Top 40 Most Played Albums of May/June/July 2022 (bold indicates new album in May or June or July)
Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers (2022)
Ransom – No Rest For The Wicked (2022)
Future – I Never Liked You (2022)
Big K.R.I.T. – Digital Roses Don’t Die (2022)
Apollo Brown – This Must Be The Place (2022)
Westside Boogie – More Black Superheroes (2022)
Logic – Vinyl Days (2022)
D’Angelo – Brown Sugar (1995)
Pusha T – It’s Almost Dry (2022)
Marian Hill – why can’t we just pretend? (2022)
Don Michael Jr. – This Is Not Music. (2022)
Vince Staples – Ramona Park Broke My Heart (2022)
Benny the Butcher – Tana Talk 4 (2022)
Brent Faiyaz – Wasteland (2022)
Lupe Fiasco – DRILL MUSIC IN ZION (2022)
The Weeknd – Dawn FM (2022)
EARTHGANG – Ghetto Gods (2022)
Harry Styles – Harry’s House (2022)
Saba – Few Good Things (2022)
Russ – CHOMP 2 (2021)
Elzhi – Zhigeist (2022)
IDK – Simple. (2022)
Conway the Machine – God Don’t Make Mistakes (2022)
Grynch – Anthology (2022)
Big Boi & Sleepy Brown – Big Sleepover (2022)
Buddy – Superghetto (2022)
Cordae – From a Birds Eye View (2022)
Denzel Curry – Melt My Eyez See Your Future (2022)
Joey Badass – 2000 (2022)
Post Malone – Twelve Carat Toothache (2022)
Comments: Been a while since I’ve done a music update. I didn’t listen to a ton of music while I was in Vegas for the World Series of Poker and I’ve listened to almost no older music in the past three months. It’s worth noting that I listened to Kendrick’s new album more than three times as much as Ransom’s album over this time period – that’s how far in first place Kendrick is. He’s just a different breed and my fandom for his music is really levels above any other artist. I think a lot of people were initially let down by Mr. Morale after having to wait for five years, but I think it’s nothing short of sensational and it has grown on me a ton since those first few listens. If you just gave it a couple spins and set it aside, you made a mistake. As for other new albums, Westside Boogie is just a great songwriter. He doesn’t really wow me in any way but he consistently makes songs that I like a lot. Lupe dropped another good album and continues to show that lyrically and vocally he’s just on a different level than 99% of rappers. Joey Badass also returned after a long absence and dropped another very good album that I’m still settling into.
Finally, I added a page for 2022 Albums that I’ve ranked in my rating system and have a pretty good feel for, so check that out.
Top 25 Most Played Albums of April 2022 (* indicates new album in April)
*Vince Staples – Ramona Park Broke My Heart
Mariah Carey – Daydream (1995)
Mariah Carey – Music Box (1993)
Big K.R.I.T. – Digital Roses Don’t Die
Don Michael Jr. – This Is Not Music.
*Marian Hill – why can’t we just pretend?
Mariah Carey – Charmbracelet (2002)
Mariah Carey – Butterfly (1997)
*Pusha T – It’s Almost Dry
Saba – Few Good Things
Mariah Carey – Mariah Carey (1990)
Mariah Carey – Rainbow (1999)
EARTHGANG – Ghetto Gods
J. Cole – Friday Night Lights (2010)
Mariah Carey – The Emancipation of Mimi (2004)
The 1975 – I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it (2016)
Placebo – Never Let Me Go
The Weeknd – Dawn FM
Denzel Curry – Melt My Eyez See Your Future
Mariah Carey – Glitter (2001)
Benny the Butcher – Tana Talk 4
Emeli Sande – Real Life (2019)
Conway the Machine – God Don’t Make Mistakes
Cordae – From a Birds Eye View
*Fivio Foreign – B.I.B.L.E.
Comments: Uhm. Confession: I met someone and she loves Mariah Carey so here I am listening to her whole discography and guess what? I really like it. It’s not like I was unaware of Mariah or unfamiliar with her biggest hits, but I’ve never dug through any of her albums before. She was (maybe still is?) legit. Her first five albums are all really good with basically zero misses. I’ve been less enamored with her post-Butterfly projects as her sound feels more and more top 100 poppy to me. I prefer Mariah when she’s singing singing. But still, some of the later projects are still growing on me. I’m a hip-hop guy but I appreciate good music from any genre and I been sleeping on Mariah. She’s fire. Plus, connecting with someone musically is a vibe. I like tapping into what she listens to and seeing if I like it also, even though it may not be something I’d listen to on my own (see also: The 1975). As far as new hip-hop releases, the two big ones were new albums from Vince Staples and Pusha T – and I really liked both of them. Fivio Foreign had some sick guest verses over the last year and I was intrigued by what his album would be like, but I listened to it once through and don’t plan to give it another full listen. I also feel like it’s worth noting that the Conway, Cordae, and Big K.R.I.T. albums have grown on me. Lastly, I’m on my 4th listen to the new Marian Hill album and it’s gotten better every time. 🔥
One last and very important note: THE KING IS BACK. Kendrick Lamar drops high long awaited and mega anticipated album Mr. Morale and the Big Steppas (wut) on May 13th at 9 PM PST. MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND SET YOUR ALARMS AND SIT DOWN. BE HUMBLE.
The 25 Most Played Artists of 2022
Mariah Carey
Kanye West
Saba
The Weeknd
Che Noir
The Roots
Lil Wayne
Sir
Denzel Curry
James Blake
Frank Ocean
Adele
Ludacris
Nas
FKA twigs
Musiq Soulchild
Big K.R.I.T.
Conway the Machine
Cordae
EARTHGANG
Benny the Butcher
Vince Staples
Frankie Cosmos
Don Michael Jr.
J Dilla
Follow me on Apple Music @DarkKnight1717 to add my playlists 2020s Bangers Playlist April 2022 Additions:
Big K.R.I.T., “Show U Right” Don Michael Jr., “Championship Rings.” Don Michael Jr., “New Energy.” EARTHGANG, “ALL EYES ON ME” Little Simz, “Protect My Energy” Russ, “Get It” (feat. Cyhi the Prynce & Lloyd Banks) Vince Staples, “WHEN SPARKS FLY”
Comments: Mariah dominated my listening in April and I’m still getting used to the newer hip-hop releases.
Top 25 Most Played Albums of March 2022 (* indicates new album in March)
Sir – Chasing Summer (2019)
Kanye West – 808s & Heartbreak (2008)
Frank Ocean – channel ORANGE (2012)
*Denzel Curry – Melt My Eyez See Your Future
Musiq Soulchild – Juslisen (2002)
James Blake – Friends That Break Your Heart
Frankie Cosmos – Next Thing (2016)
Adele – 30
FKA twigs – CAPRISONGS
*KXNG Crooked & Joell Ortiz – Rise & Fall of Slaughterhouse
Jacob Latimore – C3 (2020)
*Benny the Butcher – Tana Talk 4
EARTHGANG – Ghetto Gods
Conway the Machine – God Don’t Make Mistakes
dvsn – Morning After (2017)
Spillage Village – Spilligion (2020)
*RZA – Saturday Afternoon Kung Fu Theater
Jessie Ware – What’s Your Pleasure? (2020)
*Onyx – 1993
Kendrick Lamar – DAMN. (2017)
Brother Ali – The Undisputed Truth (2007)
Don Michael Jr. – This Is Not Music.
6LACK – East Atlanta Love Letter (2018)
Baby B – Text at 2 AM
The Weeknd – Dawn FM
Comments: I haven’t been public about this at all, but I feel like the cat is out of the bag now: I am no longer married. I feel like the huge life change is reflected in the kind of music I wanted to listen to last month because I was definitely in my feelings – mourning the end of an important long term relationship but also excited about what the future holds. Needless to say, new music was put on the back burner in March. I was way too distracted for all that. Denzel Curry’s new album was the only new project I gave a good listen to and it was pretty good. I was super excited for Benny the Butcher’s Tana Talk 4 but if I’m being honest, it hasn’t really grabbed me. Maybe I finally have Benny fatigue? The track with J. Cole is possibly the best song of 2022 though. I’ve been using Last.FM to track my music stats for almost two years now and the most I’d ever listened to a single song was about 30 times. Last month alone, there were nine songs I listened to over 30 times! Like I said, in my feelings.
The 25 Most Played Artists of 2022
Kanye West
Saba
The Roots
Che Noir
Lil Wayne
Sir
James Blake
Frank Ocean
Ludacris
The Weeknd
Adele
Denzel Curry
Musiq Soulchild
FKA twigs
Nas
Frankie Cosmos
Conway the Machine
Cordae
J Dilla
Benny the Butcher
EARTHGANG
KXNG Crooked & Joell Ortiz
Snoop Dogg
Big K.R.I.T.
Roddy Ricch
Follow me on Apple Music @DarkKnight1717 to add my playlists 2020s Bangers Playlist March 2022 Additions:
Benny the Butcher, “Johnny P’s Caddy” (feat. J. Cole) Denzel Curry, “The Last” KXNG Crooked & Joell Ortiz, “Look Mama” Nas, “40-16 Building”
Comments: Super distracted last month so didn’t add much here.
Top 25 Most Played Albums of February 2022 (* indicates new album in February)
*Saba – Few Good Things
Cordae – From a Birds Eye View
*Big K.R.I.T. – Digital Roses Don’t Die
The Roots – How I Got Over
Kanye West – The Life of Pablo
*Snoop Dogg – BODR
Kanye West – Late Registration
Macklemore – The Language of My World
Ludacris – Release Therapy
Kanye West – The College Dropout
Ludacris – Chicken-N-Beer
Ludacris – Word of Mowf
Fabolous – Real Talk
Kanye West – 808s & Heartbreak
Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Jay-Z & Kanye West – Watch the Throne
Ludacris – Back For The First Time
A$AP Rocky – TESTING
*EARTHGANG – Ghetto Gods
Shady Records – SHADYXV
Ludacris – The Red Light District
Kanye West – Graduation
Styles P & Havoc – Wreckage Manner
Kanye West – Yeezus
KIDS SEE GHOSTS (Kanye West & Kid Cudi) – KIDS SEE GHOSTS
Comments: Not hard to see what happened here. That new Kanye West documentary on Netflix sent me down memory lane, revisiting Kanye’s entire discography. I’d actually never really spent much time with the 808s album and I can’t believe I’ve slept on it all this time. It is truly great. Truly innovative for the time. I already have some personal anthems from it. I also spent some time with Luda’s discog. I had been thinking about my top 100 or so rappers of all-time and I realized I didn’t know much about Luda. I made it through his first five albums and thought they were all good. I hit a snag on album #6 though and haven’t finished my project as my life has been kind of turned upside down recently and my focus has shifted. As far as new albums go, Saba’s album is really, really good; I’ve listened to K.R.I.T.’s album a few times and it’s different but enjoyable; Snoop’s album was completely forgettable; and EARTHGANG’s new project is brand new and a clear step down from their last one, but I’ve heard some dope songs on it.
The 25 Most Played Artists of 2022
Kanye West
Saba
Che Noir
Lil Wayne
The Roots
Ludacris
The Weeknd
Cordae
J Dilla
Nas
Little Simz
Ghostface Killah
Big K.R.I.T.
Snoop Dogg
Roddy Ricch
AZ
Conway the Machine
Gunna
Baby Keem
Jazmine Sullivan
Macklemore
Mos Def
Eminem
Roc Marciano
FKA twigs
Follow me on Apple Music @DarkKnight1717 to add my playlists 2020s Bangers Playlist February 2022 Additions:
Cordae, “Sinister” (feat. Lil Wayne) Dr. Dre, “ETA” (feat. Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, & Anderson .Paak) Saba, “Stop That” Saba, “If I Had A Dollar” (feat. Benjamin Earl Turner)
Comments: I was listening to a lot of older stuff in February so I didn’t add too many tracks to my Bangers of the Decade playlist.
Spin Rate: 15+ Average Song Rating: 3.83/5 SkipPercentage: 0% Certified Bangers: 3
Thoughts: Che Noir did it again. This is the fourth well above average project she’s released since the beginning of 2020. I don’t know if there’s any other rapper that can make that same claim. I feel like this two year run is already enough to put her ahead of the likes of notable femcees like Foxy Brown and Lil Kim on the all-time list. That might seem like too much praise too soon, but I’d honestly have to give it some serious thought to come up with another female rapper I like four projects from. If I know one thing about Che though, it’s that she would absolutely hate my last few sentences. She wants to be mentioned with the best rappers in the world and she doesn’t want gender to be part of that conversation. I think that’s fair and I do think she’s earned a pretty secure spot as one of the ten best rappers or so of the last few years.
Food For Thought is a pretty short album and the biggest difference between this projects and past ones is that Che handled most of the production herself. If I’m being honest, her sound had to grow on me. Of course any new producer is going to sound a little rough following up an album full of Apollo Brown’s wizardry on the boards, but I think Che ends up holding her own. It’s hard to make a banger without really good production and I think she has at least three songs on this album worthy of that threshold and I don’t think there’s a weak song at all. As always, Che absolutely brings it lyrically. For the most part, she’s just bodying verses on this project but “Communion” is one of Che’s most personal songs to date as she touches on the recent passing of her brother over the most soulful beat on the album. “Table For 3” finds Che, Ransom and 38 Spesh all spitting fire over another absolute banger of a beat. It’s absolutely ridiculous. I still think Che lacks versatility in her vocal delivery and I don’t see too much improvement on this album, but it’s not something that bothers me much and she brings enough content and lyrical ability to more than make up for it. Che Noir has quickly become one of my current favorite rappers and this album is another really solid effort in one of the most impressive runs of the last few years.
Top 25 Most Played Albums of January 2022 (* indicates new album in January)
*Che Noir – Food For Thought
*The Weeknd – Dawn FM
J Dilla – Donuts (2005)
Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
Roddy Ricch – Live Life Fast
Lil Wayne – Tha Carter II (2005)
*Gunna – DS4EVER
Baby Keem – The Melodic Blue
Mos Def – Black On Both Sides (1999)
Nas – Magic
Ghostface Killah – Supreme Clientele (2000)
*Cordae – From a Birds Eye View
Roc Marciano – Reloaded
*FKA twigs – CAPRISONGS
Lil Wayne – Tha Carter III (2008)
Nas – King’s Disease II
Ghostface Killah – Ironman (1996)
Jazmine Sullivan – Heaux Tales
Lil Wayne – SQ4 (2004?)
Adele – 30
Big Boi & Sleepy Brown – The Sleepover
Lil Wayne – Sorry 4 the Wait (2011)
Labrinth – Euphoria Soundtrack (2019)
The Roots – Undun (2011)
Mac Miller – Circles (2020)
The 25 Most Played Artists of January
Che Noir
Lil Wayne
The Weeknd
The Roots
J Dilla
Nas
Little Simz
Ghostface Killah
Roddy Ricch
AZ
Gunna
Baby Keem
Mos Def
Cordae
Roc Marciano
FKA twigs
Mach-Hommy
Westside Gunn
Jazmine Sullivan
Adele
Big Boi
Conway the Machine
Labrinth
Mac Miller
Ransom
Follow me on Apple Music @DarkKnight1717 to add my playlists 2020s Bangers Playlist January 2022 Additions:
AZ, “Jewels for Life” Baby Keem, “trademark usa” Big Boi & Sleepy Brown, “The Big Sleep” Che Noir, “Brains For Dinner” Che Noir, “Communion” Che Noir, “Table For 3” (feat. Ransom & 38 Spesh) Dr. Dre, “Eta” (feat. Anderson .Paak, Busta Rhymes, & Snoop Dogg) Dr. Dre, “Gospel” (feat. Eminem) FKA twigs, “careless” (feat. daniel caesar) FKA twigs, “tears in the club” (feat. The Weeknd) Lute, “Birdsong” (feat. JID & Saba) Lute, “Overnight” Nas, “Speechless” Nas, “Meet Joe Black” Nas, “Wave Gods” (feat. A$AP Rocky) Nas, “40-16 Building” Ransom & Rome Streetz, “Claudine” (feat. Che Noir) Roddy Ricch, “rollercoastin” Roddy Ricch, “don’t i” (feat. Gunna) Wale, “Poke It Out” (feat. J. Cole) The Weeknd, “Take My Breath” The Weeknd, “Sacrifice” The Weeknd, “Out of Time”
Adele – 30 (Pop) Benny the Butcher – The Plugs I Met 2 (Rap) Dave – We’re All Alone In This Together (Rap) Isaiah Rashad – The House Is Burning (Rap) J.Cole – The Off-Season (Rap) Kanye West – Donda (Rap) Nas – King’s Disease II (Rap) Nas – Magic (Rap) Olivia Rodrigo – SOUR (Pop) Silk Sonic – An Evening with Silk Sonic (Pop) Tyler, the Creator – CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST (Rap)
Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order)
AZ – Doe or Die II (Rap) Boldy James & The Alchemist – Bo Jackson (Rap) Conway the Machine – La Maquina (Rap) Grip – I Died For This!? (Rap) Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (Rap) Lute – Gold Mouf (Rap) Mach-Hommy – Pray For Haiti (Rap) Skyzoo – All the Brilliant Things (Rap) Tash Sultana – Terra Firma (Alternative Rock) Westside Gunn – Hitler Wears Hermes 8: sides A & B (Rap)
Top 25 Most Played Albums of 2021
J. Cole – The Off-Season
Isaiah Rashad – The House is Burning
Dave – We’re All Alone In This Together
Kanye West – Donda
Nas – King’s Disease II
Mach-Hommy – Pray For Haiti
Benny the Butcher – The Plugs I Met 2
DMX – Exodus
MC Eiht – LESSONS (2020)
The Notorious B.I.G. – Life After Death (1997)
Sa-Roc – The Sharecropper’s Daughter (2020)
Tash Sultana – Terra Firma
Conway the Machine – La Maquina
Tyrone’s Jacket – Tyrone’s Jacket (2020)
Tyler, The Creator – CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST
Grip – I Died for This!?
Toby Ganger – Free Machine (unreleased)
Pink Sweat$ – Pink Planet
Drake – Certified Lover Boy
Lana Del Rey – Chemtrails Over the Country
Ghetts – Conflict of Interest
Eminem – Music To Be Murdered By – Side B
Nyck Caution – Anywhere But Here
Vince Staples – Vince Staples
Courtney Bell – Poverty Stricken (2020)
The 50 Most Played Artists of 2021
J. Cole
Benny the Butcher
Isaiah Rashad
Nas
Eminem
Kanye West
DMX
Scarface
Dave
Kool G Rap
Lana Del Rey
The Notorious B.I.G.
Big K.R.I.T.
Boldy James
Vince Staples
Sa-Roc
Conway the Machine
MF DOOM
Mach-Hommy
KOTA the Friend
Westside Gunn
Drake
MC Eiht
Outkast
Yelawolf
Dua Lipa
Kendrick Lamar
Mac Miller
Tyler, the Creator
Tash Sultana
Jessie Ware
Lil Wayne
Tyrone’s Jacket
Grip
Pink Sweat$
Toby Ganger
Adele
Freddie Gibbs
Ghetts
Nyck Caution
Snoop Dogg
Elzhi
Jadakiss
AZ
BROCKHAMPTON
Courtney Bell
Devin the Dude
Emotional Oranges
Evidence
Kali Uchis
Top 25 Most Played Artist of December (* indicates released new album last month)
Nas *
Elzhi
The Beatles
Lil Wayne
DJ Quik
Adele
Roddy Ricch *
Big Boi *
Dave
Brother Ali
Kanye West
Russ *
Westside Gunn
Benny the Butcher
Boldy James *
Silk Sonic
Porter Robinson
Khalid *
Big K.R.I.T.
Cozz *
LE$ *
Young Thug
Ghostface Killah
Isaiah Rashad
J. Cole
Top 50 Most Played Artists of All-Time (since like late summer 2020) [last year’s ranking in brackets]
Eminem [1]
Benny the Butcher [2]
Nas [10]
J. Cole [unranked]
Conway the Machine [4]
Lil Wayne [3]
Kanye West [unranked]
MC Eiht [6]
Scarface [unranked]
Isaiah Rashad [unranked]
DMX [unranked]
Black Thought / The Roots [5]
Sa-Roc [24]
Che Noir [7]
Boldy James [29]
Lana Del Rey [unranked]
Toby Ganger [16]
Westside Gunn [26]
Dave [unranked]
Kool G Rap [unranked]
Amine [9]
Outkast / Big Boi [unranked]
The Lox / Jadakiss [37]
Dua Lipa [30]
MF DOOM [unranked]
38 Spesh [14]
Spillage Village / Earthgang [8]
Mac Miller [48]
Dueling Experts / Recognize Ali [15]
Ty Dolla $ign [12]
The Notorious B.I.G. [unranked]
Ransom [31]
Tyrone’s Jacket [44]
KOTA the Friend [unranked]
Berner [11]
Big K.R.I.T. [unranked]
Jessie Ware [unranked]
Elzhi [49]
Busta Rhymes [13]
Vince Staples [unranked]
Kid Cudi [46]
The Weeknd [17]
Drake [unranked]
Kendrick Lamar [unranked]
Pop Smoke [28]
Blu [22]
Flip Huston [19]
Mach-Hommy [unranked]
Freddie Gibbs [unranked]
Brother Ali [42]
Dropped Out: R.A. the Rugged Man [18], Big Sean [20], 21 Savage & Metro Boomin [23], Felt [25], T.I. [27], Goodie Mob [34], Ariana Grande [35], CunninLynguists [36], Jaden Smith [38], Dinner Party [39], Future [40], Kaash Paige [41], Deante Hitchcock [43], Rich Brian [45], Dave East [47], Ice Cube [50]
Note: These albums are NOT ranked in order of preference; they are ranked in order of number of songs listened to (scrobbles) over the past month.Previous ranking in brackets. Year of release in parentheses if it’s not 2020 or 2021.
**indicates November release
Isaiah Rashad – The House is Burning – 7+
Kanye West – Donda – 7
Nas – King’s Disease II – 8
Dave – We’re All Alone In This Together – 9
Grip – I Died for This!? – 7
Drake – Certified Lover Boy – 5+
Mach-Hommy – Pray For Haiti – 6+
Travis Thompson – BVLD BOY – 6+
Big K.R.I.T. – It’s Better This Way
Boldy James & The Alchemist – Bo Jackson – 6+
AZ – Doe or Die II – 7+
Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert – 7+
Olivia Rodrigo – SOUR – 7
**Adele – 30 – 8+
DMX – Exodus – 6
Baby Keem – The Melodic Blue – 5+
Benny the Butcher – Pyrex Picasso – 6+
Big K.R.I.T. – A Style Not Quite Free
*Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak) – An Evening With Silk Sonic – 8+
Westside Gunn – Hitler Wears Hermes 8: Side B – 6+
D Smoke – War & Wonders – 6
Skyzoo – All the Brilliant Things – 7+
Lute – Gold Mouf – 7+
Tyler, The Creator – CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST – 7
Westside Gunn – Hitler Wears Hermes 8: Sincerely Adolf – 6+
The 25 Artists I Listened To the Most last three months
I also went crazy and made a best films of the year list for every year from 2020 to 1982, the year I was born. I ranked 25 films for 2000 and later and 10 films for 1999 to 1982. I started fizzling out on my lists in the early 90s as I just haven’t seen most of the important films from those early years when I was a kid. I have all the lists on my blog here. Enjoy!
Note: These albums are NOT ranked in order of preference; they are ranked in order of number of songs listened to (scrobbles) over the past month.Previous ranking in brackets. Year of release in parentheses if it’s not 2020 or 2021.
*indicates June/July 2021 release
*Dave – We’re All Alone In This Together
J.Cole – The Off-Season
*Tyler, The Creator – CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST
*LLoyd Banks – The Course of the Inevitable
*Evidence – Unlearning, Vol. 1
DMX – Exodus
*Vince Staples – Vince Staples
Scarface – My Homies (1998)
Kool G Rap – Return of the Don (2017)
*HRSMN (Canibus, Kurupt, Killah Priest, Ras Kass) – The Last Ride
*Isaiah Rashad – The House is Burning
BROCKHAMPTON – ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE
*King Blitz – THINGS NEVER GO AS PLANNED
Yelawolf & DJ Muggs – Mile Zero
*H.E.R. – Back of My Mind
*IDK – USEE4YOURSELF
Kool G Rap – Riches, Royalty & Respect (2011)
Kool G Rap – The Giancana Story (2002)
*Smoke DZA – The Hustler’s Catalog 2
*Sy Ari Da Kid – Sy Ari Not Sorry
Kool G Rap – Roots of Evil (1998)
Wu-Tang Clan – Wu-Tang Forever (1997)
*Emotional Oranges – The Juicebox
Kool G Rap – Live and Let Die (1992)
Kanye West – Late Registration (2005)
Comments: Recent albums that are absolutely must listens: J. Cole, Tyler the Creator, Isaiah Rashad, and I think Dave just dropped the 2021 Album of the Year so far.
The 25 Artists I Listened To the Most in June & July
Kool G Rap
Scarface
Dave
J. Cole
Yelawolf
Tyler, The Creator
Lloyd Banks
Evidence
Benny the Butcher
Vince Staples
DMX
Wu-Tang Clan
Isaiah Rashad
Kanye West
Ransom
Lana Del Rey
Eminem
HRSMN
Sa-Roc
BROCKHAMPTON
H.E.R.
King Blitz
Pop Smoke
IDK
Smoke DZA
Sy Ari Da Kid
Comments: My biggest focus over the past couple months was going through the discographies of a couple of hip-hop legends: Kool G Rap and Scarface. I’ve always been a casual fan of KGR, but I have to admit I’ve never really dug into his music too much and it’s hard to have a valid opinion on someone’s place in hip-hop history if you don’t really know what you’re talking about. Old school heads love to put G Rap in their top 20 so not being able to debate that claim intelligently is something I felt like I needed to fix. After listening to basically every project he’s ever made, I think KGR is a great rapper that deserves more credit from the current generation, but I’m not really seeing someone I’d seriously consider for my top 20. He’s vocally nice and lyrically great, but I wasn’t blown away by his discography – it just doesn’t have the versatility or emotional depth I’d like to see from someone I’d consider in my all-time favorites. Scarface, on the other hand, is a fringe top 10 rapper of all-time. His discog is amazing and he’s someone that has evolved with the times and was still completely relevant as recently as the mid-to-late 2010s. The Fix is an absolute masterpiece of a rap album. Every song is a pure banger. It really looked like Covid and the pandemic might take Scarface away from us, but he fought through it and survived and hopefully he will bless us with more great music eventually.
You can click the link above to see my most recent additions to either playlist, but I’m not going to list them here because it’s the middle of June and I don’t which songs I added in May and which ones I’ve added in June, so I’ll just post them all in my next writeup.
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The Bat Cave 