Two New Hip-Hop Albums Worthy of Mention

I once thought of hip-hop as a mindless excuse for music, but in the past few years it has grown on me as an excellent expression of emotions from individuals in the industry. Granted, there are artists in the genre that will never reach that point due to the mainstream slump they find themselves in.

The latest hip-hop album I've fallen in love with is 'Thank Me Later' by Drake. If you're unaware of this artist, he released his first mixtape in 2009 titled 'So Far Gone' that elevated itself above many of the year's hip-hop albums. His new album was just released Tuesday, and it's definitely not the 'I made up, **** you' album many expected it to be. Instead, it's something bigger. It's a personal outcry against his newly found fame, and how uncomfortable he is with it. The album is fresh, and I'd suggest downloading the songs Over, Miss Me, and Fireworks to get a feel for it and see if it's worth purchasing. Here's the album on iTunes.

The second album that I would highly recommend is Eminem's new album titled 'Recovery.' If you heard his Relapse album from last year, you could probably peg it as being nothing more than a catchy-comeback album that is slightly radio friendly. This album is much more real, there's no gimmicks. I'd suggest listening to the single Not Afraid, as that will probably get you hooked. The album doesn't release until the 21st, but you can preorder here.

I hope some of you can get enjoyment out of these albums!