Yeezus--like Yeezy--is jarring, uncomfortable, uncompromising and courageous--all the things that initially made Hip Hop great.

On Wildheart, Miguel excels in embodying the name of the album by being an artist both making a progressive album, but also uncovering more knowledge of self in the process, too.

Much like his subdued persona in the media and social world, BJ has put forth a project that speaks louder than any other outlier that dictates what rides the trend.

The few times she steps out her killzone results in messy break-up anthems such as the languid “Be Careful,” a pop chart over-reach where strained vocals and vulnerability make for a mismatch. To her credit, Cardi is fully capable of spitting bars with brazen energy.

The album is littered with allusions to Whack’s mental health struggles, but it never feels overbearing, owing to Whack’s ability to balance darkness with her trademark wit and playfulness.

It’s a tumultuous journey of trials, tribulations and everything in between, which is something Lizzo is able to illustrate quite well. Whether you’re here for it or not, Lizzo has arrived.

This project takes the proper time and attention to fully digest. After repeated listens, it suddenly becomes crystal clear — this is mood music.

Frank has proven to be his most compelling work to date.

There is no denying Lil Uzi Vert’s unconventional version of rap has been polarizing for the better part of the last five years yet Eternal Atake should be celebrated. He maneuvers within the cockpit of his comfort zone, navigating a galaxy of different genres while keeping the essence of rap at the forefront.

A vulnerable, sexy, and fun record, Age/Sex/Location is a fitting eye-roll at the R&B is dead debate.

Although Everything’s Fine is well-crafted from front to back, there are a few hiccups.

Overall, it’s an album embedded with enough humor, knowledge, and obscure Hip Hop references that will force listeners to keep this one in rotation.

While the compilation deejay/producer album tends to have it’s share of woes as too many cooks spoil the broth, Statik Selektah balances out this tendency with solid production that invokes images of the days of Hip Hop yore.

Like the album itself, the cast of guest appearances is minimal, yet praiseworthy for its originality.

Fashawn’s sophomore release is a strong follow-up, six years in the making, that hits hard while preaching perseverance.

Overall, Tyla’s debut fulfills the promise of her first international hit: sonically, she is truly the foreign exchange student who is ready to take America by storm. And she has all of the makings of a relatable, cross-genre, international star intent on carving a lane of her own.

With Jp3, Junglepussy has successfully pushed her artistry forward without sacrificing the personality that established her as a dynamic force. Although her crass content isn’t meant for everyone and she has yet to have a proper crossover moment, the sophistication of this project demonstrates her underrated status is just moments from being erased.

He finds beauty and peace in allowing himself to experience his own emotions. It’s an honest, matter-of-fact account of the grey areas of his life and mind. On Circles, Mac shows the unexpected joy that can be found in the darkest of times.

uknowhatimsayin¿ could and should be considered one of Danny’s strongest projects to date. Q-Tip’s musical guidance (including making it a simple 11-song tracklist) plays a major role, but a lot of redeeming qualities on this album are a testament to Danny’s artistry.

In an increasingly-predictable rap universe top-heavy with trolling mumble-rappers and formulaic pop-trap beats, Rosebudd’s Revenge’s quiet-storm menace makes for a surreptitiously potent punch of heavyweight Hip Hop.

Prima Donna is his most challenging work to date.

Proving himself one of today’s most flexible emcees, Old’s back end is Brown’s furthest departure from straightforward Rap to date, with him successfully adapting to faster 4/4 tempos reflective of the more erratic subject matter.

Like an episode of Atlanta, 3.15.20 takes us in various, episodic directions that are snapshots into the thought process of Donald Glover. He ties it all together with the unifying, timeless theme of love. It’s just a shame his vision was marred by musical risk-taking that falls flat almost as much as it soars.

Skepta manages to craft his best yet with Konnichiwa. A concise project that focuses on taking him past his south London ends and into Hip Hop’s mainstream. ... But if he really wants his career to truly win over the Yanks, some of those subpar lines need to be cleaned up.

The project furthers Top Dawg Entertainment's winning streak and marks the formal arrival of a cornerstone for this organization, an interestingly deep thinker whose determination and expanding consciousness seek to uplift and shape the world around him.

With points rewarded for originality and innovation the composer's greatest strengths are also his faults, as this effort lacks cohesion and sensible sequencing making for an exercise in patience that only biased fans would process as a sign of genius.

Buddy’s self-acceptance ensures his future in Hip Hop is bright and shines through on Harlan & Alonda. The pursuit of his goals has finally paid off with this grand debut.

The songs here demonstrate his versatility by tackling new subject matters (relationships, love), expanding his reach with more big-name producers and features. He is no longer boxed in as a drill specialist but an artist with range, who can take that foundation and shape melodies that are on trend with 2020’s standards.

Still Brazy is a testament that real-life experience breeds the best music but we can do without the shootouts from this point on.

The Beasties feel permanently young again having crafted an album that is just as consistent, unhinged and enjoyable as Check Your Head.

Component System with the Auto Reverse is no landmark of rap music, but it is rock solid, and contains enough pearls of wisdom and displays of swagger to justify Open Mike Eagle’s endless tenure.

Clocking in at nine tracks and 31 minutes, Mars and Paak are in and out, delivering their best impression of ’70s funk, soul and R&B — albeit each track is so spit polished and clean, it noticeably lacks the raw charm of the original. But that in no way means An Evening With Silk Sonic doesn’t have its merits.

It’s Almost Dry is a good rap record that delivers a few hard hitting tracks, some great production and bar-for-bar excellence by one of the best rappers in the game, but the album lacks the bite of past releases.

Marciano's outright refusal to relinquish his old school ways and broaden his reach results in enjoyable glorified crime fiction that could render him archaic sooner rather than later, but for right now it's perfect.

What emerges is something that treads into uncharted waters and even if it isn’t fully understood yet, it can at times be quite a spectacle.

Something About April II is the rare record that allows you be spirited away without feeling dirty or voyeuristic. As though you sought to change some flaw in the past that shouldn’t have been changed at all.

Voir Dire is an exceptional collection of raps, but missing connectivity between Earl and Alc holds back the tape’s potential. Where Earl breathes life into his verses, Alc plays it safe with more simple ideas that feel a bit boring and recycled.

It’s the stellar storytelling that elevates East’s themes above standard thuggery and stamps P2 a memorable affair.

As an album and summation of why so many people have revered Jay Electronica for so long, A Written Testimony was absolutely worth the wait. Let’s just hope the next one arrives sometime this decade.

It results in superior storytelling and simplicity that few in the genre could hope to achieve, providing a solid base for him to return to if he ever loses his way, whether it be emotionally or creatively.

Dixon is locked in as his verses speak on the duality of gripping steel while hitting the concrete to earn a living. It’s beautifully written, using imagery of fists clenched, finding your heart, and smiling in the sunshine. It’s the clear-eyed Dixon you want to hear more of.

While the album might incite a little listener’s fatigue in a single session absorption, it functions well as an inspiringly crowded display case of quality Rap in 2013.

While Cheat Codes sometimes walks the tight-rope of being another installment in the Streams of Thought series, it’s still a lesson in supreme lyricism and pristine production that should have any aspiring MC/producer combo aspiring to get on their level.

JID raps like a Harlem Globetrotter on The Forever Story; the skills are there, it’s littered with flashy displays of technique and it sounds better than fine most of the time. But there’s nothing on the line: at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who wins the game.

GUMBO’ is arguably Siifu’s greatest work to date. It’s an album that’s accessible but never treads on its underground street cred or lessens the dusty aesthetic to conform. It’s compact with moments of wonder, tenderness and fun folded into each other. GUMBO’! is as complete as it is essential to Siifu’s discography.

One of the best R&B/soul albums of 2018.

By translating the reverence toward his idols into his own talents instead of living in the past, Apathy continues to earn his keep in a genre that he feels is losing its way.

The nearly 45-minute album might just be too smart for a mainstream audience, who seemingly prefer hollow, bubblegum rap to intelligently constructed social commentary. Yet, this musically diverse Hip Hop package will provide a suitable soundtrack for those who still prefer their rap iced-out with depth.

Despite the lack of range, Pretty Girls Like Trap Music goes down as 2 Chainz’ strongest LP to date and will become a reference point for anyone curious about how the towering rap star can service their turn-up needs.

The full-length fully introduces the world into a troubled young man with a brilliant mind whose musings are starkly engaging.

The House Is Burning does exactly what it’s intended to do, it allows Rashad to dust off the cobwebs going back to the southern sound he so deeply admires, while also proving to listeners he hasn’t lost a step.

So while it’s not perfect, Gang Signs & Prayer is still a fairly absorbing consolidation of Stormzy’s position within the higher reaches of today’s grime movement.

There’s no glorifying of childish trends or negative influences, instead Monae favors creating music that could be embraced by varying demographics and is molded to withstand the test of time.

Listeners will find themselves going back to the top of the tracklist and letting the album roll through the variety of worldly sounding tracks. A true GoldLink summer vacation. A true summer diaspora.

Each word he raps is carried by an exhausted voice devoid of emotion on the surface, painting a scene of what it’d be like if he was trapped in his neighborhood. In doing so, he reveals more about himself and an ignored slice of America than sensationalized news stories ever could.

While it may be a bit disjointed at times, Captain California reels in his superhero status as a gifted storyteller and proficient rhyme executor, making his home at Strange Music the idyllic place.

The 12-cut package is a concoction of sharply digitized beats and eloquent instrumentation in mechanical form, processed further to synthesize hard-headed mafioso bars. .... Lyrically, Everybody Can’t Go is the latest addition to the empirical evidence piling up in favor of Benny The Butcher’s craftiness with words.

By co-opting the title of John Coltrane’s 1965 classic, A Love Supreme, Bilal is at least hinting at lofty expectations. For the most part he exceeds them.

From the jamming intro to the sublime closer, Jeffery is a testament to the rapper’s carefree spirit.

Boosie’s eighth studio album is ambitious in scale, and contains some of his best work to date. The message and content aren’t always constant, but the ebb and flow of the experience enable a strong diversity of sound, and Boosie adapts to the beats like a chameleon with different colors.

There are several JAY-Z albums that are superior in terms of musical creativity, but never has the man behind the Roc chain been more prolific in thought. It’s catharsis on steroids, walking the tightrope between FYI and TMI.

Where he has yet to master the art of making complete songs (“Uncle Al” clocks in under a minute long) and his diction tends to lacks clarity, Earl paints pictures in a manner more poetic than just about all within his peer group.

Every story and every hook connects on a human level, which in a Rap game moreso than ever defined by absurdity and ephemeral aspirations makes this a worthwhile listen.

As Gangster Rap, Piñata is free of conceptual pretense; it’s a slice more than a thesis. It’s also a new benchmark for Gibbs and may end up as a career calling card. If nothing else, it quickly sounds like one of the year’s best.

If his discography to this point was the regular season, From King To A GOD could be a sign that play-off Maquina is going to be a problem.

JPEGMAFIA is at his best and most focused when he has a specific target.

Success Is Certain should certainly be viewed as successful if Royce Da 5'9's goal was to rap his ass off over knocking production from legends to create an album worthy of quite a few rewinds and replays.

Each of Compton’s 16 tracks feel like individual set pieces bound together perfectly.

While Karma 3 isn’t the show-stopping follow-up to Survival, East is still going to outwork any MC, dropping album after album until he’s good and ready to hang up the mic.

In an artist exploring her brand new self pairing with a producer doing his best to pair up beats with her wild new imagery, this one never quite meshes, but is yet still impressive enough to sit back and marvel at the emotive and lyrical force that Angel Haze is evolving into.

Benny raps with so much confidence and gratitude here that listeners have to tip their hat to the certified Buffalo legend. For those used to the aggressive, violent music of The Butcher will be happy to hear this fresh, refined take on his sound.

Maintaining its cohesion while avoiding monotony, Nudy’s latest is at once chill and animated — an extravagant adventure that’s as controlled as it is fun.

Though each installment seamlessly fluctuates from one temperature to another, redemption and regret guide the package’s dark enchantment.

.Paak’s newest project is less cinematic and epic than its companion piece but it’s just as ambitious, texturely rich, and bustling with pleasant surprises.

While Chainz’s level of authenticity remains intact throughout the album’s duration, the commercial ambitions of its third quarter give way to a lapse of quality.

This may be one of Roc’s most energetic yet and puts him foot down as one of Hip Hop’s most influential underground rap hitmen in the digital age.

The group's unpredicatability and totally unique style is grassroots Hip Hop at its best.

Ultimately, while the album can get introspective and quite personal, the moments are buried under music that feels slightly unsure of its audience. It’s things he’s done before, and (for the most part) better. ... Not that it’s terrible music — it isn’t. In a few instances quite the contrary. It just isn’t the wall to wall classic fans may be hoping to get from him at this point.

By the Time I Get to Phoenix has arrived, an album loaded with deep emotion and detailed texture that makes every track feel revelatory.

The realization of internet dream collaboration chatter, where the result is better than fantasy.

While he may not be at the level of Compton’s Most Wanted’s 1992 classic Music To Driveby or DJ Quik’s 1995 magnum opus Safe + Sound, Perico is making a valiant effort to get there. To his credit, he’s reignited an interest in G-Funk during a time when trap music and one-hit wonders rule the airwave.

As it stands, Born 2 Rap is a proclaimed swan song that feels more like a playlist. Let’s hope Jayceon has one more in him.

The work and musical experiments Brockhampton has proven to be a successful one. Tradition means nothing to a project like Saturation III, as constant themes of vulnerability poverty, violence, sexuality gives listeners nothing but honest perspectives.

With its brevity and risk-taking, The Last Rocket succeeds at illustrating Takeoff’s talents. Though there’s no outright banger and some filler, this solo album serves as a glimmer of hope for the longevity of Hip Hop’s current favorite trio.

Filled to the brim with ideas even when it sometime sounds as if he’s creatively a little too all over the place. Thankfully, even when he fails, listeners should be fascinated by even those attempts.

Though he’s still lyrically sharp, in the moments when he revisits and spins familiar themes, things begin to feel comfortable and less remarkable. Still, this album succeeds by expanding on what hardcore Griselda fans already know.

The Foreign Exchange have transformed themselves from a bastion of jazzy Hip Hop into a crossover group more akin to R&B’s soulful beginnings than the underground sound that was synonymous with Little Brother. Ultimately, listeners are the beneficiaries.

Blank Face LP could’ve cut some fat from its 72-plus minutes and 17 tracks, especially since some songs cover the same ground. However, as a whole, Blank Face LP is a victory not only for ScHoolboy Q, but for a T.D.E. crew that had seemed to lose momentum outside of its star player.

She fills her brazen concept album with shared experiences to fully encompass what it means to be a Black woman dealing with love and relationships. Every tale might not apply to every listener, but Sullivan guarantees no experience is left unrepresented.

Oh No's execution is slightly off the mark in sticking to its motif, but that shouldn't detract from the goods he's brought this time around. We can dig it.

Music For My Friends is an above-average effort from Skyzoo.

Don’t Smoke Rock appeals to old and new heads alike, for its rooting in traditional NYC production and attention to contemporary details. Smoke DZA and Pete Rock prove to be a formidable duo on their first official outing, and the guests joining in on the fun comprise the collective cherry on top of the proverbial sundae.

Tip’s latest sets an example for matured vets who still like to get their hands dirty. Dime Trap is dually nostalgic and relevant, and cements T.I. amongst rap’s all-time elite.

Kenny Beats’ production is a weapon as blunt and beautiful as Curry’s verses.

The complete package displays an obvious maturation from the veteran that is effectively in tune with a focus many have considered missing for some time.

The masterful way in which Thought delivers his bars, the sequencing and the soulful, almost comforting tone of the production (outside of a few cuts) make it a highly enjoyable listen.

The production on Guns is most appealing when he relents and allows for more free-flowing instrumentals.

On IGOR, Tyler showcases a more polished iteration of the hazy pop he’s been perfecting for years. Though some might be disappointed that he’s becoming more of a singer than a rapper, this is the kind of project that should encourage more artists to disavow labels and relish in taking risks.