The Best Hip Hop Music of 2014
It’s been a great year for hip hop music. Here are the best hip hop tracks of 2014.
Best Hip Hop Albums of 2014
It’s been an amazing year for hip hop music. We’ve seen a lot of great albums released this year, and it’s hard to narrow it down to just a few. However, these are our picks for the best hip hop albums of 2014.
J. Cole- 2014 Forest Hills Drive
J. Cole’s third album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive, was released on December 9, 2014. The album was Cole’s first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, selling 353,000 copies in its first week of release. The album was also nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2015 Grammy Awards.
Kendrick Lamar- good kid, m.A.A.d city
Kendrick Lamar’s debut album, good kid, m.A.A.d city, is one of the best hip hop albums of 2014. The album tells the story of Kendrick’s life in Compton, and it is filled with great beats and lyrics. Kendrick is a very talented rapper, and his album is definitely worth checking out.
Schoolboy Q- Oxymoron
Debut studio album by American rapper Schoolboy Q. It was released on February 25, 2014, by Top Dawg Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album features guest appearances from 2 Chainz, Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Tyler, the Creator, Danny Brown, Ab-Soul and Kurupt. The production on the album was handled by a variety of producers, including Pharrell Williams, Boi-1da, Noah “40” Shebib, Hit-Boy and The Alchemist.
Best Hip Hop Songs of 2014
2014 was a big year for Hip Hop music. It saw the release of several great albums and mixtapes. There were also a lot of great songs that didn’t make it onto an album. In this article, we’ll be taking a look at the best Hip Hop songs of 2014.
“i” – Kendrick Lamar
Released on Lamar’s third studio album To Pimp a Butterfly, “i” is a hip hop and neo soul song with elements of West Coast hip hop. The track was produced by Rahki, and features a guitar sample of the 1971 record “Ain’t That Peculiar” by Marvin Gaye. Lamar described the song as an ode to self-love, containing positive messages about being happy despite negative circumstances in life.
“i” received critical acclaim from music critics, who praised the song’s production and Lamar’s lyrical performance. The track peaked at number 39 on the US Billboard Hot 100, making it Lamar’s highest-charting single as a lead artist at the time. It also became his first song to enter the top 40 of the chart. In October 2014, “i” was ranked at number one on Pitchfork Media’s annual “The 200 Best Songs of the 2010s” list.
“All Me” – Drake ft. 2 Chainz & Big Sean
“All Me” is a song by Canadian rapper Drake from his third studio album Nothing Was the Same (2013). The song features guest appearances from American rappers 2 Chainz and Big Sean. It was produced by Key Wane and Mike Zombie, with additional production being handled by Noah “40” Shebib. The song peaked at number 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Drake’s eleventh top 20 hit in the United States.
“Anaconda” – Nicki Minaj
“Anaconda” is a song by American rapper and singer Nicki Minaj, from her third studio album, The Pinkprint (2014). It was released on August 4, 2014 by Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, and Republic Records as the second single from the album. The song was produced by Polow da Don and da Internz. The song heavily samples “Baby Got Back” (1992) by Sir Mix-a-Lot. Upon its release, “Anaconda” peaked at number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, consequently becoming Minaj’s highest-charting single in the United States to date. It went on to spend eight consecutive weeks in the top ten of the Hot 100 chart, making it one of her longest-charting songs in that country, and ultimately peaked at number three. In October 2014, the song was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Internationally, “Anaconda” peaked within the top ten in several countries including Australia, Canada and Scotland; as well as peaking within the top twenty in countries including Denmark, Finland and New Zealand; while also reaching number one in both Poland and Trinidad and Tobago. An accompanying music video for “Anaconda” was shot entirely in black-and-white format before being colourised towards beginning; it features cameos from fellow rappers who have beennicknamed/titled as Ninjas such as Lil Jon , Drake , Meek Mill , Chris Brown , and Tyga . Upon release online, it broke the 24-hour streaming record on Vevo by accumulating 19.6 million views in its first day of release; which was subsequently broken by Taylor Swift ‘s music video for “Look What You Made Me Do” (2017) .
Best Hip Hop Mixtapes of 2014
There were a lot of great hip hop mixtapes that came out in 2014. Some of the best include J. Cole’s “Revenge of the Dreamers”, Lil Wayne’s “Dedication 6”, and Kendrick Lamar’s “untitled unmastered”. If you’re a fan of hip hop, then you definitely need to check out these mixtapes.
Chance the Rapper- Acid Rap
Acid Rap is the second mixtape by American rapper Chance the Rapper, it was released on April 30, 2013. The mixtape has been downloaded over 1.5 million times on Datpiff. The mixtape was ranked as the fifth best album of 2013 by Rolling Stone, and was also ranked as the third best mixtape of 2013 by Pitchfork Media. Complex named it the best mixtape of 2013.
The mixtape features guest appearances from Twista, Busta Rhymes, action Bronson, Childish Gambino, Ab-Soul, BJ The Chicago Kid, King Louie, Joey Purp and Vic Mensa among others. The production was handled by Chuck Inglish, Tony Flame, Blended Babies, Peter Cottontale, Brandun DeShay among others.
Lil Wayne- Sorry 4 the Wait 2
Lil Wayne’s Sorry 4 the Wait 2, his second project in less than a year, is a fantastic display of both his rapping prowess and his incredible ear for beats. Wayne raps over some of 2014’s biggest hits, from Drake’s “0 to 100” to Bobby Shmurda’s “Hot N*gga,” and gives them new life with his irrepressible charisma. Despite its title, Sorry 4 the Wait 2 is one of Wayne’s strongest releases in recent memory.
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib- Pinata
Freddie Gibbs and Madlib’s Pinata is one of the best hip hop albums of 2014. The album features supremely tight rhyming from Freddie Gibbs over Madlib’s expertly crafted beats. Every track on the album is solid, but standouts include “Thuggin”, “Shame”, and “Real”. If you’re a fan of either Freddie Gibbs or Madlib, or if you’re just a fan of good hip hop music, then you need to check out Pinata.
