Candidates for top 10 albums of 2002: Non Phixion - The Future Is Now
very fall, you’ll find frantic “albums of the year” lists. But, since some albums are still honeymooning, others are stuck in the just-play-out phase, and you haven’t given radiohead albums enough of a chance yet, any judgment is premature. So, every year (as of last year) I don’t do that. But I do something very close: I make “albums of the year” lists for 10 and 20 years back—stuff from my own lifetime that’s had enough time to pickle. Hindsight’s 20/20, right? (Then again, isn’t everything backwards in your rearview mirror?) 2002 is going to be especially tough to get down to 10 records. In fact, I may go up to 25. We’ll see. In the meantime, I’ll throw up some re-reviews) on the candidates, over the next few weeks/months.
It’s a lot of fun to go back and cement yourself in a specific moment in music (and memories.) I recommend it. I’m a sucker for chronology. It constantly blows my mind that two records I associate with completely different moods or even phases of my life—let alone the chronicles of music itself—came out a few months apart. (For example, In a timeline/family-tree of rap, it feels like The Chronic and Rage’s self-titled are generations apart.) Some of this has to do with my own relationship with the records (I was aware of Rage at the time but didn’t discover Dr. Dre until 8th grade so when I heard The Chronic it felt like traveling way back in time) but it’s also true that the music often speaks for itself. On that note, here is best attempt to speak for it…
Non Phixion
The Future is Now
Uncle Howie Records
Concept albums are ambitious and they usually suck. They’re especially rare in rap and even more unlikely to work. But The Future is Now
Is a (lower) middle class musician even a possibility? 
Most of the talking that goes on in the NYC Subway seems to be done quietly to oneself (deranged or frustrated), loudly to the entire car (panhandling or preaching), awkwardly to another rider (hyper-aware that the entire car is listening and scrutinizing their conversation and overall life choices), or obnoxiously to another rider or two (usually too drunk or otherwise narrow-minded to realize that the entire car is listening and scrutinizing their outfits and overall life choices.) That said, people mostly keep to themselves.
Notes