Recently I was just named Rap/Hip-Hop/R&B Genre Manager for WQAQ, and Spotify Wrapped season is upon us. I thought going over some of my favorite albums in the rap, R&B, and neo-soul realms would be appropriate timing coming into December. These are in no order, but the last album is my favorite of the year, so if nothing else, scroll down to the bottom to see. With that, let’s let it rip.
“UTOPIA” by Travis Scott
Starting with the most mainstream name on this list, Travis Scott delivered after a five-year wait when he dropped “UTOPIA” in late July. His previous album, “Astroworld,” was released in early August of 2018, and is already considered by many to be a hip-hop classic, and I personally consider it to be one of the best hip-hop albums ever. While I don’t believe “UTOPIA” lived up to that amount of hype, I do still think it was a quality album. Travis relied pretty heavily on his electronic style, laden with his signature autotune. However, he did a good job of switching things up with this new album too. “MY EYES” was a great track that started out slow, and then really picked up around halfway through with a phenomenal beat switch. His slower songs were the highlight in my opinion, with “TELEKINESIS” and “TIL FURTHER NOTICE” being my two favorites on the whole project. The feature list was also loaded with talent; so much so that I can’t mention every artist in here. If you haven’t listened to this album yet, consider this your sign.
“Lahai” by Sampha
It’s been a while since Sampha has released music, just like Travis. His album “Process” was released in February 2017, which marks over six years since he dropped any big projects. This one didn’t disappoint either. Sampha’s sound is not very easy to describe. I think ethereal is the perfect word, and he delivered some heavenly music on his most recent project, Lahai, which he released in late October. He uses a lot of airy synths for an upbeat effect, and they’re felt throughout the whole album. My favorite song, “Spirit 2.0”, has a quick, catchy hook that makes it impossible to turn off. If you think you’d be a fan of mellow neo-soul with an electronic twist, Sampha is the artist for you.
“SCARING THE HOES” by JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown
With JPEGMAFIA coming off “LP!” in 2021 and Brown coming off “uknowwhatimsaying¿” in 2019, both had taken a while before releasing new music. They came together in March to drop “SCARING THE HOES”, a bit of a playful jab at their own music along with their respective audiences. Regardless of whether you consider either of their music worthy of playing in front of mainstream music enjoyers, this was a match made in heaven. JPEGMAFIA’s unique, sample-rich production style paired with his own fun lyricism made him a force on this album. Danny’s wacky vocals were a welcome addition, and he had some fantastic moments on the record. Standout up and comer, redveil, was the only feature on the whole album, and he added to my favorite song “Kingdom Hearts Key.’ “Burfict!” is up there on my favorites list because I’m such a sucker for trumpets in hip-hop beats, and “HOE (Heaven on Earth)” has an eerie gospel twist that makes it easy to go back to. All in all a quality album, and I can’t recommend it enough to fans of experimental rap.
“And Then You Pray For Me” by Westside Gunn
Westside Gunn and Griselda practically ran 2023 with the sheer amount of projects they all dropped this year, but “And Then You Pray For Me,” was definitely my favorite. It’s the sequel to “Pray for Paris,” which dropped in 2020, and both albums’ cover art was done by the late Virgil Abloh. Westside Gunn does a great job contrasting themes of poverty and squalor alongside class and elegance. I think this is portrayed best in my favorite song on the project, “KITCHEN LIGHTS”. It has a signature Griselda beat with classical violins without any aggressive drums. Over this traditionally tasteful beat, Westside Gunn raps about the difficulties of growing up impoverished, and it makes for an amazing song. A lot of songs on the album take more of a boom-bap and trap twist. “Mamas PrimeTime” featured JID, Cartier A Williams, and Conway the Machine, and the track felt like it was straight from the ‘90s. It may take some getting used to, but if you’re a fan of any rap at all, you’ll like something from this project.
“Sundial” by Noname
Lastly, we get to my favorite album of the year. Noname’s “Sundial” was also a long time coming, with her last album, “Room 25” coming out in 2018. Since then she’s gotten in beef with J. Cole, started a book club, and released one of the best singles of 2021 in “Rainforest”. Now, while Sundial hasn’t put up impressive numbers, I think its quality lies far beyond that. In fact, the very first song, “black mirror”, might just be my favorite. It uses African-inspired drums with some synths and paired with a super catchy melody it got the second-most streams on the project. “balloons” is another great track with similar elements, but it adds a verse from Jay Electronica, who’s been one of my favorites for a while. They make a great duo, one that I hope to see more. If you’re a fan of rap with some neo-soul elements, this project is one for you.
