2022 has been a fascinating year for music. Many of the most significant artists have released albums. Some of these have been possibly their best work. Here are my five favourite albums of the year.
The Forever Story by JID: JID has lyrical flows like no other in Hip-Hop. This album demonstrates many of those flows, and all of them are great. JID also experiments with singing more in this album, especially on the song Kody Blu 31, which does not disappoint. Overall, this is my favourite album of the year lyrically.
Melt My Eyez See Your Future by Denzel Curry: This album has Denzel Curry expressing his emotional pain. He focuses on how he has been through a lot in his life but must keep moving forward regardless. This is one of the most personal albums of the year, and it is beautifully written.
Learn 2 Swim by Redveil: At just 18 years old, Redveil released one of, if not my favourite, album in terms of production this year, and it is all done by himself. But his focus on production did not take away from the lyricism of the album. Redveil dives into his struggles and overcoming them, all surrounding the concept of learning to swim.
Luv 4 Rent by Smino: This is one of the most well-formatted albums of the year. No track feels out of place, and many of the tracks flow into each other beautifully. Smino has a voice unlike most in R&B, and the production of this album pairs with it perfectly.
King’s Disease III by Nas: Nas and Hit-Boy seem to have a chemistry between rapper and producer that is unmatched in Hip-Hop, and it continues to show here. Even 30 years into his career, Nas continues to be one of the best lyricists of all time. There is seemingly no stopping him. In this album, Nas reflects on his past while reasserting himself as one of the greats in Hip-Hop.
