There's no way to box in 2018 and it's music. This year has been
an amazing year for music, and the projects were incredible. Somehow I'm going
to try to rank the albums I heard this year. Here we go!
30. My Dear Melancholy
Artist: The Weeknd
Best Song: Call Out My Name
The Weeknd went back to that 2011 “Birds Pt. 2” vibe when he set
this EP out. It didn’t do as well as maybe he projected, but the shining moment
“Call Out My Name,” makes it worthwhile.
29. Kids See Ghosts
Artist: Kanye West and Kid Cudi
Best Songs: Feel the Love, 4th Dimension, Freeee feat. Ty
Dolla $ign
This album got spun for about 2 weeks on the aux, and for good
reason. Kanye did an impressive job on the production like always, and the
three best songs were extremely good, especially 4th Dimension. Why’s it
towards the bottom? 7 songs, and only 3 and a half are good.
28. A
Artist: Usher and Zaytoven
Best Songs: Stay At Home feat. Future, Say What You Want, Gift Shop
Usher and Zaytoven kept up with Atlanta tradition this year by,
just randomly dropping music out of nowhere. Usher’s last few projects as a
whole didn’t garner a lot of media attention, and neither did this one. Yet,
the never aging Usher used some modern day trends to make a jamming tape with
one of Atlanta’s productive producers.
27. Luca Brasi III
Artist: Kevin Gates
Best Songs: Discussion, Money Long, Me Too
Gates kind of took the weekend by storm when he dropped Brasi III
on a Friday, but it really didn’t last too much longer than that. The radio
didn’t really accept Gates, maybe the case with him kicking the girl in the
face blocked his shine. The beats were violent and fun, and the lyrics were
typical Gates, which could be a good or a bad thing.
26. Effected
Artist: Cozz
Best Songs: Hustla’s Story feat. Kendrick Lamar, Zendaya feat. J.
Cole, Badu feat. Curren$y.
Anytime you get Lamar, Cole, and Curren$y on your album you’ve got
something. Effected flew under the radar all year long, mainly because a lot of
people don’t know a lot about him. He’s on your radar now, go listen.
25. Ye
Artist: Kanye West
Best Songs: Yikes, Wouldn’t Leave, Violent Crimes
This isn’t Kanye’s greatest piece of work, but it was important.
His last project was maybe album of the year in 2016 and now every time I hear
something from him I’m expecting him to fall off. At least his music didn’t.
24. Decided
Artist: Youngboy NBA
Best Songs: Demon Seed, No Love, No Mentions
Youngboy would be way higher on this list if I actually liked him.
He’s a vibe, mainly only listen to him because my players’ listen to him. His
beats are aggressive and matches his flow. His singing can be at times
annoying, but the fact that he’s willing to sing his pain is kinda remarkable.
23. Everything is Love
Artists: The Carter’s
Best Songs: APESHIT, FRIENDS, HEARD ABOUT US
The album received a lot of chances because “it’s Beyonce nigga,”
but to be honest it didn’t really pack a punch. The case with these two are
that it’s either really freaking good, or it’s so so. Of course APESHIT got ran
out over the radio, but it’s a solid song, but the winners of the album are
FRIENDS (one of the best 10 songs that came out this year) and HEARD ABOUT US.
22. Carter V
Artist: Lil Wayne
Best Songs: Uproar, Mona Lisa feat. Kendrick Lamar, Start This off
Right
It was really encouraging to see and hear Wayne’s Carter V. Mainly
because I’m glad he actually got a chance to put something out. It’s a solid
album, but the problem with artists who’ve reached GOAT status, is that in
order to move people you’ve got to continue to drop GOAT material. Mona Lisa is
the closest thing to GOAT Wayne, but Kendrick stole the show.
21. beerbongs & bentleys
Artist: Post Malone
Best Songs: Rockstar, Psycho, Better Now, Ball For Me, 92 Explorer
Post had a solid year. As musty as he may look, and as untalented
as he may appear, Malone came through on Rockstar late 2017, and hit the year
off great with Psycho. He sprinkled in Ball for me and Better Now and for me
landed a top album of 2018.
20. Ella Mai
Artist: Ella Mai
Best Songs: Boo’d Up, Trip, Everything feat. John Legend, Naked
The child sampled T Shirt and Panties. Now it wasn’t executed
properly, but none the less kudos to you for trying. What can you say bout Ella
Mai. She was definitely the only female singer holding it down on the R&B
side (I see and respect you Ariana) and her album was pretty solid for a debut
album.
19. DiCpario 2
Artists: JID
Best Songs: Slick Talk, Westbrook, Off Deez, Off da Zoinkys
So if you don’t listen to JID you’re missing out. He sounds like a 19
year old (he's 28) Andre 3000, as far as eccentric and fast flows go. His bars are A1 and
he’s on Dreamville. What more you need to know?
18. Harder Than Ever
Artist: Lil’ Baby
Best Songs: Yes Indeed, Cash, Southside, Right Now, Transporter,
Life Goes On, Fit In
Lil’ Baby makes good music. To be honest it’s kind of a toss-up to
determine which tape was better. All of his music rides, but for me it’s all
bars. He spits like mixtape Wayne. I kind of want some personal info from him,
so he can take that next level.
17. The Last Rocket
Artist: Takeoff
Best Songs: She Gon Wink, Bruce Wayne, Lead the Wave, Casper, Last
Memory
This album was one of the pleasant surprises of the year. I
honestly didn’t have a problem listening to Takeoff pronounce and enunciate his
words, which was a major concern for me going into it. It’s a great Takeoff
feel. You know the feeling when Migos actually kinda go hard, yea that’s
Takeoff.
16. Swimming
Artists: Mac Miller
Best Songs: Hurt Feelings, What’s the Use, Self Care, 2009, Dunno
RIP to the young bull, Mac Miller. At first listen I didn’t care
for the album. I’m kinda over rappers singing, but not gonna lie, after he died
it received a couple of spins and I guess the spirit of Mac was in the room
with me. If you can handle melodic, bad singing, which is actually what it is,
then it’s a solid song for you.
15. Culture II
Artists: Migos
Best Songs: Supastars, Narcos, Walk It Talk It, Stir Fry,
MotorSport, Notice Me, Too Playa, Top Down on da NAWF
Now the efficiency of the album wasn’t great. 24 songs and only 8
of them were great. Yet none the less, I didn’t expect this much out of them, especially
after the success of Bad and Boujee and Culture.
14. Daytona
Artist: Pusha T
Best Songs: If You Know You Know, Hard Piano, What Would Meek Do,
Infrared
Shots heard round the world. The much respected Daytona was one of
the best albums to come out in ’18, but I didn’t play it enough to consider it
being top 10. The Wayne and Drake disses are some of the best punches in Hip
Hop History. Kanye’s production is masterful on this project, Push’s bars and
flow are dope, I just didn’t listen to it often.
13. Street Gossip
Artists: Lil Baby
Best Songs: Pure Cocaine, Word on the Street, Ready, Time, Anyway,
Realist in It
Lil Baby’s latest work is great and it rides all the way through.
The biggest problem that I have with Baby, is that there’s no real substance in
what he spits. Sometimes his voice is kind of hard to listen to, but this is
just me nitpicking.
12. Black Panther Soundtrack
Artists: Kendrick Lamar Various
Best Songs: All The Stars, X, King’s Dead, Big Shot, Pray for Me
Miss me with that bullshit! Ya not a gang banger you a tourist!
The biggest movie of the year had a soundtrack that matched. As proud as I felt
watching the movie, was about as good as I felt listening to the soundtrack.
BPS was the first great album of the year; thanks Kendrick.
11. Drip Harder
Artists: Lil’ Baby and Gunna
Best Songs: Belly, Close Friends, Drip Too Hard, Never Recover
The ultimate project from Lil’ Baby and Gunna this year. Baby put
out 3 and Gunna 2, the best work probably from both of them. Close Friends is
one of the best Baby songs out, and Belly vibes like Sold Out Dates.
10. Victory Lap
Artists: Nipsey Hussle
Best Songs: Dedication, Blue Laces 2, Hussle & Motivate
Album of the year for many, just not for me. I recognize the street
talk, and the purity of Hussle’s flow, but I grew old of the slow flow. This is
more of an indictment of me just note necessarily feeling Hussle. I hadn’t
heard anything since “Killer,” a song he dropped with Drake back in 2011. He’s
true to himself and in that sense I respect it.
9. Bobby Tarrantino II
Bests Songs: Contra, Indica Badu, Midnight, State of Emergency,
Everyday
Logic quietly put out one of the best albums of this year. I was
kinda like you. I had to be put on, by Longview’s Strength Coach, and from the
first song I was captured. Logic can get a little wordy, but he can have fun
and reach all kinds of people and audiences. Check the guy out.
8. Championships
Artist: Meek Mill
Best Songs: On Me, What’s Free, Championships, Going Bad, Tic Tac
Toe, Wit the S***s
Meek got outta jail and started winning immediately. He’s hanging
out with Bob Kraft and Gucci, he’s making things right with Drake, and oh yeah
he released a freaking gem. There’s a bunch of great songs are on here
individually, but two things keep it out of the top 5, the amount of features
and Meek’s continual singing.
7. Redemption
Artist: Jay Rock
Best Songs: Tap Out, OSOM, King’s Dead, Win
Feels like anything that comes out of the TDE Camp is top notch,
and Jay Rock continued that trend of greatness. Rock is an unapologetic blood
and has no problem draping it throughout his lyrics. His album is definitely
gangster, but it's enjoyable to all ears. By the way, J. Cole drops his hardest
verse of 2018 on the song OSOM. Check it out.
6. Dying to Live
Artist: Kodak Black
Best Songs: Transgressions, Calling My Spirit, If I'm Lyin I'm
Flyin, Mosh Pit, Testimony, Gnarly, Zeze
The surprise of the year was definitely Kodak Black. He went from
being somebody I couldn't stand to being one of the biggest draws in rap. His
album phonically sounds good, which was a major concern for me going into it.
His "wirey" type voice is peculiar and very specific to him, and his
producers did an excellent job of making sure that they song was a quality
piece of work.
5. Not All Heroes Wear Capes
Artist: Metro Boomin
Best Songs: 10AM, Overdue, Don't Come Out the House, Dreamcatcher,
Space Cadet, 10 Freaky Girls, Up to Something, No Complaints
Not often do you see compilations as great as Metro Boomin's
"Not All Heroes Wear Capes." For one, the producer enlisted a great
crew for his album. Gucci Mane, Swae Lee, Travis Scott, 21 Savage, Gunna and
Young Thug all represented Atlanta to the fullest and came together for Metro
on one of the most slept on, best albums of the year.
4. KOD
Artist: J. Cole
Best Songs: KOD, ATM, Motiv8, FRIENDS, Brackets, Window Pain, 1985
The message of the album is kinda like when people go to the
Apollo and sing gospel. You can't boo them if they're bad, but if it's good you
get caught in the spirit. KOD has whatever meaning you want to, but it's
obvious Cole wants us to stop doing drugs. He's gotta positive message to dope
beats, kinda exactly from what you need and expect from Cole at this junction
of his career.
3. Invasion of Privacy
Artist: Cardi B
Best Songs: Get Up 10, Drip, Bickenhead, Bodak Yellow, Be Careful,
I Like It, Bartier Cardi,
Ridiculous debut album. I don't care who wrote it. She quote it.
To have so many hits on a debut album is remarkable, and she a new bar for any
female rapper that wants a crack at it. Some albums have themes where the
artist takes you through their progressions as a person, but this album is a
collection of hits. Really a better version of Culture II. She dominated radio
air waves with "Bodak Yellow" in 2017 and did the same with "I
Like It" this year.
2. Scorpion
Artist: Drake
Best Songs: Survival, Nonstop, Emotionless, God's Plan, 8 out of
10, Mob Ties, Sandra's Rose, Talk Up, Is There More, Peak, Jaded, Nice For
What, Finesse, That's How You Feel, Blue Tint, In My Feelings, Don't Matter To
Me, After Dark, Final Fantasy
With two albums released as the same album, Drake definitely
killed in 2018. The project is full of hits, one of his most complete projects
he's put out to this date. People get stuck with Drake, always looking for him
to top Take Care. To most he won't, and that's okay. The production he puts out
year in and year out hasn't fallen off a bit. The rap side of the album left
little to be desired. He gave us bars, he popped shit, addressed his beef, and
even addressed his son. The R&B side was more of a pop album with a
collection of straight hits. No real theme to it, but everything on that side
was quality.
1. Astroworld
Artist: Travis Scott
Best Songs: STARGAZING, SICKO
MODE, R.I.P. SCREW, STOP TRYING TO BE GOD, WAKE UP, 5% TINT, NC-17,
ASTROTHUNDER, YOSEMITE, CAN'T SAY, WHO? WHAT!, BUTTERFLY EFFECT
It's been a vibe ever since it
came out. Appropriately titled "Astroworld," this album is a theme
park with the different beats and the different vibes. It feels like 17
different roller coasters. Of course the song of the year Sicko Mode is a jam,
but there aren't any real skip tracks on the album. A lot of people love Scott
and if you look at his discography, he's on his way to a legendary career.
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