2014 Grammys: 10 Albums That Should Have Been Nominated For 'Best Rap Album'

December 9, 2013 - 8:25 pm by Mikey Fresh TWITTER

Now that the 56th annual Grammy nominees have been announced, the great debates can officially begin. When it comes to the "Best Rap Album" category, the selection comes from hip-hop's usually heavy hitters and a few new kids (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Kendrick Lamar). They'll go head to head with Drake, Kanye West and Jay Z on Music's Biggest Night. Sure, these choices were all no-brainers, but who else really deserved a spot. There's always politics involved, but VIBE wanted to pick 10 other releases that also deserved a shot to win a gold trophy.

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Dom Kennedy 'Get Home Safely' Leimart Park's Dom Kennedy amazed fans and the hip-hop industry when he released his independent album through iTunes and Best Buy own his own. Get Home Safely was almost like a celebration of the smooth rhymer's own accomplishments. Without compromising his sound or identity for any major label, Dom built a following that is destined to stay loyal until the wheels fall off. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

Tyler, The Creator 'Wolf' Tyler, the Creator turned heads once again when he came out the gate selling over 90k units of his solo album, Wolf. Released on April. 2 of this year, the project marked a new level of maturity for his own releases. Of course, Wolf was filled with the post-teenage angst and dark humor that we love Tyler for, but everything from the visuals, subject matter and musical arrangements added a new level of depth to his catalog. Shit, he even got Skateboard P to cameo in his video. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

A$AP Ferg 'Trap Lord' Ask any 21-year old what the song of the summer was and you'll get one reply, "Work." What started as a mixtape leak turned A$AP Ferg into a household name for young hipster and mainstream rap fans alike. We told you before and we'll tell you again, the Mob ain't nothing to be fucked with. Rocky set it off, and now it's time for the rest of the crew to come and get some. Ferg and Nast are next up. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

Pusha T 'My Name Is My Name' Sure, Pusha T's G.O.O.D. Music debut was pushed back one time too many, but the VA kingpin's dope doesn't spoil. And, he knew that as a fact. Not to be overshadowed by his labelmate's projects, Pyrex released one of the year's best street rap albums. Staying true to his own morals and exceptional level of lyrics that we would only expect from the Clipse, P did more than show and prove. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

Run The Jewels (Killer Mike & El-P) 'Run The Jewels' Having released one of rap's most slept-on albums in 2012 with RAP Game, Killer Mike and El-P followed up with another banger. Under the alias Run The Jewels, the duo made rap purists jump for joy once more in 2013. Filled with aggressive production and complex, yet gritty rhyme schemes, the odd couple answered the call of the wild. And, the fans are still hungry. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

J. Cole 'Born Sinner' Cole took the leap of faith and moved his release date to match Kanye West's Yeezus. The results were more than great. He really stood up to the giant and came out alive. Though, there's no doubt that Kanye had more impact with his album, Born Sinner elevated Cole's status in hip-hop. The N.C. rapper is one of the few post Biggie and Pac MCs that is truly growing with his fans. Despite what Kendrick may say, Jermaine's fanbase will be around forever. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

2 Chainz 'BOATS II: Me Time' The man of a million guest features had his way in 2013 as well. He may have not made the same impact as he did in 2012 but Tit held his own. While going through some unwarranted press, the ATLien dropped a solid album, which included the Hot Boyz anthem, "Used 2." Who else could have brought the Cash Money boys back together in their hometown. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

Mac Miller 'Watching Movies With The Sound Off' Mac Miller had the formula to sell a million albums and threw it out the window. He knew exactly how to top the Billboard charts and cover every teen magazine. Instead, the young Pittsburgh MC decided to stay true to his musical roots and record songs that he truly wanted to make. The result was the experimental project, Watching Movies With The Sound Off. Sonically, the release found Mac dipping into regions that were totally foreign to his fanbase. We loved it. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

Chance The Rapper 'Acid Rap' We're not sure exactly how much acid played a part in Chance The Rapper's critically acclaimed free-album, Acid Rap. It doesn't really matter to us, actually, because the project is incredible. Both musically diverse and honest, Chicago's new prince encompasses all the best musical traits from Eminem, Andre 3000, and Nas. 2014 is his for the taking. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

Big Sean 'Hall Of Fame' Big Sean's sophomore album received mixed reviews but the opus was a favorite around the VIBE offices. We recognized Sean's growth and maturity on these records. It's rare for an artist to seamlessly switch between ratchet club bangers and heartfelt life stories. On Hall of Fame, Detroit's own proved that he mastered both. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed]

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