Top 10 Slept on Albums of 2008

by Sean Deez on December 30, 2008 · 47 comments

These may be slept on in terms of how many people listened to them, appreciated them, or simply just noticed them. Some probably didn’t get enough praise despite being listened to by thousands, but there are a variety of ways for one to be “slept on.” This is ordered on a combination of how hard it’s been slept on and why it shouldn’t be slept on, due to its quality. It also takes into the consideration the ability to be slept on, meaning that the album has to get considerable talk and mention for people to sleep on.

10. DJ Revolution: King of the Decks

  • Given the talent on this album, it should’ve been better than what it was. Regardless, the good tracks are very good, and this album warrants a listen based on the names alone.

Album Review

9. Common Market: Tobacco Road

  • A great release that needs more attention is Tobacco Road. Sabzi is an extremely musically gifted producer and Ra has all the mechanics to be a great MC. No reason not to peep.

8. El Da Sensei & The Returners: Global Takeover

  • One of my favorite duos in hip hop is the tandem of Tame One and El Da Sensei. One half unites with the Polish production duo, The Returners, to drop a gem of an album in 2008. It’s loaded with great material and it needs to be checked out.

Album Review

7. Nicolay & Kay: Time:Line

  • This was the other Nicolay album that came out this year and got massively slept on. Kay certainly is no Phonte, but he’s sufficient enough to help elevate Nic’s style on joints like “Tight Eyes” and “Blizzard.” Nic is about as musically beautiful as it gets right about now, so don’t miss out.

Album Review

6. The Knux: Remind Me In 3 Days…

  • I hope my frequent mention of these guys throughout these top 10 lists don’t keep them slept on much longer. There’s too much talent to ignore and too much flavorful tactics to shy away from.

Album Review

5. People Under the Stairs: Fun DMC

  • Sure, it’s their sixth album, but why the hell are people still sleeping on this? It has such a dope concept and execution. It’s a great album that certainly deserves more attention than what it is getting.

4. DJ K.O. Presents: Picture This…

  • An album featuring Elzhi, Kweli, Diamond D and O.C. (just to name a few) really shouldn’t be slept on. Throw on the fact that Illmind, M-Phazes and Black Milk are only a small list of featured producers on this and you got an album that really should be listened to regardless of what type of hip hop fan you are.

3. Killer Mike: I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind II

  • It is certainly one of the best lyrical performances of the year. Killer Mike is ultra-talented and easily could be the third member of Outkast if he wanted to be. There aren’t many flaws in this album and Killer goes off on numerous tracks. Slightly political, but that’s hard to hate on. It’s better than the overrated Immortal Technique LP.

2. J-Live: Then What Happened?

  • Have you seen this cover? Because that’s what everyone else has been doing to this album and J-Live’s career. One of the best MC’s ever in hip hop, EVER, and people still seem to sleep to high hell on this guy. It’s sickening at the lack of respect and notice he gets for the caliber of hip hop he puts out. This is just another classic from J-Live, just another.

1. Akrobatik: Absolute Value

  • It came out in early 2008, so chances are, it’ll miss a ton of the 08 lists. It’s a great LP and Ak is a beast on it. Some noteworthy features include Little Brother and Talib Kweli, both acts tear up their verse only increasing Ak’s abilities. It was slept on during the first quarter of the year and it kind of just drained away by the late second quarter. Do yourself a favor and listen to one of the best albums of the year.

Honorable Mentions:

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{ 45 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Thomas December 30, 2008 at 2:38 pm

HS – D.I.R.T.?

2 BC December 30, 2008 at 2:39 pm

I’m astonished Doap Nixon albums not here. Seriously?

3 Deez December 30, 2008 at 2:40 pm

people NEED to listen to that AK!!!

4 Deez December 30, 2008 at 2:40 pm

and why on earth would DIRT be slept on.. I’m at a point where I feel like that album has gotten over appreciated

5 BC December 30, 2008 at 2:52 pm

can someone hit me up at my email address where i can download these, so i can then go out and support these artist!

6 skeme December 30, 2008 at 3:01 pm

i totally agree with your list..i got all albums except for killer mike (just not a fan)..some of these albums made my top 10 albums of 08 (DJ REVOLUTION,COMMON MARKET,EL DA SENSEI & RETURNERS,DJ KO,AKROBATIK & J-LIVE)..other slept on albums (PACEWON & MR GREEN “the only color that matters is green”, REEF THE LOST CAUZE “a vicious cycle”, BRAILLE ” the iv edition”, BUFF 1 “theres only one”, TASSHO PEARCE “the opening act”) im sure im missing a few more..

7 Deez December 30, 2008 at 3:08 pm

Skeme… The PaceWon almost made it, I jsut couldn’t mess with a few of the tracks, and that hurt it for me, but I nkow plenty of people who haven’t stopped playing it

8 dom corleone December 30, 2008 at 3:40 pm

I agree with the Ak and Nicolay/Kay but there’s a reason why some of these were slept on.. I am not feelin the Knux at ALL and I don’t see what all the hype about Killer Mike is.. third member of OUTKAST? Puhleaaase.. I’m speechless.

I’m usually with you K Nott but I’ma have to disagree here.. Slept-on albums this year include Little Vic, Elzhi, & Tanya Morgan

9 Kevin December 30, 2008 at 3:48 pm

This list hits hard. Like skeme, most of these are in my Top 10 for the year… El Da Sensai, J-Live, Nicolay, DJ K.O…. all in constant rotation. Yeah, Reef was slept on. You could go on all day with this kind of list, cuz it all depends on your definition of “slept on”. Basically anything NOT in the mainstream is slept on.

and BC, that makes no sense. Do a search, all of these are readily available for purchase online through the regular retailers. If you can’t find one, let me know.

10 Deez December 30, 2008 at 3:51 pm

I like to thank Dom for reading everything except the author of the post

11 nofrillz December 30, 2008 at 4:10 pm

on point as always bruv. damn right about the knux. there in my favs list for the year. i can’t believe i’ve heard people downing that album

12 skeme December 30, 2008 at 4:18 pm

i totally agree KEV..it all depends on your definition of slept on cause, obviously to us, these artists are not been slept on.

13 Deez December 30, 2008 at 4:34 pm

i gave a quick description of my slept on at the top

14 PAdAM December 30, 2008 at 4:47 pm

Doap nixon should by here…

15 Kevin December 30, 2008 at 4:51 pm

Doap nixon? Another one we need to check for… never heard it.

16 Thomas December 30, 2008 at 7:11 pm

I’ve been checking the list out from around the web and it hasn’t gotten mention…maybe I’m not looking hard enough. That joint was straight New York hardcore hip hop…despite the diverse selection of beat makers.

17 FlamesYall December 30, 2008 at 7:11 pm

Yeah, J Live is dope. ‘Braggin Writes’ is definitely in my top 10 hip hop traks of all time.

Also, did you check ‘Dem Damb Jacksons’ album?? It is produced by the ARE and features Kay and Oh No rhyming over MJ/Jackson 5 sampled tracks… Pure fire. Serious.

18 Ben December 30, 2008 at 9:03 pm

EMC – THe Show?

19 One Mic December 30, 2008 at 9:47 pm

@Ben: I second that! The EMC joint was actually my favorite this year!

20 skeme December 30, 2008 at 9:56 pm

thats right..the EMC “the show” was dope..cant believe i forgot to mention that also

21 skeme December 30, 2008 at 11:41 pm

cant forget C.R.A.C. “the piece talks”..dope album also

22 jimi z December 31, 2008 at 1:00 am

In my opinion N’telligence’s Black Boy Lost was one of the best and most slept on albums of the year

23 Deez December 31, 2008 at 4:44 am

EMC was hardly slept on, got plenty of attention

I thought CRAC was bad.

24 Tommylux December 31, 2008 at 5:16 am

To me, the most slept-on thing this year (cos it got no mention in any category) has to be “Lord Fire” by Vintage and Theory Hazit. I’ll second that J-Live, EMC, and People Under The Stairs been slept on too, although the PUTS hasn’t been out that long yet and people might still pick up on it. As for Nicolay and Kay – dope album, but not necessarily everybody’s cup of tea. I’ve checked the AK too, but the fact I didn’t buy it shows it wasn’t that memorable to me

25 THE HOBBYSHOP HERO | DUTCHMASSIVE December 31, 2008 at 7:09 am

HAHAHA I may be a little BIAS

but I think

RAWKUS presents… “CRUSH YOUR SYSTEM”
DUTCHMASSIVE

was the Slept on album of the year =)

http://www.sendspace.com/file/ep4u3k

Dont believe me?…..hahaha then that prooves it hahaha Download it for Free up there, or I tunes hahaahah

http://www.myspace.com/Dutchmassive
http://THEHOBBYSHOPHERO.BLOGSPOT.COM

26 Cooper December 31, 2008 at 8:14 am

The above comments… just great. Kev & Deez need hip-hop talk radio show or something…

27 GrandeMarshall December 31, 2008 at 8:43 am

Great list Kev, glad to see Killer Mike and Common Market on there, those were two of my favorite albums this year, especially Common Market’s.

28 Kevin December 31, 2008 at 10:05 am

Deez did up this list GrandeMarshall.

EMC = album of the year… to me anyway.

29 BC December 31, 2008 at 1:15 pm

Thanks Kev.I’ll hook you up with that Sour Diesel joint, by Doap Nixon, fucking DOPE album, affiliated with Jedi Mind Tricks, album is unreal!

30 Thomas December 31, 2008 at 7:28 pm

Prodigy dropped two good albums this year ‘H.N.I.C. Pt. 2′ and ‘The Product of the 80’s’

31 Travis January 2, 2009 at 2:08 am

I kinda thought that Doap Nixion was a snooze fest, but if you are into the whole Jedi Mind Tricks thing, I can see it. To me P Brothers – The Gas was a lot better album than Doap Nixon and is on the same vibe.

I gotta listen to that El Da Sensi, I guess I’ve been…ummm ahem, sleeping on it.

Some of the others I guess it’s hard for me to call slept on cause I played so much myself. The only one I don’t agree with much is the Killer Mike, I’ve seen numerous people and blogs name that as one of their favorites, although I’ve never seen the appeal

32 FlamesYall January 2, 2009 at 4:49 pm

Not only was this a slept on album, but this is probably one of the funniest interviews with an artist I have ever heard!! http://www.rappersiknow.com/2008/12/21/roger-riley-teddy-troutman-interviewed-by-hoodhypecom/

Fuckkkkkin’ genius.

33 bone January 2, 2009 at 9:39 pm

hell yea, j-live is the shit

34 Thomas January 3, 2009 at 11:01 am

GZA – Pro Tools a good album that wasn’t talked about.

35 BC January 3, 2009 at 1:42 pm

Got slated over at the rapup! (i think ?) i personally loved Pro Tools.

36 BC January 3, 2009 at 1:48 pm

Oh and Thomas, HNIC was fucking horrible man.

Also, i’m one of the biggest Mobb Deep fans, and it pains me to say that, also broke my heart when Havoc dropped The Kush, another piece of shit.

37 Thomas January 3, 2009 at 1:53 pm

BC…how dare you. lol. P dropped that Thun lingo all over that album my friend.

38 BC January 3, 2009 at 1:56 pm

Okay, maybe the lyrics where dope, but we’ll agree to disagree, but them beats, are utter,utter… shit.

39 Thomas January 3, 2009 at 1:59 pm

Ok…I’ll admit they weren’t “vintage” Mobb sounding beats, but they were haunting and fit them paranoid raps he was spittin. ALC had some bangers though. Sid Roams handled most of the production.

40 BC January 3, 2009 at 2:33 pm

I wonder whatever happened to the ALC/Havoc album. Man that’d make my year!

41 Thomas January 3, 2009 at 5:44 pm

That sure what to that ALC/Havoc album. I thought it was suppose to come out the same time Havoc’s joint dropped.

42 TeGo January 3, 2009 at 6:08 pm

lmfao @ H.N.I.C. Pt. 2 being “garbage” and the beats bein “utter shit”

43 BC January 3, 2009 at 6:26 pm

I take it you don’t agree TeGo?

Thats cool, everyone is entitled to they opinion, i just feel since the brilliance of Hell On Earth, Murda Muzik, even P’s HNIC PT 1, that it isn’t even comparable.

44 TeGo January 3, 2009 at 6:35 pm

na i don’t.. yeah P’s dropped better shit.. some of the shit P says nowdays makes me be like “wtf” but H.N.I.C. Pt. 2 wasn’t a bad album or ne thin imo..

45 Thomas January 10, 2009 at 1:01 am

“I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind II” – this joint is fire. He is the intelligent hustler. Heavy, heavy, heavy ish.

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