Underrated Albums of 2013

What's happening everybody? As you can tell with this series, this decade has delivered some outstanding, seminal releases thus far going into 2013.  While 2012 was the best overall year up to this point, the prior two years were excellent themselves.  The year of 2013 delivered attention-worthy albums such as J. Cole's sophomore effort, Born Sinner, Kanye's polarizing effort, Yeezus, Drake's rather impressive, Nothing Was The Same, and Jay-Z's lackluster, yet still notable, Magna Carta Holy Grail.  While most or all went at least gold in status, there were other projects that year that didn't receive the attention they should've gotten.  Many would say the albums on this list were better in quality and lyricism than the ones mentioned and others like them.  We'll examine this theory as we go over the most overlooked and underrated albums of 2013. Let's get it!

15. Kid Cudi

Indicud

Production: artist, Hit-Boy, others

The eccentric and left brain musical traits of Chi-Town representative Kid Cudi goes back to his rather intriguing debut album, Man On The Moon. It was followed up by his even better sophomore effort, Man On The Moon II.  However, it was his third album, and first off G.O.O.D. Music, that was his most ambitious.  The album, Indicud, is more eclectic in feel, yet hungrier in approach.  Typically a Cudi project is filled with somber, emotive cuts that portray his pain and determination to overcome his demons, this album felt free.  A more in control Cudi, and the result felt like a triumphant Cudi that had finally artistically arrived.

14. Freddie Gibbs

ESGN

Production: ID Labs, Willie B, Tone Mason, others

Indiana's favorite gangsta, Freddie Gibbs, was hot going into 2013, as his prior releases of Str8 Killa and Cold Day In Hell were establishing him as a force to be reckoned with.  In 2013, he dropped his first full-length album, ESGN, and it was prototypical Gibbs, as his stories of hustling and wylin' are the album's makeup.  With assistance from the likes of Daz Dillinger, the legendary Spice 1, and TDE's Jay Rock among others, Gibbs brought that thug music that G's and hustlas can relate to all too well.

13. Statik Selektah

Extended Play

Production: artist, The Alchemist

Boston's finest DJ/producer, Statik Selektah, had presented tough releases such as 100 Proof and Stick 2 The Script, but this was a level up from both releases.  Staggering production and highly impressive guest spots from the likes of Pro Era, Sean Price, Flatbush Zombies, Prodigy, and Raekwon earned this an official banger award.  One can't front on how dope the inspirational cut "Game Break" featuring Posdnous, Termanology, and Christian emcee Lecrae was.

12. Roc Marciano

Marci Beaucoup

Production: artist

What was starting to be a yearly thing with Roc Marci was dropping another solid album.  After the critical successes of his prior efforts, Marcberg and Reloaded, he delivered Marci Beaucoup.  While it would've been nice to have an Alchemist beat or two on here, the album still bangs notoriously.  Gritty and gutter, Marci Beaucoup continued to show how needed Marci was the uphold the tradition of grimy NYC hip-hop.  Count this as three-for-three for Long Island's rising triggerman lyricist.

11. Ill Bill

The Grimy Awards

Production: artist, DJ Premier, Ayatollah, Large Professor, El-P, Pete Rock, DJ Muggs, others

Grimy Brooklyn emcee Ill Bill had been wrecking mics since his days with underground crew Non-Phixion (their album The Future Is Now was GONZO).  However, his solo work was overall quite excellent.  His albums of What's Wrong With Bill and The Hour Of Reprisal were stellar and he continued his momentum with The Grimy Awards.  Often bleak and hardcore, Bill brings you raw, unfiltered lyricism and dares you to try his gangsta.  This album is hard enough to put a screwface on Obama's grill.

10. Ugly Heroes

Ugly Heroes

Production: Apollo Brown

The trio of Detroit's Red Pill, Detroit super producer Apollo Brown, and Chicago's Verbal Kent comprise of Ugly Heroes, and their self-titled debut album was nothing to fuck with.  An overall dark and gloomy experience, this album examined the despair and cloudy days of their respective worlds.  Brown provided a very appropriate soundtrack to their harsh realism, and this was a excellent, albeit depressing at times, effort from these "heroes".

9. Chance The Rapper

Acid Rap

Production: Nate Fox, Jake One, DJ Ozone, others

Before Chancellor Bennett got these Grammy Awards and became one of the most revered artists in the game, he was an underground emcee trying to get on his come up.  While he officially became a household star with Coloring Book, his journey began with the decent 10 Day, but his bigger and better effort was Acid Rap.  A more zoned out and trippy experience than his church-rooted follow-up, Chance's star was starting to get shown and this fantastic mixtape was just an indication of things to come.

8. The Underachievers

Indigoism

Production: Mr. Bristol, Roca Beats, Rich Flyer, Dreamrite, others

There was a movement that started to emerge from NYC in the form of "Beast Coast".  The fathers of the movement were Pro Era, Flatbush Zombies, and two young enlightened stoners from Brooklyn known as The Underachievers.  AK and Issa Gold were two young cats that were not only excellent lyricists, but also provided substance to their style.  Their debut mixtape, Indigoism, was a pleasant acid trip filled with spiritual undertones, intelligent rhymes, and an overall feel good aura.  Expressing individuality and growth, The Underachievers shined among their peers with a rather impressive project.

7. Demigodz

KILLmatic

Production: Apathy, DJ Premier, Marco Polo, Snowgoons, others

The crew of The Demigodz have been among the underground's most hard-hitting clicks.  Consisting of Apathy, Celph Titled, Ryu, Blacastan, Esoteric, and Motive have been a force for a number of years, with past members including subterranean notables Louis Logic and L-Fudge.  Following up their debut album, The Godz Must Be Crazy, this was the click's first album in five years in KILLmatic.  With relentless lyricism and knocking production, including one from the might Premo himself, this album isn't for the Drake lovers of the world.  This is mean-mugging hip-hop at its purest.

6. KA

The Night's Gambit

Production: artist, Preservation

Brownsville's KA is what one would call a street journalist. Reporting on intriguing observations and reporting them as he sees them.  In his world, he observes a world of bleak, murky lives and he identifies them personally in his second album, The Night's Gambit.  The production resembles the same murky, dark world that surrounds him, as you get a sense he's walking through the streets of Brownsville at two in the morning and it's dark and foggy seeing climates of hustling, betrayal, and body stashing.  While his debut, Iron Works, and his impressive follow-up, Grief Pedigree, were both great ventures into finding his voice, he establishes his identity on The Night's Gambit, and he only climbed from here.

5. Czarface

Czarface

Production: 7L, DJ Premier

The duo of 7L & Esoteric have been delivering dope hip-hop for some years leading up to 2013.  Albums such as The Soul Purpose and 1212 made them respected and earned them a lot of props in the underground.  They decided to do a full project with frequent collaborator, Inspectah Deck from Wu-Tang, and they became Czarface.  Their debut self-titled album was a thunderboomer.  A knockout album that was hard as any album either act had ever put out.  For Deck, this was his most stellar overall effort since The Movement.  With an additional beat from the legendary DJ Premier on "Let It Off", this album was one of the best debut albums of the early decade.

4. Black Milk

No Poison, No Paradise

Production: artist

Detroit's Black Milk had become a slowly building household name within the game.  No longer an understudy for the late Dilla, Milk was delivering consistent, potent material.  With No Poison, No Paradise, he goes the conceptual route, as he lives through the life of a young man, whose childhood and adolescence resembled his.  With his production telling the story just as much as his actual lyrics, No Poison is a carefully woven tale of a young man exploring his lost childhood and getting caught up in the world that surrounded him.  His discography was getting better and better.

3. Prodigy & The Alchemist

Albert Einstein

Production: The Alchemist, Adrien Younge

When the hip-hop world lost Prodigy of Mobb Deep, we lost a true legend in hip-hop.  One of the most influential emcees outta NY, P was known for his venomous bars and the aura that he was just that dude that would take you out in a moment's notice.  His collab album with frequent collaborator Alchemist, Albert Einstein, was another example of how stellar he was.  Vivid rhymes were his marquee, and over some highly delightful production by Alan The Chemist, this was a vicious album and one that belongs in high upstanding in NY and Mobb history.

2. Ghostface Killah & Adrien Younge

Twelve Reasons To Die

Production: Adrien Younge

When many mention the name Ghostface Killah, they associate that name strictly as part of WU-Tang, but the truth is Dennis Coles has become one of the most prolific and consistent emcees, with or without his crew.  The creator of epic releases like Ironman, Supreme Clientele, and Fishscales delivered another amazing release in Twelve Reasons To Die.  Alongside incredible producer and composer, Adrien Younge, and narration by RZA, this brilliant conceptual album (inspired by a legit old comic book of the same name) follows him as a deceased spirit resurrected by playing twelve different albums, in which he gets revenge to the ones that killed him.  The score and production alone sounds like vintage Italian horror/B-movies but the vision of GFK with this project highlights his legendary status.

1. Run The Jewels

Run The Jewels

Production: El-P

We first heard Killer Mike and El-P collaborate on Mike's zenith album, R.A.P. Music.  Little did we know an entire project with the two of them, this time Elk-P emceeing along with producing, would take place.  Calling themselves Run The Jewels, their self-titled debut was alarming in terms of content and issues, but was fun and exhilarating.  The chemistry between them was surprisingly magical and almost effortless.  Certainly an ambitious project, this must be considered the most fantastic debuts of the decade, easily up there with good kid, M.A.A.D. City and PRhyme.  Beware of the game's most relentless duo.

Honorable Mentions

Action Bronson & Harry Fraud- Saaab Stories

Talib Kweli- Gravitas

R.A. The Rugged Man- Legends Never Die

Homeboy Sandman- Kool Herc Fertile Crescent

Guilty Simpson & Small Professor- Highway Robbery

Boldy James- My 1st Chemistry Set

Oddisee- The Beauty In All

Goodie Mob- Age Against The Machine

Hopsin- Knock Madness

Danny Brown- Old

Action Bronson- Blue Chips 2

A$AP Ferg- Trap Lord

Quelle Chris- Niggas Is Men

Clearly a formidable year for hip-hop, 2013 was stretching its arms with being a huge year of releases. While we celebrated massive albums from the aforementioned Jay, Kanye, and Drake, these albums were, in all likelihood, BETTER than all mentioned at the beginning of this piece.  The decade was becoming stronger and stronger per year, and the scary thing was that the best was yet to come. Until next time folks!