Music

2014 Forest Hills Drive (10 Year Anniversary Edition) Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2024 J. Cole Named after his childhood home, J. Cole’s highly revered third studio album sticks to the Fayetteville, NC rapper’s well-established formula, featuring several self-produced cuts in which warm, old-school samples underpin lyrics about life’s weighty lessons. But unlike earlier offerings,  2014 Forest Hills Drive  makes hard pills easy to swallow, as the rapper finds his footing and perfects the balance between conscious and commercial. The album also finds Cole trying to balance the coexistence of darkness and light, with the smile-inducing “Wet Dreamz” pouring into poignant cuts like “03’ Adolescence.” All the while, Cole’s lyrical approach is as unpretentious as his wardrobe, with the MC delivering lessons on cultural appropriation, relatable childhood faux pas, and the true meaning of life. Thanks to its unflinching confidence, playful narratives, and soulful reflections,  2014 For...

LUCKY HER Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2024 Mozzy   &   Kalan.FrFr In a year full of West Coast hip-hop greatness, with California very much centered, Sacramento’s own Mozzy has played a not-insignificant role. His two substantial outings,  CHILDREN OF THE SLUMS  and the guest-heavy  BRASH DUMMIES , seemed to further validate the successes he enjoyed during his mid-2010s breakout. No stranger to a collaborative project, he links with the highly skilled Kalan.FrFr for  LUCKY HER , a 10-track effort that sonically bridges the Bay and LA. Thematically, women consume their respective focuses, right from jump on the Rob49-assisted opener “BBL.” Streetwise romantics frequently pervade these proceedings, with Mozzy’s gruff confidence merging effortlessly with Kalan’s melodic delivery on cuts like “EGGS IN THE MORNING” and “MY HOOD.” On the guest front, Skilla Baby brings a cautious cool to the jazz-inflected “SIZE ME UP,” while Shordie Shordie finds a suitable pocket...

Papi Arca Album ∙ Latin ∙ 2024 Arcángel Considering how prevalent Arcángel has been in reggaetón and Latin trap in recent years, his relative silence on the new-music front in 2024 felt odd. Beyond a scant few features, the vanguard rapper seemed on hiatus, all but certain to break his streak of dropping yearly solo projects that began with 2018’s  Ares . Thankfully, the surprise release of  Papi Arca  in the final weeks of December maintains his admirable release record. The nine-track effort demonstrates his signature style over several musical modes—spitting toughened rhymes with that unmistakable rasp on opener “La Franquicia” and ending as a romantic reggaetonero for “Besitos Pa’ Esas Nalgas.” Between those bookends, he keeps things mostly collaborative, subtly interpolating a J. Cole smash with Eladio Carrión on the R&B-driven “BFF” and recounting sexual conquests alongside Sech on the rugged “La Varita.” Still, a veteran of his caliber doesn’t require guests to...

MALA MÍA - EP Album ∙ Música Mexicana ∙ 2024 Fuerza Regida   &   Grupo Frontera Back in 2022, Fuerza Regida and then-rising stars Grupo Frontera joined forces for the momentous “Bebe Dame.” As an early cosigner of the Texan act, it makes sense that the California-based project led by Jesús Ortiz Paz (aka JOP) would eventually reunite for another track. Few, however, could’ve anticipated an entire EP’s worth of collaborative songs from the two groups, now ranking among the biggest and most popular in música mexicana. Following Fuerza Regida’s radical and unique  PERO NO TE ENAMORES , a full-length exploration of corridos through a dance-floor lens, this concise set doesn’t so much return to form as find common ground with their tremendously talented Hidalgo County cousins. Comprised of five songs, the surprise-released  MALA MÍA  eschews electronic experimentation altogether, leaning into vocal harmony and lush instrumentation. A musical merger of their core ...

Angels & Demons - EP Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2024 Shiva

CHOSEN Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2024 KMB

Billie Eilish: Artist of the Year 2024 Live - EP Album ∙ Alternative ∙ 2024 Billie Eilish To mark the record second time that she’s been named Apple Music’s Artist of the Year, Billie Eilish performed an exclusive acoustic set with her brother FINNEAS in their hometown of LA. The set list was arranged to celebrate her landmark 2024, with a focus on her extraordinary third album  HIT ME HARD AND SOFT , including highlights “THE GREATEST” and “BIRDS OF A FEATHER.”

1432 Album ∙ Pop ∙ 2024 Katy Perry When she skyrocketed to stardom at the tail end of the 2000s, Katy Perry was a girl-next-door gone wild: dancing on tables, kissing cherry-Chapstick-ed strangers, and shooting whipped cream out of her sparkly bustier. Her trademark hits represented pop as pure escapism—fun and frivolous, with production from the era’s biggest hitmakers (Max Martin, Stargate, Dr. Luke). Sixteen years after her breakthrough with 2008’s “I Kissed a Girl,” the era from which Perry emerged has cycled back into fashion as a nostalgic trend. But on her sixth album (not including her contemporary Christian record as Katy Hudson), named for her angel number—and for how people typed “I love you” back in the pager era—the 39-year-old singer is focused on the present. “When I was going through [2008 debut album]  One of the Boys , it was like, ‘Oh my god, hold on to this ride!’” Perry tells Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, tracing the arc of her career as it pertains to her emotional...

LE NORD SE SOUVIENT : L'ODYSSÉE Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2024 GIMS

TESTIMONY. Album ∙ Pop ∙ 2024 Tayc

HIKARU UTADA SCIENCE FICTION TOUR 2024 Album ∙ J-Pop ∙ 2024 Hikaru Utada

New Gate Album ∙ Rock ∙ 2024 Saucy Dog

nostalgia EP - EP Album ∙ Pop ∙ 2024 Rels B

TRES CREUS Album ∙ Rap ∙ 2024 HOKE

Bong Riddim - EP Album ∙ Worldwide ∙ 2024 Red Rocket Group

NO SIGNAL Album ∙ Modern Dancehall ∙ 2024 Armanii

Late Nite Slider Music - EP Album ∙ R&B/Soul ∙ 2024 Karri The San Francisco artist makes low-slung R&B for after dark.

The Grand Rising Album ∙ Modern Dancehall ∙ 2024 Malie Donn

ADS Sampler vol.1 Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2024 PASHANIM , Selim61 & RB030

Rome Album ∙ Alternative ∙ 2024 The National The indie stalwarts deliver a dramatic, career-spanning live set from '24.