The Best Hip-Hop Albums Of 2024

When we think about memorable years within modern hip-hop, we think of years such as 2015, 2016, 2000, and 2005. We can even go back to several years within the nineties such as '94-'97 and the eighties, most notably '88.  We had been waiting on which year within this twenties decade would be that year. We may have reached that milestone with 2024.  With seemingly a monstrous, acclaimed album per month, 2024 saw outstanding albums from the likes of Armand Hammer, Common & Pete Rock, Roc Marciano & The Alchemist, Westside Gunn (twice within two days), Apathy, Lupe Fiasco, Rapsody, and two from Skyzoo.  We saw The Alchemist officially stake his claim as most prolific and consistently crazy producer, but we also had him spit on the mic more than we have heard him in years.  We also saw the resurgence of the west, as releases from the likes of JasonMartin & DJ Quik, Big Hit, ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Snoop Dogg & Dr. Dre, and a surprise album from Kendrick Lamar were easily among the best albums, regardless of section, in the game.  What was also notable was the benchmark set by nineties and eighties O.G.s this past year, as the likes of Common & Pete Rock, Redman, Kurious, Ice Cube, Snoop & Dre, MC Lyte, LL Cool J & Q-Tip, and Tha Dogg Pound delivered a range from damn good albums to instant classics that reminds this current era and generation that the fifty and over emcees can still show them how it's really done.  Unfortunately, we lost of our emcees as well in droves.  Artists such as Saafir, Chino XL, Rich Homie Quan, Boss, Enchanting, OG Maco, and Ka passed away from this life and graduated to the next, while other hip-hop figures such as Fatman Scoop, DJ Polo, Clark Kent, and Mister Cee left painful voids in the lineage of hip-hop.  Ka's final album, The Thief Next to Jesus, was released just a couple of months before his untimely passing, while Chino's Darkness & Other Colors was released posthumously to lots of acclaim.  We also saw the rise of up-and-coming producers such as Cartune Beatz, Cookin' Soul, Conductor Williams, and Child Actor, delivering some of the year's most fantastic sounds and puts a great focus on them for 2025 and going forward.  Basically, this was one of the most complete years of the century, much less of the past decade.  This year was so bananas, this list couldn't be confined to just the usual thirty. This list comprises of the best FIFTY albums this year (this doesn't even include the Honorable Mentions list).  We wait all year for this list to be compiled, and this was really one of the hardest lists to make, even with the list being fifty.  With that being said, let's review the best fifty albums, but don't forget to check the Honorable Mentions list, as well as several of the best songs of the year.  Let's go, shall we?!

 

50. J. Cole

Might Delete Later

Production: artist, The Alchemist, Mike WILL Made It, ATL Jacob, T-Minus, Conductor Williams, others

Guests: Ab-Soul, Daylyt, Trae Tha Truth, Ari Lennox, Gucci Mane, Young Dro, Bas, others

We will start with the surprise effort from Fayettenam's golden child, Jermaine Cole, or J. Cole to the somehow uninformed.  The crafter of such excellent releases such as Cole World: The Sideline Story, Born Sinner, 4 Your Eyez Only, 2014 Forest Hills Dr. and the most recent The Off Season has been in the news for his involvement within the whole Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake vs. Future vs. Rick Ross saga (more on this shortly).  The Roc Nation artist delivered a sub sequential mixtape entitled Might Delete Later out of the blue, save for the exception of a couple of brief teasers going into the release of the project.  The talent of Cole is once again on complete full display in this release.  Rapping like he's out to prove something to colleagues and fans alike like he did previously on The Off Season, cuts like "Crocodile Tears", "Huntin' Wabbits", and the Ab-Soul/Daylyt-assisted, "Pi" hit with enough bump to keep you pushing the repeat button while also hearing a determination on the mic that makes him show how much he's going for it all on this project, despite the controversy concerning possible transphobia on the latter.  On one of the particular standouts involves Cam'ron and their reworking on Cam's own cut with his Dip Set crew, "I'm Ready" with "Ready '24".  With the exception of a different drum pattern, nothing has changed with this cut, and that's a good thing.  As one of the most repeated cuts on Diplomatic Immunity, Cole exhibits a ferocity similar to how Juelz was spitting on the cut and then some.  Plus of course Cam gets on the showoff like he did on the original.  On the Alchemist-crafted "Stickz & Stonez", Cole experiments with a start and stop flow that can come off as choppy but ultimately prevails while declaring he's "One of them ones", while cuts like "3001" and the sizzling "Fever" are head nodders that have Cole focused, yet relatively tame compared to other cuts on the album. The much talked about "7 Minute Drill" closes off the project with a split Conductor Williams track having Cole going after Lamar as a response to Lamar seemingly dissing him and Drake on the cut "Like That" from the Future & Metro Boomin album, We Don't Trust You, from earlier this year.  While not necessarily the classic diss cut many had hoped, it was still a brave attempt to respond to one of hip-hop's most blistering emcees in Lamar.  While Cole's baffling apology and bowing out of the whole Kendrick vs. Drake saga, as well as deleting it from the album ultimately, this put a damper on an otherwise enjoyable album. Although falling short of some of his previous efforts, Might Delete Later is still an album that shows a bit of what Cole is s till capable of.  One can hope that this next effort, supposedly his retirement album entitled The Fall Off, J. Cole will hang his mic up showing why he's among the most talented emcees of his generation.

49. Mutant Academy 

Keep Holly Alive

Production: Syko Syd, Graymatter, Ewonee, UNLUCKY BASTARDS, others

Guests: Quelle Chris

Straight from VA comes the crew of Fly Anakin, Big Kahuna OG, and Henny L.O., collectively called Mutant Academy.  Along with the emcees are producers Syko Syd, Graymatter (Conway The Machine, 7XVETHAGENIUS, Domo Genesis), UNLUCKY BASTARDS, Ohbliv (Mick Jenkins, ELUCID, Your Old Droog), Ewonee (al.davino, Tha God Fahim, Pink Siifu), Tuamie (Kooley High, Skyzoo, Ill Camille), and Foisey (Tha God Fahim, Pink Siifu) to help complete this tremendously talented collective.  Known throughout the underground for a few years, they got picked up by Roc Nation Distribution, and this was cause for more of a known audience, with Fly Anakin already seen as the breakout emcee with projects such as At the End of The Day and the more known, Frank, being in rotation, along with his 2024 offering, Anakin & Friends 2.  Weeks before their debut full-length album, Keep Holly Alive, dropped, they gave us a sampling of what was to come with their dumb dope EP, Talk Soon.  This EP was a great indicator of what we would expect from Keep Holly Alive, and this was reflected in their debut cut with Detroit's own, Quelle Chris, "Liberation".  The eighteen-track player was a bumper from basically top to bottom.  Anakin may have been the standout in terms the most known, but his fellow emcees of Kahuna and Henny more than hold their own on every track they're on. Cuts like "Peace God", "Favoritism", and "Paranoid" are all tracks that show their cohesion as a trio, but also the fantastic and consistent boardwork from their sonic team, specifically Ewoniee and Syko Syd on these cuts.  With each producer's particular style of boardwork meeting each emcee's distinctive flow and delivery, results are mostly quite enjoyable and, in many cases, flat out dope.  Graymatter's dusty-sampling, RZA or Havoc-themed melodies works delightfully with Kahuna's start and stop flow that could remind some of the likes of Cam'ron or Masta Killa on Stay Forever", while Ohbliv's morose and slightly psychedelic styled production works with Anakin's nasal, yet highly technical, delivery on "Scheme Sunday", and UNLUCKY BASTARDS' dirty drums and obscure, melody-driven samples shine on cuts like "Check Ya Source", "Start Prayin'". and "Birthstones" help Henny, especially, to shine on these cuts.  Other shining cuts like "Straightback Santiago", "Rock, Paper, Scissors", "Beam Me Up", and "Computer Blue" are filled with blunt humor, sexual undertones, and shit-talking, which makes these cuts overall fun to peep over truly nodding production and talented skills from the emcees themselves.  Saluting their studio that started this whole journey, Holly Block, is the drive behind the title, Keep Holly Alive, and the work they put into this album presumably within this studio paid off very well with this consistently rotational project.  There's nothing heavy on this effort here folks. If you're expecting mind-blowing concepts and themes, this isn't for you. However, if just some good ol' hip-hop with an immensely talented up-and-coming crew aiming to put Richmond, VA on a bigger stage since Skillz, try Mutant Academy on for size.

48. Big Hit, Hit-Boy, & The Alchemist

Black & Whites

Production: The Alchemist, Hit-Boy

Guests: Boldy James, HitgirlLENA, others

Ever since Grammy Award-winning producer Hit-Boy's father, Big Hit, has been out of prison in 2022, Hit Sr. has been steady recording and collaborating. First appearing all over Hit-Boy's Surf or Drown 2 album and, from there, delivering his first solo album in over a decade, The Truth Is in My Eyes, in which we got that OG gangsta shit that Big Hit was known for during his heyday.  Along with other guest spots and even another collaborative effort with Hit-Boy, only this time with fellow Piru, The Game, Paisley Dreams, Big Hit has stayed busy.  His best effort involves collaborating with his son again, only now everybody's favorite uncle, The Alchemist, gets in on the action with the appropriately titled, Black & Whites.  It comes as no surprise that Uncle Al had a very busy year once again, and this was just one of several monstrous efforts he was a part of. Plus, with Hit-Boy still gliding off his very highly and Grammy Award winning collabs with Nas, this had the setup for something crazy, and it truthfully was. Coming a little rawer than we have been used to hearing him since he's been free, Big Hit provided personal street narratives and that tried-and-true formula of reality rap meeting honest insight on cuts like the opener, "Drug Tzar", "Foreclosure", and "Dirtball".  Displaying a grittiness we hadn't from him since his release from the Penn, Hit's usually cool and calm delivery is mixed up a bit with more seriousness and screw-faced imagery.  Of course, it doesn't hurt that Alan the Chemist provided the darkest and most sinister production on here for Big Hit to spit in a way that reflects the production he's provided.  On the flip side, tracks where Hit-Boy provides him with more of a smoother, yet slightly more accessible, sound, Big Hit likewise handles his own on those tracks as well such as "Only Weight I Feel", the Boldy James-assisted, "Godfather Pt. 2", and the title track.  In fact, with the latter, this would be the only cut where all three are actually rapping on the same track together.  The chemistry that H-B and Uncle Al have together is prevalent on their surprise EP from earlier in the year, Theodore & Eddie, so adding Big Hit with them was a decent choice.  Hit Sr brings with him some relatively unknown Cali rappers to the table with him on the only cut not produced by neither Al nor Hit, "Count Your Blessings", which features Figg Rari, Killa Twan, and Longbodyy, but he also makes it a family affair as he has Hit Jr and Hit Jr's sister, HitgirlLena show off some on the cut "Gank Move" over a slinky track Hit Jr constructed.  It's clear Black & Whites is the best overall effort from Big Hit thus far, and Alchemist, along with Hit-Boy, gave him more room to extend his legs to get grittier and more no-nonsense.  Reportedly, Big Hit ended up back in jail so hopefully when he's back out, these three can create more magic together, as this album knocks from sunup to sundown.

47. Cordae

The Crossroads

Production: J. Cole, Dem Jointz, Thelonious Martin, Bongo, Smoko Ono, others

Guests: Ty Dolla $ign, Anderson.Paak, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Juicy J, others

NC-born, DC-raised young talent, Cordae, is primarily known for his very down to earth, transparent, and honest persona that makes him way more Chance The Rapper than Pusha T.  His ability to present himself as a regular young man that just so happens to be a very good rapper with loads of potential to be even better is a bright part of his charm.  Separating himself from his former YBN crew, he dropped his solo debut, The Lost Boy, was a promising debut from this kid and showed that he had as love of rap and music in general.  Honest and transparent, there was a sense of freshness from him that goes against the typical bravo you see and hear from most male rappers.  His follow-up was three years later in the form of From a Bird's Eye View, which was even more honest and introspective, and showed more of his multi-faceted talents. Over bigger and more layered production, Cordae sounded at home over this varied, yet overall nice, production.  Two years later, he returns with The Crossroads, an appropriate title considering that he's feeling he's at his own crossroads within his career.  He's one album from the next level or staying at a capped off level.  This album hopes to give us a little more insight into where his future could be headed. The intoxicating intro leads into quite a charming sounding cut in "06 Dreamin", in which he details never before items such as how his mother auditioned for Diddy's Making The Band series and how she sacrificed her dream to see Cordae see his own.  His two cuts over the summer with Anderson.Paak appear on here as well, "Two Tens" and the J. Cole-produced "Summer Drop", which sound like these two need to do a full project together of sorts.  Much like a lot of his material, he reaches his peak here when he gets personal and open. Cuts like the heartfelt "Don't Walk Away", the ode to his daughter "Shai Afeni", and "Nothing's Promised". Speaking of the latter track, influences are apparent here, most notably Mr. Kanye (oops, Ye) himself, as Cordae clearly touches the artist formerly known as Kanye West's "Heard 'Em Say", but also, he has him on the hook for "No Bad News", a track that celebrates peace and happiness in a non-campy way that's accessible and relatable.  Other transparent cuts like "All Alone", the family centered "What Really Matters", and the touching dedication his deceased grandmother, "Now You Know" are nice tracks that have him not afraid to expose his vulnerabilities.  While other cuts like the Ty Dolla $ign-assisted "Pray", the Juicy J-collaborated "Never See It", and "Mad As Fuck" fall short of most of the album's good quality, they don't stop The Crossroads from being perhaps his best album to date.  While many critics have stated that there's nothing really particular special or standout about Cordae, that's not completely correct. Does he occasionally slip into typical troupes that tend to artistically hinder a lot of male rappers in the game such as misogyny, cockiness, and objectivity? Sometimes, but it's also his ability to be real, transparent, and open that you don't see in such a human nature nowadays within his generation.  Cordae is a definite talent, but one day let's hope there's a classic album that he will start to stew up so he can ascend from average to way above average.  Hopefully, The Crossroads is a step closer to that happening.

46. Lloyd Banks

Halloween Havoc V

Production: Cartune Beatz, Mr. Authentik, George Getson, others

Guests: N/A

Queens' self-professed "Punchline King", Lloyd Banks has been enjoying a career resurgence over the last few years. The former G-Unit soldier has been receiving tremendous critical acclaim from his Course of The Inevitable trilogy, as well as his Halloween Havoc mixtape series.  His latest Halloween Havoc tape, Halloween Havoc V, ranks among his best efforts to date with brooding and menacing production, as well as his usual nasal-drenched delivery with fantastic lyricism filled with images of hustling, revenge, and the streets.  While The Hunger for More has been seen and regarded as his overall best album, this effort is filled with possibly more bullet holes than most of his other projects, including the aforementioned Hunger for More.  Tracks like "Double Up", "Shoot the Messenger", and "Choose Wisely" have Banks displaying his lyrical game as a hitman. One that is a compelling storyteller form a narrative of someone that is a street veteran that knows how to hold them and how to fold them.  He continues to be frost bitten with ice cold tracks like "Seasons of The Psychos", Taking Notes", and "Resources" over some hard-hitting, yet ominous production from the likes of relatively unknown producers such as George Getson, Mr. Authentik, and one of the nicest up-and-coming beatsmiths in the game at the moment, Cartune Beatz.  One could argue that he's as consistent as he's ever been in his career.  While one could have a gripe about the fact that he doesn't stray away from the dark, brooding sounds and themes of throughout this project, there's also no need for him to. Banks is a silent samurai with a mighty healthy blade called his pen.  The PLK is as on point as he's ever been on HHV, upping his game even more than he did from HHIV: The 72nd Hour last year, which is saying a lot considering how dumb dope that effort was as well.  With the next installment of his AON mixtape series around the corner, Lloyd Banks is out to show his contemporaries once again why he's one of them ones.  The more he continues to shell out crazy releases like this, the more of a problem he'll continue to be.

45. Da Beatminerz

Stifled Creativity

Production: artist

Guests: Rustee Jux, Ras Kass, Smif N Wessun, KRS-One, Black Moon, Mickey Factz, Keith Murray, Pharoahe Monch, De La Soul, AZ, others

One of the curators and innovators of the dirty NY underground sound of the nineties were a production crew known as Da Beatminerz. This team that consisted of Baby Paul and brothers Mr. Walt and DJ Evil Dee were responsible for the primary sound of the legendary Boot Camp Clik, which consisted of Black Moon, Health Skeltah (R.I.P. Sean P), O.G.C., Smif-N-Wessun, and the MUCH-underappreciated Reprezentativez.  We first heard this thumping, rugged, and brooding sound on Black Moon's seminal debut, Enta Da Stage. Buckshot Shorty, 5 FT Assassin, and Evil Dee delivered one of the game's most hard-hitting albums to come out the nineties, only to follow it up with Smif-N'Wessun's classic debut, Dah Shinin'.  At this point, we're aware of how ridiculously knocking this production team were and how, along with the likes of DJ Premier, Havoc, RZA, and Large Professor, were the defining sounds of NYC.  While Baby Paul left, Evil Dee and Mr. Walt stayed around and helped construct cuts and projects with the likes of Nas, M.O.P., Heather B, Apathy, Ras Kass, Last Emperor, O.C., Mic Geronimo, Royal Flush, and Krumbsnatcha.  They even put out a couple of compilation albums such as the dope Braced 4 Impakt and Fully Loaded with Statik.  With a smattering of credits since Fully Loaded with Statik, they've been here and there but haven't been nearly as consistent churning out tracks as they used to over two decades ago. Aiming to introduce this new generation to how prime boom-bap sounded, they reemerge with their first studio compilation album since Fully Loaded with Statik with Stifled Creativity.  Many would say that their sound is dated, but if you're a true school lover of that hard knock thump of the nineties, this is for you. Cuts like Rustee Jux's "Product", the first single featuring the Blastmaster himself, KRS-One, "Seckle" (the remix with Smif-N'-Wessun is also on here), and the Steele/Lil' Fame collab, "B-Ville Pioneers" all give you that warm feeling of that neck-snapping, head-thumping music that NY was truly known for.  While known veterans such as the aforementioned KRS-One, Apathy, Smif-N'-Wessun, Black Moon, Ras Kass, De La Soul, and Keith Murray all show why they can handle Beatminerz production excellently, the younger and more unknown underground jacks show they can hold their own as well. Bronx's own battle tested, Mickey Factz, shows up hard on the nostalgic "Champion", while Florida (by way of Delaware) representatives, The Villainz (longtime underground heads remember them as PNC) come through on the knocking "Fear None", and up-and-coming Brooklyn crew, Loaf Muzik, deliver on "Where You From".  Would this album have benefited from a good BCC reunion cut? Definitely, but be that as it may, Stifled Creativity is easily as strong as Braced 4 Impakt and better than Fully Loaded with Statik. It's clear that DJ Evil Dee and Mr. Walt want to connect with the youth of today while giving respect to the ones who helped get them to their prominence in the nineties and early thousands.  This album is one for the Jeeps, Lex coupes, Beamers, and Benzes, just as long as that alpine speaker is fully insured.

44. Tha Dogg Pound

W.A.W.G. (We All We Got)

Production: Mike & Keys, Soopafly, Battlecat, DJ Premier, Jelly Roll, Rick Rock

Guests: Snoop Dogg, Tha Eastsidaz, RBX, Lady Of Rage, BLXST, Dababy, others

We just mentioned the nineties with the aforementioned album of Stifled Creativity.  If one denies the landmark impact the west coast had on nineties hip-hop, pull their so-called "hip-hop" card.  Arguably the label/crew leading the west coast insurgence within the game was the legendary (or notorious) Death Row Records, led by Dr. Dre and the infamous Suge Knight.  Love them or hate them, Death Row sold millions upon millions of units of albums consisting of artists like Dre, Snoop, 2Pac, and Lady of Rage, not to mention two of the greatest hip-hop soundtracks to ever exist: Above the Rim and Murder Was the Case.  Another pivotal act that played a huge role in their success was Daz Dillinger and Kurupt aka Tha Dogg Pound.  Known for their appearances on albums from Dre and Snoop, the anticipation was climbing higher and higher for these two to drop an album, and in '95, they finally dropped Dogg Food to high critical acclaim and label an instant classic that fit the appeal of Death Row Records with gangsta funk production by Daz and seemingly underappreciated producer, DJ Pooh.  Although subsequent album that followed such as Cali Iz Active, Dillinger & Young Gotti, Dogg Chit, and 2021's DPG 4 Life were mediocre to pretty good, none of these releases came close to the magic Dogg Food delivered.  After issues with Daz and big cousin Snoop were squashed and resolved, Snoop joined his Dogg Pound brethren for their new Death Row effort (this Death Row is now run and overseen by Big Snoop himself now), W.A.W.G. (We All We Got).  The album gave us a great lead-off single with the Snoop-assisted "Smoke Up", and it served as a dope dish for what was an overall fun, engaging, and nostalgic-sounding album. Full of nineties G-funk that makes Cali such a distinguishable sound, Daz and Kurupt sound as refreshed and as focused as they ever have, especially on cuts like the title track, "Favorite Color Blue (representing their Crip affiliations), and "Imma Dogg".  Acknowledging that they're now considered elder statesmen in the game, they also realize they can't consistently talk about the same stuff they did in their twenties, which was bitches, hos, weed, 'lacs, and gangbanging.  While some of that is still here, they also deliver cuts of just chillin' and being around friends and family and having a good time. Cuts like "LA Kinda Love" and "House Party" are excellent for the occasion and great for barbecues with the homies.  They also acknowledge and recognize the point of getting older and wiser on the reflective, yet dumb funky, "Grown Up". They close the album out with the scorching DJ Premier-crafted collab with Death Row alumni, RBX and Lady of Rage on "Who's Da Hardest", in which Rage, especially, sounds as vicious as ever and begs for an album to drop from her sooner than later.  With Snoop assisting them on half the effort, it's awesome to hear the gang back together and sound so damn good. Easily, W.A.W.G. is the best overall album from Daz and Kurupt since Dogg Food back in the nineties, thanks to Snoop overseeing the project and reminding them of their tremendous legacy in not just west coast hip-hop, but hip-hop ad a whole.  While both have been successful on their own and apart from each other, they bring the best out of each other when they're together, and W.A.W.G. is the clearest example of this, as they delivered one of the year's most funky and highly enjoyable albums.

43. Masta Ace & Marco Polo

Richmond Hill

Production: Marco Polo

Guests: Blu, Che Noir, Wordsworth, Pav Bundy, Coast Contra, Inspectah Deck, others

Brooklyn's Masta Ace is who you could rightfully call an O.G. With his career going back to the Juice Crew in the eighties, Ace has been one of the game's most respected emcees on all levels.  Although garnering success with his albums, Take A Look Around, Slaughterhouse, and Sittin' on Chrome, it was his reintroduction to the game in '01 with the outstanding concept album, Disposable Arts, that put Ace on a new level. He brought his original fans back but introduced himself to a younger generation in a way that was engaging and enthralling.  He followed this instant classic up with his just as fantastic release, A Long Hot Summer, that served as the prequel to Disposable Arts.  He would follow these albums up with projects like his crazy group album with Punchline, Strick, and Wordsworth as eMC, The Show, the MF DOOM-produced childhood autobiographical album, MA DOOM: Son of Yvonne, and his adolescent schooling days album, The Falling Season.  He would collab with respected Canadian hip-hop producer, Marco Polo, for 2018's A Breukelen Story, which was an excellent album that had him reflecting on his days of growing up in Brooklyn to his adult struggles such as his unfortunate battle with Multiple Sclerosis.  He returned this year with Polo for what could be seen as the sequel, Richmond Hill, which this time details Polo's upbringing in this small sector just outside of Toronto and his developing love of hip-hop and the struggles of daily life getting into the business, only with Ace doing the lyrical narrating.  While A Breukelin Story was fairly gritty and filled with raw illustrations, Richmond Hill isn't quite as heavy, although this doesn't deter how dope this project is. It starts off knocking with "Brooklyn Heights" and the neck-bumping collab with west coast lyrical arsonists, Coast Contra, "Certified".  They get heavy occasionally, especially on the most sonically amazing cut on the album, the Blu-assisted "Below the Clouds."  Paying a salute to Gangstarr's seminal "Above the Clouds" from Moment of Truth, as well as Blu & Exile's unbelievable debut collab album, Below the Heavens, this somewhat psychedelic-sounding cut with a beautiful vocal sample attached details the importance of focus and concentrating on personal goals and believing in yourself.  Meanwhile, his (Polo's) struggles with material possessions and money become an issue on cuts like "The Jordan Era" and the Che Noir-assisted "Money Problems", in which she personifies the dollar in this intriguing cut.  The most alarming cut on this effort belongs to "P.P.E.", in which we detail addiction, poverty, and living pretty much poorly, and the mental anxieties that come with it, especially when you put yourself in those predicaments.  Over another beat that's highly engaging and emotive, Ace excellently gives insight into the mind of someone that deals with these vices and their consequences as poetically as anything you'll hear Ace do.  With other cuts like the salute to eating and living healthy, "Plant Based", the Speech of Arrested Development/Strick-assisted, "Life Music", and "All I Want", Richmond Hill is every bit as dope as A Breukelen Story, and the team of Ace & Polo is a strong match in hip-hop heaven.  Polo's Canadian boom-bap fits perfectly with Ace as he glides effortlessly over the production.  These two together haven't missed thus far and one would be hard pressed to bet against them in the future.

42. Vince Staples

Dark Times

Production: LaKen Taylor, Tyler Page, Jay Versace, Cardo, others

Guests: Santigold, others

Long Beach emcee (and Netflix star), Vince Staples, is among the most talented artists of his generation to show his street lure and the insight of an OG for someone his age.  First turning heads with his appearances on albums from Common and Earl Sweatshirt, he dropped Hell Can Wait to very good acclaim, but it was full-length Def Jam debut, the No I.D.-crafted, Summertime '06, that put him in the spotlight as an official somebody within the rap game.  Non-stop bumpers were prevalent and established Vince as someone to take seriously in the game.  He followed this album up with others such as FM!, his self-titled album, and the EDM heavy, The Big Fish Theory that, although were all different in sounds, still showed his ability to ride and flow with all kinds of sounds that were outside conventional methods of hip-hop.  He returned to what we know in terms of sounds and production in the form of the excellent Ramona Park Broke My Heart.  This album was as personal as we had gotten from him at the time and reflected a sense of the hardships of what he had experienced in those LB streets.  He follows this up with his 2024 offering, Dark Times, and we go to a level with Vince we haven't been too exposed to.  He's coming from a mostly melancholy and brooding place as the title indicates.  This album is mostly a bleak and depressing affair with cuts like "Black & Blue", "Children's Song", and the vivid "Shame on The Devil", as especially he gets as vulnerable as we've ever heard him on the latter over slick drums and a moody backdrop.  With the cut, "Government Cheese", Vince reflects on his rough upbringing and obstacles but taking pride in the gratitude of still maintaining life despite of them.  However, he gets even more bleak with the troubling, "Nothing Matters", as we hear Vince slowly go down a spiral that is as dark and is as ominous as anything we've ever heard from him.  He manages to close out the album on a more positive note with the cut "Little Homies" and "Freeman" that give props where it's due and contains appreciation for his lessons and those that helped him along the way.  The final track has him and artist, Santigold, having a conversation and bits of the conversation were used as powerful soundbites for the track, "When the Sun Comes Out" in such a very fitting close to the album.  Vince Staples went the route of vulnerable, personal, and highly introspective on Dark Times more than any other project within his career, and the results may have ended up with him delivering his career best effort.  Always full of jewels of street wisdom, Staples let his guard down and let us into the mind of a very conflicted young man that, although his life may occasionally hit stormy moments and instances of uncertainty, he still finds some value in the midst of the internal and external storms he faces. That ultimately is what we all should strive to do if possible.

41. Kooley High

All Infinite

Production: Tuamie

Guests: N/A

Raleigh, NC's Kooley High may be relative unknowns to those outside the Tarheel state, but they actually are more known than one would think. This is the crew that Rapsody started her career with at NC State.  To this day, she still gives props to her old team of emcees and deejays.  When she departed from them, it didn't stop their hustle and their love of hip-hop. They continued as a five-man unit, with Charlie Smarts and Tab-One manning the mics, while Ill Digitz still served as DJ and Sinopsis and Foolery acted as their in-house producers.  The five started to dwindle down to two, as now it's just Charlie Smarts and Tab-One repping the crew. The last project we heard from Kooley High was 2018's Never Come Down, which was executive produced by fellow Triangle resident, Grammy Award winner, 9th Wonder.  Now, in 2024, the (now) duo returns with former Mutant Academy producer, Tuamie, for All Infinite.  Much like 9th's former collective of the Justus League, most notably Little Brother, this is a duo that's about beats and rhymes. Period. No gimmicks. Nothing but complete authenticity and purity.  Cuts like "Get Up", "Hot Outside", "Silly Rabbit", and the dumb dope "Penmanship" all are certified neck-snappers that make you enjoy an old school, golden age aesthetic of just enjoying the rhymes with the equally sweet production. The vibe here centers around energy, with mostly good energy being the rule at that.  While the majority of the album isn't terribly heady, there are moments that do tackle relatable areas and subject matter.  They dive into fatherhood and legacy on the cuts "Love Forever" and the tremendous "The Freshest" but also showcasing the importance of knowing yourself within this life.  As much as they emphasize life and good times, they also don't overlook or ignore the reality of mortality, and this is shown especially on "Energy", in which they present an image of returning from where we came from within the universe when it's all said and done.  Somber, but essential listening.  As a whole, All Infinite is arguably the best Kooley High album to date. With a golden age aesthetic and feel like LB's exquisite, The Listening, Kooley High drops jewels on the album without being overly cosmic, but more so spiritual and still finding time to just have a good time, celebrate life, and keep it all hip-hop.  You really can't beat stuff like that.

40. 7XVETHEGENIUS

Death Of Deuce

Production: Daringer, Camouflage Monk, STREETRUNNER, !llmind, Graymatter, others

Guests: Papoose, Raheem Devaughn, Jae Skeeze, Keisha Plum

Buffalo emcee, and Drumwork's first lady, 7XVETHEGENIUS, has been a voice in the Buffalo underground even before Conway got his hands on her and put her on.  Starting with her Owls & Elephants mixtape in 2015, she started to catch a buzz, only to further her name with efforts such as 7XVE is Love, Self 7XVE, and Thy Will Be Done. It was announced she was working on her sophomore full-length album, Death Of Deuce, while she was releasing her collab with DJ/Producer, Green Lantern, The Genius Tape.  Anticipation was growing as she was appearing on cuts notably with her Drumwork mates, Conway and Jae Skeeze.  She finally released Death Of Deuce this year and did it meet the anticipation? Absolutely.  GENIUS is an emcee that knows how to range herself.  Many know and place her in the category of a murda mami, with her street narratives highlighting drugs, shootouts, and hustling.  However, we get way more than that type of subject matter on here.  In fact, she cautions against that life on tracks like the sinister-sounding, Daringer-crafted "The Genius" and "Graymatter", named after the dumb dope producer of the same name.  She also realizes that her honesty and introspection can reach others and that jewels are better than trying to go with the grain.  The opener, "A Lesson", is a great example of this, as GENIUS spits wisdom for the lost and provided caution for the blind.  She similarly does so on "Jump", but she gets even deeper than this.  On "If I", she imagines herself and how life would be without her in the world over a moody beat that works so very well considering what she's spitting about in here. With "Float", GENIUS shows some vulnerability by expressing heartbreak over betrayal by someone she presumptively gave her heart to but using it to improve her craft and to be the best emcee she can be.  The majority of the album's sound is handled with dusty boom-bap and well-crafted samples that tend to create certain atmospheres and moods that reflect her themes throughout the album.  She shines on other cuts such as "Authentic", "Deuce", and the sonically sick, "Dirty Nikes", but one thing is for certain, two things are for sure: 7XVETHEGENIUS is no joke.  Bringing up images of other no-nonsense female emcees such as Che Noir, Rah Digga, Remy Ma, and Armani Caesar, 7XVETHEGENIUS is easily in the same class.  She shows her talent of storytelling and vivid imagery all throughout Death Of Deuce and the anticipation was all the way met.  She could very easily hang with her Drumwork label mates, if not outrun them, and there's no doubt that we will see even greater from Drumwork's first lady.

39. Eminem

The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grace)

Production: artist, Dr. Dre, Dem Jointz, Fredwreck, Denaun Porter, Don Cannon, others

Guests: Skylar Grey, JID, Dem Jointz, Ez Mil, Big Sean, 2 Chainz, others

Very few emcees have garnered such controversy and polarization as Marshall Mathers III, aka Eminem.  With over two and a half decades in the game, Em has enjoyed success the likes of which only people like Jay-Z and Drake could identify to this degree, as he has sold an estimated two hundred twenty million units worldwide, among the best-selling artists within modern music, much less hip-hop.  Since his '99 official introduction, The Slim Shady LP, people were on this zany, yet venomous, emcee, and it hit monstrous levels with his timeless sophomore follow-up album, The Marshall Mathers LP, which sold a previously unheard of one million units in a week, ultimately selling diamond units, thus officially making him a certified megastar, as if SSLP didn't already do it, ass this album  went five times platinum.  Winning multiple awards, especially Grammy Awards, Em's nihilistic, comical, and engaging lyricism was everywhere.  Did he have haters, especially because of the fact that he was Caucasian? Absolutely, but who could blame them at the time? With the exception of The Beastie Boys and possibly 3rd Bass, white rappers were seen as jokes thanks to the likes of Vanilla Ice, Young Black Teenagers, and others.  He had a huge mountain to climb, but he earned the respect of both the Pop/MTV crowd and the streets for his outstanding lyricism.  He followed this up with The Eminem Show, which sold around six million units of its own. His next album, Encore, was another outing by Mr. Mathers and it resulted in another several platinum plaques for him.  After his greatest hits album, Curtain Call, his material started declining. A newly sober Em started making music that wasn't as hateful nor as witty, but the quality started to somewhat wane.  Albums such as Relapse, Kamakazi, and especially the wretched Revival were anything but the quality we expected from Em, while Recovery, Music to Be Murdered By, and The Marshall Mathers LP 2 were decent attempts of conjuring up moments of grandeur like we knew he was capable of.  While he certainly has delivered mixed sounds over the past decade, he's also recently gotten back to realizing that fan support can be fickle, regardless of what you drop for them, and it just pays to stay true to the art that you know and love for yourself.  However, Marshall is now a fifty-year-old grandfather and considered an OG within today's generation.  His views aren't the same as they used to be. It doesn't make sense to rhyme about the stuff that made him both famous and infamous.  With that, he decided to retire Slim Shady, or at least make a brave attempt to do so. Hence, his first effort since 2020's Music to Be Murdered By, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grace).  This conceptual album has Em in a fight over control with Slim Shady over who will ultimately take over Marshall's rap career.  With the almighty good doctor, Dr. Dre, back at the helm, along with his ICU production team (Dem Jointz and Fredwreck in this case), he hopes to take it back to the critical and commercial record-setting success that made him the biggest star in the world at the time.  Lyrically, Em shows glimpses of his past glory with fairly dope cuts like "Evil", "Trouble", and "the opener, "Renaissance", in which Em blisters the mic with his impeccable flow and blistering delivery.  The dichotomy between Em and Slim is apparent in various cuts on the album, in which Slim is still stuck in '99, trying to be as shocking, misogynistic, and brash as he was in Slim Shady LP.  This is evident on cuts like the aforementioned "Evil", the Bizarre-assisted, "antichrist", and "Lucifer". On "Guilty Conscience 2", he revisits the original on Slim Shady LP, only the conversation isn't between him and Dr. Dre, but rather himself and his Slim persona in what can only be considered as cathartic.  The sheer concept of Em facing off against the aura that was his alter ego, at times, presents some rather compelling moments that show how much of this is conceptual art, and how much is Em vs. Marshall in some cases.  This is especially true on one of the first cuts of the album, "Addiction", in which he expresses how much Slim has had over him over these years and how much he tends to not want to let go.  There are other moments that you can't really check the differences between the two, as evidenced with tracks like "Road Rage" featuring ICU producer/rapper/singer, Dem Jointz, and Shady Records artist, Sly piper, appears more as if Slim rhyming, based upon how he brings controversial lyrics to the table, but Em puts perspective on them all, so there's a sense of duality here.  One very pleasant appearance on the album is fiery ATLien emcee, JID, on the track, "Fuel", in which JID obliterates this track with his combustible, yet very technical, style with Em bringing just as heated delivery in what can truly be considered one of the true lyrical highlights of the album.  It's when we get Eminem, with bits of Marshall, when we get his most introspective moments like "Bad One", the Jelly Roll-assisted, "Somebody Save Me", and the touching "Temporary" featuring the vocal stylings of longtime collaborator, Skylar Grey, in which he dedicates the track to his loving daughter, Hallie Jade, letting her know that, although pain and struggle is unavoidable, it's only short-lasting.  The battle between Em and Slim is, at times, off-putting, yet at other times, highly engrossing.  Slim is clearly still stuck in his openly fatphobic, homophobic, misogynistic, and shocking-for-the-sake-of-shocking ways, while Em has clearly grown up a lot topic-wise.  While The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grace) may not be in the same corridor as his first three monster landmarks, it's also his best overall album since MMLP2 as a full cohesive effort, and although Slim may or may not be gone, Em is still among the most unfair emcees in the game's history, and he shows that once more amongst today's climate.

38. Boldy James & Harry Fraud

The Bricktionary

Production: Harry Fraud

Guests: Benny the Butcher, Tee Grizzley, Babyface Ray

The ever-prolific Detroit rhyme hustler, Boldy James, has had another great year for releases.  At the beginning of the year, he reunited with Canadian producer, Nicholas Craven, for the dumb dope, Penalties of Leadership, in which one would've barely known he had just been recovering from a near-fatal car accident in 2023.  Along with this, he dropped 1LB (One Lucky Bastard) and the simply tremendous collab with Conductor Williams, Across the Tracks, he delivered a surprise collab album with in-demand producer, Harry Fraud, titled The Bricktionary. Based on the suggestion of the title, there's an array of drug talk and street narratives that Boldy is more than accustomed to providing for his audience.  In fact, this is as gritty of a coke rap album as we've ever heard from Boldy.  Cuts like "Shadowboxing", "Pillar to Post", and the cold opener, "Pressin' My Bunk" are cuts that have Boldy dropping his stash of bricks and showing his means of being that guy on the streets.  He gets in that kitchen with AK47s and showing off luxury whips on the crazy "Speedy Gonzales", while also highlighting his necessity to be a hustler on "Roland Bishop".  He keeps up this gritty side of himself and his street king persona on other snappers such as the Benny The Butcher-assisted, "Rabies", "Thuggin", and "Harvey Grant", and the rest of the album doesn't stray far from this imagery.  Harry provides his brand of obscure samples with mostly sharp drums and slick melodies that Boldy glides over with ease all throughout this album. Boldy's musical relationships with the various producers he works with tend to bring different scopes out of him. With Harry, Boldy transforms into the 227 hustler that takes us inside the dark underbelly of the hood he's known for so much of his life on The Bricktionary.  Much like his highly acclaimed effort of Mr. Ten08 with another very dope producer, Futurewave, his tales of hustling, drugs, shootouts, and crime affiliation are focus and concentrated, and doesn't really let up.  However, with The Bricktionary, it reaffirms Boldy's talent of vivid rhymes and the ability to convince you he knows exactly what he's describing maybe too personally.

37. Tyler The Creator

CHROMAKOPIA

Production: artist

Guests: Lil Wayne, Daniel Caesar, Sexxy Red, Schoolboy Q, GloRilla, Doechii, Teezio Touchdown, others

Always the innovator, Cali's Tyler The Creator may be the Chris Jericho of hip-hop. He always finds a way to reinvent himself. Not just for relevancy's sake, but for the state of the art that is hip-hop.  Since his days with OFWGKTA (or Odd Future), Tyler has always been a believer of going left when everybody else goes right.  There's no doubt his earlier works of Wolf, Bastard, Cherry Bomb, and his debut, Goblin, were albums that showed what he was capable of, he also was more concerned about shock value and wanting to get more buzz about him, even if it was for the wrong reasons musically.  Once he dropped his Grammy Award nominated, Flower Boy, in 2017, the tide started to run. His material was way more mature than in previous albums, and mostly due to how much more personal the album was.  What made this album very notable, besides the more elevated subject matter and more lush production associated with it was his seemingly "coming out" lyrics depicting him as bisexual.  Regardless of his choice of gender preference and attraction, Tyler delivered one hell of a transitional album. He continued his reinvention stage with IGOR, a vulnerable, poignant album that has him as his most softened persona. Dealing with heartbreak and confusion, its soul and R&B influence is very heavy.  It was his next album, however, that really sent Tyler to the next level, as his 2021 offering, Call Me When You Get Lost, was a sharp return to his earlier sounds while still realizing he wasn't the same shock rap guy that he was in his younger days.  Many ranked it amongst the best albums of his career, if not THE best.  He set a new standard with this album, but many wondered if he could replicate the success, critically and commercially, of Call Me When You Get Lost.  In a surprise move, Tyler dropped a video out of the blue with the Daniel Caesar-assisted, "St. Chroma", as well as the video for "Noid". The announcement was made that an album was coming the next week in the form of CHROMAKOPIA.  While Call Me was clearly a nod to multiple influences such as hip-hop, jazz, reggae, and soul, CHROMAKOPIA is more so drenched in hip-hop, soul, and jazz strictly, and takes various moments of his childhood into one organized mess.  Tyler is all overt the place here, stylistically, thematically, and aesthetically, and that's always the point with Tyler.  He puts different pictures together in one scrapbook, but although it seems none of the pictures don't make sense together, it all actually makes sense in grand schemes.  His mother narrates this effort, allowing Tyler to reflect upon various moments in his life that resemble a dichotomy of brash and braggadocios mixing with anxiety, vulnerability, and self-identification.  Aside from the aforementioned singles, he taps into his trap likings with the delightfully ratchet collab with Lil' Wayne, Sexxy Red, and GloRilla, "Sticky", in one of the very few moments where we hear Tyler exude lots of fun energy on the album.  However, he starts hitting on issues that are very personal and conflicting to him.  Take for example, the Teezo Touchdown-assisted, "Darling, I", in which this bouncy, snapping track has him examining relationships and if he's more polygamous or monogamous, and the risks of both, even while wanting to have a family of his own.  Also, cuts like "Judge Judy" and "Hey Jane" involve his desire to have children, but not anything unplanned.  We get back to noisy, riotous, and vibrant with cuts like "Rah Ta Tah" and "Thought I Was Dead", with Schoolboy Q, in which we get bits of paranoia, yet at the same time we get flashes of bravado that only Tyler can deliver.  The final three cuts are among the most personal cuts Tyler has brought within his career. The track, "Like Him" is an ode to his father and his mother admitted she was a reason his father was disconnected with him.  From his looks to bits of his personality, Tyler's connection to his father is apparently palpable, but mama played a big role in the strained relationship.  From there, the Doechii-collaborated, "Balloon", he expresses his need to be successful and explains why he work ethic means so much to him.  As for the closer, "I Hope You Find Your Way Home", he picks up where "Hey Jane" left off at, with him explaining why he wasn't ready for fatherhood but welcomes it one day later in life.  Tyler The Creator is a complex man, much less an emcee.  He was once one that valued the humor in being a shock rap artist but then grew and matured into a more in-tuned writer and one that was aiming to stretch the limits of artistic freedom looks and sounds like in both abstract and personal troupes.  With CHROMAKOPIA, Tyler, once again, has a variety of thoughts and emotions that only he can believe is organized and practical.  With his mom eloquently taking us through several of his life-altering moments throughout his childhood and adolescence, every song makes some sort of sense, even if some of your attention is more in the sense of a vacuum.  Fortunately, Tyler delivers another stellar example of need to show his multifaceted identity in such an exemplary way that it's no wonder he's among the game's most intriguing and fascinating talents.

36. MAVI

Shadowbox

Production: Alexander Spit, Beach Noise, Angelo LeRoi, others

Guests: Malaya

Charlotte, NC native, MAVI, has an underground following that goes back to his 2019 album, Let the Sun Talk.  The gloomy vibes of this album presented a young man trying to find sunshine in the rain and it resonated with emo rap fans, but also fans of melodic rap, as MAVI is a product of both subgenres.  He continued this with his moody End of The Earth, and especially the wonderful Laughing So Hurts, It Hurts. With its inte4nsely poetic delivery and hopeful-in-the-midst-of-depression overtones, MAVI presented a jarring effort that resonated with people that know a thing about surviving the blues.  He reemerges in 2024 with his latest effort, Shadowbox, and this album is perhaps his darkest, least optimistic effort to date.  His issues of drug/alcohol abuse, grief, depression, and helplessness are not as profoundly thick throughout this album as opposed to Laughing So Hard, It Hurts, but in all its esoteric display and moody atmospheres, it also finds a sonic beauty within the gloom.  His delivery blends MIKE with the late Juice WRLD, often balancing the slow, lazy flow of MIKE with the melodic, emo lyricism and style of Juice.  With the track, "I Did", this is an exemplary track that demonstrates his emo style at such a decent level, one would swear that he's about to break down off and on throughout the cut.  The autobiographical "Thether" is a slightly syrupy-sounding cut that shows his reality of mortality but also just trying to press through in the meantime, especially with the line of his "Only true guardian angel was his babysitter".  On the slightly mid-tempo and bouncy "Latch", he has a slight bit more animation within his delivery and tone as he goes through his ability to overcome, even with his addictions and street living, while on "Grindstone", he admits he has a problem with "too many tomorrows" in terms of his quitting drugs while imagining he had a family member in his arms but admitting it wasn't in the cards yet.  He bounced all the way through that track, and he does that a few times on the album.  We get an early depiction of the highly introspective guilt, fears, and sadness with the intriguing, yet sonically and thematically beautiful, "Open Waters", in which this drum-less track and the split beat of hard rock strings on the first half and almost angelic synths on the second half, MAVI gives you a magnifying glass to his vulnerabilities much like anything on Laughing So Hard, It Hurts.  He's also not above displaying his heart over a breakup on the piano-laced "The Giver" but imagines himself as God so as to he wouldn't MAVI drown or sink on the simply incredible opener, "20,000 Leagues" over stunning strings and orchestration with him flowing within a walkie talkie device of sorts.  Other outstanding cuts like "Too Much to Zelle", the astounding "Drunk Prayer", and the hopeful "My Own Way" all display ambiguity of MAVI's complexity to maintain through the powerful struggles of his life and especially his mind.  Over some of the gorgeous production you'll discover, Shadowbox is a truly revealing moment for MAVI in terms of career benchmark levels. Ever forthcoming with his vulnerabilities and his vices, MAVI still realizes that the biggest war is inside your head, and if you can overcome yourself, the world won't stand a chance. You just have to trudge through, and light will appear before you know it.

35. The Alchemist

The Genuine Articulate

Production: artist

Guests: Conway The Machine, Larry June, Action Bronson, Meyhem Lauren, Big Body Bes, Schoolboy Q

What can be said about Alan Maman that hasn't been said within the past several years? How much of a production genius he is? how prolific his production catalog is? How can he bring the best out of any talent he works with? How he's among the best producers that know how to rhyme damn good as well? He's heard them all and a lot more, but he doesn't respectfully give a rat's ass what you think of him honestly. Constructing some of these past few years most incredible projects such as The Elephant Man's Bones, The Skeleton Key, HARAM, Fetti, Alfredo, Lulu, and Voir Dire, his presence within hip-hop has been undeniable and highly impactful. The New York, by way of Cali, emcee/Grammy Award winning producer has been mentioned alongside legends such as DJ Premier, former mentor, DJ Muggs, Dr. Dre, 9th Wonder, Havoc, and RZA as an all-time great, and the whole time, he's giving a middle finger to it all as he doesn't need anybody's approval of how talented he is.  While we are all beyond familiar with his production brilliance, there were still many that weren't aware of how good he can be on that mic as well. The former Mudfoot of The Whooliganz from the mid-nineties can rhyme. Pretty damn good too. With this in mind, he decided to actually do an entire effort where he's not just producing all the tracks, but he's rhyming on them all as well with The Genuine Articulate.  The production is what you tend to expect from Uncle Al: eerie melodies, cleverly used soul samples, and the occasional spoken soundbites from movies and shows to present the aura of the songs.  He begins with the dope "Something Light", but then propels to the first single, "Ferraris in The Rain" with ScHoolboy Q, with both emcees going over a soulful loop. Alchemist isn't the type that really goes for any specific theme or image. His tastes vary from the finer things in life to getting high and drunk to being the best of his field to what happens when you cross him or his goons.  He's also a witty rhymer as well, throwing the occasional chuckling rhyme or two to show you he doesn't take himself too seriously twenty-four seven.  This is apparent on cuts like the hypnotic "Everybody's Favorite Uncle" and the rock guitar-hinged, yet funky as hell, Action Bronson-assisted "Minnesota Fats".  He gets grim serious on the Conway-collaborated "Diego Maradona" but looks at how much he strives to be among the true greats on the excellent, soulful sounds of the Larry June-assisted, "Details".  Of course, where would an Uncle Al cut be without one of his true friends in the game, Mobb Deep's Havoc, on the dumb dope, "Scientology", which features Havoc spitting some of his best bars in a while and soundbites from the late, great Prodigy that introduces and closes this track.  Earlier in the year, Al was handling his business with Oh No as Gangrene for their long overdue album, Heads I Win, Tails You Lose, but this is him on his own and showing his solo talents as an emcee.  With The Genuine Articulate, Alchemist is a talent that deserves all the flowers he's earned as one of the most technically skilled hip-hop producers of the past nearly thirty years, but with him also being an emcee, Al is about to affirm that one shouldn't snooze on his pin game either too much longer.

34. Boldy James & Conductor Williams

Across The Tracks

Production: Conductor Williams

Guests: Double Dee, Bo Jack

Much like 2022, Detroit's Boldy James had quite the dope year.  Although quiet in 2023 due to the unfortunate, near-fatal car accident in the beginning of 2023, he made a valiant return nearly a year later with his collaborative effort with frequent collaborator, Canada's Nicholas Craven, Penalties of Leadership, and although it was mostly recorded while recovering from his injuries, it showed that Boldy was on his way back.  From there, it was off to the races.  While he has certainly delivered very dope efforts throughout this year such as 1LB, his earlier reviewed collab with Harry Fraud, The Bricktionary, and his late year entry, Hidden in Plain Sight with producer Whothehelliscarlo, it was his surprise collaborative effort with in-demand beatsmith, Conductor Williams, that stands as perhaps his most consistent and certainly his most appealing.  First being introduced nationally by Westside Gunn on his Pray For Paris album, Conductor has been steadily on a roll behind the boards, producing for the likes of Conway, Stik Figa, Jabee, Your Old Droog, Mach-Hommy, and more globally known artists such as Drake and J. Cole.  Hoping to keep his ball rolling, he got up with Boldy to deliver their first collaborative effort, Across the Tracks.  Conductor's style of psychedelic dissonance with esoteric, distorted samples and thick percussion programming has made his brand pretty distinguishable among his contemporaries, thus delivery a fairly unique sound, especially with his producer tag "Conductor, we have a problem!"  Put this underneath Boldy's monotone delivery and there's a magic that occurs.  First off, Boldy can deliver the goods over most people's production, but Conductor handed him production that ranks among the best he's rhymed over in recent years.  Cuts like the opener "Terms & Conditions", "The Ol' Switcheroo", and "Undisputed" are fine examples of how Boldy's confidence is apparent while spitting about his regrets and insight about his path to making it.  Delicious samples that often come across as warped and dreamy fill this project and Boldy comes across as someone that has been spitting over this style of production for years.  On the stellar, "Flying Trapeze Act", Boldy illustrates what the hustle looks like and how he was trying to make it out the streets and does so over arguably the most well-constructed sample on the album and dusty drum kicks.  Meanwhile, on "Sexxy Red", he likens this term to a brick of coke, only measured in pounds, thus the Sexxy Red reference with "Pound Town" innuendos and similes.  The cut is a look at his issues with the feds, dead homies, his lifestyle that makes him paranoid, yet cool and calm, as well as accepting the realities of it all.  He keeps his coke tales going on the woozy- sounding "Off White Lumberjack" but reflects on his family and how much they need him on the cut "All Madden", which also briefly features his son, Bo Jack.  He keeps it in the family with his sister, Double Dee, on the dumb dope, "Permission", in which both play the roles of mafia king and queenpins, proclaiming their powerful statuses in the streets.  Over some of the best production you'll hear from Conductor all year, Boldy is as comfortable as you'll ever hear him over these multicolored sounds and outstanding loops and samples.  It's clear Across the Tracks is another win for Mr. 227 and continues to show why Conductor will only keep becoming more and more of a household name.

33. Benny The Butcher

Everybody Can't Go

Production: Hit-Boy, The Alchemist

Guests: Westside Gunn, Conway The Machine, Armani Ceaser, 38 Spesh, Rick Hyde, Stove God Cook$, Lil Wayne, Babyface Ray, Jadakiss, Snoop Dogg

It was seen years ago that Benny The Butcher would be the likely big star to emerge from Griselda. His authentic tales of hustling and surviving had comparisons to the likes of Kool G. Rap and Biggie and that's no small company whatsoever.  One of the three-headed monster that is Griselda, Benny's unapologetic and gritty narratives of the streets came to a higher level with 2019's breakout Tana Talk 3, which was heralded by some as this generation's Reasonable Doubt, which is nothing to sneeze at. Being compared to an all-time classic like that is quite the high praise, but then it was duplicated with the equally crazy The Plugs I Met EP.  As he was becoming more in-demand, he dropped the dumb dope, yet somewhat polarizing, collaborative effort with Grammy Award winning beatsmith, Hit-Boy, Burden Of Proof.  The flack was that the sound was "too mainstream" and "too radio accessible", thus some scoffed at this otherwise tremendous project. Going back to the hood, his subsequent albums of the Harry Fraud-produced Plugs I Met 2, and the searing Tana Talk 3 were more up to the speed critics and fans were used to from The Butcher.  However, Def Jam exec, Snoop Dogg, made it a point to sign Benny to a Def Jam deal through Griselda and his own B$F label.  Many were hesitant in this news, thinking that this next album would resemble Burden Of Proof, but it was said that Hit-Boy and Uncle Al, himself, would man the boards exclusively for his B$F/Griselda/Def Jam debut, Everybody Can't Go.  Based upon the first released singles and videos, the bouncy, Alchemist-crafted, Lil Wayne-assisted, "Big Dog", and the dumb dope duet with frequent Griselda collaborator, Stove God Cook$, "One Foot In", this was shaping up to be his biggest project to date, and definitely his most accessible. The question was, would it end up still maintaining his defiant street edge or would it be more catered to Billboard than n his core fan base?  Once the opening chords of the album's introduction cut, "Jermaine's Graduation", come in, it's clear Benny is aiming to be on another level, yet still not budging from his roots.  the very next track, "Bron" is a clear radio hit with Hit-Boy's bumping production. That's the yin and yang of this album: Hit-Boy's radio ready production complimenting Alchemist's dark, melodic, and soulful loops, thus having Benny explore both sides of his persona.  the more accessible and accepting content shows in tracks like the aforementioned "Bron", the Snoop Dogg-assisted Cali bounce of "Back Again" and the title track's deliberate attempt to in fact get on to that Billboard Top 200.  However, Uncle Al brings that proverbial "tana talk" out of him with scorchers like the vivid standout, "TMVTL", which has Benny dissecting three different stories detailing the themes of trust, loyalty, and dedication, the duet with Armani Caesar, "Buffalo Kitchen Club", and the mandatory Griselda posse cut, "Griselda Express" worth Gunn, Conway, and B$F artist, Rick Hyde.  Benny has definitely hit a new benchmark with Everybody Can't Go, and truthfully, he should.  His crossover appeal is there but still holding true to who he is.  those that were unfairly scoffing at Burden Of Proof may be a be more satisfied with Alchemist's contributions, but longtime fans know they heard the biggest album of Benny's career.  It's always important to never sell your soul for Billboard, and one can believe based off Everybody Can't Go Benny has no problem letting the money go to him instead of him going to the money and the stardom.

32. Rome Streetz 

Buck 50 EP

Production: Wavy Da Gahwd

Guests: N/A

The emcee known as Rome Streetz is among the game's most in-demand emcees and for great reason. The NY native has been a sizzling roll for some years now.  Since his days of his mixtape series, Headcrack and Noise Candy, as well as the tough Streets Keep Callin' Me, Streetz has been bubbling in the underground, but hit a new level in the form of the DJ Muggs collaborated, Death & The Magician.  Acclaimed as one of the best efforts of 2021, Streetz was building a slow but steady army, while Muggs continued to show why he invests in talent that aren't the most recognized beyond their particular region to gain more notoriety.  Subsequent projects such as Noise Candy 4, Noise Candy 5, Genesis 1:27 with another underrated emcee, AHNKLEJOHN, the Ransom-collaborated, Coup De Grace, and the Futurewave-produced, Razor's Edge.  In 2022, Streetz signed to the almighty Griselda camp, and delivered the ferocious, Kiss The Ring.  Regarded as one of the hardest Griselda debuts ever, Streetz was catapulted even higher in the eyes of underground heads and was starting to be on more and more people's mouths.  It was important that Rome, despite more notoriety he was obtaining and even more of a following, remain true to the subterrain that raised him musically.  In 2023, he dropped two dumb dope efforts: the Big Ghost LTD produced, Wasn't Built in A Day, and the fifth and final installment of the Noise Candy series, both received praise and acclaim as we saw Rome continue to elevate his pen game and him confidently spitting over crazy production.  2024 proved to be another excellent year as well with Rome dropping two monster efforts. The second one, Hatton Garden Holdup, was a Daringer-scorched project that may rank easily as high or higher than Kiss The Ring. However, before that dropped, he struck the game with his six-track EP, Buck 50, which was crafted by frequent collaborator, Wavy Da Gahwd.  Wavy's appropriate soundscapes are filled with dark, haunting boom-bap sounds, and Rome's gritty street narratives fit hand-in-glove on tracks such as "Runnin' It Up", "Why Is Water Wet", and "'92 Mike".  Drug sales, shootouts, and threatening scenarios are the rule here in unflinching detail, notably on "Saliva", but also unfold on the remaining cuts of "Ball Of Soft" and "Ya Understand".  Unquestionably shorter than we would have liked, Buck 50 may have been a teaser for what was to come with the exceptional Hatton Garden Holdup with Daringer, but this alone was a knocker, and there's no doubt 2025 will be exciting to Rome's fans as well with his collaborative efforts with Conductor Williams, another Griselda effort, and supposedly another Muggs project in the works, look for Rome to impress even more next year.

31. Conway the Machine

SFK (Slant Face Killah)

Production: Daringer, The Alchemist, Conductor Williams, Camouflage Monk, Swizz Beats, Cool & Dre, Beat Butcha, Sadhugold, Cardo, others

Guests: Stove God Cook$, Method Man, Flee Lord, Larry June, Raekwon, Joey Bada$$, Ab-Soul, Jay Worthy, T.F., Swizz Beats, others

We've pointed out that, when it comes to the three-headed monster that goes along with Griselda, Benny is the star, Gunn is the style, and Conway The Machine is the attitude.  Conway's brash, yet no-nonsense, straightforward flow and delivery, is a big reason why he's so in-demand.  Always spitting with an urgency, mixed with menacing threats and imagery, Conway has his own story to tell about what all he's gone through, notably him nearly dying from being shot years ago and leaving him with Bell's Palsy.  He's also quite the prolific emcee and writer as well.  Putting out an average of two to three efforts per year, Conway doesn't know any days off.  This year, his biggest offering came in the form of SFK (Slant Face Killah).  Originally slated to be "Side B" of his 2023 album, Won't He Do It, he decided to make the project a whole new identity, and make it more customary and traditional Conway, whereas Won't He Do It was somewhat underwhelming due to the lack of hardcore, gritty tracks Conway is typically known for by critics.  We get a true return to form with SFK, and this was apparent with the introductory cut from the album, "Give & Give", as well as his collab with Joey Bada$$, "Vertino". However, it does get grittier from here.  We hear glimpses of Devil's Reject Conway on cuts such as "Milano Nights Pt. 1" and the cold Stove God-collaborated, "Mutty", in which his rhymes of shootings, violence, and how he's the man out here on these streets sound as authentic as anything you'll hear from Conway.  Of course he wouldn't be him without offering plenty of shit talking, and he does so in abundance. He also experiments with sounds here, as lately he's been in his 808 bag, spitting over trap-inspired, bass-heavy production, and he continues this on cuts like the Key Glock-assisted, "Ten", the sizzling Tech N9ne-collaborated, "Raw", and "Dasani", but it all goes back to the boom-bap and the sinister production such as the crazy collab with Larry June, "Kim Xpress", the west coast all-star posse cut, "Surf & Turf" with T.F., 2 Eleven, Jay Worthy, and especially a show-stealing verse from Ab-Soul, the knocking "Meth Back" with SK, Flee Lord, and the legend the cut is named after, Method Man, and the dumb dope Alchemist-crafted cut "The Red Moon In Osaka", which features a monologue closer by the almighty Raekwon The Chef saluting Conway for his accomplishments and successes.  While it's a bit odd that there was no Gunn, Benny, Rome, Armani, Boldy, or anyone from Griselda on this release (unless you do count Worthy), it doesn't take away from how mean this album is.  Noticeably less accessible than Won't He Do It yet not as introspective and personal as his apex God Don't Make Mistakes from 2022, Slant Face Killah conjures up memories of old Conway fireballs such as Reject 2, Look What I've Become, From King to A God, and G.O.A.T.  Conway is still trying to expand his audience, thus the bouncy, 808-inspired cuts here, but the grimy nature of Conway is still prevalent here, and The Machine proves again why he's been such a valued and important of the Griselda family.

30. Logic

Ultra 85

Production: artist, 6ix, Beat Butcha

Guests: Zeeloopers, others

If there's been anyone that has seen somewhat of a career critical momentum shift over the past few years, it's been DMV native, Logic.  Known for him having a polarizing following, the man behind equally great albums such as his Def Jam debut, Under Pressure, and terrible albums such as Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind, Logic is a nasty emcee with the ability to switch up styles on cue, but for those that aren't into the "rappity-rap", "lyrical miracle" type emcees, Logic isn't for you, and that's okay. Ever since his 2020 offering, No Pressure, he has been sailing with acclaimed efforts like the near impeccable, Vinyl Days and the equally crazy, College Park, and has been impressive previous cynical critics like Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop.  He returned in 2024 with Ultra 85, an accessible and fun collection of cuts that are as catchy as anything within Logic's catalog, without being corny.  As much as five months earlier, he released the cut, "Fear", to great response.  The EDM/Pop/Discotheque-sounding cut is instant movement and is quite fun.  He began to release a few other cuts to start the roll out including "44Ever" and "Deja Vu", both of which were very enjoyable and proceeded to make the anticipation grown even more. He finally released it during the summer and just from the jump-off, the cut "Paul Rodriguez" goes in. The quickly snapping cut has Logic ripping apart the cut with an exhaustive flow that makes you wonder how he even had time to inhale and exhale at times.  With cuts like "Mission Control" and "Favela", Logic asserts a sense of independence and a strong aura of self by incorporating topics such as video games to escape his harsh realities growing up to his hunger in being determined to be the best he can be in this game.  When he gets personal, he puts it on and puts it on very well. On the cut, "Teleport", he goes back to events in his life that were traumatizing such as being molested and how much it all shaped his life into the man he is today, especially with him being a family man and being a father in an especially poignant cut.  Also, on the cut "Peace, Love, & Positivity", he tackles his complex biracial identity and his usage of the n-word considering that he is in fact half Caucasian, meanwhile on cuts like "Interstellar" and "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood", he focuses on growth and reflection in such an honest and relatable way that is refreshingly transparent.  On the closer, "Thank You for Believing in Me", he gives a shoutout to himself for continuing to have his own back even when fear and doubt were plaguing him.  Bobby Tarantino has crafted another winner with Ultra 85, and with him testing different sounds but still staying true to his craft and not resorting to means that made people question his talent and authenticity.  Besides the long and unnecessary skits that mainly come after the cuts themselves, Logic has an album that must be in discussion of his best albums within his discography.

29. LL Cool J

The FORCE

Production: Q-Tip

Guests: Q-Tip, Saweetie, Eminem, Nas, Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Busta Rhymes, others

With over forty, yes FORTY, years in the game, James Todd Smith is an unquestionable icon in hip-hop.  The eager and hungry teenager we saw abuse that mic in Krush Groove grew into being one of hip-hop's most important figures and legends.  Emerging into actor on the big and small screen, LL never forgot his true passion, and every now and then, he has to remind us all of who he is.  The man responsible for true legit classics like "Mama Said Knock You Out", "I'm Bad", "Around The Way Girl", "4,3,2,1", and "Roc The Bells", to even more recent smashes like "Luv U better", "Headsprung", and especially the fantastic "Hush", LL knows how to deliver the goods in some sort of way.  Now, eleven years since his last album Authentic, he collaborates with another highly important figure in hip-hop, the legendary Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest, for their first ever full collaborative effort, The FORCE.  Q-Tip manned the boards throughout the entire project and did an overall excellent job to provide some of Uncle L's best mic work in quite a long time.  Tip's board work tends to go underrated and underappreciated, despite the fact that this man has been responsible for all, or part, of many of hip-hop's most endearing tracks and albums such as all of Tribe's albums (especially their final album, We Got It From Here...Thank You For Your Service, in which he did the entire album himself, without usual partner Ali Shaheed), his own albums including his AMAZING album, The Renaissance, produced two of Mobb Deep's outstanding cuts from The Infamous, and other efforts.  These two seminal legends gave us quite the dumb dope album we were somewhat hoping for.  Q-Tip's style of blending primarily soul and jazz with very effective samples and intriguing melody arrangements come off very well here.  Cuts like the title track, the opener with Snoop, "Spirit of Cyrus", and the body moving "Passion", are all cuts that LL sounds completely comfortable with spitting over much like he would with Marley Marl during his Mama Said Knock You Out days.  Aiming to blend the older generations with the newer generations, he gets assistance from everybody ranging from Rick Ross, Fat Joe ("Saturday Night Special"), Nas ("Praise Him"), Eminem ("Murdergram Deux", Busta Rhymes ("Huey In The Chair"), and the aforementioned Snoop to Saweetie (the slight-hearted attempt at recreating another classic of his, "Doin' It" with "Proclivities") and some new and relatively unknown artists in Mad Squablez, J.-S.A.N.D.S., and Don Pablito ("The Vow"), and he holds his fair share of firepower with them all, even Em, which of course is saying something.  It's always great to hear our OGs rhyming like they still have something to prove and to offer this game, and LL knows it's not necessary, but because of his love for the culture and the music, he blesses us and along with Q-Tip, The FORCE is his best album in over two decades. While it doesn't quite hit the critical acclaim levels of the likes of Mama Said Knock You Out, Mr. Smith, or G.O.A.T., this is still an album that is certainly worth spinning and revisiting.  These two Queens folk heroes sound fun together, and at this point, it's just for the love of the artform, and surely, there's not a damn thing wrong with that.

28. Freddie Gibbs

You Only Die 1nce

Production: Pops, DJ Harrison, Lambo, 454, others

Guests: N/A

Whenever is Gangsta Gibbs season, heads are ready in abundance to hear how hard this technical wonder will bring it.  With his discography being among the best around, the L.A. resident, by way of Gary, IN, first got a hold of people's attention with one of the 2010's single best efforts in the Madlib-crafted, Pinata, only to follow up with heat like Shadow of a Doubt, You Only Live 2wice, and especially the sequel to Pinata, Bandana.  He has also delivered very prominent albums with the almighty Uncle Al, himself, The Alchemist in the form of the Grammy Award nominated, Alfredo, and his collab with Curren$y, Fetti, thus putting him into more people's mouths as one of the game's most talented and legit emcees.  He dropped his major label debut, $ouls $old $eperately, to critical acclaim and dispelling any thought that Gibbs would change his sound or go Billboard heavy due to him being a part of Warner Music.  Fully aware that there are still some that you have to convince you still that dude, he drops his first effort since $$$ in the form of the sequel to You Only Live 2wice, You Only Die 1nce.  With You Only Live 2wice, this effort was primarily made with the background of him beating a sexual assault charge overseas, thus there was a sense of anger and reflection throughout the album.  This sequel is more confessional and honest than a lot of other works, and we get a sense of this on the first single and video, "On the Set", in which he explores everything from his views on the Diddy controversy to how Nipsey Hussle's death nearly made him retire.  We get glimpses of Gangsta Gibbs that we remember from mixtape efforts like Babyface Killa, Cold Day in Hell, and his dope debut, ESGN in the form of cuts like the misogynistic "Ruthless", "Steel Doors", and "Walk It Off". However, he gets a little more vengeful on the cut "It's Your Anniversary", in which he sadistically celebrates the death of his enemy over the Tony! Toni! Tone! cut "Anniversary". Similarly, on the cut "origami", he expresses grief over the loss of his homies but also goes off on woes such as label stuff and groupies.  The authenticity of what made him the Freddie Kane we know is all over the album and he hits with a chip on his shoulder. He takes aim at an unknown enemy on "Brick Fees" while proclaiming his distrust of Caucasians on "Wolverine" to further his middle finger mindstate on the track and that's highly represented throughout the album.  Basically, if $$$ was him trying to find himself within the midst of trying to come up in the game without trying to compromise who he is, You Only Die 1nce is his definitive statement of reminding the game and himself just who he is. He's Gangsta Gibbs. He's Freddie Kane. He's Space Rabbit. He's Freddie Gibbs, the original Babyface Killa, and while he shows his reflective side at times on here, he's still that same dude that will have your girl at the crib while plotting your demise, at least that's the vibe we get here.

27. Skyzoo

Keep Me Company

Production: JR Swiftz, artist, Marc Infinit, Sir Williams, DJ manipulator, others

Guests: Chuck D, JRose

It's no question that one of BK's esteemed lyricists, Skyzoo, has one of the game's most undeniable discographies.  With every album, mixtape, and EP he drops, Sky keeps elevating his mystique and reputation as one of the most gifted emcees over the past decade and a half.  Efforts such as his debut with Grammy Award-winning producer, 9th Wonder, Cloud 9: The 3 Day High, The Salvation, Music For My Friends, the Apollo Brown-blessed, The Easy Truth, the excellent Pete Rock- collaborative piece, Retropolitan, his magnum opus, All The Brilliant Things, and 2023's fantastic conceptual epic, The Mind Of A Saint, all are exemplary projects that exhibit Sky's knack for cutting rhymes that are sensible, thought-provoking, well-crafted, and conversational.  With average albums of his, there's usually a point or an ideal that he comes with for every project. He dove into gentrification on All the Brilliant Things, conjuring the character of Franklin Saint of Snowfall on The Mind of a Saint, and growing up in Brooklyn and wanting to make it on Music for My Friends.  In 2024, he dropped the deluxe edition of TMOAS with eight outstanding cuts that kept the story of Franklin going.  However, the word was dropped that he was entering the booth for another full-length album, named Keep Me Company.  The album saw the light of day in the fourth quarter of the year, and once again, Sky steps his game up with grown-man hip-hop that centers around evolving as a man but realizing, in the words of Benny The Butcher, everybody can't go.  The loneliness of growing up can be a hurdle. When you feel you're expanding your mind beyond your current friends and contemporaries. Sky goes into this topic and handles it with relative ease and precision.  The lead-off single, "Courtesy Call" featuring the legendary Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, Chuck D of Public Enemy, providing the hook to this knocking cut, is a cut that shows that Sky's awareness is sharp and clear about community issues and the need to "stand down" when it comes to beef.  Obviously, being a Brooklynite, he has seen some of the roughest imagery one could see, and it's made him deeply appreciative of his growth. The opener, "Community Service" is one such example, as he calls on his community to help with our issues and become a family, while "Home Away from Home" illustrates those that still want you around even when you're not in the same mindstate you were once in.  This is reflected also on the cut "Prayers for the Customers", in which we hear him advise those that have overcome their issues to not succumb to them all over again, even if that means changing your environment.  Sky makes it a point to find perseverance in the midst of the changes you're going through, and to stay true to it, even when it feels conflicting and confusing.  This comes across especially poignant on the track "Esoteric", in which he demonstrates how much of a battle it can be to not go back to the ways you have made it past.  With "Wins of The Father", he pins a thank you to his father, as well as to his own son to demonstrate that greatness, although not perfect, is earned and has great pride with it. As for the musically stylish "Jazz in The Projects", Sky wraps up this blissful album with a message of hope for those that are going through internal strife that only they fight through alone.  Being able to experience growth through self-awareness is not easy, but as he paints on Keep Me Company, Sky isn't afraid to be vulnerable if it means sharing his personal experiences as a form of wisdom for those that are at a crossroads with themselves.  Sky continues his outstanding momentum as one of the games most prolific and consistent emcees of his generation with another album that will be remembered very highly.

26. Apathy

Connecticut Casual: Chapter 2

Production: artist, Playa Haze, Little Vic

Guests: Celph Titled, Little Vic

We haven't heard a great deal from the state of Connecticut within hip-hop, but it's favorite emcee, Apathy, makes damn sure to put his home state on the map, and has done so throughout the span of two decades.  Starting with his mixtapes of It's The Bootleg, Muthafuckas!, as well as Where's Your Album, Apathy showed dynamite verbal ability and lyrical flames to where he was giving more credibility to the often-polarized white emcee.  Once his official full-length debut album, Eastern Philosophy, dropped, he left no stone unturned as to how crazy of an emcee he was.  As he was continuing to collaborate with the likes of the supergroup, Army Of The Pharoahs (RIP to Blacastan), fellow underground notable, Celph Titled, and Ryu of Demigodz, he dropped subsequent albums such as Wanna Snuggle?, Honkey Kong, The Widow's Son, Connecticut Casual, and the most recent collab with underappreciated producer, Stu Bangas, King Of Gods, No Second to results that ranged from good to nuts.  Wanting to bring it back to his roots of Connecticut, he decided to release a sequel to Connecticut Casual with Connecticut Casual: Chapter 2.  While missing are bigger named producers that he's worked with such as DJ Premier, Da Beatminerz, Statik Selektah, Evidence, Khrysis, Nottz, and Buckwild, he makes up for it with his own impressive board work as well as with producer Playa Haze to create a back-to-basics approach to beatmaking, in which the majority of the album relies on sharp boom-bap kicks, along with effective samples and engaging melodies.  More personal and autobiographical than a lot of his efforts, this album takes us through his community growing up, as well as his general region of the Tri-State area.  While he brings forth his notable writing talents on the likes of the Celph Titled-assisted "Todd McFarlane", "Connecticut Formal", and the excellent "Vacation", it's when he steers left of his usual battle braggadocio that makes him provide more highlights. The first single, "Around the Planet", is one such example in which the modestly-boom-bap sounding cut has him highlighting his sights and sounds of touring the globe in which he invites you into his planes with him and more or less makes himself a tour guide for you.  He shows more of an infatuation side of him with the dumb dope "Jackie O", as well as the atmospheric sounds of "No One Can Hear You Scream in Space", in which the lush strings accompany the sounds of a cleverly crafted vocal sample that has him creating his own romantic vibe in a very Apathy way.  Of course, he's never far from the battle aesthetic, and this is exemplified on cuts like "Kingdom of The Coroner", the Little Vic-assisted "Never Change", and the closer "Tick Tock Tick", but this is second nature to this guy, and it still works very well.  Those that have enjoyed Apathy's previous material will not only enjoy this one but might even put this album within his top albums. He showed more of an adult maturity on Connecticut Casual: Chapter 2 but still showing his ever-knowing talent of his pen game.  Although his day job is now one of a real estate agent, he's never from a pad and pen and it's obvious Apathy still knows how to ignite a flame to put him among the underground's most respected artists two decades in.

25. Open Mike Eagle, Still Rift, & Video Dave are Previous Industries

Service Merchandise

Production: Child Actor, Quelle Chris

Guests: N/A

Chicago's Open Mike Eagle has been known to deliver some excellent yet left-field and unconventional hip-hop based in humor, satirical comedy, and real talk relating to hood experiences.  His discography is formidable and consistent, with efforts like Dark Comedy, Hella Personal Film Festival, Brick Body Kids Still Daydream, What Happens When You Try to Relax, the tremendous Anime, Trauma, and Divorce, and the most recent Another Triumph of Ghetto Engineering, continuing to grow his cult following.  The multimedia fixture was also known to collaborate with fellow Chi-town native emcees, Still Rift and Video Dave for various albums, including their group cuts of "Circuit City", "Kites", and WFLD 32".  The time finally came for the three emcees to become a group, and indeed this happened in 2024, as they became Previous Industries. The trio delivered their debut group album, Service Merchandise, and this had all the makings to be quite the listening experience for anyone familiar with OME, much less the other two artists.  The theme within the album is comparing closed down retail stores to everyday life, aging, the decline of authentic hip-hop and struggles within their native Chicago area.  Titles like "Zayre's", "Roebuck", "Montgomery Ward", and "Babbages" all are representative of the themes of getting older, nostalgia, and the plight of the Black community.  Every bit of rhyme structure each emcee gives off is connected with double to triple entendre structuring, thus making for plenty of repeatable moments throughout the album lyrically.  The cut "Pliers" was meant to be a look at aging within hip-hop and the "tools" to stay relevant and educate in the game.  Meanwhile, with the cut, "White Hen", there are so many over-your-head references that require rewinds it's ridiculous.  From slick name insinuations of the likes of Wesley Snipes to Sade and seemingly Public Enemy, these three emcees are wisecracking, yet tremendously intelligent, writers that always seem to have a not so obvious agenda within their bars.  Similarly on the cut, "Fotomat", these three dissect topics such as police racism, the woes of touring, and avoiding conflicts in such layered, meticulous structure that beneath the piles of dirty laundry lies a $100 bill that you didn't know you needed until you go to the bottom of the pile.  These three emcees are magic together as a group. Their blending of articulate, witty, insightful, and genius-level unpacking makes them a trio that the ones in school that were their own click and would make fun of others with inside jokes that only they would know or those that understood them would comprehend. The production throughout this album is mostly lo-fi, psychedelic, and foggy, with obscure melodies and fitting samples that are both sharp and precise.  Frequent collaborator, Child Actor, provided most of the dense, yet multicolored, production, and presents some of his best beats of the year on this album (along with Cavalier's CINE, which will get reviewed later).  With Service Merchandise, Previous Industries are officially introduced to the game as a group that aren't afraid to laugh at their own pain and comment on their own skepticism in the most abstract ways.  Here's to hoping this isn't the only effort that we hear from these three together.

24. Killer Mike (Michael & The Mighty Midnight Revival)

MICHAEL: Songs For Sinners & Saints

Production: Da Honorable C.N.O.T.E., Cutmaster Swiff, DJ Paul, others

Guests: Key Glock, Anthony Hamilton, Offset, BLXST, Project Pat, others

Fresh off the runaway success that was his stellar Grammy Award-winning album, MICHAEL, ATL's Killer Mike wanted to go a step further with his sound and themes to make its follow-up even more meaningful.  The result was MICHAEL: Songs for Sinners & Saints, an album that contains more of a gospel/church element with it, as most of the album contains his choir, The Mighty Midnight Revival providing backup vocals and assistance.  Stressing more points about God and family but still relating it all to the streets and the struggle and grind, Mike delightfully leans into his truth on cuts like the Anthony Hamilton-assisted "Nobody Knows" and the hustler's ode, "Hads to Go Get It".  He hits more of a spiritual perspective of cuts like the excellent "Lord Prepare Me", in which this cut has him getting bravely tackling his faith and how God has kept him despite his actions over an infectious trap beat (along with an equally compelling verse from Belly Gang Kushington). He also combines two of the most popular tracks from MICHAEL, "Slummer" and "Summer for Junkies", to bring forth "Slummer for Junkies" and his storytelling skills are in full effect here.  This exceptional ten-plus minute cut grabs you, especially once the drums are gone and it is straight piano provided by multiple Grammy Award winning producer, Warryn Campbell.  Aside from the vocals being outstanding, and the monologue from Bishop Andrew Potter from Atlanta, not a single minute was wasted within this cut and ranks among the most wonderful cuts of his solo career.  He brings forth an incredible sequel to MICHAEL's "Exit 9" with "Exit 9 (Scenic Route)", this time, not only does BLXST return for the hook, featuring a verse from Offset, in which he provides a melancholy verse of his own.  While Mike also hones on other cuts like "'97 3-6 Freestyle" and the Key Glock/Project Pat-assisted, "Still Talk'n Dat Shit", it's Mike's highly open and honest reflections that helped MICHAEL be the instant classic it became, and he continues it here.  Mike bringing along his Mighty Midnight Revival adds to the tremendously soulful, and gospel sounds here and MICHAEL: Sounds for Sinners & Saints is a highly effective sequel to his previous effort. As if we couldn't find any more reasons to thoroughly enjoy anything Killer Mike puts out, he gives us yet one more reason to do so with this truly inviting album.

23. Mach-Hommy

#RICHAXXHAITIAN

Production: Conductor Williams, Sahdugold, Messiah Muzik, KAYTRANADA, Quelle Chris, others

Guests: Black Thought, 03 Greedo, Tha God Fahim, Roc Marciano, others

The ever-allusive enigma known as Mach-Hommy (don't forget that dash homie) has been among the most fascinating talents to emerge within the game over the past decade and a half.  Aside from the fact that his marketing was polarizing in that he would sell his efforts for up to several hundred dollars per project online, his penmanship is not exactly the type you'll immediately comprehend or grasp. However, that can be the brilliance of poets as well. His style is so outside and unique, he doesn't even allow his lyrics to be posted on genius.com.  The Haitian-born Jersey native also has quite the prolific catalog throughout the years as well.  With over four dozen projects to his name, mixtapes, EPs, and full-length studio albums alike, Hommy is among the hardest working emcees in the land.  While with the Griselda camp, he delivered the classic, H.B.O., and from there, he exploded with numerous excellent projects such as Dump Gawd: Hommy Edition, The G.A.T., Bulletproof Luh, Wop Konn Joj!, Mach's Hard Lemonade, and the incredible reunion with Griselda, Pray For Haiti in 2021.  That's not counting the multiple efforts with the likes of frequent collaborator, Tha God Fahim and his collaborative projects with DJ Muggs as Kill 'Em All.  His latest offering comes in the form of #RICHAXXHAITIAN.  Ever the unorthodox and unconventional emcee, Hommy glides over magical instrumentation provided by the likes of Conductor, Sadhugold, Messiah Muzik, and Grammy Award-winning producer, KAYTRANADA, with his brand of switching between English and Haitian/French dialect, as well as rapping to singing and back to rapping swiftly.  Conceived as the final installment of a series first started by H.B.O., you see elements of each installment of the series (which comprises of H.B.O., Wap Konn Joj!, Pray For Haiti, and Balens Cho, which was released just months after the Pray For Haiti) in terms of lyrical dexterity, technically methodical prowess, and calculated cadence throughout, which makes some for some outstanding vocal moments on this album.  Spiting with a pronounced confidence and affirmation, Mach hits with multi-syllabic structure with touches of suggestion and abstract poetry, notably on cuts like "Sur Le Pont d'Avignon", the elegant-sounding, Georgia Anne Maldrow-assisted "Sonje", and the Big Cheeko-assisted, "Same 24".  A master of maneuvering and knowing the important technical lyrical precision within a beat, Hommy is like an architect of his rhyme structure and cuts like "Padon" with Fahim, the stellar "Serpent & The Rainbow", and the Your Old Droog-assisted, "Empty Spaces", are methodically crafted to keep you guessing about the trajectory of where his rhyme scheme and cadence will veer towards next, only for him to go left when you thought he would go in the opposite direction.  As scholarly as he is a written grandmaster, he provided jewels of knowledge culturally and ancestrally on tracks such as the unbelievable collab with Roc Marci, "Antonomasia", "Guggenheim Jeune", and the Black thought-assisted, "Copy Cold", in which this is the only time we ever hear anyone match the precision of craftsmanship the way Mach does with the legendary Philly rhyme animal on board.  Another outstanding cut is the flute-heavy, "Lon Lon", in which he takes great pride in who he is and his unique craft in a way that blends Nas, MF DOOM, and billy woods into a Haitian Kreyol dialect on occasion.  To say Mach-Hommy is as special as he is elusive is an understatement.  Hommy knows how to carefully and systematically stich together phrases and words that are abstract and unconventional to the naked, uneducated ear.  This latest effort of #RICHAXXHAITIAN is among the best examples of this mathematical approach to evoking George Orwell as a Haitian-born Jersey representative that knows the streets and the most exquisite literary works alike and on the same accord.  Hommy is levels above the average emcee in practically every way imaginable, especially when it comes to artistic lyrical craftsmanship. There's only one Mach-Hommy, and we're just glad we are able to be in the presence of this type of greatness

22. Rapsody

Please Don't Cry

Production: BLAQ ODDSEY, Hit-Boy, S1, others

Guests: Phylicia Rashad, Alex Isley, Lil Wayne, Amber Navren, Erykah Badu, others

When it comes to NC emcees, the first name that comes to mind is J. Cole, and rightfully so.  However, another name that needs to be directly up there with him is Snow Hill native, Marlena Evans, otherwise known as Rapsody.  Compared to the legendary MC Lyte for over a decade plus, Rap has delivered some of the most incredible releases over the past fifteen years.  The Jamla artist has been known for heralded mixtapes/EPs such as Thank H.E.R. Later, The Black Mamba, She Got Game, and Crown. Her full-length debut, The Idea of Beautiful, was a fantastic look at what beauty looks like from ideal to practical imagery in all its soulful wonder.  Her 2017 Jamla/Roc Nation debut, Leila's Wisdom, was simply astounding. Many critics and fans alike have regarded as a legit hip-hop classic and even compared it to the likes another all-time great, To Pimp A Butterfly (ironic considering she guested on that album as well).  She followed that masterpiece up with an album that was easily as outstanding, the proudly pro-woman, Eve, and showed all of her contemporaries that she was one of the game's most compelling lyricists.  Her topics typically are as relatable to men as they are to women for the most part, and her around-the-way-homegirl vibe has always made her come across as approachable and grounded.  Five years removed from Eve, she's gone through some professional and personal changes.  She's not associated with mentor 9th Wonder anymore, at least not musically, and she's also endured loss, betrayal, and the pains of self-discovery.  All of these are addressed on her 2024 offering, Please Don't Cry.  The album starts out with a therapy session with none other than the iconic actress, Dr. Phylicia Rashad, overseeing the session.  Very much resembling Kendrick Lamar's Mr. Morale & The High Steppers, this is very much a sonic counseling session in which not only is Dr. Rashad her therapist, but we as listeners are as well.  We get Rap at her most introspective and painfully honest throughout the album. The first single, the snapping Hit-Boy charged "Asteroids", is among the few lighthearted cuts on the album. Lighthearted as in not as deep as the majority of the album, but don't get it twisted, it's clear she has stuff on her mind she needs to let off.  Within this album, she tackles areas she really has s trayed away from or minimized for the most part such as God, her sexuality, domestic violence, heartbreak, and mental illness.  The common element through all these topics is vulnerability, which she courageously displays in many of the brightest moments on the album.  The first track after the intro, "Marlena", is an excellent introduction musically to what we can expect from this release.  It's her rapping about all of her complexities, insecurities, aggravations, and transparency.  From here, we get the cut "Look What You've Done", which has her examining her place within the game by going after male fans that uplift her name by downing more sexually driven rappers.  Also, on "Stand Tall", she addresses things such as her rumored sexuality and her anxiety over a melancholy guitar loop, while addressing self-sensual pleasures on "Lonely Woman", which has sentiments of masturbation that are as bold as they are likely liberating.  She continues her dive into her own consciousness with cuts like the odes to her relationship with the Most High, "God's Light" and the ever soulful "Faith", but explores more hurtful and painful topics such as the gripping collab with the wonderful Alex Isley, "Loose Rocks", which has her painfully describing her plight with her loved one's dementia. Meanwhile, on "That One Time", she openly confesses her first time experimenting with the same sex and how she felt afterwards in quite an auspicious moment on the album.  She turns the volume up on her emotions and becomes more fired up on cuts like the police brutality-cut "He Shot Me" and the highly angst, "Diary of A Mad Black Bitch". Of course, her views of relationships and all her personal knowledge of their ups and downs are highlighted on cuts like the Erykah Badu-assisted, "3AM" and the honest, yet very empathetic, "A Ballad For Homegirls", and "DND", but don't think she's forgotten about the rhyme animal within her, as she goes for broke on cuts like the Lil' Wayne-assisted, "Raw", and her venture into trap-inspired production with "Back In My Bag".  It's not often we get hip-hop albums as raw, open, and vulnerable as what Rapsody presented with Please Don't Cry. Examining more about Marlena than her emcee alter-ego, this album is her own diary that we all got blessed to be able to hear, feel, and absorb.  By the end of this album, it's clear, as outstanding of an emcee as Rapsody is, Marlena Evans is just as human and perfectly complex as the rest of us.

21. Skyzoo & The Other Guys

The Mind of a Saint: Deluxe Edition

Production: The Other Guys

Guests: N/A

At the beginning of 2023, Brooklyn's lyrical savant, Skyzoo, dropped one of the year's most daring conceptual albums, The Mind of a Saint, in which he played the role of Franklin Saint of the hit show, Snowfall, only as a developing emcee that's trying to get out the street game.  It's no secret that Sky delivered a hands down smash performance, plus along with D.C. production dup, The Other Guys, the album was among Sky's best efforts.  Who would've known he had eight more tracks he was sitting on to continue Franklin's story?  This got discovered on social media, and it ended up being a deluxe version of The Mind of a Saint.  These tracks continue Saint's story of trying to battle his instincts of being in the streets, while wanting to better himself by being an emcee, but trouble always seem to call him.  One excellent example is "God Bless the King", in which he reflects on his survival methods in the midst of him hustling. Another one could be the gripping "Give You Anything", in which he's in prison speaking to his mother about his foul ways and the inspiration behind them of trying to provide and take care of her.  The biggest conflict Frank had, both on the show and on this album, is the fact that he wants more for himself and better but his need to survive and be the man would tend to outweigh everything, and other deluxe cuts like "Recipe For Desire" and "Cold Kiss", in which he also details betrayal, revenge, and confusion.  With the cut, "Freedom Dance", he narrates his peace from all of his wrongs despite the fact that his fate is likely sealed within the penitentiary, while he realizes the generational curse of hustling on "My Creshendo".  On the main album, the track that really epitomized the viewpoint of Saint and his conflicts was the exceptional "Apologies In Order", but on the deluxe edition, it's a bit more complex, as we see him struggle more intensely and honestly.  It's no question that The Mind of a Saint is the most thematically ambitious effort Sky has delivered, but the Deluxe edition dove even deeper, and the results rank it even higher than it was before within his flawless discography, which considering his fabulous late 2024 offering, Keep Me Company, is saying a mouthful.

20. Ka

The Thief Next to Jesus

Production: artist

Guests: N/A

In July of 2024, the hip-hop world lost one of the game's most astonishing writers and emcees in Kasseem Ryan, otherwise known as Ka.  The sudden passing of the Brownsville native stunned the hip-hop community from fans to fellow emcees alike.  The crafter of such mind-blowing epics such as The Night's Gambit, Honor Killed The Samurai, A Martyr's Reward, Woeful Studies, and Descendants Of Cain had been silenced, and the silence was heavy.  Just a few weeks before his unfortunate passing, he delivered one last gem of an album for us in the form of The Thief Next To Jesus.  Those that have followed Ka and his masterful recordings have known his stance on spirituality, organized religion, and Christianity, and this album delves even deeper into it.  Utilizing Gospel and Black church samples to put a little mustard on the hot dog, his topics pretty much all revolve around how Blacks get caught up more with religion and the formalities of Christianity more so than their own rooted spirituality and the dangers of them. The opener, "Bread, Wine, Body, Blood" is a metaphorical look at how rappers today are more interested in drugs, money, gangs, and sex throughout their rhymes.  However, he gets even deeper. With your average Ka album, he equates every theme the album centers around with growing up in the streets and the things he's seen, done, or heard about.  Cuts like "Collection Plate", "Such Devotion", and "Lord Have Mercy" are so draped in pain and frustration over trying to believe in God or a higher being but still suffering repercussions of daily strife life.  Perhaps this is none more prevalent than the cut, "Fragile Faith", in which he states how much he tried to believe but nothing changed in his life, and he still had to endure struggles and pain.  Over a melancholy, yet very rich, sample, Ka very eloquently proclaims his lack of sustainable faith through the trenches. With him, it was survival over faith.  In another powerful moment, the track, "Cross To Bear", displays his views on how much the Black community was subject to violence and threatening behavior for the sake of the struggle over a brooding track that is as powerful as it is minimalized.  In hindsight, no track is more haunting than "Borrowed Time", in which he almost prophetically proclaims that he would rather choose death than submission.  As life ended up imitating art, this was unintentionally a bit of foreshadowing, while being defiant and honest about his views of belief and being let down by faith he was supposed to have.  Compelling, raw, brutally honest, and methodical, The Thief Next To Jesus was a very fitting swan song for Ka.  With a low-key intensity and a verbal weapon that's as deadly as GZA's liquid swords, Ka was a master at his craft.  The artist, Ka, was regarded as one of hip-hop's most astonishing and brilliant writers for a reason. His sense of urgency, insight, and jewel-dropping was for the uniformed, but also the misunderstood street cat that needed to hear from someone with the same lens he had.  We will always remember Kasseem Ryan for his art, but also his understated impact within hip-hop. Rest easy, brother. Thank you for your knowledge and your gift.

19. Your Old Droog

Movie

Production: Conductor Williams, Madlib, Just Blaze, Harry Fraud, Just Blaze, others

Guests: Method Man, Yasiin Bey, Denzel Curry, others

Remember the cat that many said sounded like Nas when he came out near the end of the 2010s? Yeah, that cat? Homie, that dude has become one of the underground's most prolific and respected emcees.  The Brooklyn transplant from the Ukraine, Your Old Droog, has been associated with the likes of Mach-Hommy and Tha God Fahim, and always brings the witty, sarcastic, and highly impressive pen game.  From his promising self-titled debut mixtape to other dope releases such as Packs, Transportation, his collab albums with Fahim, YODney Dangerfield, Jewelry, Time, and especially his crazy effort, It Wasn't Even Close, Droog has been consistently fantastic, and he's been showing how much of a heavyweight he really is.  His latest effort is Movie, and this album serves as a turning point for Droog.  This marks his most accessible album, but also his most personal as well.  With the concept of him being interviewed by a reporter over his new "movie", each cut presents a new "scene" within his life, and the results are overall quite excellent.  His roll out cuts of "DBZ" with the unlikely pairing of Method Man and Denzel Curry and the Conductor-crafted "Mercury Thermometers" set the stage for his official single, the charming "I Think I love Her".  While most times Droog rhymes about the random of things such as outer space, gorillas, and other wild topics, this is a very focused project.  He reflects back to his self-depreciating past on the slick Harry Fraud-produced "How Do You Do It", while detailing the unfortunate tale of a Cerebral Palsy child in "The Sandbox" and tackling the all-too-cliché tropes within hip-hop on "What Else?"  It's his touching ode to his late grandmother, "Grandmother's Lessons", that's the emotional heart-toucher. Over a somber, yet sweet, instrumental, Droog reminisces about the love and the wisdom his grandmother shared with him from childhood to adolescence to adulthood in a eulogy all of us can identify with in some way.  With other slapping cuts like "Crescent Moon", "A Damn Shame", and his oh so delightful spin on the legendary "Ladi Dadi", "Yodi Dodi", his closer with the great Yasiin Bey, "Care Plan", shows a chemistry between them that's worth looking into and how effective it comes off.  It's not difficult to see the talent Droog possesses and how cold his pen game is.  With Movie, Droog brings arguably his best work to the surface with what could honestly be his most cohesive and most focused album.  Much like the ever journeyman in hip-hop, he could give a damn about the fame, just give him his props.  He definitely gets that and more.

18. Kendrick Lamar

GNX

Production: Sounwave, Mustard, DJ Dahi, Terrace Martin, others

Guests: SZA, Hitta J3, Roddy Rich, others

There may have been no other gripping and constantly intriguing hip-hop news issue throughout 2024 (sans the whole Diddy scandal) than the on-wax beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar.  As was stated during the Might Delete Later review, the issues were brought to the surface as a result of Drake referring to him, Cole, and Kendrick as the "big 3". Kendrick, tracking exception, called out Drake and Cole on "Like That" with Future and Metro Boomin.  Everything became a snowball from there, as Drake delivered diss tracks, "Taylor Made Freestyle" and "Push Ups". This spawned a series of scathing and heatseeking responses from Lamar, including "Euphoria", the Alchemist-blessed "Meet The Grahams", and what would become the biggest hip-hop single of the year, and one of the commercially successful singles of the last few years, "Not Like Us".  While it's been clear the issues between he and Drake go back since possibly Drake's Take Care album, this has reached enormous levels (thank God this has stayed on wax), and this whole issue, along with possibly some of his critics concerning Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, spawned Kendrick to return to his "Kung Fu Kenny" persona in abundance.  Out the blue, Kendrick dropped a surprise effort in the form of GNX, which is named after the Buick Grand National Experimental, and set the entire hip-hop world on fire.  Folks, if you were expecting conscious, introspective, deeply lyrical Kenny here, this isn't for you. In short, he's pissed! Pissed, yet refocused and as driven as we've ever seen and heard from him.  the opening track alone, "Wacced Out Murals" is arguably the best example of this.  Over some low-riding g-funk, Kenny addresses various topics such as Snoop seemingly siding with Drake, Nas being the only one congratulating him on procuring the Super Bowl Half Time Show gig, and Lil Wayne's disappointment being in Kendrick's shows for the Halftime show, Kendrick pulls no punches and rips into this cut like a hungry animal.  In no way does he take his foot off the gas with other knockers like "Squabble Up", "TV Off", and the somewhat menacing sounding "Hey Now".  The latter, especially, has him rapping in a sneaky low voice and tone for almost half the cut while addressing how he had to "choke out a GOAT".  However, Kendrick is still a fan of hip-hop and a student of the game.  he salutes Nas by reinterpreting his own version of "One Mic" with "Man At The Garden" in a way Nas has to be tremendously proud of and excessively stating "he deserves it all", while Kendrick conjures up the spirit of his idol, the late, great icon 2Pac, with "Reincarnated", which has him spitting with the same ferocity and passion as Pac did over the same cut Lamar reinterpreted, "Made Niggaz".  Dipping into his soulful bag, he and his former fellow TDE-mate, SZA, shine brightly on their collaborative cuts, "Luther" and "Gloria", while eloquently rhyming over SWV's "Use Your Heart" for "Heart Pt. 6", in which he covers his stint within TDE, from its beginnings to him leaving to start his own label, pgLang.  Among the many rewind-worthy points he makes, he states that he got some of his lyrical inspiration from Ab-Soul and how he was the hold up of why Black Hippy never recorded a group album.  A profound way to explain his discography was stated on social media.  As an X/Twitter user stated: "good kid, M.A.A.D. City was an album about his generation being fucked up. To Pimp A Butterfly was an album about his country being fucked up. DAMN was an album about his community being fucked up. Mr. Morale was an album about his mental health being fucked up. GNX is an album about fucking around and finding out."  This was a fantastic summary of not just his discography, but GNX period.  As he states in "Wacced Out Murals", "This isn't about being lyrical or double entendres, he wants you to feel this shit."  This is Kendrick at his most lethal, determined, and angst best.  Clearly, the Drake issue lit something up within him and raised a new benchmark for every emcee in the game.  As far as sounds and production go, this is definitely the most west coast sounding album within his discography in terms of the classic west coast, primarily provided by TDE in-house producer, Sounwave, and the man behind "Not Like Us", DJ Mustard.  Synths, bass, hand clap snares, and slinky melodies dominate this album, and Kendrick sounds as comfortable of these tracks as he does with any other type of production.  Kendrick reminded those that doubted him and his reign from Mr. Morale on GNX and ended up bringing all the momentum he needs going into the Super Bowl Halftime Show, as well as delivering another classic for the heads.

17. Westside Gunn

11 EP

Production: Denny LeFlare

Guests: Keisha Plum

Whenever Westside Gunn proclaims that an album is coming, people get one of two reactions: either one of extreme anticipation or extreme pessimism.  The pessimism comes from when he says projects will be released, but anticipation over how ridiculous the album will sound.  Like it or not, the Buffalo native has an undefeated discography that includes such fantastic, gully efforts such as Flygod, Supreme Blientele, Who Brought the Sunshine, and Pray For Paris.  That's not counting his numerous searing mixtapes of his Hitler Wears Hermes series and his Flygod Is an Awesome God series.  Plus, a year ago, he and real-life half-brother Conway The Machine dropped the bananas Hall & Nash 2 with Uncle Al behind the boards in what was a previously unreleased effort.  When it was announced that he was dropping the third installment of Flygod Is An Awesome God, heads were on the edge of their seats, but then he also stated he was working on the third edition of the Pray series that follows up 2022's And Then You Pray For Me, which is the first album he actually got mixed reviews on due to the enormous amount of mid-level trap production on the project.  Returning to his grimy roots, he presented two projects within two days of each other: 11 and Still Praying.  The first to set off was 11, an EP that serves as the eleventh edition of his Hitler Wears Hermes series.  The project was entirely produced by Griselda in-house producer, Denny LeFlare, and it brings back the ice cold, lo-fi, haunting boom-bap that Gunn is the most known for rhyming over. His style of luxurious fly gangsta is in full mode on this and Still Praying.  Although seen as a "teaser" project for Still Praying, this is a beast effort all in itself.  Denny is the least known of the production ensemble, The Heartbreakers, along with Camouflage Monk and the Grammy nominated, Conductor Williams, but his production efforts are easily as sharp as theirs. We start with the mean-sounding "Stone", but when we get to the Keisha Plum-assisted "Big Dump Ballad", we hear Keisha get shockingly vulnerable as her voice audibly cracks towards the tail end of her excellent spoken word verse.  Among the most personal cuts you'll ever hear from Gunn and especially Keisha, this cut is a hell of a tribute cut to their incarcerated friend.  The track, "Unkle Howdy" is a brooding and morose track that Gunn delights in describing his coke grams while wearing a Versace robe. Meanwhile, the closing cuts of "Cain Tejeda" and "Paulin, Paulin, Paulin" are profound cuts that harken the prime of Griselda's eerie boom-bap in the late 2010s with drum-less production superb vocal samples on the latter and a sick neck-thumping bassline on the former.  For a teaser project, 11 is an animal by itself.  Besides the fact that Gunn is among the greatest beat selectors in all of hip-hop, his brand of coke rap and gritty street narratives while having his wrists reaching a whole other tax bracket is his calling card.  If this was what Still Praying was looking like, Still Praying was predicted to be a whole flamethrower. Was it? Stay tuned.

16. Gangrene

Heads I Win, Tails You Lose

Production: artist

Guests: Evidence, Boldy James, AHNKLEJOHN

The duo of Alchemist and Oh No are one that are as unconventional as they are supplemental to each other.  While Uncle Al has emerged as one of the game's all-time best producers over the last twenty-five years, Oh No has slowly been creeping up to the level of his brilliant brother, Madlib, on the boards himself. As emcees, both guys are fair enough on the mic to hold their own with others.  Their first album together as Gangrene was Gutter Water in 2010, and this displayed their decent collaborative chemistry with plenty of fire to hold you down while getting as high and drunk as you needed to be.  This was similar on their follow-up, Vodka & Ayahuasca, which was even more psychedelic and multicolored in texture and production than their debut.  Follow these up with their EPs of Odditorium, their outstanding collaborative effort with Roc Marciano, Greneburg, and the searing, You Disgust Me, and clearly Gangrene became a duo to not sleep on whatsoever. After nine long years apart, Dr. No and Uncle Al decided to give it another shot, as they reunited on Alchemist's Flying High 2 EP with the cut "Royal Hand" (that also appears on this new album). This cut was the official reintroduction of the duo, and the announcement was made that the album was coming. They finally delivered Heads I Win, Tails You Lose, and they're clearly back to their high, drunk, left-field, and psychedelic best.  Perhaps the most surprising aspect of this album is how much Oh No stepped up on the boards, to the point where, in cases like cuts such as "Cloud Surfing", the opener "Congratulations You Lose", and "Watch Out" are sounds that one would mistakenly believe Al put together.  Sonically, this is their best work together since Greneburg, and that's a high bar.  Both emcees/producers bring a vibe of murky, hallucinogenic, and bizarre production that works very way possible.  Of course, Al delivers his brand of outstanding and wonderfully cooked production on cuts like "Dinosaur Jr.", the Evidence-assisted "Magic Dust", and "Muffler Lung", but Oh No, as was previously mentioned, easily ranks right with him on the tracks he constructs like the aforementioned tracks, as well as the spacey first dingle, "Oxnard Water Torture".  On the mic, Alan and Michael show themselves as sharp as they've ever been known to do.  Their chemistry (ahem) is in sync, and they definitely play off each other's imagery of being zooted and witty at the same time.  This is apparent on cuts like "Espionage", the aforementioned "Royal Hand", and "You Should Join the Army".  They get help from the likes of AHNKLEJOHN ("The Gates of Hell") and Boldy James ("Just Doing Art") and these guests help enhance the talents of the two and neither one gets outshined.  In the spirit of Gutter Water with the unconventional boom-bap of Vodka & Ayahuasca and the straight-forward nature of You Disgust Me, Heads I Win, Tails You Lose is a fantastic conglomerate of the previously mentioned. Alchemist had a particularly busy year, and one of the best efforts he put his foot in was this one, only he had his cohort Oh No riding shotgun right with him to deliver an effort that reminds heads from nine years ago that this is a duo that simply can't go wrong, and you don't have to be stoned in order to enjoy them.

15. Snoop Dogg

Missionary

Production: Dr. Dre & The ICU

Guests: Sting, Dr. Dre, Method Man, BJ The Chicago Kid, Eminem, 50 Cent, Tom Petty, Jelly Roll, Jhene Aiko, KAAN, Alus, others

A young 20-something year old named Calvin Broadus emerged on the scene with the almighty Dr. Dre in '92 for the menacing cut, "Deep Cover". Many knew that we had seen the birth of a star in the form of the up-and-coming Long Beach native.  We hear him again on the legendary "Nuthin' But A G Thang", as well as equally memorable cuts of "Fuckin' With Dre Day" and "Let Me Ride", as well as other cuts on the iconic Chronic album from Dre.  The anticipation was as high as any debut album in history at the time for his Death Row debut, Doggystyle, and in '93, the album dropped, going gold in its first week.  The album was seen as an instant classic and before we knew it, this star had become a superstar, selling upwards of five million units.  Since then, the pressure has been on Snoop to make another Doggystyle even thirty years after the album first dropped.  Respectfully, Snoop's discography has been overall very enjoyable.  While albums like the sophomore effort, The Doggfather, were vastly underwhelming thanks to a very noticeably absent Dr. Dre, he had other albums that were almost as hard-hitting and impactful such as Paid The Cost To Be The Boss, R&G: The Masterpiece, The Last Meal, Ego Trippin', The Blue Carpet Treatment, and the most recent BODR (Back On Death Row).  He also experimented with genres dipping into Gospel (Bible of Love), reggae (Reincarnated), and funk (7 Days of Funk).  All the while, fans were clamoring for a full reunion with the good Doctor for a full album. While it was great hearing them reunite on Dre's 2001 album, especially for Dre's first single, "Still D-R-E", as well as other Dre-produced cuts along the way, longtime Death Row heads were just short of begging for a full-length between the two one more time. The hip-hop gods answered prayers, as the announcement was made that these two legit legends would reunite for a full album, and it would happen to coincide on the thirtieth anniversary of Doggystyle. Appropriately, the title was called Missionary and would serve as an unofficial sequel to the legendary album.  Obviously, thirty years have passed since these two did a full album together, plus sounds have changed and these two aren't in their twenties anymore. These guys are fifty-plus year-old grandfathers and they both know the importance of not going back to a sound that was left in the nineties unless it's more matured and updated.  Dre's sound has more than evolved, and it fits Snoop's evolution as well.  The g-funk vibes of the Jhene Aiko-led "Gorgeous" is a great appetizer for the album, while the follow-up "Outta Da Blue" featuring Dre doing a verse or two, is one for the speakers.  It was obvious we were in for something dumb dope, and indeed that's what we got.  Don't expect a TON of misogyny, violence, drugs, and all the other taboo topics that made Doggystyle a controversial classic. While we do have at least one track about the good dro in the form of the surprising, yet effective, Jelly Roll-assisted, Tom Petty sampled "Last Dance with Mary Jane", in which Snoop details his love/hate relationship with good old Mary, and how it may be time to put her down once and for all.  For the most part, this album is a party. One that anyone from the nineties generation to now can appreciate.  Cuts like the Sly & The Family Stone-sampled "Thank You", "Outta Da Blue" featuring singer Alus, and reggae-tinged "Fire" featuring Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter, Cocoa Sarai, are definitely cuts to turn the volume up to.  Snoop, for sure, is having a good time, finding his fountain of youth throughout these tracks, and Dre's great production and outstanding mixing and arranging makes these cuts among the many standouts featured on here.  However, it's when Dre ventures out into land he's not too familiar with where he especially shines. We already covered the aforementioned "Last Dance with Mary Jane", but there's also him sampling The Police's "Message in A Bottle" with "Another Part of Me", and actually putting the iconic frontman of The Police, Sting, on the track itself, and the outcome works. The cut itself is enjoyable and once again shows how Dre can masterfully put stuff together that one wouldn't expect and make history with it.  It wouldn't be a Dre and Snoop get down if there wasn't so gangsta street shit to compliment the album. The 50 Cent/Eminem-assisted, "Gunz N Smoke" have 50 spitting din double time delivery and Em bringing forth another excellent performance, conjuring memories of when the four of them would collaborate on albums like Get Rich or Die Tryin', The Marshall Mathers LP, and R&G, but this is the first time all of them are on the same track.  Also, the funked out, "Gangsta Pose" with artists Fat Money, Stalone, and emcee/producer Dem Jointz (who's also on the Dre production team, The ICU) is a good throwback to the Snoop we are all more than familiar with equally likeable results without having to feel or sound cliché.  With other bangers like the crazy De La Soul-sampled, "Shangri-La", "Hard Knocks'", and the closer "The Negotiator", Snoop has delivered one of his best accomplishments, sonically, with Missionary.  For those that were wanting or expecting another Doggystyle is like heads wanting another Illmatic: it's not going to happen. The sound was back in the nineties, and everyone involved has grown up and experienced more things.  However, the spirit of Doggystyle, in terms of good times, the fresh hunger being displayed, and the need to make a dent within the current fixture of the game, is all the way prevalent.  Getting back with the legendary Doctor brought a Snoop we haven't heard in many a year, and with other golden era greats such as Common, Ice Cube, Bun B, LL, and Kurious all putting out excellent material this year, it's clear that our OGs are not only not going anywhere, but also here to show these young jacks how it's done correctly.

14. Roc Marciano

Marciology

Production: artist, The Alchemist, Animoss

Guests: Larry June, Action Bronson, CRIMEAPPLE, T.F., Jay Worthy, Flee Lord, Knowledge The Pirate, GRE8GAWD

What would a year be without Rakheim Meyer, aka Roc Marciano? The Long Island native has been a constant fixture within hip-hop since his underground classic of 2010, the highly influential, Marcberg, and the equally, if not more. deadly follow-up, Reloaded, a year later.  Since then, Marci has been heralded as one of the single most influential emcees and writers within the NY underground scene and being acclaimed to ushering in the old nineties NY gritty sounds that made NYC rise to prominence and had a significant hand in developing the likes of Action Bronson, Meyhem Lauren, Willie The Kid, and especially Griselda.  With undisputed treasures under his belt such as Rosebudd's Revenge, RR2: The Bitter Dose, Behold A Dark Horse, Marcielogo, and especially the phenomenal collab with frequent collaborator, The Alchemist, The Elephant Man's Bones, basically anything Marci touches turns to hip-hop gold.  After the stellar outing that was TEMB, he follows that up with this year's Marciology.  Although Uncle Al is not producing every track here, it doesn't stop this from being among Marci's finest within his already undefeated discography (by the way, Al does in fact deliver two efforts on this album).  Marci, himself, is a hell of a producer.  His sounds often flirt with the Alchemist sound in terms of haunting keys, bleak-sounding melodies, and clever use of soul and jazz samplings, often without drums or percussion.  We get a lot of that here as well.  The lead-off cut, "Gold Crossbows", is a great example of Marci's vivid rhymes of being the street's king with a Hermes bathrobe on.  The piano-laced brooding cut sets the tone for his elegant gangsta. The ball continues to roll nicely with cuts like "Bebe's Kids", "True Love", and the straight-up brooding collab with CRIMEAPPLE, "Killin' Spree".  His ability to deliver multi-syllabic rhyme patterns together while illustrating his lust diamonds and guns is impeccable.  He demonstrates this knack on cuts like "Tapeworm" and the dire sounding "Goyard God", as he spits that "cowards didn't wanna give him his flowers", which is highly doubtable at this point in his career.  He gets into dramatic storytelling mode with west coast underrated emcee, Jay Worthy, on the outstanding sample chopped and looped, "On the Run", as he taps into his street lord characterization. Meanwhile, on the Larry June-assisted, "Bad Juju", he flaunts his highly expensive and flashy lifestyle over an otherwise spooky instrumental provided by the aforementioned Uncle Al.  Marci's ability to balance gangsta with the finest champagne and expensive women money can buy is strong in itself, but the fact his rhyme style is so distinctive with multi-syllabic structure and still trying to find his way through every single sector of the beat is to be studied.  It doesn't take much to realize Marciology is yet another monster of Marci to be proud of and to once again proclaim his status on top of NYC's underground rap subgenre that he reinvigorated.  There truly is nobody in a league quite like he is, and as you'll see later, this wasn't all we would hear from Mr. Mayer.

13. Schoolboy Q

Blue Lips

Production: Sounwave, The Alchemist, Tae Beast, Cardo, Childish Major, Kal Banx, others

Guests: Rico Nasty, Lance Skiiwalker, Ab-Soul, Freddie Gibbs, Jozzy, others

Many were concerned about the future of TDE once Kendrick left them to pursue his own label, pgLANG.  If you ask Punch or Top Dawg, they knew the label would be just fine.  We already know SZA is the biggest star of the label, but in terms of hip-hop, Schoolboy Q definitely had next.  The L.A. native dropped his breakout album, Oxymoron, to which the album was Grammy nominated and garnered him a platinum plaque.  Seen as an album meant for even bigger things, he returned with The Blank Face LP, which was a little darker, but sonically even better than Oxymoron.  More psychedelic in nature, while also holding onto that groovy, gangsta element throughout, Blank Face LP earned him another Grammy nomination, and rightfully so, with the cuts of "Groovy Toney" and the Kanye-assisted, "That Part" leading the charge of this dumb dope album.  Unfortunately, the momentum slowed with its follow-up, Crash Box, as it was a decent, yet not quite up to par, effort that was good enough for a rotation, but falls short of the past few Schoolboy efforts we had grown to know and definitely love.  After a few teaser cuts, Schoolboy, after five years, returned with his 2024 effort, Blue Lips.  From the ad teaser of the album, the sound was bumping and provided promise. What we got was a return to form for Quincy, as this album is very reminiscent of Oxymoron with a small bit of Crash Talk that worked.  Schoolboy goes several different lanes throughout this album, thus making this album a must-listen for anyone.  His lead-off singles of "Yeern 101" and the Devin Malik-backed "Black in Love" were dope choices to give us a high expectation of what Q's going for here.  Sliding over thumping, yet snapping and occasionally melodic, tracks, Q shows off his thirst to keep his name among the enjoyable on cuts like the somewhat moody sounding "Funny Guy", the very brash "Thank God 4 Me", and "Cooties".  He turns the decency level down on the pretty risqué collab with Rico Nasty, "Pop", but becomes strategically engulfed in duality with "First", as he goes from braggadocios rhymes to realizing his lifestyle was to fill a void in his life.  It's when he goes into a melancholic introspective that the album hits its highlight with the beautiful, piano-laced "Blueslides".  The jazzy instrumental serves a melodic background for Q to go in dedication mode to his friend, the late, great Mac Miller (as the title is an ode to Miller's Blue Slide Park album title).  He reminisces on the need to drop out of school to pursue the fast life and the girls while trying to become a rapper on the cut "Nunu" but salivates over drugs on the Ab-Soul assisted "Faux", which is the fourth installment on their "Druggies Wit Hos" series.  Along with other blazers like the Freddie Gibbs-assisted, "Ohio", the autobiographical and intriguing "Germany '86", and the dope closer "Smile", Schoolboy Q brings us into his life in an honest way yet still showing his love of having fun and cooling out, however that looks like.  He hit a home run with Blue Lips and much like Oxymoron that showed his ambiguity, Blue Lips shows Q's evolving ascent into maturity while balancing time for the fun, ignant, and stress-less life.

12. AHNKLEJOHN

Pride Of a Man

Production: The Alchemist, V DON, August Fanon, Graymatter, Awhlee, Nicholas Craven, Statik Selektah, others

Guests: Navy Blue, Willie The Kid, Domo Genesis, Fly Anakin, Inspectah Deck

D.C. native, AHNKLEJOHN, has been a fixture within the underground for almost a full decade.  His raw and unfaltering delivery has earned him various amounts of acclaim throughout his career.  Although starting his career with his debut mixtape, The Red Room, he eventually started making waves with his Big Ghost LTD-produced effort, Van Ghost.  Over BGL's signature dark and haunting boom-bap, the emcee also known as Big Lordy never put on the brakes with his technical rhyming abilities and straight-forward lyricism.  With other dope entries such as The Face of Jason, Reign Supreme, his collab with Navy Blue, As Above, So Below, his other collab with Rome Streetz, Genesis 1:27, and his first effort of 2024, In Him We Trust, he also can lay claims to some impressive guest spots, including with Gangrene and Willie The Kid among others.  The second effort he dropped is what could be considered arguably the most complete album of his career in Pride of a Man.  When one has a production guest list that consists of the likes of the legendary Alchemist, Statik Selektah, V DON, Nicholas Craven, and Graymatter, one can only imagine how dumb dope the sounds would at least be, but if you Big Lordy, you know he's also bringing his own goods ion the mic.  One thing Big AHNK is known for is his unflinching honesty and authenticity.  He doesn't run from nothing on his mind and lets everything come out in his own brazen way with tremendous cuts like the Uncle Al-blessed "Guerilla Warfare", the threatening "Kiss of Death", "Porches In Ghana", and "Nine Taurus".  It's clear he has a non-fuck-giving stance on plenty of things and doesn't really care if you get offended.  He takes shots equally at men and women without hesitation, as evidenced on cuts like "Knowledge Born" but spits about overcoming setbacks and struggles on the Inspectah Deck-assisted "Reigny Days".  With AHKNLEJOHN he provides balance of pride with honesty.  He hits on all cylinders with Pride of A Man and delivers the most complete album of his career.  With consistently bumping production, and tremendous lyricism and delivery, Big Lordy won't continue to be underrated or underappreciated much longer.

11. Westside Gunn & DJ Drama

Still Praying

Production: Daringer, Camouflage Monk, Conductor Williams, DJ Muggs, Denny LeFlare, Statik Selektah, JR Swiftz, others

Guests: Conway The Machine, Benny The Butcher, Stove God Cook$, Boldy James, Rome Streetz, Brother Tom Sos, Westside Pootie

Not long ago, we reviewed Gunn's 11 EP, which was seen as a "teaser" of sorts for his 2024 full-length offering, Still Praying.  This album marks the continuation of his Pray series that last left off with his 2022 offering, And Then You Pray for Me.  While there were a lot of scoffs of his trap beat choices for the album, Still Praying marks the return of the gutter, lo-fi, haunting boom-bap that seemingly became the Griselda sound.  His brand of coke rap, hustling, street tales, and gunplay are all dressed in glamourous fashion with name drops like Gucci, Hermes, and Versace, as he wants to look good and fly while serving fiends their dose of audio crack.  With DJ Drama providing his hosting duties, Gunn goes for what he knows on cuts like "Beef Bar", "I Know Verdy", and "Speedy 40", in which the psychedelic boom-bap is prevalent courtesy of the likes of Conductor, and he flows like grease over these excellent sounds.  Of course, fans know he also gets involved with pro wrestling with his 4th Rope indie promotion, thus titles such as "Justin Roberts", "Dr. Britt Baker", and "Max Caster" are familiar with diehard wrestling fans, despite the fact that the topics and lyrics have zero to do with any of the figures aforementioned.  The grimy "Free Shots" with Conway is completely flammable, even more so with the frequent "Oh Lord" wailing behind them, but even more gutter is "Duran Duran", which is filled with horror movie-styled piano keys and lo-fi percussion that's an instant throwback to Flygod era.  Of course, what would a Gunn album be without the mandatory Griselda posse cut, and in this case, it's the title track that features Benny, Conway, Boldy James, and the ever frequently checked for, Stove God Cook$, in which each emcee spits over a drum-less ice-cold track that ranks among the best Griselda family cuts around.  He closes with the crazy Rome Streetz-assisted "Underground King" and the intoxicating sounds of "Lasalle Station", complete with neck-snapping percussion and a brief spoken sample by Raekwon, and it fits.  You may not want to admit it, but Westside Gunn has among the most undefeated discographies in the game currently, from his full lengths to his mixtapes and EPs.  You can absolutely add Still Praying to the list and rank it quite high as a matter of fact.  In the midst of his very busy schedule of traveling to Paris, overseeing his 4th Rope wrestling promotion/clothing line, catching WWE, TNA, and AEW front row, and the ever-important shit talking on social media, he still managed to deliver a knockout of an album that ranks among his most screwfaced-sounding albums to date.  All hail the Flygod!

10. E L U C I D

Revelator

Production: artist, Child Actor, August Fanon, Samiyam, others

Guests: billy woods, SKECH185

As one half of the unbelievable duo, Armand Hammer, NY's E L U C I D is among those cats that one would consider "different".  Not in the all-so-often used phrase, "I'm different", but in the real sense in terms of emcees, he's very different, but that's a great thing.  His baritone voice dishes out a technical structure that's very left of center and contains imagery filled with introspection, caution, bits of paranoia, and very sharp observation.  His style is one of not so much trying to ride the beat, but rather the beat rides him.  He flows in and out purposely so that there's a hidden method of abstract fluidity that's highly unconventional.  His discography is one of unique and acquired tastes. Sonically, he's always against the grain, but clearly blending elements of jazz, occasional EDM, and psychedelic.  His last solo project, I Told Bessie, was a soulful look into the heart of a man that was trying to find peace in the midst of pain.  There was an optimism that was hidden in plain sight that E L U C I D was determined to discover so that he could do his grandmother (the album was named after her) proud.  With his new album, Revelator, this goes completely left of that.  This album revels in chaos, despair, and disarray. Only thing is that he's determined to be the aggressor and not the victim.  Musically, this is easily his most ambitious project yet.  Mixing live instrumentation with elements of industrial, EDM, sharp bass, and ominous soundscapes with melodies straight from a bone yard, Revelator is an album that truly blends the aura of his lyrics with the musical ambiguity it encompasses.  Take for instance, the jolting "The World Is Dog", in which he gets the sense of this album very early. With it's hard industrial sounds and a rage that is like a miniature bomb, E L U C I D compares the world and his outlook of it to a ferocious dog, and he attacks the track as such.  He looks into the eyes of the storm valiantly being that he's a family man and decides to weather it all, especially on head-heavy cuts like "Slum of A Disregard" and "Bad Pollen".  On the forceful "CCTV", he strikes back against oppression and control while examining the horror of the very thing that playing puppet master with our intelligence. The second verse, especially, is haunting, apocalyptic, and unapologetic.  We get more of this type of alarming imagery on other cuts such as "Voice 2 Skull", "14.4", and "SKP", but get a brief change of pace and spirit with the more easy-minded "Hushpuppies".  He makes his best-known presence on "Ikebana", in which the atmospheric backdrops provide E L U C I D with his commentary of trying to maintain as a family man while pushing through the shadiness of society.  While constantly stating "Everybody knew but me", E L U C I D clearly was misinformed about the pressures of raising children in today's climate.  The highly abstract and unique perspectives of E L U C I D generally take several spins to fully digest his words and his meanings.  His writing style is one that's not straightforward in vocabulary, but brutally poignant in imagery, as any great verbal painter would exploit.  It must be said Revelator is the next level of E L UCID, and his propensity to be atypical from the average writer and emcee is second nature and not forced.  Much like his Armand Hammer cohort, billy woods, his words and writing style are as poetic and aesthetically brilliant as they are esoteric and full of ambiguity.  Haunting by nature, but determined by design, ELUCID brings Revelator as an unsettling look at a harrowing society but hope for the future with undeterred vision. An ideal highly measured on the terms of his own career.  Ladies and gentlemen, ELUCID has arrived.

9. Lupe Fiasco

Samurai

Production: Soundtrakk

Guests: N/A

For over two decades, Chi-town's own, Lupe Fiasco, has been considered amongst the elite of pure hip-hop lyricists.  With his pen game being so abstract yet so mathematically on point and his verbal abilities being so technical and calculated, Fiasco as an emcee is in a class of emcees that demands all the respect and flowers. As a writer that is outside the box and left field, he's just as up there. His prodigious debut, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor, was considered a classic by today's standards and showcased his knack for storytelling and clever bars.  He followed that up with the just as engaging, The Cool, and we definitely had an emcee on our hands that was having quite the future ahead of him.  However, as a lot of artists have done before within their careers, he fell victim to critics mixed reviews of his next album, Lasers, due to the more pop sound the album had and how it lacked the complexity that he had brought from his prior two albums.  Subsequent albums such as Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1 and the two installments of the DROGAS series: the less-desired Light and the more imaginative and stirring Wave would re-establish his gifts of the storytelling and abstract vision. With Tetsuo & Youth, it was a return to the form that made him a household name and was the strongest effort since his first two efforts, as evidenced by one of the most defining cuts of his career, "Mural". In 2022, he delivered the stellar Drill Music In Zion, a ten-track complete project that had him providing commentary on the sad and angering state of hip-hop by focusing on commercialism, cliches, and lack of hope for the youth.  Many stated that this was, in fact, the album of his career even more than his first two albums, or even Tetsuo & Youth.  Whatever the opinion, it was clear Lupe was tired of messing around and got to being the innovative thinker and profound lyricist we know he could be.  He continues his left-brained approach to themes within his music with his 2024 offering, Samurai.  The story behind the album has Lupe imagining the late, great Grammy Award winning singer, Amy Whinehouse, being transformed into a battle rapper. This was by design as he reportedly obtained this idea from a quote in the Whinehouse documentary, where she said she had "battle raps coming out of her".  Fiasco capitalized on this, and the result is a collection of cleverly detailed cuts that exemplify Fiasco's penchant for going left when everybody else wants to go right.  Over mostly jazzy soundscapes, mixed with the occasional slick to subdued drum programming, Fiasco is in a lane of his own and cuts like the opener title track, "Cake" and "Palaces".  Even if you don't really connect the dots of the concept of the album, one can just get enthralled by the sheer talent of Fiasco and his ability to be a technical machine all throughout the album.  He gets straightforward, yet esoteric at times, with his cadence and a rhyme scheme that plays in between dense and calculated. This is especially evidenced on the track "Mumble Rap", where he performs at his technical best and has such effortless breath control it's virtually insane.  While it's very likely he's channeling Whinehouse in the context of the structure of the album, there's a lot to himself within this conjuring of her, as he spits about the battles between his art and the business of the art on "Outside" but also denounces sacrificing one's own self for the advancement of fame on the excellent, "Bigfoot".  Lupe is an emcee's emcee, and continues to display that on Samurai, but he also displays the need to educate people on how innovative the mind can be in a conceptual and inventive form.  He clearly plays chess when others play checkers out here, and with Samurai, we continue to see some of the absolute best work this brilliant emcee can craft.

8. JPEGMAFIA

I'll Lay Down My Life For You

Production: artist

Guests: Vince Staples, Denzel Curry

One of hip-hop's most unique and experimental artists is Baltimore native, JPEGMAFIA.  The Brooklyn born, L.A. residing artist is a hodgepodge of influences put in one creative artist. While he professes to be mainly be a producer, going back to his days in the military, his love of being an emcee and singer resonates just as much.  His sounds blend elements of alternative, industrial, soul, funk, avant-garde, psychedelic, and trap, while showcasing his very good penmanship skills as well. Although his debut album, Black Ben Carson, was a decent showing, it was his follow-up, Veteran, that made more people take notice, as his highly experimental style was put on display, and started garnering him a steady following.  With subsequent albums such as LP! and All My Heroes Are Cornballs, his appeal started to grow and grow a little more at a time.  However, it was his unorthodox, yet unbelievable, collab album with another experimental hip-hop artist, Detroit's Danny Brown, Scaring The Hoes, that put him in a bigger light.  Quirky, left-brained, and very comical, Brown (and occasionally Peggy) would spit over some of the most eccentric production one could imagine in hip-hop circles, but much like albums such as Critical Beatdown, Black Elvis, Deltron 3030, and Who Told You To Think?!, this is an album that deserves to be met with open mindedness and, perhaps, some Percs to get the full effect of the sounds and lyrics that were delivered.  The chemistry was off the page, and it was a match made in hip-hop heaven.  On the heels of that highly critically acclaimed album, Peggy drops his fifth full-length album, I Lay My Life Down for You.  One would refer to this album like Prince Po and Pharoahe Monch: organized c(K)onfusion.  Sonically, this fuses more rock and industrial than any other album he's done prior, even more than Veteran.  Hard rock guitars and industrial, speed riffs are a big part of this album, but he also brings in the aforementioned psychedelic and abstract sounds that he can utilize as great if not better than most in his unchained lane.  Examples of his intensely experimental production and sounds include "Vulgar Display of Power", "It's Dark & Hell Is Hot", and the Luke-sampled "Sin Miedo", in which the rock influences mix with thick drum and percussion programming to create a hybrid of rock, bass, and effective sampling to create some of his best work to date.  On "Don't Rely On Other Men", he further utilizes the rock/bass combo with staggering results, but then we get into "Don't Put Anything On The Bible", in which we get split beat of Heavenly-sounding chords and vocals provided by Buzzy Lee (aka Steven Spielberg's very talented daughter) and a surreal mixture of live instrumentation and a beautiful vocal sample that is as intoxicating as it is sublime.  Although he shines on other cuts like the Wu-Tang sampled "Exmilitary", the dope Denzel Curry-assisted "JPEGUltra!", and the Vince Staples-collaborated, "New Black History", it's the cuts that he spills his soul on that capture the most attention from a thematic and possibly production perspective.  On "Either on Or Off the Drugs", he recalls his times being high off drugs and its effects, while on "I Recovered from This", he courageously details his personal battle with drug and alcohol recovery in such a relatable way that one can't help but empathize. Both of these tracks feature superb vocal sampled loops that almost take center stage more than his rhymes, especially on "I Recovered from This" (although it's been said that the vocal samples were AI utilized) in which its completely drum-less, but the guitar chords and stimulating strings help make this cut in particular a hypnotic experience.  It's hard to get more ambitious than his Veteran album, but I Lay Down My Life for You easily trumps it.  JPEGMAFIA has presented a rambunctious, chaotic, musically left-of-center, unconventional masterwork that, much like his work on Scaring The Hoes, will be thoroughly remembered throughout his career.  Peggy is just fine making his listeners uncomfortable, as he knows his box is no box.  One thing is for sure with Peggy, you'll never get bored of him musically, as he challenges the listener every chance he gets, and that's the true challenge of establishing and maintaining your legacy in the game.  There are often times a thin line between brilliance and insanity, and JPEGMAFIA walks that line every chance he gets with glee.

7. Roc Marciano & The Alchemist

The Skeleton Key

Production: The Alchemist

Guests: N/A

Earlier, we reviewed Roc Marci's fantastic effort from earlier this year, Marciology, and the meticulous nature of that album.  We thought we were done with Marci for the year, but boy oh boy were we wrong.  In a very pleasantly surprising twist, Uncle Al stated that "This year wasn't over yet" on his social media account, which immediately perked our ears up, as Alchemist has been completely undefeated this year.  When the announcement was made that it was another Marci & Al album, without having to hear a single track, heads already knew what time it was and that we would be in for another awe-inspiring effort from these two legends.  In 2022, these two delivered one of the best albums this decade with The Elephant Man's Bones. An album that was either at or near the top of most people's year-end lists for very good reason. The chemistry (ahem) between the two is simply magic. An aesthetic that very few emcee/producer duos can reach and sustain.  With this announcement, heads were immediately predicting another instant classic with The Skeleton Key.  Did we get one with this like we did with The Elephant Man's Bones? Let's break it down.  Marci on this effort comes off more methodical and strategic than he did on TEMB.  He was more pizzazz and luxurious gangsta, much like the likes of Meyhem Lauren and Westside Gunn. On The Skeleton Key, he's more Conway and Rome Streetz.  He's more cold-blooded and calculating here, and the perfect backdrops for him, as Al provides him with more sinister, ominous samplings and minimal percussion at times.  Case in point would be the first single and video, "Chopstick", in which we get a two-note horn sample and a brooding backdrop for Marci to talk his shit effectively.  On the track, "Make Sure", we get a minimal percussion track with dramatic strings as Roc spits flashy thug rhetoric as is typical Marci but gets just as flamboyant hoodsta on other haunting sounding cuts like "Rauf", "Knock it Off", and the psychedelic-sounding, "Cryotherapy".  He flaunts his diamonds and guns on "Chateau Josue", while proclaiming "heads fall on the floor like spaghetti sauce" on the drum-less beast "Street Magic".  As he continues his aesthetic of crime boss meets Dolemite on other cuts like "Acid", "Steak Skirt", and "Mystery God", it's clear his message is the same no matter how elegant or sinister the production is.  Marci is the cat that will spray off a whole round with Gucci shades on and his wrists frostbitten with ice, and The Skelton Key is just another example of this in its most outstanding way.  With The Elephant Man's Bones sounding lusher and more elegant in nature thanks to more jazz nightclub-oriented sounds mixed with soul sprinklings, The Skeleton Key is grimmer and more perilous in sounds, thus making it sound more gangsta than luxurious fly shit.  Make no mistake about it, The Skeleton Key is another instant treasure and affirms the epitome of how much Marci and Uncle Al bring the best out of each other.  Since their days of tracks like "Papercuts", "Flash Gordon", and "The Turning Point" in the early 2010s, there's always been something unique and special about these two together. With albums like TEMB and The Skeleton Key, it's apparent there aren't too many more dangerous of a hip-hop duo, than Rakheim and Alan together.

6. Doechii

Alligator Bites Never Heal

Production: Kal Banx, Childish Major, Devin Malik, Monte Booker, others

Guests: N/A

2024 has delivered a number of notable newcomers and up-and-comers to the scene. Some have been critically acclaimed, and others have been just here for a quick spin to say they've garnered notice. Not really caring about longevity and impact, but more so about fame and money.  When it comes to L.A. resident (by way of Tampa, FL), Doechii, she may easily be among the top newcomers with among the brightest futures.  The newest star of the TDE camp made a name for herself with her mixtape, Oh The Places You'll Go, along with other guest appearances and a couple of EPs.  With her third mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal, this is her first official mixtape under the TDE banner, and what a fantastic showing she made.  Her style has been compared to the likes of Missy Elliot, Lauryn Hill, Azaelia Banks, and Tierra Whack, mixing very nice singing vocals with just as impressive rhymes and delivery. She also blends various musical styles as well, with a range that expands from pop influence to hip-hop, some Gospel, and soul.  One can truly imagine her doing a Pop cut with Taylor Swift, go do a cut with Kid Cudi, and turn around and do a cut with Jay Rock all in one day on the same project.  With "Boom Bap" being the first official release from this mixtape, one could tell there was promise there, and for anyone that didn't sleep on her previous works knew what the rest of us didn't know: this was only the beginning.  The sounds on this mixtape are almost as versatile as she is herself, although the majority of the project is R&B/Soul centered.  She adopts her hip-hop passion and expresses it out loud on very notable tracks like the aforementioned "Boom Bap", "Stanka Pooh", and "Bullfrog".  Never one to shy away from choices she's made or lifestyle she embraces, she stouts her open bisexuality on "Nissan Altima", but also mentioning label issues on the repeat-worthy "Boiled Peanuts" and the tale of her being cheated on by an ex-lover with the same sex on "Denial Is a River".  She has fun when she shit talks and delivers playful sass and attitude on "Catfish", in which she channels her inner Busta Rhymes for a spell on the cut but turns around and questions why she's even friendly within the business as she ends up doing nothing but regretting it on the intriguing "Death Roll".  She switches to melodic and full-on singing on tremendous cuts such as the sexually charming "Slide", the breakup ode "Beverly Hills", and "Bloom", which has her differentiating between her dreams and her realities.  While not a top to bottom perfect mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal is still a stellar project from the "Swamp Princess".  The talent that dwells in this young lady is star- making, and this is obvious as she has been nominated for a few awards at the upcoming Grammy Awards, including this particular project here.  Her knack of honesty, poignancy, and effortless charisma shines in the land of SZA, Jay Rock, Schoolboy, and Soulo.  Expect even better things when her official full-length drops in 2025. We haven't seen ANYTHING yet.

5. Rome Streetz & Daringer

Hatton Garden Holdup

Production: Daringer

Guests: Westside Gunn, Conway The Machine, Meyhem Lauren, Cormega, Schoolboy Q

The man responsible for underground bangers like HeadCrack, the Noize Candy mixtape series, and his collaborative effort with DJ Muggs, Death & The Magician, delivered not just one of the single best debut albums in Griselda's decade-plus history, but one of the single best albums of 2022.  Earlier in the year, he dropped his EP, Buck 50, with frequent collaborator, Wavy Da Gahwd, and it was as gutter as anything you'd expect from Rome (as we had reviewed earlier).  However, Rome stated later he had a project lined up with Griselda's go-to in-house beatsmith, Daringer, and the streets were practically frothing at the mouth. Daringer's signature dusty, lo-fi, boneyard boom-bap would be custom made for Rome's no-nonsense street narratives. We finally got the album, Hatton Garden Holdup, and it instantly elevated Rome's status in the game a little more.  Filled with the haunting and sinister production Daringer is frequently known to construct, Rome just abuses these tracks on cuts like "Jimi's Headband", the ScHoolboy Q-assisted, "Sage", "Drive By", and the drum-less, "Spike".  When left to his own vices, Rome isn't trying to expand his thematic horizons, but over this consistently impressive, production, he doesn't need to. He can easily stick to the gameplan by crafting tales of revenge, drug sales, shootouts, and hustling and he does them as good as anybody you'd hear from when this type of hip-hop flooded the airwaves in the nineties. The first single, "Starbxvks", is a prime example of how Rome can bring in occasionally witty rhymes but stick to the script of the grittiness and dirt-under-the-fingernails aura of the cut.  His taste for the good life is also on display on the outright bumping "!00 Schemes", while bringing merciless rhymes with fellow Griselda-mate Conway The Machine on the ominous "Pro Tro", which has more of a traditional Daringer sound than most of the cuts on here.  While other cuts like the Meyhem Lauren-assisted "Cadillac Smoke", the Cormega-collaborated "Weight of The World", "Heavy Traffic", and the knocking "Space X" all exemplify the magic Rome and Daringer possess, Hatton Garden Holdup as a whole is simply stunning in terms of sonic precision meeting gully storytelling and penmanship.  While it's not far off to compare this album with Death & The Magician with Muggs, this album has Rome more in his bag and even more confident in his abilities.  It's clear Rome may be the next big star of Griselda, picking up where Benny and Conway left off at within the label itself.  Plus, this was another example that Daringer won't be just considered a Great Value version of The Alchemist. He's a monster in his own right, and respect on his name continues to be mandatory.

4. Cavalier & Child Actor

CINE

Production: Child Actor

Guests: ELUCID, Quelle Chris

Someone that has had a damn good year critically has been New Orleans native, Cavalier.  Although he's more know by being associated on the mic with frequent collaborator, Quelle Chris, he's no stranger to delivering his own material.  Aside from his projects with quelle such as the acclaimed Death Tape 1 in 2023 and this year's Death Tape 2: We Gon' Need Each Other, he has dropped fairly good stuff such as 2014's CHIEF and 2018's very good, Private Stock, and its follow-up, Lemonade.  However, earlier this year, Cav dropped what has to be considered the album of his career in Different Type Time.  Cav's abstract, yet thematically relevant, ideas and lyrics, mixed with fantastic jazz-meets-psychedelic production made this album one of the single best projects of 2024 (see later).  Capitalizing off the tremendous acclaim from Different Type Time and the aforementioned Death Tape 2, he collaborated with underground production marvel, Child Actor, to deliver CINE.  Dedicated to the neighborhood he came up in, this album brings you right on in to how his upbringing was and everything he saw, did, and recollected.  He gets his singing on with the first single, "Sacrifice", but gets personal with cuts like "Sojourn", "Minthe", and "Dassit".  It takes a very touching turn on the somber "Judy Is Forever", which is a tribute to an important woman in Cav's life who played a great deal in his younger upbringing who's no longer with us.  Over one of the sweetest melodies you'll find all year, Cav says a virtual thank you to this special woman and promises to "get the coffee and the cornbread".  He also details how the streets almost took him under and decided to head on the right path on "Gifted & talented", while giving props to his lady on the sensual "Pole Position".  The track, "Moonlight Crush" has him, Quelle, and ELUCID spitting over a moody yet fitting beat and each man bringing their own brand of abstract dopeness and tremendous penmanship, especially the ever-astounding ELUCID.  While noticeably shorter than Different Type Time at ten tracks, not a single track is wasted. Child Actor, with all his previous work with the likes of Armand Hammer, Open Mike Eagle, ShrapKnel, and others, may have provided some of his single best work on CINE, and Cavalier presented us a personal and insightful look at the makings of how he came to be within his old Brooklyn community.  Actor provided an outstanding score that represented each chapter in his life that was of substance sonically, and Cav ended up being three out of three for best work in 2024.  

3. Armand Hammer

BLK LBL

Production: Messiah Muzik, E L U C I D, JPEGMAFIA, August Fanon, Kenny Segal, Child Actor, Aesop Rock, others

Guests: Dreamchaser, others

The ever allusive, yet highly intriguing, appeal of E L U C I D and billy woods as Armand Hammer is damn near worth studying.  They've captivated hip-hop's underground in such a way that anything they drop immediately catches heavy buzz.  With a discography that's already pretty dope as a whole, they hit the highest of critical acclaim in their respective and collective careers with the Alchemist-blessed HARAM, only to be followed by the massively ambitious and experimental, We Buy Diabetic Test Strips the very next year out the blue.  Earlier in the year, Armand Hammer would do small venue shows but would distribute an exclusive project not released for retail but for people in attendance in the form of BLK LBL, which serves as the sequel to their WHT LBL album of 2022.  Much like WHT LBL, BLK LBL serves a project full of unreleased cuts and cutting room floor songs from this intense NY duo, and this ends up being compiled into quite the grim, bleak, and morose project.  Those familiar with their albums of Paraffin and HARAM would especially appreciate the majority of this album, as this album paints pictures of paranoia and the destitution of a society gone awry.  With both woods and E L U C I D bringing some of the enthralling lyrics around in modern hip-hop, cuts like "Fulgurite", the wayward senses of "Which Way Is Up", and the despair of "Zaire" are especially entrenched in such gloom and caution that one would think there's a downward spiral woods and E L U C I D are either imagining or prophesying.  E L U C I D's horror imagery comes in with the opening cut, "Colony", which has him seemingly combat a colony of rats in his building in such a way it would please Alfred Hitchcock if he were alive to write it.  Meanwhile, woods' solo cut, "Read Your Bible" is chilling. A tale of a guy that is going through addiction, a pregnancy scare, poverty, and the streets is among the most surreal cuts we may have ever been graced to hear from woods. From there, other cuts like "Tupac Jackets", "Busta In '97", "Ox Blood", and the stunning "Tar Baby" all exemplify the psychotic penmanship and imagery that is the world Armand Hammer paints.  Fascinating, yet ominous and at times harrowing, Armand Hammer brings us into the abyss with occasional witty lines and always thought-provoking Quotables with BLK LBL. As was earlier reviewed when it came to E L U C I D's Revelator, this album, too, is an album that forces one to not sit still and squirm uncomfortably throughout the majority of this project. E L U C I D and woods are among the most visual writers of this or any era in hip-hop and this album is yet another compelling example of why they may be the most feared duo you never knew were actually here to save you.

2. Cavalier

Different Type Time

Production: Child Actor, Quelle Chris, Ahwlee, Jacob Rochester, others

Guests: Quelle Chris, others

Earlier, we reviewed Cavalier's CINE, his joint effort with excellent underground producer, Child Actor (whom Uncle Al gave tons of rightful props to in a recent interview).  Cav's need to bring us into his autobiographical world growing up in the CINE community in Brooklyn before his voyage to New Orleans captured a man that had quite the story on him and was seen as a trip down memory lane.  This was not the only project he dropped this year.  In April, Cav dropped what many considered to be the best underground album of the year in Different Type Time.  This being his first effort on the ever-intriguing Backwoodz Studioz label (Armand Hammer, ShrapKnel, Fatboi Sharif, Curly Castro, billy woods, E L U C I D, etc.), we knew this would be an interesting album, given that Backwoodz has already delivered some of the most abstract hip-hop of the past several years.  This friend and collaborator with Quelle Chris dropped off a true gem of an album with Different Type Time and the evidence was early with his lead-off single, "Custard Spoons" and the follow-up "Pears".  The left-field poetics of the New Orleans-by-way-of Brooklyn resident are certainly to be broken down and repeated in order to fully absorb his message and sentiments at times.  The point of this album is to move at his own pace, not at the pace and timing that the world feels that he should. Basically, it's he vs. himself, and the resulting freedom that comes from this state of mind.  He expresses this on the opening intro track which also serves as the title track.  From there, he stays in this mode with other excellent tracks like "Cojme Proper" and the jewel dropping "All Things Considered", but it's when he gets introspective and open that he truly shines on the brightest moments on the album.  On the cut, "Told You", he reflects on his troubled and saddening upbringing.  Reminiscing on his struggles and his ill-fated choices, it's a track many in the streets can easily identify with if you're a good cat that made decisions they could make given desperate circumstances.  Also, on "Think About It", he deciphers what love can look like in all of its complexities, whether misconstrued, passionate, or distorted in what can only be seen as one of Cav's most poignant and candid moments within his career.  He also gets truly poetic on the mesmerizing sounds of "Touchtones", in which he details a breakup and the ramifications that he's going through emotionally and mentally trying to maintain.  The thing about Cav is that he's very relatable in every aspect.  In some sort of way, we all (especially us men) can identify with him somehow. From his self-identity and respect to heartbreak to lessons learned along the way, Cav spits with innovativeness and forward thinking that if you're not in tune with his technicolor ideologies, his words will fly over your head, much like Quelle.  The unorthodox nature of his lyricism on cuts like "Lazurus" is a fine example of this. Over an outstanding psychedelic-boom bap track, Cav is in his "Purple" mode like Nas was, as he's spitting different concepts and ideas that have no central meaning while stoned, except that he's free-flowing whatever thoughts come into his head. His technical ability in this cut is sharp, and the more you listen to this this track, the more you get a little bit more understanding of how this organized mess actually has a purpose.  Meanwhile, on "Badvice", he spits about not being dumb in the midst of major decisions and adversities with plenty of jewels he can attest to.  By the time we've hit the closing track, "Flourish", it's clear Cav is an outstanding writer, emcee, and visionary.  An abstract mind with poignant, yet at times complicated, vision and lyricism, Cavalier delivered perhaps the single best underground album of the year with Different Type Time.  Over some of the most engaging production of 2024 by the likes of Child Actor, Quelle, Ahwlee, Jacob Lancaster, Lowkey, and Ohbliv (along with himself doing a few tracks co-producing with Quelle), this is an album that meets an entire new benchmark for Cavalier. His view of the world and his life not adjusting to the rules of the society and culture, while being content in the lane he's in is a measuring stick for those that comfortable in the skin they're in and not worried about time passing them by. The only time that matters is your own, and Cavalier's time is right now.

1. Common & Pete Rock

The Auditorium Vol. 1

Production: Pete Rock

Guests: Bilal, Posdnous of De La Soul, Jenifer Hudson, PJ

Chi-town's finest emcee, Common, is no stranger to all-time classic albums. We knew he was capable of dropping them when he delivered '94's outstanding, Resurrection, in a year that saw other seminal landmarks such as Illmatic, The Diary, and Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik drop.  He repeated his formula of crafting exceptional releases with 2000's breakthrough, Like Water for Chocolate, which spanned the Grammy nominated-single, "The Light", and he tasted his first bit of platinum success, thus officially becoming a household name.  After getting understandable, yet misunderstood, flack for his follow-up album, Electric Circus, he went back to the corners and the basement of Chicago and collaborated with another Chi-town legend, Kanye West, to deliver Be, an album that has been compared to Illmatic, in terms of fluidity, lyrical sharpness, highly engaging production, and a golden era spirit of beats, rhymes, and no fluff and filler.  Subsequent albums such as Finding Forever, The Dreamer, The Believer, his amazing Black America Again, his August Greene project with Grammy winners, Robert Glaspar and Karreim Riggins, and most recently A Beautiful Revolution Vols. 1 & 2 all would continue to solidify his legacy as one of the most phenomenal talents to ever touch a microphone. Fast forward to last year in 2023 when he announced he was doing a collaborative project with the legendary Pete Rock and buzz and anticipation was swift and high.  After dropping the teaser single, "Tryin", things were already looking great. The announcement was made that their debut collab album, The Auditorium Vol. 1, was dropping over the summer, and just based upon the single "Wise Up" and the follow-up single, "Day Dreaming", it was more than obvious we were in for a very, very special moment.  Did it live up to the hype? If the aforementioned cuts didn't convince you, then all you had to do was peep the first cut on the album, "Chi-Town Do It" and the excellently sampled "This Man" and any questions should be answered profoundly with positivity.  What Pete is able to do is very similar to what Kanye was able to do with Common: bring the beast out of him.  While we absolutely appreciate pro-Black, pro-women, socially conscious Common, it's the exceptional battle tested emcee that is even more acclaimed, and this is none more prevalent than on the monumental cut "Stellar".  Over the most neck-snapping cut on the album, Common blacks completely out and delivers a rhyme pattern where he's trying to keep up with the knocking tempo and does so masterfully. To say this is among the most lyrically exceptional performances we've ever heard from Common is putting it mildly.  The title alone is beyond appropriate, as this is a TRULY stellar cut (not to mention this cut is this reviewer's personal favorite cut of 2024).  It doesn't stop here, however, as cuts like "We're on Our Way", "So Many People", and "All Kind of Ideas" progress his sharp as hell pen over Rock's juicy, funky, and crisp production.  He doesn't lack in meaningful rhymes, as is evidence with cuts like the collab with fiancé Jenifer Hudson, "A God (There Is)", the touching Bilal/Posdnous-assisted, "When the Sun Shines Again", and "Fortunate".  Once we get to the tremendous "Now & Then", it's clear Common and Pete Rock delivered an album that not only met the hype but even surpassed it. As extraordinary as Be was, The Auditorium Vol. 1 may be just as special, if not more.  Pete Rock provided Common with some of the best production we've heard from him in a long time, with beats that conjure up some of his most decorated moments such as The Main Ingredient, Soul Survivor, Statue of Limitations, and Center of Attention.  The soul samples he spins are as cleverly used as anything he's ever done and the funky percussion programming fits so well with Common's go for broke style of emceeing.  Not to mention, Rock still has lethal hands on the wheels of steel, as evidenced on cuts like "Stellar" and "Wise Up", where he delivers excellent scratching talents.  Folks, in today's era of hip-hop, to have an album this special is a rare find, but The Auditorium Vol. 1 is just that: special.  If there was such a thing as the quintessential hip-hop album of today's climate, except no substitutes than The Auditorium Vol. 1. Not only is this one of Common's best, one can make an argument that this, after over thirty years of holding and blessing the mic, may very well BE his very best. Did we mention this album is also nominated for a couple of Grammy Awards?? With the word that there's a Vol. 2 coming in 2025, the bar has set unbelievably high for them to replicate, if not succeed, this extraordinary album, but it's apparent that if they did it once, they can do it again. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, for this century, this is what we legit call a FLAWLESS album.

Folks, this was one of the MONSTER years that we will reflect on years from now and see just how nuts this year was for hip-hop.  There was literally something and someone for everyone this year.  For every one that was into the likes of GloRilla, Megan, Lahto, Playboi Carti, and Drake, there were just as many that were into the likes of Tha God Fahim, Common, Nas, Che Noir, 38 Spesh, Ransom, and Blu, but there were also many that were into more abstract, unconventional artists such as Armand Hammer, ShrapKnel, E L U C I D, and Navy Blue.  It's going to be hard to meet or surpass the benchmark this year has left within hip-hop, as many have compared this year to aforementioned years such as 2015, 2000, or '96, and these are very highly memorable years.  What's 2025 looking like? Well, efforts from the likes of Common & Pete Rock's Auditorium Vol. 2, PRhyme, Pharoahe Monch, Rome Streetz & Conductor Williams, Westside Gunn, Benny The Butcher, Conway, Griselda (group album), MULTIPLE Boldy James efforts, Busta Rhymes, Lil' Wayne, Yasiin Bey & The Alchemist, and the MUCH anticipated, thirty-plus years in the making collab album with Nas and DJ Premier are all slated for release Let this all sink in. 2025 could very well step up to the task of meeting and maybe surpassing the standard 2024 has set for the game.  The most anticipated 2025 albums you can actually check out very, very soon. Until then, check out these, the Honorable Mentions list, and others that you may have missed out on.  2024 was enormous, so let's celebrate it like it is.  Have an outstanding and bless 2025!

Honorable Mentions

Ransom & Harry Fraud- Lavish Misery EP

Benny The Butcher & 38 Spesh- Stabbed & Shot 2

Quelle Chris, Cavalier, & Denmark Vessey- Death Tape 2: We Gon' Need Each Other

Ab-Soul- Soul Burger

The Game & Big Hit- Paisley Dreams EP

JasonMartin & DJ Quik- Chupacabra

Che Noir- Lotus Child EP

Che Noir- The Color Chocolate EP

Willie The Kid & V DON- Deutsche Marks 3

Larry June- Doing It For Me

CRIMEAPPLE, RLX, & DJ Muggs- Los Pollos Hermanos

Blu & Exile- Love (the) Ominous World

Blu & Evidence- Los Angeles

Action Bronson- JOHAN SEBASTIAN BAKLAVA THE DOCTOR

Recognize Ali- As You Sow, You Shall Reap

Recognize Ali- Underground King 3

Recognize Ali- A Kind Word & A Gun

Hit-Boy & The Alchemist- Theodore & Andre EP

CRIMEAPPLE & Preservation- El Lion

CRIMEAPPLE & Big Ghost LTD- BAZUKO

CRIMEAPPLE & Apollo Brown- This Is Not That

Chuck Strangers- A Forsaken Lover's Plea

Boldy James & Nicholas Craven- Penalties of Leadership

Awon & Parental- Sublime

Awon & Phoniks- Golden Age 2

Estee Nack & Futurewave- Stone Temple Pyrex

Estee Nack & giallo Point- Papitas 2

Mickey Diamond & Big Ghost LTD- Gucci Ghost 4

Mickey Diamond- It's 5 O' Clock Somewhere

Mickey Diamond & Ral Duke- Super Shredder

Mickey Diamond & Big Ghost LTD- Gucci Gambinos

Ras Kass, RJ Payne, & Havoc are GTTR- Everything Is...

VEGA7 The Ronin & Bodybag Ben- Kawasaki Killaz

Santana Foxx- Eye Candy

DJ Muggs & Raz Fresco- The Eternal Now

DJ Muggs & Mooch- ROCSTAR

ShrapKnel- Nobody Planning to Leave

Planet Asia & Local Astronauts- No Retirement

Navy Blue- Memoirs in Armour

Pro Zay & Sadhugold- Pulled Gold Out the Mud

Ty Farris- Enigma with An Attitude

XP The Marxman & Bodybag Ben- Good Times, Bad Times

Eto- Long Way Home

Daniel Son & Futurewave- Bushman Bodega

Flee Lord- Raised in the Sand

Nuse Tyrant- Juxtaposed echoes

Cunninlynguists- The Heartstringed Theory EP Pt. 1

Talib Kweli & J. Rawls- The Confidence of Knowing

Dave East & AraabMuzik- Living Proof

Philmore Greene- The Grand Design

Sadhugold- The Ballad of D.B. Cooper

Ransom, Conway The Machine, & V DON- Chaos Is My Ladder Too

Tha God Fahim & Cartune Beatz- Machine Gun Massacre

Tha God Fahim & Nicholas Craven- Tha Myth Who Never Quit 2

Tha God Fahim & Nicholas Craven- Tha Myth Who Never Quit 3

Tha God Fahim & Nicholas Craven- Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap

Tha God Fahim & Nicholas Craven- Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 2

Tha God Fahim & Nicholas Craven- Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 3

Tha God Fahim- Dump GOAT 2

Joell Ortiz & The Heatmakerz- W.A.R.

MC Lyte- 1 Of 1

Pro Dillinger & Futurewave- Dirtwave

Conductor Williams- Conductor, We Have a Problem 3

Ice Cube- Man Down

Mutant Academy- Talk Soon EP

Freeway & Jake One- The Stimulus Package 2

Marv Won- I'm Good, Thanks For Asking

Heem- Barz & Noble

Sule- Written on Widen's Corner

Kota The Friend- Lyrics to Go Vol. 5

Mike Shabb- Sewaside 3

Mike Shabb & Nicholas Craven- Shadow Moses EP

Slum Village- F.U.N.

RJ Payne- Hellrayzer

Brother Ali- Love & Service

Chyna Streetz- From Hell to Chanel

Denzel Curry- King of The Mischievous South

Chino XL- Darkness & Other Colors

Redman- Muddy Waters Too

Kurious- Majician

As per usual, here's a playlist of several of the best heard cuts throughout this year:

Common & Pete Rock- "Stellar" (production: Pete Rock)

Benny The Butcher- "TMVTL" (production: The Alchemist)

Nas & DJ Premier- "Define My Name" (production: DJ Premier)

Masta Ace & Marco Polo feat. Blu- "Below The Clouds" (production: Marco Polo)

Hit-Boy & The Alchemist- "MORRISSEY" (production: The Alchemist)

Snoop Dogg feat. Jelly Roll- "Last Dance With Mary Jane" (production: Dr. Dre & Sam Sneed)

ScHoolboy Q- "Blueslides" (production: Tae Beast, Mario Luchiano, & Jason Wool)

Snoop Dogg feat. Daz Dillinger- "Can U Dig That?" (production: DJ Premier)

Ransom & Harry Fraud feat. Boldy James- "Live From The Roxy" (production: Harry Fraud)

Skyzoo & The Other Guys- "God Bless The King" (production: The Other Guys)

Sule feat. Benny The Butcher- "Made For It" (production: Harlem Zone & Nyckles)

Roc Marciano feat. Knowledge The Pirate, GRE8GAWD- "Larry Bird" (production: artist)

Estee Nack & Futurewave- "DATEWITDEF" (production: Futurewave)

J. Cole feat. Cam'ron- "Ready '24" (production: T-Minus, DZL, & AzizTheSnake)

Apathy- "No One Can Hear You Scream In Space" (production: Playa Haze)

Roc Marciano feat. Jay Worthy- "On the Run" (production: artist)

Snoop Dogg- "Shangri-La" (production: Dr. Dre & Sam Sneed)

E L U C I D- "IKEBANA" (production: artist)

Rome Streetz & Daringer feat. Conway The Machine- "Pro Tro" (production: Daringer)

The Alchemist- "Everybody's Favorite Uncle" (production: artist)

7XVETHEGENIUS- "The Genius" (production: Daringer)

AHNKLEJOHN- "Gorilla Warfare" (production: The Alchemist)

Doechii- "FIREFLIES" (production: Monte Booker)

Ransom, Conway The Machine, & V DON- "Nefarious" (production: V DON)

Rome Streetz & Daringer- "StarbVXkz" (production: Daringer)

Juicy J feat. Emi Secrest, Robert Glaspar- "To You" (production: Robert Glaspar)

MAVI feat. Malaya- "Open Waters"

Logic- "Paul Rodriguez" (production: artist & 6ix)

Navy Blue- "Red Roses" (production: artist)

Dave East & Harry Fraud- "Questions" (production: Harry Fraud)

Chyna Streetz & 183rd- "Emerald City" (production: 183rd)

Vega7 The Ronin & Bodybag Ben- "New Jack" (production: Bodybag Ben)

Chuck Strangers- "Sunset Park" (production: artist)

Recognize Ali- "Toasters" (production: Nickel Plated)

Mickey Diamond- "The Shooter Remains Anonymous" (production: Wavy Da Gahwd)

JPEGMAFIA- "Either on Or Off the Drugs" (production: artist)

CRIMEAPPLE & Michaelangelo- "BIG BROTHER" (production: Michaelangelo)

Eminem feat. JID- "Fuel" (production: artist, Denaun Porter)

Blu & Evidence- "The LA" (production: Evidence)

Action Bronson- "Doctor" (production: Daringer)

Previous Industries- "White Hen" (production: Smoke Bonito)

Your Old Droog- "Grandmother's Lessons" (production: Wino Wylie)

Da Beatminerz feat. The Villainz- "Fear None" (production: artist)

Boldy James & Conductor Williams feat. Bo Jack- "All Madden" (production: Conductor Williams)

Lupe Fiasco- "Bigfoot" (production: Sountrakk)

NxWorries- "86Centra" (production: Knxwledge)

Ty Farris- "The Enigma" (production: Don Carrera)

Tha Dogg Pound feat. Lady Of Rage, RBX, Snoop Dogg- "Who Da Hardest" (production: DJ Premier)

Big Hit, Hit-Boy, & The Alchemist- "Drug Tzar" (production: The Alchemist)

Heem feat. Jay Worthy- "RNS" (production: ILL Tone)

Mach-Hommy- "GUGGENHEIM JEUNE" (production: Sadhugold)

Rapsody feat. Alex Isley- "Loose Rocks" (production: S1)

Raz Fresco & Daniel Son- "FROSTBITE" (production: artist)

Chance The Rapper- "Together" (production: DJ Premier)

Killer Mike feat. Mighty Midnight Revival, Bishop Andrew Potter- "Slummers For Junkies" (production: Warryn Campbell, Cuz Lightyear, P-Dot)

Conway The Machine feat. T.F., 2 Eleven, Jay Worthy, Ab-Soul- "Surf & Turf" (production: Conductor Williams)

Kendrick Lamar- "Meet the Grahams" (production: The Alchemist)

Rome Streetz & Wavy Da Gahwd- "92 Mike" (production: Wavy Da Gahwd)

Slum Village feat. Robert Glaspar- "Since 92" (production: Robert Glapsar)

Kooley High- "The Freshest" (production: Tuamie)

Cavalier- "Touchtones" (production: Aummaah)

Gangrene- "Cloud Surfing" (production: Oh No)

Roc Marciano & The Alchemist- "Cryotherapy" (production: The Alchemist)

Skyzoo feat. JRose- "Community Service" (production: JR Swiftz)

Kendrick Lamar- "Man at The Garden" (production: Sounwave, M-Tech, Reese)

Cordae- "06 Dreamin" (production: Smoko Ono, FnZ)

Fly Anakin- "Marley & Me" (production: Cleto Artez)

Cavalier & Child Actor- "Knight of The East" (production: Child Actor)

Lloyd Banks- "Season of The Psychos" (production: Cartune Beatz)

Freddie Gibbs- "Origami" (production: BYNX)

Westside Gunn & DJ Drama- "Duran Duran" (production: JR Swiftz)

Saba & No I.D.- "How To Impress God" (production: No I.D.)

Gangstarr- "Finishem" (production: DJ Premier)

Benny The Butcher & 38 Spesh feat. OT The Real- "Internal Affairs" (production: Daringer)

Conductor Williams & Rome Streetz- "Get Away" (production: Conductor Williams)

Mutant Academy- "Space Time Continuum" (production: Ewonnee)

38 Spesh feat. Benny The Butcher, Che Noir- "Underestimated" (production: Rain910)

Awon & Phoniks feat. Anti Lilly- "Gold Dust" (production: Phoniks)

JasonMartin & DJ Quik feat. Free Nationals, George Clinton, Wiz Khalifa, Channel Tres- "Two Hi" (production: DJ Quik)

Redman feat. Artifacts, Shaquille O' Neal, Channel Live, Naughty By Nature, Nikki D, Lords of the Underground, Lady Luck, Heather B, Rah Digga- "Lite It Up" (production: artist)

Ab-Soul- "9 Mile" (production: Python P, OMA)

Westside Gunn- "Cain Tejada" (production: Denny LeFlare)

The Alchemist- "Floppy Disk" (production: artist)

Boldy James & Harry Fraud feat. Benny The Butcher- "Rabies"