The Five Best Los Angeles Rap Albums of 2012
As Max Bell noted in his round-up of L.A. rap earlier this month, it was a very good year for hip-hop in our city, with all corners of the varied scene -- from Open Mike Eagle's smart 4NML HSPTL to Odd Future's rambunctious The OF Tape Vol. 2 to Ty$ and Joe Moses' raunchy Whoop! -- well represented. Oh, and then there was a certain South Central-based collective you may have heard of. In any case, since we like to play favorites, here are our top five. 
Black Hippy
See also: The Best Rap Singles of 2012
The Ten Best L.A. Albums of 2012
5. 4Hunnid Degreez
YG
It was the year of ratchet in L.A. DJ Mustard's tag, "Mustard on tha beat, ho," became ubiquitous, with his simple, sparse, bass-heavy beats banging out of seemingly every club and every car in the city. Add YG's natural charisma and drowsy delivery of raps about, well, not much else than eating pussy and getting paid, and it's a wrap. Lyrically, are there better tapes than 4Hunnid Degreez? Yeah, but a party ain't a party until YG is played. "Blunted" and "Westside 4 Fingaz," their narcotic beats coupled with catchy hooks, became instant anthems. Regarding oral sex, sure, YG wants reciprocation ("Get down on your knees, and tell the Lorrrd how much you love me, thennnn runitback," he slurs on the blatant, ridiculously addictive "I Like Head"). Call us easy, but any guy who's been a vocal champion of pleasuring girls (remember "Pussy Killer"?) gets our support.
See also: Top Five Ratchet Songs of 2012
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