The Most Disappointing Rap Albums of 2009

Disappointment. The displeasure caused by a failure to meet expectations. These are 10 rap albums we'd love to forget about as we approach the dawn of a new year.

10. Fabolous - 'Loso's Way'

The problem with Fab is that you could make a greatest hits album out of his moments of inconsistency. Loso's Way starts off strong with one of the best introductory tracks of the year, but never quite sustains that intensity.





9. Slim Thug - 'Boss of All Bosses'
© Koch Records
Boss of All Bosses is undoubtedly Slim Thug's least impressive album. If this isn't proof that he needs to reconnect with the Neptunes, then I don't know what is.

8. Wale - 'Attention Deficit'
© Allido/Interscope
Having staked a witty lyricist territory on his mixtapes and on The Roots' "Rising Up," Wale sounds like a man conflicted on his debut. Anyone who appreciates how tartly the DC MC slices through narratives on his mixtapes will be disheartened by his alleged debut, Attention Deficit.



7. Cam'ron - 'Crime Pays'
© Asylum
I was actually rooting for Cam'ron this time. After being ousted from a group he helped pioneer, Cam tried to bounce back. But his comeback effort fell short of expectations, as Crime Pays lacked the same firepower that graced his earlier discs.


6. Kid Sister - 'Ultraviolet'
© Downtown Records
Despite the 2 years of anticipation that led up to Kid Sister's debut, Ultraviolet wasn't quite the album that would restore female rappers to hip-hop superiority. Instead it plays like a 40-minute dancehall extension of her first single, "Pro Nails," with very little variety.


5. Gift of Gab - 'Escape 2 Mars'

OK, I'll admit it. I only checked for Escape 2 Mars because of my residual affection for Blackalicious and Gift of Gab's much superior first solo LP. Sadly, Escape 2 Mars lacks the profusely sharp rhymes and rhythm that made early Blackalicious albums endearing. As smart an MC as Gift of Gab is, he's always too entrenched in his own rapid-fire flowetry to escape the mundane texture of his verses.


4. Busta Rhymes - 'Back on My B.S.'
© Universal
Back on My BS offers nothing that Busta Rhymes hasn't already tried, from ill-conceived genre-crossing cuts to star-stuffed collaborations and pointless skits. You'll need a new skip button after a tour of BOMB.


3. Asher Roth - 'Asleep In The Bread Aisle'
© SRC Recordings
The danger in hyping up a new artist so much is that people tend to expect perfection right off the bat. It's an effective way to ensure disappointment. Take Asher Roth, for instance. Roth gathered reams upon reams of hype prior to his official debut. Music mags dubbed him the “next big thing.” Hip-hop media crowned him the "white Lupe Fiasco." That none of this is true doesn’t necessarily mean Roth isn't worth his weight. Asher Roth's problem, however, is that when he runs out of things to say, he resorts to dumb frat-boy chants such as "chug! chug! chug! chug!"


2. Jadakiss - 'The Last Kiss'
© Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam


The Last Kiss, the third installment in Jada's Kiss-themed series, is laced with R&B-tinged melodies and lame hooks. The production overshadows rhymes on most of the album. At the end of the day, we're left with an album that's listenable but lacking in lyrical firepower.


1. Rakim - 'The Seventh Seal'
© Ra Records/SRC
Rakim betrays his inability to keep up with the times on The Seventh Seal. And I never thought I'd ever use those words in the same breath as the name "Rakim." Sure, he's still the greatest MC alive. Yes, he revolutionized the art of emceeing. But this is about the Rakim of today. And the Rakim of today is a shadow of his majestic self. You could argue that this is the most uninspired he's sounded in his 23-year career.