50. spook! & SadhuGold – No Country ll: Hell on Wheels (The Ballad Of Isom Dart!)
“Spooky action in a distance baby.” We enter the first fifty with an album that has such a strong narrative that it literally transports you to another world. spook! and SadhuGold are artists who get along like few others. No Country ll: Hell on Wheels (The Ballad Of Isom Dart!) is a cinematic rap trip to the wild west that encapsulates all the filth of the modern United States. spook! works in a similar way to Ka. He has taken a certain narrative that lends him creative freedom, and through it, he reflects on contemporary socio-cultural issues and tells stories from his life. The album features beats from producers such as Preservation, Evidence, and Quelle Chris. SadhuGold isn’t the only producer whose western tunes you’ll hear. However, he was the one who put the whole album together and interspersed it with countless skits that make for an immersive experience.
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49. Sideshow – 2MM DON’T JUST STAND THERE
Sideshow is a rapper with a unique style. If you do not know who he is, you came to the right place at the right time. 2MM DON’T JUST STAND THERE is his best project to date. Sideshow raps very calmly, and his great, often quite abstract lyrics are spiced up with elements of humor. The album has perfect beats with amazing samples and a unique hazy atmosphere.
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48. AJ Suede & Televangel – Parthian Shots
Parthian Shots was without doubt one of the most anticipated albums of last year. Rapper AJ Suede and producer Televangel follow up on their project, Metatron’s Cube, and overdo themselves. Parthian Shots is a gem of current alternative rap. You can tell from every track that artists spend a lot of time together, not just as colleagues but also as friends. Televangel’s productions will catch you and not let go with their huge palette of all the different sounds. AJ Suede is undoubtedly one of the best rappers of the current generation. The lyrics of every track are built upon some concept, theme, or emotion, which makes the album thought-provoking from the very beginning until the very end. Now let’s name all the guest rappers on the album: Onry Ozzborn, Rich Jones, Old Grape God, Milc, Nacho Picasso, Mr. Muthafuckin Exquire, and Bruiser Wolf. After that, even the biggest skeptic has to listen to this album.
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47. SOO DO KOO – OPPOSITES ATTRACT
SOO DO KOO is one of our biggest discoveries of 2023. Not only that, but he’s also one of the biggest MVPs of last year’s rap season. SOO DO KOO is a one-man army, an independent artist in the true sense of the word. He releases his music exclusively on Bandcamp and produces the vast majority of his work. Last year, he released countless excellent projects, and we were most impressed by his album OPPOSITES ATTRACT. SOO DO KOO was born to rap; his albums are time capsules that contain an honest and vulnerable reflection of everyday life. SOO DO KOO is the kind of rap friend whose music you can listen to anytime, immersing yourself in lilting beats and masterful rapping. Go support this hard worker on Bandcamp; he deserves it like a few others. Free Palestine.
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46. Rahiem Supreme & Wino Willy – Snake & Crane Secret
You’d be hard pressed to find a more unique artist in contemporary rap than Rahiem Supreme. The born innovator never ceases to amaze us with each new project, carving out paths that have never been traveled before. Wino Willy is one of those producers who has bottomless pockets of great beats. Last year he produced, for example, the excellent MANGROVE MAZE (with Obijuan) and Dirty Work (with Pro Dillinger). On the Snake & Crane Secret album, he tailored beats for Rahiem, who was able to go all out with his flows and catchy lyrics. Rahiem Supreme is first and foremost dope, and his music never fails to entertain. He spits one witty and original bar after another at the listener, and you don’t have to go far for an original idea. In addition, the record features a guest appearance from ANKHLEJOHN, and SadhuGold even helped Wily with a beat.
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45. Apollo Brown & Planet Asia – Sardines
Sardines is unadulterated rap in its purest and rawest form. Apollo Brown sticks to his motto “Simplicity is genius” and for most of his beats, he just needs to take an interestingly catchy sample and turn it into a nice loop. And he does it better than anyone else. The beats are minimalistic yet crystal soulful, and Planet Asia is given ample room to show off his top form. And that he has a lot to offer. The scope of the album is absolutely opulent; Planet Asia takes you to slums and exotic countries, and his lyrics are emotional, socio-political, full of cultural allusions, and a criticism of the current rap scene. His distinctive voice cuts into every beat, and the listener has no choice but to listen. Sardines is a perfect follow-up to Anchovies, an album that is more subtle than its predecessor, and you can sense a certain shift in both artists’ lives and art. Finally, we have to commend the precise choice of guests, which are Sick Jacken, TriState, Marv Won, and Ty Farris. There is no music video for the album, so we are attaching the whole album.
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44. al.divino & MichaelAngelo – WILE COYOTE
This is exactly what we’ve been waiting for. al.divino is one of our favorite contemporary rappers. A born innovator from Massachusetts who continually pushes the boundaries of the genre, he is highly productive year after year. Last year, al.divino once again released one great album after another, namely MGNTK, “SHEET MUSIC” VOL. 1000, “SHEET MUSIC” VOL. 2000, or the albums he released under the pseudonym cvv.vino. We were most impressed by the album WILE COYOTE, which is reminiscent of his best works. You can look forward to an aggressive, psychedelic, immersive journey into the artist’s mind that knows no boundaries. All the beats were handled by the talented MichaelAngelo, who can’t produce a bad album. The artists have been saving the album since 2019, and last year was the perfect time to release it. Add in verses from Estee Nack and Starker, and you have a recipe for one of the best albums of the year.
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43. Ufo Fev & Spanish Ran – Painting Houses
Ufo Fev and Spanish Ran seem to be adding to their discographies one high-quality project after the other. So we were very pleased when we saw that they decided to join forces and do something together. Both represent New York’s rap in the best manner possible, and their obvious talents have been putted into Painting Houses as well. We think that album definitely met our high expectations, not just with the amazing rap by Ufo or brilliant beats by Ran but also with the list of guests beginning with Bloo Azul, Madhattan, Al-Doe, and more.
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42. LORDY – IN HIM WE TRUST
The album Pride of a Man is one of the most anticipated albums of this year. ANKHLEJOHN, the unstoppable talent from Washington, D.C., announced the record well in advance, building up huge anticipation. Ahead of the release of the anticipated record, the artist has entered a new phase and started releasing under the moniker LORDY. In December, the rapper released the albums IN HIM WE TRUST (SIDE A) and SIDE B. The double album is the essence of everything we love about the rapper’s music. Once again, LORDY has selected beautiful beats that contrast with his chilling voice to make listening to the album a unique experience. LORDY spares no humor; the lyrics are full of dope rhymes and life truths. In addition, the artist exchanged a few tweets with the one and only Alchemist. Could we be waiting for a joint single or an album? FREE PALESTINE.
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41. S!LENCE x Lungs – Catch and Release
Almost no one has a rap style as unique as the duo phiik and Lungs. Their album Another Planet 4 is one of the best and most intriguing projects of last year, and you’ll come across it on the list. The artists will release CARROT SEASON this year, so we have a lot to look forward to. Last year, Lungs shared a buried treasure, the album Catch and Release, which he recorded with rapper S!LENCE in the throes of the COVID pandemic. As you’d expect, both rappers spit one sophisticated bar after another at a pace all their own. They call the record A Fishing Expedition, a term that refers to the gathering of a great deal of information, mostly in secret. And that we’re going to get a lot of information. Hidden meanings, all sorts of references, associations, and winks—you’ll have to decipher for yourself. The album has a slightly slower pace than Another Planet 4, and the beats have a strong jazz feel, so it might interest even listeners not familiar with Lungs. A fascinating work.
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