Top 10 Mixtapes of 2010

As promised, I've gone into the cave and came out with my top 10 mixtapes of last year. For those of you that saw my list about the top albums I still think this was one of the best years in music since any given year in the mid 90's. Needless to say this was an extremely difficult task. I took a lot of things into account while making this list. I figured in lyricism, how well the tape was constructed, impact the tape had on that artists career, and even in some cases opinions of my friends. (Shocking I know) So without further adieu..here's my list of top tapes in 2010 (No particular order)

Big Krit "K.R.I.T Wuz Here" I actually found out about this tape via Twitter. I had never heard of Krit, but some of my followers from the South were praising him as the next Pimp C so I had to take a listen. This tape definitely doesn't disappoint. I think the dopest thing about Krit is that he's a hybrid of some of the dopest MC's to come out the south. You can hear the Pimp C in his slang, the Scarface in his pain, and the energy of David Banner in his voice from time to time. This largely self-produced effort is definitely worth checkin out.

Top Joints:
Hometown Hero
Children of the World
Now or Neva (Bonus Track)

 Big Sean "Finally Famous Vol. 3" A lot of my friends have been tellin me about Big Sean for a while now. I went back, researched his catalog and to be honest I wasn't really impressed. He definitely showed promise lyrically but I was disappointed with his ability to compose songs, and make a cohesive mixtape product. And to a great point my boy @Mr_SZS constantly makes, he had issues choosing a flow and sticking to it. This tape sold me on Big Sean on his abilities to be a front runner in the next class of hip-hop artists taking over the game. The moment I heard "Supa Dupa Lemonade" I was amazed at his lyrical capability and couldn't help but notice how many of today's artists had bitten off his self-proclaimed "Supa Dupa Flow" that is now rampant in the industy. (If I hear another lyric like "It's going down...basement" or "Hang it up....flatscreen", I'm going to cut my ears off...Van Gogh) Anywho..I digress. This is a great tape, and as long as Big Sean never says "Is that yo girl, who her her?" ever again he'll definitely be one of my favorite MC's in the years to come.

Top Joints:
Supa Dupa Lemonade
Final Hour
Hgh Rise

 Fabolous "There Is No Competition 2" It took a lot to sell me on this tape. I initially (and still kind of think) the production on this tape is weak. Therefore, in true Geoff fashion I tuned out the lyricism when I first listened. Simply off the love of this tape by my boys @FullCupLover , @Be_Schroeder and @Nucky_Hamson i've listened to this tape at least 7 times trying to see what the big deal was. After further analysis, i'm going to have to give Fabolous the award of having the strongest lyrical mixtape of 2010. For that reason, and that reason alone, I feel that provides a good enough reason to put him on my list.

Top Joints:
Exhibit F
The Wake
Im Raw

J. Cole "Friday Night Lights" What else is there to say about J. Cole? Dude is a beast. Friday Night Lights opens up strongly with "Too Deep for the Intro" and "Before I'm Gone" which truly set the stage for an emotional & lyrically captivating autobiographical masterpiece. I'm going to go on record and say this is definitely my favorite J. Cole tape from his catalog. If it weren't for another artist dropping a classic tape this year, it would have been my Mixtape of the Year.

Top Joints:
Too Deep for the Intro
Before I'm Gone
Love Me Not

 Nipsey Hussle "The Marathon" I'm proud to announce that the WESTCOAST IS BACK! Hussle, Pac Div, Dom Kennedy, and a plethora of other artists are setting up the groundwork for an exciting new movement of music coming out the West. The amazing thing about Nipsey is that you can feel his pain when he spits. A lot of people compare him to Snoop because of his looks and his affiliation with the LA gang banger lifestyle but he actually reminds me a lot of Prodigy from Mobb Deep. This tape is a Westcoast version of "So Far Gone" that will stay in heavy rotation once you give it a listen.

Top Joints:
Keys 2 The City
Blue Laces
Dreamin'

 Smoke DZA "George Kush Da Button" After hearing DZA all over songs with Curren$y, Big K.R.I.T, and others I decided I would give him a listen. I noticed he wasn't the strongest lyrically, but I knew his affiliation with Ski Beatz would at least allow me some nice chill beats to vibe out too. This tape was surprisingly amazing. Although DZA's not a wordsmith, he's actually not that bad lyrically and pretty much every track on here is a banger.

Top Joints:
Good Talk
We On
It Ain't My Fault

Wale "More About Nothing" After the disappointing sales & reception to his debut album "Attention Deficit", Wale burst back onto the scene with the follow-up to his critically acclaimed "Mixtape about Nothing." Wale shows a lot of growth on this tape. He has always been dope as a lyricist but his flow is getting nastier and nastier with each track he puts his vocals on. I'm excited to see that Wale has signed with Ross's Maybach Music and hope that more tracks like "Pandemonium" are on the horizon.

Top Joints:
The Breeze (Cool)
The Breakup Song
The Trip (Downtown)

Young Jeezy "Trap or Die 2" I fully typed my list, removed Vado's "Slime Flu" and added this joint on last minute. After further review I just couldn't say no to this tape (no Kobe). This reminds us why we first started liking Jeezy. He runs through some of the hardest hitting beats on this tape effortlessly, and provides us with the trap memoirs that we've all grown to love. Unfortunately this tape didn't springboard the launch of his highly anticipated Thug Motivation 103, but let's see what 2011 has in store for "Mr. 17.5"

Top Joints:
Trap or Die Reloaded
I'LL'IN
Hood Politics

 Young Chris "The Network 2" This is my infamous sleeper pick for 2011. Young Chris has always been a beast, but was always slept on due to his affiliation with the Young Gunz. This Don Cannon hosted effort showcases the Philly MC weaving through soulful samples, hard hitting beats, and outpouring of emotion as he talks about the infamous breakup of Roc-A-Fella records. Memphis Bleek even surprisingly provides a decent verse on this tape (What!? o_O) Yea I can't believe I said that myself. Regardless, give this tape a listen and you won't be disappointed.

Top Joints:
Never Left
Im Sorry
The Moon and Stars

 And my Mixtape of the Year issssss.....

 Wiz Khalifa "Kush and Orange Juice" No surprise here. Anyone who knows me, knows i'm a Wiz fanatic. I think he has the potential to be the second coming of Snoop Dogg and could have an amazing career if he sticks to making songs that resonate with his cult-like "Taylor Gang" audience. I went back and forth about selecting this tape or Cole's "Friday Night Lights" for weeks. I even thought about giving a co-mixtape of the year, but decided I would man up and make a decision. I went back and decided this is my No. 1 tape for two main reasons.
1. This tape is the "So Far Gone" of 2011. Not by sound or content, but impact. The same way "So Far Gone" skyrocketed Drake's career to another level, this tape did the exact same for Wiz. (On the day it was released "Kush and Orange Juice" was the #1 searched term on Google, "Wiz Khalifa" was also the third most searched person on Google in 2010..enough said)
2. I can say in all honesty that I like EVERY song on this tape. Yes, every song. Even the Reggae inspired "Still Blazin" (I hate Reggae music with a passion for those that don't know)
I'm hoping that Wiz stays true to his sound so his Atlantic Records debut "Rolling Papers" can be everything I imagined it would be. Stay tuned..Taylor Gang or Die

Top Joints:
Up (The best song of 2010 in my opinon)
Never Been
In The Cut

Honorable Mentions:

Vado "Slime Flu" Outside of causing a myriad of people to refer to themselves to as an oozy green substance infamous in Ghostbuster and Ninja Turtle Movies, Vado has made quite a name for himself in the music industry this year. The second coming of Juelz Santana, slashes through each song on this 14 track effort with ease. This tape didn't make my list due to the fact that there's not any real "stand out" tracks on the tape, nonetheless Vado's got a hell of a future ahead of him "You go slime it's yo time"

Top Joints:
Council Music
Speaking in Tungs
Wake Up

Mickey Factz "I'm Better Than You" Another sleeper pick. Ever since I heard Mickey for the first time in 2008 I thought he was destined to be one of the next big MC's in the game. Unfortunately, he had MAJOR issues picking beats. A lot of his songs sounded like some Theophilus London electo-pop but not nearly as dope. On this tape I think Mickey FINALLY gets it. The beats are bangin and unique to his flow. Unfortunately his window is closing as Drake, Big Sean, Wiz Khalifa, and several others have stolen the spotlight that he once had a chance to claim as his own.

Top Joints:
I'm Better Than You
Trinity
Legend

Tyga & Chris Brown "Fan of a Fan" This was definitely one of my favorite tapes this year, and it pained me not to put it on my list. For those that are music heads like me, this was an official comeback for my man Chris Brown (his BET MJ performance was just the icing on the cake.) Breezy weaves between rapping, singing, slow jams, and tunes about how he likes his woman's genitals groomed without missing a beat. This tape also birthed the hilarious "No Bull***" and the smash hit "Deuces". As long as CB stays out of Lambos with beautiful women, he's gonna have the R&B game on lock for a very long time.

Top Joints:
No Bull****
What They Want
Ain't Thinkin Bout You

And there it is. The decisions made here were tough, and i'm aware they're not free of scrutiny. Hopefully you'll give everything on here a listen and judge from there. Until next time...keep bumpin that good music and stay tuned to the blog for music updates throughout the year.