The Mother of all Hip-Hop Look-Back and Preview Round-Ups (with Top 20 discs and Top 50 singles of 2009)

Hip-hop minded Phoenix readers this past week might have noticed that we got shafted in the year-end issue. While every other genre was allotted space, rap music was nowhere to be found among the other round-ups.

It’s all good though, as I’ve done more wrap-up shit this month than ever before. Between THIS PLAY LIST, THIS LOOK at the year in Boston hip-hop, and THIS TIRADE about how Jay-Z can either sink or save boom bap, there’s plenty to digest.

In addition to those features, I’ve also listed my Top 20 Hip-Hop Discs and Top 50 Hip-Hop Singles of 2009 (see below). And for a peek at what’s dropping in 2010, you might want to sniff THIS PREVIEW that’s running in tomorrow’s paper.

Finally; for an on-point list of the Best Rap Discs of the Decade, check THIS POST on HipHopDX. I’m sure mine would have been a smidgen different - it is, after all, a whole decade - but those dudes are on point as usual.

Top 20 Hip-Hop Albums of 2009 (in no particular order)

P.O.S. - Never Better

Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt. II

Brother Ali - The Truth is Here EP

Fashawn - Boy Meets World

Blak Madeen - Sacred Defense

Bekay - Hunger Pains

Boycott Blues - Irony

Esoteric - Saving Seamus Ryan

KRS-One & Buckshot - Survival Skills

M.O.P. - The Foundation

Mass Movements - The Album

Masta Ace & Edo G - A&E

Fresh Daily - The Gorgeous Killer in Crimes of Passion

Awol One + Factor - Owl Hours

The Narcicyst - S/T

Audible Mainframe - Transients

La Coka Nostra - A Brand You Can Trust

Marco Polo and Torae - Double Barrel

Reks - More Grey Hairs

Dashah - Rap Burglar 2.5

AG & OC - Oasis

Top 50 Hip-Hop Singles of 2009 (in no particular order)

Boycott Blues featuring Insight and Consequence - “Da Math”

Fashawn - “Samsonite Man”

Reks - “Bitter”

La Coka Nostra featuring Snoop Dogg  - “Bang Bang”

Raekwon featuring Ghostface - “Gihad”

M.O.P. - “Foundation”

Ghostface - “Do Over”

Masta Ace & Edo G - “Little Young”

Eminem - “Underground”

Inspectah Deck & U-God featuring Masta Ace - “Kill Too Hard”

The Dunnas - “Monsta Rap”

Brother Ali - “Palm the Joker”

Ape$hit & Undu Kati - “Do Our Thang”

The Closers featuring Reks - “East Coast Renaissance”

Wasted Talent - “Khed”

Clipse featuring Vinnie Paz - “Street Wars”

M-Dot featuring Singapore Kane and Trademarc - “You Won’t Get It”

K’Naan - “Wavin’ Flag”

Jay Rock featuring The Game, Busta Rhymes, and Gorilla Zoe - “All My Life”

Statik Selektah featuring Styles P and Talib Kweli - “The Thrill Is Gone”

Audible Mainframe - “Subi Alto”

Esoteric - “Spending the Day Together”

Blaq Poet - “Sichuwayshunz”

Jay-Z - “Death of Auto-tune (D.O.A.)”

Will C - “Trainspotting”

P.O.S. - “Purexed”

The Narcicyst - “The Narcicyst”

WMS the Sultan featuring Kool Keith - “Two Scoops”

Homeboy Sandman - “Gun Control”

The Greater Good (Speks & J the S) - “Marvelous”

DJ Slim - “I Wonder”

KRS-One & Buckshot featuring K'Naan - “Think of All the Things”

Blak Madeen featuring Lord Jamar - “Engage the Enemy”

Ol’ Dirty Needle - “Fuck the Young Cons”

Brown Bag All-Stars - “Undeniable”

Father Abraham - “All My Friends Are CFOs”

Fresh Daily - “Crimes of Passion”

Matty Trump featuring Al-J and Big Shug - “Life is a Mutha”

Awol One + Factor - “Back Then”

Joe Budden - “If I Gotta Go”

Wale - “Chillin”

Singapore Kane featuring Big Shug and Termanology - “My Boston”

Bekay - “My Life”

Solillaquists of Sound - “Popcorn”

R.A. the Rugged Man featuring Jo Jo Pellegrino, Hell Razah, Remedy and Blaq Poet - "Posse Cut"

Tanya Morgan - “Bang N Boogie”

Trife Diesel featuring Ghostface - “Live Nigga Night Out”

JDO - “Devotion”

Rite Hook - “Beaten Badly”

Amadeus the Stampede - “Company of Saints”

Keelay & Zaire featuring Fortilive & Saafir - “I Used to Ride”