The Top Hip Hop Music of 2009
A look at the top hip hop music of 2009.
The Top Hip Hop Songs of 2009
It was a great year for hip hop music in 2009. There were a lot of great songs that were released and it was hard to narrow it down to just 10. But, here are the 10 best hip hop songs of 2009.
“Best I Ever Had” – Drake
“Best I Ever Had” is a song recorded by Canadian rapper Drake for his first studio album So Far Gone (2009). It was released on June 16, 2009, as the lead single from the album. The song features guest vocals from Texas R&B singer T.I., who co-wrote the song along with Drake, Cortez Bryant, Norman Whitfield Jr., and Anthony Palman. National File called the song “an instant head-nodder with great production”, while pitchfork described it as “Drake’s finest moment”.
The music video was shot in Drake’s hometown of Toronto, Ontario, and features Drake as a basketball coach who falls in love with one of his players. The video became popular on YouTube, receiving over 100 million views.
“Forever” – Drake
“Forever” is a song by Canadian rapper Drake, produced by Boi-1da and featuring Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and Eminem. The song was released as a single on September 15, 2009, and debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of September 27, 2009. It remained at the top spot for four consecutive weeks.
The song received mixed reviews from critics. Pitchfork Media gave it a 6.7 out of 10, saying that “Drake’s insistence on making his own songs regardless of quality shows promise”.[1] However, Marshall Gu ofPrefix gave it a more positive review, praising Drake’s confidence and delivery on the track as well as the production values.
The music video for “Forever” was shot in Toronto and directed by Hype Williams. It features scenes of Drake driving around Toronto in an orange Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder with intermittent scenes of him performing with West, Wayne, and Eminem in front of a live audience. The video peaked at number one on BET’s 106 & Park on October 27, 2009
“Heartless” – Kanye West
“Heartless” is a song by American hip hop artist Kanye West, released on November 4, 2008 digitally as the second single for his fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak. The single originally sported two different covers: the picture featured on the front was used on the cover of UK promo CDs, while the cover art for the US release was a completely different image. The UK artwork was shot by Nabil Elderkin and featured Kanye and a topless women in front of a white backdrop, while the American version was shot by photographer Marco Sigalini and featured a shirtless Kanye in front of a dark background. The single was produced by West and co-produced by Christopher “Brody” Brown, from an original track by Jeff Bhasker. It features contributions from Kid Cudi and Mr Hudson. “Heartless” is an auto-tuned synthpop song with hip hop influences.
“Run This Town” – Jay-Z
“Run This Town” is a song by American rapper Jay-Z. The song also features vocals from American singer Rihanna and rapper Kanye West. It was released as the lead single from Jay-Z’s eleventh studio album The Blueprint 3, and is featured on Rihanna’s fourth studio album, Rated R. “Run This Town” peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, remaining there for two weeks behind Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind”. It also peaked at number one on the US Hot Rap Songs chart and US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Additionally, it topped the charts in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand. The song has sold over five million copies worldwide since its release in 2009.
“Run This Town” received mixed reviews from music critics. Some praised the song’s production and composition, while others criticized it for its lyrical content. Megan Vick of Billboard magazine wrote that “Jay-Z finally finds himself alongside a female vocalist who can hold her own on a track”, referring to Rihanna’s performance on the song. “Run This Town” was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and Best Rap Song at the 52nd Grammy Awards.[2] The music video was filmed in June 2009 in New York City.[3]
“Empire State of Mind” – Jay-Z
“Empire State of Mind” is a song performed by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys that pays tribute to New York City. The song was written by Alicia Keys,Jay-Z and Angela Hunte and produced by Al Shux. It was released as the third single from Jay-Z’s album The Blueprint 3 on September 11, 2009. The single peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, marking Jay-Z’s first US number one single as a lead artist, and Alicia Keys’ fifth chart topper.
The song received mixed reviews from music critics. Some praised its hook and classic New York City references, while others criticized its overly positive portrayal of New York City and lack of originality. “Empire State of Mind” won Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 52nd Grammy Awards in 2010. The song’s music video directed by Hype Williams was shot entirely in black-and-white. It features Jay-Z and Alicia Keys performing in various locations throughout New York City including Times Square and the Brooklyn Bridge.
The Top Hip Hop Albums of 2009
There were a lot of great hip hop albums released in 2009. However, there are a few that stand out above the rest. In this article, we will be discussing the top hip hop albums of 2009.
“Relapse” – Eminem
Relapse is the sixth studio album by American rapper Eminem. The album was released on May 19, 2009, under Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records, and Interscope Records. It was his first album of original material since Encore (2004), following a four-year hiatus from recording due to his drug addiction. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2008 to 2009 at several recording studios, and Dr. Dre, Eminem’s longtime collaborator and executive producer, served as the album’s executive producer.
Hailed by many critics as a return to form for Eminem, Relapse debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 608,000 copies in its first week. It also became Eminem’s sixth album to top the UK Albums Chart and has sold more than three million copies worldwide. The album received generally positive reviews from most music critics and earned Eminem several awards and nominations—including a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album—and had a significant impact on hip hop music in the 2010s.
“The Blueprint 3” – Jay-Z
The Blueprint 3 is the eleventh studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released September 8, 2009, on Roc Nation, through distriBution by Atlantic Records. It is the final installment in The Blueprint trilogy, preceded by The Blueprint (2002) and The Blueprint 2.0 (2003). Production for the album took place during 2008 to 2009 at several recording studios and was handled by several producers, including Kanye West, the Neptunes, Jeff Bhasker, Al Shux, Jerome “JRock” Harris and Trey Songz. This is the first album since Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life (1998) that Jay-Z did not serve as its own executive producer.
A deluxe edition of The Blueprint 3 was also released on September 8, 2009 in the United Kingdom. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 476,000 copies in its first week. It became Jay-Z’s eleventh US number-one album,[4] tying him with Elvis Presley for fourth most number-one albums on the chart.[5] Internationally it debuted at number one in seven countries: Canada, Germany , New Zealand , Switzerland , Australia and Poland .[6][7] Less than two months after its release date The Blueprint 3 received platinum certification from Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments of two million copies to retailers.[8] Additionally it received double platinum certification from Music Canada .[9]
“Paper Trail” – T.I.
Paper Trail is the sixth studio album by American hip hop recording artist T.I., released on September 30, 2008, by Grand Hustle Records and Atlantic Records. He began to write songs for the album while incarcerated, despite not being able to record any of the tracks until he was released from prison. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 568,000 copies in its first week. Upon its release, Paper Trail received generally positive reviews from most music critics and earned T.I. several accolades, including a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album at the 52nd Grammy Awards.
“Only by the Night” – Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon’s “Only by the Night” was one of the top hip hop albums of 2009. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and went on to be certified platinum by the RIAA. “Only by the Night” features the hit singles “Sex on Fire” and “Use Somebody”, which both topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
“All Hope Is Gone” – Slipknot
All Hope Is Gone is the fourth studio album by American metal band Slipknot. Released on August 20, 2008 by Roadrunner Records, the album was published in two versions: the standard release and a special edition packaged with a bonus DVD. It was their first album to be produced by Greg Fidelman. Recording began in February 2007 in a temporary studio in North Hollywood, California, before moving to Sound City Studios in Van Nuys. The band wanted to make sure the album sounded different from their previous releases, and so co-producer Dave Fortman was hired to produce one song (“Sulfur”) during pre-production. Drummer Joey Jordison’s ideas for tracks helped bring forth “Gehenna”, which he wrote during the early stages of recording.
The whole album has a modern rock sound mixed with some nu metal and metalcore influences. Lyrically, it concentrates Slipknot’s earlier focus on anger and self-hatred, though Slipknot members have stated that it contains positive messages as well. All Hope Is Gone debuted at number one on ten different Billboard charts—the main Billboard 200 chart included—making it Slipknot’s second consecutive number one debutalbum in the United States following Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) (2004). The album received positive reviews from critics; Allmusic praised it as “the best Slipknot record yet” while Blabbermouth described it as sounding like classic Metallica mixed with “a hint of Black Sabbath”. The tracks “Gematria (The Killing Name)” and “Dead Memories” became top 10 singles on various rock charts globally.
On May 24th 2009, All Hope Is Gone debuted at number one on six different Billboard magazine charts including the Billboard 200—with sales of 241,000 copies in its first week—making it their second consecutive number one album following Vol 3: (The Subliminal Verses) in 2004. All Hope is Gone also had slipping sales in its second week selling 107,000 copies and charting at number five. As of August 2009 All Hope Is Gone has sold 876,000 copies according to Nielsen Soundscan making it platinum status. It is also Slipknot’s longest stay on the billboard 200 lasting 69 weeks before leaving due to low sales
