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1. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
While my days of defending Kanye as a person might have come to a sad, draining end, but I will never stop singing Kanye's praises as an absolute musical genius, and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is his opus. It's an exceedingly creative album put together by a genius of songwriting and production at his prime.
2. Danny Brown - Atrocity Exhibition
Danny Brown, already one of the strangest and most enigmatic MCs in hip hop, teams up with equally whacked-out producer Paul White to create one of the darkest, most unique hip hop records in quite some time. The production is like nothing ever seen before, and Brown's performance is filled to the brim with desparation, anger, and exceedingly dark humor.
3. Lil Ugly Mane - Uneven Compromise
Lil Ugly Mane proves himself as a force to be reckoned with on the Uneven Compromise EP. He fully moves out of the memphis rap pastiche of Mista Thug Isolation and into darker, more personal territory, and the results are absolutely heart-wrenching.
4. Big K.R.I.T. - 4eva Is a Mighty Long Time
Southern hip hop is a genre defined by smooth production, deft MCs, and a heavy emphasis on bass. If these qualifications are considered, 4eva Is a Mighty Long Time is the best southern hip hop album of all time. K.R.I.T. has an incredibly charismatic presence on the mic, and the production is second to none.
5. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly
This album cemented its place as a modern classic the day it was released. It's a socially conscious, poetic album released by one of the best rappers of all time at the absolute top of his game. The lyrics are hard-hitting and beautiful; Lamar's rapping is deft, nimble, and powerful; and the production is as creative and out-there as it is focused.
6. Travis Scott - Rodeo
Rodeo was released in 2015 to rather mixed reviews, and it's fairly obvious to see why. The production is heady and psychedelic, Scott's vocal delivery is lethargic and caked in auto-tune, and the album is filled to the brim with rather abrupt beat switches. That being said, all these are very definite markings of a cult favorite, and that's surely what Rodeo has become. The world Scott and his collaborators create is druggy and incredibly infectious, and the production is richly layered and an absolute joy to listen to.
7. Vince Staples - Big Fish Theory
Summertime '06 exploded Staples onto the hip hop scene with a nihilstic, cold-blooded take on gangsta rap, and Big Fish Theory cements him as an absolute genius. The production takes heavy influence from the most underground forms of electronic dance music, and Staples' somewhat monotone delivery is heavy and riveting.
8. Young Thug - JEFFERY
Rapping in trap music usually isn't anything terribly special, a lot of people have picked up that most rappers in the genre utilize the same "triplet" flow, and that assumption is usually correct. Young Thug is an exception to that rule, he's one of the most interesting rappers to come around in a while, vocally and musically. His rapping is off-kilter and strange, and the music surrounding him is appealingly artsy.
9. Armand Hammer - Paraffin
Armand Hammer brings together modern underground legends Billy Woods and Elucid, and they both take the strengths from their solo work and combine them into something absolutely fantastic. Paraffin is one of the most hard-hitting hip hop albums I've heard in a while, Woods and Elucid bring insane amounts of anger and passion and the production updates the grimiest of '90s boom bap to wonderful effect.
10. Earl Sweatshirt - Solace
2015 was a watershed year for Earl Sweatshirt. Along with I Don't Like Sh*t, I Don't Go Outside, Solace proved that the young rapper was more than the edgy Odd Future kid displayed on EARL and Doris. Solace is a ten-minute long piece that combines Sweatshirt's pained, lonely lyrics with an experimental instrumental that's as arresting as it is beautiful.
11. The Roots - How I Got Over
The Roots' first album following the start of their gig as house band for Late Night With Jimmy Fallon was bound to be a bit more straightforward and accessible than politically charged albums such as Things Fall Apart and Game Theory. While that is certainly true, The Roots are such fantastic musicians that even their poppiest, most streamlined release feels just as vital and hungry as their most underground.
12. Sicko Mobb - Super Saiyan Vol. 1
Sicko Mobb are progenitors of a genre of hip hop known as "bop", which essentially takes the aggression and energy of hip hop and pairs it with the cutest, most upbeat production in the whole world. Sicko Mobb are incredibly charismatic MCs, and the production is absolutely adorable and unbelievably fun to listen to.
13. Pusha T - DAYTONA
DAYTONA was the first of five albums released in the summer of 2018 all produced by Kanye West, and it's arguably the best, most cohesive project to come out of the sessions. West's production is gritty, cinematic, and unlike anything he's ever done, and Pusha T's rapping is ice cold and hypnotic.
14. Mac Miller - Faces
Mac Miller's magnum opus was Faces an autobiographical mixtape that detailed the trials and tribulations of his struggles with addiction, depression, and anxiety. The lyrics on the mixtape are heartwrenchingly personal, and the production (mostly handled by Miller himself) is kaleidoscopic and distinctly jazzy. Rest in peace, Mac.
15. A Tribe Called Quest - We got it from Here... Thank You 4 Your service
I got chills down my spine when I first listened to this record. We got it from Here... was released only three days after the 2016 election, so to hear an album as vital and full of life as this one after such an arduous time in American history was an absolute godsend. The group has barely missed a beat since their last album in 1998, Q-Tip turns in fantastic performance after fantastic performance and the late Phife Dawg's verses are emotional, to say the least.
16. Noname - Telefone
Noname's style of hip hop is laid-back, conversational, and smooth as silk. Telefone was the rapper's debut mixtape, and it showcases one of the most exciting voices in rap today fully formed and ready to go. Her lyrics are poetic, and her delivery is as stream-of-consciousness as it is meticulous.
17. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Piñata
Piñata is filled to the brim with raw talent. Gibbs is one of the most technically skilled MCs of his generation. He has a gruff voice and world-weary outlook reminiscent of 2Pac, and he's able to try out pretty much every flow under the sun and set the bar while he's at it. Madlib is one of the best hip hop producers of all time, and he brings his A-game here, every single beat is ungodly memorable and a perfect complement to Gibbs' style.
18. Brockhampton - Saturation Trilogy
The Saturation trilogy was a breath of fresh air in hip hop, an unabashedly fun and poppy combo of records from the self-dubbed "American Boyband". All the members of the group work in perfect harmony, while still managing to carve out a unique and distinct style, and the production on all three records perfectly balances hard and soft style styles of hip hop.
19. Tyler, the Creator - Flower Boy
Tyler, the Creator, Odd Future provocateur and perennial edgelord, finally grew up on Flower Boy. The record, written and produced entirely by Tyler, is a grandiose and lush celebration of life and love. Tracks like "See You Again", "911 / Mr. Lonely", and "Boredom" are some of the prettiest hip hop tracks I've heard in a while, and there are still shades of Tyler's former style on "Who Dat Boy" and "I Ain't Got Time!". One can only hope Tyler goes further and further in this direction, because my opinion of him did a complete 360 with this beautiful record.
20. Shabazz Palaces - Black Up
One of the most unique albums of any genre in recent memory. Shabazz Palaces consists of MC Palaceer Lazaro (formerly Ish of Digable Planets) and producer Tendai "Baba" Maraire, and they both brought their most unique facets to Black Up. The rapping is off-kilter and rather monotone, which juxtaposes perfectly with the skittering, glitchy production.
21. Denzel Curry - TA13OO
Curry has made a name for himself as a shining light in the Soundcloud rap movement, mainly due to his raw skill and talent as an MC. He exudes raw charisma, and his flow is absolutely fantastic, but it wasn't until TA13OO that his production really stacked up to him as a rapper. TA13OO is the most varied project of Curry's career, bringing in influences from memphis rap, dirty south, neo-soul, horrorcore, chillwave, and emo rap to create an immersive, wonderfully themed project that showcases the best of Curry's talent.
22. Open Mike Eagle - Brick Body Kids Still Daydream
Open Mike Eagle has an overtly wordy style of rapping that never manages to feel overdone or cheesy. He's one of the best conscious wordsmiths of his generation, and he's quite a solid singer as well. The production holds its own here as well, with some of the smoothest jazz rap beats this side of Noname.
23. Mick Jenkins - The Water[s]
On The Water[s], Jenkins creates a nocturnal, aquatic world unlike anything else I've heard in hip hop. Jenkins' rapping is rather stream-of-conscious and emotional, which juxtaposes wonderfully with the chilled-out, immersive, atmospheric production.
24. Golden Rules - Golden Ticket
Yet another shining light from the world of southern hip hop. Golden Ticket is quite possibly the smoothest southern hip hop record of all time, and that is saying quite a lot. The rapping sounds entirely effortless, the subject matter is distinctly southern, and the production is rife with beautifully lush soul samples.
Milo - So the Flies Don't Come
Milo's style of rapping is wordy and filled to the brim with nerdy, esoteric references. A lesser rapper wouldn't be able to pull off this style, but Milo pulls it off with finesse. He's an exceedingly skilled rapper from a technical point-of-view, and his flow is second to none.
