Watch The Tone 2020 Rap Awards
Welcome to part one of the Watch the Tone 2020 Awards Show. We have three parts planned out, one for Classic Rap, one for Hip-Hip and another for R&B. We will be releasing the awards on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of this week.
As you can tell, “Classic Rap” is the first genre up with seven awards to be won. We’ll run through the winners, the nominees, and a brief statement from the committee on the decision.
*We’ve decided to make two subgenres for hip-hop to better represent the different types of music in the genre. Classic Rap will be more lyrics and rapping in the classic sense, while the Hip-hop awards include the newer style of rap that has become prevalent in today’s musical landscape, including a bit more melodies, different drum patterns, and more of a trap influence.*
If you enjoy, feel free to retweet, reply, and share with a friend!
Best EP
(Max five songs or less than 20 minutes)
Nominees: Russ — ‘CHOMP’ / Mick Jenkins — ‘Circus’ / Kenny Beats & Denzel Curry — ‘UNLOCKED’ / Ransom — Deleted Scenes.
And the winner is:
Kenny Beats & Denzel Curry, Unlocked
A few albums didn’t meet our strict EP criteria, including Che Noir and Conway are two who were close, but we still had a very tough decision with these four nominees. Curry and Kenny came together with a fun concept and were able to be on the same page as rapper and producer. The beats are crazy enough to match Curry’s shifting tone and unique range and to top it off, Curry’s lyrical ability is on full display throughout the project.
Best Feature Artist
Nominees: Royce Da 5'9 / Benny The Butcher / Conway The Machine / Black Thought.
And the winner is…
Black Thought
Yes, Benny The Butcher had over 30 features in 2020 and was incredible, but several of those came on his labelmates projects, while Black Thought neared 20 features and was paired myriad of music creators in the calendar year, showing that his bars will never get old. The quality of the verses never tapered off and never showed anything besides the talent of one of the best to ever do it.
Producer of the Year
Nominees: The Alchemist / Hit-Boy / Daringer / Kenny Beats / 9th Wonder / Knxwledge.
And the winner is:
Hit-Boy
Hit-Boy and The Alchemist were about as close as possible for this award. That can not be overstated. Both ran 2020, dropping one incredible album after another and pairing with a new artist seemingly every month and perfecting it.
The Alchemist dropped LULU with Conway, The Price of Tea in China with Boldy James, and Alfredo with Freddie Gibbs, along with tracks on seven other albums. Hit-Boy had King’s Disease with Nas, Detroit 2 with Big Sean, and Burden of Proof with Benny along with hit singles and several tracks throughout rap. Both were extremely deserving, but we gave the award to Hit-Boy.
Most Consistent
Nominees: Ransom / Conway The Machine / Benny The Butcher / Westside Gunn / Black Thought / Curren$y
And the winner is…
Benny The Butcher
Everyone in this category is extremely deserving of praise after continuing to put out music to help us all get through a trying 2020, but Benny’s output was simply unmatched. His labelmates were close, but over 30 features and one of the best albums of the year built up a trust from the rap community. Everything he hopped on was heat and that won’t change anytime soon.
Best Crew: Griselda
Not only the output, but the quality of projects that Griselda has put out over 2020 will be a run that will go down in hip hop history. We will see how they continue to evolve and grow in 2021.
All-Freshman Team
Stove God Cooks / Sa-Roc / Reason / Armani Caesar / D Smoke
Five artists who had their breakthrough or major label debut in 2020. All of which had impressive albums, features, and runs in 2020 to put themselves on the map. We’ll see how their sophomore season goes.
Classic Rap Album of the Year
Nominees: Benny The Butcher — Burden Of Proof / Run The Jewels — RTJ4 / Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist — Alfredo / Conway The Machine — From King To A GOD / Westside Gunn — Pray For Paris / Boldy James — Price Of Tea In China.
And the winner is…
Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist, Alfredo
All of the candidates were elite albums in 2020, but Alfredo just had a different feel to it. Gibbs not only proved he could rap over a producer other than MadLib, but he showed he make songs that stick. The four features were not only perfectly placed, but all delivered while Gibbs changed up his flows, almost toying with Alch’s unique production, making every track his own. It’s safe to say, Gibbs has done it again.
Follow @WTTMusic_ for the rest of our awards and daily music content.
