Tend to do this every year, for anyone that's interested here's some of my favourites with short reviews

1) Nas - Magic

Top 3: Speechless, 40-16 Building, Dedicated
Worst Track: NA
Best Feature: A$AP Rocky
Worst Feature: NA
Length: 29 Minutes

Three quality albums in under 2 years, Nas has hit another prime, and while features and production choices on some songs on KD 1 & 2 aren’t quite to my taste (Brunch on Sunday’s, Replace Me, Til the War is Won) although certainly not bad, he literally doesn’t put a foot wrong on this one, no weird features, no trap beats, just hard raps and really great production. What’s not to like?!

2) KA - A Martyr's Reward

Top 3: I Notice, I Need All That, Everybody Up
Worst Track: NA
Best Feature: Navy Blue
Worst Feature: NA
Length: 41 Minutes

Ka doesn’t miss, and up until Christmas Eve he had my favourite rap album of the year, this one feels less thematic and more personal and I absolutely love it, his voice is more weathered, his lyrics are more personal, such a great album.

3) Boldy James - Bo Jackson

Top 3: EPMD, Fake Flowers, Illegal Search & Seizure
Worst Track: NA
Best Feature: Freddie Gibbs
Worst Feature: NA
Length: 44 Minutes

This album may well be better than TPOTIC, much like Nas and Hit-Boy, the more Boldy and Alchemist work together the better they get (Super Tecmo Bo doesn’t count ). In another super impressive year for Alchemist this is his finest moment as far as production goes, the features are perfect and Boldy over delivers on the lyric side and to me is to street raps what Pusha is to dope raps, an absolute specialist.

4) Armand Hammer - Haram

Top 3: Chicharonnes, Sir Benni Miles, Aubergine
Worst Track: NA
Best Feature: Qualle Chris
Worst Feature: NA
Length: 40 Minutes

Some of Alchemists most left field production and the weird vocal samples fit it perfectly, as always Billy Woods and Elucid are very strong (and cryptic) lyrically and the only reason this isn’t higher is because for some reason I find it brings my mood down after listening, even though I love it as an album.

5) Nas - King's Disease 2

Top 3: Store Run, The Pressure, Nas is Good
Worst Track: Brunch on Sunday’s
Best Feature: Lauren Hill
Worst Feature: A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie
Length: 52 Minutes

This is a great album, as is the first one. As much as I loved the Nas resurgence with hit boy, up until “Magic” I’d kind of accepted that the union would come with two compromises, one being the occasional trap beat and the second one being questionable features on a couple of tracks. As a result, neither KD’s are perfect to me, but neither have a terrible track as such, just a couple of tracks not to my taste. Having said that the majority of this album is absolutely beautiful, Nas sounds inspired and Hit does a great job behind the boards… I have a feeling the third one will be the best of the series.

6) Tyler the Creator - Call me if you get Lost

Top 3: Manifesto, Hot Wind Blows, Massa
Worst Track: Sweet
Best Feature: Lil Wayne
Worst Feature: 42 Dugg
Length: 53 Minutes

For some reason I see a lot of hate for this album. Personally I think it’s a quality album with a nice spin on the Gangsta Grillz tapes giving it that more gritty feel than the usual Tyler albums which is at odds with a lot of the more (insanely) luxurious lyrics. The Loose theme running through the album brings it all together. This is easily my most played Tyler album and an album I find myself returning to a lot this year.

7) Westside Gunn - Hitler Wears Hermes 8 (Side A & B)

Top 3 Side A: Bash Money, Spoonz, Westheimer
Top 3 Side B: Hell on Earth pt. 2, 99 Avirex, Richies
Worst Track: Survivor Series 95
Best Feature: Lil Wayne/AZ
Worst Feature: Flee Lord
Length: 40 Minutes/64 Minutes

Whilst not quite at the level of last years magnum opus Pray for Paris, this is still a very strong entry into Gunn’s huge discography and demonstrates his phenomenal ability as a curator, getting the best out of all his features, including show stealing verses by AZ and now regular Griselda collaborator 2 Chainz. Rome Streetz, also adding to his Griselda buzz with another great showing on this one. Side A more concise but doesn’t have as many big moments and has way too much Stove God for a solo tape (even though he does his thing). Wayne gives one of his best verses this year, there really isn’t a lot to complain about, but it did fell a little underwhelming when it dropped, although I have found myself coming back to it more than I thought.

8) Mach-Hommy - Balens Cho (Hot Candles)

Top 3: Self Luh, Labou, Separation of the Sheep and the Goats
Worst Track: NA
Best Feature: Tha God Fahim
Worst Feature: NA
Length: 24 Minutes

I didn’t love Pray for Haiti, I wanted to, I just didn’t! This on the other hand is a phenomenal tape, Cravens production is a perfect fit for Mach (even though the best track is by Conductor Williams). I haven’t come back to this as much as I’ve wanted to since it dropped which is why it’s not above WSG at this point for me.

9) Navy Blue - Navy's Reprise

Top 3: Code of Honour, Ritual, Peach Cobbler
Worst Track: Suite 11
Best Feature: demahjiae
Worst Feature: NA
Length: 39 Minutes

It took me forever to hear this since it didn’t drop on streaming for a few months, but damn… I think this is my favourite Navy Blue tape, his voice has always been a bit of a barrier to me (nothing particularly wrong with it, it just doesn’t resonate with me as much as his lyrics do), but he’s outdone himself with both production and pen game on this one.

10) Curren$y - Regatta

Top 3: Purchasing Power, Super Series, Key West Classic
Worst Track: The Venture Cup
Best Feature: Styles P
Worst Feature: Jay Worthy
Length: 21 Minutes

Curren$y is really at his best with Harry Fraud (and Alchemist), this feels like more of an EP than Outrunners, but is still a nice little addiction to the Spitta/Fraud catalog which is about as consistent and prolific as the Boldy/Alchemist catalog. While nothing groundbreaking it’s still great music and easily his best to drop this year!

Honorable Mention: Lloyd Banks - The Course of the Inevitable

Top 3: Empathy, Sidewalks, Crown
Worst Track: Panic
Best Feature: Freddie Gibbs
Worst Feature: Sy Ari Da Kid
Length: 68 Minutes

I loved this when it dropped, but for some reason I just don’t ever find myself wanting to return to it, maybe its the length or that there are 2 or 3 tracks that aren’t needed, maybe its the patchy mastering, I just want banks sounding as sharp as this on a project with Alchemist, or one curated by Westside Gunn!

Amazing list, your top 5 I strongly agree with.

Thanks bro, was starting to hear crickets in here

Nice list but where’s Wiki?

Tbh I forgot about him, I did really like that album though, easily his best work for me

great picks all around

that CMIGYL cover is so hard too

A lot of heat here, real as f*** for two Nas mentions and Regatta

I still need to catch up on Ka, Mach Hommy, Navy Blue albums

Outside of CMIYGL

It was supposed to be the vinyl cover, still waiting though…

Not gonna lie I came in here to roast @op cause I remember if he is one of them niggas that annoy me on here but his list is damn near perfect with the exception of The House is Burning

The underground carrying hip hop.

💯

It's doing a f***ing great job in carrying it

Glad you didn't list Vince Staples, dude trolled us with a project that was lowkey just 5 short freestyles about killing people over Kenny Beats prod.

I f***ing hate kenny beats bro! I didn’t hate the project but it did nothing for me and I haven’t gone back to it once

Yep! Last couple of years it’s been all about the underground the popular acts have really dropped the ball

great list @op. i need to check out the Ka tape.

Lmao that s*** was weak fr. I usually fw both Vince and Kenny but this one wasn't it, deadass like they trolled everyone and dropped the most monotone s*** they could come up with

Kenny Beats is ass to me

Banks album def not too 10 with them dusty ass beats.

Cool that he dropped tho considering that tweet he posted a while back

Really great list OP, short sub-40 minute albums carried this year

I didn’t have it top 10 and I also mentioned I didn’t like a lot about it. Banks was spitting though

Revisiting Haram rn, Alc really hit some wild pockets with the production on that one, all these samples and sounds mesh together so damn good

And of course rapping is more than on point here

Regatta so nice as well, i was actually sleeping on it a bit when it dropped but then i tuned in and
I think i still slightly prefer Pilot Talk IV but Regatta is still a vibe, it's just more laid back project (with a fitting title too), but everything is really on point here, from vintage samples to guest verses