As you prepare to ring in the New Year, The Koalition is revealing it’s look back on Hip Hop in 2014. Considering the oft braggadocios nature of Hip Hop, it’s to be expected when artists collaborate and attempt to outshine one another on the mic. The fans are no less ravenous, hitting the comment sections and getting into heated discussions about who slayed who. Check it out as the Knights of the Turntable list their top collaborations of the year.
Charles Singletary aka Profex
Isaiah Rashad ft/ Schoolboy Q & Jay Rock – “Shot You Down (Remix)”
There were some incredible collaborations over the last year and this was probably my most difficult category to finalize. PRhyme’s “Dat Sound Good” with Ab-Soul and Mac Miller, Kendrick’s team up with Flying Lotus, and many others immediately come to mind. My choice entered the running early and has stayed in my rotation the entire year.
Serving as the closer for one of the most underrated projects this year, “Shot You Down” caps off Isaiah Rashad’s Cilvia Demo in incredible fashion. Rashad was the new kid on the block for TDE and hit the ground running. There’s no better example of that than him lyrically standing tall with Jay Rock and Schoolboy Q. Even with his verse having already been previously recorded, the additions had to approach with aggression and the collaboration is all the better for it.
Joe Hova
ILOVEMAKONNEN ft. Drake – “Tuesday”
This song is the “Drake Effect” as it introduced us to Makonnen and he took off. The wave was high on this track and the melody is just too catchy to not be stuck in your head all of the time. Metro Boomin’ and Sonny Digital did the production which helps make it that much better as well.
Richard Bailey
PRhyme
Ever since Royce the 5″9′ dropped his famous “Hi Rhianna” line during the 2012 BET Hip hop awards cypher, I’ve been watching him closely to see what his next big project would be. While his work with both Slaughterhouse and Eminem has been great, his collaborative album with DJ Premier is simply on another level. This was arguably the best collaboration of 2014 primarily because this project had been anticipated for quite awhile now. PRhyme didn’t only surpass those expectations but it also rightfully belongs in the Album of the Year discussion.
Major Mason
Lupe Fiasco ft. Ty Dolla $ign – “Deliver”
This track symbolizes more than two artists coming together, it demonstrates that both of there styles can coexist and meld together which in turn propels the song forward. There is nothing more dangerous than a catchy song with a message. And while it debuted late in the year, it captured my attention and has yet to let me stop hitting repeat.
