Thought I’d set this up after floating it in the main rolling thread. Basically just a separate place to list/chat about your favs of the year, since I know the size of the main thread could put some people off, or just mean the chat gets a bit lost. I also listen to loads of rap but it doesn’t often get reflected in my main AOTY list (due to indie guitar boy bias) so it’s nice to do something a bit more genre-focused here
might total scores up if there’s enough entries but mostly thinking of it as just a place to list your ranking for fun and to see what discussion it sparks off. Gonna aim for 10 albums myself, once I’ve whittled it down a bit!
His style is hard to categorize blending elements of grime, dancehall and US hip-hop and twisting politicized lyrics in Luganda that explore violence, religion, drug abuse or the poverty in the Ugandan slums
For the last few years I’ve been keeping a page in Notes to jot down everything I listen to. My rating system this year is Really liked, Liked a lot, Quite liked and Played once, thought it was decent, never went back. I think it has been another solid year. although don’t think anything really blew my mind. As someone said in the Hip Hop thread, I don’t think I could say anything in my Really liked section is that artists best work.
I’m confident more stuff will drop in the next few weeks that’ll make the list, but I promise will whittle this down to 10 in the next few days…
My list
Really liked
AJ Suede and Televangel - Metatron’s Cube
Defcee and Boathouse - For All Debts Public and Private (Deluxe Version)
Jack Danz x Joe Snow - Def Sentence
YL and Zoomo - in memory of
Dalek - Precipice
billy woods - Atheiopes
Roc Marciano & Alchemist - Elephant Mans Bones
Teller Banks & Ed Glorious - I & I
Knucks - Alpha Place
Lukah - Raw Extractions
Quelle Chris - Deathfame
Ace Cannons & Mighty Healthy - Mightycannons
ELUCID - I Told Bessie
Iblss Raja’s Sun
Open Mike Eagle - Component System with the Auto Reverse
Al.Divino & Estee Nack - Triple Black Diamonds 2
Cities Aviv - Working Title For The Album Secret Waters
Liked a lot
Benny the Butcher - Tana Talk 4
Action Bronson - Cocodrillo
Meyhem Lauren & Daringer – Black Vladimir
AKAI SOLO – Body Feeling
billy woods - Church
Domo Genesis - intros, Outros and Interludes
Fly Anakin - frank
Sleep Sinatra – In God’s Image (released NYE 2021)
Your Old Droog - Space Bar
Lloyd Banks - The Course of the Inevitable 2
Ka - Languish Arts & Woeful Studies
Earl Sweatshirt - SICK!
Ty Farris & Sebb Bash - Fluorescent Mudd
$ilkMoney - I Don’t Give a Fuck About This Rap Shit, Imma Just Drop Until I Don’t Feel Like It Anymore
Joshua Virtue - Rama
Serengeti - We Saw Mad Turtles
AJ Suede - Darth Sueder 7: Rogues Gallery
R.A.P. Ferreira - 5 to the Eye with Stars
Fatboi Sharif & Noface - Preaching In Havana
Westside Gunn - 10
AKAI SOLO - Spirit Roaming
Shirt & Jack Splash - I Turned Myself into Myself
Quite liked
Cities Aviv - MAN PLAYS THE HORN
V Don & Sauce Heist - The Minatti Report
Elcamino & Camoflauge Monk - Walk by Faith and Not By Sight
Lord Kayso - Moor Chores
Kendrick Lamar - Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers
Crimeapple - Jaguar on Palisade 2
Conway The Machine - God Don’t Make Mistakes
Curren$y & The Alchemist - Continuance
Nicholas Craven - N3
Wilma Vritra - Grotto
Mach Hommy - Triz Nate/Nathan/Nathaniel
Estee Nack & sadhugold
Mikem Nahmir - Ih8ithere2
Lord Kayso - Moor Chores
Action Bronson - Cocodrillo
Boldy James & Real Bad Man - Killing Nothing
Westside Gunn - Peace “Fly” God
Knowledge the Pirate - Wolves Don’t Eat With Shepherd’s.
Rome Street - Kiss The Ring
Steel Tipped Dove & Aloe Vera - Days Pass Strange
Moor Mother - Jazz Codes
Mach-Hommy & Fahim - Dollar Menu 4
Played once, thought it was decent, never went back
Pusha T It’s Almost Dry
ROSEFLOW - Recognise Your Saints
Crimeapple - Breakfast in Hradec
Sleep Sinatra - Spirit Box
Theravada - My Own 2 Hands
Koreatown Oddity - ISTHISFORREAL?
Misterdillinger - Underdawg
The Opioid Era - The Throwaways 2
Mephux - Blame Kansas
AJ Suede - Oil on Canvas
YUNGMORPHEUS & Theravada - Up Against the Wall
Infinity Knives and Brian Ennals - King Cobra
Your Old Droog - Yodney Dangerfield
Def Soulja & 183rd - 42 Square Miles
Zoomo - Cloyd
Black Thought & Danger Mouse - Cheat Codes
Jack Danz & Skott 3ree - Die Living
Conductor Williams - Samo’s Revenge
Milano Constantine & Big Ghost - Pay the Ghost
Pink Siifu and Real Bad Man - Real Bad Flights
Maze Overlay - Aztecaz
Mach-Hommy & Tha God Fahim - Duck Czn: Tiger Style
Mike Shabb - Sewaside II
Got a list, i’m checking it twice, gonna find out… which I can see myself listening to more in the coming years and which ones i’ll forget about… yeah.
I realise that it’s hardly reinventing the wheel, but my favourite hip-hop album of this year is Wilma Vritra - Grotto. I just love - and I hate this word - the vibe of it. Feels really low key, and it can just wash over you if you want it to (and it’s gorgeous to let it do that) but also closer listening reveals there’s actually tons going on with it. It’s not blockbuster in any sense, but it’s just so well made and without an inch of fat. Love it, love it, love it.
Billy Woods a close second. He’s obviously a much better rapper, and it’s much more visceral. But I’ve always just been drawn back to Grotto more, it’s really suited just being thrown on and sinking into.
Big shout too to They Hate Change, which is really cool and clever. Kinda fringe rap / electronica - feels a bit like if grime was American to me.
This sort of highlights my issue at the moment - far too much stuff coming out. It’s so easy to give something a spin, really enjoy it, but completely forget about it the following Friday when 5 new things are released.
Got Grotto on now and had forgotten how much I liked it.
top 10 would be something like, in no particular order
saba - few good things
leikeli47 - shape up
defcee & boathouse - for all debts public and private
young bleed - dare iza god
fly anakin - frank
chris crack - growthfully developed
roc marci / alchemist - the elephant man’s bones
$ilkmoney - i don’t give a fuck…
akai solo - spirit roaming
open mike eagle - component system…
honorable mentions:
Summary
wifi gawd - chain of command / hot as hell 2
big cheeko - block barry white
seiji oda - lofi // hyphy
kendrick - mr morale
pusha t - it’s almost dry
ka - languish arts / woeful studies
denzel curry - melt my eyez see your future
young boy nba - colors / 3800 degrees
homeboy sandman - still champion
r.a.p. ferreira - 5 to the eye with stars
daboi - can’t tame us
larry june - spaceships on the blade
dalek - precipice
sideshow - wegahta tapes vol1
a-wax - woodie world
diamond d - the rear view
mavi - laughing so hard it hurts
archibald slim - worldly ways
smino - luv 4 rent
starlito & troy money - cheap phones & turkey bags
42 dugg & est gee - last ones left
knowledge the pirate - wolves don’t eat with shepherds
jid - the forever story
lil poppa - heavy is the head
absolutely! this thread is going to be a good reminder for me of what i’ve forgotten about (and also never heard of course - but already a lot id enjoyed then forgotten.)
Too much stuff being released along with it being absurdly accessible
