Album of the Year: #3 and #2

 

3 – Dessa, A Badly Broken Code

Part singer, part rapper and all poet, Dessa's lyrics are unlike the words of any other artist in hip-hop today, running the gamut from introspective to braggadocio without missing a beat. And unlike some other great hip-hop lyricists, she gets stellar production work from her Doomtree brethren like Paper Tiger and Lazerbeak. A Badly Broken Code might be the most underrated album  of any genre of 2010.

Standout Tracks: Seamstress, Dutch, Dixon's Girl

2 – Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

No one has played the role of “loveable villain” as well as Kanye West since Ric Flair retired from professional wrestling. But the devil must get his due: My Beautiful... is the logical marriage of all of his work to this date, and its the rare album that does not have a skippable track.

Standout Tracks: Runaway, Hell Of A Life