Clusterfunk Collective presents Top Drops of 2011

We did it. We really did it. It’s been three years since we endeavored to create our first blog, and at the end of the most successful (and unbelievable) year we have had yet, we are proud to present our Top Drops of 2011.

However, we had no idea the difficulty that selecting the best albums, mixtapes, EPs, and beat tapes of the last twelve months would be this challenging. Quite obviously this has been an amazing year for artists of all sorts, but one in which musicians have broken the mold. A deal is no longer required (at least not one with a major label), and in many cases it has been more than proven that the road less travelled is likely the better avenue. We also witnessed history as Mac Miller secured the top spot, only the second independent artist to do so since Tha Dogg Pound in 1995. Film footage framed our vision, with artists venturing into web series, live footage, backstage passes, and in-studio performances more than ever before. This and more contributed largely to the erasure of the often misdirected 'hip-hop is dead' sentiments that lingered throughout the first half 2010 and provided the fuel that propelled 2011 to be one of the more memorable musical years in recent memory.

Without further ado…