Beyonce dropped a self-titled album at midnight last night. It has essentially fucked my whole game up with my year-end list. But since I only listened to it in a daze, I can't really include it. I will say she—without a doubt—had the best album rollout, because she didn't have one at all. This year has been exhausting; essentially every artist I've ever cared about since I was younger dropped an album this year. I basically just ran down my most played on Spotify—and since Pink Friday was released in 2010, I had to go with the more recent music. Here's everything I couldn't stop playing in 2013.10. Lil Wayne - I Am Not A Human Being IIThere's not one song on Wayne's new album I don't like. Even "Hello" which is essentially Rebirth wrapped into one song featuring a skater. A lot of people argued with me over whether or not Wayne could rap over the TNGHT beat. I can't listen to "Easy Easy" without hearing Wayne so the answer is: yes, he can. He'll never be as great as he was but I don't care. "Grab the owl out the tree/Ask that bitch, 'Who but me?'' is also my favorite lyric of the year.Listen to: I Am Not a Human Being II9. M.I.A. - MatangiI saw M.I.A. at a warehouse in Brooklyn the week Matangi was out. Every time I've seen her live, there's so much energy in the crowd, and her live set is incredible. Matangi packs a punch; the whole project is inventive and she still doesn't sound like anything else out right now.[
Listen to: Matangi](http://open.spotify.com/album/3dAxXNscIj0p53lBMEziYR)8. Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 ExperienceJustin Timberlake didn’t need two albums, he’s just been working with Timbaland so fucking long that he won’t say NO to him and he ends up with two basically mediocre albums that, with some snipping, could be one phenomenal project. That didn’t happen, and “Suit & Tie” wasn’t the absolute best comeback. But “Mirrors” is really perfect._[
Listen to: The 20/20 Experience](http://open.spotify.com/album/41br7lBSZOr9RjJAjk0om6)_7. Danny Brown - OldBecause of the fact that Danny Brown—more than most—is truly a student of rap, there's so many facets of Old that draw from what he loves that it makes it an adventure to listen to any of his projects. This has to be on my list, I studied this album for weeks, and then I wrote my first digital cover story on him for Complex. Plus, the sequencing on Old is incredible—it's the best of both worlds—and "Dope Song" is fucking incredible.
Listen to: Old6. James Blake - OvergrownI drink a lot of red wine, usually Carlo Rossi and sometimes very dry, cheap Yellowtail. I know nothing about wine, but I listened to this album a lot while drinking wine at home when it was cold out. There’s a part of James Blake that reminds me a bit of Damien Rice—obviously, I mean some of his songs are fucking depressing and highly intimate, and so dense that it all sounds like a less sociopathic version of “Accidental Babies.” And we all had the “Retrograde” hum in our heads for a few hours at least.Overgrown5. Charli XCX - True RomanceWhile all of our pop stars were out appropriating different cultures of their choices this year, Charli XCX was out fucking raving and making some of the best bubble-gum, straightforward pop with a bit of a postmodern electro influence. I interviewed her right after Icona Pop’s “I Love It” took off, about a month before the album came out. I remember talking to her about Britney Spears and the Spice Girls, and Uffie and Justice, and if you combined all of those artists and added some more electro-house, and a ton of glitter, that’s a good representation for everything her debut was.
Listen to: True Romance4. Pusha T - My Name Is My NameI don't know what to write about Pusha T. I like this album; I like every track. I think it could have started with "40 Acres" but "King Push" is definitely a more brash start. I remember being disappointed when I watched a video of Pusha screaming and pounding on a wall, telling Kanye to release "Numbers on the Boards." In the end, it all worked out.Listen to: My Name Is My Name3. Drake - Nothing Was The SameThe only way to describe why Drake's album is important to me is what I wrote about "Tuscan Leather" below.Listen to: Nothing Was The Same2. Ariana Grande - Yours TrulyTo be honest, pop was pretty boring this year. Miley’s “Wrecking Ball” was cool but of course, there was shock value to the video. Then there was little Ariana Grande belting her ass off with some frilly dress on and no backing vocals. I saw her at Best Buy Theatre. Even though I was really old, I sang word for word to “Piano.” Sure, she may not be that interesting, and her cutesy style is a little cliche, but this girl can sing—and besides the vocal whistles, she's really not that similar to Mariah.Listen to: Yours Truly1. Kanye West - YeezusI saw "New Slaves" when it was first projected on N. 7 & Bedford. Then I went to Columbus Circle. Then I watched SNL for the first time in years. Then I saw him at Governors Ball. Then I snuck into his listening party. And then I went to the Yeezus tour. At first, Yeezus disappointed me. But today, it's the only album I haven't gotten sick of listening to in full. If I didn't admit that this defined the last few months of my life—and job—I'd be lying.
Listen to: "Yeezus"
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Listen to: True Romance4. Pusha T - My Name Is My NameI don't know what to write about Pusha T. I like this album; I like every track. I think it could have started with "40 Acres" but "King Push" is definitely a more brash start. I remember being disappointed when I watched a video of Pusha screaming and pounding on a wall, telling Kanye to release "Numbers on the Boards." In the end, it all worked out.
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