Tracks like "After Dark" show he can still do the vibe, but the harder tracks are where he really shines here.
Click here to Listen, SoFaygo - MANIA
He managed to make a project that feels modern enough for the club but soulful enough for a late-night drive.
Click here to Listen, Tank - R&B MONEY
Definitely one of the most cohesive West Coast projects in years.
Click here to Listen, Vince Staples - RAMONA PARK BROKE MY HEART
Usually, projects made that fast sound rushed.This is a lean, 10-song masterclass
Click here to Listen, Lupe Fiasco - DRILL MUSIC IN ZION
Pi'erre beats changed the entire genre. It’s a literal 10/10 with no skips.
It’s one of those rare tracks that lived up to all the hype.
Click here to Listen, Kodak Black - Project Baby 2: All Grown Up
The use of space and those weird, skittering synths on "family ties" changed the energy of the whole year.
Click here to Listen, Baby Keem - The Melodic Blue
This tape had a very specific energy that LA had been missing for a while. The way he flipped "Hussle in the House" over that "It's Like That" beat was a perfect bridge between the old school and the new era.
Click here to Listen, Nipsey Hussle - Bullets Aint Got No Name Vol1
People talk about the big singles, but the middle of this tracklist is where the best writing is. The melodies on "Not Enough" prove he really didn't have a ceiling when it came to hooks.
Click here to Listen, Juice WRLD - Fighting Demons
People forget how high the bar was on these early tapes. The way he was floating on "The Last Real One" and those freestyles proved he was one of the most technical rappers in the game. He really had something to prove here.
Click here to Listen, Joe Budden - Im Back
This was back when you had to hunt down these CDs just to hear the latest disses. The raw, unpolished sound of "Go To Sleep" and "Bully" is way better than the polished versions that eventually leaked out.
Click here to Listen, Eminem & Shady - Invasion II
Instead of just dropping singles, Nas and Green Lantern dropped a whole body of work to set the tone for the album.
Click here to Listen, Nas - The Ni*** Tape
It felt like you were hearing something you weren't supposed to. It’s a perfect 10/10 for the subgenre.
Unreleased or rare Lil Wayne tracks, often from the era surrounding his popular Tha Carter album series
Click here to Listen, A$AP Rocky - LiveLoveASAP
This tape proved that production could be just as much of a "character" as the rapper himself.
Click here to Listen, A$AP Rocky - LiveLoveASAP
Everyone copies the flow but nobody acknowledges where it came from. The stop-start finesse on "Smell" and "Fiji Water" is crazy.
Click here to Listen, PeeWee Longway - The Blue MM
I still find myself repeating that hook out of nowhere.
The sound is rough around the edges compared to what came later, but you can already hear a lot of the direction taking shape. It’s interesting hearing how early some of those ideas were there.
Click here to Listen, Drake - Room For Improvement
The transition from "Sick!" into "Vision" and "Tabula Rasa" might be the best three-track run in his entire discography.
Click here to Listen, Danny Brown - Earl Sweatshirt - SICK!