2009 In Hip-Hop

2009 is turning out to be an outstanding year for hip-hop. We still have the great lost Q-Tip album finally coming out next month, Jay-Z is giving us Blueprint 3, and the Beastie Boys and Dr. Dre could still give us new records by the end of the year. The Dream and Eminem are on the radio all summer and P.O.S kept indie hip-hop on the radar. It has been a good summer.

There are already two others out worth noting. First, Jay Stay Paid is the new release by the late Detroit DJ J Dilla. As you would expect, it is a little disjointed since it is a mix of his instrumentals with an array of guest MCs. However, the instrumentals make it worth it. The ambient loop of "King" is both soothing and driving (I wish it would have lasted a few more minutes). "On Stilts" is another quality minute-and-a-half to throw on your next party mix (I wish he would have given these instrumentals more room to breathe). The guest vocalists usually work; in fact, Black Though sounds more at home on "Reality TV" than he does on most Roots songs. This album will temp you to dig in to the catalog of J Dilla - a brilliant talent who died to soon.

If there is one hip-hop album you need this year so far, it is The Ecstatic by Mos Def. He hasn't been recording productively in years, but when he does he always delivers. The rapping is brilliant as always, like a day hasn't passed since his timeless 1999 solo debut Black On Both Sides, but he brings the kitchen sink of sounds this time. "Supermagic" starts the album with driving guitars and middle eastern vocals. "Auditorium" features smooth orchestral samples while Mos Def tells the story of an American soldier in Iraq. "Priority" mixes piano loops, horns, and lyrics like "Peace before everything, God before anything" into a driving mission statement - it's amazing how much he can put into a track that lasts 1:23. The ideas keep coming and 16 tracks whip past you in 45 minutes. But like all his albums, you have to hear it 10 more times.

J Dilla's Jay Stay Paid is a great album for those interested in party mixes and instrumental hip-hop. Mos Def's The Ecstatic is an album anybody who cares about any form of hip-hop should have and will probably be the years best hip-hop record. Unless Blueprint 3 has anything to say about it...