Album of the Year

Lupe Fiasco – Food & Liquor
Whether or not you preferred the leaked version, the official Food & Liquor was still 2006’s finest LP. Backed by production from The Neptunes, Kanye West and newcomers Soundtrakk and Prolyfic, Lupe delivered a classic debut for the ages.

Runners Up

Reader’s Choice Album of the Year

Nas – Hip Hop is Dead
Once again, polling our loyal readers. We gave you the chance to vote for your choice of album of the year. Nasir Jones came out on top.

Runners Up

10 The Hard Way

You’ve got 10 songs to remember 2006 by, no sneaking in 11 or 12, just 10. What would you pick from the dozens of incredible songs made this year? The guns to our head, here’s the picks:

For a little more of what we liked, download the HipHopDX 60 of 06 iMix at the iTunes store. We only picked one song per album so some of the year’s best songs didn’t make the cut in favor of a superior song on the album (see: Lupe - Daydreamin’). And sadly, some of our favorite songs aren’t available on iTunes, such as AZ’s The Format or Killer Mike’s aforementioned track. We’re gonna be bringing y’all monthly iMixes in 2007, so be on the lookout!

R.I.P. List

As good of a year 2006 was, you can't enjoy the happiness without the pain. We lost a number of great people this year. May you all rest in peace.