After giving everyone a positive spin with the Hottest Songs of 2014, we're getting brutally honest and critical today with the Most Disappointing Projects of 2014. Following 2013’s parade of ridiculously good albums, it was hard to keep pace and not get left behind from the jump. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened with some of the releases of 2014. Sure, there were a couple outstanding albums this year, like YG’s My Krazy Life, but did the bad outweigh the good? In 2014, it hurts to admit there may have been far more forgettable albums than there were unforgettable ones- but we’re not letting these albums slip away from memory just yet. To bury these albums once and for all, we've created a top 10 list of the most disappointing projects of the year. Some of these releases we really did have high hopes for, and others, the disappointment was inevitable from the jump. Enter at your own risk.
Check out the rest of our year-end lists thus far here.
50 Cent - Animal Ambition
Animal Ambition sounded like a good idea. When 50 Cent kicked off the new year with his gritty, money-counting track “This Is Murder Not Music”, who wasn’t excited for a comeback album? Unfortunately, that anticipation didn’t last very long. After an extensive rollout that possibly overhyped the album, Animal Ambition was burnt-out well before its release on June 3rd. As for the music itself, that too felt a bit uninspired. 50 Cent struggled to sound ‘with the times’ on songs like “Don’t Worry ‘Bout It” and “Pilot”, resulting in an overall forgettable album.
Kid Cudi - Satellite Flight
Did Satellite Flight sound like a hip-hop album? Not really. Was that what Kid Cudi was aiming for? Probably. Ever since his 2009 debut Man on the Moon: The End of Day, Kid Cudi’s music has continually grown weirder. As most HNHH users will agree, Satellite Flight was perhaps too experimental. The strength of “Balmain Jeans” wasn’t enough to save this strange album from disappointment. Following 2013’s Indicud, Satellite Flight was yet another step in a new direction for Cudi- one not necessarily for the better.
Wu-Tang Clan - A Better Tomorrow
Aside from its visually-stunning cover art, Wu-Tang Clan’s A Better Tomorrow failed to impress. The 15-track album sounded like a forced family reunion, which in some ways it was. The live instrumentation implemented by RZA sounded sort of out of place, and the lyricism was nothing we haven’t heard before. With A Better Tomorrow, Wu-Tang Clan assured us that their peak came years ago.
Theophilus London - Vibes
Let’s waste no time addressing the elephant in the room: this album sold 2,718 copies in its first week. For a major-label album that was executively produced by Kanye West, those numbers are about as bad as the album itself. One reason Vibes was such a disappointment was because of its uncapitalized potential. Theophilus London has made outstanding music in the past, (check out “I Stand Alone”), but seldom does that greatness appear on his new album. Although “Can’t Stop” and “Do Girls” are two of the year’s most underrated tracks, the rest of the project fails to take shape. For an album that took two years to complete, Vibes sounds more like a techno-confusion than it does a masterpiece.
Iamsu! - Sincerely Yours
Compared to Iamsu!’s previous projects, this album was a let down. The distinct Bay Area club sound that we all fell in love with in 2013 never quite showed up on Suzy’s debut LP, Sincerely Yours. In fact, those club-poppin’ contributions felt both too little, too late on this album. Alongside Sage The Gemini, Iamsu! made a name for himself by appearing (and producing) on some of the Bay Area’s biggest hits over the last few years, but unfortunately not much of that excitement was carried onto this album. Potential smashes “Only That Real” and “What You ‘Bout” never truly took off. While we truly were excited for this album's release, for the most part, Sincerely Yours was a lazy, hazy project.
Rick Ross - Hood Billionaire
Hood Billionaire wasn't necessarily a bad album. For Rick Ross standards, it just wasn’t that great. If not for the overwhelming success of his previous LPs, Hood Billionaire probably wouldn’t be considered such a disappointment. For a major-label album of this magnitude, however, Hood Billionaire screamed mediocrity. The features fell short and the production felt lame. Yeah, it should’ve been a mixtape- but even millionaires make mistakes.
Chief Keef - Back From The Dead 2
Nowadays, it seems Chief Keef’s haters far outweigh his supporters. This may be true, but even Sosa stans found it easy to criticize this lousy mixtape. Looking at Back From The Dead 2’s largely self-produced tracklist from afar, listeners could practically hear the disappointment coming from a mile away. And, surely enough, most of the beats on this project were subpar- but production wasn’t the only source of disappointment. Back From the Dead 2 presented Chief Keef as a ferocious, short-tempered rapper- a character whom we haven’t seen in years. Though wildly energetic, the absence of Auto-Tune crippled Sosa from delivering his usual melodic bars, resulting in dry, uneventful verses. While Bang Pt. 2 and Almighty So had their ups and downs, Back From The Dead 2 sounded flat throughout- it just might be Sosa’s most disappointing project yet.
Young Money - Rise of an Empire
Oh, the irony. In 2014’s early stages, it appeared Young Money was set to have their biggest year yet. Well, after frustrations from Lil Twist, Tyga, and Lil Wayne went public, the empire all but crumbled. In a sense, YMCMB got exactly what they asked for by signing a multitude of rappers. Due to Young Money’s gigantic roster, management found it impossible to cater to everybody, and thus the stars were prevented from getting their proper playing time. As it turned out, Rise of an Empire was no different. The Big 4, aka Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Drake, and Tyga, were barely utilized throughout the album, which left plenty of room for the weed carriers to do their thing. While it seems alarming that Jae Millz had more features than Drake on the album, it should come as no surprise that even after nine years, Young Money is still struggling to find their identity. Rise of an Empire was not only an incredibly lackluster album, but it foreshadowed the dawn of Young Money’s destruction.
Various Artists - Shady XV
In honor of Shady Records’ 15th anniversary as a label, Eminem and various artists under Shady’s umbrella released a double-disc album to celebrate. The second, more enjoyable half of the album was composed of greatest hits from Shady’s early days, including classics like 50 Cent’s “In Da Club” and D12’s “My Band”. Unfortunately, the first disc failed to pack that same punch. Shady XV wasn’t bad, it was terrible. The only highlight was the monumental “Detroit Vs. Everybody”, in which Big Sean arguably had the best verse. On the mic, 42-year-old Eminem sounds the equivalent of a washed-up Tracy McGrady playing for the Spurs.
Wiz Khalifa - Blacc Hollywood
Don’t let the Grammy nomination fool you. Across the board, Blacc Hollywood was a major disappointment. The irresistible lead single “We Dem Boyz” set the tone for a fun project, but Trap Wiz sadly never showed up in full. Instead, Blacc Hollywood sounded like a commercial disaster, a project deflated by lyrical headaches and twerk anthems. Fortunately, R&B crossovers “Promises” and “Stayin Out All Night” save this album from complete tragedy. For all the wrong reasons, Blacc Hollywood will likely never be forgiven or forgotten amongst the hip-hop community.