Laila’s Cozy Culture: My 32 Favorite Hip-Hop Albums of 2017
If there’s any advantage to getting this list out so incredibly late, it’s that I don’t feel the need to begin with some sentimental statement about 2017. We just celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day, so I’m guessing you’re over the whole “let’s look back at last year” thing. Yet, here we are.
As I got into review-and-reflect mode, I quickly realized that 2017 was definitely a better year for Hip-Hop than 2016. I still find ’16 to be top heavier, though — A Tribe Called Quest, Kanye West, Westside Gunn and Kendrick Lamar made better albums in 2016 than the top of this list. But everywhere else, it’s ’17 for the win. And if there were better years in the 2000s than 2017, there certainly aren’t many. We got more consistency, better concepts, more risks taken, more vulnerability and just … more.
A couple of notes about what I’ve done here: These are my favorite and most played albums of 2017. Any time I do this sort of thing, I’m going to include the word ‘my’ just so you know that I’m not really aiming for objectivity. That’s mostly a fool’s errand when it comes to taking in Hip-Hop. Also, I stopped considering albums for this before the release week of December 15. Had I actually considered Eminem, Conway, Jeezy and others, you might not have gotten this list until July.
Shoutout to Snoop Dogg, Fashawn, Jay Worthy, Curren$y, Action Bronson, Willie the Kid, Freddie Gibbs, 21 Savage, Tristate, Oh No, Termanology, Slaine, Westside Gunn, Benny the Butcher, Cam’ron, Offset, Metro Boomin, Milano Constantine, Berner, Styles P., Dave East, A$AP Twelvyy, Young Thug, Logic, French Montana, Playboi Carti and everybody else who put out a dope project that didn’t make it on this list. 2017 was just too much. So, keep reading and scrolling … and reading and scrolling to find out my favorite albums of last year.
32.) MC Eiht — Which Way Iz West
It’s been a while since we’ve seen this kind of album campaign. Seriously, look at this. How could you not want to listen to Which Way Iz West after watching this?
The album didn’t disappoint either. Production-wise, Brenk Sinatra and DJ Premier keep Eiht in his classic West Coast funk and boom bap bags. On most tracks he’s paired with another artist who has been equally revered for the last 25 years, including Kurupt, Xzibit and Bumpy Knuckles. I encourage you to go listen to “Got That” and say ‘Geah’ like it’s the early ’90s again.
31.) Skyzoo — Peddler Themes
A quick look at Skyzoo’s latest tracklist was all it took to recognize that little would change in his content. Please believe, that’s nothing but positive. The Brooklyn MC has become a nostalgia specialist, constantly weaving in references from Hip-Hop’s golden age and his formative years like no other.
The detail Sky does it with is what continues to impress listeners most. So, on “‘95 Bad Boy Logo” he’s not just talking about how good the music was or how fly Puffy and crew were. He’s longing for the very specific feeling and scenery of that era. Through metaphors and well-timed namedrops, he describes his own dreams of rocking the mic like the superstars of the day.
All we really wanted was a ’95 Bad Boy logo
On the back of a letterman, backstage at Letterman
Fitted over my brow like I was Mason Betha
In patent leather 11s and, the band play the record and
Puff screaming how we won’t stop while I get settled in
As charming as that track is, the standout here is “Finesse Everything.” With !llmind on the boards, the most fitting adjective for the track is one they used to say while rocking those ’95 Bad Boy logo lettermans: BUTTER.
It’s an in-and-out affair at just eight tracks, so Peddler can’t rightfully be compared to Skyzoo’s last two opuses. But it does wet the appetite for his upcoming album, In Celebration of Us, which probably won’t veer too far from this comfort zone Skyzoo has created for himself and repeatedly blessed us with.
30.) 2 Chainz — Pretty Girls Like Trap Music
Before we heard any of 2 Chainz’s fourth album, we kept seeing that pink trap house. No bricks were flipped there, but it did serve as a temporary HIV/AIDS clinic, salon and social media touchstone. That visual kept the album in the public consciousness for much of the year. The music was good too, and Chainz didn’t compromise it just to attract more pretty girls.
“Sleep When U Die” and “Trap Check” both knock and spotlight the work ethic and perseverance ideals that are often underappreciated but necessary in order to make stellar trap music. This is also probably the first trap album to go out of its way to honor the classics the sub-genre spawned in the mid-to-late 2000s. Interludes and samples inspired by Young Jeezy, OJ Da Juiceman and others commemorate a special era in Atlanta Hip-Hop while aspiring to build upon it.
29.) Big Twins & DJ Skizz — Billy Ocean
If you’re a Mobb Deep fan, chances are you feel like you know the group’s affiliates almost as well as you know Havoc and Prodigy. And even if you don’t know all of their names, you definitely recognize the voice of the self-described grimy one. Go back and listen to Hell on Earth or The Infamous — Big Twins is the one who sounds like a human Backwood.
The biggest feat and surprise of this EP is just how good the combo of Twins’ voice and Skizz’s blend of Mobb jazz sounds. As a title and actual song, the Conway-featured “Keith Sweat Murda Muzik” is perfect representation of this project’s vibe.
Skizz’s previous compilation albums prove that he easily could have provided the type of beats Twins has ripped for years as a member of Infamous Mobb. Instead, they agreed upon music that’s more yacht party than it is Timberlands trudging through Queensbridge. It doesn’t alienate Twins’ gruff vocals at all. The guitars and keys seem to bring the best out of them, as this is easily his best solo work. Prodigy would be proud.
Thun did it, indeed.
28.) Fabolous & Jadakiss — Friday on Elm Street
This project wasn’t the “Freddy vs. Jason” faceoff some people expected. Two of the past two decades’ premier lyricists spent more time complementing one another than trying to one-up each other. As you’d hope and expect, it’s full of Jada and Fab taking turns astounding us with bars. Neither of them has lost a step, and it shows in one of the year’s most dizzying displays of lyricism. Whether they’re bouncing over one of 2017’s most jubilant tracks, “Theme Music” with Swizz Beatz, or offering introspection on “Soul Food,” Vorhees and Krueger rarely miss on this project.
27.) Drake — More Life
Most of these capsule/review things have a positive tone about them. I won’t say the same for this one. Look, “Passionfruit” and “Madiba Riddim” are addictive, and “Portland” and “Sacrifices” get the best out of 2 Chainz, Quavo, Young Thug and Travi$ Scott for some the year’s best collabos.
Giggs’ whole Batman “duhnuhdunuhhh” thing on “KMT” was cool, too. Beyond that, I’m left with an undeniable thought: ‘the boy’ can do better. We all know it.
That’s not a hot take at this point, is it?
This album, err, playlist, is good. It’s on this list. But how about great? We haven’t heard that from a Drake album in about four years. I know I’m not the only one counting on the 6-man to do better in ‘18.
26.) Quelle Chris — Being You Is Great! I Wish I Could Be You More Often
Detroit’s Quelle Chris delivered a largely self-produced produced album that chronicles the artist’s journey to maintain personal and professional confidence. He sounds delighted to realize his own virtues and self worth on “Buddies”:
I fuck with myself
I fucks with myself
Might bring myself some flowers, I’m in love with myself
I look in the mirror
Like, “Who is that nigga?”
I’m cool with that nigga
Quelle has basically executed the blunted Hip-Hop equivalent of a Stuart Smalley skit on SNL. When he’s not focused inward, he’s crushing the blistering posse cut, “Fascinating Grass,” which features one of Roc Marciano’s best verses of 2017, or creating fire with Elzhi and his boo, Jean Grae.
As you might imagine, Quelle Chris is protective of his newfound glow and doesn’t want anything interfering with that. He makes this very clear on “BS Vibes”:
Lessons that I learned from my unmendable mistakes
Pressure to be greater than. Feinding to relate
Said ‘no’ to yesterday. ‘Yes’ to knowing more
Note my glowing aura
One one can’t ignore …
… Ya BS vibes may rub off on a nigga
The p.s. reads, “Don’t stand so close to me.”
Being You Is Great gives us a close view of an up-and-coming artist learning more and more about himself and realizing that he’s not so bad after all.
25.) Sean Price — Imperius Rex
Imagine having the strength of Bernadette Price. While still mourning the loss of her husband, she pieced together the work Sean had already laid on Imperius Rex into a cohesive addition to his legacy.
P brings 50 minutes of the witty wordplay and bully rap he’s best known for. It meshes well with guests from his beloved Boot Camp Clik, as well as Wu-Tang, MF DOOM, and the late Prodigy.
24.) Wu-Tang Clan — Wu-Tang: The Saga Continues
As last fall arrived, Wu-Tang emerged from a flurry of questions and Martin Shkreli headlines with a Redman-featured single in “People Say.” After one listen, it was hard to believe the Clan sounded this good and that a comeback was officially on.
With Saga, the Clansmen present their best collective work in several years. Method Man is now a game show hosting mega personality, but that has zero impact on his ability to stand out amongst the Clan members. His (mostly) solo tracks, “If Time Is Money” and “Hood Go Bang,” are two of the best tracks on here.
Raekwon, GZA and Inspectah Deck all turn in quality performances, though they appear sparingly. That’s where this album could have been better — many believe it’s actually a compilation by producer Mathematics dressed up to be a Wu-Tang album. But, really, we’re lucky a group with this many styles and personalities has endured this game for 25 years and counting.
23) Migos — Culture
Migos had hits dating back to “Bando” in 2012 and “Versace” the following year, but the ATL trio had seen nothing like the top of 2017 when “Bad & Boujee” took off. The family members now enjoy life as Hip-Hop’s most bankable commodity and as influencers of the flows, adlibs and vocabulary of an entire Soundcloud generation.
To that end, Culture played like a template for the mainstream in 2017 — the best version of what so many others are trying to do. And while Culture may not represent the best version of Migos, it far exceeds their uninspired debut Yung Rich Nation with cuts that still get burn like “T Shirt,” “Deadz” and “Big on Big.”
Producers Metro Boomin, Zaytoven and Cardo all helped Quavo, Offset and Takeoff keep their verses flowin dat way toward becoming one of 2017’s first must-listens.
22.) Joey Bada$$ — All-Amerikkkan Bada$$
Joey didn’t create the year’s best album, but he might have made its most important one from an artist under 25 years old. With increased tours, guest appearances and acting opportunities, it would have been easy for Joey to cash in with a club banger or crossover attempt. Instead, his second studio album is a decisively pro-Black, 12-track demand for justice.
In “Super Predator” and “Legendary,” featuring Styles P. and J. Cole, respectively, longtime collaborative producer Statik Selektah gives Joey two beats that are superior to much of what’s on Statik’s own excellent album. However, the album doesn’t consistently carry the production to match the intensity of Joey’s passion for progress in Amerikkka. If it did, I’d rank it far higher.
21.) Talib Kweli & Styles P — The Seven
We were treated to a ton of sub-30 minute EPs last year, and The Seven is among the best that Hip-Hop had to offer. Thematically, it’s like a Marco Polo, Oh No, Khrysis and 88 Keys-produced soundtrack to Talib Kweli’s Twitter feed. It lets no racist slide and basically mocks their entire existence.
“These culture vultures claim they like rap, but be acting like Sean Hannity,” Kweli quips on “Poets and Gangstas.”
Talib and Styles have worked together multiple times over the years, so this project isn’t a total shock, but it was unexpected. Vocally, their voices complement one another, as does the contrast in deliveries. Peep “Nine Point Five,” featuring the other members of The Lox and Niko IS for one of 2017’s best songs.
20.) Mach-Hommy — Dump Gawd: Hommy Edition
How do you really pick any of the 1,067 releases Mach-Hommy put out in ’17 as the best?
Truthfully, they’re all equally good. My solution was to pick the one that initially grabbed me, that drew me in to the world of the Dump Gawd. Boosted by Alchemist and Earl Sweatshirt production and features from Your Old Droog and Tha God Fahim, Mach’s fashion-forward, murderous brand of Hip-Hop is as stripped down as it comes. Hommy weaves in and out of chilling sketches and shit talk atop dusty loops. “So Much More” and “Nothing But Net” are the ones.
19.) Big Boi — Boomiverse
On Big Boi’s Boomiverse, the beats, collaborations and concepts are bigger and sharper than on his previous solo efforts. Whether he’s encouraging Black entrepreneurship on “Order of Operations” or playfully putting you onto the game of “Freakanomics,” Big Boi is on point with a tightened delivery and palpable confidence.
With Organized Noize, TM88, Mannie Fresh, Cory Mo and others, Big Boi finds a sound that really won’t remind you of Outkast at all — and that’s actually not a bad thing.
18.) Meyhem Lauren & Muggs — Gems From the Equinox
I give credit to Meyhem Lauren for the ability to focus on an album when he could be spending even more time eating amazing food with Action Bronson. Mey is laced with an album full of head-nodding treats from Cypress Hill’s Muggs, one of the genre’s better producers of all time.
Mey links with some of hardcore Hip-Hop’s top acts, and receives some of their best performances of the year. Check Conway on “Hashashin” and Sean Price and Mr. MFN eXquire on “Aquatic Violence” for the evidence.
17.) Future — Future
The better of Future’s two 2017 albums, this set spawned undeniable hits and contained an overall cohesion that lowkey makes this one of Future’s best albums. He needed zero features to go platinum either. J. Cole no longer gets to keep that distinction to himself.
16.) Cyhi the Prynce — No Dope on Sundays
Full disclosure: There was a time when I thought I would only be writing much about Cyhi when it came time to reminisce about “So Appalled.” I doubted him.
Now, here I am seven years later praising him for his often cinematic five-minute songs. For much of its length, No Dope proves to be a concept album full of cautionary tales about maintaining within the drug game, why people are in it in the first place and how they will hopefully soon exit it. “Nu Africa” and “God Bless Your Heart” are the standouts.
No Dope is so good that having Kanye as a guest is probably the sixth or seventh best thing about it. That’s fairly difficult to accomplish.
15) G-Worthy — G-Worthy
Yes, Cardo is a St. Paul, Minn.-born producer who gave huge hits to Travis Scott, Migos and Young Jeezy, but he’s also a premier purveyor of West Coast music you can ride to. Meshing his sounds with G Perrico’s high-pitched crippin’ and Jay Worthy’s baritone observations on Compton life made for one of 2017’s most underappreciated efforts.
The trio developed such obvious chemistry that this project only took one day to complete. To put all of this in layman’s terms — if you love Wiz Khalifa’s “Mesmerized,” you will love this EP. At seven tracks, G-Worthy makes you pray that this wasn’t just a one-off.
14.) Hus Kingpin & Big Ghost — Cocaine Beach
By May 2017, Hus Kingpin and longtime blogger-turned-producer Big Ghost began ratcheting up hype for a collaborative album. The imagery of a California sunset along a vibrant strip that read “COCAINE” instead of “VENICE” immediately drew interest.
Throughout the project, Hus is a slick spittin’ Long Island transplant who is now running the show on Cocaine Beach. He’s constantly closing deals in the Beach’s underbelly, earning his Kingpin moniker.
Cross him and he’ll “smack you with a eucalyptus.” New wave mainstays like Rozewood, Smoovth, Vic Spencer and Milano Constantine all lend appearances, while Planet Asia and Everlast also lend co-signs.
With this project, Hus and Ghost provided what is easily each of their best work. The web is already fiending for a second installment.
13.) Planet Asia & Apollo Brown — Anchovies
I bet there’s still a few of you out there listening to this album, hoping and praying for a single hard drum to kick in. You know, like Apollo did throughout his Stitched Up reworking of the 2013 Planet Asia-Gensu Dean album Abrasions.
Nope, you didn’t miss any drums. Like others in 2017, PA and Apollo went largely percussion-less. The difference on Anchovies is that they sustained it for 50 minutes, as opposed to just a single track here or there. It frustrated some, but the point wasn’t for us to understand it. The art was what it was — incredibly gritty, entirely stripped down, vinyl-crackling music.
Apollo mastered the neck-snapping knock on The Easy Truth album in ’16 with Skyzoo and the prior year in his own Grandeur. The latter contained, “Triple Beams,” a song featuring Planet Asia and Westside Gunn that I now realize was a precursor of Anchovies’ sonics.
Of course, this album is titled Anchovies. That’s probably how these beats and rhymes would smell if that sort of thing was possible. Just foul and not made for most stomachs. But if you do like them, you’re incredibly rewarded.
On “Diamonds,” Planet Asia referred to the style as “fly, luxurious thug shit.” Apollo’s beats also seem to bring an edge out of Planet Asia that you won’t find on most of his other projects. He’s more condescending, brasher and unable to locate any fucks to give. “Get Back” is the epitome of the Anchovies attitude:
I’m a fuckin’ factor, you a fuckin’ actor
Another sucker rapper, stupid, you hustle backwards
I’m a big deal with the big deals
I let your chick feel, she rode it like a big wheel
You eatin’ kids meals, it’s a big difference
I’m on that rainbow trout, you off a McChicken
I mean damn, he even came at you for your poor eating habits.
You get more of the same on “Dalai Lama Slang” with Willie the Kid. If you’re a J Dilla fan, you’ll immediately recognize that Apollo Brown flipped the same Galt MacDermot piano that Dilla did on “Mash,” just slower and grimier.
Other highlights include PA paying respect to late Bay Area MC The Jacka on “Tiger Bone” and teaming up with Guilty Simpson on “Nine Steamin.’”
It’s doubtful that Planet Asia or Apollo Brown ever thought about compromising their sound for this project. They easily could have autopiloted the type of effort you’re accustomed to. Instead, the duo took a risk to expand your idea of what a Hip-Hop album could be. That’s the kind of ambition anybody should be able to stomach.
12.) Your Old Droog — Packs
It’s easy to get lost in the depths of Your Old Droog’s barrage of bars and punchlines, only to underestimate the Brooklynite’s creativity. For those of you who fall into this category, YOD shows how sharp his storytelling has become on Packs. The album immediately smacks you with an edge-of-your-seat-thriller on “G.K.A.C.”
It examines the mind of a man who is determined to kill a cop. The kind of guy who was “treated as 3/5 so he used his .45(th),” Droog says.
Predictably, it doesn’t end well for the main character, but damn … who starts their album that way?!
Or ends it with a joint like “My Girl is a Boy.” The latter imagines Droog turning lust into drug money with a sexy accomplice who ends up being an “alphabet boy.”
Don’t worry, though, YOD’s punchlines are still abundant. To let him tell it, people been “going to me for a Genius Bar before Apple.” I see no lie there.
11.) Rick Ross — Rather You Than Me
Before the mid- and late-2017 onslaught of quality releases, I was certain that Rick Ross’ ninth studio album would at least be top five. It truly is one of the most well-rounded albums of the past 12 months. We already discussed the revealing, poignant opening track, “Apple of My Eye,” so how about taking a look at the variety of ground Rozay covers on Rather You Than Me:
- Luxurious rap: Other than being a proud Wingstop franchise owner, luxury rap over plush beats is what we’ve come to know Ross for. It’s still his specialty, as evidenced on “Santorini Greece” and “Lamborghini Doors” with Meek Mill and Anthony Hamilton. Bink and Streetrunner produce those, respectively, and they’re the type of productions perfectly fit for the bawse. Of course, he also continues his “Maybach Music” series with part five, featuring Dej Loaf.
- Birdman: I guess you could call “Idols Become Rivals” a diss track, but Ross really is just disappointed in Birdman’s alleged lack of payments to Lil’ Wayne/Young Money and the possibly that he’s not really the №1 stunna. He spits his discontent over a Black Metaphor-produced reworking of Jay-Z’s “Where Have You Been.” That beat always evokes sadness, as does Ross sighing, “damn, Stunna, I loved you.”
- Trap anthems: You know Ross would have a dope boy anthem like “Trap Trap Trap,” but did you expect Young Thug to steal the show? He did in an appearance better than much of his solo output in 2017. Wale talking about why he’s not like the “trap guys” was a cool, unexpected element, too. ‘Trap God’ Gucci Mane kills “She On My Dick” in what is the album’s most ignorant and irresistible track. The album’s closer, “Summer Seventeen” is a banger of a goal-setting statement.
- Accessibility: Ross might have left a hit on the table with “I Think She Like Me,” featuring Ty Dolla $ign. Both are the top of artists that enjoy respectability and fandom from pop, R&B and hardcore Hip-Hop audiences alike, and this song is a damn near perfect representation of that. Also, a Stylistics sample is generally always welcome.
- New York legends show up: There are only two of them, but they each play a big part in the flow of Rather You Than Me. Regular Ross album contributor Nas slaughters “Powers That Be.” It’s a hookless assault from the two MCs and among the album’s best selections. The other NY king who aids Rick is Brooklyn’s own Chris Rock. The de facto narrator adds what you’d hope: hilarious breaks that prevent the album from taking itself as seriously as most of Ross’ output.
It all constitutes 2017’s ultimate something-for-everybody offering. A dozen years into his career, you can’t question the bawse’s consistency.
10.) Statik Selektah — 8
“Eight!” exclaims Harley, Statik Selektah’s adorable daughter, at the beginning of this star-studded event. As Statik has stated in multiple interviews, we might not have heard this album, if it weren’t for DJ Khaled’s inspirational Snapchats and overall glow-up. Khaled motivated Statik after he had lamented the album process that forces the producer to chase verses for months on end.
Bangers like the nostalgia-soaked “But You Don’t Hear Me Tho” with The Lox and Mtume and “No. 8” with Westside Gunn, Conway and Termanology make us glad he didn’t stop.
Curation has always been the skill that impressed me most about Statik. His albums always feature legends, but are also always ahead of the curve — Dave East, Young M.A. and others have received their first big looks on previous Statik projects. He keeps the trend going this time by showcasing six of Hip-Hop’s upstarts on the album’s six-and-a-half-minute highlight, “What Can We Do (Parts 1 & 2).” Crimeapple, Chris Rivers, Nick Grant and others absolutely kill both of the song’s piano-laced boom bap beats.
On 8, Statik has created the kind of diverse Hip-Hop community where smoked-out Curren$y, Christian convert No Malice and G-Eazy can all co-exist. It’s a place where B-Real and Everlast combine on “Shakem Up” for a track that sounds like a newly discovered gem from ’91, sprinkled with notes from Statik’s crew of musicians. It’s a world where Prodigy gives you one last amazing performance on “Disrespekt” and Juelz Santana pops up for a triumphant closer on “All Said & Done.” Thankfully, Statik Selektah isn’t done yet.
9.) Big K.R.I.T. — 4eva is a Mighty Long Time
Just three tracks in, Krit is telling us that he has “shinin on repeat,” and the very next track is the fourth installment of his romance with his sub speaker. But don’t let any of that fool you — Krit is interested in pursuing much more than material items. Like his earlier material, much of this double-disc set centers on Krit’s attempt at navigating through humanity and artistry. “Mixed Messages” might show this better than any song in his career:
I got a whole lotta mixed messages
In my songs, am I wrong to feel this way?
Revolutionary, although I’m free
I got me a lover, but I still wanna cheat
I wanna be safe, but it’s fuck the police
Don’t wanna be here, but I’m too scared to leave
On “Aux Cord,” Krit speaks on our love affair with music and sharing it with others. “1999” is a fun, Cash Money throwback with Lloyd, produced by Mannie Fresh. Above all, this is a very serious album. Krit openly talks about depression, using alcohol to cope with it, wanting to visit his deceased family and overall wanting more out of life. On “Price of Fame,” he refers to himself as “Justin Scott trapped inside of Big K.R.I.T.”
He sounds hopeful by the album’s end, admitting that he would give all of his fame away to get to heaven and live in peace. 4eva isn’t 2017 easiest listen, but it’s the result of an artist who sounds liberated from the clutches of Def Jam. Big K.R.I.T. is making his best music since his 2010–2012 mixtape run.
8.) Tyler, The Creator — Flower Boy
I knew about seven years ago that Tyler, The Creator and his Odd Future crew could be special when I first heard “Yonkers.” I had no clue that one day he’d be making some of the genre’s most inspired music.
Flower Boy finds the Wolf Gang founder experiencing many of the emotional troubles he’s always discussed. Now, he seems determined to work through them instead of lashing out about them. He acknowledges those issues, but he can see the light at the end of the tunnel that makes the fight worth it. So, Tyler pondering his own loneliness doesn’t make for sappy music. At all.
“911/Mr Lonely” is easily one of 2017’s best songs and is as feel good as a song about loneliness can possibly be. It morphs from a slick Gap Band interpolation to a hyped-up refrain of “I can’t even lie, I been lonely as fuck!”
This marks the beginning of a three-song stretch that represents this album’s peak. “November” is equally reflective, and together it and “911” sandwich a treat of a Lil Wayne performance on “ Droppin’ Seeds,” where Weezy goes off for two minutes with Tyler on the brief hook. Tyler is inclusive, looking for listeners who can relate. “What’s your November?” he asks.
Take a non-busy Saturday morning drive while listening to the live drums and cheerful baby vocals of the incredible instrumental album closer, “Enjoy Right Now, Today.” I have done it, and it’s magical. Vulnerability was always one of Tyler’s strongest attributes, and that hasn’t changed. Tyler managed to create an emotional, transparent, cinematic album that is both boom bap and trap friendly, but wholly his own. No easy feat.
7.) Talib Kweli — Radio Silence
Day after day, Twitter trolls try Talib Kweli, and one of their feeble taunts is to say that he’s fallen off. The reality is that’s a defense mechanism for the troll, usually because they’re threatened by Kweli’s pro-Blackness. It’s also ludicrous. He independently released two albums in 2017 — and also two in 2015 — while performing and DJing all over and operating an online bookstore. His socially active and aware brand of Hip-Hop is still very much in demand, and fans are rewarded with one of his strongest and most focused efforts in years.
Radio Silence is just 11 tracks, but in them we get instrumentation under Robert Glasper’s direction, the bright and optimistic boom bap of Kaytranada, the foggy drumlessness of The Alchemist and a rowdy collabo with Waka Flocka Flame.
Kweli has never been the type of MC to wow you with punchlines, but he amazes me with the amount of things he says that simply make sense. He’s not wasteful with bars by any stretch. He began one of the year’s best tracks, “Heads Up, Eyes Open” with immediate impact and introspection:
“A wise man know what he know and what he doesn’t
If he’s not really sure what he’s sayin, he don’t discuss it.”
Rick Ross and Yummy Bingham (of De La Soul, “Much More” fame) assist Talib on the beautiful, piano-laced track. There are far too many songs in a given year for there to ever really be any definitive statement, saying or credo, but “Heads Up” contains two of my favorites:
“God is what I see in you, so you might as well believe in you.” — Kweli
“Put your faith into action — heads up and eyes open.” — Yummy
There’s plenty of moments on this album where you’re reminded that Kweli cares for the oppressed. He asks the questions that need to be asked, like on “Knockturnal”:
Lil man ain’t got no parents, who you gone follow
when ya role models send you to the store for a cold bottle?
While people kept harrassing Jay Electronica about not releasing music, Kweli was getting a fire verse out of him. Jay Elec sounds right at home on “All of Us.”
“She’s My Hero” details the story of Bresha Meadows, a 14-year-old from Warren, OH who pleaded “true” to involuntary manslaughter after killing her abusive father.
“Do you kill yourself or kill the monster that’s making you suicidal,” Kweli figures she must have wondered before making her decision.
That Kweli honored Bresha’s heroic actions is kind of emblematic of what he tried to accomplish with his eighth solo album: bring light to the fact that many make it their life’s work to silence women, abuse victims, Black people and others. Radio Silence is an important work about putting an end to those attempts.
6.) A$AP Mob — Cozy Tapes Vol. 2: Too Cozy
In his August review of Cozy Tapes Vol. 2: Too Cozy for Canadian website Exclaim!, M.T. Richards wrote that it “often sounds like a Migos album as interpreted by 16 clueless New Yorkers.” I laughed pretty hard at that because I can see how somebody would draw that conclusion. It’s polarizing music and not incredibly original, but it’s also fly, eccentric and fun.
Yeah, I was a little unsure about placing this above the vulnerable and personal bodies of work put forth by Big K.R.I.T. and Tyler, The Creator, but if I played this album twice as much as I did those, then the Mob deserves to ‘Strive and Prosper’ in sixth place.
I can’t imagine how many times these guys have been criticized over the years by Hip-Hop fans, journalists and others for mostly eschewing what we’re used to hearing from a New York act. That line of thinking has always been dumb. Seriously, what does prototypical New York rap even sound like if you’re in your early to mid-20s like the A$AP brethren? If anything about them has been crystal clear over the last six years, it’s that they are influenced by Bone Thugs ’N’ Harmony, UGK and Three 6 Mafia as much as they are by any NYC act you can name. Yes, they’ll shut purists up occasionally by gifting the world something like the 2017 Ferg-DJ Premier cut, “Our Streets,” but it’s obvious that they’re most comfortable on compositions that we all associate with other regions. I think keeping that in mind helps when listening to this album and just about any other project bearing the A$AP name.
Sometimes I find myself glancing in various comment sections. It’s weird and I can’t really say why. A lot of people on iTunes and Genius decided Cozy Tapes Vol. 1: Friends was much better than the new album. Some said it was trash. I’m not sure what they were listening to, but I did wonder if I’d end up being in the minority regarding this album.
But then I got the following text message, unsolicited:
Yes, I hit him with the response lyric from the album. You not really my mans until you get one of these from me.
Obviously, nothing about A$AP Mob’s beats or lyrics remind me of the music I listened to as an ’80s baby, but the spirit of it does. I loved when a billion people showed up for Heavy D.’s “Don’t Curse” or “Self Destruction” or the Panther OST cut, “The Points,” because it seemed like those tracks offered an endless stream of differing skillsets, perspectives and vocal tones. So, most of this album’s tracks directly tap into that childhood joy. You might have the list of featured artists at your disposal, but you still never know who’s going to say something next. Will the reappear? Will they go back and forth with another member?
A track like “Bahamas” is a great example. It features A$AP Rocky, A$AP Ferg, A$AP Twelvyy, ScHoolboy Q, Key, Smooky Margielaa and Lil’ Yachty of all people ambushing a hyped track that sounds like a sample of what’s to come in the year 3064. After they all spit, your heart palpitations are literally saved by the bell that corresponds with the album’s recurring “Yamborghini High School” theme.
The crew vibe is alive throughout, especially on the A$AP-Flatbush Zombies-Pro Era mash-up, “What Happens.” It’s produced by RZA and should appease those I spoke about earlier in this capsule. Big Sean, Gucci Mane, Chief Keef, Frank Ocean, Quavo, Jaden Smith and Lil Uzi Vert all show up for cameos that add to the Mob’s familial vibe. Playboi Carti and Margielaa are now honorary members of the Mob, showing up frequently throughout the 17-track set.
Because of a gap in lyricism and their off-the-mic activities, I don’t think Ferg could ever overtake Rocky as the true star of the collective, but Ferg provided as good a performance on this album as Rocky did. For whatever Ferg lacks lyrically, he more than makes up for it with his histrionics and addictive energy. It’s been like that since the Mob’s emergence, but it’s more noticeable than ever when he’s alongside his partners. He barely appeared on the first volume of Cozy Tapes, but he sounds better here than on his 2017 solo effort, Still Striving. Halfway through “Feels So Good,” Ferg converts the song into his own, randomly cutting people off by proudly declaring himself “Niggarace (wearing) new Versace.” He hasn’t accomplished what these folks have yet, but Ferg is clearly cut from the same cloth as Busta Rhymes, ODB, Missy Elliott, Sticky Fingaz and other animated MCs before him.
Ferg’s performance on this album also points to one of the A$AP Mob’s best attributes. On the songs containing four or more members, you can really hear how each voice adds an additional texture to the track. It’s most apparent on “Get the Bag,” when Playboi Carti’s boyish sounding flow is abruptly interrupted by Ferg thundering in:
Before I die, I’mma make a billie
Stack a couple millie, ‘Rari in the billy
House upon the hilly, diamonds getting chilly
Bunch of indie niggas with me reppin’ Philly
Oh Lord, it’s the Hood Pope!
Shouldn’t walk cause I could float!
Other than being from Harlem, having a few family ties, and exhibiting a willingness to try new sounds, A$AP and The Diplomats don’t share a lot of similarities. But I’ll be damned if “Get the Bag” didn’t have a post-Heatmakerz, 2006 Dipset vibe. I literally thought it was Jim Jones instead of A$AP TyY, belting out, “it’s a new gaaaaaaame.”
TyY continuously says it over the dark track, and it serves as a statement and a reminder that the Mob is a mainstay. They might not be doing it on terms that you’re comfortable with, but trust this: they’re Too Cozy with their position in the game.
5.) Rapsody — Laila’s Wisdom
Young Guru told the guys at Rap Radar last year that he sometimes calls Rapsody to ask, “did you hear what you said??!”
He’ll then start breaking down her own verses to her, which is exactly what my relationship with Rapsody would be like if it actually existed. That’s the kind of respect Rapsody has garnered over the years. Backed by Roc Nation, 9th Wonder and Jamla, she’s breaking out, her star rising with each passing day. As Young Guru also noted in that Rap Radar episode, she’s doing it in a way that forgets that old method that required a huge first single. Excellent EPs, vibing with Anderson Paak and an appearance on a Kendrick classic did more for Rap than a hot single likely could have.
Speaking of K. Dot, you’re all clamoring for a Kendrick-Cole album, but hoping for a Kendrick-Rapsody collaborative effort might really be the move. “Power,” reveals that their chemistry is something you’ll want to hear more of. “I know my blackness powerful, and they don’t like that” is just one of many fire lines Rapsody spits on the track.
Laila’s Wisdom is largely a narrative chronicling Rapsody’s journey through life under the values and wisdom of her grandmother, the album’s namesake. “Chrome (Like Ooh)” and “Sassy” are fun and confident anthems, while “Black & Ugly” focuses on Rapsody’s talent supplanting narrow views of skin tone, beauty and value.
For a moment, Black Thought’s verse on “Nobody” sounds like it could serve as his own commentary on his viral Funkmaster Flex freestyle that took place well after this album was released:
Nobody knows how I shoot for the stars or aim at the moon
Or how I put a band-aid pon bullet wound
Or, how no matter who you are i’m just as good as you
If not better
Shit, I ain’t even sure my mother knew
The song closes with a memorable conversation/skit that typifies how ridiculous living your life through social media can be. This album overflows with highlights. “You Should Know” finds 9th Wonder creating an ill flip of Goodie Mob’s 1995 classic, “Cell Therapy.” That alone would have been good enough, but then the beat switches, and in comes Busta Rhymes, except he’s not in Chris Brown-”Look at Me Now” or dungeon-dragon mode. He dedicates a verse to his queen in what can only be described as a vocal fusion of Busta and Barry White. But it’s very dope.
“Rollercoaster Jam,” with Musiq Soulchild and Gwen Bunn, displays Rap’s capability to talk about love in a way that others simply haven’t:
I don’t want things to become too routine with us
It’s alright, everyday we ain’t gon talk that much
Just knowing I got you is enough for me
And you respect me having individuality
That’s what makes us whole
That’s what keeps us happy
Even in love u gotta keep your soul
Catch me?
Much of the album’s second half is about relationships, from falling out of love on “U Used to Love Me” to crushing on a neighbor on “Knock on My Door.”
There are a few albums you just read about that I wanted to rank above this, but late in the process something changed. Basically, I recognized how thoughtful, vulnerable, inspiring, fun, and hard this body of work really is. Rapsody told Revolt in September that her grandmother often told the family to give people their flowers before they’re gone. So, maybe that’s what I was doing by advancing Laila’s Wisdom. At this rate, we’ll be giving Rapsody a bunch of bouquets throughout her career.
4.) Jay-Z — 4:44
Jay-Z has been promoting this album, while blazing a trail for digital content, for literally half a year.
It’s hard enough to make timeless music as it is, but doing it on your own terms on your own platform in a way that will force multi-billion-dollar competitors to improve dramatically is beyond legendary.
It’s also exactly what we’ve come to expect from Hov.
What many of us didn’t expect was the open book Jay would be on 4:44. Three seconds in, we hear that familiar voice that held us down for 4,572 summers saying “kill Jay-Z.” About seven seconds later he says, “fuck Jay-Z.”
Wait, what??!
Of course, we’d come to learn that the killing of Jay-Z meant discovering more about Shawn Carter than on just about any of his previous 12 solo albums.
Whether he was replacing a throwback with a button-down or denouncing the BMW X5, Jay’s bars always caused some type of overreaction. Though the album has ultimately and rightfully been adored, the amount of misunderstanding around 4:44 surprised me. People assumed the album was about solely about infidelity. People got their feelings hurt because Jay dared to question people who pretend money stacks are a phone on Instagram. Others thought a few lines on “The Story of O.J.” were anti-semitic.
The black empowerment lines on that song got all of the tweets, but I found that same sentiment on “Smile,” except it was more powerful:
Fuck a slice of the apple pie, want my own cake
In charge of my own fate, respect Jimmy Iovine
But he gotta respect the Elohim as a whole new regime
And niggas playin’ for power, huh
So our music is ours, niggas own their own houses
Yes, it was shocking to hear Jay-Z talk about threesomes and what happened on that elevator, but ownership and generational wealth are more prominent themes on the album, to be sure.
One of the most interesting examples is on one of the best cuts, the Frank Ocean-featured “Caught Their Eyes.” Hov details a discussion he had with Prince and calls out the late icon’s former attorney, Londell McMillan, for suing Tidal despite Prince granting the company exclusive streaming rights in 2015.
“This guy had ‘slave’ on his face, you think he wanted the masters with his masters?” Hov asks incredulously.
If I’m measuring Jay-Z’s performance alone, then 4:44 is one of his best albums. Surprisingly, demigod producer No I.D.’s work on this album is just solid — at least compared to what 9th Wonder, Cardo, Alchemist and others did in 2017. It doesn’t hurt the album, though. Jay’s flashbacks, hopes and emotions carry the album, and, like usual, dominated the year.
3.) Kendrick Lamar — DAMN
So I guess great producers aren’t that different from the rest of us after all. 9th Wonder admits to initially having the same response most of us did once we finally comprehended “DUCKWORTH.”
“Man, is that story true?!” the track’s producer recalled asking Kendrick on Tidal’s Rap Radar podcast, still sounding amazed.
By the time you reach DAMN’s last track, “DUCKWORTH,” you’ve already taken a turbulent trip through the psyche of the game’s best rapper, with each track representing a different emotion or thought. The final track, named after his last name, is a thriller with constant beat changes and a plot twist that leaves Kendrick pondering his existence and the improbable outcome of a run-in between his father and the head of Kendrick’s label, Top Dawg.
Kendrick closely examines religion, love, fame and misfortune across a perfectly constructed album that is far more accessible than his last offering, yet also more personal. While I do believe DAMN to be Kendrick’s worst album — because I’m an annoying fan who always has to be ranking something — it’s also another classic example of his thoughtful pen. The Alchemist-produced “FEAR,” which is the same soulful beat you’ll recognize from a brief portion of the DAMN warm-up track, “The Heart Pt. 4,” is truly something to behold. He told journalist Touré that the track contains his best verses. He provides honest and descriptive insight on his fears at ages 7, 17 and 27.
I beat yo ass, you know my patience runnin’ thin
I got buku payments to make
County building’s on my ass, tryna take my food stamps away
I beat yo ass if you tell them social workers he live here
I beat yo ass if I beat yo ass twice and you still here
Seven years old, think you run this house by yourself?
Nigga, you gon’ fear me if you don’t fear no one else
The words of K. Dot’s mother had an indelible effect on him at 7 years old. At 17, he’s worried about getting killed by a gang member or a racist cop. By 27, though, he doesn’t want to be the next artist to get jerked for what he’s worth.
At 27, my biggest fear was losin’ it all
Scared to spend money, had me sleepin’ from hall to hall
Scared to go back to Section 8 with my mama stressin’
30 shows a month and I still won’t buy me no Lexus
What is an advisor? Somebody that’s holdin’ my checks
Just to fuck me over and put my finances in debt?
I read a case about Rihanna’s accountant and wondered
How did the Bad Gal feel when she looked at them numbers?
The type of shit’ll make me flip out and just kill somethin’
Drill somethin’, get ill and fill ratchets with a lil’ somethin’
I enjoyed “DUCKWORTH” and “FEAR” the most, but as far as radio-ready bangers, nobody did it better in ’17 than Kendrick with “HUMBLE,” “DNA,” “LOVE” and “LOYALTY.” And he had the world-famous Kid Capri all over it, reminding us that what happens on Earth will, in fact, stay on Earth.
DAMN is not the vivid audio film that his first two mainstream albums were, but it will forever stand out as the album in his discography that truly helped us identify with the FEAR, LUST and PRIDE of a living legend.
2.) Roc Marciano — Rosebudd’s Revenge
When Roc Marciano released his Greneberg EP with Gangrene (The Alchemist and Oh No) nearly seven years ago, he coined a term that gave insight into his work before and after that seven-track outing:
My discography’s Godly
Biters copy
While I pull one out the crime-rhyme glossary
Roc Marci is a living, breathing collection of rhymes and parables from the underworld. So, really, it’s nothing for him to paint a verbal vignette of pimpery, major negotiations and the consequences of crossing him. He gives us plenty of those on Rosebudd’s Revenge, an album that is, at the very least, comparable to his prior groundbreaking pieces of art.
Like Marcberg and Reloaded, Roc’s latest is more like a book of short stories than a singular narrative. However, this set of stories seems more focused. Tracks like “History,” “Better Know” and “Here I Am” matter-of-factly describe how Roc’s Rosebudd alter ego came into power and how he plans on staying there. “No Smoke” and “Herringbone” play like reenactments of Rosebudd making power plays.
“No Smoke” is particularly haunting, as Marci threatens his enemy in as calm a fashion as any rapper you’ve heard. It’s compelling because it’s set against a contrasting Knxwledge-produced track’s unrelenting guitar loop:
You ridin’ or not? I have ya body tied in a knot
Bacardi Limon on the rocks
Diamonds all on the watch
You ain’t got the chops to trade shots
The chopper weigh a lot, the tripod keep it stabilized
Dudes paying with your lives
To spray you is just a favor to the Gods
As a writer, Roc is deliberate, often taking years between projects and rarely appearing in the limelight. It shows, as his puchlines and scene-setting are extremely detailed and layered. He’ll always get plenty of reaction from the listener without seemingly doing anything solely to get a reaction. Even though there’s plenty of punchlines, Roc’s delivery is so deadpan that you can’t ever imagine him cracking a smile:
The rap magnate, jackets made of snake
The cash at a rapid pace like the way rabbits mate
Crack the safe that’s an accolade
Relax and get face from Christina Applegate
Captivate, hold the Mac straight, spray it
Legs levitated, your family is devastated
Like many of his projects, close associates Knowledge Da Pirate and KA are the only guests here. The latter accompanies Roc Marci on the dusty, old soul of “Marksmen,” which is certainly an album highlight. Here, Roc asserts his standing as one of the genre’s preeminent lyricists, using nothing but live musical references to guide his gun talk.
Played the oven while young’ns played the dozens
My stick came with a drum, but I don’t play percussion
Not to toot my own trumpet, let the Kel-Tec off in couplets
They thought I was on some ?uestlove shit (bddddrrrr!)
If I pull a few strings, they’d have to bulletproof the Range
Every note that they play, I arranged
I’m like Barry White, never carry light
Me and the gauge, we like soulmates, but I’m not the marrying type
Bring your best hand weapons, let’s have a jam session …
And that’s after a ridiculous guest verse by KA, that includes this gem:
Cousin said the judge judged him, soon as he looked at him
Took a plea, could hardly read
Still threw the book at him
Although he has more outside production help on this album than usual, Marciano still produced about half of it, making this effort all the more remarkable.
While Roc’s early career was largely characterized by affiliations with Pete Rock and Busta Rhymes, he’s since maintained the mystique of a solo wordsmith and producer who takes his craft so seriously that he only emerges when he’s got a masterpiece in hand. That was certainly the case in 2017.
Rosebudd’s Revenge is legacy enhancer that shows why you CANNOT cut the list of Long Island’s finest off after naming Public Enemy, De La Soul, Rakim, EPMD, Prodigy and MF Doom.
1.) The Alchemist & Budgie — The Good Book Vol. 2
How improbable is this? Two white guys and a host of burgeoning and established rappers and singers evoke the sounds and feel of the Black baptist church to create the finest release of 2017.
That’s what happened in a nutshell, but please, continue reading. One of Hip-Hop’s greatest producers, The Alchemist, and London-born producer Budgie came back with an astonishing 45-track set fully inspired by gospel works. It follows the same format as Vol. 1, with Alchemist and Budgie each assuming half of the ‘book’ as their own, using the gospel-based samples they found after extensive digging.
Both producers feature rappers on their sides, but neither particularly relies on them. Each of these beat conductors are able to weave together a storyline that fits the larger Good Book theme with or without an artist’s presence. When there’s not an MC or singer on the track, expect samples of gospel singers deep in praise, wailing about the virtues of Christ.
The first Good Book dropped in 2014, and that’s nothing to sleep on if you haven’t heard it. It came to life after Alchemist received copies of Budgie’s gospel-infused mixtapes and decided he had to work with him. Crazily enough, as Budgie told Lily Mercer back in 2014, he only started sampling gospel because he loved Alchemist’s production on the intro of Snoop Dogg’s R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece. Three years later, the duo reunited to create Vol 2., and it’s better in every imaginable way.
While he shows the ability to create artist-less bangers like “Church Organ Needs Maintenance” and “You Better Listen,” Alchemist enlists many of the voices that partook in a variety of his projects over the last five years. Those include extended family members like Action Bronson, Royce da 5’9,” Durag Dynasty, Meyhem Lauren and Big Twins. His side also contains what could have been the last Mobb Deep song ever recorded in “Try My Hand.”
Despite those heavyweights’ appearances, the performances by Westside Gunn and Conway, Mach-Hommy, Oliver The 2nd and Your Old Droog far outweigh them and justify the social media and cult-like following each of them has cultivated over the last couple of years.
Don’t get it twisted, none of these rappers are trying to create their own version of a Lecrae or No Malice track. They’re all their normal selves, but many of them are guided by the Good Book concept and cleverly use prayer and religion as devices to deliver tropes they normally would. On “A Thousand Birds,” Westside Gunn and Conway pray the Lord can help the snitches who betrayed them, while Oliver and Jeremiah Jae are basically having a confessional about why they feel “Stuck in a Box.” Oliver the 2nd opens it with some excellent bars:
This feels like the right season for knife squeezin’
They tryna Mike Brown me
Well, I’d like to Ice-T them
That’s ‘5–0K,’ far from a nice payment
My main pipe dreamin’, meanwhile the flight leavin’
Alchemist, the genius, blow ya sound to bits and pieces …
Your Old Droog laces “Troubles” with a trio of verses that depict a Hebrew school worker who turned out to be a child molester, a brutal murderer and a crooked politician. It’s the same sort of writing that landed his album Packs on this list earlier.
As good as Alchemist’s side is, Budgie pulls off the unfathomable and outdoes the producer he idolized as a child.
Budgie’s side of the Good Book Vol. 2 is one of the more creative takes on Hip-Hop production that I’ve heard in years. You know you’re in for a treat from the first track, “In-N-Out,” with its silky organ and Buddy’s hook that let you know just how West Coast Budgie’s side will be:
It was her first time in Hollywood
I took her to Bossa Nova
She never had Roscoe’s, never had In-N-Out
She flew in from Brixton, somethin’ was missin’
I had to convince her, some things she can live without
That hook also quietly serves as a nod to Budgie’s London-to-L.A. journey that ultimately influenced his side of this project. As the second disc of the album, it flips the previous three sides of the Good Book family and gives it a West Coast flair that is undeniable.
Outside of Evidence of Dilated Peoples, Jay Worthy and Chuck Inglish, Budgie’s contribution features few recognizable names, but they’re names that you’ll be scouring Bandcamp to learn more about. Regardless what the future holds for Fatima, Nasty Nigel, Remy Banks, Buddy, Sulaiman, Traffic, Dreebo, Joyce Wrice, Emmavie and Chris O’Bannon, they’ll all be remembered for brilliant contributions to this monumental project.
On Sulaiman’s “Word of God,” the MC sounds as hopeful about his career trajectory as the background choir that is sampled:
I got it like, ‘I’m kinda nice, I need to be heard and shit’
Took it to, ‘I’m the greatest’
Had to extend the superlatives
After Jay Worthy and Buddy offer up a “Regulate” interpolation on “CPT,” Traffic and Dreebo provide a chilling command for loyalty on “Ride for Me.”
Budgie’s ability to transition from those tracks to instrumentals like “Bel-Air Baptism” and “The More I Know The More I Miss” is truly special. These are just two of the tracks that literally put me back in church as a youngster. You can’t tell me those aren’t my alto aunties singing in the background of “Bel-Air Baptism.” The sampled sermon in both of these tracks suddenly transported me to Sunday morning.
Sonically, many of these instrumentals sit somewhere between windows-down funk and ’80s R&B. Paired with the gospel vocal samples, it’s a vibe that sounds incredibly fresh despite its reliance on crate digging. Simply put, Budgie’s work on this could and should inspire an entire sub-genre.
There are at least three moments on Budgie’s side that could serve as a climax for the entire project. When you reach each of these points, you’re shocked that it has exceeded what you’ve already heard. First, “God’s Perfect 10” features an elegant backdrop for what sounds like a sermon exalting the most beautiful woman ever seen.
Then, after the breezy “Just Chuuuch Friends,” Queens, NY MC Nasty Nigel invades this L.A. party for the rousing “Glory,” which sounds like the audio version of a meme that might read, “when the church concert LIT.” During Nigel’s verses, Budgie continuously works in a choir, a clapping crowd and a soloist encouraging his choir, “c’mon, let’s lift him up!”
But no, that wasn’t enough. The Good Book Vol. 2 then had to offer up what remains my favorite song of 2017. There’s no rapping, just the beautiful vocals of London artist Fatima. With “Best Believe,” she gives the ultimate bit of encouragement in what was a tough year for many. With one line, she encompassed the thoughts of resisters, marchers and others taking up critical causes: “fuck the system if you represent the truth.” Essentially, “the system” isn’t right just because it’s all you’ve known.
Just as importantly, this song delivers a basic message that speaks for itself in its chorus:
You best believe in somethin’
Or else you might end up with nothin’
Make songs that are hummin’
Come on now, go, better get somethin’
I’m not capable of making songs that are hummin,’ but there were times when I wanted to give up in 2017. Simply put, this song helped me keep going. Fatima’s voice and Budgie’s beat were soothing and pretty much produced the profound effect of self-care and reflection that I got from Solange and Q-Tip’s “Borderline (An Ode to Self Care)” in 2016. I’m really not sure what I would have done without either of those songs in the last two years.
As a body of work, The Good Book Vol. 2 is a testament to one of my core beliefs: Hip-Hop is a diverse genre that ought not to be characterized or bogged down by anybody’s narrow definition of what it should sound like. The Good Book Vol. 2 is a boundary shatterer that continues a great start for Budgie and another trophy in Alchemist’s illustrious collection.
