Why I Don’t Have A Year-End List
I listened to a lot of music this year, but few albums — here’s why
For the most part, I hate those damn lists.
Critics get to flex their curating muscles, illuminating to the people how “in the know” they are, the people get to debate those lists, and the artists get to pretend that they don’t care about being left off lists.
A year ago I was inspired by all the music that was coming out, Fun da Mentals was in full swing, and I decided to wax poetic about it. This year is different— not that a lot of music isn’t coming out — there’s always a ton of music, more music than the average person can keep up with. So that ain’t why I don’t have a list.
I don’t have a list because I only really listened to two albums — 4:44 and Laila’s Wisdom — everything else, SZA, Daniel Caeser, Moses Sumney, Elbow, etc, I listened to in passing. There was no Seat at the Table, Malibu, System Killer, or Birds in the Trap for me this year.
What I listened to the most, what I listened to everyday, walking, driving, traveling, was the music that some call Afrobashment, others call UK Afrobeats (I just read Afro Swing is another term…Afro Swing? Wtf, Kojo). Let’s talk about that real quick, leave you a playlist, and roll out.
I’m pretty used to being different; listening and liking things that no one else gives a damn about is normal. From when I was a child loving the Beatles and Led Zepp, up to when I chose Drum n Bass, Garage, and Grime over what was playing on Hot 97, it’s just been part of my DNA.
What that translates into is a musically insular world where the songs that I love, that become a part of my memories of the year, are separate of most Americans. I don’t know where I was the first time I heard Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood, but I can tell you almost everything that was going on the first time I was rendered catatonic by Two Pages (the N train, going to Wall Street to work a job at a place called Shareholders). Don’t know what people were listening to when DJ EZ dropped that first mix CD, and were it not for my Rapper friend, I probably wouldn’t have remembered Kanye’s debut.
I’m of the belief that music resonates more when you live with it. Anderson.Paak and Solange’s jawn, I lived with them albums. Kamasi’s The Epic, bookends a time fa real. Birds in the Trap was my travel music. But this year, like I said — two albums.
Back at the beginning of the year I wrote about the growing, diasporic similarities between music in West Africa, Europe and Canada, made a playlist, the whole shebang. I continued to seek out new music like I did in 2016. But by the time March rolled around, all I was listening to was the music coming out of England and Nigeria.
A month later, I was resolved to the fact that I ain’t wanna listen to nothing else. And that’s been the case every since.
Usually an album is the watershed moment for a movement. We’re not talking greatest hit albums, or half-ass compilations like The Message. We’re talking Run-DMC, Timeless, Born to Do It, Boy in da Corner, albums that, upon release, shifted how artists in an otherwise underground scene viewed their music.
After a groundbreaking album dropped, historically, the once underground scene leapt into the mainstream and commercialization took hold.
That moment could have happened in May when J Hus’ Common Sense was released. It was, after all, Hus’ “Dem Boy Paigon” that caught the attention of the British media back in 2015 (it was a big hit).
The lead single to Common Sense, “Did You See” climbed up the UK Singles Chart (the equivalent of the Billboard 100) making J Hus a household (British) name and a Pop artist.
And yo…it’s that good. So is the album.
Producer Jae5 who handled the majority of the work constructed an album with a variety of sounds, the title track wouldn’t sound out of place on a Rozay album with the lush strings and what not, not to mention the Afrobeats songs like “Bouff Daddy” (which brought me there in the first place). It’s a damn good album.
What that normally means is Record Labels swoop in and rush out as many albums as they possibly can, saturating the market, and ultimately, killing the scene. That hasn’t happened. In fact, the scene has stayed self-contained. A song may make some noise like Not3s “Addison Lee” (the company now gives him a discount for that damn free advertising), or artists like Yxng Bane may get dubbed “next” but things remain the same. Knock on aluminum.
But I ain’t gonna write you to death.
I started this piece because I wanted to share the music.
Nonetheless, I have to say what’s drawn me to this sound. It’s not the lyrics. Our stank has infected the Earth with everyone talking that, ‘day ones,’ ‘get money,’ ‘you wasn’t checking for me before,’ ‘smoking and drinking,’ business — people just have their different take on it (Which makes sense because the stench of White Supremacy has been sprayed on all of us).
I can say that I enjoy references that are made that are UK/Europe/World specific, “on the wing like Ribery,” “top scorer, Jamie Vardy,” “can’t go back like Bellerin,” being a few. They’re not trying to make stuff for Americans to understand (cuz Americans don’t know shit bout no ‘soccer’).
I also appreciate the spirit that the music is made in. You can feel a sense of urgency in a music that is constantly updating. Everyday there’s new songs being released, some by ‘top’ artists, other songs by lesser known, up-and-coming folk. Being in America prevents me from having the prejudice that I would if I were in the UK. I don’t know nobody from nobody.
Honestly, I get sick of hearing the same 808s, snares, and kicks, that are prevalent in US music. I’ll take the ever-present marimba over that any day, that is, if forced to pick my FL Studio poison. But the so-called Afrobashment/UK Afrobeats is closer to the music that’s ruling West Africa now and I fucks with it (I got me a long playlist for that too).
It’s a producer driven music with people like Jae5, G.A., Wildboyace, Jobey, N2the A, Steel Bangelz, Lekaa Beats, LTTB (to name a few) leaving their stamp over several tracks a month. Hearing someone like G.A. experiment on songs like “Sun Goes Down” or “YRF” or the keys and breakdowns that Steel Bangelz employs in “No Words” or “Celebration” reminds me of when I used to get drawn in by Rap production.
Most importantly though, the outlets for all that music is Black. In America, you see something like SBTV, Link Up TV, or GRM Daily, and it sho nuff is gonna be run by some young white dude. But those three YouTube channels are run by three brothas: Jamal Edwards (SBTV), Rashid Kasirye (Link Up), and Kobe ‘Posty’ Hagan (GRM Daily). The Guardian just recently had a dope piece on em and I was inspired. It’s something that I wish I saw more of here.
Lastly, it’s just plain o’ exciting. Nothing like having no idea when something is going to come out then POW, it’s there…every day. I included a playlist of 30 songs (1 hr 42 min) but the one I have on my laptop is 167 songs (10 hrs 11 min). There’s new music everyday like I said, every — day. Some songs on here are “old” from earlier this year, some are from yesterday, if you listen next month, every song on here will be “old.”
So that’s what I been listening to. I made it easy for you by giving you a Spotify playlist…plus they can get the £0.005 cents for every time you stream it. Don’t do your self a disservice, listen with something that has BASS, not them shitty Apple earbuds. You’ll thank me later. Enjoy.
