You won't find most of the year's important or just plain entertaining hip-hop releases in any store. You'll find them right here (in alphabetical — not ranked! — order).
More From SPIN's December 2011 Issue:
• Live from the New Underground: SPIN Celebrates Hip-Hop's DIY Moment
• Photos: A Close-Up Look at Rap's New Underground
• G-Side Launch a Hardscrabble, Regular-Dude Revolution
• An Insanely Obsessive Infographic Tries (in Vain) to Diagram the Hip-Hop Galaxy
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01. 2 Chainz- Codeine Cowboy
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Member of the Ludacris-backed Playaz Circle (remember "Duffle Bag Boy"?), formerly known as, um, Tity Boi, crafts a more-diverse-than-it-needs-to-be collection of syrupy swagger.
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02. Ab-Soul- Longterm Mentality
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Stepping out from the Black Hippy crew (Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, ScHoolboy Q), Ab offers stream-of-consciousness raps, switching up styles as quickly as he seems to be rolling blunts.
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03. Action Bronson- Dr. Lecter
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An actual trained chef, the Queens-based Bronson transforms into a ferocious, Ghostface-like rapper on the Internet and streets of New York.
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04. Alley Boy- Purgatory
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In and out of prison for years, this doleful refugee from T.I.'s Grand Hustle label gets a DJ Drama assist on one of the year's most consistent mixtapes.
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05. AraabMuzik- Electronic Dream
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Best known for his trance-meets-Merzbow live performances, the Dipset producer rips up Kaskade and DJ Nosferatu into little pieces on his solo debut.
