These are my personal Top 10 Best Albums of the Year.  The rankings of these records only reflect my personal enjoyment of each album.

10. Sampha - Lahai

It’s magical, immersive, and a gentle listen. It is a heavenly follow up to his last album. I’m so glad that Sampha finally returned to the fold. The more I hear him sing, the less I noticeably age in the face.

9. Veze - Ganger

t’s super hypnotic and carefree. Veze sounds completely zonked out but in a pretty fun way. The beats are also very bouncy and animated and it creates an interesting dynamic.

8. BLP Kosher - Bars Mitzah

This is the last rapper I would ever expect DJ Premier himself to put me onto. He is everything that I love about intersectionality. His flow is remarkably proficient. His Perry the Platypus adlib catchphrase instantly sticks in my head. He’s hilarious and relatable about his faith and his family. He is a Florida Man of the absolutely highest quality.

7. Ice Spicee - …Like?

Isis’s debut is iconic. She sounds instantly recognizable. I am also really impressed by Riot’s production flips. They’re fun and full of endless possibilities. I’m not worried about either of them at all.

6. Pinkpantheress - Heaven Knows

These are very fun and happy sounding tunes. The house and techno beats are so fun and vibrant. She’s huge for a very genuine reason. She makes fun songs.

5. The Lemon Twigs - Everything Harmony

This just sounds like such a comfortable and sweet record. The harmonies are very great and very authentic. I enjoy it quite a lot despite how not groundbreaking it is and how cut and dry a lot of the songwriting is.

4. Larry June & Uncle Alchemist - The Great Escape

One of my most repeated listens of this year. Larry’s flow is hypnotic and some of Al’s beats are insanely catchy. It also includes soem of the best guest verses of all time from each of their respective records, especially Big Sean

3. Sexyy Red - Hood’s Hottest Princess: Deluxe Edition

BOW BOW BOW BOW BOW THAT’S THAT BOOTY MEAT, BOW BOW BOW BOW BOW CLAP THEM BOOTY CHEEKS. The entire album is all bangers and her concert was so enjoyable and so full of gyrating buttcheeks that she gave me pinkeye like an absolute queen. I couldn’t be prouder of this new generation of rap superstars. Sexyy Red is here to stay. Do not play with her now.

2. Boldy James - Indiana Jones

Shortly after this record came out, Boldy ended up in a scary car crash. We all thought we were going to lose him. Then he came back, dropped Prisoner of Conscious and toured like it never happened. This one impressed me more for his versatility and his set of nocturnal trap beats to body instead of the casual dusty loop he’s often complimenting with his insanely cold coke raps.

1. Billy Woods - Maps

This pick is for nerds like me. It is Billy Woods’ most accessible record for new folks. Kenny Siegal is a producer that has consistently created some of my favorite beats in the entire genre. He is an artist’s artist in every sense of the work. In addition to his work in Armmand Hammer, Billy Woods is simply one of the greatest poets of all time. I encourage listeners of his music to also read the lyric sheets like poetry excerpts. However, to a casual listener of Hip Hop he is not nearly as catchy as Drake, which is understandable. However, if you have ever listened to an album made before 2010 in your life and you actually read physical books with pages that you actually turn with your hands, then this album will intrigue you quite a bit.

Just My Opinion

Top 10 Best Albums of 2023