Lamont's Lists

Whew, 2025 was quite a year. As tumultuous as it was, it seemed more like a decade than 12 months. As usual, I’m thankful to have had tons of music to listen to—music that helped distract me from the madness. This year, without the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef dominating the conversation like it did in 2024, there was more oxygen for a wider range of artists to shine. And sure, social media naysayers made much ado about that brief stretch when no hip-hop records were charting on the Billboard Hot 100—something that hadn’t happened since 1990—but I believe that was more a quirk of changing rules and consumption patterns than any real commentary on the music itself. The quality and diversity of releases from new voices, established stars, and veterans alike, was as impactful as ever. One trend I especially liked was the return of the single-producer album, which gave us music with sharper focus, stronger chemistry, and a more unified sound—whether it was Pharrell Williams with Clipse,...