Music has been the one thing that hasn’t been a let down this year. Let’s look at the albums that standout in this messed up timeline we call 2020.
10.) “Song Machine,” Season 1: Strange Timez by Gorillaz
After Gorillaz’s last two projects were met with mixed critical reviews, Gorillaz decided to bounce back in 2020. “Song Machine” was a compilation of Gorillaz ongoing stretch of singles that they released with artists such as Elton John, 6lack, ScHoolboy Q and Beck among others. The album is a diverse set of different artists both old and new with something for every kind of listener.
9.) “Nectar” by Joji
“Nectar” finally sees Joji drop the quality of album he’s been attempting to since his abandoning of the Filthy Frank YouTube persona. Joji finally breaks out of his shell of the typical sad-boy R&B he has become known for, and the result is a project that doesn’t have a lot of low points and stays consistent throughout.
8.) “Homegrown” by Smoke DZA
Smoke DZA continues his roll with his latest mixtape “Homegrown.” It features the typical club tracks that Smoke DZA has become known for. It’s a fun time that will definitely have some tracks playing when everything gets back to normal, and we’re allowed to have parties again.
7.) “Feet of Clay” by Earl Sweatshirt
There is ongoing debate about whether “Feet of Clay” is just the B-Sides to Earl’s 2018 rap album “Some Rap Songs” or its own thing but regardless – it features Earl’s trademark quality bars with his unorthodox production. Not for everybody – but those that appreciate Earl will not be disappointed by this project.
6.) “Streams of Thought,” Vol. 3: Cane & Able
The third installment and continuation of Black Thought’s 2018 “Streams of Thought” series was worth the two-year wait. Black Thought continues to prove why he’s one of the best lyricists of all time, and the classic 90s style boom-bap production will be well received by any classic hip-hop fan.
5.) “Positions” by Ariana Grande
Regardless of how one feels about Ariana Grande her vocal talent is never in question, and she dives headfirst into the R&B stylings. Allegations aside, this is not a bad transition into the genre for Grande as she incorporates the help of R&B legends Ty Dolla $ign and The Weekend to add to the legitimacy of the project. It’s just catchy.
4.) “After Hours” by The Weekend
Following The Weekend’s 2018 EP “My Dear Melancholy,” a lot of people wondered what was next for The Weekend. Would he transition back to his dark lyrics and production on projects like “House of Balloons” or would he be more of an upbeat Pop-R&B artist on his latest project? The answer was a little bit of both and for The Weekend – it worked out great and resulted in two of his biggest hits since his 2015 “Beauty Behind the Madness” album.
3.) “Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon” by Pop Smoke
The posthumous release for late rapper Pop Smoke could’ve gone wrong in so many ways. The hour-long runtime does guarantee a couple misses, but for the most part, this album is an excellent east coast drill album that is an excellent send-off for an artist that had enormous potential.
2.) “Last Year Was Weird,” Vol. 2 by Tkay Maidza
Although the UK rapper has achieved decent success in her home country of the United Kingdom, this album proved she could reach audiences in the U.S. For an EP with only eight songs and a 30-minute runtime, there really isn’t a lot more Maidza could’ve done in terms of dropping a musically-diverse, quality project. Quality over quantity is the route Maidza took with this EP and it worked.
1.) “Alfredo” by Freddie Gibbs prod. by The Alchemist
Following Freddie Gibbs amazing project with producer Madlib in 2019, there wasn’t really an expectation for Freddie Gibbs to drop another classic-quality rap project so soon. Yet – here we are. Freddie Gibbs offers his rhymes with The Alchemist’s beats on “Alfredo,” and the chemistry is incredible. There isn’t one track that doesn’t stand out as incredible, and it might be one of the few perfect projects I’ve heard. “Alfredo” stands out as the best rap album of the year.
Teren Kowatsch can be reached at [email protected].