It’s that time of year again during which we summarize the best music we heard over the last 12 months. Because Pursuit of Dopeness is composed of an eclectic mix of individuals, this is just one in a series of posts for 2016’s Dopest, so keep an eye out for the rest of the team’s lists in which they select their own picks for the best of 2016.
Now, onto my list… This time around it was much easier to figure out my picks as all I had to do was think back at the albums that resonated with me the most, and by unintended coincidence, these just so happened to be the limited albums that I actually downloaded to my phone so I can hear them whenever the moment struck me.
So now that you’re familiar with Alex’s 2016 favorites, hit the jump and find out my picks for the dopest sounds that filled my airwaves in 2016!
Anderson .Paak – Malibu
The biggest revelation of 2016 to me was Anderson .Paak, who helped kick off the year to a promising start for new music with this excellent album release in January. The Funk and Soul vibes on this project remind you of the genre’s heyday decades ago but because it’s presented with a very contemporary spin you get to jam and groove in a fresh way that offers an experience all your own. It’s got the big sound and dance appeal of the past greats, without having to glam out your outfit like it’s Studio 54. And it’s even better live, which I loved enough to make his set the best of Pitchfork Music Fest 2016.
Key tracks: “The Season/Carry Me,” “Put Me Thru,” “Am I Wrong,” “Parking Lot,” “The Dreamer”
A Tribe Called Quest – We got it from Here… Thank You 4 Your service
With We got it from Here… Thank You 4 Your service, ATCQ did more than just release their sixth and final album together. The classic Hip Hop group not only showed they’ve still got it even after an 18 year hiatus, but they also demonstrated exactly why they’re true legends of the genre. With the late Phife Dawg still very much present throughout the album, his excellent verses along with leader Q-Tip’s lyrical genius and the rest of the Tribe’s pristine rhymes made a potent record with just enough hints of nostalgia that true Hip Hop heads can appreciate as much as anything the group released throughout its career. The guest features, though sparse with appearances from the likes of artists including Busta Rhymes plus Andre 3000 and Anderson .Paak, were brilliant as well.
Key Tracks: “We The People,” “Solid Wall Of Sound,” “Kids…,” “Movin Backwards,” “The Donald”
Chance The Rapper – Coloring Book
Acid Rap was Chance The Rapper’s breakout project into the mainstream, and Coloring Book proved his ascendance to the elite class. His most ambitious mixtape/album yet was also groundbreaking for not only being offered as a completely free record on Apple Music, but he also made history by charting on the Billboard 200 with a streaming-only release. All that aside, this is a fantastic album that brings together his affinity for Gospel music with his lyrical prowess for a brand of warm, inviting, and inspiring Hip Hop. Chicago, violence, God, and “coming-of-age” are some of the main themes that are covered and infused into the sound of Coloring Book, helping this generation put life into perspective and appreciate its surroundings. Best of all, you can have a top 5 list one day and months later have a completely different list of favorites.
Key Tracks: “All We Got,” “Summer Friends,” “Blessings,” “Same Drugs,” “All Night”
Childish Gambino – Awaken, My Love!
Childish Gambino showed off his artistic versatility with his 2016 album (as if he needed any further proof of that), moving away from Hip Hop for a more Funk and Soul sound. Awaken, My Love! is spectacular with its vintage vibes and it shows off an incredible vocal range for Gambino, who released a record that proved to the world that Donald Glover is a true, modern Renaissance Man.
Key Tracks: “Me and Your Mama,” “Redbone,” “California,”
David Bowie – Blackstar
David Bowie’s farewell was an ode to experimentation and his latest example of how to successfully execute a sound transformation. The chameleonic icon enlisted co-producer Tony Visconti and a live band to deliver a dizzyingly daunting, dark, and majestic Jazz record released on his 69th birthday that secretly featured undertones of his impending death, which occurred just two days later. The album drenched in mystery took another connotation with Bowie’s passing, and that was his final artistic gift to the world that generations from here on out will be able to dive into and get lost.
Key Tracks: “Blackstar,” “Lazarus,” “I Can’t Give Everything Away”
Joey Purp – iiiDrops
Joey Purp took a major step towards stardom with this mixtape, and you best believe he’ll be the next act to break out of the Chicago scene. The production is big and alluring, and Joey’s rhymes are wavy, the perfect combo for a growing audience to get hooked on. Purp’s lyrics are Hip Hop: they’re equal parts drenched in bravado, political and woke, and they are personal and introspective. Oh, and “Girls @” is the hottest song of the year!
Key Tracks: “Morning Sex,” “Girls @,” “Cornerstone,” “Winners Circle,” “Escape”
Kanye West – The Life of Pablo
Kanye West’s 2016 effort was definitely an odd one; not only was its release delayed thanks constant tinkering, but Kanye kept working on it even after it hit the public. Yeezy recreated himself once more and took inspiration from Pablo Picasso (and other Pablos) to create this bizarre album that brings together sounds of all sorts as the Chicago rapper tackles celebrity, paternity, and stardom. Though he may still be competing against himself (and falling slightly short) on his quest to create something as iconic as MBDTF, the latest addition to his catalogue demonstrates Kanye doesn’t know how to make a bad album.
Key Track: “Ultralight Beam,” “Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1,” “Famous,” “I Love Kanye,” “Wolves”
Iggy Pop – Post Pop Depression
Punk legend Iggy Pop teamed up with Queens Of The Stone Age’s Josh Homme for a solo project that instantly proved to be one of his finest works in years. The desert trip that is this album saw the pair also recruit QOTSA’s Dean Fertita and Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders. The gravelly vocals positions Pop as a man of many battles and the modern sounds demonstrate this old devil has plenty left to reign. The music is dark and raw so it hits you right in the bones, which is just the right formula for Rock & Roll, but it’s also got plenty of swing too that will make you want to go shirtless and shake your hips to do your best Iggy impression.
Key Tracks: “Gardenia,” “American Valhalla,” “In The Lobby,” “Sunday,” “Chocolate Drops”
Rihanna – ANTI
I’m well aware that in the battle between the top Pop stars around, Beyoncé’s Lemonade took the spotlight in 2016 but I will gladly argue that Rihanna’s ANTI was the better album. Rihanna puts herself on full display on this album; the Barbadian is provocative, sensual, aggressive, confrontational, and vulnerable throughout the record and it’s that sort of openness and transparency to speaks to her audience. Above anything else she’s real, and anyone can relate to what this project presents: feeling like a badass that takes no shit one moment, and feeling wrecked the next. I will also happily argue that “Love On The Brain” and “Higher” are two of the best songs with which Rihanna has ever blessed us.
Key Tracks: “Work,” “Needed Me,” “Same Ol’ Mistakes,” “Love On The Brain,” “Higher”
The Growlers – City Club
The Growlers’ first release on Cult Records may not be featured on too many lists of this sort, but this sleeper pick definitely deserves being named on my list through the way it wrapped itself around my head and kept playing it over and over and, over again. The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas left his mark on the new sound adopted on City Club by the creators of Beach Goth, directing them more towards a dirty dance club on a questionable side of town.
Key Tracks: “I’ll Be Around,” “The Daisy Chain,” “Blood Of A Mutt,” “Speed Living”
Twin Peaks – Down In Heaven
The Twin Peaks boys grew up! Down In Heaven is not as raucous as their previous releases, but it’s just as fine a representation of the musical values of this band: bare-bones killer tunes that will Rock you. The addition of multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter Colin Croom and more acoustic guitar ushered in a sound with more depth, but the songwriting that is as catchy as ever remained intact.
Key Tracks: “Wanted You,” “Butterfly,” “Cold Lips,” “Heavenly Showers,” “Holding Roses”
Whitney – Light Upon the Lake
My undisputed favorite album of the year, with my favorite song of 2016 “No Woman,” came from this new band out of Chicago. The Folk-infused lovelorn stylings of Whitney paints a beautifully painful image, and anyone who knows what it’s like to long for a lost love can listen to this album and gleefully ache some more. Below you’ll find my key tracks, but in all honesty, Light Upon The Lake is so much more a collection of great songs; it’s a portal into the very specific feeling that hopeless romantics are consumed by. So if your appreciation of love goes beyond enjoying hugs and kisses, this is the album for you.
Key Tracks: “No Woman,” “The Falls,” “Golden Days,” “Dave’s Song,” “No Matter Where We Go”
