The Best Albums of 2017

Best Albums of 2017

Label: BasedWorld Records

Released: August 17

Lil B set out to pay homage to the history of Bay Area rap with his long-awaited, mythical album, Black Ken. He knocked the concept out of the park. From the beginning, each track evolves its sound from ‘80s Bay Area rap to contemporary Basedgod sounds. The production is crisp and polished—a rarity for Lil B— and he’s never sounded better, staying on brand through it all. —Angel Diaz

Label: Warner Bros. Records

Released: October 6

Lil Pump is a cipher. The Florida teenager emerged, close to full-formed, on SoundCloud and Instagram this year, quickly emerging as the one to watch in an emerging class of new, increasingly difficult to categorize rappers. There's a reason for that—Pump is more polished than his contemporaries, with a sort of petulant charisma and ability to craft phrases that signify nothing, but remain in your head for days. Gucci gang Gucci gang Gucci gang Gucci gang. Lil Pump is like staring at a mirror; you don't get anything out of it, but it's difficult to tear yourself away. And it slaps. —Brendan Klinkenberg.

Label: Columbia Records

Released: July 7

Haim has built their reputation on layering catchy melodies with the kind of pop-rock instrumentation that your parents would approve of, and that formula continues on Something to Tell You. The album runs 10 tracks long—one shy of their breakout debut album Days Are Gone—with the kind of hooks that are tailor-made for a karaoke night out. You also experience some Fleetwood Mac vibes on “You Never Knew” and “Nothing’s Wrong,” and who could complain about that? As far as balance, the first half of the album has more replay value, but there are still moments to enjoy from the second half. Hopefully the sister trio decide to cut down on the four-year wait for the next release. —Edwin Ortiz

Label: Right Hand Music Group, LLC/RCA Records

Released: March 3

Khalid might be an anomaly. A 19-year-old R&B singer who’s future enough to ask bae to send him their location, but not to get busy—he’s just trying to communicate. It could be the fact that the Georgia-born artist has lived everywhere from New York to Germany; it could just be his distinct voice. Whatever the reason for his continued glow-up, there’s a reason why American Teen went platinum: Khalid’s pen game is sweet, vicious, and perfectly encapsulates life as a carefree young adult with room to grow. —khal

Label: Interscope Records

Released: July 21

Lana Del Rey is a modern day love tragedy searching for light at the end of a dark, turbulent tunnel. In her fourth major studio album, she departs from her previous trilogy of tender, melancholic heartbreak, and delivers a 72 minute journey towards enlightenment that calls for love, peace, and justice. If it sounds a little flower power-y, that’s because it is. Lust remains inherently true to Lana’s smooth, sunlit SoCal sound that blends lush instrumentals with super-imposed celebrity symbolism (and a little bit of hip-hop styling, thanks to longtime collaborator ASAP Rocky), to make her most relevant statement to the world outside of herself to date. —Rebecca Speiser

Label: Brooklyn Knights/RED MUSIC/Sony Music Entertainment

Released: November 17

Let Cyhi tell it, he isn’t tripping off of the fact that he’s been signed to Kanye West’s GOOD Music imprint since 2010, but didn’t drop his debut album until 2017. He’s been steadily cultivating material alongside Kanye and, despite the weed carrier jokes, actually played his cards right. On a project that feels like church service for thugs, Cyhi’s at the pulpit, delivering punchlines like verses of scripture, knocking lines out of the park far more often than whiffing. And why Cyhi called himself the Bleek to Ye’s Jay, his position feels deeper than that, and it’s showcased on an album that highlights how life is deeper than rap.—khal

Label: Republic Records

Released: June 16

Lorde, the prodigy with an astoundingly assured debut, took her time to let a sophomore effort percolate. It shows. Melodrama is remarkable statement of pop music, an album that breezes by without a misstep, and high points that rival the best in pop from 2017. —Brendan Klinkenberg

Label: Dreamville Records

Released: March 10

Mother. Fucking. Rap. Those are the words that come to mind when listening to J.I.D's impressive debut studio album, The Never Story.

The Atlanta native is blessed with a unique voice that cuts through whatever beat he spits on. Now, a gift is enough to gain attention, but it's his lyrical intent, cleverness, and charm that keeps it. His songs like "General," "NEVER," and "Underwear" feel like a dangerous man on the run after a heist, letting his pistol off out the driver side window with one hand, gripping the woodgrain steering wheel with the other.

The majority of the album feels like high-flying lyrical Taekwondo. But there are also offerings that feel more like thoughtful choreography. On "All Bad" J.I.D. saunters over the molasses-esque beat, where "Hereditary" shows off his thematic writing and versatile delivery, employing harmony instead of fast hitting raps.

The 12-track album closes with "LAUDER" an urgent declaration of a man who plans to stomp through the rap game with a pair of unlaced Timbs. You know, the double-sole joints with the leather cuff. —Brandon ‘Jinx’ Jenkins

Label: ByStorm Entertainment/RCA Records

Released: December 1

You’d be forgiven for thinking Miguel lost the thread. After a strong debut boasting seductive ditties with just enough experimentation to justify the crazy accompanying artwork, he dropped a wonderful, taut, psychedelic dreamscape that included “Adorn,” a song that is easily in the top 100 of the 21st century. The course seemed set for him to follow. But Miguel’s third album turned out to be a slight detour, seeing him play with structure and sound in ways that didn’t always connect. Thankfully, it seems as if that’s now all out of his system.

His latest effort is restrained when compared to the boundless lustful energy of Wildheart, but it’s for good reason. The songwriting is tight and delightful, as are the beats that go along with them. His guestlist—Travis Scott, J. Cole, Kali Uchis, Rick Ross—serves as a much needed grounding, allowing him to stray and try new concepts. And then there’s his voice—his unblemished jewel of a voice. As clear as it is powerful, it’s his strongest asset, and he knows it. Even when the songwriting gets a bit muddled, as it does on “Now,” you’d be hard-pressed to care. He sounds equally at home singing in English or Spanish. So, sure, Miguel may have lost the thread there for a little bit, but as this album proves, it takes very little for him to get it back. —Damien Scott

Label: Zero Fatigue/Downtown​

Released: March 14

This album sounds like syrup pouring over a stack of pancakes. Smino took us on a ride through St. Louis this spring that made us wish we were riding around smoking a blunt in the most pleasant weather imaginable. This shit sounds like when you take your durag off before you start the day. This shit sounds like brushing your waves 100 times during each class every day. This shit sounds like opening a fresh loud pack after a long day at work. Smino gave us one of the game’s most original records this year, and for that I am grateful. —Angel Diaz

Label: Epic/Sony Records

Released: October 31

If 21 Savage, Offset, and Metro Boomin decide to start a rap supergroup in the future, let the record show Without Warning was the foundation for these ATL representatives to stand on. Both rappers had already turned in impressive performances prior—21 with Issa Album and Offset through Migos’ Culture—what they cooked up for Without Warning is an extension of the boastful street lyricism that catapulted them into the mainstream. And you can’t overstate the balance. Offset glides over the bass bounce of “Ric Flair Drip” and provides flows on top of flows on “Mad Stalkers”; 21’s cold demeanor (“shoot you like Ginobili”) shines on “Run Up the Racks.” And Metro is the architect, bringing their vivid, at times sinister raps to life. Just more proof of why he is a producer of the year contender, Grammy consideration or not. —Edwin Ortiz

Label: Paper Route Empire

Released: October 20

Released less than a month after he was shot outside a Hollywood hotel, Thinking Out Loud finds Young Dolph in an understandably odd place. His delivery throughout the ten-song album is slow, languid, and menacing. Dolph sounds, as he puts it on album opener “What’s the Deal,” “rich, humble, and heartless.”

That tone keeps the album compelling throughout its short running time. But the standout moments actually come when Dolph stops being heartless—when he reveals regret on “Eddie Cane,” or is sad about ill or dying friends and relatives on “While U Here,” or even when he sounds legitimately upset during “Drippy” about not being able to get to his prom because he was busy selling dope.

In the future—in what we hope will be less difficult life circumstances—it’d be great to hear more of that side of Dolph. But there's a lot to recommend about rich, humble, and heartless Dolph as well.—Shawn Setaro

Label: Columbia Records

Released: April 14

Album after album, John Mayer has tweaked and refined his approach while also implementing different genres—blues, Americana, etc.—to extend his sound. With The Search for Everything, he gets into his bag and hits fans with an amalgam of flavors, making it his most expansive project yet. There's the beautiful piano-laden ballad "Never on the Day You Leave" of the Born and Raised variety, the bluesy and superb “Moving on and Getting Over” (JM3/Continuum), and "Rosie" knocking you over with a horn section and guitar licks that sound straight out of a Heavier Things session. 

The Search for Everything also offers some of his best songwriting in recent times, with "In the Blood" and its examination of family and identity being an obvious standout. Of course, love and love lost is also a theme, as it tends to be on a Mayer project, but his execution on tracks like "Emoji of a Wave" and "You're Gonna Live Forever in Me" are less about heartbreak and more about resilience and understanding. For someone who could be described as young at heart, John Mayer is navigating adulthood well. —Edwin Ortiz

Label: Slaughter Gang, LLC/Epic Records

Released: July 7

There might be no artist better suited to these dark times than 21 Savage. No, he’s not particularly political or socially conscious—if anything, he leans the other way—but his relentless, emotionless delivery of even the most disturbing lines (like, say, most if not all of “Thug Life”) are like a consistently horrific Twitter feed you can’t help but follow. His delivery doesn’t change much no matter what the topic, whether it’s copping a Saint Laurent jacket or, on “Close My Eyes,” seeing dead bodies. It’s the affectless tone of someone who never expected to make it, but somehow did. His major-label debut carries over what made him an underground sensation—that natural born killer vocal style over Metro Boomin’ and others’ trap beats, anchored by repetitive hooks that stick in your head like, well, hooks. In the era of mumble rap, there’s a lot of rappers out there we can’t understand that we wish we could. 21 Savage is one that we can understand all too well, and sometimes wish we couldn’t. —Russ Bengtson

Label: Republic Records​

Released: July 28

Aminé had a hit unlike any other in "Caroline." The bouncy, riotously fun single was a slow burn until it truly sparked, storming up the charts and out of car windows throughout 2016. It was infectious and unexpected, and the Portland rapper delivered a full-length that lived up to its promise. Good For You is weird, bright, and idiosyncratic, and announced a rapper who's continually inventing a lane for himself. —Brendan Klinkenberg

Label: Warner Bros. Records

Released: June 2

Dua Lipa found success with her self-titled debut album, which captures the now 22-year-old singer discovering her place in the pop scene. The project has its moments of charm, like “Lost in Your Light”—a bop of a duet between her and crooner Miguel—but where Lipa truly shines is digging into the emotional side of relationships. Her hit single “New Rules” is a step-by-step guide to cutting off an ex, while “IDGAF” is the musical version of a middle finger to a lame. “No Goodbyes” offers a relatable tale of heartbreak, one that Dua Lipa experienced first-hand. “It was really tough for me to talk about at that time because I was preempting what could be the future and I was still in that relationship,” she previously told Complex. That foresight, and more importantly, honesty, is what makes this album such a gem from an artist ready for the next chapter in her career. —Edwin Ortiz

Label: MMG/Atlantic Records

Released: July 21

The world figured that Meek’s third studio LP would dive into the the tabloid losses Meek faced (from the beef with Drake to his break-up with Nicki Minaj), but the Philly spitter took an alternate route. Instead of keeping the blogs fed with darts at his ex, he dived into life’s real ills. From the loss of Lil Snupe to his continued struggles to stay free, Meek had bigger fish to fry. Don’t get it twisted, though; Wins & Losses has its share of lavishness, from letting the world know that “We Ball” to showcasing Meek’s “Glow Up.” —khal

Label: Columbia Records

Released: May 12

Any accomplished artist will tell you that success can be a double-edged sword. While the benefits are obvious and desirable, the other side of success leads to intense scrutiny and the fear of having peaked. Now just imagine being Harry Styles, whose career was birthed under the banner of One Direction—the biggest male pop group to hit the planet since *NSYNC disbanded in the early aughts. A stardom unexperienced by even some of our most celebrated icons.

The 1D former frontman stepped out confidently from the radiant glow of boyband stardom and into the unsure spotlight of a solo career with his self-titled debut album, Harry Styles.

Helmed by the boundless super-producer Jeff Bhasker, Harry hopscotches from folk to pop to more flamboyant sounds like arena rock, while avoiding the pitfall of creating what could have been poorly executed cover records. Most of the album centers around relationships with songs like "Woman," "Meet Me In The Hallway," and "Ever Since New York." We learn the most about Styles on the cloud-parting ballad "Sign of The Times."

He shows off his range, cleanses his musical palette and establishes a strong second impression. And he did all of this without diminishing his past success or leveraging new (and gimmicky) genre plays to bolster his identity (the go-to maneuver for many pop darlings looking to strike out on their own). With Harry Styles, the singer has veered off the One Direction road map and established his own artistic compass as a budding rock star.—Brandon ‘Jinx’ Jenkins

Label: A$AP Worldwide/Polo Grounds Music

Released: August 4

Jamel Phillips had a lot to overcome to release his debut album. There were the years of expectations—the record had been almost done since around 2014, and anticipated since that time. There was the fact that his first two ASAP Mob crewmates to go solo had become stars. And, of course, there was the January 2015 death of his friend and Mob co-founder Jesus Steven “ASAP Yams” Paulino.

But ASAP Twelvyy turned tragedy into musical gold on 12. “Man, I do this shit for Steve,” he raps on “Ea$t$ideGho$t.” And it sounds like it. Twelvyy is determined that this is his “last year being broke,” and he cooked up his own New York-centric spin on the ASAP Mob sound to help him do it. With the exception of “Hop Out,” which hews too closely to the Migos-aping sound of the moment, every beat and rhyme on 12 sounds distinctive—a mix of old New York and new Atlanta, boom-bap and trap, but somehow like nothing else.

The project loosely tells the story of Twelvyy’s rise from a childhood in the Bronx’s “Castle Hell” to stardom, which is admittedly well-trod territory. But he makes it sound both new and comfortably familiar at the same time. Somewhere, Yams is smiling. —Shawn Setaro

Label: N/A

Released: January 27

Sometimes the best albums of the year are the ones you weren't checking for, from a group you didn't know existed.

Sonder is the collaborative effort of producers Atu And Dpat, along with singer Brent Faiyaz. With only seven songs, the trio sets the mood quickly with their opener "Feel"—an intoxicating and lust-filled ballad that lures you into the world of Sonder. A misty world of candid snapshots of momentary seduction, moxie, and missed connections.

Songs like "Lovely" and "Care" are spellbinding tales of desire and love, respectively. "Sirens" finds Brent recalling his obstacle-filled path to his current status, as well as his declaration "You can’t hush me, you can’t shut me out / You can’t touch me, you can’t touch me now."

"Too Fast," a fan favorite that was issued prior to the EP's release, continues the conversation, as Brent comes to terms with life's fragility, justifying his urgent approach to life and not waiting for anyone to realize his value.

Throughout the project, the connection between Brent and Sonder's production team is symbiotic. Brent's voice melts in the ear of listeners over a soundscape the channels the best of 90's era R&B, and infuses it with the contemporary sounds. 

"Into" grips your emotions with two hands. As each track seeps into the next it continuously and relentlessly squeezes the feelings out of your heart. What's left is an immediate desire to press play and feel it all over again.—Brandon ‘Jinx’ Jenkins

Label: Brainfeeder

Released: February 24

Let’s start here: Thundercat has back-to-back tracks on Drunk featuring soft-rock OGs Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald—ON THE SAME SONG—and Kendrick Lamar. That should give you a sense of what the bassist and vocalist is working with, of the sheer range he has to be able to cut tracks with Footloose Kenny and Kung-Fu Kenny at the same damn time. Thundercat produces consistently smooth music, solidly based in jazz and funk but with a yacht-rock sheen, synth stings and nerdy as fuck lyrics (he namedrops both Dragonball Z and Mortal Kombat)—shit that the next generation’s Dr. Dre will want to sample the hell out of. Just 33, the artist also known as Stephen Bruner became the bassist of Cali punk-metal legends Suicidal Tendencies at 16, before work with Flying Lotus led him to become a major collaborator on Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly. On Drunk, his third solo LP, it’s clear he’s found his groove. We’re in it too. —Russ Bengtson

Label: Fat Beats Distribution

Released: February 21

This album is art. I mean, every album is technically art, but this is deliberate in its intentions when compared to the vast majority of rap that's out today. Roc Marciano continues to push the coke-filled envelope as he gives us a third masterpiece in his growing solo catalog. If you enjoy street rap today (with an emphasis on the East Coast variety) chances are Marci is your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper. Roc samples everything from Citizen Kane to Super Cat on this joint, and raps over everything from the hardest beats to the softest soul records. Listen for bars, listen for game, listen because Roc Marciano is a genius that deserves flowers while he’s still here. —Angel Diaz

Label: RCA Records

Released: March 24

D.C.’s GoldLink shouldn’t be a stranger; it’s been three years since his debut mixtape (The God Complex), and two years since XXL christened him as part of their freshman class. It wasn’t until 2017 though that “Crew,” the lead single from his debut album At What Cost, highlighted his unique sound to the masses and launched him into something resembling stardom. Immediately infectious, and reportedly freestyled by himself and Brent Faiyaz, it was the perfect track for your perfect 2017 kickback. Lucky for us, the album had much more to offer, from the club-rocking “Meditation” to the ‘80s-drenched “Have You Seen That Girl"—all while telling a distinctly DMV story. GoldLink’s on it, and should continue to shine.—khal

Label: So Way Out/Priority Records ​

Released: April 28

The cover of G Perico’s album tells you exactly what to expect. The South Central rapper is dressed in blue, against a blue background, hair in blue curlers. The whole thing screams early ‘90s gangsta rap—the type of music that the late-20s Perico might have heard blasting around his neighborhood when he was in pre-school.

But there’s more to Perico than just a DJ Quik-style hairdo and a voice that has no small share of Quik’s lightness. All Blue manages to bring to mind the golden age of gangsta rap without slavishly imitating Dr. Dre or devolving into a Game-style namedrop fest.

The beats do have G-funk-style melodies and basslines. But the drums are contemporary sounding, trap hi-hats and all. The short songs, almost all two-verses-and-out with no guests, keep momentum going. And best of all, G Perico brings a sense of who he is—one that is, yes, rooted in the L.A. of South Central Cartel and Hi-C, but that has his own distinct personality. —Shawn Setaro

Label: Big Machine Records

Released: November 10

The return of Taylor Swift was carefully plotted. The queen of pop masterminded a Machiavellian return to power that hearkened back to the golden years of the record industry—an advertising blitz and series of singles and music videos—paired with a never-before-seen level of corporate buy-ins. Swift had everything laid out, and then we started hearing the music. 

Reputation is a mess of an album. The singles Swift led off with—"Look What You Made Me Do," first and foremost—are likely the worst songs she's ever released. It's hard to imagine what Swift, one of the best songwriters of a generation, was thinking. However, the songs we heard first were the worst, and even at her most self-sabotaging, Swift is still capable of writing near-perfect pop songs. The album is all over the place, but its moments of greatness are more than enough to salvage it. —Brendan Klinkenberg

Label: Universal Music Group

Released: June 16

“Good Drank,” a double-cup, Mike Dean-blessed track featuring Quavo and Gucci Mane, is one of the Atlanta-est songs of all time, and you can thank 2 Chainz for putting it together. That alone should be enough to land the garishly pink Pretty Girls Like Trap Music on this list, but there’s more! There’s a Nicki Minaj feature, if you like that sort of thing (Aretha Franklin likely didn’t), a Drake feature, a Travis Scott feature—features galore for a guy who made his name doing features for everybody else.

The Artist Formerly Known as Tity Boi is 40 now, but this is just his third solo project, meaning he’s still got plenty of stories to tell about himself. He goes all the way in on “Burglar Bars”—"See my verses are better and my subject is realer / See my mom was an addict and my dad was the dealer.” But there’s more! A Pharrell feature, a Migos feature, the ridiculously catchy “Rolls Royce Bitch” with its “the doors go dat way!” chorus. 2 Chainz may be the ‘10’s answer to Busta Rhymes, a feature king for a new generation, but he can more than hold his own ON his own as well. —Russ Bengtson

Label: Atlantic Records

Released: May 26

There are two Guccis. Radric went Mr. Robot on us when he came out of prison. There's Mr. Davis, the light but excessive model husband and reformed citizen who graces the VMAs with Fifth Harmony and collabs with Jake Paul. And there's La Flare, the Gucci who postures and flexes like he's still on a Zone 6 corner, an assortment of drugs, and most crucially, his bullshit. Since his release, his strategy has been to change faces every project: an album that courts big names and big plays, then a tape (but, you know, still for sale) that contracts back to his core elements. DroptopWop is the latter. Metro Boomin goes full John Carpenter on the tape, giving La Flare a nightmare funhouse of gothic beats to play with. The results are thrillingly disrespectful. With Young Metro's slasher film score to play with, Gucci creates his most darkly compelling collection songs in years—and easily his tightest project. —Frazier Tharpe

Label: ESGN

Released: March 31

Freddie Gibbs was arrested for sexual assault in June of last year. That September, he was acquitted.

Those facts, loaded as they are, make up the backdrop of this album. They are there in the title, in the cover art of Gibbs-as-resurrected-Jesus, in the album-ending monologue that details his time behind bars following his arrest, directly in the lyrics of more than one of the songs, and in the project’s central themes of jealousy and repentance. 

“Money make me forget/I got amnesia” goes the hook of one of You Only Live 2wice’s eight tunes. The whole album, though, is about what Gibbs is trying to forget, and how he can’t. There are details embedded everywhere that make his stories of dealing drugs, overcoming jealous friends, and wanting to be better for his daughter come alive. A friend doesn’t just drive a car—he “used to pull up in a ‘99 GS300.” His connects in D.C. don’t sell drugs, they sell “scorpion packs.”

It is Gibbs’ duality (“I donate money to children, but I’m still selling drugs,” as he artfully and starkly puts it) that comes through most strongly on the project. He’s doing bad, and surrounded by haters at every turn. But he wants nothing more than to leave it behind and be a good example for the next generation. Throughout, he’s thinking of his friends who “took the trip I took, but they don’t get to leave.”

You Only Live 2wice may not present any answers, and the real-life circumstances that inform the album are disturbing, but it is a compelling picture of an artist who is caught in the middle, wanting to move on but unable, due to forces both external and (mostly) internal to fully leave his old life behind.—Shawn Setaro

Label: Atlantic Records

Released: March 31

Kodak Black knows how to craft a song. The emerging young Florida rapper, plagued by prison time and sexual assault accusations for the entire duration of his career, has carved an unlikely path to stardom for himself. Largely, that's on the back of his ability to turn out a hook seemingly at will, separating himself from the pack and feeding into a seemingly unstoppable momentum. Painting Pictures, released by Atlantic Records, is the clearest window into that appeal, an assured full-length that puts his deft songwriting skills on display alongside hip-hop mainstays like Future.

Covering rap in 2017—especially its new artists—often felt like a lose-lose situation. The culture—or an entirely new one—is moving past its gatekeepers. Rappers like Kodak Black (or XXXtentacion, or 6ix9ine, or Famous Dex; the list goes on, and will continue to) present a conflict of interest in separating art and artist that I still haven't been able to untangle. Kodak Black is, despite his myriad faults, an undeniably talented rapper, and one who's getting attention regardless of whether I write about him or not. Major labels currently refuse to follow the mass purging hitting other industries, most noticeably Hollywood, and ethical consumption in hip-hop feels like an impossible dream. I don't know what to do about that. —Brendan Klinkenberg

Label: Kemosabe Records

Released: August 11

Kesha's forcible exclusion from the music industry has been well-documented. After accusing her producer and label head, Dr. Luke, of sexual assault, the pop star has been in limbo, unable to release music. This year, she returned. Rainbow would feel like a towering achievement under any circumstances, but this album is good enough to stand as one of the year's best without its real world context. Taken together, it becomes something more. —Brendan Klinkenberg

Label: Maybach Music Group

Released: March 17

Rick Ross doesn't make worthless albums. I challenge anyone who would be quick to deride, say, Hood Billionaire, to revisit "Brimstone," "Quintessential," and "Phone Tap.” But there's no denying Ross was Curry two feet behind the 3 pt. line in the trifecta of Albert Anastasia, Teflon Don, and Rich Forever—and he's been trying to find that sweet-spot footing ever since. Not every shot has been a swish, some barely touched rim. How glorious, then, that his ninth album is once again nothing but net again, finally. —Frazier Tharpe

Label: Columbia Records

Released: June 30

Calvin Harris pulled off the unlikeliest move of 2017 by, against all odds, becoming cool. While never a true punching bag, the Scottish EDM producer was mostly famous for slightly vacuous (but extremely popular) club hits, producing and songwriting for pop stars like Rihanna, and, yes, dating Taylor Swift. Which made his pivot to funk-obsessed social networker an unlikely one. But then he got Frank Ocean and Migos on a track together and suddenly we were off to the races. Funk Wav Bounces was an album designed for summer, and it performed its duties admirably. With months of hindsight, though, it's easier to see it as a piece of pop classicism that takes enormous risks in its star-studded lineup. It's hard to imagine many people pulling together an album like this, and only Harris has made it work this well. —Brendan Klinkenberg

Label: Cinematic Music Group

Released: April 7

In a year that saw him establish himself as an actor, humanitarian, and college lecturer, some may forget why people are paying attention to Joey Bada$$ in the first place. Luckily, the Pro Era leader gave us an album that forces its way into the listener’s consciousness, reminding us that he is first and foremost a musician.

On All-AmeriKKKan Bada$$, Joey is primarily concerned with, well, America. He goes as far as personifying the country as a lover on “Y U Don’t Love Me? (Miss AmeriKKKa).” And weighing heavily on his mind, understandably, is police violence against people of color.

Joey’s reactions to the state of the country range from thoughtful to sad to hopeful to defiant to resigned to, on the album’s emotional center “Babylon,” absolute rage. His entire voice changes on the track as he spits, “Fuck the system and the government.”

And he’s growing musically as well as politically. Joey experiments with different rhythms, deliveries, and rhyme schemes throughout—see, for example, him stretching a single vowel sound to the breaking point on “Ring the Alarm.”

All-AmeriKKKan Bada$$ is a record that both hearkens back to a time when hip-hop was a vital tool of political engagement (the title calls to mind, surely intentionally, Ice Cube’s solo debut), and feels, tragically, all too timely.—Shawn Setaro

Label: Warp Records Limited

Released: October 6

“Take Me Apart” is the string on your favorite sweater that begs to be pulled. In a year where the de facto coping method has been, “pretend it’s not happening,” Kelela’s honeyed high notes feel like being given permission to unravel. Her singing invites you to press the bruise.

Kelela’s debut is an emotionally layered album that interests itself in how love fades, and is found again. The tracks that cover the strange space between the two feel especially potent. “Better” explores dealing with an expired relationship’s lingering emotions: “Though I'm in love with it, I will amputate/I care enough not to keep you around.” On” LMK,” that uncomfortable moment where a situationship needs to be named, categorized: “No one's tryna settle down/All you gotta do is let me know.”

This album, despite hinging on vulnerability, also makes you feel completely fucking sexy and alive. If you can listen to “Blue Light” and not bust into a body roll, we’re not the same. —Shanté Cosme

Label: Highbridge The Label

Released: September 29

The Highbridge rapper has been turning heads for a long while now—"Drowning" solidified his reputation—but it was hard to imagine he'd release a debut album as good as this. A Boogie's greatest weapon is his facility with melody, and he wields it instinctively all over the album. The results are songs that feel inevitable, and joyous until the chains and cars are replaced with pain, and pathos. —Brendan Klinkenberg

Label: Epic/Freebandz/A1

Released: February 17

It was fitting that Future kicked off his his historic back-to-back album run in February with this 17-track self-titled release. Whereas HNDRXX provided a range of flavors from the prolific rapper, FUTURE had the ability to immediately resonate with longtime listeners through his drug and street-laced narrative. To put it frankly, it’s Nayvadius, raw and uncut. From “Zoom” to “Mask Off,” the trap anthems are in abundance, though Future is mindful enough to take it deeper than rap on tracks like “Feds Did a Sweep” and “When I Was Broke.” He also stunts with ease on “I’m So Groovy” and “Draco,” with the latter featuring a beat from DJ Spinz only Future could shape into an uptempo banger. FUTURE follows in the same lineage of DS2 and 56 Nights; it’s a side of the Atlanta rapper that made him a trap legend. —Edwin Ortiz

Label: Def Jam Recordings

Released: June 23

Vince Staples is one of the sharpest rappers working, and he's never been more at the bleeding edge of the genre than on Big Fish Theory. The beats he selected for this album would likely make this list as instrumentals alone—it's a futuristic electronic album at heart, and don't sound like they were made to be rapped over—but Vince makes them his own. And, once you get past the grating, hypnotic production, it's the same old Vince finding his pocket, as quick-witted and clear-eyed as ever. —Brendan Klinkenberg

Label: Jamla/Roc Nation

Released: September 22

Rapsody, after years spent steadily gaining in popularity and critical acclaim, had a lot riding on this album. The record finds the rapper engaging with her community ("You all about the Benjamins/I'm all about the family," she spits at one point), with her listeners, with the idea—and the often-messy realities—of love, with being an artist, and even with the omnipresence of social media, as she does on the stunning coda of "Nobody." In short, she delivered. 

Jamla head honcho 9th Wonder produced or co-produced the vast majority of the album, and it shows both in the Stevie Wonder-inspired soundscapes and in the overall feel of the project. It reads like nothing so much as Rapsody's version of the 9th Wonder collaborative albums that brought out the best in talents like Murs, Jean Grae, and Buckshot. It's as intimate, personal, and cohesive as the best of those LPs, existing in a world where De La Soul, Biggie, and 4:44-era Hov rub up against Waka Flocka and Set It Off.

"They talk about my lisp more than they put me on the list," goes a line on "Black & Ugly." After Laila's Wisdom, not anymore. —Shawn Setaro

Label: Atlantic Records UK

Released: March 10

Everyone knew Charli had the chops. The pop songwriter has been churning out irresistible songs—for herself and others—since her career began. But she’s always had an eye for the strange; never content to write the next Katy Perry song, Charli is a relentlessly inquisitive artist with the sort of mind that vacuums up influences, grinds them up, and expels them into daring potential chart-toppers. Recently, she’s turned her eye to the avant-garde pop of London’s PC Music, beginning with last year’s muscular Vroom Vroom EP. It was an interesting piece of experimentation. Then she released Number One Angel.

 A blitzkrieg of a mixtape, Number One Angel is ostensibly part of the process towards her next official full-length. After hearing it, though, there’s only one question: Why wasn’t this the album? 

Number 1 Angel unfurled with the suspended excitement of watching a pitcher throw a no-hitter. Every song on here is compulsively listenable, and genuinely exciting. By the final song, which features a star turn from avant-nasty Chicago MC Cupcakke—all the features here are from too-often-overlooked female artists—it’s clear that Charli did the damn thing. The album made a splash, but it deserved a tidal wave. —Brendan Klinkenberg

Label: Columbia Records

Released: February 3

Fin was released in February of this year and still feels new, a remarkable feat in the age of the accelerating release of seemingly infinite amounts of music. Most albums are here today, gone by the end of the week. Some may argue that this album in particular is all over the place, but I would say that's its unique strength. Syd, stepping out on her own from her outfit the Internet, shows her versatility. “All About Me” and “Smile More” going back-to-back is this project’s thesis statement—Syd can be hard, Syd can be soft, Syd is grabbing the torch passed on by Mary J. Blige’s hip-hop soul and running with it, with a hefty dose of Timbaland-era R&B muscle to bring the point home. She’s cocky, yet vulnerable just like all of your favorite R&B artists should be. —Angel Diaz

Label: Republic Records

Released: March 18

What do you do when it seems like you can't rise any higher? You spread yourself wider. That's the driving philosophy behind Drake's fifth studio album, More Life, marketed as a "playlist" with a barcode.

Coming off of 2016's Views, many wondered whether the Canadian's search for global domination had led him to hit the limits of his creativity. So much of Drake's career has centered around autobiographical accounts of his ascent—listing off aspirations in one song and later rapping about them becoming accomplishments. But for a man who has earned and maintained a throne as this generation's most popular and commercially successful rapper, it's sort of like, "Who even gives a fuck anymore?"

So he found a new way to present his tales of conquest and betrayal, through an expansive sequence of world sounds. When a product needs a refresh, you simply switch up the packaging.

Drake's decision to promote his project as a playlist, but sell it as an album, worked to his favor. It excused him from the cohesive constraints many albums are judged against, serving as a safety net for an artist who has always been a fan of contorting his art and adopting various waves from the African diaspora, including Afrobeat, grime, R&B, trap, and contemporary hip-hop. It's incoherent sonically, but remarkably consistent. 

Sometimes, Drake catches shit for this. But he carefully chose regions that would appreciate him and artists he has relationships with to help bring these songs to life. Songs like "No Long Talk," Madiba Riddim," "Blem," "Skepta Interlude," and "Get it Together" are examples that do this theory justice. Songs like "KMT" put his huge American audience secondary to his UK base, a phenomenon captured best through the debate over Giggs' verse.

Partnering with the likes of South Africa's Black Coffee and the UK's Giggs, Jorja Smith, Sampha, and Skepta not only help him gain saturation in these areas, but also big up artists he's been a fan of. Perhaps this is the product of his Canadian upbringing or his world travels, but it's both a calculated commercial maneuver and a testament to his true enjoyment of art—ideas that shouldn't be treated as mutually exclusive.

More Life is the work of an artist who doesn't want to be contained in any creative boxes, but is also in search of honest inspiration. It isn't his most definitive work by any means, nor will it be a classic. But it's successful in its ability to broaden the reach of the biggest man in modern pop music, and it keeps the machine that is Drake afloat until his next offering. —Brandon ‘Jinx’ Jenkins

Label: Golden Child Recordings

Released: August 25

This is apparently marriage proposal music, because people keep popping the big question at Daniel Caesar concerts. Not a single shorty said “no,” and can you blame them? You’re there, taking in“Get You” live, tears in your eyes, emo as fuck—who’s gonna say no to marriage in a situation like that? Freudian is one of those R&B albums that are more love than lust, unless you’re into crying during sex. Then this is the perfect record for you. —Angel Diaz

Label: Atlantic Records

Released: August 25

Of all the rappers to break out in 2017, Lil Uzi Vert was, by leaps and bounds, the most compelling. Springboarded by the idiosyncratic "XO Tour Llif3," Vert crafted a full-length album that's as weird and forward-thinking as its best song. It's an album that gets better with every listen, justifying its tracklist length as hidden gems continue to emerge (as of this writing it's "For Real," a stunningly strange, spare beat that showcases off Uzi's tossed-off charisma, that is a favorite). As other artists with similar profiles—a rapid rise from SoundCloud to the charts—released tepid albums, Vert proved why he'd emerged as the one to watch, and made good on his promise. —Brendan Klinkenberg

Label: Quality Control Music

Released: January 27

Even without “Bad and Boujee,” the buoyant track that got the Migos a Donald Glover co-sign and blew them up into megastars, Culture would still be one of the best albums released this year. Get past the title track kickoff, where an overexuberant DJ Khaled throws everything off-balance, and Culture is front-to-back bangers, a touch under an hour with four perfectly placed features from the right rappers. 

After honing their craft through countless mixtapes and managing peaking and dipping expectations throughout their career, Migos actually exceeded them on Culture, refining their staccato three-man weave delivery and ad-libs into a cohesive whole. It’s the same Migos, but its Migos with an actual budget, no label no longer. The centerpiece, of course, is “Bad and Boujee,” with it’s eminently memeable “Rain drop, drop top” and a charismatic appearance from Lil Uzi Vert, but it’s hard to pick just one other track for acclaim. “T-Shirt,” “Big On Big,” the heartfelt guitar-driven “What The Price"—they all could have taken lead single status. And while Quavo was the Migos’ undisputed star until now, Offset and Takeoff have both more than come into their own. The South, the South still got something to say. —Russ Bengtson

Label: Columbia Records

Released: July 21

Flower Boy is the definitive statement in an evolving conversation Tyler, The Creator has been having since he burst onto the scene as a petulant teenager. In many ways, it's also the end to that conversation in part to his strengthened musical skill set, and part to his maturation as a man.

Serving as his fourth studio album, the anxiety and excitement that come with personal evolution run through the 14-track project. Tyler's art has always been inherently selfish: He makes what he wants, when he wants. But for a guy who has made a career of extravagant, self-pleasing showmanship, an invitation to truly learn more about the mastermind feels like an offering to the people.

No longer the industry outcast, Tyler trades in provocative antics for a discussion of himself, revealing honest feelings that were always hinted at, but never stated outright. "Foreward," the album opener, expands like a staircase, lines posed as a series of questions that reveal a newfound (or, at least, newly presented) awareness of self, the world he lives in, and his fears.

Forgoing the alternate personas that have appeared on past projects, Tyler instead places his allegiance on metaphor throughout. Coupling that with his history of trolling and open contradiction it makes it difficult to determine how serious he is at times, especially when it comes to the conversation of his sexuality. "Garden Shed," which many feel reveal his sexual fluidity, is believed to serve as a symbol for coming out of the closet, with verses like, "Garden shed, garden shed, garden shed, garden shed for the garden / That is where I was hidin' / That was real love I was in / Ain't no reason to pretend." He follows that with lines that depict an inner conflict and fear. If he is indeed using this song to come out, it places an interesting light on a lot of his past. Something Tyler doesn't seem interested in addressing, with the last line of the song stating, "It will not fuckin' matter."

Despite this potential act of bravery, Tyler comes off fearful, anxious and pretty fucking lonely throughout the album. Songs like "911 / Mr. Lonely," "Boredom" and "November" find Tyler wrestling with the conflict of success, insecurities from his upbringing, fear of falling off musically, mismanaging his finances, and even losing his life. But he does this all over flavorful beats.

Tyler has created beautiful music moments before, with each delivery noticeably better than his last. But on this album, although clearly a student of the Neptunes, he departs from any attempts to stay in their orbit. Outside of "Who Dat Boy"—a nod to work of yesterday—he creates a series of colorful and elaborate, yet always relaxed, sonic landscapes. When arranged together, they result in a flamboyant, expansive world that only he could or would fabricate. In that world, he invites a star-studded list of collaborators including Lil Wayne, Rex Orange County, Kali Uchis—all of whom he utilizes as supporting cast members, adding to the project's texture but never altering the terrain. Entirely self-produced, Tyler assembles each track with intent, employing laser focus and forfeiting prior temptations to nod and wink to the audience.

Flower Boy is his most cohesive and concise work, but it's as sonically rich if not more than his past projects, and surely the most earnest. As a reward for his artistic growth, Flower Boy's inviting themes, and his heightened celebrity, it debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 charts and a nomination for Best Rap Album at the upcoming Grammy Awards. Not only is this one of the best albums of 2017, it's the best body of work Tyler, The Creator has put out in his life. —Brandon ‘Jinx’ Jenkins

Label: Young Turks

Released: February 3

Sampha broke into mainstream consciousness by way of Drake's 2013 single "Too Much," which sampled his ballad of the same name. It feels like he's been around for some time now, popping up sporadically with a handful of guest contributions to artists much more famous than he (add Kanye and Beyoncé to that list), fueling anticipation for a full length release from the London-born artist.

Process​, his debut album, satisfies that hunger, providing a clear gaze into the mind and spirit of a man who is still very much a work in progress. With the combination of his hypnotically haunting vocals and pithy but divulging lyrics, song like "Timmy's Prayer," "Under," and "What Shouldn't I Be" dunk his listeners in a pool of emotions, but avoid drowning them in melancholy or a banal presentation. Tracks like "Plastic 100°C" and "Reverse Faults" feel like someone coming up for much-needed oxygen, revealing fully formed thoughts that are examined in the reflection of the water's surface.

Throughout Process Sampha captivates with his voice—a unique thing that I can only describe as gospel meets celestial—over a self-produced sonic landscape that feels like muffled crying meets CD-ROM meets tribal celebration. He harnesses all of these elements into an impressive, cohesive debut album. —Brandon ‘Jinx’ Jenkins

Label: Epic/Sony Records

Released: February 24

Much has been written about the bifurcation of Future’s artistic self as displayed on the two albums he dropped back to back in February. Where FUTURE is the rough, raw, and rugged trap-leaning collection of immensely hummable jagged edges, HNDRXX is the smoother, more polished, radio-ready collection. Only problem is we’re talking about Future. Conflating artistic output with one’s supposed private life is dangerous because, in reality, who really knows what’s going on behind closed doors? But we’re talking about Future. The guy who told us this is the album is he wanted to make his entire career. The guy who went through one of the messiest celebrity breakups in recent memory; one that resulted not only in the loss of custody of a child, but a Jay Z lyric warning others of the pitfalls of ill-managed relationships lest you wind up like Future. So when you hear Future say “this codeine ain’t got nothing to do with my little child,” it’s easy to connect the dots.

But let’s get away from the headlines and focus on the art. HNDRXX, despite production that sounds as expensive as it does luxurious and, at times, breezy, is as raw and rugged as its companion piece. And that’s the true feat. If FUTURE details the craziness that it takes to become the person who has the houses, mountains of jewelry, and cars that cost as much of the previous two things combined, then HNDRXX is about the craziness that comes along with keeping all of it, and yourself, together long enough it enjoy it. Sure, Future is no longer in the trap house or on the block, but he’s surely reeling from the pain of love lost and instead focusing on the material possessions that are supposed to, if not numb the pain, then at least distract you from it. Things like a Bugatti with pinstripes. The emotional complexity on songs like the melancholic “Use Me” and “Sorry” is truly something to behold. Are there two Futures? No. There’s just too much Future for one album. —Damien Scott

Label: Top Dawg Entertainment

Released: June 2017

“How do I satisfy myself sonically?" was SZA's guiding inquiry when creating CTRL, but the question could just as easily been, simply: “How do I satisfy myself?”

After several uneven EPs that failed to break through to a larger audience, CTRL offers what S and Z lack—fully realized, cohesive production, and a wildly vulnerable, crystalline snapshot of the 27-year-old singer. It also shows you who she’s striving to become—as an artist and as a human.

"I was editing myself," she said of her previous work. "But now I've given up on that.” Freed of any limiting guardrails, SZA presents us with a raw offering, presented with open hands. Her sonic ambitions are outweighed only by a desire to create something true to self. On CTRL, SZA alternates between knowing exactly what she’s got (“I think I’m bad as hell”) and suffocating self-doubt. “Do you even know I’m alive?” she asks over and over on “Anything.” And, on “Supermodel” a moment of sharp reflection: “Why I can't stay alone just by myself?”

This hard earned self-awareness is most evident on “Broken Clocks.” “I've had a thing for dirty shoes since I was 10, love dirty men alike,” SZA admits. She sounds like someone who has a good therapist and is acutely aware of her own triggers, like she could easily enumerate them on command.

Desire can be felt just as much as it’s heard in her lush, husky vocals. On “Love Galore,” she isn’t crass, she’s just...direct: “I came to your city, lookin’ for lovin’ ’n licky ’cause you promised to put it down.” She knows how to make sex work in her favor, how to own it. On “Doves in the Wind,” she offers a mantra for compartmentalizing—“Touch the booty if you like, I ain’t tripping on ya.” But the outro offers a more complicated reality: Great sex is the “only thing keepin’ me from droppin’ you right now.” Lust can rarely be kept under thumb; it can so easily careen out of control.

CTRL chronicles SZA’s quest to finally figure this life shit out. How to love without losing pieces of yourself, without sacrificing self respect. “I get so lonely, I forget what I'm worth” she drawls on “Drew Barrymore.” How to lose a lover with grace and, above all, the art of self forgiveness.

Lessons we all need to learn, really. Thankfully, we have SZA’s warm voice to carry us through it. —Shanté Cosme

Label: ROC Nation LLC

Released: June 30

No one expected 4:44. There were rumors that Jay Z would release an album that spoke to and answered for the hurt his wife displayed throughout her multiplatform tour de force, Lemonade, but no one—if we’re keeping it a buck—expected it to be good. It’s not that Hov’s never been contrite—songs like “You Must Love Me” and “Song Cry” prove he can bare his soul with the best of them—it’s more that he didn’t instill much confidence in the lead-up to the album’s release. The guest verses he contributed to songs like “Pop Style” and “I Got the Keys” featured stilted flows and stodgy wordplay. He seemed to be knocking the cobwebs off; not yet ready for primetime. Also, Jay Z is a single year younger than Rakim and has a net worth hovering around $810 million. Rap being, as they say, a young person’s game, Hov would be forgiven for not having the wherewithal to crank out a classic rap album this late in the game.

Yet, that’s just what he managed to do.

There’s no formula for a classic rap album, but 4:44 comes damn close to exemplifying the form. Ten songs, one producer, a cohesive soundscape, and a near complete absence of clichéd tropes. The title, as we now know, comes from the time of day Jay says he woke up to record the song that would most directly address the issues plaguing his marriage. That track informs the rest of the album. No I.D. provided carefully crafted erratic soul for Jay to lay out his misgivings, as well as his learnings. The album creeps from sorrowful and remorseful to buoyant and hopeful, all within the span of an economical 36 minutes. It’s a beautiful feat.

It wouldn't be a Jigga album without talk of dollars and cents. And while the overarching theme of freedom through financial security may seem new to some, it’s a been a topic at the top of Jay’s mind since Reasonable Doubt. His game is still mental, only now he’s plotting on copping more art and real estate instead of luxury barges. This is all made better by the fact that Jay is rapping better than he has in years. The boastful ominous presence that made songs like “Come and Get Me” so special is gone, but he sounds nimble and energized. And on tracks like “Marcy Me” he’s completely in the pocket, flowing infinitely like you know who.

What’s more, we see Jay Z embody something new and reaffirm his position at the same time. Any fan can recite lyrics in which he vows to never turn into the person who would make a song like “4:44.” His heart is no longer cold as an assassin. He’s grown to have patience and it’s a sight to behold. He’s been vulnerable before, but not like this. Elsewhere, the barriers continue to fall as he lets us deeper into his family life, sharing that his mother is a lesbian and that he cried tears of joy when she found love after years of quiet suffering. The tears can finally come down his eyes. 

It all makes for a welcome surprise. One we’re not sure we’ll ever get again. But who cares? What other 48-year-old is making classics? Damien Scott

Label: Top Dawg Entertainment

Released: April 14

Kenny’s third studio release (or his fourth, depending on who you ask) shows off the most important thing an artist can give to their fans—growth. Everything Lamar has attempted in his near-mythical run of a career to date, he perfected on Damn. The radio singles have staying power, there are no skips, and it’s digestible. It's as ambitious as good kid, M.A.A.D. city and To Pimp A Butterfly, yet breezes by, in many ways Lamar's most accessible album to date. But still, my favorite thing about the album are the random Kid Capri drops, which make it feel like I’m listening to a ’90s DJ mixtape and take me back to the time I fell in love with this sport called rap music.

Kendrick spits with purpose and vigor, like he’s the king of this shit. And, well, he is—this record is as close to incontrovertible proof as you get. Damn was so good it had people looking for meaning everywhere, because nothing could be too farfetched for Lamar to have hidden in this record. Conspiracy theorists started drumming up the possibility of a “good side,” because of the way his head was positioned on the album’s artwork, or maybe you're supposed to listen to the whole thing backwards. When an album is this immaculately constructed, anything sounds plausible. Perhaps the biggest compliment to the album is that it's able to pull off a U2 collab in 2017 (on lowkey the best song on the album). After they forced that album upon us in 2014, that is no small feat.

Damn is good kid, M.A.A.D. city’s true sequel, reworking the religious undertones and stories of his upbringing in Compton of his major label debut, but Damn is more polished, more mature, more intricate, more perfected. The ideas are essentially the same, but this time around he’s a successful superstar rapper dealing with things he’s never had to deal with before, and a bird's eye view of the life he's left behind. Lamar showed true vulnerability on this album and in turn opened his chakras and wiped the crust out of our third eyes, a true genius at work. Damn set a very high bar, and it's convinced us that, against all odds, Kendrick has it in him to raise that bar again and again. —Angel Diaz