Other Noteworthy Albums in 2008

Below is a list of albums from 2008 which I think are worth checking out. In years past, I would come up with a "top 25" list. But, this year I found it surprisingly difficult. The best were pretty clear, but to come up with the top 25, leaving others out - well, I couldn't do it this year. There were a lot of releases that I thought were worth a listen, but I couldn't really decide where they fit in when trying to rank them in any kind of way. Also, there were some that were mixtapes that turned into albums later, and well, shit I don't know. A lot of wierd shit going on that made it hard for me to rank. So, here are a bunch of albums from last year to give a listen if you haven't already. And, if you have, go back and listen again because I said they're good. They aren't really in any particular order, although the first few are the very best of the best - the ones I was struggling with for album of the year. By the way, a write up of the album of the year, in my opinion, appears in the post below. Also, clearly even I am unable to find and listen to every single hip hop LP released in a given year, so let me know if there is something of value which I left off the list - I probably haven't heard it yet, and would like to. If not, well, I will gladly argue with you. But, from what I have heard in 2008 here is my list of noteworthy hip hop albums, plus a few extra that you should just listen to.



Atmosphere – When Life Gives You Lemons You Paint That Shit Gold
eMC – The Show
Nicolay and Kay – Time:Line
The Roots – Rising Down
Elzhi – The Preface
Q-Tip – The Renaissance
Akrobatik – Absolute Value
AZ – Undeniable
Black Milk – Tronic
Joe Budden – Halfway House
Kanye West – 808’s and Heartbreak
Little Vic – Each Dawn I Die
Buckshot & 9th Wonder – The Formula
Braille – The IV Edition
DL Incognito – A Captured Moment In Time
Blount Harvey – Live At The Station
Substantial – Sacrifice
J-Live – Then What Happened
Kidz in the Hall – The In Crowd
Immortal Technique – The 3rd World
Little Brother – And Justus For All
Phonte – The Phon-Tigga
Nas
Murs & 9th Wonder – Sweet Lord
Skillz – Million Dollar Backpack
GZA – Pro Tools
Ice Cube – Raw Footage
Soul Cannon – Kaboom
Pacewon & Mr. Green – The Only Color That Matters...
Reks – Grey Hairs
Jake Lefco – Missing Trooth
Jake One – White Van Music
Heltah Skeltah – D.I.R.T.
Dela – Changes of Atmosphere
Murs – Murs for President
Jean Grae w/ Blue Sky, Black Death – The Evil Jeanius
Johnson & Johnson
Nieve and Cook – Away With Words
DJ Revolution – King of the Decks
Scarface – Emeritus
EPMD – Back in Business
D.I.T.C. - The Movement
Danny - And...I Love H.E.R.

Others:
The Foreign Exchange – Leave It All Behind
Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple
Raphael Saadiq - The Way I See It
B.B. King - One Kind Favor