It's that magic time of year, when we're subjected to endless "best-of" articles compiled by a bunch of underpaid, life-hating freelancers. I loathe lists, and list-think, but I'll give it a try:

A$AP Ferg, Trap Lord: Best BasedGod Tribute; A$AP Rock, Live.Love.A$AP: Best 14th Minute; Big Sean, Hall of Fame: Best Song Wasn't Even on It (P.S. He Got Bodied on It); Eminem, Marshall Mathers LP 2: Best We're Gonna Get at This Point; Flatbush Zombies, Better Off Dead: Best Way to Piss Me Off; J. Cole, Born Sinner: Best Personality; Jay Z, Magna Carta Holy Grail: Best Trick the Devil Ever Pulled; Wale, The Gifted: N/A.

Funny enough, but I don't think I'll do that with the stuff I actually liked. I'll just tell you that this year my life was vastly improved by the time I spent with Chance the Rapper's Acid Rap, Danny Brown's Old, Disclosure's Settle, Drake's Nothing Was the Same, Earl Sweatshirt's Doris, Freddie Gibbs's E$GN, the Internet's Feel Good, Ka's The Night's Gambit, Kanye West's Yeezus, Kelela's Cut 4 Me, Lil' B's Pink Flame, Mac Miller's Watching Movies with the Sound Off, Migos's YRN, Mr. MFN eXquire's Kismet, Run the Jewels, Prodigy & Alchemist's Albert Einstein, Pusha T's My Name Is My Name, Thundercat's Apocalypse, Troy Ave's New York City, Tyler, the Creator's Wolf, Waka Flocka Flame's Duflocka Rant 2—but none of them as much as Young Thug's 1017 Thug, the Best Shit I Ever Heard in My Life (2013).

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