60. lojii & Alexander Spit – $TARTER_PACK
The album $TARTER_PACK by rapper lojii and producer Alexander Spit is an irresistible trip into the world of passion, personal stories, and perseverance. lojii opens up his soul in his lyrics, describing life on the road, the struggle for his own success, and the determination to create his own path. Alexander Spit then creates musical landscapes that perfectly underscore lojii’s authenticity. At one point, lojii offers us an intense look into his lonely suite with a view, where he talks about independence and determination. Although the lyrics reflect personal struggles, the energy and drive to succeed can be felt in every word. The musical backdrop by Alexander Spit includes catchy beats that perfectly match the emotions expressed by Loji.
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59. Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon & SadhuGold – The Black Messiah
Lord-Jah Monte Ogbon & Sadhu Gold finally delivered their highly anticipated follow-up to The Black Möbius with the name The Black Messiah. The rapper also said that there is another album that will close out the trilogy. The new part is different in that you will not find any guests on the album. The album was inspired by the web series Black Jesus, from which the artist borrowed the theme of representing divine energy and self-sacrifice for the good of our own people. You can hear some of the original samples from the TV series on the album. Don’t miss this amazing project.
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58. King Kashmere & Alecs DeLarge – The Album To End All Alien Abductions
British rapper King Kashmere and producer Alecs DeLarge have prepared for us a truly majestic and magnificent album, The Album To End All Alien Abductions. As the title and cover art suggest, the project will take you to outer space, with sci-fi and comic book themes being the main building blocks of Kashmere’s lyrics. At the same time, the rapper is quite introspective in his lyrics, describing his youth on a London housing estate and not being afraid to talk about mental health.
After the first track, it’s pretty clear that King is truly an incredible MC who is made for rap. He manages to play with every beat in such a way that the listener never gets bored while listening to the album. He keeps changing flows, chooses lilting words, and often raps quite melodically. Alecs DeLarge has taken care of the productions, which smell of the nineties; of course, the beats are wrapped in a modern and fresh coat and don’t sound outdated at all. In addition to King, we can hear Alecs himself or artists like Moka Only, King Kakarot, Jerré, Verb T, and many more on the record. The record really breathes greatness, and we hope that everyone will give it a listen, because we can say with complete confidence that every fan of this genre will love the record as much as we do.
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57. Vel Nine & NugLife – NINA
Vel Nine, the hottest name in the female rap scene, is back, and in collaboration with producer NugLife, she released a new album, NINA. Vel is a very talented rapper who won us over with her album Freakjet (w/ zoomo). NINA is not as experimental, but on the other hand, the sound is more diverse, so we can find trap, boom bap, and funk productions. Vel has really outdone herself on the record; besides the great rap, she has delivered singing passages that really don’t have a flaw, making the record feel complete and elaborate to the smallest detail. In addition to the rapper, we find names like AKTHESAVIOR, The Musalini, Chyna Streetz, and Dot Demo. Make sure you don’t miss this gem. Vel gets better and better with every release, and we’re curious to see what else she has in store.
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56. ELWD – MONOCHROME
As you’ve seen in our list, we’re happy to recognize a producer’s album. One producer and a few diverse rappers is a magical rap recipe that has worked wonderfully for decades. The MONOCHROME album takes us to the UK under the wing of Bad Taste, a label that is one of the best in the game. Producer ELWD has created a pulsating, ever-changing soundscape that has us fully dazzled. The album may be called MONOCHROME, but it certainly doesn’t abound in just one color. On the contrary, you can look forward to a diverse array of rappers led by Obijuan, YUNGMORPHEUS, AKAI SOLO, and NAPPYNAPPA.
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55. Lee Scott – There is a Reason For Everything
One of our favorite British artists, Lee Scott, returned in full force last year with There is a Reason for Everything, which he produced entirely on his own. You won’t hear a single guest on the album, but you can hear some rare backing vocals provided by King Kashmere. The project is freely available on YouTube, so don’t wait for anything; dive in and let yourself ride the waves of this gem.
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54. Danny Brown – Quaranta
Qauranta, or forty in Italian (hence XXXX, as the album was originally supposed to be called), is true to its name to the letter. Since XXX, Danny Brown has aged ten years, crossed the age of forty, and gained an enormous amount of life experience. The very opening track, which we think is really perfect, tells the listener everything he needs to know. Forget the crazy and self-destructive Danny; you are dealing with a veteran seasoned by life.
„This rap shit done saved my life, And fucked it up at the same time“
Danny Brown reflects on his former position in the rap game as a vessel of pain that was there for those who were most lost in life. For over a decade, we were able to relate to a crazy character whose heart beat with suffering and who showed us that even the worst problems can be handled. Of course, this dynamic between artist and listener was killing Danny. Fortunately, there was a life shift.
The album is much calmer than all of Danny’s previous albums; the beats are slower and give the rapper space to get everything out of himself. We don’t need to talk about Danny’s voice, cadence, flows, or feel for beats, but Danny is also a masterful lyricist. A shining example is the track Jenn’s Terrific Vacation, in which the artist takes us back in time and reflects on how gentrification has destroyed his neighborhood. The beats were handled by The Alchemist, Chris Keys, Holly, Kaelin Ellis, Kassa Overall, Paul White, Quelle Chris, Samiyam, Skywlkr & Sven Wunder, and all did a masterful job. The album features guest appearances from MIKE and Bruiser Wolf, and Zelooperz sings background vocals on the track Shakedown. It’s likely we’ll notice more hidden details as time goes on. Qauranta may not be the album everyone was expecting, but it is exactly the album Danny Brown deserves.
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53. Snotty – Chapter II
Snotty is a rapper who can release one album after another, and every song will be dope. The New York rapper released a number of excellent projects last year, but we enjoyed Chapter II the most. Snotty is absolutely relaxed on every beat; his flows will engulf you, and you will be thoroughly entertained from the first track to the last. The whole album was produced by Txger Vppercvt and he did an excellent job. Snotty isn’t just strong in his verses; he constantly comes up with catchy and memorable choruses. Unfortunately, no music video was released for the album, so we’re attaching the full album.
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52. Gabe ‘Nandez – H. T. III
Gabe ‘Nandez is one of the most interesting contemporary artists. Before listening to H.T. III, however, take a deep breath, this will not be a pleasant journey. Gabe ‘Nandez is reflecting on the worst period of his life. The New York artist has had some devastating years of loss and struggle. After overcoming drug and alcohol addiction, he’s been through some tough mental trials. Just as he finally achieved mental stability, he suffered the most devastating breakup of his life. All of these difficult events, along with the fact that Gabe grew up all over the world, make for a thought-provoking record that will gracefully expand your horizons. The rapper has very interesting perspectives on many things, which he weaves into the excellent lyrics that float over the lilting beats of the talented producer Argov, who produced the entire record. A really powerful experience.
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51. Immi Larusso & Nil Wan – More Than That
Immi Larusso & Nil Wan deliver exactly the kind of British sound we love. Atmospheric, minimalist UK boom-bap that we’ve dissected alongside Trellion’s Lighthouse Tape. It is then not surprising how amazed we have been by Immi Larusso, an artist who has collaborated with Trellion himself in the past. Plus, he’s got a guest appearance on More Than That from Sniff, another one of our favorite British rappers. Their joint track Corner is one of the highlights of the record. You can feel the pain in every word; the beautiful beat wraps you up and doesn’t let go. In addition, Immi Larusso and Sniff bring images to life that you just won’t see anywhere else. And the rest of the album is just as good.
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