The 2012 HipHopDX Year End Awards (UPDATED)

Updated daily the week of December 17, 2012, DX's annual picks for Best Emcee, Best Hip Hop Album, Best Comeback, Biggest Story and more...

Welcome to the 2012 HipHopDX Year End Awards. For more than a decade, this is when we acknowledge the passing year, honor its triumphs and uglier moments, and begin our own celebrations leading up to another exciting year giving you the best in all things Hip Hop.

From December 17 to December 21, 2012, the editors and staff at HipHopDX will update this every day with new categories and winners. Congratulations to the winners and runners-up and may all of our readers have a safe and happy holiday season.


Emcee Of The Year: Kendrick Lamar



Last year's HipHopDX Album Of The Year winner with Section.80, Kendrick Lamar expanded his repertoire in 2012 with versatility and poise. In addition to his show-stopping good kid, m.A.A.d city major label debut, K-Dot played critical roles assisting artists ranging from Gunplay to Rapsody to Dido on a plethora of projects. Compton's latest displayed many voices, tones and lyrical styles along the way, making an album that attracted multiple generations of Hip Hop fans. Moreover, the 90-plus minute sets for the BET Music Matters Tour shocked fans as an artist whose stageshow required no special effects or standard surprise guests. Kendrick mastered the ceremony in every single way possible, by restoring Hip Hop with a message in the mainstream.


Runners Up:

Killer Mike

Mike Bigga made a substantive album with El-P in R.A.P. Music that had fans claiming was not only the best of the veteran's career, but 2012 as whole. Moreover, with a handful of tours, the leader of the Grind Time Rap Gang showed that great albums are even greater when delivered in the flesh.

Ab-Soul

Ab-Soul brought racial, social and Hip Hop commentary to his tour de force, #controlsystem. Meanwhile, the Carson, California sensation simply flipped the BET Music Matters Tour on its head with performances that truly felt top-billin'.



Slept-On Album Of The Year: Trophies by Apollo Brown & O.C



During the last three years, as golden-era alum O.C. has been on hiatus, Detroit's Apollo Brown has become of the most exciting producers in the underground Hip Hop community. Mello Music Group flew O.C. to Michigan and the pair made a modern marvel in Trophies. The soulful album was a return to form for the man who made enduring indie classics in 1994's Word...Life and 1997's Jewelz. Apollo provided a more subdued, but still sample-driven sound than heard on his previous works, and this was a prime backing for a subtle concept album that earned its trophies from us, even if the charts somehow missed the greatness.

Runners Up:

Russian Roulette by Alchemist

Al's complete vision and ability to execute a solo album came alive on this mosaic of Cold War sample sources, ruffneck rhymes and careful orchestration. Somehow Decon was the one of the brightest sources for music in 2012, even if this flagship release went under the mainstream radar.

The Idea Of Beautiful by Rapsody

On her studio debut, Kooley High valedictorian Rapsody tackled big issues on gender in Hip Hop, with some assistance from high-profile peers who champion her sound. 9th Wonder's latest protege made a beautiful album, that you can't find next door.

Stay tuned each day this week as HipHopDX rolls out its annual awards...


PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

Alchemist
Alchemist has grown remarkably over the past decade, enhancing his sound from left-field, sample-based loops to complex musical confections. This year, "Alan The Chemist" cranked his output up a notch, spreading his genre-bending sound across the Hip Hop landscape. With Action Bronson, the longtime Mobb Deep affiliate and Gangrene member produced some of his darkest fare yet - Rare Chandeliers - and held the reins as mad conductor on the ambitious, sorely underrated Russian Roulette. In addition to his other sharp releases (Vodka & Ayahuasca with Gangrene and No Idols with Domo Genesis), Al is already shaping up to have an even stronger 2013, planning projects with Prodigy, Evidence, Boldy James and Durag Dynasty.

RUNNERS UP

El-P
El-Producto pounded the pads on two of the most celebrated albums of 2012 in Killer Mike's R.A.P. Music and his own Cancer 4 Cure.

Harry Fraud
After years in the underground, New York's Harry Fraud supplied A-list acts with mixtape gold, but he lit it up on Curren$y's Cigarette Boats and garnered a lot of props on Rugby Thompson with Smoke DZA.

Where the fuck is Seven? (inb4STRANGEgenius)


TOUR/CONCERT OF THE YEAR (WOW WTF ON THIS ONE, seriously WTF)

Drake's Club Paradise Tour

With songs from 2011's Take Care still soundtracking much of this year, Drake presented his catalog like a vet on his Club Paradise Tour. Ever the showman, the Canadian rapper/singer captivated fans with an immaculately designed gallery of entertainment. Drizzy also brought along a who's who of opening acts on various legs of the extensive run, including J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Waka Flocka Flame, A$AP Rocky, L.E.P. Bogus Boys and French Montana. Club Paradise was a hallmark showing of some of the more important faces of the 2010s in mainstream Hip Hop.

RUNNERS UP

BET Music Matters Tour
Led by Kendrick Lamar, BET's Music Matters Tour was a display of bare-bones lyricism in club venues across North America. Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, Stalley and Fly Union provided stellar support on a tour that even frequent unannounced guest ScHoolboy Q couldn't miss.

Live From The Underground Tour
Big K.R.I.T.'s first headlining tour of a major magnitude delivered veteran Slim Thug along with rising sensations Big Sant and Tito Lopez, city-to-city.


COMEBACK OF THE YEAR

Juicy J

Juicy J was ratchet before the term was ever coined. As a founding member of Three 6 Mafia, he’s been making shamefully addictive, yet raunchy tracks like “Slob On My Knob” longer than some of the people reading this have been alive. And having survived every Southern Hip Hop sub-genre from Crunk, Snap to Trap, it was almost some sort of profanity-laced poetic justice that he rounded up three generations of artists from below the Mason-Dixon Line for a remix to 2012’s go to strip club anthem, “Bandz A Make Her Dance.” It’s 2012 and people are just now discovering Juicy J, even though the man inexplicably owns an Academy Award. Pole-dancing is becoming a mainstream fitness exercise, and you’ve probably heard the instrumental to “Bandz A Make Her Dance” at an NBA game. Maybe the Mayans were right about the world ending this year.

RUNNERS UP

O.C.
Over 15 years removed from "Times Up" and "Return Of The Crooklyn Dodgers," this D.I.T.C. lyricist linked lovely with Apollo Brown for Trophies, making a fan favorite of 2012.

El-P
In addition to his superb production, El-P's signature sarcasm and precise lyricism came alive on Cancer 4 Cure. Well beyond Company Flow and his Def Jux movements, this fiery veteran made 2012 a true end-to-end burner.


NON-HIP HOP ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Channel Orange by Frank Ocean

Building his career’s backbone on a stellar free album (Nostalgia, Ultra) and as an auxiliary member of Odd Future, Frank Ocean is one of the few artists to match his hype in 2012. After releasing a controversy-sparking open letter confirming his relationship with another man on July 4th, the butter-toned singer-songwriter dropped his wholesome debut Channel Orange, an album packed with darting melodies, creamy harmonies and top-shelf songwriting. It’s a deeply personalized diary of standalone singles threaded over the course of a near-hour long LP, with romance - both troubled and euphoric - coursing through its veins. Not only did Frank procure life lessons and put them on wax, but he did it gracefully.


RUNNERS UP

Black Radio by Robert Glasper

Glasper brought together an eclectic mix of artists such as Lupe Fiasco and Musiq Soulchild to push the boundaries of both Jazz and Hip Hop. Add in the tributes to Sade and Nirvana and you end up with a high-quality, fusion album that hit almost every demographic without truly crossing over.

Pineapple Now-Laters by BJ The Chicago Kid

Heard in recent years on albums from Kendrick Lamar and Freddie Gibbs, BJ carried a Soul message that echoes the greats of the '60s and '70s, with a delivery and production completely in his own time.



VERSE OF THE YEAR

"Reagan" (second verse) by Killer Mike

RUNNERS UP

"New God Flow" by Ghostface Killah

"m.A.A.d. City" (third verse) by Kendrick Lamar


DISAPPOINTING ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded by Nicki Minaj

RUNNERS UP

Strange Clouds by B.o.B.

The OF Tape Vol. 2 by Odd Future


RISING STAR OF THE YEAR

Joey Bada$$

RUNNERS UP

Rapsody

Flatbush Zombies


STORY OF THE YEAR

Mobb Deep Breaks Up, On Twitter

Weeks after Havoc allegedly dissed Prodigy in April, the indefinite hiatus of Mobb Deep still doesn’t make sense. Or does it? Legendary Hip Hop groups rarely have amicable splits. See N.W.A., EPMD, and Little Brother for further examples. You can argue that the only surprise here wasn’t the breakup of Mobb Deep, but the way that it happened. Hav and P provided a brand of Hip Hop that helped give New York its lyrical and sonic identity for the better part of the two decades. Their split played out like lost cutting room floor footage from the movie Mean Girls. Sadly, there’s a good chance some of us will remember the “start of their ending” more for the Twitter beef, subliminal shots, and handful of lame excuses before owning up to the fact that they split. Party’s over; tell the rest of the crew.


RUNNERS UP

Frank Ocean Comes Out, Sort Of
Mysonne aside, Hip Hop’s reaction to Frank Ocean’s open-letter regarding his sexuality was not only a major headline this year, but also surprisingly enlightened.

Tupac Reappears As A Hologram
Meek Mill and Rick Ross spent 2011 screaming about bringing “Tupac Back.” At Coachella 2012, Digital Domain made it happen...hologram-style.


COLLABORATION OF THE YEAR

"Mercy" by Kanye West, Big Sean, 2 Chainz, and Pusha T

RUNNERS UP

"m.A.A.d. City" by Kendrick Lamar featuring MC Eiht

"Cartoon & Cereal" by Kendrick Lamar featuring Gunplay


ALBUM OF THE YEAR

good kid, m.A.A.d city by Kendrick Lamar


RUNNERS UP

R.A.P. Music by Killer Mike

#controlsystem by Ab-Soul


READERS' CHOICE ALBUM OF THE YEAR

good kid, m.A.A.d city by Kendrick Lamar


RUNNERS UP

Life Is Good by Nas

Trophies by Apollo Brown and O.C.


VIDEO OF THE YEAR

"Daughters" by Nas

RUNNERS UP

"Grown Up" by Danny Brown

"Big Beast" by Killer Mike featuring T.I. and Bun B



For Full Story Go Here: SOURCE

I am ok with this

The awards are finished if anyone is curious.

Jeet wrote:The awards are finished if anyone is curious.

Updated.

Chokey wrote:I am ok with this

I take this back. I haven't been to a Drake concert but I know that it aint near tech n9ne - whom had 23 sould out concerts in europe and is a better live performer as well. fuck them.
Haven't heard some of the winners - like produce of the year - so I cant disagree with that much else.

Tech N9ne not performer of the year?

fucking fucked in the head fucked up retards.

STRANGEgenius wrote:Tech N9ne not performer of the year?

fucking fucked in the head fucked up retards.

Must be because Drake hade som huge sold out concerts in London. but wtf I disagree with this shit so much. They could have made kanye&jayZ the best performers with their watch the throne-tour even though I dislike their new faggot music Kanye should be dope af live and jay-z is a great MC as well. but fuck it this is beyond gayness.
The industry is punks tbh.

Drake is fucking horrible live though, man im gonna fucking murder and torture every member that works on that retarded site.

List needs more skelethon.