The Top 10 Albums Of 2021

Hello folks, below is my Top 10 Albums list for 2021. Truth be told, this was the first time in a while that I struggled to get to a list of 10 albums to include. It’s not that 2021 was a bad year for hip hop, it's just that most of the great music came in the form of singles, rather than as part of cohesive, feature-length albums. Is the album as an art form dying? Who's to say, but the new generation does seem to have moved away from it as the cornerstone of artistic achievement. That said, I find it interesting that my top 10 consists more or less of records that deploy a "traditional" beats/rhymes approach to songcraft, rather than the digitized/melody driven style that dominates the current charts. My favorites also seem to be more low-key, contemplative and melancholy than in recent years. Perhaps reflective of my (or should I say, our collective) state of mind in what was a year filled with optimism tempered by looming anxieties. Either way, it still makes for engaging listening as we take stock of the year in hip hop and 2021 comes to a close. As always, like, click, share and let me know what you think.

Enjoy 

Lamont

10. 2% Reese - 2% Effort - No bias here. By any standard, 2% Effort is a fantastic album that I listened to on repeat throughout 2021. Across 16 tracks, 2% shows impressive range and a true gift for melody. His voice, which slides effortlessly between singing and rapping, comes off as distinctive, musical and endlessly engaging. This is a breezy record that’s easy on the ears, thanks to the bouncy production supplied mostly by Neohugh Beats. But don’t let the niceties fool you, there’s a surprising amount of dexterity, wit and complexity baked into 2%’s rhyme schemes. Tracks like Hoop Mixtape and Super Saiyan 2 proceed at a rapid clip. While Helen Keller and Cartier For My Flaws take a laid back approach. Then there’s Homi, which dials up the heat to a simmering boil. All in all, it’s a confident and fearless debut for 2% and a strong indicator of more good things to come.

9. Kota The Friend & Statik Selektah - To Kill A Sunrise - TKAS is an unpretentious and nearly flawless platter of sample-driven hip hop that is understated, elegant and wholly enjoyable. The style might be traditional, even nostalgic at times, but Statik shows that he's too good of a producer to tread on old ground, tirelessly seeking out new ways to extrapolate familiar sounds in search of something fresh. For his part, Kota demonstrates that he is a stalwart MC, one who is capable of dialing up the intricacies of his wordplay if he wants to show off his Brooklyn bonafides. But instead he makes space here to invite listeners in with a chatty, casual style that's aimed at engaging rather than impressing. I love it when contemporary artists are able to deliver true school hip hop without sounding dated. And that is exactly what Statik and Kota pull off on To Kill A Sunrise.

8. Drake - Certified Lover Boy - Like most Drake albums, if you endeavor to mix & match your own playlist from the well-marketed Certified Lover Boy you can create something pretty good. I count at least 7-8 solid songs that I found myself coming back to weeks after the hype surrounding CLB had died down. Champagne Poetry for example, is a lyrical tour de force. And Fair Trade taps into the zeitgeist like only Drake can do. Then there's Knife Talk, 7AM On Bridle Path, The Remorse and the hard-charging No Friends In The Industry to name a few. But this is the streaming era, so rather than editing himself, Drake stuffed CLB with 21 tracks over an obscene 1 hours and 26 minutes of running time. So yes, there are also some stinkers on board (even Lil Baby couldn't save "Girls Want Girls"). But that is to be expected on an album with 48 producers and 15 different collaborators. Obviously the goal here was not coherence. If you accept that as the new reality, then CLB succeeds in a 2021 kind of way.

7. Nas - King's Disease II - I don't know how the partnership between Nas and Hit-boy came about, but it has obviously been beneficial to the iconic QB legend who long ago ran out of stuff to prove and would-be challengers to vanquish. On his 14th studio album, KD II (for my money a hair better than 2020's volume I), the chemistry between he and Hit-Boy has the 48 year-old Nas sounding invigorated and fully at ease. There's a loose, organic feel to the record that sounds at once earthy and otherworldly against Nas's husky voice, warm nostalgia and wistful storytelling. Maybe, with Nas's new found energy, he has set his sights on defeating father time himself. With Hit-Boy by his side, I wouldn't bet against him.

6. Tyler, The Creator - Call Me If You Get Lost - By now we've come to expect boundary-pushing creativity, exceptionally high quality and unexpected evolution from a Tyler The Creator album. Well, the "surprise" here is that (thanks to an assist from Gangsta Grillz mixtape legend DJ Drama) Tyler finds himself more grounded in early 2000's hip hop than on more expansive recent efforts like 2019's Igor and 2017's Flower Boy. That's not to say this album lacks twists and turns, on the contrary, it careens from absurd braggadocio (on tracks like Corso and Lemonhead) to introspective vulnerability on Massa and Wilshire. And the production, lively, inventive and exhilarating, consistently fires on all cylinders. It's safe to say, even by our lofty standards for Tyler The Creator, Call Me If You Get Lost did not disappoint. 

5. Isaish Rashad - The House Is Burning - This whole album is a vibe. The music here is so mellow it makes you want to dim the lights, kick back with a glass of brown and just ride the groove. But while exceptionally chill, you won't ever mistake The House Is Burning for sleepy. It's got a steady, joyful, southern-fried bounce to it that induces involuntary head nods. Songs like THIB, RIP Young, Chad and True Story, might even cause you to stand up and get your two-step on. Especially when Rashad's deceptively clever lyricism starts to reveal itself. Bottom line, if the house indeed was on fire, we'd all be better off if we had Isaiah Rashad around to remind everyone to remain calm. 

4. Mach-Hommy - Pray For Haiti - It's hard to put Mach-Hommy's appeal into words. He's like the best of a lot of things I love about hip hop. An elite MC who sounds like a surreal combination of Mos Def, MF Doom and Ghostface, with a little bit of Jay Electronica thrown in for good measure. His Griselda-produced Pray For Haiti is undoubtedly the break-through performance of the year. A mysterious, shape-shifting record that is odd, underground and unflinching, yet surprisingly accessible. Mach-Hommy's Creole-tinged voice and rhyme style is one of the most unique in the business right now. He somehow manages to rap with clear-eyed intensity while switching effortlessly between playful metaphors and worldly wisdom. His feel for detail and precision are truly impeccable. It's impossible to listen to Mach and not feel like you're in the room with him. I have a feeling we are going to be hearing a lot more from Mach-Hommy in the near future.

3. Little Simz - Sometimes I Might Be Introvert - "It's a gift and a curse to be this pretty and blessed" raps the stunningly talented UK MC Little Simz on Standing Ovation, nine tracks into Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. And if you hadn't figured it out by then, that line jolts you into realizing that Simz is working out a PHD-level thesis statement while blossoming into a star right before our eyes. There's a recurring theme on Introvert that interrogates the concept of weighty expectations - the pressure of living up to them and the unintended consequences of success. But you could still enjoy this album immensely if you missed all of that, and just listened to Simz spit rhymes. I mean...really listened 'cause WOW she's got that GOD flow in her. On Introvert Simz delivers depth, nuance, brilliant clarity and all manner of liquid flows & choice couplets at a breakneck pace with the greatest of ease. What's more, she does so across 19 sprawling tracks that sweep through tones, genres, moods and global soundscapes like an intercontinental train ride across time and space. 

2. Kanye West - Donda Deluxe - I pride myself on being able to separate art from the artist. But Kanye really tests my patience. His constant antics, including political tomfoolery and even the tiresome stops and starts surrounding the release of this album, make it very hard to root for him on any level. But alas, when listening to Donda, strictly on its merits, I have to admit...it's f*ing great. I mean, I get it, there are 32 songs (and counting) on Donda Deluxe so he gets a lot of turns at bat, but my goodness, there is a lot to love on this deeply personal and unabashedly spiritual record. Jail Pt. 2 pulsates with radiant energy, Praise God sticks with you long after you expect and Life Of The Party commands your attention (thanks to a soul-stirring verse from Andre 3000). And that's just for starters. Donda soars on the strength of Kanye's glorious production talents, propelled by a strict aesthetic that all collaborators, new and old, willingly buy into. Due to records like Donda, I suspect that a generation from now, Kanye's personal foibles will recede to become a footnote, but his contributions to hip hop will be fully celebrated. 

1. J. Cole - The Off Season - As a rapper, J. Cole is about as technically brilliant as they come. Blessed with all the tools, Cole has a soulful voice, a liquid flow and a chameleon-like ability to rap at any pace, in any tone or style. Elite does not begin to describe him. But for much of his career, Cole has been burdened by the weight of his considerable talents, a problem of "to whom much is given" that has compelled him to seek higher ground thematically and spiritually. On The Off-Season, however, he seems to have freed himself of his own expectations by letting go and allowing his instincts to light the way. From the very first bars on the opening track, 95 South: "This Sh*t too easy for me now / N* Cole been going plat since back when CDs was around" he sounds animated and fully in IDGAF mode. Gone also is his long-standing "No Features" pledge, collaborators such as Lil Baby, 21 Savage and Morray show up to breathe life into the project (as do outside producers Boi-1da, Timbaland and T-Minus). This is still J. Cole tho, so there are plenty of lessons to be gleaned from The Off-Season. Mainly there's a running theme that comes to a head on Punching The Clock about putting in the work to be great when nobody is watching. But for the most part, Cole eschews overwrought narratives in favor of well-earned boasts and absorbing meditations from a grown man who's spent a life on the grind. 

Honorable Mention
IDK - USEE4YOURSELF

Baby Keem - The Melodic Blue 

Benny The Butcher & Harry Fraud - The Plugs I Met 2
Conway The Machine - La Maquina

Doja Cat - Planet Her
Eshon Burgundy & Zora Royalty - It Is What It Is

EST Gee - Bigger Than Life Or Death

Hall Of Fame - Polo G
Iceberg $lim - The Feel Goods

Lute - Gold Mouf

Mello Music Group - Bushido
Vince Staples - Vince Staples
Wale - Folarin II
Whole Lotta Red - Playboi Carti
YSL, Young Thug & Gunna - Slime Language 2