Hey y'all, we made it (did we?).
In large part (i assume) because we had music to listen to.

A lot happened this year.

Freddie Gibbs rise continued.
Finoa Apple reminded y'all.
Sault bested their 2019 (who thought that was possible?)
Jay Electronica released not ONE, but TWO albums?!
Jaguar named names.
Prince opened the vault.
Cardi & Megan got damp.

What did YOU enjoy?

01. FAVORITE 2020 ALBUMS
02. SONGS YOU RAN INTO THE GROUND
03. WHAT ALBUM SURPRISED YOU?
04. WHAT ARTIST WERE YOU LOOKING FOR, BUT DIDN'T SHOW UP?
05. WHAT ARTIST DID YOU DISCOVER THIS YEAR (new or old)?
06. WHO ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN 2021?
07. WHAT ALBUM DID PEOPLE OVERLOOK?
08. WHAT NEW GENRE DID YOU EXPLORE THIS YEAR?
09. WHAT'S THE 1ST LIVE SHOW YOU WANT TO GO TO ONCE THIS IS ALL OVER?
10. WHAT RELEASE DISAPPOINTED YOU?

https://digife.com

>01. FAVORITE 2020 ALBUMS

Cleo Sol, ROSE IN THE DARK @@@@
Dornik, LIMBOLAND @@@@
Emmavie, HONEYMOON (this was late '19) @@@@1/2
Butcher Brown, #KingButch @@@@
Sault, UNTITLED (BLACK IS) @@@1/2
Sault, UNTITLED (RISE) @@@@
2000Black, PROJECT X @@@
Thundercat, IT IS WHAT IT IS @@@1/2
Flwr Chld, FLOW @@@
Gaby Duran, TRIANGLES @@@1/2
Lianna La Havas, LIANNA LA HAVAS @@@@

>02. SONGS YOU RAN INTO THE GROUND

"Why Don't You"
Cleo Sol

"Harness The Sky"
Pep Love

"Mr. White"
Khruangbin

"Equilibrium"
Darius x Wayne Snow

"Uncomfortable"
Sault

"Lil' Lonely"
Devin Morrison

>03. WHAT ALBUM SURPRISED YOU?

Cleo Sol
"Rose In The Dark"

>04. WHAT ARTIST WERE YOU LOOKING FOR, BUT DIDN'T SHOW UP?

Kendrick Lamar
The Foreign Exchange

>05. WHAT ARTIST DID YOU DISCOVER THIS YEAR (new or old)?

Not an artist per se, but the America Is Dying Slowly compilation.
Had only heard a few songs from it, but finally found the CD used.
Man, what a solid hip hop comp. Played this most of the summer.

>06. WHO ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN 2021?

Kendrick Lamar.
The Foreign Exchange.

>07. WHAT ALBUM DID PEOPLE OVERLOOK?

Emmavie's Honeymoon album. REALLY good.
Great production.

>08. WHAT NEW GENRE DID YOU EXPLORE THIS YEAR?

I made an attempt to get into some Thai music because I heard the band
members of Khruangbin talk about it being an influence. Naw, didn't work.

>09. WHAT'S THE 1ST LIVE SHOW YOU WANT TO GO TO ONCE THIS IS
>ALL OVER?

I was supposed to see Omar, but he had some visa problems and never made it to Chicago.
I'd still like to see him live.

>10. WHAT RELEASE DISAPPOINTED YOU?

Ha! Slingbaum One! Yeah I copped it. I wish I hadn't.
The joint with Bilal and Syd is tight, but not $50 tight.
Oh well, can't hit on everything.

https://digife.com

>>05. WHAT ARTIST DID YOU DISCOVER THIS YEAR (new or old)?
>
>Not an artist per se, but the America Is Dying Slowly
>compilation.
>Had only heard a few songs from it, but finally found the CD
>used.
>Man, what a solid hip hop comp. Played this most of the
>summer.
>

This album is so dope and never talked about. Second best hip-hop compilation/soundtrack IMO only after Soul In The Hole.

Contains my absolute favorite OC song and probably one of my top 5 hip-hop songs ever in What I Represent.

Great opener.
Lost Boyz classic with the additional PR verse
Wu and Goodie come through with bangers!
Dope Coolio joint although Too Hot from the previous year would’ve made more sense
Ball & MJG kill it.
M-O-B-B with a track that has nothing to do with the topic but who cares lol
Lord Tariq with a dope cut
Spice 1 with the West Coast flavor

Then when you think you’ve got a dope albums you get hit with
Common
De La
Organized Konfusion
OC

That 4 song run is absurd and take it up to classic status.

Close it out with Sadat, Fat Joe, Domino and Mac Mal and you really can’t ask for more in a hip-hop compilation.

It doesn’t waste time like many of the soundtracks from that era do by adding in the R&B and dance cuts like New Jersey Drive, High School High and Sunset Park did, which to me puts it above those.

Definitely underrated and takes me back to 96 for sure...the most prolific year for great hip-hop releases.

...they played some of No Rubber, No Backstage Pass (had all the hallmarks of Paul production too),
and I was mad I hadn't sought this compilation sooner.

For the most part I agree with you that most of the R&B selections on
the High School High soundtrack (along with other compilations from its time) are forgettable.
But D'Angelo/Badu "Your Precious Love" and Faith Evans' "I Just Can't" are songs I still roll with.
Also Mary J. Blige's "Everyday It Rains" on The Show soundtrack goes too.

https://digife.com

Yeah I definitely like a lot of those R&B cuts but never liked the mixture on the same album like that.

Always felt like the sequencing was off with a lot of them too.

High School High is up there for me as well.

Rhyme & Reason is another dope compilation.

it's amazing

__________________________________________
CHOP-THESE-BITCHES!!!!
------------------------------------
Garhart Ivanhoe Poppwell
Un-OK'd moderator for The Lesson and Make The Music (yes, I do's work up in here, and in your asscrease if you run foul of this

I'm co-signing that this compilation is dope as hell.

It's on red wax.

I concur, great tracks. Album quality, actually.

The only downside of the sampler is that since it is listed as being 'for in-store play', it's clean.

Will probably take one or two questions at a time -- will be back and looking forward to reading everyone's picks!

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

01. FAVORITE 2020 ALBUMS

Zara McFarlane - Songs of an Unknown Tongue
Little Dragon - New Me Same Us
RTJ4
Elzhi - 7 times down 8 times up
Lianne La Havas
Sault - Black Is
Khruangbin - Mordecai

02. SONGS YOU RAN INTO THE GROUND

Lianne - Bittersweet
Khruangbin - You and I
Black Thought - State Prisoner
RTJ - Ju$t

03. WHAT ALBUM SURPRISED YOU?

Zara McFarlane - Songs of an Unknown Tongue

04. WHAT ARTIST WERE YOU LOOKING FOR, BUT DIDN'T SHOW UP?

Hiatus Kaiyote

05. WHAT ARTIST DID YOU DISCOVER THIS YEAR (new or old)?

Alice Coltrane
Laraaji
Kutiman

06. WHO ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN 2021?

Hiatus Kaiyote

07. WHAT ALBUM DID PEOPLE OVERLOOK?

Elzhi - 7 times down 8 times up

08. WHAT NEW GENRE DID YOU EXPLORE THIS YEAR?

Experimental Jazz

09. WHAT'S THE 1ST LIVE SHOW YOU WANT TO GO TO ONCE THIS IS ALL OVER?

Little Dragon...but I'd settle for a Roots Picnic...with Little Dragon LOL

10. WHAT RELEASE DISAPPOINTED YOU?

Jay Electronica...It's probably his fault for waiting so long to officially release an album...but if you told me it would be a Jay E/Jay Z collabo...I would've expected to like it more. I haven't replayed that album since it dropped.

+1, 11. FAVORITE EPS OF 2020

just wanted to give a big shout to Dinner Party, that EP is a go to. Love it.

...and of course streams of thought vol 3 (minus those 3 songs LOL)

---------------------------------------------------------------

If you can't understand it without an explanation

you can't understand it with an explanation

01 + Gorillaz, The Avalanches, Tobe, Blu&Exile

---------------------------------------------------------------

If you can't understand it without an explanation

you can't understand it with an explanation

01. FAVORITE 2020 ALBUMS
Benny the Butcher - Burden of Proof
Spillage Village - Spilligion
Tame Impala - The Slow Rush
Amine - Limbo
Westside Gunn - Pray for Paris
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Alfredo
Conway the Machine - From King to a GOD
Willie The Kid - Capital Gains
Stove God Cook$ & Roc Marciano - Reasonable Drought
Black Thought - Streams of Thought, Vol. 3: Cane And Abel

Bonus EPS:
Mick Jenkins - The Circus
Curren$y & Harry Fraud - The Out Runners
Denzel Curry & Kenny Beats - UNLOCKED


02. SONGS YOU RAN INTO THE GROUND
Tame Impala - Lost In Yesterday
Mick Jenkins - Carefree
Eminem - You Gon' Learn (feat. Royce da 5'9")
Westside Gunn - 327
Conway the Machine - Shoot Sideways (feat. ScHoolboy Q)
RRpuce da 5'9" - Updside Down (feat. Benny the Butcher)
Spillage Village - Shiva
Joey Bada$$ - No Explanation
Anderson .Paak - Lockdown
Saba - Mrs. Whoever
Amine - Pressure In My Palms (feat. Vince Staples)
H.E.R. - Do To Me
KOTA The Friend - Mi Casa
Black Thought - Thought vs Everybody
Benny the Butcher - One Way Flight (feat. Freddie Gibbs)
They. - The Moment


03. WHAT ALBUM SURPRISED YOU?
Sans Benny, Griselda has been mostly quantity over quality over the last few years. This year, though Conway and Gunn still dropped 3 or 4 projects a piece, they seemed to have better quality control. 327 esp surprised me. Before that there wasn't a single Gunn project I could listen to front and back.


04. WHAT ARTIST WERE YOU LOOKING FOR, BUT DIDN'T SHOW UP?
Where art thou, Kendrick Lamar???


05. WHAT ARTIST DID YOU DISCOVER THIS YEAR (new or old)?
I didn't discover them, but I really dug deeper into Tame Impala this year based on how much I enjoyed The Slow Rush.


06. WHO ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN 2021?
Kendrick, J. Cole, more Gibbs, as usually hoping this Drake album is the one that brings him back to his 2009-2013 quality but ready to be fooled as usual.


07. WHAT ALBUM DID PEOPLE OVERLOOK?
Spillage Village - Spilligion, Amine - Limbo


08. WHAT NEW GENRE DID YOU EXPLORE THIS YEAR?
Went back and listened to a lot of indie rock from the late 2000s/early 2010s that I wasn't checking for back in my college yearsr/early 20s. Artists like Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, Beach House...


09. WHAT'S THE 1ST LIVE SHOW YOU WANT TO GO TO ONCE THIS IS ALL OVER?
I'm so far removed from live music right now I can't even think about this without my answer just being a favorite artist/one I'm into right now so gonna pass on this.


10. WHAT RELEASE DISAPPOINTED YOU?
Jay Electronica - A Written Testimony. A decade plus wait FOR THIS!?!?

>01. FAVORITE 2020 ALBUMS
Off the top of my head:
Dornik- Limboland
Benny - Burden of Proof
Conway - From King to a God
Westside Gunn - Pray for Paris
Nas - Kings Disease
Gibbs and Alchemist - Alfredo
Lyric Jones
Boldy James - Manger on McNichols
Stove God Cooks - Reasonable Drought
Focus...The New Norml
>02. SONGS YOU RAN INTO THE GROUND
>03. WHAT ALBUM SURPRISED YOU?
Stove God Cooks - Reasonable Drought
>04. WHAT ARTIST WERE YOU LOOKING FOR, BUT DIDN'T SHOW UP?
Always checking for Big KRIT.
>05. WHAT ARTIST DID YOU DISCOVER THIS YEAR (new or old)?
Dornik
>06. WHO ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN 2021?
I don’t even know....the surprise drops that aren’t built up seem to be the new wave. Ready for a Roots album though.
>07. WHAT ALBUM DID PEOPLE OVERLOOK?
Sean Boog - It’s Midnight Somewhere EP
>08. WHAT NEW GENRE DID YOU EXPLORE THIS YEAR?
None.
>09. WHAT'S THE 1ST LIVE SHOW YOU WANT TO GO TO ONCE THIS IS
>ALL OVER?
Little Brother. Was planning to see them in May.
>10. WHAT RELEASE DISAPPOINTED YOU?
Black Thought
Royce

those beats just didn’t do it for me.

>>03. WHAT ALBUM SURPRISED YOU?
>Stove God Cooks - Reasonable Drought

Just not sure I could say it surprised me since I had no idea who Stove God Cooks was before seeing the post here.

I was surprised that it was that good because I’d never heard of him.

https://digife.com

01. FAVORITE 2020 ALBUMS

-Phantogram - Ceremony
-Little Dragon - New Me, Same Us
-JoJo - Good 2 Know
-Conway - From A King Into A God
-Four Tet - Sixteen Oceans
-Gorillaz - Song Machine Vol. 1
-Rina Sawayama "SAWAYAMA"

02. SONGS YOU RAN INTO THE GROUND

-Phantogram "Dear God"
-Porter Robinson "Get Your Wish" (shame he didn't drop an album)
-Flume (Feat. London Grammar) "Let You Know"
-Aluna "Envious"
-Lupe Fiasco "Dinosaurs"
-Wale "Movin Different"
-Skeler "Arcadia"

03. WHAT ALBUM SURPRISED YOU?

-Vic Mensa - VTape (Vic used the awful things that keep happening to black people to revive his career. I don't think people trust he won't flip into something else again, but I'm betting he'll get the fans back on his side in 2021.)


04. WHAT ARTIST WERE YOU LOOKING FOR, BUT DIDN'T SHOW UP?
-The Roots.
-The Roots!
-The Roots?
-The Roots?!?!?!?
-C'mon 15 please man...

05. WHAT ARTIST DID YOU DISCOVER THIS YEAR (new or old)?

Skeler is an electronic artist who does Hardwave music. It's a type of EDM that keeps the tempo high....but also keeps a groove to it, it doesn't explode with a drop.

This is "Arcadia"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIStT96AHQU


06. WHO ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN 2021?

-Chvrches (hopefully with a less 80s sound)
-Q-Tip
-De La Soul
-Hiatus Kaiyote
-Redman (dude went viral and still didn't follow up with anything lol)

07. WHAT ALBUM DID PEOPLE OVERLOOK?

Jessie Ware - What's Your Pleasure (Sexy, danceable but still sounds great in headphones, only disservice was dropping single so early that the LP didn't impact they way it should've)

08. WHAT NEW GENRE DID YOU EXPLORE THIS YEAR?

The aforementioned Hardwave and more Brazilian jazz, which I'm kinda surprised doesn't get sampled in more rap songs.

09. WHAT'S THE 1ST LIVE SHOW YOU WANT TO GO TO ONCE THIS IS ALL OVER?

In a perfect world:

Opener: The Free Nationals (w/a couple guests)
2nd: SAULT
Closer: Hiatus Kaiyote

10. WHAT RELEASE DISAPPOINTED YOU?

The Killers - The Imploding Mirage (I didn't hate it, but it was way more subdued than I think The Killers should be.)

phemom's the name, all-star writer/
searching 4 journalistic fame, mindframe igniter....www.twitter.com/hayabusaage

but on a forum with no text formatting, ALL CAPS in the only way to emphasize something, so as long as people are copy/pasting or replying with quote it makes their replies sectioned and readable.

https://digife.com

>01. FAVORITE 2020 ALBUMS

Complete list here: https://rateyourmusic.com/list/Kosa12/evil-is-a-relay-sport-the-best-of-2020/

Top 10:

Armand Hammer - Shrines
Fiona Apple - Fetch The Bolt Cutters
R.A.P. Ferriera - Purple Moonlight Pages
Open Mike Eagle - Anime, Trauma and Divorce
Aesop Rock - Spirit World Field Guide
Ka - Descendents of Cain
Protomartyr -Ultimate Success Today
Tyshawn Sorey - Unfiltered
Small Bills - Don't Play It Straight
KeiyaA - Forever, Ya Girl

>02. SONGS YOU RAN INTO THE GROUND

Open Mike Eagle - Bucciarati
Armand Hammer - Charms (feat. KeiyaA)
MIKE - What's Home 1/2
Run The Jewels - Walking In The Snow
AMANI + King Vision Ultra - A Not So Fruitful Wealth
KeiyaA - I Want My Things!
Liv.e - About Love At 21
SAULT - Sorry Ain't Enough
Jenevieve - Baby Powder
Blu & Exile - Miles Davis
Fiona Apple - Rack of His
R.A.P Ferriera - Doldrums
Small Bills - Sunchoke
Lido Pimienta - No Pude
Protomartyr - Processed By The Boys
Aesop Rock - Marble Cake
Cleo Sol - Young Love
Pink Siifu & Fly Anakin - Mind Right (feat. Liv.e)
Quelle Chris & Chris Keys - Mirage
King Krule - Underclass

>03. WHAT ALBUM SURPRISED YOU?

Fetch The Bolt cutters surprised me because I didn't think Fiona Apple could make a better album than The Idler Wheel, and she did.

Both KeiyaA and Liv.e surprised me with two of the best debuts in R&B/Neo-Soul that I have heard in a while. I had read good things about both artists, but those albums really are something else.

>04. WHAT ARTIST WERE YOU LOOKING FOR, BUT DIDN'T SHOW UP?

Kendrick Lamar

>05. WHAT ARTIST DID YOU DISCOVER THIS YEAR (new or old)?

Three really good discoveries this year:

Liv.e
KeiyaA
Soojin Suh (jazz drummer)

>06. WHO ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN 2021?

An album by the Roots.

A Benny the Butcher album that is not produced by Hit-Boy, I would love for him to work with alchemist for an entire project.

A Kendrick Lamar album.

>07. WHAT ALBUM DID PEOPLE OVERLOOK?

Cleo Sol - Rose in the Dark: I actually cannot believe more people/press are not talking about this considering how much of a hit SAULT has been with people. This is the singer of SAULT and this album is excellent.

>08. WHAT NEW GENRE DID YOU EXPLORE THIS YEAR?

Unfortunately, I don't think I got into a new genre, though I'd like to think I listen to a wide range of stuff.

>09. WHAT'S THE 1ST LIVE SHOW YOU WANT TO GO TO ONCE THIS IS
>ALL OVER?

Fiona Apple because Fetch The Bolt Cutters is incredible.

>10. WHAT RELEASE DISAPPOINTED YOU?

Nas - King's Disease: Nas' writing is not at its best here but I thought what really brings it down is how generic Hit Boy's production is. Hit Boy did much better on the Benny album in my opinion, but his beats are the definition of middle of the road for most of this record.

Idles - Ultra Mono: Horrible lyricism to the point where this band - who is one of my favorite bands at the moment - sound like a parody of themselves. By far my biggest disappointment of the year.

----------
https://93millionmilesabove.blogspot.com/
https://rateyourmusic.com/~Kosa12

>Tyshawn Sorey - Unfiltered

I've been thinking of getting this. How is it apart from being long as hell?

Have you heard this? https://junkmagic.bandcamp.com/album/compass-confusion

Unfiltered is an amazing record - it's not as "out" as you would expect for a Sorey project as a bandleader, but it's still avant-garde. It's him and a bunch of younger musicians who all kill it. The solos are crazy. 200% worth a purchase.

I haven't heard the new Junk Magic record.

----------
https://93millionmilesabove.blogspot.com/
https://rateyourmusic.com/~Kosa12

alright, i might have to get it then. it's bancamp friday after all...

i really like the junk magic record.

>Tyshawn Sorey - Unfiltered

Mad at myself for not listening to this yet. Also, just saw that he did a record with Mike Sopko and Bill Laswell called "On Common Ground" -- listening now, it's a noisy, crunchy, guitar-driven, mostly freeform set that makes a convincing case for Sorey as a badass rock drummer. Really digging it so far.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

This dropped on December 11, is incredible and is definitely my favorite or second favorite record of the year.

----------
https://93millionmilesabove.blogspot.com/
https://rateyourmusic.com/~Kosa12

This dropped on December 11, is incredible and is definitely my favorite or second favorite record of the year.

----------
https://93millionmilesabove.blogspot.com/
https://rateyourmusic.com/~Kosa12

01. FAVORITE 2020 ALBUMS
these aren't my highest rated necessarily. theyre the ones i think will stick with me.

Skyzoo - Milestones
KOTA the Friend - Everything
eLZhi - Seven Times Down Eight Times Up
Black Thought - Streams of Thought, Vol. 3: Cane and Abel
Mac Miller - Circles
Blu & Exile - Miles
Run The Jewels - RTJ4
Royce Da 5'9" - The Allegory
Felt - Felt 4 U

02. SONGS YOU RAN INTO THE GROUND
didnt really do this this year, maybe ooh la la.

03. WHAT ALBUM SURPRISED YOU?
Busta Rhymes - Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God
i was ready for it to suck. if it wasnt so recent it might have made my fav albums list.

04. WHAT ARTIST WERE YOU LOOKING FOR, BUT DIDN'T SHOW UP?
the roots, de la soul

05. WHAT ARTIST DID YOU DISCOVER THIS YEAR (new or old)?
Victoria Monet
Che Noir
Sa-Roc
Ty Farris
Theophilus London

theres more but these are the ones i feel the worst about sleeping on and looking forward to the most on hearing more from them.

06. WHO ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN 2021?
the roots, de la soul

07. WHAT ALBUM DID PEOPLE OVERLOOK?
Ty Farris x Royalz - The Road Of A Warrior

08. WHAT NEW GENRE DID YOU EXPLORE THIS YEAR?
n/a

09. WHAT'S THE 1ST LIVE SHOW YOU WANT TO GO TO ONCE THIS IS ALL OVER?
de la soul, erykah badu. give me 4 hours of that.

10. WHAT RELEASE DISAPPOINTED YOU?
i guess Black Eyed Peas - Translation. after masters of the sun i had hope they would follow it up with more of the same but nope. back to club music. kind of funny that they are BEP without fergie and THE BEP with her.

Still winding around to developing a top 10 but this is my shortlist, top 25 popular-ish records this year (not in any real order):

1. Moses Sumney - Grae
2. R.A.P. Ferreira - Purple's Moonlight Pages
3. Cleo Sol - Rose in the Dark
4. Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways
5. Jessie Ware - What's Your Pleasure?
6. Khruangbin - Mordechai
7. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher
8. Gillian Welch - Boots Vol. 2 - The Lost Songs
9. Courtney Marie Andrews - Old Flowers
10. Lianne La Havas - self-titled
11. Oscar Jerome - Breathe Deep
12. Sault - Untitled(s)
13. Fleet Foxes - Shore
14. Sylvan Esso - Free Love
15. Tim Heidecker - Fear of Death
16. Gabriel Garzon-Montano - Aguita
17. Kevin Morby - Sundowner
18. Sam Amidon - self-titled
19. Rufus Wainwright - Alone Time/Peaceful Afternoon EP
20. Perfume Genius - Set my heart on fire immediately
21. Natalia Lafourcade - Un Canto por Mexico, vol. 1
22. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Boltcutters
23. Raw Poetic/Damu/Archie Shepp - Ocean Bridges
24. Blu & Exile - Miles
25. Nick Hakim - WILL THIS MAKE ME GOOD

This actually aligns pretty well with my most listened to, as well. I'm actually surprised at how little hip hop wound up on the shortlist even though I listened to a lot of releases this year. A lot of it was good, very little was great. Past my top 25 a lot more shows up but it's still pretty spotty.

It was a strange year musically with just an enormous number of top-notch releases in the first four or five months, then a dryspell for a good chunk of summer, and then another great month or two as we headed into fall. Music was definitely a lifesaver this year and that vast majority of my listening was dedicated to new stuff ... sort of a reminder that good stuff was still happening despite how dark this year has been.

Going to circle back and run through some favorite jazz-ish releases later.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

>01. FAVORITE 2020 ALBUMS

Serengeti: Ajai
Nah: Mortal Glitch (Good noise rap with killer drumming)
Zeroh: Blqlyte
Mr. Yote: Pello Phantasmo's Book of Brew
Deantoni Parks: Silver Chord
Jak3: Meet Me in the Clouds (Memphis influenced cloud rappy stuff)
Dan Drohan: You're a Crusher (Fun collage type indie rock stuff)
Rikers: Tunnel Vision (Mix Survivor, the 80s band, with Boards of Canada)

https://rikersmusic.bandcamp.com/album/tunnel-vision

Armand Hammer: Shrines
Akai Solo: Ride Alone, Fly Together
Fermi Herrero: Silba Contenta (Just some very pretty inventive vocals, good for stress reduction, listened a lot)

https://editalaservidumbre.bandcamp.com/album/ferm-herrero-silba-contenta

King Krule: Man Alive
Wire: Mind Hive (I like pretty much everything Wire has put out in the last decade or so)
RTJ 3
Felicia Atkinson: Everything Evaporate

>02. SONGS YOU RAN INTO THE GROUND

RTJ: Oh La La (Probably watched the video more than I've played the song alone.)

>03. WHAT ALBUM SURPRISED YOU?

Probably the Rikers album. Out of nowhere, still know nothing about them.

>05. WHAT ARTIST DID YOU DISCOVER THIS YEAR (new or old)?

Biggest discovery for both artist and genre is Yellow Magic Orchestra and all the stuff that branched off from it. Lots of Japanese electronic/pop from the 80s

>07. WHAT ALBUM DID PEOPLE OVERLOOK?

I think this Serengeti album would win over a lot of people. All the beats are by Kenny Segal, who is on fire right now.

>08. WHAT NEW GENRE DID YOU EXPLORE THIS YEAR?

Japanese 80s stuff of the YMO variety. Also, not new, but that post about Lesson's top 25 hip hop albums got me listening to lots of 90s boom bap.

----
I check for: Serengeti, Zeroh, Open Mike Eagle, Jeremiah Jae, Moka Only.

Good looks.

>Deantoni Parks: Silver Chord

Some great stuff on your list that I need to check but seriously, had *not* heard he had a solo record out. Need to listen right away!

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

But it's honestly the first record of his I liked enough to purchase. I love what he does, but it usually is more fun to watch than just listen to. This one worked as a technical trick and as a really nice beat tape.

EDIT: Also one that should have made the discoveries list is the Flaming Tunes album by Flaming Tunes. It's from a This Heat member, and it's him and his friend recording to cassette. It's wonderful lofi (like really lofi) pop that is heaven for anyone who's a fan of Eno's Another Green World or Robert Wyatt.

----
I check for: Serengeti, Zeroh, Open Mike Eagle, Jeremiah Jae, Moka Only.

>01. FAVORITE 2020 ALBUMS

Off the top of my head:

Sault - Both albums (the Rise album slightly more for me)
Lianne La Havas - Self Titled
Andrew Ashong & Kaidi Tatham - Sankofa Season EP
Shabaka & The Ancestors - We Are Sent Here By History
Cleo Sol - Rose in the Dark
Ego Ella May - Honey For Wounds
Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist - Alfredo
We're New Again - Makaya McCraven & Gil Scott-Heron
Moses Sumney - Grae

>02. SONGS YOU RAN INTO THE GROUND

Alex Isley - Gone
Nick Hakim - Qadir
SAULT - Son Shine (and most of the Rise album)
NSG - All their singles this year
Zoe Modiga - TATA
Lianne La Havas - Weird Finishes (but really most of the album)
keiyaA - Every Nigga Is A Star
Pa Salieu - My Family (my hype tune of the year)
Rema - Woman
Andrew Ashong & Kaidi Tatham - Low Ceilings

>03. WHAT ALBUM SURPRISED YOU?

Lianne La Havas - Self Titled
Was really surprised had how great the Lianne La Havas album was - now my favourite of hers. She had a very quiet period since her 2nd album, and really didn't know what direction she would go in.

>04. WHAT ARTIST WERE YOU LOOKING FOR, BUT DIDN'T SHOW UP?

Kendrick Lamar
The Roots


>05. WHAT ARTIST DID YOU DISCOVER THIS YEAR (new or old)?

Radiohead

Hearing Lianne La Havas's cover of "Weird Fishes" I went back to hear the Radiohead original for the first time, and the In Rainbows album which blew me away. Then there was a post on The Lesson about how 'Kid A' is the greatest album white people made (lol). Played that album for the first time... and WOW.

I think being surrounded in the UK by people who play more of their earlier (rock sound) work, I didn't realise that Radiohead adapted their later period sound to something more my taste - slept on them for years.

>06. WHO ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN 2021?

Anderson Paak
The Roots
James Blake

>07. WHAT ALBUM DID PEOPLE OVERLOOK?

In my peer group, definitely the SAULT albums

and overall, Buju Banton's comeback album Upside Down

>08. WHAT NEW GENRE DID YOU EXPLORE THIS YEAR?

Is post 2000 Radiohead a genre?
also got really into South African soul & jazz artists - The Ancestors, Sepa Kapstaad and Zoe Modiga

>09. WHAT'S THE 1ST LIVE SHOW YOU WANT TO GO TO ONCE THIS IS
>ALL OVER?

All the jazz gigs in London; Ashley Henry, Nubya Garcia, Steam Down, Ezra Collective, Shabaka Hutchings, etc... Any night at the Church of Sound nights, or something interesting at Cafe Oto

>10. WHAT RELEASE DISAPPOINTED YOU?

Tom Misch & Yussef Dayes - What Kinda Music
Burna Boy - Twice As Tall
Various Artists: Blue Note Reimagined

speaking of London. Fantastic record.

--

"You can't beat white people. You can only knock them out."

Forgot to add it in my list and not sure why... so good to see she is getting the recognition this year too. She might be my favourite out of the new London jazz artists.

01. FAVORITE 2020 ALBUMS

Poppy - I Disagree
Taylor Swift - folklore
The Koreatown Oddity - Little Dominique's Nosebleed
Elzhi - Seven Times Down, Eight Times Up
Aesop Rock - Spirit World Field Guide
Ka - Descendants Of Cain
Roc Marciano - Mt. Marci
Stove God Cook$ - Reasonable Drought
Count Bass D - CBD
BigKlit - Klitorious B.I.G.

02. SONGS YOU RAN INTO THE GROUND

Somehow, "Marsh" by Eminem is my most played song of 2020. The album was nothing to write home about, but "Marsh" is fun and his verse on "I Will" is probably the best Eminem verse I've heard in years.

03. WHAT ALBUM SURPRISED YOU?

Poppy - I Disagree. Never heard this artist before and certainly wasn't expecting her to make my favorite album of the year.

04. WHAT ARTIST WERE YOU LOOKING FOR, BUT DIDN'T SHOW UP?

Francis & The Lights, who was supposed to drop an album on December 29th of last year but pushed it back. As of this writing there's been zero movement in the last 11 months.

05. WHAT ARTIST DID YOU DISCOVER THIS YEAR (new or old)?

H.A.W.K.

06. WHO ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN 2021?

Nobody in particular.

07. WHAT ALBUM DID PEOPLE OVERLOOK?

The L.O.X. - Living Off Xperience

08. WHAT NEW GENRE DID YOU EXPLORE THIS YEAR?

Not a new genre as I grew up on it via New York radio, but I went down a serious Italo Disco rabbit hole.

09. WHAT'S THE 1ST LIVE SHOW YOU WANT TO GO TO ONCE THIS IS ALL OVER?

Taylor Swift & WWE WrestleMania, both at SoFi Stadium here in LA. Was planning on going to both events at the new stadium to see Taylor for the first time and take in my first WrestleMania, but... *gestures at the state of the world*

10. WHAT RELEASE DISAPPOINTED YOU?

A Written Testimony, but he made up for it with Act II. The worst album I heard all year was either T.R.U. University, 2 Chainz's compilation album, or the most recent Justin Bieber album, but I had no expectations for those going in.

Esteemed author of the celebrated, double-platinum post: "Drake - Wu-Tang Forever".

Her performance during one of Io Shirai's entrance locked me in.

phemom's the name, all-star writer/
searching 4 journalistic fame, mindframe igniter....www.twitter.com/hayabusaage

Esteemed author of the celebrated, double-platinum post: "Drake - Wu-Tang Forever".

01. FAVORITE 2020 ALBUMS
Fiona Apple, Fetch the Bolt Cutters
Khruangbin, Mordechai
King Krule, Man Alive!
Kassa Overall, I Think I'm Good
Little Brother, New Me, Same Us
Dornik, Limboland
Ego Ella May, Honey for Wounds
Nick Hakim, Will This Make Me Feel Good?
Ro James, MANTIC
Brandy, B7
Tom Misch, What Kinda Music
I, Ced, Interpretations
Jessie Ware, What's Your Pleasure
Roy Ayers, Jazz is Dead
Freddie Gibbs/Alchemist, Alfredo
KeiyaA, Foreva, Ya Girl
Moses Sumney, grae
Thundercat, It is What It Is
Cleo Sol, Rose in the Dark
Chicano Batman, Invisible People
James Tillman, Modern Desires

02. SONGS YOU RAN INTO THE GROUND
Kaytranada, Culture
Khruangbin, First Class
Ego Ella May, Girls Don't Always Sing about Boys

03. WHAT ALBUM SURPRISED YOU?
Jessie Ware, What's Your Pleasure ...after being bored after the two follow-ups to her personal classic of a debut, I didn't expect this to wind up being her best work.

04. WHAT ARTIST WERE YOU LOOKING FOR, BUT DIDN'T SHOW UP?
Disclosure comes to mind.

05. WHAT ARTIST DID YOU DISCOVER THIS YEAR (new or old)?
KeiYaA, Chuckii Booker (already knew him via his older hits but never his full discography)

06. WHO ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN 2021?
Anything good. Generic answer, I know, but as long as its good, I'm looking for it.

07. WHAT ALBUM DID PEOPLE OVERLOOK?
Maybe James Tillman's Modern Desires since it was released so quietly.

08. WHAT NEW GENRE DID YOU EXPLORE THIS YEAR?
New Jack Swing beyond the renowned classics.

09. WHAT'S THE 1ST LIVE SHOW YOU WANT TO GO TO ONCE THIS IS ALL OVER?
Hmm...maybe KeiyAa or scratching Toro y Moi or Blood Orange off my wishlist.

10. WHAT RELEASE DISAPPOINTED YOU?
Disclosure's Energy was pretty slight and uneventful.

for these last few days of the year, checking out some of the stuff i've slept on/didn't know existed/haven't gotten to yet. so far this morning i've hit zara mcfarlane's "Songs of an Unknown Tongue" (which has me thinking about Meshell's Comet Come to Me, so that's on the playlist now...) and am listening to Flaming Tunes s/t record right now (kind of perfect for mid-day Sunday rambling about).

thanks to everyone for all the recs, I need to come back and answer some of the other questions on this post and put up my picks for jazz-ish/instrumental-ish favorites of the year

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

I don't care about my list, I wanted to see what other people rated high this year so that I could catch up on what I missed.

https://digife.com

01. FAVORITE 2020 ALBUMS

RJD2 "The Fun Ones"
Mary Lattimore "Silver Ladders"
Action Bronson "Only for Dolphins"
Fiona Apple "Fetch the Bolt Cutters"
Sault "Untitled (Rise)"
Roc Marciano "Mt Marci"
Run the Jewels "RTJ4"
Nubya Garcia "Source"
Aesop Rock "Spirit World Field Guide"
Khruangbin "Mordechai"

02. SONGS YOU RAN INTO THE GROUND

Elzhi "Light One Right One"
Action Bronson "Latin Grammy's"-mainly the video...funny ish...
RJD2 "Itch Ditch Mission"
Epmd "Chill"
Sault "I just want to Dance"
Aesop Rock "Pizza Alley"
Roc Marci "Mt. Marci"
Busta Rhymes/Q-Tip "Don't Go"


03. WHAT ALBUM SURPRISED YOU?

Sault-the fact they sound so fresh, over and over...

04. WHAT ARTIST WERE YOU LOOKING FOR, BUT DIDN'T SHOW UP?

Q-Tip
Monch

05. WHAT ARTIST DID YOU DISCOVER THIS YEAR (new or old)?

Black Pumas
Nubya Garcia
The Spy from Cairo
Brian Bennet

06. WHO ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN 2021?

The Roots
Q-Tip
Monch
Breeze Brewin-will never give up on him...lol

07. WHAT ALBUM DID PEOPLE OVERLOOK?

Mary Lattimore "Silver Ladders" -Beautiful stuff

08. WHAT NEW GENRE DID YOU EXPLORE THIS YEAR?

Trap-and it still sucks...

09. WHAT'S THE 1ST LIVE SHOW YOU WANT TO GO TO ONCE THIS IS ALL OVER?

Eddie Rabbit

10. WHAT RELEASE DISAPPOINTED YOU?

Jay Electronica...weak to have Jay all over it, and even with him, not really that good...

Homeboy Sandman...maybe his weakest LP, beats mainly suck, don't fit his flow...sounds amateur...

Busta Rhymes...album has A LOT of dope points, but how he let corn ball Chris Rock scream all over it just ruins it for me...why?

Integrity is the Cornerstone of Artistry...

i think this is good for how i feel about 2020 projects when they were released. maybe in a year or three or five i will change my mind on them. going to put an asterisk next to ones that i would consider an ep but just listing them all together since the lines are pretty blurred. the rating is out of 10 and im kind of generous. its an avg of the scores i gave the songs on each project. projects over 9.5 i love, between 9.5 and 9.3 is a mixed bag and below 9.3 i think are great but have too many songs bringing it down or dont overall hit me as much as the others.

*Lupe Fiasco & Kaelin Ellis - House EP 10.00
eLZhi - Seven Times Down Eight Times Up 9.94
KOTA the Friend - Everything 9.93
*Skyzoo - Milestones 9.91
*Skyzoo & Dumbo Station - The Bluest Note 9.83
Black Thought - Streams of Thought, Vol. 3: Cane and Abel 9.80
Mac Miller - Circles 9.78
*Terrance Martin, Rober Glasper, 9th Wonder, Kamasi Washington - Dinner Party: Dessert 9.71
One Be Lo - Baby (Being a Black Youth) 9.71
*Raw Poetic & Damu the Fudgemunk - Moment of Change 9.67
*Joey Bada$$ - The Light Pack EP 9.67
Nas - King's Disease 9.54
Blu & Exile - Miles 9.53
Royce Da 5'9" - The Allegory 9.53
Benny the Butcher - Burden of Proof 9.51
*Kali Uchis - To Feel Alive EP 9.50
*Victoria Monet - Jaguar 9.48
Che Noir & Apollo Brown - As God Intended 9.48
*Oddisee - Odd Cure (EP) 9.44
The Leonard Simpson Duo - LSD 9.43
Run The Jewels - RTJ4 9.42
Felt - Felt 4 U 9.39
Theophilus London - Bebey 9.39
Statik Selektah - The Balancing Act 9.37
Westside Gunn - Pray for Paris 9.36
*KOTA the Friend - Lyrics to Go, Vol. 1 9.35
*One Be Lo - C Section 9.33
*Curren$y & Harry Fraud - The OutRunners 9.33
Kali Uchis - Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios) 9.31
Lianne La Havas - Lianne La Havas 9.30
Westside Gunn - Who Made the Sunshine 9.27
dvsn - A Muse in Her Feelings 9.23
Norah Jones - Pick Me Up Off the Floor 9.18
Sa-Roc - The Sharecropper's Daughter 9.18
Amine - Limbo 9.15
Freddie Gibbs & Alchemist - Alfredo 9.15
Jay Electronica - A Written Testimony 9.13
Your Old Droog - Dump YOD (Krutoy Edition) 9.12
*Raw Poetic, Archie Shepp & Damu the Fudgemunk - Ocean Bridges 9.12
The Weeknd - After Hours 9.10
Tame Impala - The Slow Rush 9.06
*Terrance Martin, Rober Glasper, 9th Wonder, Kamasi Washington - Dinner Party 9.05
*Blxst - No Love Lost 9.04
Busta Rhymes - Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God 9.02

(okay only half-joking hahaha)

Music is subjective so I'll never be bothered when I see someone rating a project higher or lower than I do, but you have like 50 projects listed there that you'd give 9/10 or better. I'm lucky if I find more than a couple a year I'm giving a 9+.

I see your ratings and I'm like god damn how does this dude LOVE this much music, but then you describe 9.3 - 9.5 as a "mixed bag" and anything below a 9.3 as great but not hitting you as much as others. A 9.3 is a personal classic to me!!!

But I gotta thank you for including your explanations for your ratings because now I at least know how to scale them. So if I see you give anything lower than an 8 I know you hated it.

I think you just gotta convert his ratings.
His 9.3 is really like a 5 or 6 out of 10.

https://digife.com

id roughly say my 9s are probably most peoples 8s but it might be lower.

i think im rating kind of like grades. i really use a 5/5 system (doubled it in this post to make it into a 10/10 to show more of the separation) so if you convert that to grades i think it makes more sense.

5 - A+/100%
4.5 - A/90%
4 - B
3 - C
2 - D
1 - F

if i dont hate something its getting a 3. if something really irritates my then i might give it a 2. not sure when i give a 1. so if you think in terms of school, if you get a C youre kind of bummed, especially if you tried. its serviceable though. anything lower is pretty bad. a B? thats pretty good but youre not getting any gold stars lol. As are the ones you really need to focus on and thats where separation between them is more important.

maybe i should just switch to using letter grades lol

the other side is i dont think pure numerical ratings really reflect how good a whole project is. if we take Kota as an example, i think basically every song on Everything was great so that explains the high rating. yet i love FOTO much more and looking back at my score for it i rated it slightly lower. if i forgot about the average ratings id say FOTO is deserving of 4.5 mics while Everything was more of a 4.

kind of the same thing with Miles this year, that is probably a top 5 album/project for me in the year. meaning it hit me the most and will stay with me. since it has so many songs some of the lower points brought down its rating yet it doesnt impact how much i love the album.

so for now the ratings help me keep track of which albums i want keep coming back to and which tracks will stay in rotation. so before posting this list i went back and listened to all the albums i had rated higher than 4.5 out of 5. adjusted song ratings as needed. i found i really liked all of them except for maybe the last 5 to 10 of them which were more hit or miss.

Strictly hip-hop this year. I didn't really listen to much new non hip-hop shit, aside from the Du-Rites (which was really dope). There are some gaps for stuff I either haven't listened to yet (Busta Rhymes, One Be Lo, KRS-One, Saigon, Paris) or didn't listen to enough (D-Smoke, Killah Priest, annd MC Eiht, among others) So let's do it.


Top 20 Hip-Hop EPs of the year:

1. Conway & The Alchemist – LuLu
2. Boldy James – The Versace Tape
3. Mach Hommy – Mach’s Hard Lemonade
4. Tanya Morgan – Be Right Back
5. GQ & 9th Wonder – A Midsummer’s Nightmare
6. Griff/Scorcese – Midnight Express
7. Ray West & Zilla Rocca – Rowhouse Whispers
8. Curren$y & Harry Fraud – Director’s Cut
9. DJ Chong Wizard – The Mind Stone
10. Craig G – Fragile Ego
11. Lyric Jones – Closer Than They Appear
12. J-Live – Drawn Up
13. Him Lo – King Kong On Cocaine
14. Milano Constantine – Winston Wolf
15. Jamal Gasol – Ghost of Fritz
16. Chris Crack – Washed Rappers Ain’t Legends
17. Eto – Eto Brigante
18. Jamal Gasol & DitryDiggs – 100 Blunts In Venice
19. Ankhlejohn – Drill Scott
20. Curren$y & Harry Fraud – Bonus Footage

Top 10 "In-Between" projects of the year (too long to be EPs; too short to be albums):

1. Curren$y & Harry Fraud – Outrunners
2. Zilla Rocca & DJ Chong Wizard – Midnight Sons
3. Flee Lord - In The Name Of Prodigy
4. Willie Da Kid – Capital Gains
5. Crimeapple – If I Don’t See You in Paradise
6. Chris Crack – Good Cops Don’t Exist
7. Boldy James & Sterling Toles – Manger on McNichols
8. Armani Caesar – The Liz
9. Atmosphere – The Day Before Halloween
10. A-Plus & The Architect – Free Dope


Top 20 hip-hop albums:

1. Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist – Alfredo
2. Run the Jewels – RTJ4
3. Black Thought – Streams of Thought, Vol. 3
4. Your Old Droog – Dump YOD: Krutoy
5. Stove God Cook$ & Roc Marciano – Reasonable Drought
6. Blu & Exile – Miles: From An Interlude Called Life
7. Mr. Lif & Stu Bangas – Vangarde
8. (tie) Conway – From King To a God/Westside Gunn – Pray 4 Paris
9. Aesop Rock – Spirit World Field Guide
10. Benny the Butcher – Burden of Proof
11. Leonard Simpson Duo – LSD
12. Koreatown Oddity – Lil’ Dominique’s Nosebleed
13. Marlowe – Marlowe 2
14. Sa Roc – Sharecropper’s Daughter
15. Boldy James & The Alchemist – Price of Tea in China
16. Armand Hammer - Shrines
17. Homeboy Sandman – Don’t Feed the Monster
18. Jorun Bombay & Phill Most Chill – Jorun PMC
19. Jay Electronica – A Written Testimony
20. Elzhi – 7 Times Up, 8 Times Down


And finally, #21-50, in rough, but not concrete order:

Cargo Cults – Nihillist Millenial
Apollo Brown & Che Noir – As God Intended
Ka – Descendants of Cain
Westside Gunn – Who Made the Sunshine
RA the Rugged Man – All My Heroes Are Dead
Iron Wigs – Your Birthday Is Cancelled
The Professionals
CJ Flyy – Rudebwoy
Illogic – Autopilot
Action Bronson – Only For Dolphins
Quelle Chris & Chris Keys – Innocent Country 2
Nas – King’s Disease
Ill Scholars
Roc Marci – Mt. Marci
Moor Mother & billy woods – BRASS
Jamo Gang – Walking With Lions
Shrapknel
Enemy Radio – Loud Is Not Enough
Rasheed Chappell & Buckwild – Sinners and Saints
Boldy James – Real Bad Boldy
Doppelgangaz – Dumpster Dive
Casual – Big Head Science
MURS & Dee-1 – He’s the Christian, I’m the Rapper
4-IZE – Look Into My Eyes
Dueling Experts
Statik Selektah – The Balancing Act
Preservation – Eastern Medicine
Clever1 – Perverted & Drunken wit Lord Beatjitzu
Him Lo – Smackyagoddamnfaceoff
Felt – Felt 4 U
Royce Da 5’9” – The Allegory

-----------------

www.albumism.com

Checkin' Our Style, Return To Zero:

https://www.mixcloud.com/returntozero/

had no clue atmosphere and j-live dropped something last year. now im going to have to check those out lol. theres a few others too but those two i really want to check out.

The Professionals ‎– The Professionals
Ultraísta - Sister
Men With Secrets - Psycho Romance & Other Spooky Ballads
Katie Gately - Loom
HAAi - Systems Up Windows Down
Tame Impala - The Slow Rush
Destroyer - Have We Met
knxwledge ‎– 1988
Caribou - Suddenly
Metal Preyers - Metal Preyers
Cold Beat - Mother

Yves Tumor ‎– Heaven To A Tortured Mind
Thundercat ‎– It Is What It Is
Dijit - Hyperattention: Selected Dijital Works Vol. 1
Four Tet - Sixteen Oceans
Daniel Avery + Alessandro Cortini - Illusion Of Time
Moses Sumney - græ
Freddie Gibbs & Alchemist - Alfredo
Sonic Boom ‎– All Things Being Equal
Quelle Chris & Chris Keys - Innocent Country: Season 2 (2Dirt4TV)
Regis - Hidden In This Is The Light That You Miss
Deerhoof - Future Teenage Cave Artists
Run The Jewels - RTJ4
Armand Hammer - Shrines
Shabaka And The Ancestors - We Are Sent Here By History
I Break Horses - Warnings
Alva Noto ‎– Xerrox, Vol. 4
Stove God Cooks - Reasonable Drought
The Koreatown Oddity ‎– Little Dominiques Nosebleed

Blu & Exile - Miles
Fiona Apple - Fetch The Bolt Cutters
Lianne La Havas - Lianne La Havas
Nicolas Bougaïeff - The Upward Spiral
Protomartyr - Ultimate Success Today
Jessie Ware - What's Your Pleasure?
Carlota - The Bow
Nubya Garcia - Source
Kelly Lee Owens - Inner Song
Vatican Shadow - Persian Pillars Of The Gasoline Era
HAAi - Put Your Head Above The Parakeets
Elzhi - Seven Times Down Eight Times Up

Khotin - Finds You Well
Theo Parrish - Wuddaji
Buttechno - PSY X
Actress - Karma & Desire
Mr. Bungle - The Raging Wrath Of The Easter Bunny Demo
Mathimidori - Akebono
Sockethead - Harj-o-Marj
Nas - King's Disease
The Bug Feat. Dis Fig - In Blue
Pink Siifu & Fly Anakin - FlySiifu's Records & Tapes
Meitei - Kofū

******************************************
Falcons, Braves, Bulldogs and Hawks

Geto Boys, Poison Clan, UGK, Eightball & MJG, OutKast, Goodie Mob