2013 has been chock-full of great hip-hop and the latter half looks just as bright, with albums from Jay-Z, Pusha T, ScHoolboy Q, Drake and Eminem slated. For now, the June 18th album explosion is getting most of the attention, but with there have been a ton of below-the-radar releases just as deserving of the spotlight. While these projects didn’t garner as much fanfare as the big name drops, they caught our ear. Now maybe they’ll catch yours.

Sadistik – Flowers for my Father (February 19, 2013)

One of the bright spots in Seattle’s gloomy skies, Sadistik has a knack for extremely intricate rhyme patterns that sometimes mask the dark introspection his lyrics contain. Flowers was crafted following the death of the rapper’s father and is essentially an update on the events in his life that his hero has missed thus far. Given the events that lead to making album, the music is heavy and unrelenting but it also stands out as one of the strongest efforts of the year.

Nacho Picasso & Avatar Darko – Vampsterdam (June 10, 2013)

Staying in Seattle for a moment, this EP finds two relatively new friends exploring the levels of degradation they can include in their music while still making the listening experience fun. Nacho and Avatar are backed with grandiose production from AraabMuzik, Blue Sky Black Death and Raised Byy Wolves. Vampsterdam was concocted through many early-morning drug-fueled studio sessions and the result is both offensive and enjoyable.

Sahtyre – LSD (Prelude) (April 3, 2013)

Sahtyre has been making his name known around the blogosphere for a while, and in April he caught the attention of many with his 11-track project, LSD (Prelude). The work is experimental, with ear-grabbing samples. At the end of LSD, the listener finds a man trying to balance an extremist personality that ranges from addiction to depression to narcissism.

M.i. & Tyler Keyes – Pushing Keyes (May 16, 2013)

M.i and Tyler Keyes showcased their rapper/producer chemistry on this release. While the album was bolstered by a few guest appearances from Chamillionaire, Blu, OnCue and a few others, the main attraction was M.i delivering a confident, well-polished performance.

MaG – freedom (January 15, 2013)

MaG took three years to craft his follow-up to I Ain’t Going Back to Retail! and it was well worth the wait. While the Bronx rhymer can certainly spit, it’s the clear passion and earnestness that makes freedom stand out. MaG is a poet who loves hip-hop and that translates in the songs. While some may find the album a little too dense for their listening pleasure, it certainly has its place in the headphones of a listener who enjoys taking a journey with a rapper.

Gabriel Stark – Cocaine Gold (April 2, 2013)

Cocaine Gold was a labor of love for Gabriel Stark and it’s an intricate as it is dope. The album plays out like a movie, with interludes and characters that play pivotal roles in the story being told. With production from Clams Casino, Austin Millz and others, the music is great to vibe to as well, but as with any movie, it’s better if you follow along.

Ibn Inglor – GawdsSpeed (February 8, 2013)

GawdsSpeed was recorded entirely in Ibn Inglor’s bedroom and, judging by the sound of the music, that’s probably a scary place. The Illinois rapper created an extremely dark and paranoid project. While the music certainly sounds like it was pulled from the depths of hell, it is not a buzz-kill experience. The production is hard-hitting and allows Inglor to let his mind race while keeping up the listener’s energy.

Brotha Lynch Hung – Mannibalector (February 5, 2013)

Brotha Lynch is not for everybody. Listeners either find him to be an evil genius or a misogynistic horrorcore dweller and he certainly doesn’t do anything to change those opinions here. Mannibalector does not tiptoe on the dark side, it resides there with great pleasure. For those who enjoy their hip-hop soaked in blood and terror, this album meets all requirements while still putting an emphasis on the art of rap with appearances from Tech N9ne, Yelawolf, Hopsin and more.

Nino Bless – R.O.A.M. 2 (Janaury 23, 2013)

Nino Bless has had an interesting career. He was that close to being in the Shady Records supergroup Slaughterhouse, but the other four members did not feel as though he had paid his dues at that point. After being featured on their initial record in 2008, Nino did several disappearing and re-emerging acts, but made a statement with his mixtape at the top of 2013. ROAM 2 details some of the rapper’s hardships that may have kept him away from music for a bit, including a dwindling bank account, a break-up and a miscarriage. However, the tape also features some clever wittiness that Nino can bring, including a track that does not feature 2 Chainz.

Nickelus F – Vices (Janaury 21, 2013)

Sweet Petey followed up his 2011 album Faces with an album that found him focused, having produced the entire album, save for the Jake One beat on his previously unreleased Drake-assisted record “Number 15.” For the most part, the album finds the rapper dealing with the vices of the world, while maintaining his sense of humor that is sprinkled in throughout the run.

ANTHM – Handful Of Dust   (March 4, 2013)

Though ANTHM’s collaborator, GodleeBarnes a.k.a. Blu is of a higher profile, few have heard of the man who handles the rapping (and occasional singing) on this brief but beautiful LP. ANTHM pays tribute to the women in his life, tackles racial tension, and his journey through the music industry, all from fresh angles and with extraordinarily tight rhyme schemes. GodleeBarnes’ beats are soulful, energetic, and are always in perfect marriage to ANTHM‘s tone and subject. Also, the cover landed on our list of the best of the year.

Gee Watts – Watts Up (March 7, 2013)

Kansas’ Gee Watts put out one of the most lyrical, versatile mixtapes of the year. Watts raps about everything from God, to your ex girlfriend, to paranoia, to radio sellouts, and he does it all with a serious knack for punchlines and flow. He has a talent for beat and guest selection: his only high-profile guest? Kendrick Lamar, who Watts more than holds his own with on “Watts R.I.O.T.”

eGo – Vicodin: The Prescription (May 7, 2013)

eGo‘s brief, dark mixtape brings plenty to explore. With a nasally, strangely on point flow reminiscent of homie Chance The Rapper‘s, eGo talks a lot of shit but also dives into personal, panicked subjects. The production is at times big and electrifying, and at others, smaller and more intimate. Stay on the lookout for the tape this is the prelude for Vicodin: The Overdose.

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Producer / singer Anthony Cruz aka XLSREBELSLX dropped his Desire EP today, and (somewhat) lost West Coast underground champ Blu is featured on a prominent track. Besides theGodleeBarnes, the record could be a very tripped-out Black Keys production (a collab we certainly wouldn’t mind); it features an infectious stomp-clap rhythm and solid blues guitar, not to mention an infectious drugged out wail and the requisite sample of a children’s chorus. Blu’s verse might be the highlight though–he’s slurring, sinning, preaching. “No one would walk through the fire but John,” he spits in dramatic fashion, mythologizing his rise. Enjoy below, and cop the Desire EP here.

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The year isn’t even half-way done, but we’ve already seen some very memorable artwork for singles, albums, and mix-tapes. Below is a compilation of ten of our favorites.  While music is their primary medium, these artists clearly understand that strong acoustics are only strengthened by strong visuals.  We doubt that any of these artists would willingly say, “Yeezy taught me,” but in terms of the quality of these covers, Kanye‘s go-to artist  George Condo definitely comes to mind.

 10. The cover art for Harry Fraud‘s Adrift is a beautiful picture of a pier that evokes alienation by contrasting the grey sky with the ocean and emphasizing the distance between the pier and the beach.

9. Thelonious Martin’s From Me to You –artwork has many layers to it. In addition to its dark background, if you look closer you can see some writing that resembles newsprint. Somehow, probably with a meticulous attention to detail, the artist was able to give the viewer the sense that light is coming out of the piece itself.

8.  Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge  know how to go old school with 12 Reasons to Die. This cover is straight out of the blaxploitation thriller playbook.

7. “Creepy” doesn’t even begin to describe Azealia Banks‘ artwork for “Yung Rapunzel “. The cover is brutally nightmarish and the track is just as dark. Notice the similarity between the cover and Rene Magritte’s painting, “The Rape.”

6. Quasimoto – Yessir Whatever – The concept for this art work is innovative and intriguing. Using a sticker that creates an illusion of movement, the art has multiple layers, just like a Madlib beat.

5. Tyler, The creator  artwork for Wolf  shows us a fun portrait of Tyler as a child. This work is admirable due to it’s high attention to details. If you look at the tree you’ll notice a subtle eye; in the bottom right you can see a random doll head on top of a little trunk; and at the bottom left what looks like a chipmunk dressed in a traditional Irish outfit. This art work is fun and a little ridiculous, much like the artist himself.

4. Big K.R.I.T‘s cover for  King Remembered in Time is reminiscent of an ancient Greek vase. The gold color in contrast with the dark-purple galactic background works very well.

3. The art work for ANTHM‘s latest project,  produced by Blu as GODleeBarnes, features a very harmonious fusion of writing and image.

2. Chance The Rapper embraces his weird side , using a combination of psychedelic and galactic imagery to evoke his uniqueness. The intriguing thing is that this uniqueness is contrasted by the trees and the home at the bottom. It’s the perfect combination of being down-to-Earth and out of this world.

1. Finally, the victory goes to Mobb Deep’s Prodigy and The Alchemist artwork for their joint LP, Albert Einstein. This art cover is a piece of art that can stand on its own without the music.The artist’s ability to re-create the well-known portrait of Einstein with originality  and adaptability to contemporary times is beyond admirable.

Let us know who you like best!

The post Best Album and Single Artwork of 2013 (So Far) appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Manhattan’s own ANTHM lets loose some harsh thoughts over the instrumental twang of Eminem’s “Role Model.” The reference-heavy track finds ANTHM snarling the names of upper-echelon acts like Lil Wayne, The Throne, and Rick Ross as well as industry heads Paul Rosenberg and Rap Radar’s Eliot Wilson. In keeping with a growing theme, amidst a sea of apparent shots, ANTHM tosses some high praise Kendrick Lamar’s way. Other than that, it’s all-out assault, riffing on the assertion that ANTHM is “not a Freshman, nigga check my grades in this class. / Battle me? Better off facing Jason Mraz.” If you didn’t know, ANTHM and Los Angeles’ Blu a.k.a. GodLeeBarnes just released a far chiller tape, Handful of Dust, which deserves a spin and a purchase after you listen to ANTHM get grimy below.

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