Laugh at my Pain (Codeblack, 2011) by Kevin Hart

Kevin Hart is my new favorite comedian.  He has an unbelievable knack for telling detailed stories about his own life instead of relying on more common topics like sex, race, and politics.  Like the title suggests, Kevin takes pain from his own experiences-most noticeably his father's drug addiction, and turns them into funny anecdotes while injecting his very laid-back, humble, and friendly personality into near flawless comedic timing and delivery.  The only thing with audio recordings of his stand-up is that some of his humor is sight-driven, and obviously that is missing on an album as opposed to a DVD or Blu-Ray.

Nostalgia, Ultra (N/A, 2011) by Frank Ocean

I didn't hear this mixtape until after I had heard Watch the Throne.  My two favorite tracks on the album are "No Church in the Wild" and "Made in America."  Although that is not just based on Ocean's appearance on those two tracks, his contributions do make those particular songs stand out.  This mix tape is quirky, but in a good way.  I was immediately hooked with the "Street Fighter" video game intro and I like the Stanley Kubrick stuff too.  It's a cohesive body of work, but not unlike Tyler the Creator's Goblin, it can seem a bit confusing.  Vocally, his best track is "Songs for Women."  The only thing that somewhat holds the mixtape back is the production, but it's a mixtape so it's not really fair to hold that against it.  Overall, it's a great release from a very promising new talent.

Success is Certain (Gracie Productions, 2011) by Royce Da 5'9"

"My life's been goin' around ‘n’ round since ’95/Went from goin' where about to die/Went from callin’ my chick a chicken cause she look like she got poultry around her thighs/To callin’ your piece a chicken cause she got no teeth and she got crow feet, around her eyes/How hard are y’all? I got a heart the size of Arkansas/Count to five, these birds gon’ hit the ground and they ain’t from out the sky/Went from havin’ an outta-this-world-flow, to doin’ the pity, or doin’ the coon dance/To watchin’ my good friend Eminem winnin’ a moonman/I remember cause I was in New York with all of my boys to start shit/Lettin’ ‘em stay with me, long story short, they tore my corporate apartment/Went from bein' a kid addicted to basketball/To bein' an ignorant nigga addicted to alcohol/Round and round we go is how this movie would end/Self-proclaimed King of my city, not really just truely the King of losin’ a friend/Who would’ve thought this goof in the park whose true to his art would lose/Or win just by givin’ his thoughts ‘n’ views"

-Royce Da 5'9", "Merry Go Round"

Sleepwalk With Me Live (Comedy Central, 2011) by Mike Birbiglia

The set up of this album/one man show is a perfect set up for Birbiglia's style of humor.  He is very, very funny, but he is more of a storyteller than a joke teller.  The story about his sleepwalking and falling out of a hotel window in "The Missile" is the album's closer and highlight.  Although not quite as strong as some of Birbiglia's earlier material, the album is a successful experiment in presenting stand up in a traditional theater setting.

Finest Hour (Comedy Central, 2011) by Patton Oswalt

Patton Oswalt is one of my favorite comedians.  And this album continues his streak of quality releases.  The biggest difference with this release is that it's the first in which he is a father.  Not surprisingly, parenthood has worked its way into his material.  However, his approach to it is unlike any other voice in comedy ( [on how tiring parenting is] "I was wearing sweat pants and a shirt.  And they were the same color").  The best track on the whole album though is "The Circus is in Town"- a bit where Oswalt explains how the circus is an outdated form of family entertainment.

Radioactive (Shady, 2011) by Yelawolf

Aside from the obvious common thread of race among Yelawolf, Eminem, and Kid Rock.  Stylistically, Yelawolf sounds like a combination of Eminem and Kid Rock.  And Yela's well-rounded appreciation of music extends beyond his sound as well.  He has a wide range of influences too.  If you don't believe me, listen to "Radio" where he name-drops Janis Joplin and Bone Thugs N Harmony in the same line.  This very diverse mix of taste translates wonderfully to all of his major-label debut, Radioactive.  There are no two songs that sound alike.  "Made in the U.S.A" sounds like the perfect anthem for the Occupy Wall Street movement, "Growin' Up in the Gutter" sounds just as industrial as anything Trent Reznor would put out, and "Animal" has Yela blacking out with an absolutely amazing flow at the end, and he holds his own on collabos alongside Em, Kid Rock, Killer Mike, and Mystikal ; this album is a modern hip hop classic.  And the reason I have yet to come across anyone else who recognizes this album in that same light is totally beyond me.

Tha Carter IV (Cash Money, 2011) by Lil Wayne

Tha Carter IV has been a long time coming and a lot of the hip-hop community shows their support by delivering guest verses for the project.  Eight of the album’s fifteen tracks have guest appearances.  It is safe to say that Lil Wayne was the first artist to become “The Best Rapper Alive” without an album out (between 2005’s Tha Carter II and 2008’s Tha Carter III), but that was three years ago.  And hip-hop has a very short memory.  Since then, Weezy went to jail, put out two other albums, and signed two of hip-hop’s brightest new stars.  They were all noteworthy activities to keep Wayne in the public eye, but they seem to have taken away from his focus on Tha Carter series- which is exactly what got him there in the first place.  Where Wayne’s unpredictably was once an attribute, it is now a hindrance.  While skimming the surface of IV, it sounds like a natural extension of III.  However, upon closer inspection, Wayne sounds lazy and all the energy he is able to muster sounds forced.  Gone are the days of syrup and ganja, but that doesn’t stop him from trying to relive those times vicariously through his music (“So high, I get star-struck”, “Ashed my blunt in my Grammy Award”).  Not to say that Tha Carter IV doesn’t deliver, it does.  It is just that the highlights of the album rarely feature Wayne.  Other than the solo song “President Carter”, the set’s standout material all comes courtesy of its various features.  The album’s best cut, “Interlude”, doesn’t even feature a verse from Wayne.  Instead, Kansas City’s Tech N9ne and the legendary, also unique (and unexplainably uncredited) Andre 3000 drop show-stopping verses.  I’ll bet that Tech N9ne benefits from Tha Carter IV more than Lil Wayne does.  Lil Wayne always struck me as an artist’s artist.  His wordplay, flow and image never failed to be somewhat abstract.  And Tha Carter IV was supposed to be Wayne’s victory lap.  But it instead hints that his reign may be over…for now.  Considering it took him five solo albums in six years to hit his stride while remaining relevant through the height of Roc-A-Fella Records, Eminem and 50 Cent, Nelly, and, most notably, the tension at his own Cash Money Records, I’ll be the last one to ever count him out for good.

Neverlution (Comedy Central, 2011) by Christopher Titus

This album is more political than Titus' earlier material, but it is just as funny.  The great thing about it too is that he does not take a side, he simply dissects American culture as a whole and points out numerous inconsistencies.  The album clocks in at about an hour and forty-five minutes, but it never feels long-winded.  Titus again demonstrates how he is a very gifted storyteller, and that  makes the time just fly by.  I am a big fan of his work and will continue to support him as long as he continues to perform.

Hell: The Sequel (Shady, 2011) by Bad Meets Evil

“He’s Evil, and I’m Bad like Steve Seagal/ Against peaceful, see you in Hell for the sequel”, and with that the final rhyme of “Bad Meets Evil”, from Eminem’s 1999 Slim Shady LP, are air-borne.  And after twelve years, the sequel has finally arrived.  Once upon a time, Bad and Evil (Royce Da 5’9” and Eminem respectively) were the best unsigned rappers in Detroit, Michigan, and this EP is a reminder as to why.  As far as lyrics and delivery are concerned, this EP is flawless. Hell’s first single, “Fast Lane”, is arguably the most memorable hip-hop duet since “Brooklyn’s Finest” in 1996. While the shock value seemed somewhat uninspired on Eminem’s 2009 album Relapse, “Fast Lane” finds Mr. Mathers back in top form.  And Royce is clearly capable of matching wits with 50’s favorite white boy (Graduated from master debater slash massive masturbator, to Michael Jackson’s activator/ Meanin’ I’m on fire off the top, might wanna back up the data) over the orchestral beat.  Other highlights include “The Reunion”, which find Eminem slowing down his flow and Royce turning down a woman for using the word ‘swagger’.  “Lighters” featuring Bruno Mars is also a good song.  As out of place on the EP as it is, the record does do a great job of breaking up the warped sense of humor and fun approach throughout the rest of the project.  Production-wise, the tracks become a bit repetitive and tiresome by the end.  But to be fair, most of the beats are sparse and tailor-made for spitting.  And in this case, more so than many, the beats are there to accentuate the rhymes.  The use of the Mike Epps vocal sample on “I’m on Everything” seems clever at first, but him saying “Ha ha huh” in the chorus comes off as obnoxious.  And for something as highly anticipated as Hell, it seems improper that the EP would close out with “Loud Noises”- the only track featuring other rappers, supergroup Slaughterhouse, alongside Bad and Evil.  Even with a great set-up for the song by Eminem on the previous number, “Take From Me”, “Loud Noises” still feels out of sequence.  Despite a few faults, Hell: The Sequel is a great release.  It is an EP which clearly aims to satisfy hip-hop purists without compromising anything to appeal to pop sensibilities.  And just because it probably won’t sell in the millions doesn’t mean that it doesn’t deserve to.  Twelve years is a long time.  But it was worth the wait.

Watch the Throne (Roc Nation, 2011) by Jay-Z and Kanye West

In addition to board work by Kanye, other producers such as Q-Tip, Swizz Beatz, and The Neptunes also contribute music to this amazing project.  “Murder to Excellence” is a standout for the way that the beat changes mid-song while both men discuss the serious issue of black-on-black violence. The highlight, however, is The RZA-produced “New Day”.  Atop haunting piano chords, each rapper drops a verse hypothetically addressing their unborn son.  For as much as Watch the Throne was predicted to be an opportunity to capitalize on the popularity of the album’s two stars, it does not.  They can’t leave rap alone.  The game needs them.  Make no mistake, before Jay-Z was a “business man” and President Obama called Kanye West a “jackass”, they were both artists at the top of their craft.  And this album is a reminder of that.  As well as illustrating how far that artistry has taken them, excesses and egos in all.

The R.E.D. Album (Geffen, 2011) by Game

It is a very pleasant surprise to hear Dr. Dre narrate the album.  And after an album introduction where Dre says, “And if you know anything about Killer King [referring to Martin Luther King Hospital], you know this- being born there is just like dying there,” Game, with assistance from Kendrick Lamar, raps with an intensity on “The City” that has not been heard from him in years. It sets the tone for the remaining nineteen tracks.  It is interesting that Pharrell Williams, who also serves as the album’s executive producer, only  contributes one beat.  However, Game’s ability to work with a diverse group of artists and producers is one of the things that have helped him endure over time and generate a fan base that reaches beyond Left Coast hip-hop purists.  Not since Death Row’s heyday has a rapper done for the West what Game has in the past several years. 

New Territory (Comedy Central, 2011) by Carlos Mencia

I have been a fan of Carlos Mencia ever since the first episode of Mind of Mencia.  Some people say he is a racist, but I don't share that viewpoint.  He has an insightful perspective on America because of his different experiences.  And in this country's politically-correct climate, it is very refreshing to hear someone who is not afraid to speak their mind.  My favorite part of the album is not even a joke, but when Carlos tells a story about what he said to a detractor: "When I tell a racial joke about anything and people laugh, it's an affirmation that they know who I'm talking about.  And they know who I'm talking about because they know what I'm talking about because we live amongst each other to the point where our idiosyncratic behavior is known to all of us because the tapestry of America isn't Black, isn't White, isn't Hispanic.  It is every possible living type of human being.  You do realize that we're the only country that can do jokes about anybody else and we understand what that means."

Gone Madigan (n/a, 2011) by Kathleen Madigan

I was a latecomer to Kathleen Madigan, but better late than never.  This is the funniest album that I have heard in the last five years.  She is irreverent, but not too explicit.  Whether explaining a failing economy as the result of a birthday clown getting a 350K bank loan or poking fun at Kellie Pickler, Kathleen is hilarious and very smart.  I only started watching Last Comic Standing when Greg Giraldo (R.I.P.) was a judge, but now I wish I had tuned in earlier in the series to see Kathleen when she was on.  [Writer's Note: An appropriately sized piece of album artwork could not be located, and so Blu-Ray cover art is used.  The two items look the same.]