In what has been an exceptional year of quality hip-hop, one would be hard pressed to not include the south in the critical success of this year. Several notable talents have delivered good to stellar efforts to further exhibit their overall dominance within the hip-hop scene, musically and in many cases culturally. From the likes of Bun B and JID to EarthGang and Megan Thee Stallion, the south (yes the DMV is absolutely included in this list BTW), has been point with very delightful offerings. With that being said, let's go!
15. AWON, Seb Zillner, & ANTITHESIS
Seven Pt. 3
Production: Seb Zillner, ANTITHESIS
Guests: N/A
DMV native Awon has been known throughout the underground with business partner/producer, Phoniks, to bring forth some rather excellent hip-hop, especially their Return To The Golden Age album, which was smooth boom-bap with rhymes that were fundamental yet sharp. Since then, Awon has delivered a few other dope albums such as The Actual Proof, Knowledge Of Self, and Nothing Less, this time he gets assistance from producer Seb Zillner and pianist ANTITHESIS for their collaborative album, Seven Pt. III. Over very melodic and jazzy production, Awon goes for his with intelligent rhymes and introspective insight on the world we live in. At only seven track appropriately, there not a single skipping point on this release. Just push play and let it ride as no misstep is prevalent here. Awon is one of those slept-on and underrated emcees that deserved to be heard way more, and as his track record shows, it's safe to say, he won't be too slept on much longer.
14. Kenny Mason
RUFFS
Production: artist, DavidTheTragic, 1Mind, James Kang, others
Guests: Young Nudy, Jean Dawson, others
Atlanta artist, Kenny Mason is a hybrid emcee. One who likes to blends different genres into his style of music. Often one that likes to incorporate soul into his music in one tune and then likes to switch to a rock influence in another tune, Mason definitely has his own appeal to what sounds great to him. His 2020 debut, Angelic Hoodrat, was met with overall decent acclaim and showed his talent in being versatile and definitely a technical writer. With his new album, RUFFS, he goes even more into his versatility into being very ambitious as well. Often times pulling moves like Kid Cudi and rhyming doping melodic rap over the occasional rock-esque track, Mason isn't a one dimensional artist. On cuts like "Shells" and "Giveinchy", his honesty and willingness to provide info of his angst, rebellion, and means of survival in the streets, while no where near close to being original, still deserves respect for his openness over samples and thick melodies that suit him. Meanwhile, his love of dogs is also apparent on this album as well and how they fit in to his way of life. On the cut, "Zoomies", he compares his energy top animals' sense of running through things with such vigor and vitality. Mason is not a conventional emcee, and that's a good thing. He's his own unique energy and with RUFFS, his eclectic aura of musical styles represent the complex emcee he is and it works out very for him as a result.
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13. Future
I NEVER LIKED YOU
Production: TM88, Soufside, ATL Jacob, others
Guests: Kanye West, Young Thug, Gunna, EST Gee, Babyface Ray, Lil Durk, Drake, Kodak Black, Lil Baby, Tems, 42 Dugg
One of the true innovators of today's sound if the always intriguing Future. Albums such as his debut, Pluto, Honest, DS2, and the most recent release in 2020, High Off Life, have all shown Future at his toxic best thematically speaking yet promoted himself as definitely one of the true voices of this generation. His 2022 offering, I NEVER LIKED YOU, only continues off his highly influential trap-meets-melodic sound and the results are every bit of what you'd expect from Future. Nothing really filled with a lot of depth, just trademark Future. Infectious cuts like the Drake-assisted "I'm On One", "Holy Ghost", and the self-explanatory "We Just Wanna Get High" all exemplify what Mr. Nayvadius Cash is about. Guests such as the aforementioned Drake, Kanye, Young Thug, Gunna, and Kodak Black all assist in this trap party Future can provide like not too many others can. With no need to reinvent the wheel, Future has another sizzler with I NEVER LIKED YOU and for those that are into his style of music, filled with strippers, weed, alcohol, and trap musings, look no further than one of the forefathers of it of this generation.
12. Jeezy & DJ Drama
Gangsta Grillz Presents: Snofall
Production: J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Don Cannon, others
Guests: EST Gee, 42 Dugg, Lil Durk
Atlanta's own Jeezy is a trap legend. Along with the likes of T.I. and Gucci Mane, Jeezy is to be heralded as one of the game's first true trap artists and showed the world the underbelly of the street and d rug game over snapping 808s. His debut, Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101 is seen as a southern classic and one of the true staples of trap hip-hop. Since then, other noted albums from him such as his other Thug Motivation albums, Seen It All, The Recession, Church In These Streets, and the most recent 2020 offering The Recession 2 all show Jeezy's obsession of the trap game, yet over time, showing some glimpses of maturity in terms of being more honest and introspective. While many would say during this growth, he also had gotten seen as a little uninspired based on him getting older and rhyming about the same ole, same ole and being guilty of repetition. In 2022, he reunited with one of his first collaborators in DJ Drama with his latest mixtape offering, Snofall. Jeezy truthfully sounds more inspired here than he has in pears, but also somewhat comes off as a wise veteran schooling the younger generation of what to look out for in these streets as well as in the business. Over rattling production from the likes of J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League and Don Cannon, this is an old reminder of prior goodies such as the aforementioned Thug Motivation series and Seen It All, and reminds us of how vital Jeezy is to this generation for long term success worthy of OG status.
11. Quavo & Takeoff
Only Built For Infinity Links
Production: Quavo, Murda Beatz, Zaytovan, Mustard, Mike Dean, others
Guests: Birdman, Gucci Mane, Summer Walker, Young Thug, Gunna, Youngboy NBA
One of the most shocking and tragic events in recent hip-hop history involved the tragic murder of Migos member, Takeoff, at a birthday party in Houston. The shockwaves resonated through the entire hip-hop community, in what had already been a very tragic year in hip-hop with numerous names being gunned down. Before this very saddening event, the Grammy-award winning trio also split up over reported differences with their label. This real life family of cousins and uncles/nephews were true innovators and studied under the same tree as the likes of Future. In 2022, two members delivered their first album together as Unc & Neph, as Quavo and Takeoff delivered Only Built For Infinity Links. With a title that's an tribute to one of the all-time great hip-hop albums in Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., they had to bring the goods here, and for what it's worth, it's not bad. While obviously missing that well known Migos charm and energy previously seen on albums like Culture, and YRN, the duo provide enough entertainment to at least attempt to replicate the energy as best they can. Tracks like the subliminally dissing, "Messy", the Birdman-assisted, "Big Stunna", "Nothing Changed", and the very catchy "Chocolate" are all cuts that, although make you wish Offset would catch a verse on these, show how good Quay and Take were without him. As the hip-hop community still comes to grips with the death of Take, it's even more sad that another Migos album with them as a trio will never happen again, however, we are left with one last bit of how very good Take was and how he and Quavo were as a group all by themselves. Rest well Take!
10. Metro Boomin
Heroes & Villains
Production: artist
Guests: A$AP Rocky, Takeoff, The Weeknd, 21 Savage, Young Thug, Travis $cott, Young Nudy, Gunna, Mustafa, Future, Chris Brown
A fixtured name within southern hip-hop production is Atlanta producer, Metro Boomin. His style of signature "boom trap" production has been largely responsible for the success of acts such as 21 Savage, Future, Migos, and Gucci Mane. His debut compilation offering of 2018, Not All Heroes Wear Capes, was a hit with cuts featuring the likes of Drake, Swae Lee, Wizkid, Young Thug, 21 Savage, Gucci, and Travis $cott. He followed that up with the collab album with 21 Savage for the acclaimed Savage Life II. In much the same vision, he returned in 2022 with Heroes & Villains. Although it's more of the same thick 808s and plenty of boom for the speakers, he enlists help from much the same characters such as Savage, Young Thug, The Weeknd, and Travis, but this time he includes a track featuring A$AP Rocky and a posthumous verse from Takeoff that could certainly cause a misty eye or two. This album will cause plenty of noise ordinance tickets to get handed out, but make no mistake, Metro Boomin is one of the true go-tos for that thumping, trap sound that has dominated the airwaves for the better part of two decades now. Metro is certainly one of the ones you can thank for that.
9. Cordae
From A Bird's Eye View
Production: Kid Culture, Hit-Boy, Jake One, Cardiak, Raphael Saadiq, Dem Jointz, Boi-1nda, Hollywood Cole, Vinylz, Beat Butcha
Guests: H.E.R., Stevie Wonder, Lil Wayne, Lil Durk, Gunna, Freddie Gibbs, Eminem
The Raleigh, NC-born, DMV-raised Cordae is a young emcee that has maturity beyond his young years, and this was evident on his debut, The Lost Son in 2019. At the beginning of 2022, he delivered his sophomore album, From A Bird's Eye View, and it was most definitely a worthy a follow-up. Introspective and honest, Cordae has a knack for being relatable and grounded. Lyrically, he's quite the writer and has tremendous writing abilities and a nice delivery. Working with young stars such as Gunna, H.E.R., and Lil Durk to seminal legends such as Stevie Wonder (harmonica on the Freddie Gibbs-assisted "Champagne Glasses"), Raphael Saadiq who produced the opening cut, "Jean-Michel", Eminem, and Lil Wayne, Cordae shows his appreciation of the various styles of sounds and music. Balancing his youthful enthusiasm with older adult wisdom, Cordae is a breath of fresh air amongst a lot of his peers, and this album is a reflection of just how damn good this young man is and how much better he's gonna be.
8. MAVI
Laughing So Hard, It Hurts
Production: Amarah, COFFEEBLACK, Kevin Long, Reggie Gordon, others
Guests: Amindi
Charlotte, NC native, MAVI, has gotten acclaims from everybody from Alchemist to Earl Sweatshirt in terms of writing and vocal talent. His debut album, Let The Sun Talk, was an impressive abstract album that was dense and filled with an aura of obscure themes of spirituality and occasional mysticism, the album conjured up similarities of other abstract gems such as the BRILLIANT Some Rap Songs, Madvillainy, I Told Bessie, and MIKE's beloved Tears Of Joy. In 2022, MAVI goes a little deeper and therefore at times more reclusive. However, his pen game remains nonetheless enthralling as one tries to decode what he's trying to paint for us on his canvas. Musically, he keeps some of the same lo-fi melodic structures that made his prior album so compelling. He shines on cuts like the mid-tempo "Doves", "Quiet On Set", "3 Left feet", and the thick "The Inconvenient Truth", where his lazy-esque delivery similar to the aforementioned Sweatshirt sounds very compatible with his musical selections. The complexity that is Laughing So Hard, It Hurts is also what gives it the charm it sends out in its own way. MAVI is an excellent writer with a language and left-brained aesthetic very few will comprehend, but will still make it all sound very good and carefully thought out.
7. EARTHGANG
Ghetto Gods
Production: Cardo, 1500 Or Nothin', Olu, STLNDrums, others
Guests: J. Cole, Musiq Soulchild, Ari Lennox, Cee-Lo, Nick Cannon, JID, Future, Baby Tate
Dreamville's eclectic duo, EARTHGANG splashed upon the scene in the latter half of the past decade with EPs and mixtapes that caught the ear of J. Cole and had a promising buzz with them in their home of the A. Their fruitful debut full-length Dreamville debut, Mirrorland, was an album that had Outkast-esque energy and filled with a spirit of fun, trippiness, and spaced out vibes that made for a charming debut. Things get a little more serious this time around with the sophomore effort, Ghetto Gods. While the love of Atlanta and the culture is still representative here, they include more matters such as socio-economic matters, politics, and mental health within the Black community. The duo of Olu and WowGr8 do a good job with the balancing act here and with cuts like "All Eyes On Me", "American Horror Story", and "Strong Friends", being in-depth with sad and pressing matters within our community. However, other less deep cuts like the bouncy JID, J. Cole-collaborated "Waterboyz", the Future-assisted "Billi", and the very tongue-in-cheek Musiq Soulchild-assisted "Amen" make things a little more light-hearted in nature. Make no mistake about it, EARTHGANG is a duo that will continue to keep your attention and Ghetto Gods prevails in showing they're artists that celebrate life while educating the importance of preservation as well.
6. Curren$y
The Drive-In Theater Pt. 2
Production: Theolonius Martin, Harry Fraud, Kino Beats, Trauma Tone, others
Guests: Fendi P, Rob49, Premo Rice, others
Earlier in 2022, Curren$y delivered the just outstanding collab album with The Alchemist, Continuance. While he did put other another project or two in 2022, it was his fourth quarter effort that people had been raving over almost as much as Continuance. He delivered The Drive-In Theater Pt. 2 and once again it shows the true talent Spitta has within his pen game. Over some overall fantastic boardwork by the likes of Harry Fraud, Thelonious Martin, and Kino Beats, Curren$y spits about his usual flashy lifestyle, money, and the streets with his usual brand of witty, yet sharp, lyricism. He shines on cuts like "Vintage Luxury", "All My Cars", and "Sun Storm" where he brags about his riches and his hustle in very Curren$y fashion, but he makes it sound damn good. The former Cash Money-affiliate has proven himself a mainstay within southern hip-hop, and with this mixtape, once again, he shows why he's one of the most valued commodities in not the south, but all of hip-hop.
5. Logic
Vinyl Days
Production: artist, 6ix, Exile, DJ Premier, DJ Khalyl, Tae BEast, T-Minus, others
Guests: Action Bronson, Royce Da 5'9", Blu, Like, RZA, AZ, Curren$y, others
Repping the DMV is somewhat polarizing emcee Logic. After his many year within the mixtape circuit, primarily from his Young Sinatra series, he dropped a very promising Def Jam debut in 2014, Under Pressure, and showed just how much talent he had to display. His occasional double time, rapid-fire delivery mixed with sharp and focused lyricism put him on people's radars. He followed that up with The Incredible True Story, which was a bit more accessible but still a great and worthy follow-up album. Once Everybody hit in 2017, he was becoming guilty of crossing over into the pop category and showed with flat lyricism and production that definitely aimed for more of a radio-friendly appeal (even though the suicide number cut was a highly important and poignant track on the album). From here, there were efforts that were decent at best (Bobby Tarentino II and YSIV) to not good whatsoever (Supermarket, Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind). He announced his "final" album with No Pressure in 2020, in which it was a triumphant return to form that we hadn't heard from him since Incredible True Story at the most. However, in 2022, he "returned" with his final Def Jam album, Vinyl Days, and good grief what a way to go out. This is more or less a love letter to the days of hip-hop he grew up to, and there was no shortage of first class lyricism and production boardwork here. Guests are a plenty here and at times it almost seems like a compilation album more than a Logic full-length, however, everyone came to play on the mic and Logic hung with them all. From the bumping texture of "Tetris" to the boom-bap elegance of "Orville" and the neck-snapping title track with Preemo on the cuts, this may legitimately be the album we've been waiting on from him for all these years, and Vinyl Days does an excellent job of making people second guess his talent, penmanship, and straight up writing him off as corny. This is the most focused and cohesive we've ever heard him and we hope there's more of this to come.
4. Curren$y & The Alchemist
Continuance
Production: The Alchemist
Guests: Babyface Ray, Boldy James
New Orleans native, and former Cash Money-affiliate, Curren$y, is among the hardest working emcees out. He has over two to three dozen efforts between full-length albums, EPs, and mixtapes plus tends to be a featured artist on several emcees projects as well throughout your average year. In the first half of 2022, Curren$y reunited with Covert Coup and Carrollton Heist collaborator, The Alchemist, with Continuance. While many rave over the two aforementioned projects, and rightfully so, this is every bit as great if not more so, as both Al and Spitta have raised their respective crafts up two notches since these projects. Cuts like "Kool & The Gang", "The Tonight Show", and the Boldy James-assisted "No Yeast" are as ridiculous of cuts as one could imagine as Uncle Al puts together some of the mellowed-out production one could have for Curren$y, as this production is almost custom made just for him. In another benchmark project for both guys, Continuance is another stellar example of the talents these respective men possess and it's clear these two together just can't miss.
3. Pusha T
It's Almost Dry
Production: Kanye West, 88-Keyz, Pharrell Williams, others
Guests: Kanye West, No Malice, Kid Cudi, Jay-Z, Pharrell, Lil Uzi Vert, Don Toliver, Labrinth
Virginia's favorite coke rapper, Pusha T, has been relatively low key since his outstanding 2018 offering, DAYTONA. The Kanye West-crafted EP was among the single best albums of that entire year as well as his single best album apart from his brother, (No) Malice as The Clipse. As the years went on, especially in 2021, he warned us that he was working on the best album of his career, and when 2022 came, he assured us it was worth the wait. From the first single, the Kanye & 88-Keys-produced, "Diet Coke", we had a feeling he was not playing. He soon after dropped the album, It's Almost Dry, and yes, yes ladies and gentlemen, it was absolutely worth the wait. Almost exclusively put together sonically by Kanye and Pharrell, this album is bleak in texture, but contains some of the best lyricism in Pusha's whole discography, as well as Kanye and Pharrell showing their asses tremendously in terms of production. From cuts like "Dreaming Of The Past", "Just So You Remember", and "the Jay-Z-assisted "Neck & Wrist" are hard, damn hard, and Pusha glides over these tracks with ease and expertise. Many are arguing about which is the better album, but the truth is both are Grammy nominated and both are Pusha's best works. This met every expectation one could imagine and showed why Pusha is among the in-demand and go-to emcees of his generation.
2. Denzel Curry
Melt My Eyez, See Your Future
Production: Robert Glaspar, Karreim Riggins, Kenny Beats, Cardo, JPEGMafia, Dot Da Genius, DJ Khalyl, Kal Banx, Powers Pleasent, Thundercat, others
Guests: Robert Glaspar, Bridget Perez, Saul Williams, Slowthai, T-Pain, 6LACK, Rico Nasty, JID, others
We take a trip to Miami and put the focus on Denzel Curry, who has amassed a cult-like following over the years thanks to albums such as ZUU, his collaborative effort with Kenny Beats, Unlocked, and especially his biggest breakout album, TA1313OO. His rowdy yet partially trippy style of rap has him among the most seen and talked about amongst his current peers in the game. However, he did a virtual complete left turn with his 2022 offering, Melt My Eyez, See Your Future. This is without question his most ambitious project to date, as he blends jazz, soul, trap, and live instrumentation with this album, as well as quite possibly being the most poignant and honest album he's released. From the opening cut with the Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist Robert Glaspar on "Melt Session #1", we can tell there's a new musical and thematic direction here, and this is continuous throughout the album. Gone for the most is the rah-rah Denzel typically presents that occasionally lets you in and more fully embraced is his need to be reflective and vulnerable over some of the best and most musically soulful production he's ever rapped over. Whenever you have a production team that consists of the likes of Thundercat, Glaspar, Karreim Riggins, and Dot Da Genius on board, you know this will be a musically interesting, yet very intriguing, ensemble, and this met and surpassed expectations. Denzel's latest has set a new benchmark for his career and with Melt My Eyez..., Curry has shown a maturity that we can very proud of.
1. JID
The Forever Story
Production: Benji, Monte Booker, BADBADNOTGOOD, Cardiak, KAYTRANADA, DJ Khalyl, Hollywood Cole, James Blake, Thundercat, Khrysis, Childish Major, others
Dreamville's most incredibly talented star not maned J. Cole is Atlanta's JID, who already had quite the impressive discography coming in, in terms of his pre-Dreamville mixtapes, and his major label efforts, The Never Story and DiCaprio 2. With DiCaprio 2 having been released in 2018, it was definitely time for a new JID album, and the anticipation was building for the unofficial sequel to The Never Story and dear Lord did we get it in the form of The Forever Story. JID basically arrived into even more of a legitimate threat within the hip-hop game regardless of what sector of the country he represents. His rapid-fire, melodic, style adaptive approach to delivery as well as his tremendous pen game has him among the best young cats around. every track here feels fresh, inspired, and hungry. He's more honest and transparent here than on efforts in the past, especially his love and need of family. His themes of hustling, struggling, the love of his family, and how far he's come in his career and life makes the listener intrigued with every word that he spits. He also isn't afraid to stand toe to toe with the likes of legends such as Lil Wayne and Yasiin Bey on the cuts "Just In Time" and "Stars" respectively. Technical talent mixed with ever improving lyricism has JID on another level here and The Forever Story is an example of his continued growth as an emcee, artist, and a young man.
Honorable Mentions
Megan Thee Stallion- Traumazine
Bun B & Cory Mo- Mo Trill
Bun B & Statik Selektah- TrillStatik 2
EST Gee- I Never Felt Nun
Big K.R.I.T.- Digital Roses Don't Die
Tha God Fahim- 6 Ring Champ
Rapper Big Pooh- To Dream In Color
Latto- 777
The south came and showed up in 2022 with overall damn good releases. While variety does tend to suffer in terms of a bunch of standouts musically and in artistry, albums such as the ones mentioned here offered everything from fun, club vibes to street-lore and introspection. Everything here does deserve at least some sort of listen and going into 2023, let's see if the south can provide more of the same energy with higher levels of artistry and bits of substance. Time will tell. Until next time folks!
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