Trap Lord is an absolute blast. Funny how a rapper like Ferg, who is infinitely crappier than Earl, ended up being the one who put out the much more entertaining, realized album.

Lots of good recommendations here, including quite a few I'll have to catch up with.

Run The Jewels is indeed as awesome as advertised.

You, my friend, are a very generous grader. (I gave Mac Miller a B once and was chased off the Internet. I can only imagine what would've happened if he'd gotten the same grade as Yeezus). But yeah, it's been a great start to the summer, and the Cole album is a big improvement over the first one.

You may want to try Love Vs. Money. That's The-Dream's most creatively ambitious work and his high watermark. For the most part, though, The-Dream works best when he's playing within the bounds of the mainstream. His self-consciously outsider-y stuff doesn't have the focus of his radio-friendly output; he makes a very…

The Keef partnership feels like a lateral for Gucci. He traded one non-lyrical rapper who probably wasn't cut out for long-term stardom for another. But Keef knows his zone well, and is still really young, so it'll be interesting to see how (or if) he develops as an artist. Maybe being surrounded by the weirdos at…

Young Thug is pretty much owning 2013 for me. 1017 is gloriously addictive, and most of his guest features this year have just been fabulous. Things are going to get wild if this guy can work his way up to the radio.

That Gambino verse is an atrocity, and probably the only moment that really pulls me from the mixtape. But I can't name many rap releases where a sitcom star mocking women would fit in seamlessly. 

Most of my favorites were free this year, too. The Big K.R.I.T. and Rick Ross mixtapes blew away both artists' proper albums, and 100s shares a download link for his awesome album right on his Bandcamp page.

Most of my favorites were free this year, too. The Big K.R.I.T. and Rick Ross mixtapes blew away both artists' proper albums, and 100s shares a download link for his awesome album right on his Bandcamp page.