Editor’s note: Please be advised that some of the music listed may contain explicit and/or inappropriate content.

Even though it’s a bit past the New Year, this post is going to be about my favorite albums and songs of 2012.

There was a lot of positive progressive movement in all genres; Electronic Dance Movement (EDM) and other related electronic genres have shot into the mainstream and have been infused into pop music.

Underground, socially conscious rap has been brought into the eyes of a larger audience while still maintaining its integrity.

I haven’t paid a lot of attention to the straight-ahead rock scene, but the alterative rock scene has brought a whole new slew of instrumentals and sounds to the table but also dug back to its classic roots and combined the two to make a refreshing, yet familiar sound. The steps taken in this past year have laid the foundation for some really exciting projects to blossom this year.

Top Albums

1. Control System – Ab-Soul
This album – there is so much soul and feeling put into it. From happy and boisterous to heart-breaking tragedy, Ab-Soul is on point, especially in Book Of Soul.

2. Good Kid, Maad City – Kendrick Lamar
A very close second; Kendrick didn’t just throw some hits onto a CD, he told a story. He reminisced about his childhood on Backseat Freestyle, yet also opened up about his upbringing on Maad City.

3. Jiaolong – Daphni
Formerly known as Caribou, Daphni has moved on to produce an LP record that I can only describe to be as deep house – a subgenre of house music – with a little bit of every genre from across the globe thrown in.

4. Channel Orange – Frank Ocean
He finally got his chance to shine after writing countless hits for the likes of Justin Beiber, Brandy and John Legand, and he took the opportunity to make a name for himself.

5. Camp – Childish Gambino
Donald Glover, the actor that plays Troy on Community, has an alter ego: Childish Gambino. While he may not be the most “hood” rapper out there, his lyrical wit is unrivaled, and his delivery is precise yet personal.

Here are the rest of my top albums:
6. 100% No Modern Talking – Knife Party
7. Noctourniquet – The Mars Volta
8. Fragments – Submotion Orchestra
9. 1999 – Joey Bada$$
10. Dance Floor Filth 2 – 3LAU
11. Yuck – Yuck
12. Trilogy – The Weeknd
13. Lonerism – Tame Impala
14. Until The Quiet Comes – Flying Lotus
15. Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors – Big Boi
16. TNGHT EP – TNGHT

Top Songs

Walking on a dream – Empire of the Sun
Sentry the defiant – Coheed & Cambria
Bohemian grove – Ab-Soul
Original don (Flosstradamus Remix) – Major Lazer
About you – XXYYXX
Running (Disclosure Remix) – Jessie Ware
Can’t hold us – Macklemore
The giver – Duke Dumont
Toxic – Childish Gambino ft. Danny Brown
Won’t you be there (Baauer Remix) – Nero
Truant – Burial
Palace – A$AP Rocky
Love done live here – Meek Mill
Holdin on (Nero & Skrillex Remix) – Monsta
Shiraz – Action Bronson
Just what I am – Kid Cudi ft. King Chip
Get free – Major Lazer
Bootleg fireworks – Dillon Francis
Next to you – Poolside