This, as you've (hopefully) read, was a standout year for Houston rap. In addition to the shuffling that went on at the tip-top of the food chain (Bun, Slim, Trae, Paul, Cham, Z-Ro, Devin and even Lil' Flip all moved spots on the Name The Best, Most Important Houston Rappers list), a 12-month-long game of Can You Top This seemed to be taking place among the increasingly vocal New Houston Collective, from which, these three things are now officially official:

• It is now acceptable for you to argue that there has never been a healthier, stronger, more varied and intimidating lineup of talented rappers in Houston than at this very moment. Chew on that a bit.
• Bun B will go down in history as the most important Houston rapper of all time. Nobody can catch him. He's too far ahead. 'Face could put out another classic album and it still wouldn't be close. Bun has reinvented himself over and over and over again, each time showing a markedly keen understanding of the intricacies of the tumultuous -for lack of a better term, "rap game." Praise to the most high; Bun B.
• Trae has worked himself into perhaps the most enviable unenviable position in the history of envy and positions. For a clearer understanding of that, try to argue against this point: Trae is currently more important in Houston (and perhaps to Houston) than Z-Ro. You can't, legitimately.

Of course, the crux of this lead is the music. We're not certain exactly how many records and mixtapes were released by Houston rappers this year, but there were a bunch (a mathematician might call it somewhere in the neighborhood of "a shit-ton"), which is the reason for this post.

Click on through this slideshow here to see who made it onto the immediately prestigious Top 10 Houston Rap Albums of the Year. It is a distinguished list, and a lot of good, good stuff was left off, so know that while inclusion dictates excellence, exclusion does not necessitate shittiness.

Off we go...

First, the six Honorable Mentions:

16. Scarface, Dopeman Music: Had he concentrated his efforts entirely, this likely would've ended up somewhere closer to the Top 3. But he (appeared to) mostly phone this one in. Still, even considering that, it was better than all but about 15 Houston rap albums this year. Fuckin' 'Face, man.

15. Propain, #Departure: One of the names that gets highlighted on the New Houston Collective roll sheet.

14. Hollywood FLOSS, House of Dreams: Perennial contender for the Best Underground Rapper of the Year award, if FLOSS' name is on it, it's going to be solid. No difference here.

13. Devin the Dude, Gotta Be Me: This tape was one or two songs away from really being tough to deal with. Still, even without any standouts, it's a strong enough tape to register 13th best of the year.

12. Paul Wall, Heart of a Champion: The People's Champ clocks in at 12 with his fourth proper album, Heart of a Champion. Better than that, though, his "Smoke Everyday" track, which features Devin and Ro, rates as one of the year's best songs, regardless of geographical location.

11. H.I.S.D., The Weakend: This is a thinking man's album, and people aren't going to fully appreciate all that it accomplished (particularly when measured against 2007's earth-bound The District). If someone makes a list of the 10 Best Houston Rap Albums of 2010 in 2021, The Weakend might crack the Top 5.

Now, the Top 10...