My Camila Cabello ft. DaBaby ▼-1 61 3 61
* 63 Juicy Doja Cat & Tyga ▼-6 57 9 47
64 The Bones Maren Morris ▼-9 55 14 48
65 Playing Games Summer Walker ▼-9 56 17 16
* 66 Heat Chris Brown ft. Gunna ▼-7 59 17 36
67 Into The Unknown Idina Menzel & AURORA ▼-2 65 5 46
* 68 VIBEZ DaBaby ▼-8 60 13 21
69 Happy Xmas (War Is Over) John Legend ▲+32 DEBUT 1 69
* 70 Heart On Ice Rod Wave - 70 7 54
71 What If I Never Get Over You Lady Antebellum ▼-3 68 18 47
* 72 Blinding Lights The Weeknd ▼-9 63 4 11
73 Ridin' Roads Dustin Lynch ▼-7 66 8 66
* 74 Camelot NLE Choppa ▼-3 71 15 37
75 Heartache Medication Jon Pardi ▼-3 72 13 67
* 76 Start Wit Me Roddy Ricch & Gunna ▼-7 69 6 58
* 77 Take What You Want Post Malone ft. Ozzy Osbourne & Travis Scott ▼-1 76 16 8
* 78 Leave Em Alone Layton Greene, Lil Baby, City Girls & PnB Rock ▼-1 77 12 60
* 79 Hate Me Ellie Goulding & Juice WRLD ▼-4 75 20 56
80 Kinfolks Sam Hunt ▲+1 81 11 62
* 81 Let Me Know (I Wonder Why Freestyle) Juice WRLD ▼-3 78 2 78
82 Remember You Young Thomas Rhett ▼-9 73 15 53
* 83 Death Trippie Redd ft. DaBaby ▼-9 74 6 59
* 84 223's YNW Melly & 9lokknine ▲+7 91 16 34
* 85 Slide H.E.R. ft. YG ▲+16 DEBUT 1 85
86 RITMO (Bad Boys For Life) The Black Eyed Peas X J Balvin ▲+3 89 5 86
87 Watermelon Sugar Harry Styles ▼-33 54 5 54
88 Homesick Kane Brown ▲+8 96 6 88
* 89 Slow Dancing In The Dark Joji ▼-1 88 12 69
90 Easy DaniLeigh ft. Chris Brown ▲+7 97 8 88
91 Vete Bad Bunny ▼-6 85 5 33
* 92 Baby Sitter DaBaby ft. Offset ▲+1 93 20 59
93 Nice To Meet Ya Niall Horan ▼-11 82 11 63
94 Yellow Hearts Ant Saunders ▲+1 95 7 81
* 95 Tip Toe Roddy Ricch ft. A Boogie Wit da Hoodie ▼-15 80 4 73
* 96 Candy Doja Cat ▼-2 94 5 86
* 97 BEST ON EARTH Russ & BIA ▼-5 92 3 92
* 98 Tusa Karol G & Nicki Minaj ▲+3 - 4 78
* 99 Enemies Post Malone ft. DaBaby ▼-1 98 16 16
* 100 South Of The Border Ed Sheeran ft. Camila Cabello & Cardi B ▲+1 - 3 53

*Note: if a song has been charting for more than 20 weeks and is below #50, it gets dropped off prematurely.

Notable:

  • chart is full of christmas songs. nothing much else

Billboard 200 (Albums):

Position Title Artist Sales Last Week Weeks Charting
1 Fine Line Harry Styles 89K, down 81% 1 2
3 Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial Roddy Ricch 73K, down 10% 3 3
6 Hollywood's Bleeding Post Malone 63K, up <1% 4 16
10 So Much Fun Young Thug 53K, up 136% 36 19
57 Cottonwood NLE Choppa - DEBUT 1
68 East Atlanta Santa 3 Gucci Mane - DEBUT 1
submitted by /u/Zorjeff
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Akademiks responds to Nav on Twitch

Posted: 01 Jan 2020 04:35 PM PST

Valee - Shell

Posted: 01 Jan 2020 12:44 PM PST

Tommy Wright III - Four Corners

Posted: 01 Jan 2020 08:24 PM PST

Daily Discussion Thread 01/01/2020

Posted: 01 Jan 2020 06:22 AM PST

Welcome to the /r/hiphopheads daily discussion thread!

This thread is for:

  • objective questions with right/wrong answers (e.g. "Does anyone know what is happening with MIXTAPE?", "What is the sample in SONG?")
  • general hip-hop discussion
  • meta posts...e.g. ideas for the sub

Thread Guidelines

  • Do not create a separate self post for these types of discussions outside of this thread - if you do, your post will be removed, as stated in the guidelines.

  • Please be helpful and friendly.

  • If a question has been asked many times before, provide a link to a thread that contains the answer.

Weekly/Monthly Threads

Other ways to interact

There are a number of other ways to interact with other members of HHH:

New to /r/hiphopheads or hip-hop in general?

Check out these:

submitted by /u/ModsLittleHelper
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Royce Da 5'9" - Hard

Posted: 01 Jan 2020 10:42 AM PST

(FRESH ALBUM) JME - Grime MC

Posted: 01 Jan 2020 10:52 PM PST

Ecco2k - Don’t Ask

Posted: 01 Jan 2020 06:34 AM PST

A-F-R-O - 2020 Rhyme

Posted: 01 Jan 2020 02:07 PM PST

[SHOTS FIRED] Wiley - Disrespect (Dot Rotten Send)

Posted: 01 Jan 2020 07:53 AM PST

Gershwin's Family Doesn't Want Rappers Sampling "Rhapsody in Blue"

Posted: 01 Jan 2020 08:53 AM PST

Pete & Bas - Windowframe Cypher ft. The Snooker Team [Music Video]

Posted: 01 Jan 2020 11:36 AM PST

Playboi Carti - No Cappin (prod. Southside)

Posted: 01 Jan 2020 03:27 PM PST

I can't believe we've spanned a whole ass decade and never got an album from J. Electronica. "The Announcement"

Posted: 01 Jan 2020 11:29 PM PST

[DISCUSSION] Chief Keef - Nobody (5 years later)

Posted: 01 Jan 2020 12:43 PM PST

how does this project fit into Keef's discography?

submitted by /u/TheRoyalGodfrey
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at