30. BISK & dylantheinfamous – DELICAFE
Rapper Bisk and producer dylantheinfamous are two of last year’s MVPs, going against the tide and taking rap in new, unexplored directions with each project. dylantheinfamous has once again knitted an atmospheric soundscape that suits Bisk’s style. Without a single hesitation, Bisk takes this opportunity to take the listener into a rap tunnel that will engulf anyone who enters it. Unfortunately, no music video was released for the album, so we are attaching the full album.
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29. Roper Williams – Infinite Victory Loop
The producer duo Roper Williams released the excellent instrumental albums Recap and Back To Blocked last year and produced the projects Hatched Caviar (w/ OneShotOnce), Planet Unfaithful (w/ Fatboi Sharif) and Ancient Rhythmn (w/ Axel Holy). Aside from that, it was a mainstay of the sound of rapper YL’s Don’t Feed The Pigeons. In October, the duo released the utterly unique Infinite Victory Loop, which contains enough ideas to last three more albums. Four rappers, AKAI SOLO, Fatboi Sharif, Pootie & YL, teamed up on the project and recorded the entire record in twenty-four hours. Yes, you read that right, this studio sesh will definitely go down in history. All the rappers mentioned have a completely different rap style, making the album an ever-changing entity that will please any rap fan. Fascinating work.
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28. Vic Spencer – If George Bush Was Cool
Vic Spencer belongs among our favorite artists. Always charming artist is one of the most productive and consistent rappers on the current scene. It’s really fascinating how many quality records he’s put out over the years. 2023 was no different. We were most impressed with If George Bush Was Cool. It probably will not come as any surprise that it is another stunning piece. This album belongs in between Spencer’s more easygoing, cunning, and rougher projects. You can rest for the moment from the rapper’s heartbreaking lyrics found in the series Psychological Cheat Sheet and enjoy his rap skills.
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27. Earl Sweatshirt & The Alchemist – Voir Dire
The wait is over. It’s hard to believe, but after years of fan wishes, a collaborative album from artists Earl Sweatshirt & The Alchemist comes to us. We believe this duo has made many a rap fan’s dream come true, and they’ve done it again in a totally unexpected way, as we’ve come to expect from Earl and The Alchemist. The album was released exclusively at the Music Gala and arrived on streaming services a few weeks later in an edited version.
But now to the album itself: In a narrower context, we understand the term Voir Dire as a jury selection process and, in a broader context, as “speaking the truth.” And don’t expect anything else from Earl’s words or Alchemist’s beats. Nothing but the plain truth. The record can be a conceivable counterpoint to Earl’s project Sick!, where he tested a wide range of sounds, was chaotic in his lyrics, and sought a calm place on a stormy ocean to rest for a while. Voir Dire is that imaginary place. The whole record is tight and cohesive, and Earl is calm and balanced. He has nothing to hide, so he stands naked in front of the jury and shares bits and pieces of his life. The whole record is laced with great skits, but its essence is best captured by the one that introduces the record’s final track, Free the Ruler:
„The message I’m trying to give to my audience is not one
I’m just trying to make them understand me as a person.“
And that’s where the greatest strength of Earl’s latest record lies—offering a way to understand Earl. Sure, it’s not as punchy as Doris (2013), as mesmerizing and atmospheric as Some Rap Songs (2018), or as diverse as Sick!. The Alchemist doesn’t experiment as much as some might wish, but it offers exactly the kind of beats that give the rapper a firm footing. As a result, Earl may not have to worry about a jury judging him for the first time in his life. That jury, however, is not us, the listeners, but the reflection in the mirror.
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26. Ransom & Nicholas Craven – Director’s Cut 4
As the titles of the individual tracks suggest, the fourth installment of the series stands between crime thrillers and dystopian futures. The artists borrow the titles of famous films or other artworks and build on their core ideas. The track The Last Of Us was produced by NY Vanno, and the beat for Across 110th Street was provided by Fruition. The rest was done by Nicholas Craven, so expect great-sounding beats full of awesome samples. Craven can’t go wrong, and his beats are something that fits perfectly with the rapper’s laid-back rap, which is based on sophisticated lyrics and gives him plenty of space. For the beats, all we have to write is Stop Sample Snitching.
Ransom has been in the game for a number of years, yet his skill continues to grow. He’s at his best on Directors Cut 4, his utterly precise flows go through all the beats like it’s the easiest thing in the world. His lyrics are sophisticated and full of great puns. What’s a bit disappointing are some of the conservative opinions that the whole album is laced with, which we definitely don’t share. It’s nothing radical, though; we enjoyed the album very much and definitely admire the abilities of both artists mentioned.
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25. Rome Streetz & Big Ghost Ltd – Wasn’t Built In A Day
Rome Streetz is the epitome of contemporary New York rap. His albums last year, Noise Kandy 5 and Wasn’t Built In A Day, offered unparalleled grime rap. The latter album was produced entirely by Big Ghost Ltd. So expect some seriously hard-hitting and dense production. The icing on the cake is the track Pz n Qz, on which guest Method Man proves he can keep up with a rapper a generation younger, and the track U Mad Huh? on which we are introduced to Chyna Streetz. No music video was released for the album, so we’re attaching a clip for the track Procall from the aforementioned Noise Kandy 5.
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24. Navy Blue – Ways of Knowing
Navy Blue, or one of the best lyricists of his generation, released his debut under the Def Jam label last year, which is called Ways of Knowing and has thirteen tracks. London producer Budgie took care of the production of the whole record. Sage mentions that the choice of one producer was not targeted; their collaboration arose completely naturally. During their collaboration, the artists were inspired by projects such as 4:44 (Jay-Z and No I.D.) and Days With Dr. Yen Lo (Ka and DJ Preservation). In short, albums where you can feel the unity of the rapper and producer. Navy Blue is Chosen and he proves it to everyone with his latest album. The album is more complete than his previous projects; the lyrics are more structured, but there is less experimentation with the sound. Nevertheless, everything is in the right place on the album, and Navy debuted under Def Jam with a completely unique album that everyone should play.
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23. CRIMEAPPLE – El Cantante
CRIMEAPPLE is a rapper you can always count on. He has been releasing one project after another for years and has never let us down. Just earlier this year, he teamed up with producer Preservation to begin the next chapter of his artistic career. But we’ll stick with 2023 for a moment. El Cantante, an ode to Puerto Rican salsa singer Héctor Lavoe, was the most interesting of the rapper’s projects last year. CRIMEAPPLE raps to beats that borrow an aesthetic similar to Latin music—syncopated rhythmic patterns or string pan flutes—as well as punchy bangers. El Cantane is a reflection on his artistic career and life to date.
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22. Sly Moon – The Ghost Of Ungar Vol. 1
Our UK favorite Sly Moon made his presence known again last year. As it usually is, you can expect slow alternative beats enriched by elements of jazz which have been created by Sly Moon himself. Sly’s guests on this album are members of the Cult Of The Damned (Sniff and Salar). Rapper is going through the motions of the beats with his phlegmatic flow and great lyrics. It is the style that grew to our hearts and what we appreciate even more is how much different Sly is compared to the rest of the British scene.
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21. Estee Nack x Starker x Mr. Rose – “CHANGO MACHO: THE BOOK OF DREAMS”
Estee Nack, aka Mr. Rose and Starker, literally brought us THE BOOK OF DREAMS. Mr. Rose cooked up spacious productions in which both artists sound excellent. Starker once again boasts his tongue-in-cheek flow and doesn’t care what beat he gets his hands on. Estee lets himself go more with the beats and raps over them smoothly. The fact that the duo have great chemistry between them doesn’t even need to be mentioned; even though each is completely different, they work together masterfully. The album features guest appearances from ???, YL, BoriRock, al.divino, Shaykh Hanif, and Nita Slay; in short, the best names in the contemporary underground. This is not just a gem of their discography; thanks to such projects, they will go down in history. No one was, is, or will be like these artists. Support them, love their art, and, in conclusion: Free Palestine.
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