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Year in Review: Our Favorite Projects of 2015

blame it on Meka January 4, 2016

To say that “hip hop is dead” in 2015 would be a grossly arrogant misnomer. As 2014 ended with the promise of quality music, 2015 was bookended from January to December with high-caliber tunes from musicians both old favorites and newcomers. Some avoided the dreaded sophomore jinx and delivered greatness, while others established themselves as some of the most promising artists to come in a while.

As such, the landscape of music changed as well. Rappers are getting dissed by “singers” (who then garner GRAMMY nods for their diss song). The lines between trap and soul have been blurred. Nobody can tell the difference between a mixtape or an actual album. We’ve got artists selling “mixtapes” on iTunes, while others are releasing quality full-lengths for free. Extended plays, which were once glorified maxi-singles, have become the norm. Release dates are even different; it went from Tuesday to Friday to “whenever the musician feels like dropping it.” The only consistent? Adele going platinum every week.

All of the previous 365 days that made up 2015 have been reflected in the DopeHouse’s year-end list. Rather than separate mixtapes, EPs, and albums, we’ve instead categorized everything as just “projects” since they all intertwine together. But why not: when there were as many singles, EPs, studio albums, double albums and mixtapes that were all equally in constant rotation, then there is no need to separate.

Per usual, this is not a “best of” list: it is simply a tally of the projects each individual contributor on the site has personally enjoyed, hence why these lists are not numbered due to predilection. Being honest, there were so many dope projects that some may not be in the list not out of intentional ignoring but simply because of an innocent failure to remember. Regardless, read on to see what made the list, and enjoy/critique on everything below.

RELATEDOur Staff’s Favorite Projects of 2015

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SHAKE

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HONORABLE MENTIONS

Action Bronson’s Mr. Wonderful • AD’s Blue:89 • Add-2’s Prey For The Poor • Apathy’s Weekend At The Cape • Audio Push’s Good Vibe Tribe • Bad Lucc’s Off the Porch • Big K.R.I.T.’s It’s Better This Way • Big Sean’s Dark Sky Paradise • Bryson Tiller’s TRAPSOUL • Busta Rhymes’ The Return of Dragon • Dayne Jordan & DJ Jazzy Jeff’s Memoirs Of Dayne Jordan • Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment’s SURF • Doomtree’s All Hands • Erykah Badu’s But You Caint Use My Phone • Fashawn’s The Ecology • GoldLink’s And After That, We Didn’t Talk • IshDARR’s Old Soul • Jadakiss’ T5DOA • Jay IDK’s SubTrap • Jeezy’s Church In These Streets • Joell Ortiz & !llmind’s human • Joey Bada$$’ B4.Da.$$ • John Givez’s Soul Rebel • JR&PH7 & Chuuwee’s The South Sac Mack • Kirk Knight’s Late Knight Special • Le$’ Steak X Shrimp 2 • Leon Bridges’ Coming Home • Mac Miller’s GO:OD AM • MED, Blu & Madlib’s Bad Neighbor • Michael Christmas’ What A Weird Day • Omen’s Elephant Eyes • Paul Wall’s Slab God • Puff Daddy & The Family’s MMM • Rapper Big Pooh & Nottz’s Home Sweet Home • Redman’s MudfaceYoung Roddy’s The Kenner Loop • Rick Ross’ Black Dollar • Rick Ross’ Black Market • Skyzoo’s Music For My Friends • Sonnymoon’s The Courage Of Present Times • Starlito’s Introvention • Statik Selektah’s Lucky 7 • T-Pain’s The Iron Way • Talib Kweli & 9th Wonder’s Indie 500 • Ty Dolla $ign’s Free TC • Wale’s The Album About Nothing • Wara From the NBHD’s If Guns Could Speak PSA

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MEKA

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HONORABLE MENTIONS

Alessia Cara’s Know It All • Anjelihs’ Metanoia • Big Boi & Phantogram’s Big Grams • Che Grand’s Spaghetti Test • Curren$y’s Canal Street Confidential • Curren$y’s Pilot Talk 3 • Denitia & Sene’s side fx. • Drake’s If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late • India Shawn & James Fauntleroy’s Outer Limits • J*DaVeY’s POMP • Janine and the Mixtape’s XXX • Joey Fatts’ Ill Street Blues • Mila & BC Kingdom’s Press Start • Preston Harris’ Love Crazy • Skyzoo’s Music For My Friends • Sonnymoon’s The Courage Of Present Times • T-Pain’s The Iron Way • Tanya Morgan’s 12 Minutes At Karriem’s • Teedra Moses’ Cognac & Conversation • Thundercat’s The Beyond: Where The Giants Roam • TiRon & Ayomari’s The Great New Wonderful • Towkio’s .Wav Theory

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SHAKE: Considering the recent resurgence of extended-play releases, I had no choice but to share my favorite EPs in a separate list…
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HONORABLE MENTIONS

Childish Major & Matik Estrada’s Community Service • DaM-FunK’s STFU • Denitia & Sene’s side fx. • D.R.A.M’s GahDamn! • Emilio Rojas’ L.I.F.E. • J*DaVeY’s POMP • Janine and the Mixtape’s XXX • J.I.D’s DiCaprio • Joey Fatts’ Ill Street Blues • Mila & BC Kingdom’s Press Start • Open Mike Eagle’s A Special Episode Of… • Sadistik & Kno’s Phantom Limbs • Ta-ku’s Songs To Make Up To • TiRon & Ayomari’s The Great New Wonderful • Your Old Droog’s Kinison

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RELATEDOur Staff’s Favorite Projects of 2015