2018 Albums I Love /start here
Doing one list of 25–40 albums has been what I’ve done for 2015, 2016 and 2017. No more ranking; music that’s great in these six parts will be appreciated for what it is; just that; great music; and my weird way of expressing; there’ll be loose themes; this list of six is the clearest theme; all these projects are centered on MC’s; all of them are also excellent; but that’s the theme of all these posts.
Hermit and the Recluse — Orpheus vs. the Sirens
It’s full of stories and bridges between worlds, and this time Ka interweaves Greek myths into the life he lived in Brownsville. There’s mystery and weight in the stories, it’s a melancholic album in the instrumentals and lyrics, laying bare reality through fiction, to give power to change. Recognising the past to go forth different into the future. The first line of the album signals this with “I think it’s fine to relinquish mine for the life of our seeds”.
Noname — Room 25
Lot’s of intention and care in this album, a lot of pondering and digesting on life and identity and love and death. There’s uncertainty and clarity, and more than everything acceptance of who she is, where she comes from and who she has become. The album’s name reflects that at 25 she had to let go of her past and welcome in who she is, fully. “All I am is everything and nothing at all/All I am is shoulder for your heart to lean on/All I am is love, all I am is love”
Jpegmafia — Veteran
The opening song is delicious and relaxing, and when it shifts, it brings worlds of current hip hop with weird experimentation and trap. His energy is all over the place, and he strongly feels like now, blending the crazy world around us, while being both an army veteran and having a masters degree, and having memes as a part of his music. He plays with emotions, expectations and pace, twists and turns in a delicious meandering of absurdism and meaning.
Jean Grae x Quelle Chris — Everything’s Fine
Sober eyes tell current realities. Complementary voices give a birds eye view and a very detailed feel of where life is currently placed. A lot of the conflict of modern times embedded in the lyrics. Numbness, barrage of information, anxiety, confusion and the underground of hope and courage needed to face our situation as a society. Capturing the past to show the present in a way too bright light “go ahead, be complacent, because everything is just fine.”
Tierra Whack — Whack World
Bite size. Memorable. Unexpected. Choose your style of rap, she can do it. Choose your instrumental style, she can ride it. It’s over before you understand it. You’ll feel the shortness of the songs. You’ll never feel sped. You won’t be bored. You’ll feel her heart. You might be confused. You’ll ask for more. Versatile. Delicious. Meaningful. “If you play your cards right/It’ll be alright/And if you don’t you’re in Trouble for Life”
Kids See Ghosts — Kids See Ghosts
When listening to this album I forget how short it is. I had no expectations, I hardly like either member, and when it comes in, it’s untethered and unrestrained. They’re letting loose so often it feels raw, undigested and full on emotional expression. As such it’s messy stylistically, feeling thus reflective of their mental state and way of being. “At times, wonder my purpose/Easy then to feel worthless/But, peace is somethin’ that starts with me”
Click here for the next 6 albums, poems will guide your way.
