Jesus, Jocks, and the Jukebox

It's New Years Eve, and I'm remembering how much I've loved music this year. On that note, here are MY favorite albums of the year. Feel free to agree.


1) Camp- Childish Gambino

• If you're reading this blog for the first time, this might come to a surprise to you. But I am a huge fan of Childish Gambino, and I'm a huge fan of this album. There was a lot of hype going into this release, and Gambino lives up to it with incredibly witty wordplay, great production, and a great overall story with his first studio album. An album can often be judged by your reaction after the first listen, and after my first listen of Camp, I was left amazed. 

• I can't think of a better possible duo to put together a hip-hop album than Ye and Jay. This was definitely my most repeated album of the year, and considering I got to see it live, it's going to be an album I will never forget. Jay-Z has said that there may be another album in the works for 2012, so I'll be sure to save a spot for The Throne on my favorite album list next year. 

• So much for a sophomore slump. Drake shows his maturity as a musician from the beginning to the end of this album. With help from The Weeknd, Drake hit notes we've never heard him hit before. And with the combination of his great voice and smooth flow, Drake has established himself as one of the best in the game. 

• J. Cole has a promising future as a young Roc Nation artist, and that is very clear through this great debut album. J. Cole writes his rhymes not as a celebrity, but as a person, and that relatability is what's going to allow his already growing fan base to reach new heights in 2012. 

• Frank Ocean has a bright future in music. This album is a beautiful combination of well written song lyrics, tight production, and a voice of an angel. He is already in good favor with The Throne

• In a time where Adele's heart was broken, she stole ours. This will go down as one of the classic break-up albums of all time. Adele amazes us with her incredible voice, and she gets us really pissed off at the idiot who broke her heart. Adele, I hope you find love, and I hope you continue to make great music. 

• I just had my first listen of this album this week, so I don't know if it's because it's fresh, or because it's actually really good, but I loved this album. Common has been away from the game for a while now, but he certainly hasn't forgotten how to rap. No I.D produced the whole thing, so you know it's good. Also, he starts beef with Drake, so that's also interesting. 

• I'm a sucker for almost any Eminem track, and in this album he was as great as usual. But more notably, this album was a coming out party for the underground veteran Royce Da 5'9's, who keeps up with, and at times out-raps the great Eminem which is undoubtably a recipe for some great rap music.

• Talib Kweli continues to be one of the most underrated rappers in the game. Gutter Rainbows is thoughtful, well executed, and well produced, something that you are likely to hear in every Talib Kweli album. 

• If you haven't heard of Saint Kris, you're missing out on some great local talent. Saint Kris has had a big year. He was a runner up for Hypetrak's "Blue Sky" Cover Contest, was named one of Manitoba's Most Fascinating People, and put out one of my favorite albums of the year with B.Y.O.B.  Keep an eye out for Saint Kris, he's a hard worker and he's got the talent to do huge things in 2012 and onward. 

Donald Glover is finding success in everything that he does lately. He's a successful actor, writer, and comedian, and with the release of his first studio album, Camp, Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino), shows the world he can also make music.

Here's a quick background of Glover for those of you who don't know his story. He has been a writer for The Daily Show and 30 Rock, he starred in the online sketch comedy group called Derrick Comedy that generates millions of YouTube hits per video, and he now co-stars in the very successful NBC sitcom, Community, all before he turned 28. 

I'm excited.

Tomorrow is Tuesday. Which means new music. To be honest, I haven't really been excited for new releases lately, but this Tuesday is different. Tomorrow both Drake and Childish Gambino come out with new albums (Take Care and Camp). They've both been leaked, but I have held off, which makes me very excited for tomorrow.

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you'll know that I love Childish Gambino. But at the same time, when it comes to hip-hop, Drake is a very big deal. Right now they are two of my favorite artists (including Jay-Z, and Kanye, and probably a few others), which is why it's so awesome that they're release dates are the same day.

But, the question is: which album do I listen to first?

This might not seem like a big question to some, but I'm really having a hard time deciding.

If any readers think they can help me lean a certain way, feel free to comment.

And expect some album reviews this week, I won't be able to resist.

In the meantime, please enjoy how sweet it is that one of today's best rappers talks about how much he likes the Muppets in his interviews. Times sure have changed...