The Best Albums of 2019 (So Far)

Image via Warren Cochrane/Complex Original

Label: Warner Bros. Records

Released: February 22

We should all know by now what we’re getting into when we press play on a Lil Pump record: fun, dumb raps with little lyrical substance. Like the 2017 self-titled project that came before it, Harverd Dropout will frustrate the kind of hip-hop fan who prints out lyric sheets and combs through verses, looking for double entendres and complicated metaphors. This is an album meant to be played at 2 a.m. when you’re tired of using your brain all day and would rather yell, “Off-White, alright, Off-White, alright, Off-White, alright,” until you forget who you are. Thank you, Professor Pump. —Eric Skelton

Label: Def Jam Recordings

Released: April 5

After a monstrous 2018 (which included two full-length albums, the infectious Black Panther album standout “Paramedic!,” and talk of the group breaking up), SOB X RBE reemerged with a Marshmello-produced EP before dropping dropping this banger of an album, produced by the one and only Hit-Boy. When the Bay Area quartet is firing on all cylinders, expect some triumphant trunk rattlin’ music, like album standouts “Stuck in the Streets” and “Family Not A Group.” Hopefully they keep it pushing as a unit, as they are stronger together than apart. —khal

Label: Vamplife/Heatmakerz/Empire

Released: May 31

It’s been a tough millennium for the Diplomats. A series of extremely public beefs, failed reunions, forgettable solo efforts, and embarrassing arrests culminated last year in the release of Diplomatic Ties, an album that found the Harlem quartet struggling to update its classic sound. But Jim Jones soldiers ever onward, dropping the best music of any Dipset member by sticking to the script. On El Capo, his eighth solo set, he reconnects with the Heatmakerz, the production duo behind the Dips’ most definitive output. Jones was never the most skilled rapper in the group, but over consistently hard drums and evocative vocal loops, he retreads familiar territory, reminding listeners that he “still [packs] gats above the penis” and, as always, shouting out his lawyer Bob Kalina. And that’s just the album’s third track, “Make No Issues of It.” If you were never a fan of Jim or the Diplomats, El Capo won’t make you one. But that’s not the point. The album is a calculated throwback. It’s also a reminder of what could have been for a group that, despite the internal drama that consumed it, continues to show flashes of its former self. —Lucas Wisenthal

Label: Columbia Records

Released: March 8

Gesaffelstein’s sophomore record, Hyperion shows a new side of the French producer who was previously known for sinister, industrial techno after the release of his 2013’s debut album, Aleph. Collaborations with the Weeknd (“Lost In The Fire”) and Pharrell Williams (“Blast Off”) veer sharply into R&B and pop on Hyperion. The pop flavor came as a surprise to some longtime fans, but Gesaffelstein’s new direction is a compelling one, as he recontextualizes our favorite pop stars in his own world. “So Bad,” which features sisterly-outfit HAIM, takes the Californian pop rockers into darker pastures, as a minimal whirring beat is paired with morbid whispers. The opening and closing tracks of the album luxuriate in his favored mode (techno-drenched chaos), but it’s his experimentation with pop that leaves a lasting impression. Having made his Coachella debut this year, it’s clear Gesaffelstein has a new plan up his sleeve, and Hyperion is the first piece of the puzzle. —Kish Lal

Label: New Deal Collectives

Released: May 13

Chicago’s Chris Crack is a self-proclaimed studio rat, and his music bristles with earned wisdom and outlandish humor, which is clearly the product of 30 eventful years on this planet. Often, as on “Joy More Important Than Success” and “God’s Ghostwriter,” Chris raps over little more than a looped sample, a clever play that allows the listener to zero in on his conversational delivery, which rises, cracks, and rasps to drive home bars that are both droll (“You still vegan with them leather boots?”) and deep (“They big mad when you comfortable with yourself.”) The prolific rapper has already put out three projects in 2019, but it’s clear he has so much to say (and ways to say it) that his music wouldn’t get stale even if he dropped an album every month. —Grant Rindner

Label: Nice Life/Atlantic Records

Released: April 19

Attending a Lizzo concert in the wake of Cuz I Love You’s success is like going to the best church ever, minus all of the “thou shalt” stuff. One listen to her breakout album reveals why: It’s joyful, inspiring, danceable, sad, and sexy all at once. Only Lizzo could pull this off. She’s equally comfortable spitting a fire verse, handling a braggadocious pop anthem, singing a torch song, and pulling off a hysterical 12/8 ballad about her “scrub” of an ex-boyfriend. See you at the next service. —Shawn Setaro

Label: Atlantic Records

Released: February 22

Musically and thematically, Kehlani’s While We Wait is an assertion that things will be done on her own terms. You had a chance with her and blew it, so you don’t get to play 20 questions about her love life, as she makes clear on the sterling tell-off “Nunya.” On “Morning Glory,” the neo-soul instrumental feels like sunlight streaking into an open window, but it’s a beautiful day that she’ll happily enjoy by herself if we can’t accept her when she’s at her most comfortable. The record’s closer, “Love Language,” is an ode to not rushing into romance, as she expresses a desire to take her time learning how her potential partner wants to be loved. While We Wait was presented as a mixtape, meant to tide fans over before the official follow-up to 2017’s SweetSexySavage. But despite its label as a “mixtape,” While We Wait’s narrative cohesion and sparkling production, plus Kehlani’s superstar charisma, make it one of the most satisfying listens of the year, format irrelevant. —Grant Rindner

Label: YSL Records

Released: February 22

Collaborative duo albums rarely outperform the same artists’ solo efforts, but when Lil Baby and Gunna joined forces for last year’s Drip Harder, it became the biggest records of either Atlanta rapper’s careers. Then, each of them quickly released their own records to capitalize on their raised profile, including Gunna’s Drip or Drown 2. Where Gunna locked in with YSL go-to producer Wheezy for all of 2017’s Drip or Drown, the full-length sequel’s production is split between Wheezy and Turbo (the producer behind most of Drip Harder’s best moments). Both producers offered the perfect minimal backdrops for Gunna’s tight-lipped flow, and the fashion-conscious trap rapper in “skinny jeans with a gun” delivered a club anthem with “Speed It Up,” and went toe-to-toe with his mentor Young Thug on “Three Headed Snake.” —Al Shipley

Label: Tender Loving Empire

Released: February 8

Like the lyrics of its title track suggest, Y La Bamba’s fifth studio album sounds like it was recorded behind a blanket of summer rain, while also inviting listeners to dance in it. The album, written and performed by Portland native Luz Elena Mendoza (the daughter of Mexican immigrants), explores themes of womanhood, as well as communication, love, Latinidad, and introspection. Mendoza sings in both English and Spanish, with no apparent rhyme or reason as to when she chooses which: a helpful reminder for those of us who occupy space within more than one identity that we don’t need to explain ourselves. Standout tracks include “Cuatro Crazy,” “Boca Llena,” and “Bruja de Brujas,” all of which contain Mendoza’s dreamy vocals, a surf-y, psychedelic guitar, and funky bass that will help you perfect that aforementioned rain dance. —Carolyn Bernucca

Label: Atlantic Records

Released: April 5

At 25 years old, Tayla Parx has established her reputation as a go-to songwriter to the stars (Ariana Grande, Janelle Monáe, BTS). Now, the next step is to channel her talents into boosting her own solo endeavors. We Need to Talk, Parx’s first project since 2017’s Tayla Made, is a testament to her lyrical abilities, which weave in and out of her experiences of love and love lost. Album standout “Me vs. Us” and the light bounce of “Rebound” sound like they could fit on the Hot 100, while the title track brings drum ’n’ bass energy to the equation. Though not a complete breakthrough project, We Need to Talk helps position Tayla Parx, the solo artist, with a sound that she’ll continue to refine when she’s not penning the next Billboard chart-topper. —Edwin Ortiz

Label: 604/School Boy/Interscope Records

Released: May 17

It’s been nearly four years since Carly Rae Jepsen shed her prolonged association with the viral hit “Call Me Maybe” and released a stunning pop effort called Emotion. Where that album was very ’80s-influenced, with all of the gooey and cheesy-in-a-good-way romanticism of the decade, her latest effort, Dedicated, features a slightly more contemporary sound. It’s still dreamy and ethereal, though, specifically album opener “Julien,” “Everything He Needs,” and “Automatically In Love,” all of which highlight Jepsen’s saccharine voice. The standout track, “Want You In My Room,” features a similar nostalgia to that of Emotion (especially with its guitar), and it was ready-made for dancing in the mirror and singing into a hairbrush. CRJ continues to solidify herself as one of the most fun pop artists of our time. —Carolyn Bernucca

Label: Universal Music Latin Entertainment

Released: May 3

Karol is the Latin Urban market’s new pop princess, and like her idols Selena and Rihanna (she has tattoos of each), she’s on her way to becoming a household name. As she continues to dominate outside of the U.S., it’s only a matter of time until she crosses over to the States, in the same way J Balvin, Bad Bunny, and now Rosalía have. Ocean finds Karol G processing her rising popularity and her much publicized relationship with Puerto Rican rapper Anuel AA, who appears twice on the album. The EP features a slew of sounds, ranging from pop ballads to hip-hop to reggae to reggaeton. Nicky Jam, Maluma, Damian Marley, Yandel, Simone & Simaria, and Daniel Suarez all make appearances, along with Anuel. And “Punto G” and “Mi Cama (Nicky Jam Remix)” are two records you’re going to have to get used to hearing if you frequent Latin establishments this summer. —Alejandro De Jesus

Label: Backwoodz Studioz

Released: March 29

Billy Woods gave us an excellent album in 2018 with Parrafin, his collaboration with ELUCID as the group Armand Hammer. So the fact that he put out another great LP this year is no surprise. What is surprising is just how perfectly Woods, alongside producer Kenny Segal, captured the feeling of what it’s like to live in 2019. Our internet-addled brains jump from thought to thought as if between hyperlinks, nearly devoid of context. In the same way, Woods will move between rapping about Douglas Adams novels, Andrea Dworkin, MLK sex tapes, Saddam Hussein, and Nas concerts without a pause. What’s more 2019 than his observation that “the news is all mergers, state murders, the indictment of public servants”? Segal’s dark beats (assisted on several songs with appropriately melodic and creepy guitar by Ryan Crosby) are expertly arranged, setting a mood that changes over time to keep the listener riveted. Meanwhile, Woods’ lyrics, heavy on visions of war, spin out masterfully. “Before settling on a narrative, I took them all for a spin,” he raps on “A Day in a Week in a Year.” Hiding Places is the sound of a rapper expertly trying out multiple narratives, and leaving us wiser and richer for the journey. —Shawn Setaro

Label: Avant Garden/Island Records

Released: May 10

While The Juice: Vol. I may be Emotional Oranges’ debut project, the individuals behind it are no novices. The members of the L.A.-based group—which was originally billed as a duo and tours as a foursome, Vali included—have spent years in the music industry working with other artists and as solo acts. That experience shines through on Vol. 1, which offers up relationship-centric lyrical themes through an R&B-soul lens with pop sensibility. From the opening groove on “Motion” to the soft heartbreak anthem of closer “Corners of My Mind,” Emotional Oranges strike the right mood, making it a thoroughly compelling front-to-back listen. —Edwin Ortiz

Label: Grade A Productions/Interscope Records

Release: March 8

When Juice WRLD broke through in 2018, it almost seemed as if he was comically sutured together using different parts of emo-rap’s most prolific stars. Drawing comparisons to Lil Peep, XXXTentacion, Future, Post Malone, and more, the Illinois rapper quickly marked his own territory with massive hit, “Lucid Dreams.” On Death Race For Love, his lengthy 22-track sophomore effort, Juice gets lost in a sea of maudlin, lean-soaked emotions that veer into sullen complaints at times, but the record has its share of redeeming moments. The piano-laden melodies of Nick Mira (who co-produced “Lucid Dreams”) harness Juice WRLD’s flashes of brilliance on some of the album’s best moments: “Empty,” “Robbery” and the oddly upbeat “Feeling.” This is salvational gospel for the forlorn fan who wants to cry into their Gucci fur, but it’s also just as satisfying for those who want a side of 2000’s pop-punk nostalgia with their rap. —Kish Lal

Label: Self-released

Released: February 8

AJ Tracey’s first studio album is fittingly self-titled, because the rapper’s charisma and easy baritone are the sole static force on a record that incorporates grime, garage, emo trap, and even a hint of country over the course of its 15 tracks. Even while he’s constantly shifting deliveries to fit the varied production, Tracey remains a clever lyricist who accents his braggadocio with meta references to other rappers of the day (“My wrist looks like a Skepta adlib,” “I’m just a Block boy sittin’ in a Rover”). The album’s centerpiece is “Ladbroke Grove,” where Tracey glides on a groovy rhythm from Conducta, which is fitting since the song is named after his hometown and his mother was a drum-and-bass DJ. Tracey called “Doing It” his “This is me” moment, but the truth is he manages to put his own unique fingerprints all over the long-awaited debut. —Grant Rindner

Label: Seneca Village Recordings

Released: May 17

Injury Reserve happily break the fourth wall on their self-titled debut album. On “Rap Song Tutorial,” a Siri-like guide explains the various elements of the song as they come together in real time. That shared self-awareness and winking humor is a key part of what makes Ritchie With a T, Stepa J. Groggs, and Parker Corey fit together so well. They understand the inherent absurdity of rap and online culture in 2019, and they’re thriving in the middle of that Venn diagram. Rico Nasty, JPEGMAFIA, Cakes Da Killa, and Aminé all prove to be ideal running mates, accentuating the fierce idiosyncrasy of the Arizona trio by letting their respective freak flags fly. But Injury Reserve isn’t just an album of comment section boasts and taunts; it’s also one that sees Groggs and Ritchie unplug and offer stirring snapshots of substance abuse struggles on “What a Year It’s Been” and failed basketball aspirations on “Three Man Weave.” —Grant Rindner

Label: Machine Entertainment Group

Released: May 10

It’s no accident that Queen Key’s Twitter feed is full of fans quoting her lyrics. The Chicago rapper is raunchy and funny, and she explicitly (in both senses of the word) makes sure that “women get the upper hand in every fucking song that I make”. Eat My Pussy Again is one of the most fun albums you’ll hear in 2019 (with a touch of serious autobiographical elements at the end with the project’s closer “Ms. Understood.”) “Queen Key for president/These other bitches irrelevant,” Key raps on “Ratchett.” Not only did she bless us with EMPA this year, but now we hold out hope for Key/Warren 2020. Thank you, Queen. —Shawn Setaro

Label: Alamo/Interscope Records

Released: April 19

03 Greedo is away right now, but he won’t be forgotten. Ahead of a lengthy prison sentence, the enigmatic L.A. rapper recorded multiple projects, including Still Summer in the Projects, which finds Greedo locking in with DJ Mustard. Greedo moves on his own frequency, but Mustard’s alternating high-energy and laid-back production proves to be a thrilling combination. It arrived a few months early, but true to its title, the project is a perfect summer spin, as Greedo’s unorthodox melodies ring off across turnt up jams like “Wasted” and “Change Your Mind.” The highlight is “Bet I Walk,” where Greedo mentally prepares for his bid in a triumphant manner. Head held high, he's not sweating the sentence, reassured that he’ll have the game on lock notwithstanding, a sentiment he doubles down on in a prison call tacked onto “Visions.” So far, so good. —Frazier Tharpe

Label: Def Jam Recordings

Released: May 24

Young Gangster opens his fourth album with his cards showing face up, admitting plainly: “I want the recognition, on some thirsty shit/They be tryna put me in a box.” After a decent effort last year on Stay Dangerous (which was solid but paled in comparison to his excellent first two albums) 4Real 4Real finds YG expanding his range more successfully. He has always had an uncanny ability to evoke throwback L.A. G-funk without sounding dated, and on the new album, he strays even further outside of his Mustard-comfort zone to do so. 1-O.A.K’s production on “Play Too Much” is classic YG, and all that needs to be said of Hit-Boy’s beat for “Do Not Disturb” is it manages to cull an undeniably fun verse out of G-Eazy. On all of YG’s albums, L.A. is never far from his mind or his raps. The city’s legacy hangs over this project even more noticeably, as it arrives on the heels of his longtime friend and collaborator Nipsey Hussle’s murder. (YG’s speech from Hussle’s Staples Center memorial is included here, as well as a dedication scrawled on the bottom of the cover art, and plans to surprise-drop the project were scuttled because of the date’s proximity to Hussle’s passing.) As the city continues to find its way after losing one of its most prominent leaders, 4Real 4Real is but one example of the good hands Nipsey left his hometown in. —Frazier Tharpe

Label: Neighbourhood Recordings

Released: March 8

“I could be the rapper with the message like you're hoping/But what's the point in me being the best if no one knows it?” Dave asks on “Psycho,” the opening track on his stirring debut studio album, and he spends the rest of Psychodrama answering the question by crafting songs that are at once easily listenable and packed with harsh, important truths. The tracks develop methodically, with concepts often proving to be two-pronged (see “Screwface Capital,” which is both an ode and admonishment of the tactics necessary to survive in an unforgiving environment). Though he’s proven in his career to be as skilled of a technical MC as any of his peers on either side of the pond, he never sacrifices substance for style, letting his bars breathe atop somber, contemplative piano (he co-produced every track). The emotion in Dave’s voice is raw when he discusses things like mental health, domestic abuse, and the black British experience, but the tremendous musical polish on Psychodrama suggests he’ll continue finding novel ways to explore these topics he feels so strongly about. —Grant Rindner

Label: Sony Music Latin

Released: April 26

Farruko’s 2019 album, Gangalee, serves as a strong comeback to the Latin urban scene he once ruled. With a heavy Caribbean influence, Farruko continues his ganja-themed tunes and combines them with reggae-infused beats certain to be heard up and down Dyckman. This album is the epitome of island vibes; a perfect listen on a sunny day. Gangalee contains two versions of the hit single “Calma,” which reached one bilion views and counting on YouTube: one gets an assist from Alicia Keys and Pedro Capo, while the other features just Pedro. The best track, though? “La Cartera” with Bad Bunny. When the time comes to discuss what the song of the summer is, “La Cartera” is already a front-runner. —Alejandro De Jesus

Label: Shady/Interscope Records

Released: January 25

It had been several years since Shady Records launched a debut studio album from a new signee when Compton rapper Anthony “Boogie” Dixson announced Everything’s For Sale at the top of 2019. Aside from the standard headline-grabbing Eminem guest verse on “Rainy Days,” Shady largely left Boogie to his own devices to build on the melodic flows and emotional lyrics that had helped his mixtapes build a cult following. Few rap albums open with as much vulnerability as “Tired / Reflections,” while Boogie and longtime producer Keyel Walker sustain that disarming sense of intimacy with the listener throughout Everything’s For Sale. The levity and brevity of Boogie’s often short and witty songs help what could be a weighty listen go down easy. —Al Shipley

Label: RCA Recordings

Released: April 25

After guiding his group Brockhampton to release 2017’s Saturation trilogy, which led to a $15 million record deal (and a follow-up album in 2018 called Iridescence), Kevin Abstract needed a little time alone. Some of the side effects that often come with money and success were starting to weigh on him, and he went to the studio with Jack Antonoff and Brockhampton producer Romil Hemnani to hash out some of his issues on record for a solo album. The songs that flowed out of Abstract leaned heavily towards pop, seeming to draw just as much influence from the Beatles as 2Pac, RZA, and his other hip-hop heroes. The project opens on an explosive note, with the bold “Big Wheels.” Then, on highlights like “Corpus Christi,” Abstract raps extremely openly about some of the inner turmoil of Brockhampton over a somber backdrop of electric guitars before lightening things up on summer-ready songs like the Dominic Fike-assisted “Peach.” Arizona Baby is an adventurous ride that shirks the limitations of genre, fan expectations, and societal pressures. It’s Kevin Abstract at his most free. —Eric Skelton

Label: Boy Better Know

Released: May 31

It’s been three years since Skepta dropped his fourth album, Konnichiwa, and while that didn’t convert the whole of America into grime lovers, he’s still one of the genre’s most revered artists stateside. He’s also still barred up, no matter what the tempo or vibe is. Cuts like “Greaze Mode” and “No Sleep” fall in line with the ferocious style that many were first introduced to from Skep, while material like the J Hus-featured “What Do You Mean?” allow him to spread his wings and explore a chilled hip-hop vibe, proving that rapid-fire flows aren’t his own artillery. The real question remains: Will rap fans take a stroll on that bridge to dive deeper into the UK’s grimey waters? —khal

Label: Def Jam Recordings

Released: March 15

Warm, contemplative, and soulful in more ways than one, LIL BIG MAN is a traditionally great rap debut in that it introduces us to our protagonist and shows us everything that led him to make the record in question. In the case of Maxo, that means justified anger at the treatment of young black men in America (“I would think, ‘Why they picked us off like we ain't kings?’” he wonders on “Kinfolk”), flashes of regret (“Remember smoking on my lonely, tryna live too fast,” he admits on “In My Penny’s”), and, ultimately, resilience (“Been through so many dark days, I'mma find a way with that light gone,” he declares on “No Love”). LIL BIG MAN clocks in at barely more than 30 minutes, but it never feels slight, since nearly every bar is packed with hubris-free insight that marks Maxo as one of the most empathetic new rappers on the scene. The only thing that could hold him back is search engine optimization. —Grant Rindner

Label: Promised Land Recordings

Released: March 14

Two years ago, Mikayla “Koffee” Simpson rose to prominence with “Legend,” a home-recorded tribute to Usain Bolt. However, it’s the Jamaican artist’s debut EP, Rapture, that displays the 19-year-old’s full potential. Koffee’s lilting voice, melodic flow, and infectious ragga grit boasts finesse beyond her years. Major Lazer’s Walshy Fire lends his production stylings on Rapture’s standout moment, “Toast,” while fellow newcomer Jane Macgizmo joins the party on “Blazin.” Title track “Rapture” is an intoxicating and moody jaunt, capturing Koffee’s nimble delivery in all its glory. Across the 5-track EP, Koffee jumps from dancehall to reggaeton with sophisticated expertise. The Frankie Music-produced “Raggamuffin” reflects on gun violence and the government’s failure of the youth, yet the hook bangs in your head hours after the song’s over. The EP serves as a scintillating taste of what’s next to come for Koffee, an exciting young artist with limitless potential. —Kish Lal

Label: Future Classic

Released: March 20

It’s always dope when a highly-talented artist goes kind of dark. It just means that, like Flume, they will slap you upside the head with a bombastic 17-track mixtape full of intriguing collaborations. Flume, who many haven’t heard from since his Grammy-winning 2016 sophomore album, Skin, dropped Hi This Is Flume to let the world know that a) he’s still got it and b) he’s got a lot of it. From the grime-y grumble of his Slowthai collaboration “High Beams” to the next level remix with Eprom of SOPHIE’s “Is It Cold in the Water?” the Australia-born electronic maven crafted an impressive peek into the works in progress that have been occupying his hard drive. —khal

Label: AWAL Recordings/3qtr

Released: May 24

The sepia-washed melodies of Steve Lacy’s debut solo record jangle with the passion of his harmonics. The California guitarist is known for his sun-kissed funk and lo-fi hip-hop, from his beginnings with the Internet to recent collaborations with Vampire Weekend, but Apollo XXI is Lacy’s coronation as a solo artist. “If I could travel through time, I think I/Would tell myself from the past, ‘You'll be fine,’” he sings knowingly on opening track, “Only If.” At 21 years old, Lacy is doing better than fine. Just as hours spent splayed out on Santa Monica beach tend to disappear, Lacy’s album melts through any concept of time. From candid moments with Amandla Stenberg on “Amandla’s Interlude” to his agile flow on “Outro Freestyle/4ever,” Lacy’s playful exuberance shines through every part of the record. —Kish Lal

Label: Columbia Records

Released: May 3

Vampire Weekend’s first album in six years leans into the stripped down country and folk-adjacent wave that indie pop has seen over the last couple years. Its twangy sound meshes nicely with frontman Ezra Koenig’s signature nasally wail, as well as his more gentle coo, which gives us an updated Bob Dylan-esque sound appropriate for 2019. The pivot, though not revolutionary, does help to downplay any lingering “Oh you love this band? Name five deep cuts” pretentiousness from past eras of indie pop. The album’s tracklist is a tad excessive, but it does include multiple features from both Danielle Haim and Steve Lacy, who help freshen things up when they start to feel a little stale. The band takes occasional risks and tries new things, especially on tracks like “Rich Man,” “Flower Moon,” “Sympathy,” and “Spring Snow,” while still staying true to the Vampy Weeks creed. FOTB’s occasional redundancy can perhaps be attributed to the palpable absence of former member Rostam Batmanglij, who announced his departure from VW in 2015, and whose instrumental and production skills are the reason the band sounded like that (Batmanglij did produce one song on the album, back-half cut “We Belong Together”). Still, Father of the Bride has been a triumphant return for aughts-indie’s biggest darlings, sailing to the top of the Billboard charts and giving the band their third no. 1 album. We’ll drink a Smirnoff Ice in our parents’ basement to that! —Carolyn Bernucca

Label: Warp Records

Released: May 24

It’s been a minute since we’ve received a proper LP from Flying Lotus, who spent the years in between dropping his 2014 opus You’re Dead! and winning a Grammy for his work on Kendrick’s To Pimp a Butterfly making a film (Kuso) that reportedly grossed out a number of critics and providing the soundtrack for the Bibby episode of Atlanta’s second season. He’s apparently also been crafting Flamagra, his sixth album and one of his most sprawling. Across 27 tracks, FlyLo (who took up piano and focused on learning more live instrumentation for this release) crafts an expansive conceptual album set in a burning Los Angeles. Standouts include the slinky “Yellow Brick” (featuring the always-impressive Tierra Whack) and the Toro y Moi-assisted “9 Carrots.” But truthfully, this is an album that’s best played in headphones, without distractions, on a walk (or drive) through charred countryside. —khal

Label: AWAL Recordings/Age 101 Music

Released: March 1

“Me again, allow me to pick up where I left off,” Little Simz raps on GREY Area opener “Offence,” turning everything you’ve been listening to since her 2016 album Stillness in Wonderland into a distant, hazy memory. The 25-year-old London native has always been a first-rate writer, but on GREY Area, she’s an emerging auteur. The only thing more electric than the live-instrument-heavy production (handled entirely by Inflo) is Simz’s pen. On “Therapy,” she offers wisdom about the human condition that should cost $250/hour, while “Boss” is a fist-pumping empowerment anthem that feels like it’s delivered through a megaphone, thanks to some light distortion. On “Sherbet Sunset,” she drops devastating bars about an ex that are resolute but never resentful (“You was meant to be in my Grammy speech, your entire loss”). Whenever she chooses to pick up from where she left off with GREY Area, we’ll be waiting with bated breath. —Grant Rindner

Label: P2019

Released: January 17

When YNW Melly dropped We All Shine at the top of 2019, his potential seemed limitless. The 19-year-old artist had a fascinating backstory, hundreds of millions of plays on streaming services, a remarkable command of melody, songwriting skills beyond his years, and co-signs from collaborators like Kanye West and Cole Bennett. The 16-track project lived up to the hype, as Melly polished an innate ability to flip the most dramatic moments of his life as a teenager in Florida into strikingly soulful songs. His natural-born talents as a vocalist shined through on somber highlights like “No Heart,” while the pop-inflected “Mixed Personalities” showed his potential as a radio hit maker. Most importantly, it all felt natural and refreshingly unforced. Then we found out it might have been a little too real. Two years after uploading his breakthrough hit “Murder on My Mind” to SoundCloud, Melly turned himself in to law enforcement, charged with two counts of premeditated first-degree murder. As he awaits trial, his future and ultimate legacy are unclear, but the music he released in January holds its place among the year’s best. —Eric Skelton

Label: PH Recordings/Loma Vista Recordings

Released: May 31

After making a sprawling concept album with TA13OO, Denzel Curry streamlined things and went back to his Carol City roots for ZUU, a sonic sail through South Florida. But while there is a back-to-the-basics quality to its presentation, the record showcases Curry’s deep repertoire of flows—melodic and maudlin on “SPEEDBOAT,” lethal and staccato on “AUTOMATIC”—and it’s peppered with powerful autobiographical details about the rapper’s upbringing and how death hangs over him (both his late brother, Tree, and XXXTentacion are mentioned). The production, handled by the likes of FnZ, Ronny J, and Tay Keith, feels like a big-budget update of the wild RVIDXR KLVN sound with which Curry first made a name for himself. If TA13OO was proof that Curry could execute a heady, thematically dense project, ZUU is evidence that he deserves your undivided attention just as much when he lets things flow in a comparatively loose creative environment. —Grant Rindner

Label: Sugar Trap

Released: April 25

Rico Nasty is often furious, but hardly without cause, and she’s never used that rage to convey as wide a range of thoughts and feelings as she does on Anger Management. Kenny Beats helpfully explained that the EP is sequenced to resemble a temper tantrum, beginning indignantly (“None of these bitches cold as me”) and closing contemplatively (“Sometimes I get distracted by madness”). “Sell Out” is a self-aware triumph, with Rico offering words of encouragement to the kids who see her as an inspiration. “You guys are so strong and you don’t even know it/People hate you ’cause you’re different and focused,” she raps, the pride in her voice shining through. Rico’s chemistry with Kenny allows the duo to take risks, like sampling JAY-Z’s “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” on “Hatin” and bringing electronic bruiser Baauer into the mix on “Big Titties” and “Cheat Code,” the latter of which sounds like the theme music for a video game final boss who keeps tearing your character to shreds. —Grant Rindner

Label: Debay Sounds/Capitol Records

Released: January 18

Maggie Rogers’ first brush with fame came with a cost. You probably know at least part of the story: In 2016, a then-NYU student stunned Pharrell with a demo version of “Alaska,” which led to an attempt to fast-track the artist into stardom off the viral moment. Two and a half years later, Rogers shared her major-label debut album, Heard It in a Past Life. The project highlights how the now-25-year-old recalibrated her career after that moment as much as it finds her reclaiming her own narrative. Rogers expertly blends pop and dance vibes in compelling ways, whether it be moments of triumph (“Back in My Body”) or heartache (“Retrograde”), or showing appreciation for those who have supported her through her emotional storm (“Light On”). Then there’s “Say It,” described as “the sparkly feeling of possibility,” which could soundtrack the next great coming-of-age film, while “The Knife” brings the dance floor to life. Rogers may still be discovering her true potential, but it’s been a thrill to be along for the ride. —Edwin Ortiz

Label: Dreamville/Interscope Records

Released: May 7

The success of Ari Lennox’s debut album, Shea Butter Baby, came as a surprise to the Dreamville singer-songwriter. “I thought people stopped caring,” she mused, remembering the soul and R&B boom of the ’90s. Somewhere between the new disappointments of Tinder and irreverent ghosting, people began craving the lustful and bittersweet meditations of R&B again. Much like its namesake, Shea Butter Baby smooths over like a creamy salve. Lennox’s velvety vocals accompany tales of calloused hearts and tender memories, but it’s in her exultation that she heals. “I just got a new apartment/I’m gon’ leave the floor wet/Walk around this bitch naked/And nobody can tell me shit,” she croons on “New Apartment,” reveling in her freedom. These playful and intimate reflections of millennial dreams are rich, rounded, and iridescent. But when she’s enveloped in ennui, singing about smoking weed to forget an ex, we’re right there with her, too. Features from Dreamville’s J.Cole (“Shea Butter Baby”) and J.I.D (“Broke”) fortify the record, but the spotlight never wavers from Lennox, whose refulgent neo-soul seeps through the cracks of a gloomy day to reveal something luminous. —Kish Lal

Label: Aftermath/12 Tone Music

Released: April 12

Rapper-singers dropping double albums that are half melodic and half straight-up hip-hop has become commonplace in recent years, as seen in Drake’s Scorpion, Future’s FUTURE and HNDRXX, and PnB Rock’s recent TrapStar Turnt PopStar. Anderson .Paak initially planned his Aftermath debut to be a double album before breaking it up into last November’s largely rapped Oxnard and the more soulful Ventura, which hit stores five months later. Paak flexes his muscles as a drummer, producer, and songwriter more than ever on Ventura, with flourishes like the tempo changes of the six-minute suite “Reachin’ 2 Much.” His singing voice may be raspy, but .Paak wraps it in strings, organs, and the more silky tones of Smokey Robinson, Jazmine Sullivan, Lalah Hathaway, and the late great Nate Dogg. —Al Shipley

Label: Top Dawg Entertainment/Interscope Records

Released: April 26

My barbershop made me really appreciate this new Q joint. I know most of us fans felt underwhelmed at first, because we’re used to Schoolboy hitting us over the head with bangers like “Hand on the Wheel,” “Yay Yay,” and “Break the Bank.” But sometimes you have to let your favorite artists grow, and that’s what Schoolboy did this go-round; even “Chopstix” has grown on us within the context of the album, while “5200” and “Floating,” with 21 Savage, are slept on. In the past, Q has always reached with an R&B thug radio single (see: “Overtime”), but he avoided that on CrasH Talk, making this a very solid listen all the way through. And the album has been given a new lease on life with “Water,” featuring Lil Baby, going viral thanks to 4-year-old Zahara Noel going crazy on Instagram. CrasH Talk is better than people have given it credit for. Keep listening at the barbershop; this album will age well as the year progresses. —Angel Diaz

Label: Polydor Records

Released: January 18

For those who have grown to love James Blake for his somber introspection and self-examination, Assume Form may have come as a shock. The 12-track album is uplifting, sweet, and, perhaps most notably, punctuated by deep feelings of fondness and admiration. There is little yearning from Blake here; he’s said himself that the album was inspired by his relationship with longtime girlfriend Jameela Jamil, and it shows. It’s home to both the aforementioned soul-searching tracks he’s become known for, like the title track, whose five minute journey quite literally sounds like something taking shape. It also includes more heartwarming, lovestruck fare, specifically the four-track run of “Into the Red,” “Barefoot in the Park,” “Can’t Believe the Way We Flow,” and “Are You in Love?” Assume Form is a rewarding departure that will make you rethink your brooding ways—but not too much. —Carolyn Bernucca

Label: 300 Entertainment

Released: May 17

“I’m a real rap bitch, this ain’t no pop shit,” boasts Megan The Stallion on Fever’s opening track. And it’s true: The Houston rapper’s breakout project, with some minor exceptions, goes far beyond even her own vision of the “life of the party” Hot Girl Meg persona providing world-class “turn-up music.” The album’s bass-heavy beats meld perfectly with Megan’s clever mix of boasts, come-ons, punchlines, and threats. The influences are plain—her acknowledged idol Pimp C and the tear-the-club-up good times of Three 6 Mafia—but she updates them and seamlessly adds her own attitude and modern spin to those templates. The only downer comes when she bends to current hip-hop’s melody-above-all trend and sings the majority of two songs, “Big Drank” and “Best You Ever Had.” Part of the joy of listening to Megan, though, is that you get the sense that she’s unlikely to care how her work is perceived, least of all by writers like me. “Fuck all the critics and fuck how they feel,” she raps. “I’m getting money, it is what it is.” Given the phenomenon that Fever is becoming, that money-getting is unlikely to stop anytime soon. —Shawn Setaro

Label: RCA Records

Released: May 8

Young Nudy isn’t the kind of rapper who brings a notepad with him everywhere he goes and obsessively pieces together elaborate verses for weeks. Visiting the Complex office in late May, he emphasized that he makes his best songs when jumps in the booth and lets the beat guide him, so it was important that he find the right producer to lock in with when he set out to make a new project. Honestly, he couldn’t have found a better match than Pi’erre Bourne. Climbing inside some of the best, most off-the-wall beats of Pi’erre’s career, Nudy makes himself comfortable as he experiments with new rhyme schemes and stretches his voice to keep up with the unfolding musical canvas that sits behind it. Nudy is at his best when he finds little pockets inside Pi’erre’s production and barks out memorable lines that look baffling on paper but sound incredible on record. The midway point of “Joker” comes to mind as Nudy raps, “Grimy motherfucker (grimy), slimy motherfucker (slimy)/Try me motherfucker, fire that motherfucker,” making sure to snarl a little louder each time he says “motherfucker.” It’s the little things. Not just any rapper could come in and successfully lay down an old, pre-written verse over some of these beats, which makes Nudy and his in-the-moment, adventurous style such a perfect fit for them. Name a better duo in 2019 so far. We’ll wait. —Eric Skelton

Label: South Coast Music Group/Interscope Records

Released: March 1

This is the year of the baby, and DaBaby is leading the way. The 27-year-old Charlotte rapper possesses everything it takes to be a breakout artist in 2019: a quick wit, charismatic personality, meme-able catchphrases, entertaining music videos, headline-grabbing controversies, and catchy songs that have a way of burrowing inside your brain and never leaving. Of course, we’ve seen plenty of fast-burning viral stars follow this formula, only to be remembered as one-hit wonders. But on DaBaby’s Interscope debut, Baby on Baby, he proves he has the musical ability to turn his surge of internet attention it into a sustainable career. Throughout the 13-song album, he delivers subtly intricate verses with a level of clarity that will appeal to anyone who complained about the slurred sounds of the mumble rap era. Over a set of bouncy, hard-hitting beats, DaBaby’s colorful one-liners cut right to the surface of the mix and demand full attention on first listen. Nowhere is this more apparent than on “Suge,” an immediately addictive song full of quotable moments (“Tell your bro I’m a motherfuckin’ tutor”) that just became his first top 10 hit. Baby on Baby is a wildly fun album that lives up to the oversize grin that graces its cover. —Eric Skelton

Label: Epic Records

Released: January 18

The WIZRD finds Future in the midst of a victory lap, unsure of what to do with it or where to go next. What more is there to do and what is there left to say on his seventh studio album after all he accomplished on numbers five and six? Back in 2017, with the twin releases of FUTURE and HNDRXX, he finally made the pop-leaning critical achievement he’d long sought, while proving he could still give us the  trap bangers we rely on him for. On The WIZRD, he reverts to another of his beloved alter egos to contemplate all he’s accomplished. “Krazy but True” sees him taking stock of every feat thus far; elsewhere on the album, he roars, “I been poppin’ since my demo, bitch!” He gives us flashes of HNDRXX on a beat unlike anything we’ve heard so far from Tay Keith on “Temptation,” and the breakdown of “Baptiize” is a sonic throwback to one of DS2’s standouts. Which is to say, The WIZRD may not hit as hard as Future’s last three albums (striking Evol, which is just fine), or even some of the mixtapes in between them, because it doesn’t feature anything we haven’t heard him do elsewhere. But as Future contemplates his next turn, the sound of an artist figuring it out has rarely been this fire. —Frazier Tharpe

Label: Gamebread/Def Jam Recordings

Released: March 1

We’re still not quite sure exactly what LeBron James did on Rap or Go to the League that mandated such a heavy presence in the rollout. Maybe all he did was mob in the studio, offering moral support while swigging white wine in a tightly rolled durag. Whatever it was, though, it worked. This is 2 Chainz’s best album, and, in his own words, the project he always wanted to make. Chainz has long been misconstrued as a “radio” and/or singles artist, even as he received respect for murdering your favorite rapper on some of the decade’s best posse cuts. That underrated nature informs the subtext of ROGTTL. Sometimes he renders it in plain text: “Threat 2 Society,” over glorious 9th Wonder production, features the refrain, “I don’t get the credit I deserve/I don’t know if you hearing every word.” But for the most part, Chainz wisely opts to show and prove, rather than tell, with a spiteful chip on his shoulder.

Rap or Go to the League has all of the facets of 2 Chainz that we love, working in harmony at high levels for the first time. Chainz has always had a sensibility for communicating genius and wit with accessible simplicity. Dumbed down for his audience, he doubled his dollars. Here, Chainz reclaims his agency with more focus, more maturity, and elite execution. The album’s title nods to the binary set of options that black youth have for escaping their circumstances and bettering their families—both long shots. The album itself nods to the oft-explored duality that comes from following either path. When it comes to Tauheed Epps, we know that his backstory featured a sliding door with equal opportunity for both, plus a third option via a 4.0 grade average—and a fourth, much darker path. “I Said Me,” the thematic centerpiece, confronts the many multitudes of 2 Chainz head-on with a classically blunt, in-your-face Tity Boi hook. Drug dealer, killer, real nigga, yacht-owning entrepreneur. Elite rapper. —Frazier Tharpe

Label: Darkroom/Interscope Records

Released: March 29

Billie Eilish, who is not yet old enough to legally purchase cigarettes, has been making the rounds on SoundCloud and Tumblr since 2016. Because we live in a hellscape, her youth has made her the target of plenty of jokes and eye rolls from millennials who have apparently forgotten what it was like to be a teenager and feel things. Eilish’s debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, co-written and produced by her older brother Finneas O’Connell, combines the sounds of acoustic guitar, trap, and electronic pop to create a collection of songs that is somehow both varied and seamless.

When We All Fall Asleep opens with an audio clip of Eilish removing her Invisalign (with ASMR-quality sound included) as she announces, “This is the album.” The goofy soundbite is emblematic of the debut, which includes somber and meditative tracks (“Xanny,” “When the Party’s Over,” “Listen Before I Go”), and more flippant ones (“Bad Guy,” “Wish You Were Gay”). It’s melodramatic, yes, but it’s also self-aware, which is more than we can say for a lot of our faves. Mid-album cut “8,” for example, is written from the perspective of someone Eilish herself hurt, because the teens are more emotionally intelligent than us grown folks. Though Eilish sounds great on the ballads, she’s at her best when she’s leaning into her gritty, bass-heavy, this-is-what-My-Chemical-Romance-meant-when-they-wrote-“Teenagers” sound. Eilish is one of music’s most compelling new artists, and the only person still allowed to reference The Office in 2019. —Carolyn Bernucca

Label: Carpark Records

Released: January 18

Have you ever been high after a day at the beach? You know the feeling. Wind blowing through your hair, mind only on where you’re going to eat and the next blunt. At peace, real chill. That’s what Toro’s Outer Peace feels like. Although it dropped back in January, this is truly a summer album, something to play on your way to and from the beach, front to back. The bass in “Fading” hits you immediately, and then he gives us “Ordinary Pleasure” and “Laws of the Universe,” making this one of the illest three-song runs to open an album this year. Other standouts are the lead single “Freelance” and Toro’s collab with WET, “Monte Carlo.” In an era of short-lived music, where we quickly forget about the albums that dropped the week prior, Outer Peace is a rarity. This has been in constant rotation for us for the last five months. —Angel Diaz

Label: Columbia Records

Released: March 1

Any writing teacher (or internet quote aggregator) will tell you the great counterintuitive secret about writing: the more specific you are, the more universal the piece will be. The more an artist digs into their life, their story, their culture, and their experiences, the better chance there is that the work will resonate with a wide audience. That simple truth is at the heart of the greatness of Solange’s When I Get Home. The record is by and for black Texans, and Houstonians in particular—people whose Mount Rushmore is DJ Screw, Devin the Dude, Scarface, and Mike Jones; who love rims and “candy paint down to the floor”; and who remember Debbie Allen and Phylicia Rashad not only as artistic heroes, but as neighbors. That fact only expands When I Get Home’s appeal, rather than limiting it. The record’s cultural references are set to beautiful synths straight out of Stevie Wonder’s The Journey of the Secret Life of Plants (an influence Solange was open about, and the resonances between the two projects goes deeper than keyboard sounds).  

The album melds retro and modern in a way that feels fresh and original. There are the barest hints of trap drums on tracks like “Almeda,” while pop hooks as big and catchy as anything else the Knowles family delivers show up on “Binz” and “Down With the Clique.” But the deep, soulful grooves throughout the album wouldn’t feel out of place on a prime Stax single, even if the odd time signature of “Time (is)” might. Whatever the influences are, the evocative lyrics, loose song structures, and elaborate vocal arrangements are 100% Solange, down to the floor. —Shawn Setaro

Label: Republic Records

Released: February 8

It’s always thrilling to realize we’re in the midst of an artist having a capital-m Moment as it’s unfolding in real time. For Ariana Grande as of late, success and grief are intertwined. But armed with some of her closest (co-writers like Victoria Monét and Tayla Parx) and longest-running (Tommy Brown, down since Honeymoon Avenue) collaborators, the eye of Ariana’s media storm is a productive place to be. The narrative-reclaiming, drama-channeling energy promised by “thank u, next” is seen throughout the album to even greater effect—taken together, “imagine,” “needy,” “NASA,” “in my head,” and “ghostin” process different stages of grief—but thank u, next, the album, is about more than appropriating headlines for hits. This is simply undeniably good fucking pop music, with tracks that continually challenge what we should expect of an Ariana Grande song, sonically (“bad idea”), vocally (“imagine”), and compositionally (“7 rings”).

The two-week turnaround time to create the album is dizzying to contemplate, to say nothing of how deftly some of the writing communicates complicated themes with impressive brevity. Songs like “in my head” say a lot about some poor, obliterated soul with very little. At times, her friends’ pens and sonic indulgences push the singer into areas that listeners feel as if she hasn’t quite earned her place in yet: Ariana on “7 Rings” doesn’t reek of convenient cultural exploitation anything close to someone like 2013 Miley Cyrus, but it bears interrogating nonetheless. In dealing with these controversies, we see even more examples of Grande’s maturity and savvy. Is it “stealing,” per se, when a pop artist adopts a flow from years-old hits like “Pretty Boy Swag” or “Spend It”? Not really. But Ari will call 2 Chainz for a feature swap to pay respects anyway. thank u, next isn’t perfect, with stumbles like that or “bloodline” clumsily muddling genealogy metaphors with one’s hit list. But she redeems herself by churning the music out as she adapts to and learns from the mistakes and blemishes. Honestly, a ranking of No. 2 might even be too low for this album, but it already feels like Ari’s next project won’t leave us room for that debate. —Frazier Tharpe

Label: Columbia Records

Released: May 17

Tyler, the Creator made it clear that his goal for 2017’s Flower Boy was to “shut the fuck up” and let the features lead the way. At the time, Flower Boy represented the least we’d ever heard Tyler rap on a solo album, but his verses were still the glue that held everything together. His fifth studio album, IGOR, then, is the realization of that goal. There’s less rapping, more singing, and an even heavier emphasis on the instrumental arrangements and production as a whole, all of which come together to create a picturesque dreamscape of infatuation and melancholy.

What the album truly is, though, is the sum of all the best parts of watching Tyler grow up as an artist over the past decade. The chaotic, frantic energy of those early Odd Future days, during which the young creator was finding his sea legs as a producer, shines through in a more refined way on frenetic songs like “Igor’s Theme” and “What’s Good,” both lyrically and sonically. The diverse musical palette he’s been cultivating since childhood is apparent in both the album’s samples, which range from Run-DMC’s “Hit It Run” to Al Green’s “Dream,” and in its meticulously selected (but mostly understated) features, including Playboi Carti, Solange, Kanye West, Lil Uzi Vert, and comedian Jerrod Carmichael. Tyler’s vulnerability, which has been apparent since his inspiring 2011 VMAs speech, continues to show itself in the most cinematic ways: the distorted vocals of the “Earfquake” chorus, the desperate keys on “A Boy Is a Gun,” and the heartbreaking declaration of “I found peace in drownin’” on “Running Out of Time.” The album’s darkest moments still feel sunny, even when that sunlight is muffled by an agonizing string or a synth.

Before and following IGOR’s release, Tyler requested that fans share their favorite moments from the album, and articulate them to him. So here goes: Carmichael’s “I hate wasted potential,” which serves as the transition in “Gone, Gone/Thank You,” and is used in reference to a breakup, is perfectly applied; it sounds more like a comment in a performance review than one on a failed relationship, but much like Tyler’s approach to his music as of late, the sentiment is both personal and impersonal, detached and removed. The bridge on “I Think” sounds like what hummingbirds would pull up if you handed them the AUX. The final 28 seconds of “Puppet” are so eerie and haunting they make skin crawl, and the triumph of a phrase like “I DON’T LOVE YOU ANYMORE,” written in all caps, contrasted with the somber and resigned reality of the song’s instrumental, is a gut punch. At just 39 minutes, Tyler, the Creator’s first No. 1 album maximizes the minimal. With IGOR, he fuses together all the skills he’s been honing throughout his career to create his best body of work. —Carolyn Bernucca