#1 James Blake- Overgrown Released: April 5th By: Dequan Huggins      With the world falling in love with electronic and dance music, UK singer/producer James Blake aimed to separate himself from other artist by infusing the worlds of soul and electronica. The heavenly combination on his second studio album Overgrown was the perfect balance of…

#2 Drake- Nothing Was the Same Released: September 24th By: Dequan Huggins      Every young man awaits the day when he is able to showcase to his peers that he has become the man that he has set out be; however, not too many men have had the opportunity to show their growth to the…

#3 Arcade Fire- Reflektor Released: October 28th By: Dequan Huggins      Fresh off their Album of the Year Grammy in 2011 Arcade Fire returned to the Indie Rock scene more inspired to create than ever. The 6-piece band including husband and wife vocalists Win Butler and Régine Chassagne traveled to Haiti and Jamaica discovering a…

#4 Childish Gambino- Because the Internet Released: December 6th By: Dequan Huggins      In 2013 no artist had a better album rollout than rapper/ producer/comedian/ writer/ blah blah blah.. Donald Glover aka Childish Gambino. Accompanying his second studio album, Because the Internet, Gambino wrote an interactive screenplay that follows a disturbed and doubtful young man…

#5 Kanye West- Yeezus Released: June 18th By: Dequan Huggins      Controversy! Controversy! Controversy! No other artist caused it this year more than Chicago hip-hop legend Kanye West. After a lack luster performance on his record label compilation Cruel Summer, Kanye looked to shake the world up again with his latest project entitled Yeezus. Struggling…

#6 Tyler, the Creator- Wolf Released: April 2nd By: Dequan Huggins      Leader of the California Collective Odd Future, Tyler the Creator, released his second full-length album last spring titled Wolf. After expressing disappointment with his the creative process of his first album, Tyler returned to music inspired to incorporate more of his sonic inspirations…

#7 Arctic Monkeys- AM Released: September 6th By: Dequan Huggins       English rock band Arctic Monkeys released their fifth studio album this fall with hopes of reinventing themselves. Known for their indie punk threshold, the band relocated to Los Angeles and became inspired to create more mellow and soft-spoken rock. The risks that the Arctic…

#8 PartyNextDoor- PartyNextDoor Released: July 1st By: Dequan Huggins      Canada continued its wining streak with its urban artists in 2013 with Ontario singer PartyNextDoor. The singer/ producer was the first signee to hip-hop golden boy Drake’s label OVO Sound. The cosign came with excruciating expectations; especially after Drake’s recent split with fellow Canadian sing…

@Xtradope’s Best Songs of the Year By: Dequan Huggins 2013 saw some of the more creative and imaginative records in recent memory. From future family reunion feel good records like “Blurred Lines” to controversial club smashes like “UOENO” to anything by Miley Cyrus. 2013 had it all and I took the liberty of ranking the…

#9 Danny Brown- Old Released: October 8th By: Dequan Huggins      Detroit has seen its share of colorful rappers, but no character has been as interesting and original as the Fools Gold experimental rapper Danny Brown. After seeing a substantial amount of success from the critical darling XXX, Brown looked to not only top…

#10 Chance the Rapper Acid Rap Released: April 30th By: Dequan Huggins      Hip-hop rookie of the year Chancellor Bennett, aka Chance the Rapper, saw more success than any rap newcomer with his latest efforts Acid Rap. With the wave of drill and violent music that has come from the city of Chicago recently,…

Honorable Mention Migos- Young Rich Niggas Released June 13th By: Dequan Huggins      Fresh off the streets of Atlanta, the trap trio Migos burst on the scene setting the rap game ablaze with hit after hit in 2013. With Quavo and Takeoff functioning as duo for majority of the year (FREE OFFSET), Migos took…