First Up! presents: The Best 10 Albums of 2009

Yepp, 2009 is almost over, a new decade is waiting around the corner and everyone has gone completely mad trying to sum up the past 10 years. The worst word that got hyped in 2009 was the word 'throwback', I seriously can't stand it, I don't do throwbacks. Soooo, I'm not gonna do a decade round up.

The first reason, I think the whole thing is overrated (even if I do love listing things), I honestly don't read them so why oh why spill precious time dwelling in old shit? Second, I simply don't have that type of memory. Since the stress related breakdown I had some years ago I barley recall last week...

So let's keep it simple, leave the old behind, focus on the now and stay in this year okay? And something we've been hearing all year is that the album format is dead, but it isn't dead people and 2009 sure was the year to prove it:

1. KiD CuDi - "Man on the Moon. The End of Day" | ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥



It's kinda hard to review an album when the only words you have to say about it is positive worn out ones like: "Brilliant", "Masterpiece" and "Historic". But them words describes exactly what Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi's debut album is: A brilliant historic masterpiece.

Read the full review here.

2. Lady GaGa - "The Fame Monster" | ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥



Never had the chance to write this review since my laptop cached just in time for it's release. The album's eight songs were initially intended to be part of a re-release of GaGa's debut album "The Fame". However, GaGa announced that the new songs would be available as a stand alone album, as she thought the re-release was too expensive and that, "as the piece represents a separate conceptual and musical body of work, it does not need the songs of The Fame to support it". And boy was she right, every single track off "The Fame Monster" is strong single material.

3. Major Lazer - "Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do" | ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ X



I must say, people have always hyped Dilpo up, both as a musician and as eye-candy, and okay, some of Diplo's work is super good and super talented but some is not. This made up story about Major Lazer along with Switch however, is a struck of genius. It's the perfect get away from b-more, house and contributing to the work of other artists for them both.

Read the full review here.

4. Clipse - "Til the Casket Drops" | ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ X



To be blunt, "Til the Casket Drops" lacks a single of the 'Wamp Wamp (What It Do)'-calibre from the previous "Hell Hath No Fury" but it really doesn't matter, as a whole "Til the Casket Drops" is a great album that actually manages to fulfil my huge expectations I've had since the mixtape "Road To Till The Casket Drops" dropped a year ago. I got noting to complain about.

Read the full review here.

5. Young Money - "We Are Young Money" | ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ X



One great side about "We Are Young Money" are the productions. David Banner manages to pick himself up on 'Streets Is Watchin', Kane Beatz does an amazing job on most tracks, Tha Bizness shines on 'Mrs. Parker' but the best productions comes from Chase N. Cashe, no question about it. 'New Shit' is superb in it's complex simplicity and so is 'Pass the Dutch'.

'Roger That' makes me long for Nicki Minaj's upcoming album more than ever, girl actually got flows tighter than a dick in a butt.

Read the full review here.

6. Dizzee Rascal - "Tongue N' Cheek" | ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ X



Tongue N' Cheek" is not a grime album. If truth be told, Dylan Mills left grime long time ago and "Tongue N' Cheek" is his biggest departure from grime yet, it's a full on dance record.

Dance... Yeah, on paper things sounds a bit iffy to say the least. First, If you read the production credits you'll find the name Tiësto, the Dutch Euro trance master and I can't think of anyone that screams more "Ibiza Uncensored"

Read the full review here.

7. Wale - "Attention: Deficit" | ♥ ♥ ♥ X X



All and all, a good album, a fair debut, came out way over my expectations. But the biggest issue I have with Wale still remains after this, he and the album is so uneven, like 50% of what he does is bat shit crazy good and the rest of the 50% is like I said, on that sleepy-diazapam-level.

Read the full review here.

8. R. Kelly - "Untitled" | ♥ ♥ ♥ X X



Say what you want about Robert Sylvester Kelly, I still love that misogynist golden shower boy trapped in a man's body, with a mind of a sexual frustrated Aaron Spelling.

One thing that's for sure is that he isn't out to renew himself with this, the "Untitled", Kellz' ninth studio album.

Read the full review here.

9. Kid Sister - "Ultraviolet" | ♥ ♥ ♥ X X



Today's the day when all nail technicians in the world should head out of the beauty parlor and peep by the nearest record shop to buy an album. That album I have in mind is Melisa Young's aka. Kid Sister's long awaited debut "Ultraviolet" released today on Fool's Gold / Downtown Records. Can't think of a better way to show reciprocity actually, cause not since the days of the sprinter Florence "Flo Jo" Griffith-Joyner, someone have had that form of impact on women all over to start pay attention to their nails and getting flipped nail designs did.

Read the full review here.

10. Newham Generals- "Generally Speaking" | ♥ ♥ ♥ X X



Now it feels like I’m only complaining, that’s not my intent at all as there is actually not a single bad track on "Generally Speaking". The proper CDQ of Bell Them Slags is pretty AMAZING, Violence ft. Dizzee and G-Man (other guests featured on the album is Chrome and Slash-E) is really good, Supadupe is a visit back to good radio sets and I could go on and on.

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