A little late, but a lot of thinking on the best albums of 2006

I was recently put on the spot about what were the best albums of 2006 and had to say, hmm, good question. With a watered down industry that is single and radio driven, it was easy to come to my conclusion. Don't get me wrong, I am a mainstream listener and a fan, but also see where the industry has taken a turn and a loss from what it once was. Call me old fashioned, I still prefer a manufactured CD over a download anyday, but today's standards for quality music have changed. I won't go into the details because those who've been around know, and those newer to the genre don't care, so I'll get down to the point of this blog. The best (commercial) albums of 2006 were Rick Ross, E-40, Snoop, and Ludacris. The biggest stinkers were Young Jeezy and Jay-Z. Some may say, what about The Roots, Nas, Jim Jones, or Techn9ne? All were mediocre albums at best in my book. I got hooked on Southern Smoke mixtapes this year and liked them a lot. We'll see what this year brings, new 8 Ball and MJG along with new comers Rich Boy, Baby Boy Da Prince, and Mims blowing up Wichita radio right now.