Favorite Hip-Hop Albums of 2024

Music

Dec 28

This year was an incredible year for music across the board, these are the projects that resonated and impressed me the most

Blue Lips - ScHoolboy Q

This was my most anticipated release of 2024 and it did not disappoint. There is so much emotion that oozes from these tracks. Every single sound you hear start to finish feels so intentional and is layered so well. His vocal performance is always impressive but he’s really rapping his ass off, I would say this is one of his most introspective albums yet. Great themes about growth, family life and figuring out life.

Highlights Foux, Thank God 4 Me, Love Birds, Back in Love, Pig Feet, Yeern 101, Lost Times, Time Killers, Germany 86’, Movie, First

Alligator Bites Never Heal - Doechii

Doechii is on fire, she hit the ground running with this roll out and hasn't stopped. She's the type of artist that you can feel her passion for her craft. Her dedication to her expression is so diverse, refreshing and unpredictable. There's really hard hitting boom-bap that she taps into as well as a range of playful styles. I feel like Doechii really knows who she is and it's made for a motivating and inspiring project to strive hard for your dreams. This project cemented her talent in this industry and her next steps are only going to get bigger.

Highlights Bullfrog, Boiled Peanuts, Denial is a River, Catfish, Bloom, Death Roll, Profit, Nissan Altima, Slide

GNX - Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick had an insane year coming off the rap beef victory with Drake. Not Like Us was such a summer banger that you could not escape and hearing him tap into the west coast sound in a way that he hadn't deeply tapped into before. Then he surprises us up GNX and man what a treat this project has been. To hear all the influences, the homage paid to 2Pac, the inclusions of local artists and the community was so beautiful to hear. One thing I love about Kendrick is he’s so serious and so silly at the same time, the true duality of a gemini. GNX is a treat that keeps giving.

Highlights Wacced Out Murals, Squabble Up, Luther, Hey Now, Reincarnated, TV Off, Peekaboo, Gloria

Chromakopia - Tyler The Creator

This was such an unexpected but very needed project from Tyler. He does an incredible job with his roll outs and really sets the tone for each of his eras, Chromakopia being no different. I think the ownership he took over all aspects of this project was necessary in order to get as deep as he did. This felt like a very collective and polished mishmash off the different sounds we’ve heard Tyler play with over the years, I also appreciate the vulnerability that he gave us. The biggest plot twist with his mother/father relationship, his relationships, navigating a pregnancy scare and just about where he is at in life right now. Tyler has really become a household name.

Highlights St. Chroma, Rah Tah Tah, Sticky, Tomorrow, Thought I Was Dead, Balloon, Judge Judy, Hey Jane, I Hope You Find Your Way Home

Dark Times - Vince Staples

Vince consistently drops quality project after project, he has this somberness to his music that is still so inviting. I find Vince to be very honest artist, no sugar coating his thoughts, having the ability to be real about his life and his approaches even if they aren’t the best way. His struggles are always known but he still has a way to make you feel good and hopeful.

Highlights Black and Blue, Children’s Song, Etoufee, Nothing Matters, Little Homies, Radio, Freeman

WOOF - Ameer Vann

WOOF is a very solid and cohesive independent debut, I love the way Ameer commands himself when he raps and the way he talks about his struggles and faith. I thought this was another great reflective project with some insane production that pair perfectly. WOOF has my vote for the best outro track of the year, it wraps the tape up perfectly but it also nails the emotional feeling of a sign off.

Highlights Listen, In The Building, Yeah, Gemini, Shawty, Genesis, Outro

Hardstone Psycho - Don Toliver

I think Don Toliver is such a fantastic artist, his melodic voice flows so well with his production no matter the theme. Hardstone Psycho had such a cool roll out, the biker/rockstar vibes brought so much energy and the features all came ready to match his energy. I also had the opportunity to see the tour for this album and being able to hear those live guitars and drums went so hard. Don is another artist that makes you feel his passion for his much and it makes me love his music even more.

Highlights Tore Up, Brother Stone, Attitude, Bandit, Ice Age, 4x4, New Drop, Backstreets, 5 to 10, Geeked Up

I Lay Down My Life For You - JPEGMAFIA

I love JPEG’s genre-bending style, there’s so many different elements and sounds he pulls in to his music, there is a true mastery happening since he has the ability to control every aspect of his sound. The placement, timing and transition of everything is so well done. There is an overwhelming amount of ear candy in a good way, jam packed with call backs, new innovative directions and just rough heavy banging production that hits you like a ton of bricks in the best way possible.

Highlights Sin Meido, It’s Dark and Hell is Hot, New Black History, Vulgar Display of Power, Exmilitary, Loop It and Leave It, I Recovered From This

Almost There - TiaCorine

This project cemented me as a fan. Tia’s approach to rapping has this vibrant and chaotic energy that I’ve been yearning for from a female rapper. The production on this album is bold and feels a little inline with rage music, which I love. Her versatile delivery can switch between chill-smooth to high-energy that make you want to jump around. Almost There is such a statement project for me with heavy replay value and I can’t wait for more from her.

Highlights Yung Joc, Olive, Give No Fucks, Shamone, Bonnet

Glorious - Glorilla

I’ll be honest when I say Glorilla wasn’t high on my radar at first so I was a little slow to check out this project. I will say she really impressed me with her approach to Glorious. This was such a well rounded debut project that I felt was really empowering. I loved the range of topics from being that bitch, taking no shit from a man, staying on your path, looking out for your friends, really displaying her love for her faith and roots. So many good stories and really showed some depth to who Glorilla can be.

Highlights Hollon, Procedure, TGIF, Don’t Deserve, Glo’s Prayer, Let Her Cook, Queen of Memphis, Whatchu Know About Me