Lamont's Lists

2017 was another year of growth for hip hop music. Despite on-going concerns about the death of lyricism and traditional structures, I continue to believe that the new generation of artists has recently found its footing; and are now making some of the most exciting music we've heard in years. They're playing with the aesthetic, upending delivery styles and stretching the genre in ways we never thought possible. It was a difficult task, but below is a list of my favorite albums of the year. Enjoy! 1. KENDRICK LAMAR - DAMN (April 14 th ) There are few platitudes left that have not been said about Kendrick Lamar. At this point he’s MJ circa 1993, a virtuoso at the top of his game. All that’s left to do is to listen and enjoy greatness in its prime. His trio of consecutive studio albums, Good Kid, M.A.A. D. City,   To Pimp A Butterfly and now Damn are on the short list of greatest hat tricks of all time. And to me Damn is his finest. It’s like Kendrick heard the do...

1.  Meek Mill  - Wins & Losses - Meek defines what it means to be resilient in this perfect blend of lyrics, bangers and pure heart. He pulls no punches on his more revealing tracks such as “Heavy Heart”, “1942 Flows” and “Price”. He delivers wise and uplifting messages to his main audience in “Young Black American” “Made It From Nothing” and “Never Lose”. All while still managing to provide his trademark heavy artillery bars over radio ready bangers along with star studded guest in tracks like “Ball Player”, “Glow Up” and “These Scars”. It is a perfect snapshot of Hip-Hop in 2017 and a brilliant come back for someone who’s career could have easily faded away after taking several L’s. 2. Kendrick - DAMN - DAMN is an explosive conceptual fireball from beginning to end. Sonically it is his most daring and different album, straying far away from his typical artsy and jazzy sounds used in his recently albums. Instead he gives us many loud angry electr...

It's always fun to compare my top 10 Lists to those of made by Reese and Evan. It gives me a sense for how wide the generation gap is and quite frankly, whether or not I am keeping up with the times. As the 3 lists side by side below demonstrate, the gap is not terribly wide. THE TOP 10 HIP HOP ALBUMS OF 2017 LAMONT – GEN X EVAN – GEN Y REESE – GEN Z 1 Damn Kendrick Lamar Wins And Losses Meek Mill Luv Is Rage 2 Lil Uzi Vert 2 4:44 Jay-Z Damn Kendrick Lamar Perfect Timing Nav 3 Laila’s Wisdom Rapsody Future Future Culture Migos 4 Flower Boy Tyler The Creator Flower Boy Tyler The Creator Damn Kendrick Lamar 5 Luv Is Rage 2 Lil Uzi Vert 4:44 Jay-Z Future Future 6 More Life Drake Rather You Than Me Rick Ross A Love Letter To You Trippie Redd ...