Grant JonesYeah, yeah, “it’s the end of January, what time do you call this?”. Well, there’s been a lot of great music released throughout 2024. Almost as if the previous year’s 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop celebrations buoyed many older artists back into the studio, after feeling disconnected from the music industry. It’s understandable, and thankfully, many of these middle-aged rappers still have it, so 2024 felt, to me at least, more like the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop. We had Dre and Snoop, Redman, Ice Cube and Kendrick Lamar all close out the year. We had an album combining Cypress Hill and The Beatnuts. And it looks like we don’t have to worry about reviewing another forgettable Drake album for a while. Anyway, you know all this, you’re a Hip-Hop “head”, so here’s my list of albums that I enjoyed the most this year.
20. Kurious :: Majician
New York’s Mono En Stereo had a killer 2024. Other than gifting us a strong Homeboy Sandman record, he helped Kurious craft “Majician”, yet another impressive return from a 90s veteran that didn’t really get the plaudits it deserved. Seeing it unfairly compared to MF Doom records just because Doom executive produced it, takes away from what is a good Kurious album. “1984” and “Separation Anxiety” alone are blessed with spine-shifting beats and memorable one-liners.
19. King Kashmere :: Sounds Like Home
London emcee Kashmere, or King Kashmere as he likes to be called, often incorporates elements of science fiction and surrealism into his music, and “Sounds Like Home” is no different. If anything, it basks in it, opting for retro electronic samples that give it a simultaneous futuristic and old-fashioned feel to what’s often reality rap. Pairing the grim reality of English inner-city concrete with colourful creativity, he has his style locked down, quintessentially traditional at its core, but hugely likeable in a way few emcees can pull off.
18. Deca & Dealz :: Bough
More dope New York Hip-Hop courtesy of Deca, who rarely disappoints, and “Bough” is suitably wordy, littered with the wisdom and picture-painting that we’ve come to expect. This project is mostly produced by Dealz (or DLZMKSBTS on streaming platforms), but everything from the artwork to the mix is all Deca, and while his style may be Marmite over sixteen songs, there aren’t many emcees with as intricate a pen.
17. Rapsody :: Please Don’t Cry
Rapsody’s journey has been a joy to witness, retaining her lyricism and self-deprecative honesty that made her an underground favourite. I wasn’t as keen on the production direction that “Please Don’t Cry” takes on, and at 22 songs it’s way too long, but a Top 20 without Rapsody just didn’t feel right. “Asteroids” is probably my most-played song of the last 12 months and it reminds me of her earlier work, but as the highest-profile female lyricist to remain true to her self, I appreciated the creativity and storytelling that’s on display. Not many rappers grab my ear like Rapsody does.
16. Dookie Bros. :: We Shit You Not
Although they are probably older, Dookie Bros. feel like the younger, immature siblings of New York duo The Doppelgangaz. Their beats are similarly crisp and punchy but are tied together by some silly raps you’d expect to hear from teenage boys. You don’t get the world-building nor codified language Matter Ov Fact and EP offer, but Franchise & Shylow The Grey constantly deliver beats laser-targeted at the part of my brain that nods to DJ Premier.
15. LL Cool J :: The FORCE
“The Force” is a successful return for the 56-year-old, and possibly the most impressive example of a rapper approaching sixty, demonstrating why he’s one of the greats. Q-Tip frontloads the record with some stellar sounds, and it’s an album open to repeated listens, but it gets a bit bogged down in proving LL can still rap his ass off. A strong return, but doesn’t quite match those classics from yesteryear.
14. Homeboy Sandman :: Rich II
When people think of Queens Hip-Hop, the mind naturally drifts toward Nas or Prodigy, perhaps a Kool G Rap or that fella above, but never to Homeboy Sandman. It’s a shame, because he’s similarly gifted with words, and is far more relatable. As he states on “Summertime”: “this is more important than that coke rap, more important than that coke crap, more important than that joke rap, this is not an act, this is all fact”. Like pretty much every rhyme on this album, I’m nodding in agreement.
13. Common & Pete Rock :: The Auditorium Vol. 1
This album already feels like it’s been in rotation for years, and while I don’t think it’s quite the classic the two heavyweights could have made, it’s a wonderful demonstration of Pete Rock’s formula updated for 2024. It’s great to hear Common be playful on “Fortunate”, thoughtful on “This Man” and suitably rugged for “Stellar” as Pete proves he can still garner a screwface like so few producers can.
12. Ransom & Harry Fraud :: Lavish Misery
Ransom albums and EPs can (and have) had their moments before disappearing into the annals of online rap releases, but “Lavish Misery” lingers in the memory. It combines some of that nostalgia for cinema you inevitably inherit from an artist that’s been around for a while releasing film-centric mixtapes like the “Director’s Cut” series. Still, with the dramatic strings of “La musica de Harry Fraud”, I enjoyed this even more than I expected. Their styles mesh well because these types of records can easily end up feeling like a bunch of beats and bars, but this doesn’t. It’s a classy effort, a real power play.
11. Moka Only :: AMALAMA
There’s quite a bit of Canadian Hip-Hop in my list, and Moka Only’s “AMALAMA” might be the best of the bunch (spoiler: it isn’t). I find he excels when rhyming over sleepier production, and this is no different, thanks to Paris-based duo Parental and Alcynoos who understood the assignment perfectly. Ideal driving material.
10. Joey Valance & Brae :: No Hands
“No Hands” manages to still sound fresh with an old-fashioned recipe, and it has proven popular, with sold-out tours across the globe in 2024. References to Roblox and deriding people for using hashtags, will inevitably make you feel old, but don’t fret, Leroy Jenkins and Pokemon cards are mentioned too. If that’s still too young for you, then you can always close your eyes and imagine these are the Beastie Boys’ sons. This record made me smile too much to care about grey hair. If we can now get a Public Enemy for Generation Z, I can die a happy man.
9. Confucius MC & Pitch 92 :: Stop Signs
Pitch 92 is at it again, with another sublime set of beats lending Confucius’ ponderous, and admittedly sleepy musings the backdrop they need. This already sounds like a UK Hip Hop classic, just from the way it feels. It’s not a lyrical masterclass, hell, it’s not littered with bangers, but it possesses incredible chemistry, pitch-perfect sequencing and endless replayability. I’d love another album from these two.
8. Essa & Pitch 92 :: Resonance
“Resonance” is a sharply written return from Essa (formerly known as Yungun) that confirms why he’s so respected by rap aficionados. 2004’s “The Essance” is very much an underground classic, and by uniting with workhorse beatsmith Pitch 92 (seriously, he’s had more albums than hot dinners this year), he’s created an excellent, level-headed Hip-Hop album I keep revisiting. It’s full of hidden bits of wordplay that students of rap will really appreciate.
7. Blueprint :: Falling Down
“Falling Down” is further proof of why the culture needs an artist like Blueprint. The concepts, the connection he can muster from the listener, the production (all self-produced, no less) – it’s all so genuine. His choice of hard drums and conversational rhyming retain an uncomplicated quality about them that keeps his style unique amongst a crowd of wordplay-driven lyricists and flashier gangsta stereotypes.
6. Nejma Nefertiti, Double A.B. and Dub Sonata :: Animal Barz
If you’re the type of person who enjoys hearing a Vast Aire sample about pigeons, then you’re in good company. This collaboration between Double A.B. and Nejma Nefertiti (produced by New York’s Dub Sonata) is an album where every song is themed around an animal, which sounds suitably dumb, but each emcee treats it seriously and we’re continually treated to metaphors and schemes that draw on this. I was particularly impressed with Nejma, who has a higher-pitched presence that you’d think would irritate, but it sounds grimy as fuck. And don’t get me started on the production – good Lord. The beats on here are TOUGH. “Rats” will make you want to happy-slap a hippopotamus. “Bacteria” had me tombstoning toddlers.
5. Chino XL :: Darkness and Other Colors
Powerful and bleak, the late great uber-lyricist Chino XL departs on a typically lethal set of songs centred on a deeply depressed side of his personality. Rappers have talked about suicide before – Chino has talked about suicide before – but never has an album captured the topic with such vicious honesty. A tough recommendation, but a necessary one. Check the review.
4. Emskee & Milkcrate :: The Dumb Bummer
Emskee and Milkcrate surprised me with this album – it just felt so refreshing and, well, fun! For every moment Emskee slips into a comfortable retread of played-out themes, he opens up and provides glimpses of his day-to-day. But it’s the masterful selection of beats from Milkcrate that makes this EP such an easy endorsement.
3. Freeway & Jake One :: The Stimulus Package 2
Another supreme showing from Philly great Freeway and his Seattle production partner Jake One, that outdoes the excellent first entry in their Stimulus Package series. The beats feel even more immaculate, and Freeway has been through a lot in recent years that lends these songs the perfect emotional foil for his tired, pained delivery.
2. Spectac and Amiri :: Beautiful Soul
This album was a mid-December release, so it may possess some recency bias, but I think Spectac & Amiri have done it again. After their 2013 gem “Soul Beautiful” solidified their status as one of Hip-Hop’s best-kept-secret duos, this effort might be even better, boasting some pounding boom bap and refreshingly straightforward rhymes that we haven’t seen since A Tribe Called Quest were in their pomp. The type of album that makes me proud to be a Hip-Hop head, and it justifies all the hours spent sifting through bland beats and bars.
1. Dan-e-o :: Vigilante
The Canadian veteran shows us how it’s done on his best album. Much like his compatriot Classified, who also released a strong album documenting the thoughts and struggles of middle-aged manhood, it’s going to resonate more with jaded dads (aka me!). Still, I think this is such a high-quality record that it deserves to be heard far and wide. There are no skips, the features are well-judged, and each beat hits hard – it feels like a proper album in a world of mixtapes, EPs and viral clips, and I appreciated it more than ever. Superb work.
And a bonus that I forgot in 2023…
Highest Low & Maker :: NOIR
Before I leave you, I just wanted to shout out one more brilliant rap album that I have been playing constantly after stumbling across it on Spotify (algorithms can work sometimes). “NOIR” by Highest Low & Maker is further proof that there’s brilliant Hip-Hop out there if you dig deep enough. Regular readers may be familiar with Maker (of Qwel & Maker non-fame) and his production here is predictably stellar, but I enjoyed the combination of Just Wise and Cruz Ocho. They’re two rappers from Chicago who aren’t spectacular spitters, but their relatable rhymes balance swagger with good old-fashioned “rap-along-ability”. It’s not a word, but it’s a sensation, and every song here is great fun. Anyone working with Maker tends to create magic, and Highest Low caught lightning in a bottle here.
Thank you for continuing to read RapReviews, and here’s to another great year in Hip-Hop!