Top Mixtapes of 2011

As 2011 is coming to an end, it is that time to look back upon everything that has happened over the past year.
Today the focus is on mixtapes from the year, here are my top 5 mixtapes from this year.
5. Mac Miller - Best Day Ever

This was the mixtape that brought Mac to the discussion in the hip hop world. With hits like Donald Trump and All around The World Mac really showed he was ready to break out after releasing this mixtape.
4. The Dean's List - The Drive-in

This one came out way at the beginning of the year back in February, so it may have been somewhat forgotten, but definitely deserves recognition. I had never heard of these guys, but once they dropped this mixtape I went back and found their older work and I am now a full fledged fan of theirs.
3. Chiddy Bang - Peanut Butter Swelly

While there has been a long delay on their first album, Chiddy Bang still has been giving their fans plenty of content to tide them over. This mixtape was just very complete, every song seemed to fit together and create a great collection.
2. ASAP Rocky - LiveLoveAsap

This was the big debut for ASAP Rocky. He signed a highly publicized deal worth reportedly $3 Million. With his mixtape he lived up to the hype. With a very polished sound he is someone to look for in 2012.
1. Meek Mill - Dreamchasers

Meek Mill had a huge year in 2011. He released this mixtape which was great with original songs and covers to the likes of "Paris" from Yeezy and Hov. He also made a huge impact emerging as the star of MMG from the group album that they released when he had the 2 big hits from the project. Now 2012 should be his time to shine all by himself out from the likes of Wale and Rick Ross.
Honorable Mention- mixtapes that definitely are worthy of checking out, not quite in the top 5 though.
Lupe Fiasco - Friend of the People
B.o.B. - EPIC: Every Play is Crucial
Ludacris - 1.21 Gigawatts to the First Time
Tyga - #Bitchimtheshit

Tyga Tyga

While Tiger Woods is making news in the sports world, there is a different Tyga making a splash in the hip hop world. Tyga, the YMCMB member, is about to have a huge month. He just released his mixtape #bitchimtheshit yesterday. Link to the datpiff page at the break. He also is set to release his album before christmas. The album is called Careless World and is his first album on the Cash Money label. Check out "Rack City" video after the break, which is a single off the album, if you like it then get pumped for the album to drop.

http://www.datpiff.com/Tyga-BitchImTheShit-mixtape.290715.html

Rack City Video

Big update

I haven't posted for quite some time because of the holiday week, and there has been quite a lot of good stuff since I last updated. Last week Yelawolf released his first big project since signing up with Eminem and his label. The album is called Radioactive and is not available as a mixtape, it is his first full fledged album. Check it out on iTunes. There has also been some great free music from big time artists that has come out. Lupe released his mixtape Friend of the People: I Fight Evil. This project he had originally been set to be released in 2009, but it recently came out and is definitely worth checking out. Link at the bottom. Also B.o.B. just released his mixtape EPIC: Every Play is Crucial today. This has been released as something to tide fans over until his second album drops next February. His last mixtape No Genre was just a masterpiece and hopefully EPIC can come close to the quality of that one. Download link at the bottom. I will have a review of Camp from Childish Gambino soon enough, also with EPIC and Friend of the People reviews down the road. Some negative news from today is that Chris Webby pushed back his album There Goes the Neighborhood which was supposed to be released at today at midnight, but he only pushed it back until Thursday which is manageable. I will be updating more frequently from now on.
http://www.datpiff.com/BoB-EPIC-Every-Play-Is-Crucial-mixtape.288111.html

http://www.datpiff.com/Lupe-Fiasco-Friend-Of-The-People-I-Fight-Evil-mixtape.287406.html

"What I Do"

For those who follow the mixtape world you have heard of Chris Webby most likely. For those who don't you are about to. He will be releasing his album There Goes the Neighborhood on Nov. 29. He also just released his first single of of the project "What I Do". It is a pretty ill song check it out.
http://www.hiphopearly.com/Chris-Webby-What-I-Do-t9654.html

Big day

Today is a big day in the hip hop/rap world. For those interested in the YMCMB star (I am not a huge fan of his) Drake's Take Care album dropped today and is definitely generating a lot of buzz. Also for those who have heard of him, Childish Gambino released his album Camp which is also being given a decent amount of recognition. From a new star to an old one, Ludacris released an official mixtape today that should be noted. One of my favorite up and coming groups, Chiddy Bang, dropped the second single from their upcoming album Breakfast, "Ray Charles." I may do a review of Camp if i decide to buy it.
"Ray Charles"- http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/exclusive-stream-chiddy-bangs-soul-homage-ray-charles-20111114

Ludacris mixtape- http://www.datpiff.com/Ludacris-121-Gigawatts-Back-To-The-First-Time-mixtape.273694.html

Some good ol Kid Cudi

While Kid Cudi recently has been releasing too much recently he has given us fans something to check out from his early rap days. This is a mixtape of some work that he apparently recorded around 2000 and 2001. Here is a link to it for datpiff.
http://www.datpiff.com/Kid-Cudi-Rap-Hard-Demo-mixtape.283555.html

Random Song of the Day

I've been listening to this group for quite a while, and I haven't really understood why they aren't more popular yet, if you haven't heard em yet check this out, you won't be disappointed. Here is "Dear Professor" by The Dean's List
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQCAaGem0xM