This has been a ridiculous year for music. I paid close attention to new music coming out this year and was overwhelmed in the best possible way. Nearly every week there were new albums out by musicians I love. Without even listing them all, this included artists such as (deep breath):
Pusha T, Nas, Kanye, Kanye & Cudi, Eminem, Nine Inch Nails, A$AP Rocky, J. Cole, Jay Rock, Black Thought, Travis Scott, Logic, Lil Wayne, Action Bronson, Royce Da 5’9, The Internet, Blood Orange, Noname, Janelle Monae, Jorja Smith, Freddie Gibbs, Freddie Gibbs & Curren$y, Drake, Paul McCartney, John Mayer, Gorillaz, BROCKHAMPTON, 6LACK, Ghostface, Method Man, Mick Jenkins, Khalid, JID, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Parquet Courts, Beach House, Courtney Barnett, Tyler the Creator, Earl Sweatshirt, Anderson .Paak, Kurt Vile, Chance the Rapper, Joey Purp, Meek Mill, Big K.R.IT., Vince Staples…
…and many more. This is too much god damn music to try to summarize or write about. Rather than go over all of my favorites and risk repeating a lot of year end lists, I’d like to instead pass along a couple of playlists and highlight a few projects that might have flown under the radar in such a packed year.
First, I kept a running playlist of all my favorite songs released in 2018 that you can check out here:
Only 100 songs show up there, but if you go to it on Spotify there’s over 250.
I’ll also include the playlist Spotify created of my most listened to songs of the year:
While I don’t know that it’s totally accurate, it’s close enough, and is a good look at all the music I loved this year, regardless of whether it was released in 2018 or not. These two playlists give the best view of what I really liked this year, but here are a few albums I wanted to highlight:
Mac Miller – Swimming
I only gave Mac Miller a shot after he passed away and I regret that. He came onto the scene when I was in college and I basically assumed he was strictly a frat rapper and I never gave him another chance until he died. The outpouring of love and respect from peers like Schoolboy Q, Kendrick, Earl Sweatshirt, Vince Staples, and many, many more blew me away. After reading more about him in articles reacting to his death and reflecting on his work, I learned he had quietly blossomed into a workaholic, musical genius. Everyone loved him for his humor, his hunger, and his passion and respect for the craft of making music.
His passing is tragic and sad. He was younger than me. He had just released an album, Swimming, that continued to push his sound and subject matter in a new, deeper direction. Discovering him in the wake of his death, listening to these emotional, beautiful, brilliant songs on Swimming shook me, for many reasons. Death. Addiction. Love. Regret. The lyrics are vulnerable, melancholy, and at times fun. It made me think about life. It also made me question the preconceived notions I’d held onto that shut out this musician without a second thought . I began giving nearly every new music release a chance and ended up finding new favorites among artists I’d previously dismissed. This reminded me of how quickly you can get old, even when you’re young, if you shut yourself off to new things. It stretched beyond music. How many more of these beliefs am I holding onto despite never even giving it a proper chance? You have to be vigilant to watch out for your own biases. And finally, it reminded me to enjoy this life and the people in it while we’re still here.
Besides all of that, Swimming is just amazing fucking music, sonically and lyrically. There are no features but the album has plenty of stealthy help from his numerous friends and collaborators. Thundercat plays bass on What’s the Use. John Mayer plays guitar on Small Worlds. Both Syd and Steve Lacy from the Internet contribute with vocals and production respectively. Mac brought in Jon Brion to put the finishing touches on the album. Brion’s done dozens of amazing movie scores and has worked with Kanye, Frank Ocean and Fiona Apple just to name a few. Snoop Dogg even provides a few echoes of the chorus on What’s the Use. But this album is all Mac, airing out his troubles, his joys, and his strongest love: music.
Kali Uchis – Isolation
This album dropped the same day as Cardi B, so understandably got overlooked. It’s a fantastic album though, with features by some of my favorite people in music right now. Favorite songs include In My Dreams (produced by Gorillaz), Feel Like a Fool, After the Storm (featuring Tyler the Creator), Just a Stranger (featuring Steve Lacy of the Internet), and stand out track Tyrant (featuring Jorja Smith, who’s own 2018 release, Lost and Found, is excellent as well). It’d be sacrilege to compare her to Amy Winehouse, but a few songs off this album reminded me of her.
Young Thug – On the Rvn
Holy shit I could not stop playing this EP. Never really been a Thugger fan, but this dropped on a Monday in late September and I probably played it for 2 weeks straight. Climax is a perfect pairing with 6LACK (who’s own album, East Atlanta Love Letter, is worth checking out), Sin has BARS from Jaden Smith, Real In My Veins bangs, and High samples Elton John’s Rocket Man, so it’s almost automatically good.
Black Thought – Streams of Thought Vol. 2
One of the greatest rappers of all time is also one of the most slept on. Black Thought of the Roots released two EPs this year, the first produced by 9th Wonder (legend), the second by Salaam Remi (who’s worked on some of the best Nas and Amy Winehouse songs). While both are great I ended up liking Vol. 2 more. It’s just fast-paced, unadulterated bars throughout. “I’m a Pulitzer Prize Fighter how I vaporize writers…”
Saba – Care For Me
While I can’t say I return to this one as much as the others on this list, I can recognize the pure greatness of it. It’s one of the most densely layered, lyrically strong narrative hip hop albums I’ve heard in a long time. It’s a bleak album dealing with the trauma of growing up and having to grieve loved ones lost too early. This kid is the real deal, and his previous album, Bucket List Project is absolutely listening to too.
Oliver Tree – Alien Boy EP
This guy’s music is as catchy as his look is goofy. Which is extremely catchy and extremely goofy. But it doesn’t really matter when you can’t stop playing his music. His music is a strange fusion of pop, dance, and hip hop with an abrasive voice that just works over it all. The EP is only 16 minutes, but he just released another great song at the end of the year called Hurt. Check this weirdo out.
More “Overlooked” Hip Hop Albums of 2018
The Internet – Hive Mind
JID – DiCaprio 2
Flatbush Zombies – Vacation in Hell
Curren$y, Freddie Gibbs & the Alchemist – FETTI
Swizz Beats – POISON
Favorite Non-Hip Hop Albums of 2018
Parquet Courts – Wide Awake!
Paul McCartney – Egypt Station
Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How You Really Feel
Nao – Saturn
Vulfpeck – Hill Climber
Shopping – The Original Body
Robyn – Honey
Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Sex & Food
Kamasi Washington – Heaven and Earth
Ryan Beatty – Boy in Jeans
Car Seat Headrest – Twin Fantasy
Young Fathers – Cocoa Sugar
Favorite Non-2018 Albums I Discovered This Year
Big Thief – Capacity
Mavis Staples – You Are Not Alone
Mac Miller – The Divine Feminine & Watching Movies Without the Sound Off
Freddie Gibbs – Piñata
KAYTRANADA – 99.9%
The xx – I See You
BROCKHAMPTON – Saturation I, II, & III