Following our reveal of the best major label hip-hop albums of 2014 earlier in the week, we now present our favorite indie LP’s of the year. As per usual, it was hard to find 10 inclusions for the major label list, and hard to narrow it down to only 10 on the indie list.

10. Step Brothers (Evidence + Alchemist) – Lord Steppington – Rhymesayers - Lord Steppington is unlike anything either Al or Ev have done thus far, which is testament to their versatility. It doesn’t sound like a Dilated album without Rakka, nor does it sound like, say, Albert Einstein from a production standpoint. Evidence and Alchemist have challenged themselves here, and ended up producing a dope, unconventional underground rap album, most likely dreamed up in the smokiest of atmospheres. Here come the lords.

9. Bishop Nehru + MF Doom – NehruvianDOOM – Lex Records – MF Doom teamed up with rising star Bishop Nehru for NehruvianDOOM, a solid collaborative album that found him laying down tracks for the young emcee. While some complained about re-used beats, we didn’t mind, as we don’t really listen to Doom’s beat tapes anyway. Sewn together brilliantly with Doom’s off kilter samples from various different sources, it’s rare we find Doom producing a whole album for someone, which made this a real treat.

8. Your Old Droog – Your Old Droog LP – Droog Recordings – It started off as some kid on Reddit proposing the idea that Droog was actually Nas in disguise, leading to a whole bunch of people accidentally checking for the Coney Island, NY rapper. What we found was an incredibly solid LP from a budding emcee with an airtight flow and classic, sample based production. Released on “Droog Recordings” this is the definition of an indie success story.

7. Apathy – Connecticut Casual – Demigodz Recordings – Connecticut Casual is a concept album, but isn’t as heavy as say, The Roots …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin, for example. It’s a pretty straight-shooting, classically styled hip-hop record, but Ap ties the entire thing together by using his home state as a backdrop. Using the New England area’s rich history as a blueprint, he examines the state’s dichotomy of its Yacht-owning upper class, and it’s seedier crime ridden underbelly. Another well put together album, with very interesting, unexplored territory in hip-hop music.

6. Ras Kass + Apollo Brown – Blasphemy – MelloMusicGroup - Ras Kass and Apollo Brown’s, Blasphemy, is a concept LP that is more or less a crusade against organized religion. It’s also one of the best albums of the year, and quite possibly the most concise album that Ras has ever recorded. Ras has finally been given an equally yoked producer to match his sharp lyrical prowess.

5. Ghostface Killah – 36 Seasons – Tommy Boy – Where the Wu failed with A Better Tomorrow, Ghostface delivered with a literal “better tomorrow” releasing his excellent 36 Seasons LP just a week later. An incredibly tight-knit concept album with fresh, original live production from The Revelations, Ghostface Killah has long proven to be the Wu-Tang Clan’s most consistant member.

4. DJ Premier + Royce Da 5’9 – PRhyme – PRhyme Records – American dream team of DJ Premier and Royce Da 5’9 reunited after the success of their classic single “Boom,” for Preem’s first group project since the dissolution of Gang Starr. While the album showed both artists doing what they do best, we’d love to see how they mature as a group with consecutive albums as time goes on.

3. Statik Selektah – What Goes Around – Showoff - While not as high-profile as some of the other releases on this list, Statik Selektah’s What Goes Around was easily one of the most consistent LPs of 2014, especially considering its length. Stat has matured into one of the best producers in the game, able to zero in on that “golden age” sound, with an extensive guest list to help drive it home.

Pharoahe Monch – PTSD – W.A.R. Media – In his most focused and consistent LP since Internal Affairs, Pharaohe Monch has taken a real-life bout with depression and turned into one of the strongest independent LP of the year. He doesn’t try to recapture the success of “Simon Says”, nor does he try to crossover with Cee-Lo-esque gospel/soul tracks, despite his obvious singing chops. This is an unapologetically dark, incredibly well-written, musically sound LP that finds the emcee returning to greatness. Pharoahe Fucking Monch, ain’t a damn thing changed.

1. Run The Jewels (Killer Mike + El-P) – RTJ2 – Productomart / Mass Appeal – RTJ2 is a worthy sequel to the original that gets consecutively better with each listen, topping many of the industry’s year end lists across all music genres. It’s so far removed from what major labels have been pushing on us for the last few years, yet it sons them all with a smart, progressive, politically minded, and musically dope album that challenges the status quo, and reminds us why we still love hip-hop after all these years. It is possible that this album could mark a turning point for hip-hop music, so bump this shit like they do in the future.

It’s hard to believe that despite their long history as friends together, Evidence and Alchemist have never cut an album together. On wax, the beginnings of their collaborations start as early as the first Dilated Peoples’ 12″, “Third Degree”, as Al produced both the title track and its b-side “Confidence”. But the story dates back even further, as the two actually grew up together, which explains their like-minded views on beats, rhymes, and weed. With them both having twenty-year career spans in the game, now is as good a time as ever for them to come together as Step Brothers, and deliver the Lord Steppington LP.

Much like Madvillainy before it, Lord Steppington is a highly experimental album that gets better with consecutive listens. The duo’s blunted sense of humor comes through all over the record, especially through the skits, which animate the Lord Steppington character as an above the law member of foreign soil, who “doesn’t feel natural” faking humility. Such as how “Byron G” starts, led with an early Kanye rant, as the they trade verses with Domo Genesis and actor Scott Caan (Al’s one time partner in the Whooliganz) over the album’s lone Evidence beat.

The album’s production is uncompromisingly raw, as Alchemist helms the rest of the LP’s beat work. Songs like “Legendary Mesh” and “No Hesitation”, (the latter a flip of Pacewon’s “I Declare War”, as pointed out by Evidence), are driven by Al’s trademark brand of brooding, thumping bass kicks, while things get more experimental on “Swimteam Rastas”. Here, the beat changes up three times, with off kilter samples providing an uncomfortable groove. Things kick into high gear on ridiculous “Mums In The Garage”, shared with Action Bronson, over a beat so raw that it might have fit on Hard To Earn in 1994.

“Banging Sound” throws out all conventional methods of rap production on one the album’s boldest beats, yet passes with flying colors as one of the LP’s illest moments. The album’s lead single, “Step Masters”, is the most accessible thing on the album, but the crown jewel of the LP is buttery posse cut, “Tomorrow”, which brings in Blu and Rakaa, over a ridiculously hypnotic track.

Lyrically Ev and Al trade barbs, going verse for verse, almost seeing who can outdo the other with hilarious visuals. Ev is the more lyrical emcee here, but Al comes with the more quotable, ridiculous boasts, such as “To retrieve exotic pets, karate chop the nipple of yo chest,” and “flipping like things that flip,” among many other bizarre claims.

Lord Steppington is unlike anything either artist has done thus far, which is testament to their versatility. It doesn’t sound like a Dilated album without Rakka, nor does it sound like, say, Albert Einstein from a production standpoint. Evidence and Alchemist have challenged themselves here, and ended up producing a dope, unconventional underground rap album, most likely dreamed up in the smokiest of atmospheres. Here come the lords.

Two pieces of promo video for Step Brothers’ new Lord Steppington LP.

On this episode of ILL Time, Mass Appel travels back in time to one gnarly session for the ages. Out in Lake Tahoe, circa the 1980, Evidence and Alchemist come together to broadcast a legendary skate contest, “Upland Skate Masters”. One full day of hardcore ripping for the ladies and gents of Nor Cal.

The most anticipated album of the year, thus far, is available on iTunes now. Check out the full stream below. Below that, check out the duo on Sway In The Morning.

The debut album from Step Brothers, Lord Steppington, is out 1.21.14 on Rhymesayers Entertainment.

Here’s a look at Alchemist and Evidence’s Step Brothers Lord Steppington project, in physical form.

Rhymesayers unleashes the cover art, tracklisting, and the first single, “Ron Carter”, to Evidence and Alchemist’s long awaited Step Brothers album, Lord Steppington. The album will see release November 19th.

1.) “More Wins”
2.) “Dr. Kimble”
3.) “Byron G” f/ Domo Genesis & The Whooliganz (produced by Evidence)
4.) “Legendary Mesh”
5.) “No Hesitation” f/ Styles P
6.) “Swimteam Rastas”
7.) “Mums In The Garage” f/ Action Bronson
8.) “See The Rich Man Play” f/ Roc Marciano
9.) “Banging Sound” f/ Fashawn
10.) “Step Masters”
11.) “Tomorrow” f/ Rakka Iriscience & Blu
12.) “Draw Something” f/ Oh No
13.) “Buzzing Away”
14.) “Just Step”

This is an instrumental piece by Step Brothers (Evidence & Alchemist) for a clothing collaboration between Evidence and Diamond Supply Co. This does not appear on their upcoming album, Lord Steppington due 11.19.13.

Listed simply as “Step Brothers – Lord Steppington – 2013″, RSE gives fans a taste of what to expect from the long-awaited Evidence / Alchemist collaboration album on this 30 second clip. At this time, we are unsure if the album title is actually Lord Steppington, but we definitely can expect it this year. Check out the clip below.