HIPHOPSITE "BEST & WORST OF 2003" LIST !!

[SGV]

They broke it down by verses. Guru's verses were much better than 50's.

[eS El Duque]

sweet...Immortal Technique got #1   (for indy rappers)

i think the lists are fine..mostly on point

Guru didn't come out with much this year..one album i think..50 had so many songs :S

[Kill]

damn, that was a lot of shit, nobody's gonna agree with everything but overall I like the list and I agree on alot of what they said...props 4 postin this

[N-Sane Brain]

A very good read, props for lettin' us know.

The 5th annual best and worst list is here, summing up 2003 as one of the best and worst years for hip-hop in recent memory. On the larger scale, major labels took an L, thanks to MP3 downloading/investing their money into fucking garbage artists, making it hard for us to even pick 10 solid releases, while indy labels reigned supreme, as many of the independent 12-inch pioneers delivered quality full-lengths. There was so much good independent music this year that it was hard to sort through which albums would be called "the best".

I fully agree on this point, it was definitely the year of the "independence"

Are They Really Listening?
The 20 Best Albums: Indy Labels

[...]

2. Louis Logic - "Sin-A-Matic" - Solid
[...]
4. Immortal Technique - "Revolutionary Volume 2"
5. Little Brother - "The Listening" - ABB
[...]
11. Atmosphere "Seven's Travels" - Rhymesayers
[...]
16. Black Moon "Total Eclipse" - Duck Down
[...]
20. Jedi Mind Tricks "Visions Of Ghandi" - Babygrande

I would've set "Visions Of Ghandi" definitely above all of them I listed above. I haven't heard the other mentioned releases yet, but now I know which discs I got to check.

While J.M.T.'s Visions Of Gandhi and his collaborative union with Canibus, Rip The Jacker, failed to resonate as anticipated, it was not due to Stoupe's production, as his host of western European strings and dramatic backdrops added an emotive feel to Canibus' robotic flow that was previously absent, which was particularly evident on "Spartibus" and the incredible "Poet Laureate II." And though Stoupe held down J.M.T.'s cult-following with his aural alchemy, Jus Allah's departure from the group left a void that Vinnie Paz was unable to shoulder. While he was already respected, in 2003 Stoupe established himself as one of hip-hop's top underground producers.

What the...? There's three things I definitely don't agree with (the bold ones). "Rip The Jacker" was one of the best releases this year, Canibus was definitely hungry as a muthafucka on this album, and furthermore I'm glad that Jus Allah left the Jedi Mind Tricks, because Vinnie Paz is way sicker than him. And they had a lot of dope guest-appereances on "Visions Of Ghani", so where was the "void"?

Dr. Dre - Best Beats: "In The Club" (50 Cent), "Back Down" (50 Cent), "The Setup" (Obie Trice)

I agree with "In Da Club" (probably the hottest beat last year), and "Back Down" was very tight too, but "The Setup"? C'mon, Dre did way better beats on Obie's album: "Shit Hits The Fan", "Oh!",...

The Neptunes - Best Beats: "Frontin'"

Probably it was their most-heard beat, because they released that shitty single, but that was definitely one of the worst beats of the first single in the rap-game this year.

The XXL Takeover
The Source's dirty deeds finally caught up with them as they for once have a solid competitor that's giving them a run for the money. With breakthrough cover stories on Shady/Aftermath, Jay-Z, G-Unit, Outkast, and Nas (holding a burning Source cover), all the biggest artists were in XXL, while The Source dug themselves into an even deeper hole. The "State ofEmergency" campaign was not for hip-hop, but for The Source Magazine itself.

LoL Anybody got the cover of that Nas issue?

Weathermen Vs. Demigodz - Winner: Draw
This was probably the most entertaining of the battles to watch, considering that opponents on both sides were skilled enough to deliver heavy disses in each direction. Cage and Copywrite let loose on 7L & Esoteric and Celph Titled on each "Haterama Part 1 and 2", "Boston Baked Bitch" and "Boston Crabs", while 7L went at Cage and them on "Do It" and "Runaway". The beef took an unpredictable turn when Celph Titled bootlegged Cage and Copywrite's disses on 12inch vinyl with all new intros, hilariously detailing how he was "eating a four course meal" off of their disses. Just when you thought it was over, another melee between Cage and Celph Titled broke out at a Cage show, right around the same time new dis tracks were traded between 7L & Esoteric ("Mercy Killing") and El-P.

LoL @ Celph Titled That's my man. Never heard about that too.

[T-Dogg]

Lots of things right about that list. Only a few thing's I'd personally change, mainly the order of some lists, but mostly those too were similar to my personal opinion. Especially in the top 5 regions.