2018’s Top 10 Summer Rap Albums Ranked
Summer 2018 was a great time for rap fans. So much music came out from most of the heavy hitters… And it was gooood. Young Thug made it super slimy with the language, Drake gave us two sides of beautiful music on “Scorpion” and Yeezy blessed us with 4 mostly stellar efforts.
To add to that, YG and Travis Scott dropped albums that cemented them as rap game stalwarts that have matured and found their pocket of sound which they more than flourish in. We enjoyed the music, we talked about how great or trash it was but now it’s time to rank them. Here are 10 of this summer’s best rap albums ranked according to The Tino Scale. I’ve used the dates May 30th to the 25th of September to define what summer is for reasons that are respectful to the length of the season and for convenience to include my favorite albums that dropped in and around the official season.
10. Eminem — Kamikaze
Release Date — August 31, 2018
Tino Scale Rating — 6.5
Favourite Tracks — The Ringer, Stepping Stone, Fall, Not Alike
After the awful “Revival”, that was pandering and lazy, Eminem’s surprise release of “Kamikaze” made sense. He needed it. “Kamikaze” is a return to the Eminem that we once fell in love with and it was refreshing at times, disturbing at others. It was a reminder that the world has changed and sometimes it’s good to leave things in the past, like the problematic nature of the homophobic and women bashing Slim Shady alter-ego.
“Kamekazi” is mostly Eminem being an angry old man so it’s consistent in terms of its story and progression. On “The Ringer,”, he says “Get this fuckin’ audio out my Audi yo, adios,”, a jab at the melody driven soundscape that rap and hip hop are today. This line is reflective of what goes on for most of the album, that is, clever displays of technical ability wasted on poor content. Whilst borrowing heavily from the soundcloud-rapper-sound on tracks like “Not Alike”, Eminem delivers a pretty decent song on a slapping beat. He delivers his best effort at evolving with the times but ruins it by mocking the very technique that makes him sound better than he has in the past 10 years. “Stepping Stone” has a cool beat and compact flow and lyrics but is ruined by an awful sounding hook, which is an all too familiar story for Eminem songs of the past decade.
As far as fanfare, the album was one of the most talked about in recent memory, good things and bad. The disses worked. The culture talked about it and with MGK currently winning their rap beef, “Kamikaze” has remained relevant. A dope effort from Eminem and a refreshing departure from his pop driven decline of the past 10 years.
9. Jay Rock — Redemption
Release Date — June 15, 2018
Tino Scale Rating — 7
Favourite Tracks — The Bloodiest, Knock It Off, Wow Freestyle, WIN
Probably the most surprising effort of the summer was Jay Rock’s “Redemption”. Jay Rock’s always been a great rapper but the extent to which he can create a cohesive body of work caught me off guard.
On “The Bloodiest,” Jay Rock delivers a slapper. It’s a fitting introduction to the album. It’s gritty and laced with honest gangsterism. His flow switch up in the second verse is heat and displays his technical ability very well. Jay Rock also reminds us on this song that rapping about freeing people that are incarcerated is never going to stop being harrrd.
On “Knock It Off” he floats over the playful beat with the elegance of Gabriel the angel. He thanks God for allowing him to be a real nigga which is so funny and so valid because the real nigga attitude most of us harbour is stifled by our day jobs and bank accounts.
The features on the album are hits bar the annoying Jeremiah appearance on “Tap Out”. Kendrick’s (?) adlibs on the album’s stand out track, “WIN” are so fire. An appropriate triumphant ending to a really good album.
8. Future — BEASTMODE 2
Release Date — July 6, 2018
Tino Scale Rating — 7
Favourite Tracks — CUDDLE MY WRIST, RACKS BLUE, 31 DAYS, HATE THE REAL ME
Future and Young Thug’s evolution of language and melody through the medium of rap has been so beautiful to listen to and on this album, Future flexes his deep understanding of melody to beautiful effect. “BEASTMODE 2”, the sequel to 2015’s “BEASTMODE”, is an exploration of decadence, drug laced melancholy and misplaced love.
On “CUDDLE MY WRIST” Future dips and dives in and out of a variation of flows and rhyme patterns with an effortlessness that’s almost too good to be true. It’s alien. According to Rap Genius, The phrase “CUDDLE MY WRIST” describes his jewelry wrapped tightly around his wrist. I’m not confident in this interpretation nor do I want to know what the term really means. That’s part of the beauty of singing Future’s song’s out loud. You don’t know what you’re really saying but what you do know is that it’s fire.
“RACKS BLUE” is a trap ballad that’s straighforward and infectious af. Same goes for “31 DAYS”. “HATE THE REAL ME” is sad and fire at the very same time. It’s a burning house with valuable art in it. The song is reflective of Future’s catalogue. He’s a man in pain that expresses it through fire cadences over trap bangers.
“I’m trying to get high as I can” is a crazy line to triumphantly repeat and have as a hook. Him reflectively stating that “Damn I hate the real me” is emotionally heavy and worryingly relatable. A super cool and super Future album.
7. Ye — Kanye West
Release Date — June 1, 2018
Tino Scale Rating — 7.5
Favourite Tracks — I Thought About Killing You, Yikes, Wouldn’t Leave, Ghost Town
Kanye West’s exhausting Twitter tirades and MAGA stanning surprisingly did not take away from his musical ability and this was on full display on “ye”, the 7 track ear candy of an album.
Production on this album is stellar, the raps are honest, and it’s a concise offering that impresses on all fronts of The Tino Scale. On “I Thought About Killing You”, he starts with a vulnerable monologue over some beautiful humming and a quiet baseline. He then goes into a very Yeezus-like verse that’s littered with clever lines like “Even when I went broke I didn’t break”. “Yikes”, the Lionel Messi of this album, is Kanye at his best. The beat is dope, the hook is cool and the “Facts” flow works even better than it did on the Jordan brand diss track.
“Wouldn’t Leave” is beautiful, and again, very honest. “Ghost Town” is perfect. The Cudi vocals are appropriate and refreshing af. Same goes for 070 Shakes’. There’s something very liberating about “Ghost Town”. It’s top down on a sunny day music and is representative of the overall vibe on this album. An impressive effort from Kanye. Not “MBDTF” but better than “TLOP”.
6. Jay Z and Beyonce — EVERYTHING IS LOVE
Release Date — June 16, 2018
Tino Scale Rating — 7.5
Favourite Tracks — APESHIT, BOSS, NICE, BLACK EFFECT
Black love is what JAY-Z and Beyoncé’s “EVERYTHING IS LOVE” sounds like and it’s amazing. It’s a celebration of family, blackness and success. It’s also an album of healing. There’s something very dope about the monetizing of your marital ups and downs. It’s exemplary leadership from Bey and Jay.
“APESHIT” is a decent Migos impression from Beyonce. It’s high in energy and watching her perform it on concert footage of her and Jay’s tour is very worthwhile and further emphasizes why they went the Migos route with this song. The Migos adlibs are fire as usual and add a layer of authenticity to the song. On “BOSS”, Beyonce shines in all her regal glory. You almost forget Jay Z is on this, that’s how well Beyonce raps and sings on this luxurious beat. On the Pharrell assisted “NICE”, Beyonce and Jay go back and forth and it’s brilliant. It’s a positive affirmation of a song that should be recommended in all the morning routines that increasingly popular self help books advise.
The album’s a great effort from the billionaire couple. It’s mature but still in tune with what the kids are bumping. Balance.
5. Mac Miller — Swimming
Release Date — August 3, 2018
Tino Scale Rating — 7.5
Favourite Tracks — Hurt Feelings, Perfecto, Self Care, Ladders
“Swimming”, Mac’s 5th studio offering, is a perfect representation for why he succeeded in rap. His vulnerability and understanding musical arrangement is on full display throughout the album and it’s awe inspiring. Listening to this album for this article was difficult because so many of the lines in it speak of “forever”, being sad and trying to get better.
On “Hurt Feelings” Mac employs a thumping bass as canvas to paint pictures of life; it’s an awesome and honest image. He raps very well and couples it with an infectious hook. “Perfecto” is continuation of self reflection on his life and life as a concept. It’s moody, rainy day music. He hits hard when he says “we’re living on borrowed time”. “Self Care” is the stand out track on this album that makes use of a catchy hook, a perfectly assembled mixture of lush sound for an instrumental and constructive subject matter. “Ladders” is funky and slick and a great example of the quality of production on this album. Everything is so intentional and fitting from every toot of the trumpet to every hit of the hi-hat.
In conclusion, “Swimming” is an amazing assembly of sound. A really great album that will only age well from here on out. RIP Mac.
4. Kids See Ghosts — Kids See Ghosts
Release Date — June 8, 2018
Tino Scale Rating — 8
Favourite Tracks — Feel The Love, Reborn, Kids See Ghosts, Cudi Montage
KIDS SEE GHOSTS is an extraterrestrial, dimension bending collection of songs. Kanye West and Kid Cudi have never made a bad song together and on this seven song Yeezy summer installation, they keep that record intact.
Cudi’s warm and comforting groaning on“Reborn,” Kanye’s revitalised rapping ability and with the opulent, expertly crafted beats, KIDS SEE GHOSTS is truly a songification of what Vegeta and Goku’s fusion would sound like, especially “Reborn”. The Yasiin Bey assisted “Kids See Ghosts” is a murky sounding, suspenseful bop whilst “Cudi Montage” is an inspirational anthem that can get anyone through anything difficult that they’re facing. Gonna use this for my exams next semester coz wheeew chile educationnnnn.
An album that gets better by the listen, “KIDS SEE GHOSTS” is the collaboration album I didn’t know I needed this much.
3. Drake — Scorpion
Release Date — June 29, 2018
Tino Scale Rating — 8
Favourite Tracks — Nonstop, Mob Ties, Peak, March14
Scorpion is Drake at his most Drake. It has everything that makes the boy, the boy. The bars are hard, the bops are sickening and the journey he takes us on, though long, is very much worthwhile.
The Tay Keith produced “Nonstop” is a certified club banger. If your DJ doesn’t have this in his set does he even want the club to jump? On “Mob Toes”, Drake does one of the most accurate Young Thug impressions I’ve heard to date, and it works. Side A slaps and Side B is bubble bath and candle lit, “Take Care” Drake. “Peak” could have just been renamed “Marvin’s Room 2”. On “March 14” Drake confirms reports of him having a child and he does it expertly with neat rhymes, clever wordplay and a very Drake flow, you know, the one he uses on his intros and location timestamp songs.
Though marred by controversy and reportedly altered to accommodate for the Kanye West, Pusha T and Adonis revelations and beef, the album is solid and cohesive. It could be shortened by about 7 songs though. It has all the potential of being a classic were it not for it being so drawn out and filled with filler. Scorpion’s fire and has mega hits. “God’s Plan”, “Nice For What”, “In My Feelings”. Remember those? Of course you do.
2. Travis Scott — Astroworld
Release Date — August 3, 2018
Tino Scale Rating — 8.5
Favourite Tracks — STARGAZING, SICKO MODE, NO BYSTANDERS, YOSEMITE
ASTROWORLD is Travis Scott’s best album to date and has cemented his place in the upper echelon of rap’s elite. It’s Drake, Travis, Kendrick and Cole right now. @ your pastor. The production is crazy, the bops come in hard and fast, it’s some of Travis’ best rapping, where he doesn’t do too much but let the stellar production do most of the work and boy did it work. Number 1 on the Billboard 100 level of work.
“STARGAZING” is the best intro to an album in 2018 so far. It’s stop start arrangement is a reflection of Travis’ thought process and range. “SICKO MODE” is arguably the best rap song of the year so far. It and “Mona Lisa” would have a tough battle for that title. Drake’s contribution to this song is better than anything he did on “Scorpion”. The sectioned structure of the song is a flex in itself. They could have had 3 bangers but decided to combine them into one and produce a triadic structure to envy. On the Gunna assisted “YOSEMITE”, Travis shows his diversity as an organizer of sound. The guitar, the flute and smooth hi hat make for a satisfying backdrop for all rappers on the track to float with the grace of an Instagram influencer in an infinity pool. The Nav feature is kinda hilarious but it works. Nav is very enjoyable with his vocals turned down.
On “ASTROWORLD”, Travis boasts all of his creative juices and more. His ability to taste make and arrange has reached levels where we can begin to compare it with his mentor, Kanye West. It’s a great album. An 8.5 on The Tino Scale and that’s saying something.
1. Pusha T — Daytona
Release Date — May 25, 2018
Tino Scale Rating — 9
Favourite Tracks — The Games We Play, Hard Piano, Santeria, Infrared
“DAYTONA” is a certified classic. A 9 on The Tino Scale. The Kanye West-produced third studio album, is golden. The seven-track album is as pure as anything can be, laser focused in it’s subject matter, has bops in appropriate measure and masterfully arranged by Kanye West. It’s a “How To Make A Great Rap Album 101”.
On “The Games We Play”, Kanye supplies Pusha with a funky hard thumping instrumental that Pusha murders with the surgical precision of a crazy, cannibalistic, and capable cardiologist. On “Hard Piano”, Pusha T exemplifies what great delivery is. It’s smooth, purposeful and effortless. The beat, the Rick Ross feature, wow! “Santeria” is a continuation of the rap excellence present throughout this album. The hook is fucking beautiful. I don’t understand it but the beat change that provides the backdrop for it is so great and as it bleeds into Pusha T’s second verse where you can feel things intensify as it culminates into a glorious ending to a perfect rap song. “Infrared” is a dope ending to a dope album. Here he shakes the table by placing the jab shot on Drake’s chin that resulted in Drake returning with a solid right hook that was returned by a knockout upper cut by King Push. “Duppy Freestyle” and “The Story of Adidon”.
“DAYTONA” is a return of drug dealer decadent rap at it’s most Walter White pure. A rap masterclass. A bonafide classic and the best rap album of summer 2018.
