Illmatic is THE classic hip-hop album. Nas's debut is just a perfect example of what every artists strives for in creating a masterpiece. A very concise tracklist, with not a single misstep. This album has like 5 perfect songs that have defined NY Hip-Hop for multiple decades. The production, cadence, tracklist pacing, song concepts, and features all are perfect.

Another solid entry from the Mass Appeal run to close this year off, but with such high expectations it was a bit disappointing. It has a very consistent tracklist and Nas continues to be a top tier rapper. I thought DJ Premier's production was pretty disappointing, it was good, but coming from legend..... that doesn't cut it. I felt like many of Nas's features this year were better than his verses on here as well.

21 Savage’s What Happened to the Streets? lands at a solid 6/10 for me, but it’s still his second-worst project, only above Issa. He leans too heavily into introspection and street politics this time, drifting away from the dark, immersive murder-music lane where he’s always thrived. To his credit, the tracklist is consistent—there are no outright bad songs, and I saved 11 out of 14—but the album noticeably lacks the tier-1 highs that define his best work. The ... read more

Another strong album from 21 Savage, and an improvement from the OG Savage Mode tape from 4 years prior. This rivals Without Warning as the best produced 21 album, as Metro does his magic all over this album along with the Morgan Freeman narration. I did find myself craving more of the darker 21 sound at times on this album, and I thought 21's flows could have been a bit better at times, which does bring it down a bit from being his best solo album (Specifically artist collab albums, ik ... read more

After Without Warning we knew 21 was capable of a big improvement from his mediocre debut album, and not only was this a big step up, but an evolution. He still has his monotone haunting aesthetic/sound, but now he can dive into a more signature trap sound along with the melodic rap bag on some tracks. He also showed on a song like letter 2 my momma that he can actually songwriter at a passable level. Overall, a great sophomore album from 21 Savage where he delivers a very replay-able and ... read more

21 Savage's breakthrough tape, Savage Mode, a collaboration effort with Metro Boomin, is a great tape that really shows off Metro's talent along with 21's unique cadence that paints a picture so well and fits the vibe. The tracklist is so tight and concise which makes the album experience great. 21's delivery is extremely 1 dimensional so evolution is sure to come, but he did a good job on this one with this villain monotone voice. X and Mad High are some hard bangers that ... read more

Coming off of a 5 year hiatus, Joey Bada$$ came back with another incredible entry into one of the most consistent catalog's in the genre. He continues to expand his classic NY sound with a new RnB/Wavy sound. The soulful vocal samples were top tier all over this album. This tracklist has 2 of my favorite Joey songs ever with Make Me Feel and the emotional tribute of Survivors Guilt.

An amazing debut album from Joey. As a follow up to 1999, it really proves that he is one of the brightest stars in NY's rap scene. He is able to get lyrical on boom-bap production, while building out song concepts, while also getting aggressive with his cadence, and he can also create a wavy atmosphere in some tracks with a laid back delivery.

Joey's best studio album for sure, and it will definitely be my most played album from him. I love how uses his voice throughout this album. He dives into almost the melodic rap lane while still keeping is classic NY sound, with some upbeat flows, melodies, and even some somber RnB delivery in there. Topically, this album is also his most focused, as it's very direct on the racial issues that he sees in everyday life and how he interprets them. I also just love when a talented artists ... read more

A great project of Joey to follow up his classic debut of 1999. The first 4 songs are just perfect NY rap where he is going in with hunger. At track 5 we got an amazing tribute track to Capital Steez. He cools off a bit on those final 2 songs, but they're still good.

C0FFEE serves as a super unique follow up to his AOTY contender released earlier this year, From The Private Collection. Even though I don't think this album has the level of songs as his previous release, and I wouldn't go back to many of these songs on their own, the album experience is one of my favorite of the year. Clocking in at just 16 minutes with a very care-free feel and abstract production, this album is great front to back. The short songs, sudden shifts in sounds, and a ... read more

A super concise and fun listening experience, great vocals along with a mix of dance-driven beats and soulful RnB beats.

This rating is very prone to change, as this album feels like it could be a grower. BUT, off of FL no songs really stood out as incredible to me, and honestly it didn't really fit the type of RnB that I'm into. I will say there are no misses on this super nice n' concise tracklist.

Dave just put out my 2025 Rap AOTY 10 months in. The conscious/religous writing is as good as anyone in the game. I love how concise the album is, every moment is amazing which makes for such a cinematic experience. Every feature was great as well. With Dave, Little Simz, and Jim Legxacy, the UK is cooking in 2025.

A great introductory project from Giveon that showcases how much of a RnB talent he is. I love how concise Take Time is as it makes each song stand out even more really connecting you to the music.

Giveon's debut studio album is a very enjoyable front to back listen, where his striking soulful vocals that feel full of somber ring off through this entire album. With his extreme vocal talent, and the production team he works with it's hard to imagine him ever missing on a project.

This is the worst piece of music I've heard in my life, what is the hype for this. Like this actually horrible, legit just loud beats that have too much going on and that have no mix or master. Then for his vocals, he just yells in this annoying high pitched voice.

Kevin Parker has done it again. This time mixing that psych pop sound with dance/house music. I thought this was a great transition for him it builds on his previous sound that always seems to build throughout the song. I also felt like this may have been my favorite Tame Impala album, topically. I thought the content all throughout this album was great. With more listens it could rival Currents as his best for me, but maybe that's just because I enjoy house music so much.

A very mid collection of unpolished trap project from Ty Dolla. There are many fresh pockets that he hit all over this album, but he can never keep me entertained for the entire songs. Honesty only 2-3 good songs.

Yeat is often associated with this new rage & distorted sound/trend, but he has always been different in my opinion. While that new trend is often repetitive and sounds like they fried the mix every time, Yeat's sound is super fresh and BNYX's contributions are always crazy. With him making the most explosive and fun modern beats in hiphop. In the past I haven't enjoyed Yeat's albums because they are almost always bloated and repetitive. Dangerous Summer EP is a new era ... read more