TDE is the Crew Of The Year (2013 RefinedHype Awards) Posted by Lucas G. on 12/18/13 | Filed under Opinion, Debates, RefinedHype Awards

It's that time of the year when everyone does their "Best of the Year" lists, but how many of those can you really read? So around these parts we do things a little different. Ladies and gentlemen and intelligent animals with the ability to read things on the interwebs, welcome to the 2013 RefinedHype Awards!  Here are the rules. First, this isn't a democracy, it's more like a benevolent dictatorship. I chose the nominees after careful consideration drinking. But instead of whining that your favorite rapper/song/whatever didn't make it in, I'm allowing write in votes. Whoever gets the most votes wins that category, even if y'all override my nominations with a write-in vote. Period. I'll announce all the winners on Wednesday, December 18. And I'll be explaining the criteria and nominees for each category every time. Got it? Good.  

Along with twerking, one of the biggest trends of the year was the (re)emergence of the hip-hop crew. And like the line between mixtape and album, the lines between crew vs. label have been blurred. Crews today work a lot like labels. They give an artist a brand behind them, something concrete which with a fan can associate them to and a group of like minded artists to collab with, etc. So for our purposes, there isn’t much that separates the two beyond legal contracts. To be more specific, for this discussion TDE and MMG (labels) are in the same discussion as SaveMoney and Pro Era (crews), while Def Jam or Universal Music Group aren't. We know, it's complicated, but RefinedHype Nation is more than smart enough to work through the complexities.   

Per usual we're judging based on overall impact, inherent dopeness, growth and, in this case, depth of the crew. With that in mind, It is time to give out the award for crew/label of 2013.

UPDATE: Voting is closed. Scroll to the bottom for the winner. 

TDE

Though there was no big album release or project from anyone on the label, TDE still had a great year, which makes their dominance more impressive. Riding the success of 2012’s Good Kid M.A.A.D City, Kendrick still had a banner year. He was the most popular guest feature, appearing on a slew of cuts including “Control” (arguably the verse of the year) and my personal favorite "Fragile". He was named rapper of the year by GQ, appeared at all the big festivals, and was nominated for a few Grammys; again this is all without a major release in 2013. Kendrick has the impact category covered by himself--forgetting the BDKMV remix with some dude named Jay Z?-- but it isn’t just him (quality and depth). ScHoolBoy Q has a solid year (“Collard Greens” is fire) and built a lot of excitement over his Oxymoron album due out next year. Nothing major from ScHoolboy, but all the pieces are in place for a big 2014. Ab-Soul, like Kendrick, focused his 2013 on guest spots. He appeared on cuts with Jhene Aiko, Chance The Rapper, Rapsody and Vic Mensa, all of whom had huge projects this year; pretty good year considering no major solo stuff.

TDE are all exceptional emcees, release a steady volume of quality material, and while Kendrick is obviously the face, ScHoolboy, Jay Rock and Ab are major names in their own right. TDE also signed Isaiah Rashad and SZA this year, which covers growth. The SZA signing really impressed me and added a whole other range and sound to their arsenal. TDE is definitely a top contender for crew of 2013.

Savemoney

While it’s hard to say they have the depth, output, and impact (they are still so young), Savemoney still had one of the best years. Don’t get me wrong, each and every member is talented, but have yet to really prove themselves. As of  right now, the group is dependent on Chance and Vic; still, they are in good hands. Savemoney is in the conversation mainly because of growth. In 2012, nobody had ever really heard of them—Chance was just a blip on the Chi-town radar— but in 2013, he has become one of the brightest young stars in hip-hop and has taken the Savemoney crew to the next level. Seriously when you think of how far the have come, nobody has had a better year than the Savemoney crew; from obscurity to a guest spot on a Lil Wayne tape, it doesn’t get much bigger than that. Aside from Chance and Vic (and Donnie Trumpet), though, they are unproven. But what they lacked in impact, depth, and output (although this can be argued), they more than made up for in growth.

Maybach Music Group

You may not like it, but to say that Maybach isn’t one of the elite crews of the year would be biased and unfair. They have the depth - Ross, Wale and Meek are all chart toppers and all had a project this year - but I think they lack the inherent dopeness. I get that French is a big name, but in my heart of hearts, I don’t think he is a good rapper. I have given him a fair shake, but he never impresses me. I had their impact score higher, until I remembered Rick lost the shoe deal; having clothes and other forms of marketing really helps to establish a brand and impact, and while it won’t hurt him money wise, losing Reebok definitely isn’t good for MMG.

Not only did each emcee release a big project (I am counting the compilation album and mixtape as one for Ross) but they all were very active on the guest time which gives them big points in the output department. A for growth, they added two emcees, Fat Trel and Tracy T, on top of a recent Rockie Fresh signing, neither of which I know much about, but Maybach is a machine and I’m sure they will be topping charts soon. While it might not be a popular pick, you have to commend Ross on knowing how to build a brand that will be a tastemaker in the mainstream game for years to come.

Strange Music

Where Strange Music really shines is the musical quality section. Everyone on the label, from the head honcho Tech to new faces like Ces Cru and Rittz can fucking spit. Their production is stellar all they way around, and there are really know weak spots in their roster. Tech, Rittz, Stevie Stone, Krizz and MAYDAY, all dropped a project this year, and Tech had some solid guest spots so output is not even a question; sidenote, Tech’s album is one of the most slept on of the year. While there was plenty of dopeness from the label, MAYDAY stole the show. They really emerged with their super original and unique, Believers album, which has helped push Wrekonize into solo stuff as well.

Impact and growth are both impressive as well (and were really helped by MAYDAY’s growth). While they don’t have the same impact as Maybach, you could argue that they are the most influential indie label; they are the blueprint for any indie label and have even managed to team up with Monster Energy Drinks to help grow the brand. It might not be a sexy pick like TDE or Savemoney, but you could easily make the case that Strange Music was the crew of 2013. Maybe it is going under the radar, because it is already assumed they are dope, but they definitely deserves some recognition.

GOOD Music

It almost seems unfair to compare them to any other group because they are so massive. Kanye, Pusha, John Legend, Big Sean, and 2 Chainz all had projects and some (Kanye and Pusha) were some of the biggest of the year. No issues with output, depth, impact (who has more than Kanye?), or quality here. And they even have the producer market cornered with the likes of Kanye, No I.D., Travis Scott and Q-Tip on GOOD Beats.

They only knock you can have on them is growth. Sure Kanye is an empire in and of himself and the added Hudson Mohawke to the GOOD Beats, but they lost Cudi and Hit-Boy, both of whom left the label. Those are two pretty big names and losing them definitely hurts their growth. They might have had the best year on paper, but I just don’t ge the same sense the took over like Savemoney or TDE. Still, with Yeezy alone, its hard to argue against them. Kind of unrelated, but kind of not, be on the lookout for Ryan McDermott, with a unique, radio-ready style, dude is going to be  a big surprise in 2014.

Honorable Mention: A$AP Mob, Pro Era, Jamla, Funk Volume. 

No matter who you pick, its clear that the label/crew thing is back in full force. It seems like now, even for independent artist, finding a team to roll with is crucial for success. It helps because when one blows it opens the door for the rest of the crew and I fully expect to see some of the smaller groups make big steps in 2014 , but this isn’t about next year. This folks, is all about 2013, and its up to you to pick the crew of 2013. Voting is now closed. 

And The Winner Is......TDE

Holy hell! Stop the fight! Stop The Fight! Throw In The Damn Towel! Crew of the year looking like Apollo vs. Drago out there. With 133 total votes, TDE absolutely obliterated the competition. Just how bad was it? Well, TDE beat GOOD music by a whopping 95 votes and nobody on TDE even had an album. Amazing really. I only fear for every other crew/label because with "Oxymoron", a Kendrick album, and I am sure much more in store for 2014, TDE will only continue to rise.

Other Categories:

Booty of the Year
Non Hip-Hop Song of the Year
General Awesomeness of the Year
Producer Of The Year
Crew of the Year
Banger of the Year
Song of the Year
Rapper of the Year
Album of the Year

*Word to Krispy Kreme/Froggy Fresh on the art work for this year's RefinedHype Awards. Why is James cryin?