Top 5: The five best hip-hop albums from 2006
The 2000s were legendary for hip-hop, not only because it was waving goodbye to the bloodshed and horror of the 1990s East Coast vs. West Coast calamity but also because it was about to advance. The violence that plagued the genre of hip-hop towards the latter end of the 1990s prevented artists from working with each other. Regional divisions stunted hip-hop’s growth as they prevented synergies from developing. However, at the turn of the millennium, this all changed.
In a documentary about the East Coast vs. West Coast beef, Snoop Dogg is quoted as saying that 2Pac and The Notorious BIG had to die for hip hop to evolve, and it did. The 2000s saw the fusion of R’n’B and hip hop take off while simultaneously, an electronification took place. People from all different regions came together to create fantastic music, resulting in progress. With so many amazing artists and sounds developing in the 2000s, hip-hop took a step forward.
During the 2000s, some artists adopted a commercial sound while others created a new one, and the artists who created sounds impacted the genre profoundly. The 2000s most definitely had a distinct sound. However, each year had a defining hip-hop album and a defining artist.
Many say that 50 Cent defined hip-hop in 2003 due to the sheer magnitude of his debut, Get Rich Or Die Tryin’, and the release of G-Unit’s Beg For Mercy. However, there were more years to come, and as different MCs began to emerge, they created a change. In 2006, different shifts were happening, and the top five albums of that year partially shed light on some of the biggest waves shaping hip-hop.
The five best rap albums from 2007:
5. Busta Rhymes – The Big Bang
The Big Bang Theory Busta Rhymes‘ only album to reach number one and topped the charts for a reason. The project’s second single, ‘I Love My Bitch’ featuring Kelis, is seen as a classic, and the album’s lead single, ‘Touch It’, had over four remixes. The Swizz Beatz-produced track became a club anthem and is played to this day.
Although Busta Rymes’ prime may have been considered the 1990s, this 2006 project meant that the Brooklyn legend had a footprint in the 2000s and didn’t go through the era completely unnoticed. Still, in the eyes of many, the album boasts hidden gems that are often underappreciated.
4. Rick Ross – Port Of Miami
The release of Port Of Miami was a moment in hip-hop and a big deal for Florida, which hadn’t produced a heavy-hitting emcee since Trick Daddy. That said, Rick Ross’ debut did more than put Miami on the map. It blew other albums out of the water.
Port of Miami spawned several platinum hits, but the most recognisable hit is ‘Hustlin, ‘Ross’s breakthrough track. The track went two times platinum and had several remixes, including one featuring Jay-Z and Young Jeezy. An unofficial remix was created featuring Lil Wayne, Z-Ro, Jay-Z, T.I., Busta Rhymes, Remy Ma, Young Jeezy, and Lil Flip. However, it got scrapped after being leaked in poor quality. Still, Port Of Miami included other anthems such as ‘Push It’.
3. E-40 – My Ghetto Report Card
Vallejo rapper E-40 was one of the biggest MCs from the Bay Area during the 1990s. However, at the turn of the millennium, so many new acts came along that The Click founder fell into the background slightly. Even he noticed a change with his 2006 album My Ghetto Report Card and has spoken about how the multi-platinum album revived his career on several occasions.
During an interview with The New York Times, the rapper explained, “When I came out with My Ghetto Report Card, I was 37, 38 years old. My whole career just revived. It was amazing. I was part of the crunk movement and the hyphy movement at the same time. ‘U and Dat,’ ‘Snap Yo Fingers,’ and so on. We had the South and the West Coast.” The songs he mentioned were certified anthems, and ‘Tell Me When To Go’ helped elevate the Bay’s hyphy movement.
2. Snoop Dogg – The Blue Carpet Treatment
By 2006, Snoop Dogg had evolved his sound several times. Following his 1998 project, Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told, Snoop manoeuvred away from his G-funk sound and found great success with The Neptunes. This was the case until 2006 when he decided to produce a commercially viable album without the oversight of Pharrell Williams, and The Blue Carpet Treatment saw some fantastic music.
Hits such as ‘ That’s That Shit’ and ‘LAX’ saw the Long Beach legend reach out to a slew of new producers to make iconic and long-lasting music. Furthermore, it also saw the Doggystyle creator reach out to some West Coast artists he hadn’t worked with while on Death Row, including the likes of E-40, Ice Cube, MC Eiht and his old friend Goldie Loc.
1. J Dilla – Donuts
J Dilla‘s Donuts is a truly seminal album, and although it may not have been the highest-selling hip-hop project of 2006, it is undoubtedly the most renowned. In 2002, Dilla was diagnosed with a dreadful illness. Suffering from thrombocytopenic purpura combined with lupus. That said, by 2006, his condition was terminal, but being a true musician, the Detroit producer decided to work on one more album to show his one-of-a-kind production skills.
While he was wheelchair-bound and dying, J Dilla made Donuts, and 29 of the album’s 31 tracks were made in his hospital room. Its chaotic yet beautiful arrangement was perceived by many as the beatmaker’s way of musically confronting death and the notion of an afterlife. The 2006 body of work is widely considered to be the musical output of an individual who was aware they were dying and is one of the holy grails of hip-hop production.