The verdict is in on the top Hip-Hop Albums of 2012 and they come from newbies and veteran rappers, in a range of stories and sounds. These projects stirred the most buzz and made the most impact creatively. But who brought it best? It’s time to take part in TheDrop.fm’s inaugural Best Hip-Hop album awards.

Captain Rick Ross of Maybach Music Group released his fifth studio album, ‘God Forgives, I Don’t’ in July, an effort combining his well known luxurious tasty raps and audiable lavishness with very rare features from the likes of Jay-Z, Dr. Dre and Andre 3000.

For his sixth studio album, 'Gravity,' Lecrae unleashed his best material to date, checking the current hip-hop atmosphere on the record, as well as continuing to shell out inspirational messages for the spiritual growth of his listeners. DJ Khaled also dropped his sixth studio LP, ‘Kiss the Ring,’ piecing together a compilation of hip-hop’s most-asked-for artists including Kanye West, Nas and Kendrick Lamar. And some heavy hitter producers lent their production chops to the album such as Mike Will Made It, Justice League and Hit-Boy.

Brother Ali brought the real on ‘Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color,’ moving away from the machismo-dominated lyrics of the hip-hop scene and discussing everything from burying his father after he committed suicide, to poverty and divorce. Nas had no problem sharing his personal issues as well on his 11th album, ‘Life Is Good,’ spitting his woes of being a veteran rapper in a new era of hip-hop, imperfections in parenting and divorcing singer Kelis.

Nicki Minaj continued to show her never-ending work ethic with her ‘Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded - the Re-up’ release, as she introduced new songs such as ‘The Boys’ and ‘Freedom.’ The highly-anticipated ‘Cruel Summer’ that dropped as the season was sizzling down brought on new favorites from the G.O.O.D. Music team including ‘Clique.’

Big K.R.I.T.’s blues-infused hip-hop is a unique sound, with more serious lyrics than his fellow rap peers, so his debut album, ‘Live From the Underground,’ which continued in that spirit, was a welcoming change.

And no matter what anyone had to say about ‘Based on a T.R.U. Story,’ this was 2 Chainz’s moment of glory -- he's nominated for Best Rap Album for the 2013 Grammys. Last but not least, Kendrick Lamar’s debut album, ‘good kid, m.A.A.d City,’ met and surpassed many expectations and was labeled classic early on, although K. Dot himself refused to accept the term so soon.

Who's got your vote for 2012′s Best Hip-Hop Album? Vote for the album you believe should take home TheDrop.fm’s Music Award below! Remember you can vote once per hour until the poll closes on Jan. 15, 2013, at 11:59 PM EST. Good luck!

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