19TH Annual Illuminati 2G Hip Hop Awards
Welcome to our 19th annual Illuminati 2G Hip Hop Awards. Here we recognize the best albums of 2018 in the world of hip hop. We break in down into regions as by what was the best album from the east, west, midwest and dirty south. All the selections are made by Illuminati 2G so if ya got beef wit the picks, hit me up on email or the message board.
East Coast Album Of The Year: J Cole- KOD: I see why some have described this project as “experimental” . The sound is not necessarily what we’re used to from J.Cole. That’s not a negative critique, just an observation. He shows his lyrical versatility yet again, if you are a fan, then you know he can switch his flow up effortlessly, the flow on several tracks on this project highlight Cole’s ability to incorporate his sound with something that the younger generation can relate to. I’ve always appreciated the homage he pays to jazz, musicianship, and comedy, this album offers more of the same.
Dirty South Album Of The Year: Travis Scott- Astroworld: What an album. Does Travis Scott do anything crazy new or different here? Not really, but everything here is done really well. From the beat switches early in the album, to a bit of a different tone towards the end like “Coffee Bean”, there’s a lot to like here and a little bit for everyone. Previous fans of Travis will certainly enjoy, but if you’re not a fan of the genre nothing here will change your mind. Still, it remains in my top 5 played a month after release and I don’t see that changing much. It almost feels as though different songs stickout to you after multiple playthroughs, which is a sign of a good record in my opinion. Lyrically, Travis will not blow your mind at all, but his delivery and flow remain solid and the beats and hooks remain as catchy as ever (5% tint). The autotune, although annoying at times (parts of Stargazing) remains a part of Travis’ shtick. Like it or not, he makes the best of it throughout the album and unlike Kanye’s previous work (famous for his use of autotune) Travis always uses creative ways to make the tracks feel fresh and exciting rather than samey.For the genre, without a doubt album of year contender and something hip-hop fans cannot miss.
Midwest Album Of The Year: Royce Da 5’9″- The Book Of Ryan: Great emotional depth in storytelling. Engaging beats. Thoroughly satisfying skits. Relatable and relevant. More than just multisyllabic rhymes.
West Coast Album Of The Year: Nipsey Hussle- Victory Lap: I’ve been a fan of Nipsey, since his Cinematic days. His music is reflective of folks, whom came from the dirt and hustle, then legitimized themselves in America. His music is motivation to myself, whose been hustling since Pokemon and Yugioh in Elementary school, to getting older and moving to other light and dark things. Now as a business owner, paying taxes and providing a generational mass of wealth to pass down. This album just compliments the bliss
Best Comeback: Meek Mill/Eminem
Best Indie Album: Nipsey Hussle Victory Lap
Most Slept On Album: Styles P: Dime Bag
Best Mixtape- Logic: Young Sinatra 4
Best New Artist- Cardi B
Most Entertaining “Beef”- Eminem VS Machine Gun Kelly
Best Guest Appearance- Jay Z: What’s Free on Meek Mill’s Championships Album
Best Rap Quotable & Diss Song: Eminem- Killshot
Best Lyricist- Logic
Biggest Disappointment: Kanye West- Ye
Album Of The Year: Royce- The Book Of Ryan
Producer Of The Year: DJ Muggs
Group Of The Year: Cypress Hill
Label Of The Year: GOOD Music
Compilation Of The Year: Soul Assassins
Song Of The Year: Meek Mill- What’s Free
Overall, I thought 2018 had some amazing albums. Thought provoking rap is definitely back in the forefront. Region wise, I liked the things that I heard from the East and the Midwest all year. Especially the East, alot of new artists and crews dropped great albums this year. TDE continued with their dope releases from Jay Rock and Reason. Seems like that grimey east coast sound is making a comeback with artists like Styles P, Logic, Sheek Louch and others on the production tip. The South was really dope this year, Royce’s album was amazing, Cyhi Da Prynce and Big K.R.I.T. dropped a nice EP as well.
The Midwest really had some great releases.Eminem, Royce, . The West had great releases all year. Noah Jones dropped another great album, Ice Cube made a suprising comeback and Dulamite dropped UndeRrated which was dope. I want to take this time to thank all of the fans and visitors that have supported the site since day one. So many dope interviews this year, Dae One, Dulamite, Fredro Starr, the list goes on, over 150 interviews and counting this year and over 100 interviews for the 10th straight year. MAJOR THANKS TO JEHUNIKO, ADAM MURPHY, BARRY & T. They both put in a ton of work with their interviews and features. ALL are truly Illuminati 2G to the fullest.
We got more in store including continuing our podcast radio show in January, our popular Sanctuary mixtape series and a street album and we are trying to build up our forum so alot more is in the works. Too many artists to name, you know who you are. Thank you. We will continue to bring the heat as we go into our 19th year. 2018 was a great year, and we have alot in store for you guys in 2019 so keep it locked here at Illuminati 2G! Hoped you liked the awards, congrats to Royce for album of the year with The Book Of Ryan.