Best Albums of 2014 – Audible Treats Contenders: Hip-Hop / Indie Rock / Electronic
Album Highlights from Audible Treats’ 2014 Client Roster
12.02.2014
It’s Tuesday and we’ve got just the thing to help you recover from your tryptophan-induced coma and CyberMonday PTSD- a concise list of the most successful and influential albums and singles we’ve proudly worked in 2014. We hope you consider some of these works for your best-of / year-end / top 1000 DJ Mustard beats / 99 best songs to groom your eyebrows to so they are on fleek / what-have-you lists of 2014. First, we present our top hip-hop projects, followed by our top indie rock and electronic projects:
Best Albums – Hip-Hop / Urban:
Souls of Mischief – There Is Only Now
Linear Labs – 8/26/14
- “Grab a seat, ladies and gentlemen: Souls of Mischief has a story to tell,” said USA Today in their premiere of the Souls of Mischief’s collaborative concept album with multi-instrumentalist producer Adrian Younge. There Is Only Now tells the story of a near-death experience that the Souls were involved in more than 20 years ago. “We were hanging outside of a club, at a party, and a guy walked up to us pulling a ski mask down, telling everybody to get down, and as he said that, a shot went off,” recalled SOM rapper Tajai to the Wall Street Journal. The release features ATCQ’s Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Busta Rhymes, and Snoop Dogg.
Black Milk – If There’s A Hell Below
Computer Ugly – 10/28/14
- Premiered by the New York Times, If There’s A Hell Below is the 5th solo album from Detroit-bred rapper/producer Black Milk. “The music on Hell Below is one big wistful wash of sound, unified, but full of idiosyncrasies,” says Pitchfork in their review of the release. ITAHB includes first-time collaborations with Blu, Bun B, and Pete Rock, in addition to appearances from past cohorts Random Axe, Ab, and Mel.
Dizzy Wright – State Of Mind
Funk Volume – 4/15/14
- Funk Volume rapper Dizzy Wright dropped his State of Mind EP with fun, energetic videos for singles “Everywhere I Go” and “Reunite For the Night.” XXL called the release “a quality offering from an MC that has tasted success and wants more,” while HotNewHipHop adds that “much of the EP has a smoothed out feel, a signature sound from the stoner, but he did provide songs that could move a crowd.”
Sir Michael Rocks – Banco
6ix Cell Phones – 7/29/14
- The Cool Kids rapper Sir Michael Rocks released his long-awaited debut solo album Banco, which saw a quick rise to the #1 spot on iTunes’ hip-hop charts, and also debuted as the #1 album on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart. “From his cover art to his visuals, Sir Michael Rocks has kicked his art into high gear,” said HipHopDX in their reviews, with XXL adding that “Banco is the most essential component to Sir Michael’s ongoing solo catalogue.”
Wara From The NBHD – Kidnapped
Playin’ Four Keeps – 8/26/14
- Wara From the NBHD used 2014 to stake a genuine claim as ATL’s next rising star. His self-produced Kidnapped album tells the story of a 12-year-old boy nicknamed “Piano Lessons.” Although he takes an interest in music, his violent surroundings continue to lure him away. “Wara From the NBHD’s self-produced debut album is packed with a multitude of witty bars and compelling lines,” said Dazed & Confused, with Pitchfork adding that “Wara’s a writer and a slick rapper, a talented producer who knows how to shape an album’s worth of songs into a world.”
Well$ – MTSYD: The Revenge of the African Booty Scratcher
Immaculate Taste – 4/20/14
- Born in Charlotte to Congolese illegal immigrants, Well$ used to get made fun of for being African, which is what led to the Boyz N The Hood reference in his mixtape’s title, MTSYD: The Revenge of the African Booty Scratcher. “The album finds the 19-year-old straddling the line between trunk-rattling southern bounce and the witty 16s of any Freshman spitter,” said The Fader in their premiere of the release. Pitchfork reviewed the project, calling it “a startling peephole into something deeply personal within Well$.”
ProbCause – WAVES
Bonafyde Media – 5/14/14
- Having enlisted features from Chance the Rapper, Donnie Trumpet, Twista, and the Hood Internet, Chicago rapper ProbCause released his WAVES EP while in the midst of a 40-city tour. “ProbCause nimbly rides fusion-friendly hip-hop tracks,” says SPIN in their premiere of the EP, while Consequence of Sound reviewed the album, saying “this is a strong statement from a fringe rapper in a major city, a guy who’s packed with potential and might just be another Chicago rapper ready to make the same leap in status Chance did.”
The Doppelgangaz – Peace Kehd
Groggy Pack Entertainment – 02/18/14
- Hailing from upstate NY, the Doppelgangaz owned the first quarter of 2014 with their 4th full-length album, Peace Kehd. “The album strays away from their usual minimalist, gritty sound to become more accessible to a broader audience than ever before,” says Complex. After debuting videos for “Holla x2” with Noisey and “KnowntchooTahLie” with the AV Club, the rap/production duo premiered the album with SPIN, who said “the rappers use bucolic production as a backdrop to reel off rhymes that offer insight into an off-kilter world.”
Marc E. Bassy – Only The Poets
EO Entertainment – 7/29/14
- Bay Area-bred singer/songwriter Marc E. Bassy leaped away from his past as a member of the 2 AM club and into the futuristic R&B field with his Only the Poets, Vol. 1 solo album. “What makes this release stand out is how strangely intimate it sounds for a pop/hip-hop joint,” PotholesInMyBlog explained in their review of the release. “His bouncy flow channels the manic energy of Chance the Rapper,” said SPIN, “the animated style and tempered synths of ‘Cigarettes’ could comfortably fit as a b-side to Acid Rap.”
Tynethys – Thyluxe
FHOD – 04/22/14
- “Sacramento weirdo,” as FACT Mag called him, Tynethys kicked off the year with a slew of bugged-out singles, including the Friendzone-assisted “TFZ,” which debuted via SPIN, who drew comparisons to a “smoother Mac Dre.” The single releases built anticipation for Tynethys’ latest full-length album, Thyluxe. “This one goes,” said Okayplayer in their premiere, “with about all the synths and 808s one can handle, and arranged in ways you’ve never heard before.”
Booty Fade – Booty Fade
Independent – 3/04/14
- Blending elements of house, electronic, and bass music to create a new Southern-laced hybrid of rap and dance music, DJ/producer duo Booty Fade shared a self-titled EP which places popular Dallas street anthems and party music at the forefront of today’s dance music scene. The two halves of the duo, PICNICTYME and DJ Sober, are no newcomers to the Dallas Rap Scene. Separately, the two halves have worked with A.Dd+, the Cannabinoids, the Party, PPT, and events like the Big Bang parties. “Hit play below and get to twerkin’,” said SPIN in their post, while Red Bull premiered the EP from the 2013 Dallas Observer Music Awards’ Best Producer winners.
Best Albums – Indie Rock/Electronic:
High Desert – High Desert
Sundowner Records – 4/15/14
- Former Shins member Marty Crandall and producer/engineer Nick Noeding Jr. united as High Desert and released their debut self-titled album. The Albuquerque, NM duo’s mix of electronic-pop and shoegaze is an amalgam of previous decades of sound that feels modern and fresh. “Fuzz sound and bedroom synth will bring you in the middle of the 80’s, said Some Candy Talkin’, while Atlas and the Anchor summed it up by saying, “hazy layers of 80’s-like synths and danceable rhythms combine with introspective lyrics and infectious dream-pop melodies for a promising debut.”
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