Ten Mixtapes From The Year 2009

Lil Wayne - No Ceilings: Anyone who knows me can confirm that I have been a Weezyhead since Dedication 2. I mean that mixtape alone could have went platinum as an album. But with Waynes recent experiment with rock and autotune I have tuned out Lil Weezer for a bit. This release put me back on the bandwagon and will go down as a classic with some of other waynes past mixtapes.

Wiz Khalifa - Burn After Rolling: Up until a few months ago this guy was a no name to me. I read his buzz on the blogs but didnt take him seriously. Thanks to the homie M.Wortman this guy has become one of my favorites artists of the year, tho I didnt really dig his most recently released album, Deal or No Deal, this mixtape was prob. my favorite of the year.

DJ Drama & Gucci Mane - The Burrprint (The Movie 3-D): My cousin Corn is the only reason I gave this mixtape any spins, and the fact that the majority of the mixtapes I downloaded this year came from Gucci Mane. This completed my TrapRap fixin for the year.

Wale And 9th Wonder - Back To The Feature: After the Cunesta Negro posted The Mixtape About Nothing, I officially became a fan of mr W(H)ale. So of course I immediately went to the blogs to find out more about this guy, when I saw 9th Wonder of Little Brother fame attached with this guys name I was of course sold and impressed with the many features on the tape.

Drake - So Far Gone: Drake before he got his Young Money/Cash Money "street cred". I didnt hear about dude until a few months after this was out, but this is the Drake I became a fan of, dude is still solid and 2010 is gonna be a great year for him.

DJ Drama & Gucci Mane - The Movie Pt 2: More Gucci Mane of course, I mean he is the mixtape king of 2009. If you haven't heard the Movie Pt 1 then you are missing out, both mixtapes are better than any album Gucci has ever put out.

Raekwon - Staten We Go Hard Vol 1: Got this after OB4CL2 came out, and listen to this more than I do his actual album (up until recently). I think im gonna call this my 3rd favorite mixtape of the year, it made me a fan of the Chef again.

DJ Drama & Snoop Dogg - The City Is In Good Hands: Found this while looking for more Gucci Mane and was sold by the combo of Snoop Dogg and Dj Drama, if you have not heard this and are a fan of both please check it out.

DJ Whoo Kid, The Empire & Nipsey Hussle - Bullets Ain't Got No Names Vol 3: Downloaded this out of curiosity and didnt listen to it until weeks after I had it. But it was stuck in the CD player for over a week and made me a fan of this up and coming west coast rapper.

DJ Drama & Cam'ron - Boss of All Bosses: Cam has been the dude since horse and carriage days and this was one of my favorite mixtapes of the year, multiple car and club bangers on this.

Cune Pluto album of the week: Wale-The Mixtape About Nohting

OK OK OK....I know this has been out for over a year now, but this mixtape has shown itself to me as a proper album over the last week. Take away the fact that it was released for free, take away the fact that Wale got really no money from it, take away the fact that there was none if any radio play(although there were 3-4 tracks that could've been singles), and you got a studio release. Wale does now have out a proper studio album with "Attention Deficit', but this "mixtape" is a certified classic, and damn well should be, a proper studio effort from the D.C./ Maryland MC. Every track on this mixtape is a banger. The mixtape doesn't have that mixtape feel, it really feels like a studio release under a small label, by an MC who is just gifted. And doesn't give a fuck about grands.... He's just focused on a Grammy.

Taking voice samples from the uber popular sitcom "Seinfield", even the theme on the first track, and turning them into commentary on rap, racial bigotry, and life for the rap head, make this release something more than just a Lil Wayne mixtape showing your verbal skills and punchlines. It's a bonafide demonstration of what a rapper could, should, and must be!