Finale

The production list (Dilla, Nottz, Flying Lotus, Oddisee, Waajeed, Black Milk) is simply ridiculous, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a hip-hop album in 2009 that sounds as dynamic and restlessly experimental as this one. Finale manages not to get lost in the beats, and his gruff, understated voice and rapid-fire braggadocio serve to add texture to the futuristic boom-bap of "One Man Show" and the woozy momentum of "Heat." While there are too many spoken-word interludes here, this is still one of the stronger underground hip-hop releases of 2009.