Editor’s Note: The Albumism staff has selected what we believe to be the 110 Best Albums of the 2010s, representing a varied cross-section of artists, genres, and styles. Click “Next Album” below to explore each album in the list or for easier navigation, view the full introduction & album index here.
APOLLO BROWN & GUILTY SIMPSON | Dice Game
Mello Music Group (2012)
Selected by Marcus Willis
Like 9th Wonder in the early 2000s, Apollo Brown has recently proven to be one of the most dependable and prolific purveyors of moderately-paced, sample-based rap tracks, but with a penchant for DJ Premier-esque, adamantium-strength drums. On Dice Game, fellow Detroiter Guilty Simpson expanded his no-frills hard-rock persona to get uncharacteristically introspective, reflecting on past transgressions, using his self-improvement journey to encourage, telling compelling stories of loss and redemption, and even questioning his own mortality. Brown flips new takes on the samples behind “C.R.E.A.M,” “Where I’m From,” and “Still Shinin’,” but also mines plenty of his own sources for the record’s never-ending stream of head-nodders. Of the many one-producer-one-rapper albums Apollo Brown’s helmed, this one perhaps resonates the deepest.
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