Another year down, another best albums list to put together and this one was really difficult to narrow down. In fact it was so difficult that I had extend the list from the usual 40 or 50 up to 100, and there are still a few albums I wanted to include but couldn’t quite fit in. The stream of new releases in 2018 was relentless with lots of established artists putting out projects as well as up and coming acts dropping quality work. To make things even more overwhelming, many artists put out multiple albums this year with a some having 3 or even 4 projects appearing in this list. It truly is an exciting time in music and especially for hip-hop.
I’ve seen a lot of people saying that 2018 is a legendary year for hip-hop and while I agree to an extent, I have different reasons for thinking so. It really did seem like most big names in rap had albums out in 2018 but I personally found a lot of them underwhelming. Drake, Migos, Eminem, Nas, Kanye, Lil Wayne, J Cole, Travis Scott and many other big names dropped albums but very few of them interested me. From a quality standpoint the trap scene was in decline in 2017 but in 2018 the subgenre almost felt like it was dying off. There were still some very solid trap releases from guys like Blac Youngsta, Rich Homie Quan and Ralo although they were mostly overlooked. Instead the spotlight was shining on big releases from Migos and their ilk who are putting out a sound that has gotten stale, the production is uninspired and their rap style is getting tired.
Conversely, the underground was on fire in 2018 pumping out an endless barrage of great music. The albums this year that I was eagerly anticipating often let me down but I was blown away by many releases that I didn’t know where dropping and I discovered some fantastic artists that were new to me. I’m always on the lookout for new artists and I do generally prefer underground music but up and coming artists dominated my listening even more than usual this year.
I think the most important music movement in 2018 was the boom bap renaissance that gained a lot of steam with rappers rejuvenating the sound with a new minimal grittiness. The scene started to gain traction in the last few years with guys such as Mach-Hommy, Roc Marciano, Fly Anakin and Westside Gunn but really flourished in 2018. These names continued their stellar work and were joined by the likes of ANKHLEJOHN, Estee Nack, Raheem Supreme, Nowaah The Flood and many others. Every week I discovered a new artist putting out their own brand of stripped back, raw, sample based hip-hop, capturing the mid-90s East Coast vibe and transforming it in to something fresh.
There were a number of artists pushing boundaries with their hip-hop releases, experimenting with the artform. Busdriver put together an ambitious monster of album in ‘Electricity Is On Our Side’, fusing together a lot of the sounds that he’s used throughout the years to create a psychedelic, jazzy masterpiece blended with colourful electronic undertones. Serengetiraps stretched hip-hop to breaking point on his phenomenal ‘Dennis 6e’ which acted as the last piece in the story of his Kenny Dennis alter ego. Using some of the strangest instrumentals I’ve ever heard and crafting a subtle narrative through his eccentric character this album is something that will stick with me for a long time. Underground hip-hop’s power couple Jean Grae and Quelle Chris released a poignant album examining various aspects of modern society, with an off the wall sense of humour and bizarre set of beats.
Contrary to what much of the internet will tell you, it was a great year for fans of lyrical rap. Phonte made a triumphant return with an album full of personal insights while still showing an ability to go in with some killer punchlines and word play. MC Paul Barman had me reaching for the dictionary as he spun lyrical tapestries using a complex vocabulary and poetic style, dipping in to the realms of politics, comedy and fantasy along the way. In dropping another very lyrically dense album Ka cements himself as the best pure lyricist currently active. A combination of intricate rhyme schemes, powerful imagery and elaborate metaphors prove that Ka is not only an incredible rapper but also an artist easily comparable to some of history’s greatest poets.
It wasn’t the greatest year for UK hip-hop and grime but there were still a decent amount of great releases. London usually dominates the UK urban music scene but in 2018 it was mostly acts from outside of the capital that were releasing the more interesting projects. It was a fantastic year for Nottingham as Juga-Naut released two decadent albums, Cappo & Cyrus Malachi got heavy and dark on ‘Postmodernism’ and Mez dropped an EP of back to back grime bangers. Sheffield MC Rawkid brought unparalleled levels of energy and erratic flows over some superb production on Grum Vol. 1. Even Ireland was getting in on the action as Dublin rapper Kojaque crafted the beautifully moody ‘Deli Daydreams’.
For the most part guitar music in 2018 was very stagnant, stuck in banality and repetition. I really went out of my way to check out some new bands and singer-songwriters this year but found the majority of them boring, annoying, or simply weaker clones of past musicians. It wasn’t all bad though, Mitski conjured up a gently infectious collection of rock songs while Daughters came back with a ferocious nightmare of an album. Japanese prog-rock band Koenji Hyakkei really blew me away with their utterly insane album Dhorimviskha. Brimming with Frank Zappa-esque jazz rock musicianship and some seriously diverse vocals, Koenji Kyakkei’s music accomplishes the difficult feat of being simultaneously intricate, progressive and catchy.
Below you can look through my top 100 albums and check out my podcast series where I play a track from each project and tell you what I love about them. If you just want some music then check out this YouTube playlist with a track from each project.
100. The NorthaZe – Pulp Diction 3
99. $ilkMoney – I Hate My Life And I Really Wish People Would Stop Telling Me Not To
98. J.I.D – DiCaprio 2
97. Curly Castro – Tosh
96. East Man – Red, White & Zero
95. Vic Spencer – A Smile Killed my Demons
94. Big Kahuna OG – Weapon Ox
93. Spectacular Diagnostics – Raw Studies
92. Estee Nack – #Mini Mansion Dust Vol. 2
91. Pink Siifu – Ensley
90. Lando Chill – Black Ego
89. Planet Asia x Killa Kali – Border Brothers
88. Black Josh – Yung Sweg Lawd
87. The Grouch – Unlock The Box
86. Rome Streetz and Farma Beats – Street Farmacy
85. Grems – Sans Titre #7
84. Estee Nack x Recognize Ali – Post Tenebras Lux
83. Napoleon Da Legend x Giallo Point – Coup D’Etat
82. Denzel Curry – TA13OO
81. Jeremiah Jae – Daffi
80. Dark Lo x V Don – Timeless
79. Rahiem Supreme – Black Cinema
78. Bisk – MOONSHINE
77. Kojaque – Deli Daydreams
76. Benny Sings – Beat Tape
75. Nowaah The Flood x DirtyDiggs – Private Stock
74. Action Bronson – White Bronco
73. Termanology – Bad Decisions
72. Craig Xen – Hell Bent
71. Sleep Sinatra – Sanctuary
70. Robb Bank$ – Molly World
69. LNDN DRGS, Left Brain & Jay Worthy – Brain On DRGS
68. Earl Sweatshirt – Song Rap Songs
67. Trapo – Oil Change
66. Maxo Kream – Punken
65. Break – Another Way
64. Tha God Fahim – Dump Gawd: Dream Killer
63. Rahiem Supreme – Genesis Pt.2
62. Sir Michael Rocks – Funds and Access
61. Mach-Hommy & Tha God Fahim – Notorious Dump Legends
60. Pusha T – Daytona
59. Mach-Hommy – Bulletproof Luh
58. Blac Youngsta – 2.23
57. Denmark Vessey – Sun Go Nova
56. Dom Kennedy – Volume Two
55. Jakprogresso x Aloeight – Toadmilk
54. Marlowe – Marlowe
53. Westside Gunn – Hitler Wears Hermes 6
52. Daughters – You Won’t Get What You Want
51. Blackfist – Strapped For Survival
50. Vic Spencer – STUPID
49. Mitski – Be The Cowboy
48. Estee Nack – #Mini Mansion Dust Vol. 3
47. Tha God Fahim and Smoke – Dump Gawd: By Anything’s Necessary
46. 21 Savage – I Am > I Was
45. MIKE – War In My Pen
44. Benny – Tana Talk 3
43. ANKHLEJOHN – The Yellow House
42. Knowledge – Flintlock
41. Vic Spencer – Spencer For Higher
40. Ralo – Diary Of The Streets 3
39. Googie – Floating Polygons
38. Tuamie – Emergency Raps Vol. 3
37. Saba – Care For Me
36. Juga-Naut and SonnyJim – The Purple Door
35. Homeboy Sandman and Edan – Humble Pi
34. Rich Homie Quan – Rich as in Spirit
33. Koenji Hyakkei – Dhorimvishka
32. Armand Hammer – Paraffin
31. Mick Jenkins – Pieces of a Man
30. Manga Saint Hilare – Outsiders Live Forever
29. Lojii – Lofeye
28. Young Nudy – SlimeBall 3
27. Fly Anakin & Ohbliv – Backyard Boogie
26. Curren$y, Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist – Fetti
25. Westside Gunn – Supreme Blientele
24. Nostrum Grocers – Nostrum Grocers
23. DJ Muggs & Roc Marciano – Kaos
22. Juga-Naut – Bon Vivant
21. ANKHLEJOHN – Ankh Nasty
20. Chris Crack – Thanks Uncle Trill
18. MC Paul Barman – (((Echo Chamber)))
18. Cappo & Cyrus Malachi – Postmodernism
17. Mez – Tyrone EP
16. Ramirez – Blood Diamonds 2
15. Tha God Fahim and Jay Nice – Strictly For My D.U.M.P.E.R.Z
14. Roc Marciano – Behold Dark Horse
13. Black Milk – Fever
12. Chris Crack – Being Woke Ain’t Fun
11. Milo – Budding Ornithologists Are Weary of Tired Analogies
10. DJ Taye – Still Trippin’
9. Cavalier – Private Stock
8. Rawkid – Grum Vol. 1
7. Nickelus F – Stuck
6. Quelle Chris & Jean Grae – Everything’s Fine
5. Busdriver – Electricity is on Our Side
4. Hermit and The Recluse – Orpheus vs The Sirens
3. Phonte – No News is Good News
2. Kenny Dennis – Dennis 6e
1. Roc Marciano – Rosebudd’s Revenge 2: The Bitter Dose
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