2018 wasn’t just a year of modern mumble rap and substance-less tunes. This year brimmed in content texture and feel good anthems. Below I’ve listed, in no particular order, my favorite albums of 2018. These are albums I personally listened to top to bottom. Each one of these albums contains essential qualities and imperative lyrical content for the times.
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J.Cole, K.O.D : We needed this album for the culture, to bring light to the reality of our current generation consumed by social media, experimental narcotics, goals of higher living only subconsciously through drug induced mental shifting and inabilities to cope with reality.
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Jacob Banks, Village : This album, hands down, is one of the most beautifully and poetically indited albums of 2018. From orgasmic collaborations like “Kumbaya” with Bibi Bourelly, to church organ, gospel infused, bouncy soul records like “Mexico” and vividly written records like “Witness,” this album nourishes your subconscious.
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Cardi B, Invasion of Privacy : The critically acclaimed debut album from the music industry’s favorite new gem garnered her international appeal, success and bookings – a legendary body of work, no doubt.
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Meek Mill Championships : His previous compilations like Wins and Losses, DC4 and Dreams and Nightmares solidified his spot as a rapper but Championships marks the dawn of his evolution as an artist.
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Summer Walker, Last Day Of Summer : It’s a vibe, a whole vibe.
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N.R Before It’s Too Late : Real music shows its sonic handsomeness in NR’s debut album Before It’s Too Late laced with eleven legendary tracks amid production from Backpack Miller, Hum Beats, Marzeratti and Omg Zo to name a few.
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Drake, Scorpion
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Tierra Whack, Whack World : Doused in nostalgia and freedom Whack represents everything she’s experienced with her lyrical reflection and her intrepid knack for being unapologetically – her. In a generation consumed by superficial superiority and social fame Whack remains authentic and experimental in her sound and her person. Musically she engulfs us in substance and awareness of the world around her and the one she creates.
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No Name, Room 25 : Room 25, a conscious compilation that listens like diary like revelations of the world around her, her unwillingness to be ignorant, her relational understandings, political awareness and her maturation as a woman thriving in this tumultuous and bigoted society.
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Let’s Eat Grandma, I’m All Ears
THE IKON. 