The Best Hip Hop Music of 2009
2009 was an amazing year for hip hop music. Some of the best tracks of the year came from artists like Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Lil Wayne.
The Best Hip Hop Songs of 2009
Hip hop music has come a long way since its humble beginnings in the South Bronx. From gangsta rap to conscious hip hop, the genre has something for everyone. The best hip hop songs of 2009 reflect the diversity of the genre, with artists like Kid Cudi, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar representing different sides of the hip hop spectrum. In this article, we’ll be taking a look at the best hip hop songs of 2009.
“Best I Ever Had” by 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 as the lead single from the album on June 16, 2009. The pop-R&B and hip hop song was written by Boi-1da, George Nozuka, Drake, Noah “40” Shebib and produced by the former three. The song features vocals from Canadian singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw.
Critical reception of “Best I Ever Had” was positive; some praised it for being catchy while others criticized it for being too slow. The accompanying music video featured semi-nude women showering around Drake in a locker room. Due to the success of the single, “Best I Ever Had” peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Drake’s first top 40 hit as a lead artist.
In October 2011, NME placed it at number 140 on its list “150 Best Tracks of the Last 15 Years”.
“Forever” by Drake
“Forever” is a single by Canadian rapper Drake, featuring Lil Wayne, Kanye West and Eminem. The song was released as a digital download on October 24, 2009. The song peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number nine on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song debuted at number 86 on the UK Singles Chart, and later peaked at number 12, making it Drake’s second consecutive top-twenty hit in the UK following “Best I Ever Had”. “Forever” has also charted in several other countries including Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
“I’m on a Boat” by The Lonely Island
“I’m on a Boat” is a comedy hip hop song by American comedy troupe The Lonely Island, featuring singer T-Pain. The song was released as the second single from their debut album Incredibad on February 10, 2009. The song peaked at number forty-six on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the group’s highest charting single to date.
“Obsessed” by Mariah Carey
“Obsessed” is a song by American singer Mariah Carey from her twelfth studio album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (2009). It was released to radio on June 16, 2009 and to digital retailers on June 30, 2009 as the lead single from Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. The song was written and produced by Carey, with additional writing from Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, Terius “Dream” Nash and Crystal Johnson. Upon its release, “Obsessed” generated mixed reviews from music critics; some considered it a return to form for Carey, while others criticized the use of Auto-Tune on her vocals.
In the United States, the song debuted at number seventy-six on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It became Carey’s 27th chart entry on the Hot 100, and peaked at number nine, making it her seventeenth top ten hit on the chart. Additionally, it gave Carey her eighth number one on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song became her second consecutive single to top the US airplay charts compiled by Nielsen BDS. Outside of the US “Obsessed” peaked at number thirteen in Canada and reached the top forty in many European countries including Lithuania, Spain and Switzerland.”Obsessed” peaked at number one in Denmark for three non-consecutive weeks and spent a total of eight weeks atop the Danish Airplay Chart.”
“Run This Town” by Jay-Z
“Run This Town” is a song by American rapper Jay-Z. The song also features vocals from Rihanna and Kanye West. It was released as the lead single from Jay-Z’s album The Blueprint 3, on August 11, 2009.
The song was produced by Kanye West and No I.D., and it samples “The Honeydrippers”, a 1974 track by the group of the same name. The song received mixed reviews from critics, with some praising its production andandi others criticizing its lyrical content.
The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and it has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It also peaked at number one on the Hot Rap Songs chart and number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
The Best Hip Hop Albums of 2009
2009 was a great year for hip hop music. There were a lot of great albums released that year. In this article, we will be discussing the best hip hop albums of 2009.
“Relapse” by Eminem
When it was first announced that Eminem was working on a new album, fans were both excited and a little apprehensive. The always controversial rapper had just come off of a three-year hiatus, during which time he battled an addiction to prescription drugs. “Relapse” is the result of Eminem’s efforts to get clean and, although it may not be his best work, it is a strong album that features some of the rapper’s best rhyming in years.
Eminem addresses his drug use head-on in the album’s opener, “3 A.M.”, which finds him waking up in a cold sweat after a nightmare about being back on pills. It’s a raw and honest look at his struggles, which are something he doesn’t shy away from throughout the rest of the album. In fact, many of the tracks on “Relapse” are built around moments from Eminem’s life during his struggle with addiction.
While “Relapse” may not be as musically innovative as some of Eminem’s previous albums, it is still a strong effort that shows how far he has come since his days as a struggling rapper.
“The E.N.D.” by The Black Eyed Peas
“The E.N.D.” is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas. It was released on June 9, 2009. The album’s name was originally going to be “The Energy Never Dies”, but it was shortened to “The E.N.D.”. The album sold 304,000 copies in its first week, becoming the Black Eyed Peas’ third consecutive album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 and their highest opening sales week ever. In July 2009, it became their first studio album to top the UK Albums Chart for two weeks; this made them only the fourth hip hop act to achieve this feat and made them one of only two American groups to have six consecutive UK number one albums. As of March 2016, “The E.N.D.” has sold over 2, MILLION copies in the United States, becoming their second best-selling album in that country after “Elephunk” (2003).
Critical reception
The E.N.D.’s lead single “Boom Boom Pow” topped Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for 12 weeks making it the longest running Hot 100 single of 2009 and their most successful single as a group so far; this also made it their first number one single on that chart as well as their first top 10 hit since 2004’s “Hey Mama”. Additionally, three more singles; “I Gotta Feeling”, “Imma Be” and “Alive” topped the Hot 100 chart giving them a total of four Hot 100 number ones off of one album which is a record that still stands today. According to Allmusic’s Tammy La Gorce:
The Peas take full advantage of music technology — AutoTune here, some surround-sound Sonicscanning there — yet come up with an infectiously old-school pastiche that hearkens back to early-’80s new wave Kraftwerk (“One Tribe”), Chaka Khan (“Electric City”), Digital Underground (“Party All the Time”), Prince (“Do It Like This”), and Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force(“Impatient”).
“Paper Trail” by T.I.
“Paper Trail” is the sixth studio album by American rapper T.I., released by Grand Hustle Records and Atlantic Records on September 30, 2008. It serves as the follow-up to T.I.’s previous albums, “I’m Serious” (2001) and “Urban Legends” (2004). Recording sessions for the album took place during 2007 to 2008 at several recording studios, and was handled by several record producers, including Kanye West, David Banner, Polow da Don, Danja, DJ Toomp, Jim Jonsin and Dr. Dre.
The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 568,000 copies in its first week of release. It became T.I.’s third consecutive album to debut at number one on the chart and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). As of March 2009 “Paper Trail” has sold 2 million copies in the United States. The album spawned nine singles: “No Matter What”, “What You Know”, “Big Shit Poppin'”, “Swagga Like Us”, “Live Your Life”, “Whatever You Like”, “Dead and Gone”, “\’Round Here\” and “Ready for Whatever”.
“Paper Trail” received generally positive reviews from music critics upon its release; most praised it for being more mature than his previous effort while some criticized it for being overly long with too many features Versions: Standard and deluxe edition. The standard edition contains sixteen tracks while the deluxe edition contains twenty-one tracks.”
“Only by the Night” by Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon’s Only by the Night is the best hip hop album of 2009. The album was released on September 16, 2008, by RCA Records, and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling more than 425,000 copies in its first week. The album was nominated for seven Grammy Awards, winning three: Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for “Use Somebody”, Record of the Year for “Use Somebody”, and Best Rock Album.
“No I.D.” by Nas
“No I.D.” by Nas was one of the best hip hop albums of 2009. It featured Nas’ trademark flow and lyrics, and was produced by some of the best in the business. The album was both commercially and critically successful, and is still considered one of the best hip hop albums of all time.
