15 Game Changing Projects From The Past 5 Years [PHOTOS]

Hip-Hop has made a fair departure from the respective golden eras of the 80s and 90s, but crying about it will get you nowhere. The upside is that the culture has made a change for the better in recent years. We’ve also seen a resurgence in lyrics and a clear spark in individuality — some instances are a bit more extreme than others.

To emphasize this fact, we decided to list 15 bodies of work that changed the very fabric of the culture over the past five years. During this time, the game experienced a changing of the guard.

No longer the ringtone era, we were in the midst of a period that has yet to be defined; one that uses the Internets as a means to communicate with the people.

Without getting too prophetic, let’s just say that fans received some quality tunes during these years.

See 15 projects that changed the game in the past five years on the following pages. As always, don’t hesitate to let your thoughts be known in the comments.

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Photo: Dreamville

Drake – So Far Gone (2009)

An up-and-coming Canadian rapper dropped a project undoubtably influenced by Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreaks (it even borrows a beat from the album). This very same mixtape would lay the foreground for someone destined to become one of Hip-Hop’s greatest superstars.

Wiz Khalifa – Kush & Orange Juice (2010)

The whole genre of Mary Jane music owes much of its success to the Taylor Gang founder. We haven’t forgotten about you Devin The Dude, but this mixtape made Wiz a mainstream darling. It also had countless jams for listeners to vibe out to.

Rick Ross – Teflon Don (2010)

This is the album that officially ushered in the Rick Ross era. Clocking in at just 11 tracks, the MMG frontman touched every emotional chord with the help of artists like Kanye West, Raphael Saadiq, Drake, Jay-Z, and more.

Waka Flocka Flame – Flockaveli (2010)

Knocking 808s are a staple in Hip-Hop and have been since this album dropped. Much of that can be credited to Waka’s high energy and Lex Luger’s hard hitting beats. Also, standout records like “No Hands,” “Hard In The Paint,” and “Grove St. Party” dominated the clubs.

J. Cole – Friday Night Lights (2010)

Remember when Light Skinned Jermaine broke the Internet? Yea, we do too. Though he now admits this project was a result of label woes, the Roc Nation rapper certainly changed the dynamic of rap from an emotional standpoint with this one. We should also note that some songs from Friday Night Lights were originally for Cole’s major label debut.

Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)

Between this album and the G.O.O.D. Friday tracks leading up to it, Yeezy flexed his power as an influencer both musically and stylistically. Minimalistic album covers with red writing have become a staple because of the Chicago native. Not to mention that the album may sonically be his best to date.

Lil B – I’m Gay (I’m Happy) (2011)

We selected this project strictly for time purposes, because the Based God’s movement influenced more rappers than many people like to admit. His movement just about concluded with this project.

A$AP Rocky – Long. Live. ASAP (2011)

Cornrows, gold teeth, and music with southern influences made the Harlem native more intriguing than your run of the mill NYC rapper. Then he dropped a mixtape with beats and flows struggle rappers steal to this day. Also, search how many folks have “A$AP” attached to their names on Twitter/Instagram. This project sparked that.

Mac Miller – Blue Slide Park (2011)

Many wrote off the Pittsburgh rapper as nothing more than a whimsical MC with no real depth. But his fans believed otherwise, and showed their appreciation by supporting his official debut when it hit stores. Standards for independent artists haven’t been the same since.

Killer Mike – R.A.P. Music (2012)

Killer Kill From Adamsville’s career has been marked by his lyrical prowess and knack for painting pictures with sociopolitical and socioeconomic themes. But he took this to another level and created an early candidate for rap album of the year with his sixth studio album.

El-P – Cancer 4 Cure (2012)

The second of a pair of projects solely produced by El-Producto (the first being Killer Mike’s R.A.P. Music), Cancer 4 Cure was marked by menacing beats and harshly vivid rhymes. Listeners hear sentiments of the Company Flow founder’s underground roots, but in a very progressive way that often borders something futuristic.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – The Heist (2012)

The Seattle duo created a slow burner with this collaborative piece. That means the album had a slow start, but it eventually propelled to the top — in this case, the zenith point would be #1 singles on the Billboard charts. Remember that the pair are independent, too.

Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city (2012)

A new king of the West Coast was crowned when the Compton spitter released his steller debut album. A clear narrative complete with well placed skits made the project a listening experience like none other. To make it simple, GKMC marked a changing of the guard.

Chance The Rap – Acid Rap (2013)

Like many of the MCs on the latter portion of this list, Chance is like a well prepared gumbo. The young Chicago spitter has clear influences from rhymers like Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and more, but he flips it in a way that’s sure to be mimicked by lesser MCs sooner than later.

Jay-Z – Magna Carta Holy Grail (2013)

The simple fact that Jay has changed how the RIAA counts record sales makes this worthy of game changing status. The end.