Best Hip-Hop Album

This album almost didn’t happen. Mike WiLL Made-It had to coax Trouble into the studio to get him to rap about his real-life experiences. He knew that the man born Mariel Semonte Orr had something powerful to say, and he had the prescience to bring Edgewood to life. The production is a low, dark hum that allows Trouble a fitting space to relive true stories of betrayals, relationships, and life on the streets. Trouble shines as a storyteller and as a rapper, bringing a visceral, minimal atmosphere to songs such as Bring It Back, Wuzzam Wuzzup, and Hurt Real Bad that no one could replicate, because no one has lived his life. www.soundcloud.com/troubledte/sets/edgewood. less...

Who knew that a guy who paints for a living could produce a great hip-hop album? Well, lo and behold, renowned Atlanta-based visual artist Fahamu Pecou did just that when he crafted the All Dat Glitters Aint Goals EP. Based on a series of paintings of the same name, the five-song project features vocals by Pecou and a bevy of hip-hop luminaries, including Stic.Man of Dead Prez, Boog Brown, Methuzulah, Mike Flo, G.R.E.A.T. Scott, Starchile, Clan Destined, and more. Like his visual art, Pecou’s songs explore themes of materialism, black masculinity, and fatherhood - and they do so via creatively crafted lyrics and boom-bap-flavored beats on par with some of Atlanta’s best hip-hop releases this year. www.fahamupecouistheshit.bandcamp.com. less...