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...

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

CHOSEN Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2024 KMB

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

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

Missionary Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2024 Snoop Dogg   &   Dr. Dre With all due respect to DJ Battlecat, The Neptunes, and the other myriad producers who made key contributions to Snoop Dogg’s vast discography, nothing feels quite so right as when he links with Dr. Dre. From the moment the former N.W.A member’s ostensibly solo debut  The Chronic  entered the zeitgeist, artists have repeatedly tried—and generally failed—to achieve the level of chemistry and clout generated by their seminal pairing. While they’ve stayed in each other’s orbit over the years, trading beats and bars on albums like Snoop’s 2006  Tha Blue Carpet Treatment  and Dre’s 2015  Compton , the auspicious release of  Missionary  marks their first full-length team-up in more than three decades. Its title a clear nod to the 1993 West Coast masterpiece  Doggystyle , this long-hoped-for album changes positions without losing the feeling. Though  Missionary  largel...

Read This When You Wake Up Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2024 Sleepy Hallow Sleepy Hallow has come a long way since his early days as a pioneer of New York’s drill rap subgenre alongside his pal Sheff G. The Jamaica-born, Brooklyn-raised rapper has since expanded his scope, showcasing a bevy of different flow patterns on his 2021 studio debut  Still Sleep?  and pop instincts on his 2023 effort  Boy Meets World . On  Read This When You Wake Up , Sleepy blends these two worlds together, cueing up booming, distortion-heavy beats on “Madness” and crooning about the high life on “Drowning (Beverly Hills).” He’s more comfortable in his singing voice than ever before, tapping into a newly discovered vulnerability that gives the work an almost tangible emotional catharsis.

È FINITA LA PACE Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2024 Marracash

PACCO - EP Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2024 Bello Figo

ASPETTANDO LA FINE DELLA GUERRA (Strettamente) Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2024 Tony 2Milli

KJ SEASON2 Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2024 Kohjiya

RAP:PUBLIC FINAL Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2024

RAP:PUBLIC Episode.2 - EP Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2024

Farbenblind - EP Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2024 Nina Chuba The rapper explores a powerful emotional palette on a pop-minded EP.

Inarrêtable Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2024 Jul With record-breaking sales and over two dozen albums in a decade, it’s hardly surprising that Jul would name this record  Inarrêtable  (Unstoppable). In the year he put out two number-one LPs and lit the Olympic flame in his hometown of Marseille, the rap-fusion virtuoso concludes with a throbbing dance-, Afrobeats- and reggaetón-hued statement to seal the obvious. Yet it’s “Capata”—a duet tapping into Jul’s Corsican roots with guest Francè Zito—that provides one of the LP’s most defining moments. It highlights Jul’s pledge to go past the hits and delve deep with genuine, fearless emotion.

Hybrid Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2024 ألاء

BAD ASS F*CKING KID Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2024 Nettspend The young Virginia rapper announces his arrival with a debut mixtape.

Farewell Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2024 Lil Tjay In the five years since his Polo G team-up “Pop Out” broke big, Bronx-born melodic rapper Lil Tjay has experienced no shortage of success. Whether linking with drill and trap stars or going it alone, he represents New York proudly, and the charts respond in kind. On  Farewell , an eight-track effort capping off a prodigious year of singles, he reunites with erstwhile collaborators, commemorates new studio alliances, and otherwise enjoys the glow of the spotlight. The initial four cuts showcase his solo swag, the first two—“Let it go baby” and “Told Ya”—assuredly familiar to fans. “Good Life” righteously celebrates his status in the game, while “Long way from the block” adjusts his gaze backward to reflect on fallen friends and paths not taken. As for the collabs, he’s an optimal foil for G Herbo and NLE Choppa on the tough yet reflective “Built like a soldier” and “Why,” respectively. Of course, the Polo G reunion “Back to the wall” prov...

Flawless 2 Album ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap ∙ 2024 Baby Smoove