[The Tens] The 10 Most Disappointing Hip Hop Albums Of 2012

With all the great albums 2012 gave us, there were quite a few that simply couldn’t live up to the hype. Whether it be a posthumous album by a legendary producer squeezed until it was bone dry or an ultra hyped rapper who dropped an album that wasn’t close to what was advertised, last year had it’s fair share of disappointing albums. Not to say that those on this list aren’t talented artists (i.e. Big K.R.I.T. and B.o.B.), it’s just that they spoiled us with their other offerings and let us down with their major label project. Here’s to hoping that these artists bounce back in 2013.

Rick Ross – God Forgives, I Don’t

For all the hype that went into this album, God Forgives, I Don’t isn’t as good as advertised. While some praised this outing as his best yet, we’ve certainly heard better from the bearded bawse (Teflon Don anyone?). Unfortunately, there was so much hype surrounding the album that we anticipated perhaps his greatest album yet. But all we got were some songs that were poor sequels of previous joints Rick Ross dropped. Street anthems like “Hold Me Back” and “911″ pale in comparison to the chest pounding “BMF” and “MC Hammer.” The blahzay Usher collab “Touch’N You” was a poor attempt at a R&B collab. Meanwhile, the syrupy and strangely juxtaposed collaborative effort “Diced Pineapples” just felt awkward. The worst part is that we aren’t listening to this album at all today. — Andreas Hale

G.O.O.D. Music – Cruel Summer

For some, this may have been a suitable release. But for Kanye West, this fell way below his standards. More like a glorified “I’ve-got-better-friends-than-you” session than an actual compilation, Cruel Summer felt like a project to boast about his “Clique” rather than be a solid listening experience. It was uneven as hell but still saw Pusha T and Big Sean max out their time on the mic with grand results. As for everyone else? Too many rappers, not enough mics. — Andreas Hale

Big K.R.I.T. – Live From The Underground

It’s hard to admit, but Big K.R.I.T. really spoiled us. After delivering three remarkable projects disguised as mix tapes, nothing less than a classic was expected from his Def Jam debut. What we received was an album that wasn’t quite bad, but certainly was far from anything close to what we expected from the Mississippi native. Looking back it’s not even an album that grows on you in time. Standout cuts like “Praying Man” and “Good Dad, Poor Dad” just aren’t enough to ignore the fact that the album as a whole fails to spark interest. We know K.R.I.T. can deliver great music, and fully expect him to rebound, because those first three projects left no room for average. — Esau Howard