25 Of The Best Free Rap Releases From The Past Five Years

Ordinary Joel · Oct 27, 2015

Oct 27, 2015
Article Source: Pigeons and Planes - http://pigeonsandplanes.com/2015/10/best-rap-mixtapes-free-download/s/585862/

Year: 2011
Favorite tracks: "Die Like a Rockstar," "Blunt After Blunt," "Outer Space," "30"

While 2010's The Hybrid officially woke the sleeping bloggerati on what Danny Brown had been cooking in the D, --- officially woke the rest of the critics. A tantalizing blend of the rawer hip-hop side of his sound combined with the bugged-out sonics that he'd picked up during his 30 years on this planet made --- the full realization of what makes Danny Brown great.

Blunted (well, more than blunted) lyrics that blended the realest of reality with some of the most insane imagery imaginable, Danny is in his most perfect form here. Anthems like "Die Like A Rockstar" and "Blunt After Blunt" were chanted from Los Angeles to NYC with ease, while deeper cuts like "DNA" or "30" highlighted the pain and real life strife that makes Danny Brown someone that's way more grounded than your average rapper.—khal

http://pigeonsandplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/rich-g----tha-tour-600x400.jpg

Year: 2014
Favorite tracks: "730," "Imma Ride," "Givenchy," "I Got"

The Rich g--- mixtape is Like Father, Like Son for the new wave of hip-hop fans. This time, though, instead of Birdman being dragged along by Wayne, he steps back and lets his latest young associates shine. When he does participate, it's almost as if only to add contrast—a grounding element among a couple of spark plugs. WithLondon on da Track on board as an executive producer, the entire project has a luxurious, spacious feel, and that's the perfect setting for two of the wildest rappers out—Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan—to explore.—Confusion

Year: 2013
Favorite tracks: "Good a--- Intro," "Everybody's Something," "Juice," "Smoke Again"

When Acid Rap first dropped on April 30, 2013, it was almost immediately embraced listeners and critics alike as a landmark moment in music. Rarely does the term "universal acclaim" ring so true—Chance's wholesome, hopeful message was fresh water to Chicago in drought, a city beset by gun violence and known for its drill music that graphically depicted the endless stream of murders.

Two years later, the tape's musicality hasn't aged a day. If anything, it's stronger than ever—the wild, bouncy beats on "Good a--- Intro" have become part and parcel ofGoldLink's future bounce movement, while the guest list (Childish Gambino, Vic Mensa, Action Bronson) reads like a roll call of 2015's rising class.

The Acid Rap formula—from its big-band mentality to the weird musicality of Chance's voice (IGH!)—made Chance the Rapper one of today's most successful independent artists. And he hasn't slowed down: he followed it up with The Social Experiment's similarly virtuosic Surf.—Graham Corrigan

Year: 2012
Favorite tracks: "Ron Simmons," "Hookers At The Point," "9-24-11"

Action Bronson is not one for subtlety. He's come up with some of the most cringeworthy lines in recent memory ("She grew a bush like a baby plant / Still I ate it, just think of it as bucatin' and razor clams"), weaving together foodie references and caricatured crude references to sex, prostitutes, and drugs.

Naturally—similar to how one would pair prosciutto with melon to mellow out that savouriness—you need production that stands up to Bam Bam's grimy content. Party Supplies comes through with that gritty musical backdrop, finding some balance with the odd soul sample. It's a well-rounded effort that helped pave the way for an openness towards more eclectic production in hip-hop.—Joyce

Year: 2014
Favorite tracks: "h--- / Heroina," "Tame Cab," "Drugs"

On the evening before releasing MTV1987, Kevin Abstract wondered out loud: "What’s worse? To be lame on the internet or to be lame in real life?"

The album never answers that difficult question, but it does act as a strong response. MTV1987 as a whole tackles the problems youth face growing up in the age of the internet, coupled with the existential angst that arrives universally with burgeoning adulthood. The album can be beautiful and ugly, sometimes over the course of one song.

It's an album about connection, or in some cases, a complete lack thereof. While the internet has allowed us to communicate with almost anyone in the world, it takes us away from those already in our immediate surroundings. The endless network can make those who feel isolated realize they're not alone, but it can also exacerbate problems, particularly loneliness.

Kevin uses his voice alongside Romil's fantastic production to project to the world that he understands when others don't, and sometimes that's better than a straight answer—to hear someone that knows how you feel.—Joe Price

Year: 2010
Favorite tracks: "Earl," "Couch," "Stapleton"

In 2010, Odd Future Wolf g--- k--- Them All stepped on the scene, and many saw them as a bunch of punk kids with a huge chip on their shoulder (primarily the fact that some of the biggest blogs hadn't posted their material). Gripes aside, these kids were creating captivating music, and while Tyler, the Creator was the ringleader/RZA of their conglomerate, his little homie Earl Sweatshirt was cooking up some marvelous s--- on his own, which ended up being the lyrically dense 10-track opus simply titled Earl.

The lead track was a dizzying array of fuzzy sonics and wicked wordplay, finding a young Earl perfectly at home, spitting sick bars over a soul-crushing instrumental. While the story says that the video, coupled with Earl's lyrics (coupled with Earl's antics) were enough to get his mother shook, hip-hop lovers saw past the insanity and foul language and saw the coming of the next true emcee.

It was similar to Eminem, where the raunchy, rowdy rhymes were nothing more than a playground for a gifted writer to have a field day in—like he said on "Couch," he was always "smart-mouthed and quick-witted."—khal

Year: 2015
Favorite tracks: "Dirty Bands," "Shoutout," "No Bells"

We place value on perceived effortlessness, on the ability to make an area of expertise look easy—it's as true in sports and music as it is in business and politics.

Boston's Cousin Stizz secured a reputation for that talent with Suffolk County. His debut tape is a lean, potent take on hook-minded raps, loosely rooted in neighborhood stories.

His celebration of a paradoxical lifestyle (the hype-fuel "Shoutout") pivots to a narrow-eyed account of the everyday paranoia that haunts d--- dealers ("Bonds"). It's a collection of precise moments that range from anthemic ("No Bells") to aggressive and ominously cold (the Jeff Replay-assisted "Talk").

It's riddled with anxiety but delivered with a rare and natural charisma. County's gravitational choruses will pull you in, but it's the subtle touches lacing verses and beats alike that will keep you around Stizz's way.—Alex Siber

Year: 2010
Favorite tracks: "hahahaha jk," "Rooftop"

Shut Up, Dude put Das Racist on the map, but Sit Down, Man was the flag planted defiantly in the sand. Their second tape came just six months after the first, and capitalized on the virality of their music (and its message) by bringing in big-name guests like Diplo, Boi 1-da, El-P, and Despot.

It also dispelled the notion that Das Racist deserved the flimsy joke-rap label that had been slapped across their backs with 2008's "Combination Taco Bell and Pizza Hut" breakout hit. Sit Down, Man is full of razor-sharp commentary delivered through a stoned stupor—“Never killed a cop though, more the type to burn a spliff and eat a bag of nachos.”

This is Heems and Kool A.D. at their lyrical best, blending the biting truths of their realities as minorities with a sense of humor that finds Dwight Schrute sharing punchlines with Picasso and Julian Schnabel. Only in New York.—Graham Corrigan

Year: 2010
Favorite tracks: "The Heart Pt. 2," "Night of the Living Junkies," "Ignorance is Bliss"

Kendrick Lamar has always been spitting—it just took some time for the world to wake up to his message. O.D. already sees Kendrick questioning the end-game of g--- life on songs like "Ignorance is Bliss," and he's backed by the team of TDE in-house producers that would be by his side for the subsequent rise to superstardom.

But he's the opposite of a pop star on this (and really any) of his material. He's described O.D. as "human music," and it's the everyday struggle that shines through Kendrick's staccato, rapid-fire delivery. Making it free allowed Kendrick to twist samples by the likes of The Roots ("The Heart Pt. 2") and Kanye West ("Night of the Living Junkies"), which in turn gave him the refined sonics necessary to deliver bars that, five years later, are nothing less than prophecies.—Graham Corrigan

Year: 2013
Favorite tracks: "The Trees," "Noah and the Reign," "Dehydration"

Now that he's fully enmeshed in the rap game (evidenced by a song-for-song beefand a catch phrase), Mick Jenkins should take a moment to look back on the past couple of years. It's been an eventful stretch for the Chicago rapper, and it all started with the sprawling, confident missives found within Trees & Truths.

The mixtape plays out as a story, punctuated by skin-crawling skits that relate the legend of Adam & Eve. The songs are jam-packed with a wide swath of musical influences (s/o Erik Satie on "The Trees"), and it's tempting to sit back and let the tape's sonics wash over you.

But Jenkins' pitter-patter truths deserve close listening. Trees & Truths is both infinitely quotable and in possession of a sage, timeless quality. Jenkins' gravelly baritone has the ability to deliver serious messages and punny punchlines with equal vigor, and it works beautifully on tracks like "The Leaves" and "Dehydration."—Graham Corrigan

Year: 2012
Favorite tracks: "We Ain't Them," "Won't Stop"

ROYALTY represented the moment Donald Glover demanded to be taken seriously as a musician. Childish Gambino wasn't a side project or an artistic crisis—Donald Glover is Childish Gambino, and he makes better music than a lot of listeners were ready to admit.

Gambino's sixth mixtape followed on the heels of the Camp, his first proper album. That was received with lukewarm—and sometimes tepid—reviews, and the target on Gambino's back became that much bigger. Maybe it was his pre-existing celebrity, maybe it was his brash delivery and competing talents, but a lot of people didn't want to like Donald Glover the rapper.

That became a lot harder after Royalty. The tape's second track, "We Ain't Them," sets the tone from the outset, showcasing the rapper's ability to sing, rap, and make beats. Gambino's production skills had blossomed since Camp, and he proves it time and time again as the album progresses.

The guest features don't hurt either: Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Ghostface Killah, Chance the Rapper, and Danny Brown make appearances alongside musicians like Danielle Haim and Beck. Even Gambino's old boss Tina Fey joins in on the closer, "Real Estate," to show love.

But this is Gambino's show. It's a clear precursor to his full-butterfly moment onBecause The Internet—Royalty has flashes of brilliance that are just as apt to leave you confused as impressed. That's a good sign that an artist is breaking new ground.—Graham Corrigan

Year: 2014
Favorite tracks: "Work Me Over," "Evergreens," "Wavey," "Positive"

Long before Allan Kingdom's appearance beside Kanye West at last February's BRIT Awards, the St. Paul native had established himself as a detail-oriented creator, crafting his music with delicate care—not unlike Mr. West.

The attention to detail first appeared on his criminally overlooked project Talk to Strangers (2013). But his real break came the following year, when the blueprint blossomed on tracks like "Evergreens" and the intimate "Wavey," highlights of 2014's Future Memoirs. The free album furthered the intricate synth work of its predecessor, providing a polished take on Allan's nuanced delivery and moonlit, introverted production.

Memoirs is an oddball serving of sonics: a differentiated approach to reach the masses, but an undeniably spiritual manifesto for creatives on the rise.—Alex Siber

Year: 2013
Favorite tracks: "Count On Me II," "Love It," "Cocaine Woman"

Lucki Eck$ was just 17 at the time of Alternative Trap's 2013 release. We're introduced to a kid entangled with an addictive, coke-binging love interest, all while he's just discovering the addictive highs and inevitable crash associated with his own drugs of choice.

That said, it's far from being a simply drug-fueled adolescent trip. The soft-spoken, half-sedated rapper provides a surprisingly wise, perceptive take on his encounters. He notes the sadness that goes hand-in-hand with drunk parents and points a finger at external influences for indirectly causing the troubles of Chicago. And yet, as he admits on "Love It," those frustrations still come with their silver linings.

It's an occasionally disturbing release, given the age of its creator. But paired alongside a cast of capable producers, Lucki's woes and explorations transform into something that's extremely effective and enjoyable.—Alex Siber

Year: 2014
Favorite tracks: "Live & Die In Chicago," "B.O.N.," "Michael Jackson Money"

King Louie is a star in Chicago, but doesn't get the credit he deserves in wider conversations about the current rap landscape. The feature on Yeezus raised his profile, although only temporarily, but as he explains on Tony standout "Live & Die In Chicago," he'll stay loyal to his city until the day he dies: "They ask me, Louie, you gon' leave? No, I'm gon' stay in Chicago / I'm the heart of Chicago."

Louie's consistency and work-rate are impressive—since 2012 he's dropped nine solo mixtapes or EPs—but Tony is the highpoint in his catalog. He's a force of nature across the tracks, growling his way through street tales and painting vivid pictures of the life he lives and sees.—Constant Gardner

Year: 2013
Favorite tracks: "2 Cups Stuffed," "Dead Fo Real," "f--- With It," "Picacho"

Sometimes, it takes an artist years to evolve into the character that the public falls in love with. In Young Thug's case, he was always that guy; it just took some time for the rest of us to catch up. The 2013 mixtape 1017 Thug was before "Danny Glover," "Stoner," and Birdman propelled Thug into the spotlight, but it has all the qualities that make him a star today.

The tape features catchy melodies, wild deliveries, and a spectacularly odd way with words—"My diamonds, they say Pikachu, they gon' wink at you / I'm a boss, b---- I'mma walk through and just peek at you." At the time of its release, 1017 Thug had a lot of people wondering who the f--- this guy was, but looking back at it now, it's clearly the same Young Thug we've come to know so well.—Confusion

Year: 2012
Favorite tracks: “Waves,” “Hardknock,” “Funky Ho,” "Daily Routine"

It’s hard to believe that it’s only been three years since Joey Bada$$ released his debut mixtape 1999. In 2012, the young Brooklyn rapper made a huge first impression when he dropped the video for “Waves”—the single immediately gave listeners the nostalgic feeling of ‘90s New York hip-hop.

This sound was embedded in the core of the project—and earned the young rapper early comparisons to some of the greats. The then-17-year-old had a sound that seemed well beyond his years.

Significantly, Joey did it all without the help of a major label. The internet buzz surrounding 1999 helped draw the attention of millions of listeners, and since then the rapper has been working with artists like Statik Selektah, Action Bronson, Chance The Rapper, Madlib, and Freddie Gibbs.—Adrienne Black

Year: 2010
Favorite tracks: “Too Deep for the Intro,” “Enchanted,” “Cost Me A Lot”

By now, it’s common knowledge that J. Cole has a bit of a cult following. It’s been nearly a decade since he dropped The Come Up in 2007, and followed it up with a fan-favorite, 2009’s The Warm Up. His audience began to grow, and as J. Cole’s first two mixtapes continued to circulate the internet, fans became eager for him to release an album.

While teasing fans by saying his debut album would finally be “coming soon,” J. Cole settled all anxieties about his durability his third mixtape Friday Night Lights in 2010. The mixtape featured original songs that were intended to be on his debut album Cole World: The Sideline Story, but didn’t make the cut because his label didn’t believe they would sell. Friday Night Lights was released for free, and the widely positive reception soon proved the label wrong.

The strength of this mixtape helped to increase the excitement for Cole World: The Sideline Story—to the extent that J. Cole's studio album went straight to number one on the Billboard 200 chart during its first week. In retrospect, Friday Night Lightswas arguably a stronger piece of work than his actual debut album, but that, naturally, is up for debate. —Adrienne Black

Year(s): 2014, 2015
Favorite tracks: "March Madness," "Codeine Crazy," "Hardly"

Future, like many of the other prolific artists in Atlanta right now, has turned the mixtape into an entirely new concept. For artists who constantly create and share music, making each release feel important is difficult. It seems that a lot of the time, rappers put their throwaways on mixtapes and save the best for the album. Not Future. Despite the quantity of material, every one of his mixtapes feels like a full, cohesive project, and while his album singles may be the money-makers, it's the mixtape favorites that earn him a cult-like following. 2014's Monster and 2015's 56 Nights are both packed with these types of songs. His album, Dirty Sprite 2, was just the icing on the cake.—Confusion

Year: 2015
Favorite tracks: "Sunday Candy," "Go," "Slip Slide," "Familiar"

To say that a lot of the anticipation surrounding Surf was because of Chance The Rapper isn't necessarily wrong. Thankfully, though, Donnie Trumpet and the rest of The Social Experiment g--- proved that this tape was far more than just the Acid Rap golden child—despite the fact that Chance is the central voice of the project.

Surf isn't a strictly a hip-hop release. It's also soul, and it's pop, and it's gospel, and it's R&B. It's a mosaic of lush, warm, and moving music.

Donnie Trumpet and The Social Experiment went at Surf with a no-holds-barred approach and experimented with a variety of influences, and the result is an expansive and ambitious album unlike any other hip-hop releases in recent memory.—Joyce

Year: 2015
Favorite tracks: "Dead or Alive," "Feel Something," "Switch"

There's been much to-do about Jazz Cartier's Canadian nativity, as if his country of origin defines his artistry. But Toronto isn't the whole story, as far as the inevitable comparisons to Drake go. It's not even close. To figure out the true source of Cartier's power, spend some time with 2015's Marauding in Paradise.

He's ferocious, steamrolling over beats marked by both synth whirlpools and trapped-out drum breaks ("Dead or Alive"). But Jazz has a sensitive side, too, breaking down relationship anxieties on tracks like "Rose Quartz."

Paradise, and the cloudy interludes that lace its 16 songs, presents one of the most exciting rappers in a crop of rising talents at his current peak. If this laudable effort is an indicator, that peak will continue to rise. For now, recklessness never sounded so good.—Alex Siber

Year: 2014
Favorite tracks: "Here We Go," "Friends"

In retrospect, this must have been a very dark time in Mac Miller's life. He alludes to as much in Rembert Browne's recent Grantland editorial—the drugs and MTV2 syndication had led to something bordering on an addiction, and the evidence is littered throughout 2014's Faces.

Remarkably, it still manages to be an impressive collection of songs—Mac's drug abuse provokes self-comparison to Philip Seymour Hoffman and titular homages ("Angel Dust"), and yet he's still out there matching bars with Earl Sweatshirt ("New Faces").

Faces was also the moment that Miller came into his own production-wise. He made most of the tape's 24 beats, and there are very few throwaways in the bunch.—Graham Corrigan

Year: 2010
Favorite tracks: "Return of 4eva," "Voices"

In 2010, Big K.R.I.T.’s K.R.I.T. Wuz Here had fans going crazy over his potential. The fourth mixtape in a four-month run that brought us breakout mixtapes from Curren$y (Smokee Robinson), Dom Kennedy (From the Westside With Love), and Wiz Khalifa (Kush and Orange Juice), K.R.I.T. had tough company to keep, but he did more than hold his own.

Moving away from the trap music being made by many of his Southern peers, he embraced both lyrical content and more traditional, less trendy production. K.R.I.T. brought a similar energy that his inspirations and predecessors UGK carried, and showed a desire for more substance from the region.—Eric Isom

Year: 2010
Favorite tracks: "Memorized," "The Kid Frankie"

Five years ago when Wiz Khalifa released Kush and Orange Juice, he became the friendly go-to stoner character in hip-hop that every generation needs. Looking back, it's the crown jewel of Wiz’s catalog, which was his intention all along: “I was always a fan of classic hip-hop like Nas, Jay Z and the Notorious B.I.G., Reasonable Doubt,Illmatic and Ready To Die. So it’s like, how do you make that classic? How do you get your classic album?”

Rather than try to replicate the remarkable storytelling ability of Nas, bravado and wit of Jay-Z, and breathtaking rawness and depth of Biggie, Wiz found what makes him unique: the light-hearted, free spirited energy he creates on every track. Immaculate beat selection, too.

These days, Wiz is one of the most chart-friendly rappers out, with one billion views on a YouTube video, but Kush and Orange Juice was the superbly mellow moment before the storm.—Eric Isom

Year: 2011
Favorite tracks: "Purple Swag: Chapter 2," "Peso," "Wassup"

While it's hard to imagine given his superstar status these days, A$AP Rocky was once just another unknown rapper from Harlem. But he set the internet aflame with his iconic "Purple Swag" video and his breakthrough single "Peso." Rocky was a bonafide star within a year of Live.Love.A$AP's release. It launched not only his own career, but arguably that of Clams Casino and the A$AP Mob.

Even though he's experimented with countless other styles ever since, Rocky's forward-thinking embrace of rap culture in and outside of New York City kickstarted the genre-bending that dominates today's hip-hop landscape.

When NYC was stagnating, Rocky breathed new life into the scene through his love for southern hip-hop. Even though he's gone on to collaborate with some of the biggest names in the genre, Live.Love.A$AP remains as Rocky's most striking release and one of the decade's first landmark freebies.—Joe Price

Year(s): 2013/2014
Favorite tracks: "Banana Clipper," "Oh My Darling Don't Cry," "Get It"

Before Run The Jewels, El-P and Killer Mike both had fruitful careers full of fantastic releases, but something really special happened when they came together.

As a duo, Jaime and Mike are unstoppable, finally receiving the level of recognition they truly deserve. Their collective talents border on insanity, and that much is made clear within the opening seconds of their first self-titled release as Run The Jewels. Not only have they released one stellar album entirely for free, they've released two (not to mention MTJ).

Their commitment to giving fans what they want with zero barrier for entry has garnered them a huge fanbase. They've already promised their third album will also be free, and considering the quality of their music, that promise is an incredibly generous one.

Almost every track across both of their releases has been a huge b-----r that more than live up to the respective talent involved, and they've only been getting better as they've discovered new ways to showcase their remarkable chemistry. If you're in the market for vicious raps, biting commentary, and buzzsaw beats: Run The Jewels.—Joe Price

Sign Up / Log InJoin

25 Of The Best Free Rap Releases From The Past Five Years

Music

Sign Up / Log InJoin

Thread Tools

25 Of The Best Free Rap Releases From The Past Five Years

Sign Up / Log In

Register

Music

Useful Searches