10 Best Hip-Hop Albums Of 2016 (So Far)

3. Skepta - "Konnichiwa"

Kanye West The Life Of Pablo
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UK grime overlord Skepta has been making in-roads into the US scene for years now, and “Konnichiwa” might be the album that finally breaks him across the pond.

“Konnichiwa” presents some of Skepta’s best work to date. It’s an intelligently-structured album that sucks you in with it’s pounding beats and the MC’s precise accounts of London street life.

Fresh, urgent, and absolutely vital, “Konnichiwa” brims with energy and passion: it’s the sound of a man ready to take-on the world, and if transatlantic listeners can overcome the accent and colloquialisms, it should make Skepta huge.

It’s not all killer: “Text Me Back” and particularly “Ladies Hit Squad” slow the album down and jarringly detract from its freight train momentum (rather than provide the intended respite), but there’s so much to love about about this album.

A hard-hitting soundtrack to Cruel Britannia's ruthless and unfulfilling existence.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.