2018 felt like one of the most eventful years in Hip Hop and R&B in quite sometime. With releases from Drake, J.Cole, Eminem, Lil Wayne, Travis Scott and several from the man in the red hat, 2018 had no choice but to be a memorable year.
I really like where hip-hop is right now. The mixture of new artists bringing a new sound to the game, and hip-hop’s centerpieces staying relevant is great.
Classic “Indie” R&B has completely taken over the sound in 2018. Artists like Ella Mai and 6LACK owned the year and helped shape the sound.
The artists who take time to actually care about the music they make always rise to the top in the end….
So, with that being said, here are some of the best (and worst) of the year…
Most Memorable Songs
In My Feelings — Drake
What’s Free — Meek Mill, Jay-Z, Rick Ross
Story of Adidon — Pusha T
SICKO MODE — Travis Scott, Drake
God’s Plan — Drake
1985 — J.Cole
Mo Bamba — Sheck Wes
Biggest Disappointment:
SR3MM — Rae Sremmurd
Rae Sremmurd dropped their third studio album in 2018. They called it a triple album, with a solo project from both of Slxm Jxmmi and Swae Lee. Though there were several bright spots from Jxmmi’s “Jxmtro”, the rest of the album(s) were underwhelming to say the least. SR3MM included tons of filler, and plenty of bad songs. Something I didn’t expect from the people who made Sremmlife 1 &2.
Hip Hop Artist of The Year
J.Cole
After dropping one of the best albums of the year in April, Cole went on a feature run unlike anything we’ve ever seen from him. For an artist with a mystique and lengthy periods between his music releases, 2018 was a unique year for J.Cole. From being the soundtrack to the NBA Playoffs, to the featured artist on songs with Moneybagg Yo, 21 Savage and Ari Lennox, J.Cole won 2018.
Drake
Drake maintianed his position among the world’s most popular musicians in 2018. No one is more socially relevant than Drake. His use of social media and his ability to adjust to any sound keep him on top. From playing Fortnite with Travis Scott and Ninja, to being featured on songs with BlocBoy JB and Bad Bunny, Drake never fails in staying relevant. Though I beleive Scorpion was underwhelming, it had some of the biggest hits of the decade.
R&B Artist of The Year
Ella Mai
Ella Mai fully emerged as a star in 2018. Boo’d Up, a song released in early 2017 became a social media favorite and one of the biggest songs of the year in early 2018. The underground, Instagram cover singer became one of R&B’s biggest names this year upon the success of “Boo’d Up” and her self-titled album, “Ella Mai”.
Best Newcomer | Hip Hop:
Juice WRLD
Juice WRLD quickly burst on to the scene with his first single, “Lucid Dreams” which was released in 2017. The music video was directed by one of today’s most heralded video directors, Cole Bennett, and has amassed over 260 Million views to date. His debut studio album, “Goodbye & Good Riddance”, peaked at #4 on the Billboard Top 200. With a platinum single, a mixtape with Future a successful debut album and several viral videos showcasing his freestyling ability, Juice WRLD established himself as an artist in 2018.
Best Newcomer| R&B:
Kiana Lede
Kiana Lede finally dropped something resembling an actual project in 2018. The former Kidz Bop singer has a beautiful voice and showcased it on “Soulfood Sessions”, a YouTube series of covers and flipped songs. Kiana Lede’s project “Selfless” is one of my favorite of the year.
Summer Walker
Summer Walker deserves consideration as well. She came out of “nowhere”, making her first music in 2018. CPR and Girls Need Love were some of the best songs of the year.
Producer Of The Year #PayYourProducers
Tay Keith
Tay Keith had one of hip-hop’s most memorable years for a producer, in 2018. He had six, Top-25 songs, beginning with Look Alive. With the help of Drake, Tay Keith brought the Memphis hip-hop sound into the forefront of music.
Look Alive — BlocBoy JB (feat. Drake)
Nonstop — Drake
Sicko Mode — Travis Scott
Stoopid — 6ix9ine (feat. Bobby Shmurda)
Not Alike — Eminem (feat. Royce Da 5'9)
Never Recover — Lil Baby, Gunna (feat. Drake)
Top 15 Hip Hop Albums
1. KOD — J.Cole
J.Cole’s fourth studio album, KOD was his response to the state of the culture. . Flipping the trap-influenced sound that primarily contains the glorification of drugs, money and addiction into something positive was one of the more creative concepts of the decade. It allowed J.Cole to embrace the modern sound while maintaining who he is as an artist.
2. Swimming — Mac Miller
After Mac Miller’s tragic passing in September, it’s safe to say he left his best for last. A fully focused, jazz and funk-influenced project including some of his most introspective lyrics ever, make Swimming Mac Miller’s most complete project. His evolution as an artist was amazing to watch and it’s unfortunate that this is the end of the road. RIP Malcolm McCormick.
3. ASTROWORLD — Travis Scott
Travis Scott delivered once again with ASTROWORLD, his third studio album and his first number one album. ASTROWORLD amplifies all of Travis Scott’s strengths from start to finish, while including some of the biggest songs of the year.
4. Victory Lap — Nipsey Hussle
Nipsey Hussle finally dropped the highly anticipated album, Victory Lap, in 2018. Victory Lap is by far Nipsey’s most focused and best executed project to date. From bangers like, “Hussle & Motivate” and “Grinding All My Life”, to tracks like “Real Big” and “Double Up”, Nipsey never fails to stay true to who he is.
5. Redemption — Jay Rock
Redemption is easily Jay Rock’s best project to date. Jay Rock executes in maintaining his personality while vastly improving the music on Redemption. A win for Jay Rock and another win for TDE…
6. DAYTONA — Pusha T
7. Scorpion — Drake
8. Black Panther Soundtrack — TDE
9. Milky Way — Bas
10. Championships — Meek Mill
Meek Mill’s return to the game was perfect. Championships is a refreshing project from someone who’s musical content had stagnated in the past. We were able to grasp what Meek has been going through and what he feels about everything on Championships.
11. FM — Vince Staples
12. TABOO — Denzel Curry
Denzel Curry quietly put together one of the most interesting projects of the year. A three part saga, though somewhat difficult to follow, contains his best work to date. Curry delivers with his natural, energetic bangers and a moody and emotional sound that has Curry as introspective as we’ve seen.
13. DiCaprio 2 — J.I.D.
14. Book of Ryan — Royce Da 5'9"
15. A Love Letter to You 3 — Trippie Redd
Though he’s fallen victim to the “mumble rap” stigma, Trippie Redd has some of the most unique sounding music in the game today. Other than Lil Uzi Vert, no one makes music that sounds like this. “A Love Letter To You 3” is a dark and melodic ride of emotions.
Honorable Mentions: Invasion of Privacy — Cardi B, Care for Me — Saba, Drogas Wave — Lupe Fiasco ,EP Collection — Wale, Fetti — Curren$y Freddie Gibbs, Tha Carter V — Lil Wayne, Vacation In Hell — Flatbush Zombies
Top 15 R&B Albums:
- East Atlanta Love Letter — 6LACK
https://medium.com/@_Kash24_/6lack-east-atlanta-love-letter-d2ba43513d49
2. KTSE — Teyana Taylor
Outside of the last track, KTSE is nearly perfect. “Redcap” did a great job on the production but I would’ve loved to hear her branch out and work with other people. Regardless, KTSE is a great project.
3. Selfless — Kiana Lede
Kiana Lede delivered in one of my most anticipated projects of the future. Lede has a tremendous voice and used it better than any “Kidz Bop” album ever could’ve. A collection of songs in the modern R&B/Pop vein made for an enjoyable 21 minutes.
4. November — SiR
After a series of mixtapes, SiR released his first studio album in January. The TDE signee added to what has been a great run for the label.
5. V.O. — Victor Oladipo
Now, before you call me crazy, go ahead and listen to this project by one of the NBA’s best guards. Oladipo has a great voice and with help from the likes of Eric Bellinger, Trey Songz, PnB Rock and Tory Lanez he was able to put together some great songs.
6. Oxnard — Anderson.Paak
I’m not going to lie, I was disappointed by Oxnard. I had high expectations for Anderson.Paak’s third album. Though there are several good moments on the album, it was poorly sequenced and included too many songs I could’ve went without hearing.
7. I Used To Know HER Pt.1 & 2 — H.E.R.
8. Hive Mind — The Internet
Syd is really good at this music thing.
9. Love Me Now — Tory Lanez
10. Ella Mai — Ella Mai
11. MihTy — Jermih, Ty Dolla $ign
12. Lost & Found — Jorja Smith
13. Memories Don’t Die — Tory Lanez
14. 4275 — Jacquees
15. Easy Call — Eric Bellinger
The Best Songs of 2018
A playlist with the best songs of 2018. #NoSkips
Thank You For Reading!
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