My Top 10 Albums of 2019
The 10’s as a decade were honestly a very unique renaissance in music. We saw new favorites rise, and old favorites fall from grace. We saw the birth of drill rap and the gentrification of trap music. We witnessed greatness snuffed out way too soon and mediocrity last too long. The decade began with My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and ended with Jesus is King. We saw the rise of streaming services and the revival of vinyl records. For many, 2019 seemed to be a disappointing year of music as we saw some favorites drop some albums that seemed to fall flat *cough* 2ChainzSchoolboyQ *cough*. Yet for me, 2019 gave me a bunch of new artists that really delivered and the reunion of a dynamic duo that rap really needed. In the spirit of being grateful for the year of music we’ve had, here’s my personal favorite top 10 for 2019. (Note how I said personal favorite, which means this list is barely objective to be fair).
10. The Wizrd – Future: Anyone who thinks The Wizrd was just Future giving us (more of the same) missed the entire point of this project. The Wizrd was meant to be a celebration of Future’s career so far while giving a sneak peek of what’s yet to come. This is clearly evident through him sampling his earlier songs on Temptation (Honest) and Baptiize (Blood on the Money) and with the project dropping with an Apple-exclusive documentary of the same title. Future took the time on this album to flex his different flows and clever word play while giving us songs that sound like they could’ve been throwaways from HNDRXX and DS2. If you haven’t listened to this project recently, go back and give it another run, its very fire.
Notable Songs- Baptiize, Temptation, Call the Coroner, Tricks on Me, Ain’t Coming Back & Goin’ Dummi.
9. Ugh, Those Feels Again – Snoh Aalegra: Snoh Aalegra honestly has a bright future in R&B. My first run through of this album honestly took me aback because the vocals are most definitely there. Snoh really gave us an album where there isn’t a single miss/filler tracks. I personally think that this album will age very well.
Notable Songs – I Want You Around, Situationship, Whoa, Charleville 9200 Pt. II, You.
8. Perfect 10 – Mustard: Man, I don’t know what I was expecting when I listened to Perfect 10 for the first time but it most definitely wasn’t this masterfully crafted album. For awhile in my mind I’d discounted Mustard as “that dude that makes the same beat for Chris Brown every year” but boy was I wrong. Apparently Mustard finally got out of a deal this year and is allowed to make the music he actually wants; which happens to be really good. If you know me, you know I love Spanish guitar over trap beats and boy does this album provide that. It also gave us many people’s song of the year, Ballin’ with Roddy Ricch. I think the real deep cut on this album is Woah Woah by Young Thug and Gunna, it’s a hypnotic two stepper that my summer nights consisted of.
Notable Songs: Woah Woah, Interstate 10, Baguettes in the Face, Ballin’, Perfect 10.
7. Chasing Summer – SiR: Signing SiR is one of the best decisions Top Dawg of TDE has made in a long time. He’s a R&B standout from Inglewood that everyone should have on their album in the future. Chasing Summer is a no-skip masterpiece from front to back. The first time I heard John Redcorn, I felt like somebody had kicked me in my stomach because it hit so close to home; and it’s the second song on the album. SiR’s gifted vocals over the soft and subtle production of the album very much so do it for me. This is my top 1 R&B album of 2019, no ifs ands or buts.
Notable Songs: John Redcorn, La Lisa, The Recipe, LA, You Can’t Save Me.
6. Out the Trunk – Larry June: I saw a tweet not too long ago that said that Larry June makes music talking about raising your credit score, drinking a smoothie and loving your kids and that’s exactly what this album conveys to me. Larry’s production is always tight and he’s dropped a plethora of projects this year but Out the Trunk stands head and shoulders above the rest for the year. Larry’s old school funk production juxtaposed against current day narcotic, family oriented, smoothie raps are a combination I can’t get enough of. I had the pleasure of seeing him perform Let’s Go to Vegas this year and man was that an experience. There was one point this year that I was listening to Mission Bay every day in the morning to get out of bed. This album is that important.
Notable Songs – Smoothies in 1991, Mission Bay, 2002 5500 Benz, Lets Drive to Vegas
5. Plugs I Met – Benny the Butcher: Benny the Butcher is my favorite discovery of 2019. I don’t know how I’ve been sleep for so long, but Plugs I Met made me a fan. Plugs I Met has some of my favorite verses for the year and some of the best features this year has seen. It clocks in at a short 7 tracks long but each one hits something different. Benny’s style of very direct yet somehow still clever coke raps over crisp mafia beats is exactly what hip hop needs in this current era.
Notable Songs – The whole damn thing. Just go listen.
4. African Giant – Burna Boy: Suddenly, I’m an afrobeats fan. I listened to African Giant off a whim and was beyond glad I took the time to listen. Burna Boy gave us an album of hypnotic melodies and cadences over African beats while also simultaneously educating us. Mans gave us a history lesson over a song you can catch a wine to. The song Dangote is a song named after the richest man in Africa, Aiko Dangote, the first black African to be the named the richest man on the continent in hundreds of years. Burna Boy has features from Jorja Smith, Jeremih, Damian Marley, Future, and YG and out did them all on each song. This album put me on a serious afrobeats binge this summer, and I’m grateful for it.
Notable Songs – Dangote, Anybody, Pull Up, Gum Body, Collateral Damage, Omo, Another Story
3. So Much Fun- Young Thug: 2019 was Young Thug’s year in so many ways, and his album title is the perfect name for the whimsical flow flexathon that we received in the form of his latest album, So Much Fun. Young Thug has always been a vanguard in creating new flows and deliveries and this album has no shortage in switch up from one song to the next. From the Harambe-esque Cartier Gucci Scarf to the now infamous Hardy Boy-esque tag team of him and Gunna on Hot, Thugger delivered. I got so hung up on this album at one point that it was all I listened to for three days and almost didn’t even notice it. Thugger is here to stay and hasn’t run out of ideas yet. I’m grateful.
Notable Songs – Hot, Bad Bad Bad, Cartier Gucci Scarf, I’m Scared, Jumped Out the Window, Sup Mate, Just How it Is, What’s the Move, Surf, Mannequin Challenge.
2. Die for My B*tch – Baby Keem: I have never heard a rap album like DFMB and I doubt I will again. Baby Keem’s knack for finding melodies and transitions from bar to bar on this album are nearly unmatched. This no feature album is just Keem expressing his goofy sometimes violent personality over non traditional trap beats that aren’t TOO experimental. The first time I heard France Freestyle I quite literally caught myself bouncing way too hard in my chair at work. I sing Bullies every Friday because it’s very important to start my weekends with that positivity. The beat switch on Not My Bro gets me every time. Baby Keem’s unique songwriting and flows will carry him for a long time. I’m excited to see what he does next.
Notable Songs – France Freestyle, Bullies, Invented It, Orange Soda, Not My Bro, Apologize, My Ex
1. Bandana – Freddie Gibbs & Madlib: If you even remotely know who I am, you can’t be surprised by this one. Bandana is the highly anticipated sequel to the masterful rap classic, Pinata (2014). This album has been teased for five years and proved itself worthy of the wait. The album features Madlib’s sample heavy, soulful production with Freddie Gibbs’ pain infused, real life coke raps and story telling to create a pinnacle rap album. The album features arguably the best feature of the year, Pusha T on Palmolive. It has Mos Def and Black Thought rapping over an R.D. Burman sample from 1976. The album has, and I’m not kidding , a Madlib trap beat on Half Manne Half Cocaine. We can’t forget when Madlib tweeted out that he produced the entire album on an iPad and sent the entire internet into a frenzy. Bandana is my rap album of the year, and at this point, none of you should be surprised.
I’ve compiled my year end review playlists for both Apple Music & Spotify. Check me out!
Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/2019-the-end-of-a-decade/pl.u-r2yBZbqIPjNzAg
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/igj73tf1vfn010iup8c16i56v/playlist/3FgDruq3eebk6igQkPtxbi?si=DWDvlh_LQpavB8sAt2vkYg
Honorable Mentions:
Shea Butter Baby - Ari Lennox: When you put out an album this good, you gave every right to be mad about losing an award to Lizzo.
So Emotional - Key!: Summertime drop top music. FatManKey be SANGIN.
Any Griselda Album: Hitler Wears Hermes 7, Look What I Became, FlyGod is an Awesome God, Fourth Rope, allat. I’m cheating and I know it.
Fever - Megan thee Stallion: My wife dropped a very hard UGK/Three Six-influenced album.
Over It - Summer Walker: Summer’s debut resonated with every black woman out there, love to see it.
Port of Miami 2 - Rick Ross: Choose your friends like Rozay chooses his beats & features.
Oncle Jazz - Men I Trust: My most anticipated dream pop album this year. All of the singles + matched with brand new sounds.
American Love Call - Durand Jones and the Indications: This is a callback to the soul my folks grew up on, love every song on it.
Ghetto Lenny’s Love Songs - Saint JHn: Melodies and medleys galore. Best Meek feature this year?
Zion IV - 9th Wonder: Very long but very worth it. 9th is legend.
SAVE ME - Future: HNDRXX 1.5 had slaps, I don’t care.
Bubba - KAYTRANADA: Kaytra’s back with a vengeance. Needed this.
May the Lord Watch - Little Brother: For my real hip hop heads, this was probably in your top 10 this year.
-E.