The 25 Most Slept On Underground Hip-Hop Albums Of 2013

The past 12 months were filled with a wide assortment of excellent releases from a variety of indie label,s and numerous more self-released via either Bandcamp, Soundcloud, Audiomack, DJ Booth, Live Mixtapes or other lesser known venues and methods. Since it’s tough to keep track of what came out, that’s we have compiled this list of 25 of the most overlooked and slept on underground Hip-Hop albums of 2013.

The unfortunate part of Rap media is that even though it’s had a significant online presence for over 15 years, the coverage and attention indie and underground Hip-Hop gets inequitable, at best. In order to combat that unfortunate reality here on Hip Hop Wired, I’ve selected  the following 25  projects (out of many equally deserving releases) as The 25 Most Slept On Underground Hip- Hop Albums Of 2013.

Here goes:

Billy Woods x Blockhead – Dour Candy (Backwoodz Studios)

Billy Woods & Blockhead  collaborated on one of the best and most overlooked Hip-Hop albums of 2013 in Dour Candy. Since independent Rap records don’t get anywhere near the same attention as their major label counterparts chances are you never even heard it…or even OF it. Find it.

Blame One x J57 – Walk In The Sun (SoulSpazm)

Veteran West Coast MC Blame One collaborated with J57 of the Brown Bag All Stars to make another of the best efforts to drop this year. Dope beats and bars make for a winning combination. If you slept wake up.

Boldy James x Alchemist – My 1st Chemistry Set (M.1.C.S) (Decon)

Alchemist had one hell of a year which included an incredible collaborative LP with Detroit up and comer Boldy James. Why Boldy James hasn’t gotten much attention from mainstream Rap publications is beyond me.

Boog Brown – The Late Bloom (SoulSpazm)

Boog Brown’s The Late Bloom started off  as a self distributed release that you could purchase via her Bandcamp page before it was picked up and given a full physical and digital release by SoulSpazm. I covered it on While You Were Sleeping way back while everyone else was well…sleeping.

CASTLE – Gasface (Mello Music Group)

CASTLE’s 2011 album Ditch Effort was released via his Bandcamp but it was engaging and inventive enough to be included on several Best Of 2011 lists (including mine). In 2013, he released his debut project on Mello Music Group and it is a concise project that puts album mad with more than 10x the budget to shame. Listen to it for yourselves…

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Curly Castro – FIDEL (Man Bites Dog)

Wrecking Crew member Curly Castro dropped his debut solo LP FIDEL  back in February via Man Bites Dog & DJ Booth for free initially then it was later available for purchase via Bandcamp. Since a disgusting amount of money wasn’t spent on marketing and promotions the masses didn’t know about it but Rap fans with discerning taste managed to be in the loop. I believe in sharing information.

Chaotik Stylz x Oh No – The Subliminal Substance (Brick)

NY transplant Chaotik Stylz teamed up with one of Oxnard, CA’s elite Oh No to craft one of the most inexplicably overlooked Rap efforts of 2013, The Subliminal Substance. In a perfect world this project would land in most end of year lists. Unfortunately, our world is far from perfect.

CZARFACE – CZARFACE (Brick/Get On Down)

The genesis of this project was the classic track  “Speaking Real Words” from  1999’s Speaking Real Words EP. Almost 15 years later Boston’s 7L & Esoteric teamed with Wu Tang Clan’s Inspectah Deck to create what can only be best characterized as a bangathon. If you slept on this album you better wake up and apologize.

Def Dee – 33 & A Third (Mello Music Group)

Mello Music Group initially picked up Seattle producer Def Dee as a developmental artist. Let’s just say it didn’t take long for them to realize he had first round draft pick potential. 33 & A Third was loaded from top to bottom with great slaps and ridiculous bars to make it one of the best Rap albums of 2013 if you actually pay attention to the quality of the music.

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Demigodz – Killmatic (Man Bites Dog)

Underground supergroup Demigodz returned to the fold with a brand new album in grand fashion in early 2013. Killmatic was a veritable tour de force chock full of hard beats and hard rhymes so it’s hard for me to understand how so many Rap fans slept on it.

DJ Skizz – BQE (The Brooklyn-Queens Experience) (SoulSpazm)

2013 was loaded to the gills with numerous excellent Rap albums that inexplicably received little to no press or attention while ink was seemingly reserved for trash material released by major labels. All it takes for you to do is listen to The Brooklyn Queens Experience to realize that there’s something very wrong with where we focus our attention in regards to Rap releases.

Durag Dynasty – 360 Waves (Nature Sounds)

Imagine if you combined Gold Chain Military members Planet Asia, Tristate and Killer Ben with Alchemist on the beats? Now imagine if Prodigy from Mobb Deep, Chace Infinite from Self Scientific, Evidence from Dilated Peoples amongst others made guest appearances on the same project? Now imagine this album was ridiculous, it dropped on Nature Sounds but people slept on it. That all happened.

Guilty Simpson x Small Professor – Highway Robbery (Beat Goliath/Coalmine)

Philly’s Small Professor is one of the hard working producers in underground Hip-Hop and he opened even more eyes by providing sonics for Guilty Simpson to spit ferocious bars over. Guilty has rapped over beats provided by legends and certified beats such as Dilla, Madlib, Black Milk, etc. in the past and Highway Robbery fits well with his already impressive back catalog.

Marco Polo – PA2: The Director’s Cut (SoulSpazm)

Marco Polo had one hell of a year in 2013. First he dropped the stupendous Newport Authority 2 which should be in everyone’s end of year lists for free. Afterwards, he released the excellent collaborative effort Seize The Day with Hannibal Stax. However, Marco Polo’s crowning achievement was the release of his opus PA2: The Director’s Cut. How folks managed to sleep on this is beyond me...

Kid Tsunami – The Chase (Headbop Music/Obese/Fat Beats)

One of the most slept on Rap releases of 2013 came from Australian producer Kid Tsunami. His eye opening album The Chase was first featured on my Hip Hop Wired series While You Were Sleeping back when it was only available on Bandcamp. Since then it’s been picked up by Fat Beats and has physical copies with North American distribution. The next step is the get the masses to wake up…

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KON Sci – And Beyond (SoulSpazm)

KON Sci of MindsOne released his incredible self produced solo LP three weeks into 2013 and close to 50 weeks later it remains one of the best Rap albums of the entire year. All you need to do is hear And Beyond for yourself to realize that I’m not exaggerating in the least. My track record is bulletproof, homie…

Lewis Parker – The Puzzle Episode 2: The Glass Ceiling (King Underground)

Lewis Parker first came to the attention of Hip Hop heads stateside when he dropped his classic project Masquerades & Silhouettes in 1998. Fifteen years later he releases his latest masterpiece, a well constructed 30 track album inspired by James Bond soundtracks and concept albums called The Puzzle Episode 2: The Glass Ceiling. If you listen to albums like this all year long you can’t cosign mediocrity with a clear conscience.

Metabeats – Caviar Crackle (Associated Minds)

UK producer Metabeats made what is without a doubt one of 2013’s best overall Rap albums. WHy have people slept on it? First off, Metabeats is British. Secondly, he’s a British underground Rap producer. Third? The Rap magazines barely cover or pay attention to American indie or underground Rap albums so Caviar Crackle didn’t have a snowball’s chance in Hell in getting heard. That’s where I come in…

MidaZ The Beast – AU: Another Universe (HipNOTT)

Doxside Music Group’s spitter MidaZ The Beast entered the fray with an undeniable album called AU: Another Universe that featured production from IMAKEMADBEATS, TzariZM, Oh No, Marco Polo & Paten Locke. After hearing MidaZ verbally murder these beats you’ll be wondering how anyone could overlook this album as well.

Nametag x NAMELESS – For Namesake (Brick)

Detroit’s Nametag & Flint, MI’s NAMELESS decided to collaborate years ago and the end result was an impressive effort called “BLAOWW!!!”. Over the years they did more & more songs together before finally deciding to form a duo. Brick Records made the right call to give them a deal for their standout debut LP For Namesake. If you missed it there’s always time to fix that mistake.

Natti – Still Motion (QN5/A Piece Of Strange Music)

CunningLynguists member Natti released a tremendous solo album titled Still Motion that received less attention than Rob Kardashian when all of his sisters are in the same room as him. When you hear the aforementioned album you’ll realize the only way to rationalize how Rap journalists could overlook this amazing album is that they’re as lazy as Rob Kardashian.

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P-Money – Gratitiude (Duck Down)

New Zealand producer P- Money made what is hands down what is one of the best top to bottom  Rap albums of 2013 with his 15 track LP Gratitude. His production meshes perfectly with an impressive lineup of MC’s that includes Talib Kweli, Roc Marciano, Havoc, Buckshot, Skyzoo, M.O.P, Pac Div, Freddie Gibbs, Jamall Bufford and more. Click that link and shake your head in disbelief as you wonder how ANYONE could sleep on this kind of heat.

 Gensu Dean x Planet Asia – Abrasions (Mello Music Group)

Texas’ SP1200 master Gensu Dean teamed up with Fresno Rap veteran Planet Asia to drop a monster 17 track LP called Abrasions back in February via Mello Music Group. Cats still managed to sleep on the album like it was a sleep number bed. Open your eyes…

Tony Touch – PieceMaker 3: The Return Of The 50 MC’s (Red River Entertainment)

Tony Touch’s return to the fold this past Summer culminated in the excellent mixtape inspired compilation/producer album PieceMaker 3: The Return Of The 50 MC’s. Anyone who was fortunate enough to hear it when it first dropped can tell you that this album is a banger. I was one of the aforementioned fortunate…

Ugly Heroes (Red Pill x Verbal Kent x Apollo Brown) – Ugly Heroes (Mello Music Group)

If ANY album perfectly embodies this list it’s this one. Ugly Heroes is an album made for blue collar Rap fans in this shaky ever changing economy. It’s an album that speaks directly to the issues and stress of everyday living. Red Pill and Verbal Kent’s rhymes got burn through Spring, Summer, Fall and this snowy Winter. Ugly Heroes is truly an album for all seasons. Don’t sleep on it.

One.