Rhyme’s Best Mixtapes Of 2016

Kid Ink’s Rocket Ship Shawty 2 served as a true example of a fun Kid Ink project. The tape brought production from Murda Beatz and others, tying the entire album on the production side. Features like Casey Veggies, Verse Simmonds, Mozzy, and more gave RSS2 a top 20 spot on our list. Without the features, this project would not be anything. All the artists brought a true chemistry across the board from track to track. Stream RSS2 by Kid Ink here.

Jacquees is prepping to drop his debut album under Cash Money Records, and his mixtape this year did not disappoint. Mood provided a sense of Jacquees’s true style whilst unveiling what the artist is all about. The direction he takes is a flawed approach, but keeps his range of motion over the vocals. The singer brought some decent production, but it is clear that Jacquees is still finding his sound. Stream Mood by Jacquees here.

24hrs is nothing short of a great up and coming artist, under the wing of Ty Dolla $ign. 12:AM was his debut tape with all production from Murda Beatz. The tape showed Twenty’s true skill on the vocals, as well as toughening up his lyricism. The production stays pretty consistent throughout, and 24, early in his career, has actually found his sound. Though most artists take YEARS to find their true sound, 24hrs found it on his first tape. This is partly due to his persona change from Royce Rizzy, providing him with experience and a sense of direction as his persona under 24hrs.

Rich The Kid. The Kid strikes again after his first mixtape of 2016 Trap Talk. Keep Flexin took a complete opposite direction on the trap side of things. RTK brings some crazy features from Jeremih, Famous Dex, Desiigner, Young Thug, and Migos. Surprisingly, this was on of the best “trap” mixtapes of the year. From that trap standpoint, Rich keeps a shockingly amazing flow on the vocals. RTK is one talented trap artist making a name for himself through extremely hard work. We can expect a ton of new content from the 300 Ent. artist next year. Stream Keep Flexin by Rich The Kid here.

YG’s Red Friday was the pleasant surprise every YG fan needed in 2016. A short EP with only 8 tracks, packs a huge punch. YG’s Wast coast flow mixes with his street influenced style brings out the best in YG. Taking much of the same style as Still Brazy, the Bompton rapper continues his political rants and street banger’s throughout the tape. Stream  YG’s Red Friday here, and read our extensive album review here.

Cleveland artist Elijah really made a push in 2016. With his EP drop of The Introduction, Elijah took a real stand on the genre. The Introduction makes the top 20 based on pure lyrical talent and vocal skill. The production is completely different from anything hip hop has seen. Though I wish I could say it was Jazz influenced, it’s not. The flow was something else, a style of menace and a layered dexterity. The astonishment showed in both the production and vocals. Stream The Introduction here, and for a more extensive review on the project click here.

2 Chainz hits home plate with his latest mixtape Hibachi For Lunch. Laced with only 7 tracks, this hort EP packs quite the punch enlisting other artist like Future, Gucci Mane, Quavo, and Ty Dolla $ign for the bangers. Standing out over other Chainz projects, HFL explores all types of sounds ranging from smooth R&B zingers like “Good Drank,” and “Lil Baby,” to classic Tity Boi party tracks like “Diamonds Talkin Back,” and “Doors Open.” Stream 2 Chainz Hibachi For Lunch here.

We can practically call 2016 the year of Lil Uzi Vert. If it wasn’t for Lil Uzi Vert Vs. The World, Uzi would not be where he’s at right now. Sure, he covered this year’s XXL Freshman, but Uzi wouldn’t have been on that cover without this tape. Yes, Luv Is Rage was a goodie, and there were a few bangers that stood out, but this mixtape set the record straight. Lil Uzi’s top tracks of the year include Money Longer, You Was Right, and Scott & Ramona. All these tracks were on the tape that started it all. Uzi then dropped The Perfect Luv Tape, but did not excel in the delivery matter. In conclusion Uzi’s Lil Uzi Vert Vs. The World brought mastered production with great vocals combining for the defining milestone in Uzi’s career.

6 Speed was Iamsu!’s breakout tape of 2016. Iamsu! is nothing less of exceptional proving it in his latest tape 6 Speed. Suzy’s West coast style combined with his feel-good production are tracks for everyone. Su’s message throughout the whole tape is positivity and keep moving forward through hardships. Not only does Su spread the message of positivity throughout the tape but he embeds them into great party tracks. Stream 6 Speed here.

2016 has been quite the year for G Herbo, finally making it as a XXL freshman and having a killer breakout year with the release of his latest mixtape since 2013’s Ballin’ Like I’m Kobe, Strictly 4 My Fans. This tape makes out exceptional list because of Herbo’s unique trap influenced hip-hop style. Not only having a unique voice, Herbo’s production and instrumentals flow well with raps. Tracks like “Tired,” with Lil Bibby and “Gutta” prove Herbo’s excellence in the game. Stream Strictly 4 My Fans here.

Post Malone has had quite a year, blowing up in under 12 months. That’s a pretty crazy overnight success story for the young artist, as White Iverson solely made him famous. August 26th became Post’s debut mixtape and it revealed the release date of his debut album Stoney. Unfortunately, Stoney didn’t drop until December. Post’s crazy career has become a great one, with pretty good reviews on his debut album. August 26th however, brought something new on the production side, with a country-pop enticed style. This same style was seen on his debut album. The new delivery is something attracting both the youth and oldies. Stream August 26th here as well as his debut album Stoney here.

Denzel Curry has had an astonishing year especially after the drop of his tape Imperial. The tape proved to be a rap-scream-MC styled tape. Hip Hop hasn’t seen anything along these lines, and the delivery was close to perfect. The XXL Freshman proved himself solely on one tape. Catchy chorus’s as well as underlying bars brought Imperial onto our top 20 list. Denzel is a screamer MC vocally, which proves to stay tame on this tape but shows of his MC skill. Tracks like “ULT” and “Gook” proved his screamer style, but other tracks like “Zenith feat. Joey Bada$$” kept a more tame style whilst his MC vocals remained. Expect a debut album from Denzel Curry in 2017.

It’s really hard to ignore a duo like Hit-Boy and Dom Kennedy, especially with their debut EP. Not one track goes unnoticed, with a complete flow switch than what each are used to. With Hit-Boy on the keys AND the vocals, Dom Kennedy had to step up. He did just this, proving his vocal talent. Though late in his career, Dom is currently reaching a top spot on the lyricism spectrum. Though Dom and Hit-Boy are still on a solo grind, with how good Half-A-Mil was, the doubles tracks have to keep coming. Stream Half-A-Mil EP by Dom Kennedy and Hit-Boy here.

Lil Durk rises once more with the drop off his latest project They Forgot. Lil Durk’s emotion is clearly shown in this tape musch different than his other tapes. Durk stresses about his old street life as well as mourns deaths of his fallen brothers to the streets. You can really feel the pain his voice throughout each track. The tape also features some great trap banger’s like “They Forgot,” and “Young Ni**as” for the old style Durk fans. Stream They Forgot here.

Lecrae has been top of his category of christian rapper’s to this day, but the style and flow of his latest mixtape Church Clothes 3, places his in the top 20 mixtapes of all hip-hop music of 2016. Lecrae’s utilizes many different components for the creation of CC3. Transitioning from meaningful tracks about family and life, Lecrae displays his rapping talent by his amazing rhyme scheme and go-happy beats. Production is also exceptional with Lecrae’s catchy hooks and wavy verses. Stream Church Clothes 3 here.

Casey Veggies’ Customized Greatly 4, exceptional style and vocals places it in the 20 tapes of this year by a long shot. Laced with 13 tracks, Veggies taps Chris Brown, Tory Lanez, Ty Dolla $ign and more. Grabbing the same feel as his debut LP Live & Grow, Veggies’ style is smooth and relaxing yet some tracks are ready for a party. Having a album feel more than a mixtape Veggies utilizes all his styles ranging from loud static tracks like “Can’t Get Enough” to low west coast jams like “On The West.” Stream Customized Greatly 4 here.

DJ Esco’s new mixtape Project E.T. hosted by Future caught everyone by surprise. Filled with many mainstream tracks the tape hit the radio fast spreading it’s popularity everywhere. Featuring artists like Drake, 2 Chainz, Lil Uzi Vert, Young Thug and more, DJ Esco uses all his resources for a banging mixtape. The ATL based tape can be enjoyed by any track from the fan favorite “Too Much Sauce” a wavy track to bump to, to “100it Racks” a heavy bass banger for the club time. Stream Project E.T. here.

Meek Mill’s highly anticipated mixtape Dreamchasers 4 couldn’t come soon enough. After numerous delays the tape finally arrived late 2016 and was a huge success. Being in the works for over a year, it gave Meek plenty of time to perfect the work of art. Meek grabs assistance from other artists as well like Young Thug, Tory Lanez, 21 Savage, Quavo, and more. The trap influenced tape finds Meek lost in his emotions about the street life, his young days in the hood, and his uprising to fame. Popular tracks like “Litty” and “Outro” show Meek’s flow and style in the industry. Stream DC4 here.

Though I said it was year of Lil Uzi Vert, it’s hard to ignore Chance The Rapper’s success in the past 12 months. Though Acid Rap really proved Chance’s style of music, Coloring Book brought attraction through his raps and semi auto-tuned vocals. The features were also great, with a few mainstream hits. The astonishing production also provided for a youth attraction, with a ton of listeners with all ranges of age. Not one track seemed to disappoint, and we can expect a Chance takeover in 2017. Stream Coloring Book here.

Ranking in at No.1 Logic’s Bobby Tarantino takes the cake. Released July 1st, Logic’s 5th mixtape was a hit. Logic combines his old school mixtape flow with some mainstream renditions for a perfect mixtape. Released prior to the tape came the strongest track “Wrist” featuring Pusha T set the mood for the tape in a big way. Logic handles all the vocals throughout the tape. Spreading the message of positivity, Logic lyricism and rhyme scheme put him as a top rapper of today. In the soulful track “Slave ll” Logic talks life and his coming up from nothing. Transitioning to more up-beat tracks like “Super Mario World” Logic’s main producer 6ix does an exceptional job mixing different sounds and beats for the unique style of “Super Mario World.” All the tracks have each unique sound yet flow together. Logic’s lyrics and meanings can be expressed in soulful slow tracks, or fast-paced party tracks, which places Bobby Tarantino as Rhyme’s No.1 mixtape of 2016.