10 Most Underrated Hip Hop Albums Of The 2010s

10. Shabazz Palaces - Black Up

Another team-up from the heavens here. Shabazz Palaces sees Ishmael Butler - of the extraordinary outfit Digable Planets - and legendary composer/producer/multi-instrumentalist Tendair "Baba" Maraire come together to produce the utterly phenomenal Black Up.

Butler's lyrics are consistently abstract throughout and he tends to use surreal imagery that's open to interpretation rather than simply tells a straightforward story in his half-spoken, half-sung flow which all adds to the otherworldly atmosphere of Black Up.

That isn't to say this album isn't catchy: it's catchy as all hell and that's down to Maraire's mind-blowing production and composition. There's rarely an instrumental bar across this entire album that seems to repeat itself before it warps into something else, often letting an entirely different composition on a collection of new instruments and samples take over. It often feels like you've, surely, listened to five tracks when, in reality, it's been one song, and somehow Black Up never feels boring, repetitive or cluttered.

Plus, in a very brave and very rare move for a hip hop album, Maraire's beat often takes over completely for minutes at a time. You could be forgiven for thinking you were listening to a jam session if it wasn't for every element being so carefully constructed and meticulously placed. All of these elements combined results in a surreal listening experience that often feels like the most bizarre of dreams.