2018 Year End

I hope this year was as good for you as it was for hip hop. I’ve heard several people debating whether this was a classic year in hip hop. What I can say is that this year has been the hardest I’ve ever debated on this list. What your reading is the fifth or sixth iteration of it. I wish I could fit all of the amazing albums but I couldn’t. S/o to Westside Gunn,T.I., Tokyo Jettz, Wayne, and 21 Savage. RIP Larry Fisherman

# -Album- Artist (description) *favorite song*

Disqualified- Kids See Ghosts- Ye & Cudi (this was an amazing album with Kanye returning to a production style reminiscent of MBDTF combined with 808s but Kanye’s antics ruined the album and I frankly don’t want to deal with his actions anymore...Kanye shrug) *Freee*

Best EP- Streams of Thought Vol. 1- Black Thought (This is grown man hip hop. It has been boiled down to 5 songs and as such is digestible. This is a project you’ll have to run back multiple times and possibly google a couple of the allusions. Vol. 2 is also amazing) *Making a Murderer*

Best Mixtape- Beloved- Styles P & Dave East (the old heads always complain about the state of hip hop, but as long as we have youngins that can keep up with greats hip hop will be ok. Here we see Dave keep Ghost young and Ghost push Dave’s pen to another level. However, it may be time to retire this criteria as the lines between mixtape and album have become so blurred that it’s almost impossible to distinguish) *Its Lit*

Honorable Mention- KOD- J. Cole (the villains might kill me for this but this is my least favorite Cole project in his discography. It’s ultimately forgettable and follows a lane that Kendrick Lamar executed better in with Damn. Jermaine attempts to refresh his sound to be more like his contemporaries while maintaining his message. Valiant, but ultimately leads to a middling album. However, it shows Cole’s skill that his worst is better than mosts best) *Once an Addict*

#10- The Book of Ryan- Royce Da 5’9 (I don’t think I can even express the importance of this album. The first third is Royce being Royce with amazing bars but then it rapidly changes into a project about intergenerational trauma, masculinity, and fatherhood. Royce tackles concepts that make you think about your own childhood and how you will raise your children. However, his song crafting holds the project back as the concepts don’t always translate to a good song) *Outside-the last verse almost brought a tear to my eye*

#9- Scorpion- Drake ( The double disk spread the 6 god too thin. It was a cool concept to have a rappity rap side and an R&B side but what makes Drake who he is is the effortless way he can go from one to the other. This is layered on top of the fact that he continued to spit mob kingpin bars when an artist to be mentioned later hit him with a vicious upper cut of a song. However, hidden within this album is the album the fans deserved. As such, the album is not a waste as Drake continues on his now decade long run) *After Dark*

#8- Invasion of Privacy- Cardi B( I doubted this woman at every turn and she has proved me wrong every time. Belcalis opened a door for women in hip hop using untraditional spaces as platforms ie reality tv and IG. Her story alone may be one of the most important things of the last few years and while you can say what u want about her you CANT deny the hits. Deep cuts became huge singles. What holds her back on my list is the writing rumors however I’m not so backpack that I can’t recognize a good album when I see one) *Bartier Cardi*

#7- DiCaprio 2- JID-(Hopefully this puts me back in good grace with the Dreamville fans. JID follows his XXL Freshman cover debut with an eclectic album that exhibits word play, a master class in flow, and great melodies. This is best proven on Off Deez where he pushes his label owner further than any artist ever has. I look forward to where JID is going as he grows into a major label artist) *Off Da Zoinkys*

#6-Astroworld- Travis Scott (I will admit this album took me awhile to jump on the bandwagon. I have been a Travis fan since Owl Pharaoh and best remember him as an artist that intentionally rages against the rules of the genre. Initially this album felt toned down from his previous work. However, with time I realized that he had not toned down his music instead he had influenced other artists to turn up their music. Genre blending, beat changes, crazy features and grating auto tune are all standard in hip hop now. How could I be mad at him for influencing others. Oh then I saw it live..... nothing more needs to be said) *Carousel*

#5- Championships- Meek Mill (If you not proud of Meeks growth as a person and as an artist stop reading now. Despite and in some ways because of all the bs Meek has been through the past two years he submitted a great album. His passion cuts through the music like never before. The Philly MC has taken his position as an OG using his voice to put on younger artists including the now Grammy nominated Tierra Whack who easily has one of it not the best videos of the year. The only thing holding this album back is some small length issues however very different from former enemy Aubrey Graham’s. Meek had some records that would’ve been great on a mixtape whereas Aubrey had song that should’ve jus been shelved) * Oodle O’ Noodles Babies*

#4- Black Panther- TDE (This is an easy album to forget about because it’s a soundtrack and not a traditional release. But this is an amazing body of work. Ultimately it’s a diasporic genre mixing celebration of one of the biggest cultural moments of the year. It also contains narrative threads of the movie like how Paramedic! begins with “I am Killmonger this is my home” and continues to be a violent Bay Area slapper that makes me wanna go dumb and say yadadamean. This is proof that it was crafted with care and attention to detail which is exactly what I look for in albums) *Seasons*

#3- Care for Me- Saba(This was an excellent year for Chicago music with Noname-best percussion of the year, Mick Jenkins, and Smino- from STL but career started in CHI- all dropping albums that easily would have made my list literally any other year. However, Care for Me is head and shoulders above the rest. The album is an incredibly introspective look into Saba’s depression after his cousin Walter was murdered. There are several concepts across this album including attachment to social media, loving the trauma of others, label issues, and trying to fix your issues through art but sprinkled throughout this album are tiny mentions of Walter which culminate with the narrative driven Prom/ King. If this song don’t make you appreciate your favorite cousins idk what will. The only complaint I have with this album is that it dropped as winter became spring when I wanted to be happy but this album was like nahhhh) *Grey*

#2 Daytona- Pusha T( Luxury street rap at its finest. If Westside Gunn sounds like crack in a sock this sounds like cocaina on a private jet. The album perfectly balances the lush sounds of Kanye’s samples against Pusha Ton’s gritty voice. King Push talks about sellin weight with the nostalgia and detail that I remember college with. At 7 songs it is a short listen however this is intentional and bucks the trend of artists inflating their tracklists in order for better streaming numbers. One might say Daytona is straight raw no cut. It was already a great album but when I saw the crazy in Push’s eyes live it elevated the album even higher. This is all layered on top of the former Clipse member besting the Goliath that is Drake. I honestly don’t have anything bad to say about this album.) *If You Know You Know*

Before we get to number 1 I want to say thank you all for reading this far. I’ve been doing these lists for a while now and I appreciate that starting in December ppl have really started asking me when it’s goin to drop. You all are amazing. I do wanna take this moment to continue a conversation held by Scottie Beam, Jinx, Jacque Morel, and the people at Grapevine. As hip hop becomes the most popular genre of music it will be infiltrated. It is up to us to become conscious consumers. So in order to fight the patriarchy in music here is a list of DOPE women in hip hop: Princess Nokia, Rico Nasty, Noname, Tokyo Jettz, Rapsody, Tierra Whack, Chika, Juiicy 2x’s

#1- Victory Lap- Nipsey Hussle (It’s been a LONG time coming. If this is your introduction to Nip the Crip I know this album can’t sound the same as it does for long time fans who have been waiting for almost a full decade. The journey to this moment is full of amazing stories of huge wins and massive losses. Honestly this album tops my list as I believe it is Nipseys emergence as a West Coast legend. There are very few ppl who have taken their neighborhood national and made it synonymous with themselves. Marcy and Jay, Biggie and Brooklyn, and I believe that in years to come Crenshaw and Nipsey Hussle. This album is so authentically west coast that I’m positive it sounds different on that side of the world. Gems on gems throughout this project.) *Blue Laces 2- please go listen to Blue Laces 1 for context)