Kevin: If anything killed the music industry in 2009, it was the free album. I mean, why pay for mediocre music, when there is an abundance of quality music available legally for free? Every single album on my list, I would personally pay the artist money for it.
Justin: 09 was the year of the free album to me. In a toss up for #1, G-Side took Huntsville International while Tokyo Cigar & Cyclops joined forces to become The Plexiglass Fountain. Duos dominate the top 10 as Diz Gibran & Moonshine, Hawdwerk & Jansport J, MaG & G.C. and Count Bass D & DJ Pocket all make the cut.
Kevin
01. Know:Juander – A Kid Love, Beta
02. MaG + G.C. – $5 Cover
03. Trav Williams – IllTravis
04. Donny Goines – The Breakfast Club
05. Louwop – The Great Escape
06. Divine Minds & Soulklap Present The Quan
07. MaG – I Ain’t Goin Back To Retail!
08. K. Sidney – Letters To Windy
09. Cause – I Am Us
10. D.P. – fortyeighthours.
Honorable Mentions:
- Hawdwerk & Jansport J – High Power Moves
- 810: Glass Half Full
- Amen: Queens Boulevard LP
- The Black Sunn: GodSound
- Art of Fresh: Back To The Earth
Justin
01. The Plexiglass Fountain – Left of the Scenery
02. G-Side – Huntsville International
03. Diz Gibran – Soon You’ll Understand
04. Hawdwerk & Jansport J – High Power Moves
05. MaG + G.C. – $5 Cover
06. Count Bass D & DJ Pocket – In the Loop
07. Hollywood FLOSS – Art or Fiscal Intelligence
08. Danny! – Where is Danny?
09. Del Tha Funky Homosapien- Funk Man: The Stimulus Package
10. Donny Goines – The Breakfast Club
Honorable Mentions:
- The Kid Daytona- Come Fly With Me
- United States of Mind- Kill The Bullshit
- Fresh Vetz- Vet Status
- Life The Great- UltraSound
- C.B. News- Soul Searching LP
- Chalie Boy- I’m Here
- The Black Sunn- GodSound
- Amen- Queens Boulevard
- Element- A Long Story Short
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
I couldn’t come up with 10 albums, but here are some of the better FREE albums I heard this year.
1. Marv Won – The Way of The Won
2. Diz Gibran & Moonshine (Crooks & Castles) – Soon You’ll Understand
3. Jon Hope – Somekind Of Wonderful
4. Trav Williams – IllTravis
5. The Kid Daytona – Come Fly With Me
6. Has-Lo-You Can Live Thru Anything If Magic Made It
The Plexiglass Fountain – Left of the Scenery is and isn’t free. You can download it for free, but can also pay for it. I gave them some chedda for that joint.
Diz Gibran and Moonshine takes this category as far as I’m concerned. Diamond District also dropped the clean version of In the Ruff for free. They’d be #2 on my list. I think 50′s War Angel was dope too.
yo!! glad to even be mentioned here… appreciate it fellas!
Really appreciate the mention ya’ll!
WOW I mean it’s crazy just having the PGF album posted and reviewed but to be number 1 on a list is amazing. Thanks a lot.
@Cyclops I hope people dropped at least a buck for the joint.
thank you kev and justin for showing love to The Black Sunn. Anyone reading this who has not copped the free digital copy of GodSound can do so here: http://hungryheartent.bandcamp.com/album/godsound
I gotta grind harder… I’m making this list next year…
Know:juander
top ten album in any list, not just free
Trav Williams, The Black Sunn, Hawdwerk & Janspert are all on my favs list. Definitely getting into more Know:juander after that single he dropped. I think I slept on his album a little bit. Element, Amen, Donny Goines had me checking for more. Element is definitley on my watch list for 2010.
I’m sure I have most of these so I can’t comment further but I’ll check my catalog, move them up the list, and give them a spin.
Definitely Kinge. I probably should’ve had knowjuander on my honorable mentions, my top 10 was set though.
apparently you guys haven’t heard Recession Music by Prof & St. Paul Slim! best album of the year no doubt
Yo i was on the way back from VA beach today when Cyclops hit me up to tell me that we got number 1 on the list. I was BUGGING. seeing this joint got me hype as hell. For real THANK YOU. We worked hard on the album and to get love like this is crazy.
PAC DIV “CHAMPIONSHIP LEAUGE” WAS SHITING ON ALL THE FREE ALBUMS OF THIS YEAR!!!
I’m loving that little project that Epiphany dropped; Louwop as well.
Wow! I had no idea that I made this list! I wanna thank S.T.T.R.E.S.S. for providing heat for the project and helping me get noticed on KN.COM. I also want to thank everybody that showed love to the project. It’s definitely been the motivation that I’ve needed to keep me making more music. 2010 has already started off right!
Jermisides Mixtape!!
That Danny album was impressive. Surprised hes been around for so long (and been a grammy nominee) and ive slept on him till now.
Thanks for recognizing the talent of all the MCs above but extra thanks for including D.P, Donny and Cause on this list
Nothing but the best for 2010 Kev
the kid daytona should have been top 10. im still listening to that!
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