Top 20 Albums of 2013
The best from a year of blockbusters, surprises and more.
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Top 20 Albums of 2013
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Jay Z, Magna Carta Holy Grail - Remember the way Jay made it cool to rock a button-down? This year he took corporate hustlin' to whole new level, partnering with Samsung to commission his Magna Carta Holy Grail (Picasso, baby). He took the venture with Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Rick Ross, Frank Ocean and some of 2013's top producers. Then, he took fans on an adventure to pick it up — literally — starting with a widely watched NBA finals gametime announcement, a scavenger hunt around Brooklyn for the trackisting and ending with #newrules written for digital sales. It was magnificent.(Photo: RocNation)
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Drake, Nothing Was the Same - Drake ain't never lied when he said nothing was the same. He had fans crying from laughter with all the gems he gave us with his junior album (check the memes). But, really, the whole time he was laughing with us — it was one of the fastest-selling rap albums of the year, '80s dance-pop single and all.(Photo: Young Money Records)
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Wale, The Gifted - Wale put his heart and soul in this one, and it earned him his first debut at No. 1. He repped for his area with a bounce beat and production from longtime collaborator Tone P and he added diversity to his sound with co-signs from Cee-Lo, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Juicy J, Wiz Khalifa, Sam Dew, Tiara Thomas and Jerry Seinfeld. Fans and critics agreed, it's his most focused studio album so far.(Photo: Courtesy of Maybach Music Group)
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Kanye West, Yeezus - Kanye West has been throwing a very public tantrum all year, and it's the best thing that's happened for his career. He's no longer hiding behind his master ability to create timeless hip hop tracks, instead, he went against all traditional corporate processes with Yeezus — no cover art, radio singles or polite interviews with the media — and exposed that this "frustration" is something only the brave can understand ... and he did it with only 10 tracks.(Photo: Roc-a-Fella Records, GOOD Music, Def Jam, Roc Nation)
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J. Cole, Born Sinner - J. Cole went head-to-head with Yeezus this year and eventually took the No. 1 spot. His power singles, "Power Trip" featuring Miguel and "Crooked Smile" featuring TLC, helped him crossover into more of that spotlight while his "Forbidden Fruit" featuring Kendrick Lamar and "She Knows" kept him balanced with his core fans.(Photo: Roc Nation)
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Janelle Monae, The Electric Lady - Janelle Monae returned with her black tux uniform and edgy funk to finally get her props from the mainstream. With the release of The Electric Lady, she set critics pens wagging with her ode to strong women, "Q.U.E.E.N." featuring Erykah Badu. Prince even joined the LP to pump up the Archandroid with the cut "Give 'Em What They Love." (Photo: Atlantic Records)
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Justin Timberlake, The 20/20 Experience: Part 1 of 2 - Justin Timberlake was one of the kingpins this year with a double hitter-quitter, The 20/20 Experience Parts 1 and 2. While Part 2 was not a disappointment, Part 1 definitely set the tone of the whole year, really, starting off with the breakout single "Suit & Tie" featuring Jay Z. (Photo: Courtesy of RCA Records)
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Kelly Rowland, Talk a Good Game - Kelly Rowland showed a more vulnerable side this year with Talk a Good Game, her fourth solo studio LP, which includes the confessional single "Dirty Laundry" and revealing tracks — for mature ears only — like "Freak" and "Kisses Down Low." (Photo: Republic Records)
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Eminem, The Marshall Mathers LP 2 - Eminem brought back Marshall Mathers with a hip-rock track called "Berzerk," produced by one of the production gods, Rick Rubin. By the time his single "Rap God" hit, with its unabashed language and unadulterated flow, the fate was sealed.(Photo: Interscope)
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A$AP Rocky, Long.Live.ASAP - ASAP Rocky made a statement for Harlem with his major label debut Long.Love.ASAP. He reinvigorated New York rap with laid-back warning "Goldie," the wanna-be-starting-something "F----n' Problems" and the slaying "Fashion Killa."(Photo: Interscope)
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John Legend, Love in the Future - John Legend commemorated the year of his wedding with a soulful honeymoon collection, including his singles "Who Do We Think We Are," which came with a Rozay feature, and "All of Me," which came with video footage of his union ceremony with model Chrissy Teigen. (Photo: Columbia, GOOD Music)
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Earl Sweashirt, Doris - Earl Sweatshirt emerged from education exile in Samoa to finally put out his debut LP, Doris, a continuum of mid '90s backpack rap. While Earl pushed the labyrinthine flows of Odd Future cohorts with cuts like "Whoa" (featuring Tyler, the Creator) and "Centurion" (featuring Vince Staples), he hit a personal note with the cut "Chum."(Photo: Sony Music)
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Tech N9ne, Something Else - Tech N9ne proved that staying in an indie lane can be more than viable. He debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard charts — his highest debut ever — with his thirteenth studio album, Something Else, and brought along a slew of features, including Kendrick Lamar, Big K.R.I.T., B.o.B, The Doors, T-Pain, Trae the Truth and Cee-Lo Green.(Photo: Strange Music/RBC Records)
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Pusha T, My Name Is My Name - It's been a long time coming (and one mixtape later), But Pusha T finally made his official debut as a solo rhyme star. Although he stays true to the coke-slanging theme he and his Clipse partner Malice started with, Pusha makes room for R&B-ish bangers for the masses, recruiting the likes of The Dream, Kelly Rowland and Chris Brown. (Photo: GOOD Music)
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Tamar Braxton, Love and War - Tamar Braxton is this year's prime example that great things come to those who wait (and get a hit reailty TV series with their sisters). The perfectly crafted and subtly personal LP has already snagged three Grammy nods, including a nom for Best R&B single for the title track. (Photo: Epic)
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Mack Wilds, New York: A Love Story - TV star Tristan Wilds cashed in his small tube cred for a sturdy transition into R&B. Debuting his crooning alter-ego Mack Wilds, the former TV assassin from The Wire gave fans a note-worthy offering of '90s-ish rhythm and blues, replete with veteran hip hop accompaniment, including Method Man, Raekwon and Doug E. Fresh (Photo: Sony Music Entertainment)
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Salaam Remi, One: In the Chamber - The producer, who's catalogue includes tracks for Nas, Amy Winehouse, Fergie, Mack Wilds and Miguel, launched a new label this year, Louder Than Life, and stepped out from the boards to put out his own LP, One: in the Chamber. The set features R&B voices like Estelle, Ne-Yo, Jordin Sparks and Akon (on the title track) and picked up a nod for Best Urban Contemporary album. (Photo: Louder Than Life/Sony Music)
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Childish Gambino, Because the Internet - In hip hop, the web is the new promotional "park jam" space and Childish Gambino acknowledges that fact with the title of his second album. Atmospheric and cerebral, Because the Internet, along with rockin' the TV star's digitally-sped style, features other MCs who've been made by the machine, like Chance the Rapper and Azealia Banks. (Photo: Glassnote Records, Universal)
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Robin Thicke, Blurred Lines - "Blurred Lines" caused a ruckus both on and off the dance floor, but the title track for Robin Thicke's sixth — and fastest selling — studio album was most certainly the anchor that catapulted Thicke's career beyond the stratosphere this year.