Top 30 Albums of 2018
The end is upon us. It has all lead to this. The top albums from 2018! This past year was absolutely bonkers in terms of releases. Up-and-comers, 2010 icons and longtime legends all dropped hot shit. Not going to lie…this wasn’t an easy list to compile. But, it was more than worth it. Below you will find the upper echelon of 2018 music. If you were under a rock, on a deserted island or just plain sleeping then look no further. You’re in exactly the right place. Enough small talk, enough banter! Let’s get into the final, and most important list, of #ListWeek 2018.
– Benny P
30) Jamla – Jamla is the Squad 2
Favorite Tracks: ‘Knocking at My Door,’ ‘Machine & McQueen,’ ‘REDBLUE,’ ‘Good to Me,’ ‘No False Moves’
29) Michael Christmas – Role Model
Favorite Tracks: ‘These Days,’ ‘Everybody Eat,’ ‘Not the Only One,’ ‘Ball’ ‘Upset’
28) Jay Rock – Redemption
Favorite Tracks: ‘ES Tales,’ ‘For What it’s Worth,’ ‘The Bloodiest,’ ‘Redemption,’ ‘Wow Freestyle’
27) Tierra Whack – Whack World
Favorite Tracks: ‘Flea Market,’ ‘Bugs Life,’ ‘Cable Guy,’ ‘Fruit Salad,’ ‘Hungry Hippo’
26) Anderson .Paak – Oxnard
Favorite Tracks: ‘Anywhere,’ ‘Brother’s Keeper,’ ‘Sweet Chick,’ ‘Smile/Petty,’ ‘Saviers Road’
25) Blood Orange – Negro Swan
Favorite Tracks: ‘Runnin,’ ‘Take Your Time,’ ‘Dagenham Dream,’ ‘Minetta Creek,’ ‘Chewing Gum’
24) Mac Ayers – Something to Feel
Favorite Tracks: ‘Next to You,’ ‘Under,’ ‘I’ve Always Been,’ ‘Something to Feel,’ ‘Get to You Again’
23) Nostrum Grocers – Nostrum Grocers
Favorite Tracks: ‘Medium,’ ‘Thermometer,’ ’98 Gewehr,’ ‘Circumcision is the First Betrayl,’ ‘Camera’
22) Westside Gunn – Supreme Blientele
Favorite Tracks: ‘Brutus,’ ‘Wrestlemania 20,’ ‘Amherst Station,’ ‘Elizabeth,’ ‘The Steiners’
21) Jericho Jackson – Khrysis & Elzhi Are Jericho Jackson
Favorite Tracks: ‘Listen,’ ‘Breguets,’ ‘Thank You,’ ‘Overthinking,’ ‘To Do List’
20) Denzel Curry – TA13OO
Favorite Tracks: ‘Black Balloons,’ ‘Mad I Got It,’ ‘Clout Cobain,’ ‘Black Metal Terrorist,’ ‘Vengeance’
19) Royce da 5’9″ – Book of Ryan
Favorite Tracks: ‘Boblo Boat,’ ‘God Speed,’ ‘Dumb,’ ‘Caterpillar,’ ‘Life is Fair’
18) Georgia Anne Muldrow – Overload
Favorite Tracks: ‘Vital Transformation,’ ‘Overload,’ ‘Blam,’ ‘Ciao,’ ‘Play it Up’
17) Pusha T – DAYTONA
Favorite Tracks: ‘If You Know You Know,’ ‘Come Back Baby,’ ‘Santeria,’ ‘The Game We Play,’ ‘What Would Meek Do?’
16) Jorja Smith – Lost & Found
Favorite Tracks: ‘February 3rd,’ ‘Lifeboats,’ ‘Blue Lights,’ ‘Lost & Found,’ ‘Tomorrow’
15) Skyzoo – In Celebration of Us
Favorite Tracks: ‘Everybody’s Fine,’ ‘Crown Holder,’ ‘Sound Like..,’ ‘Forever in a Day,’ ‘Hoodie SZN’
14) J.I.D – DiCaprio 2
Favorite Tracks: ‘Skrawberries’ ‘Off da Zoinkys,’ ‘Stick Talk,’ ‘Hot Box,’ ‘Just da Other Day’
13) Roc Marciano – RR2: The Bitter Dose
Favorite Tracks: ‘Tent City,’ ‘Corniche,’ ‘Happy Endings,’ ’67 Lobby,’ ‘Respected’
12) Armand Hammar – Paraffin
Favorite Tracks: ‘Dettol,’ ‘Vindaloo,’ ‘Sweet Mickey,’ ‘Ecomog,’ ‘Alternate Side Parking’
11) Mac Miller – Swimming
Favorite Tracks: ‘What’s the Use?,’ ‘Self Care,’ ‘Small Words,’ ‘2009,’ ‘Come Back to Earth’
10) The Alchemist x Freddie Gibbs x Curren$y – Fetti
Favorite Tracks: ‘Bundy & Sincere,’ ‘Tapatio,’ ‘New Thangs,’ ‘Saturday Night Special,’ ‘No Windows Tints’
9) Evidence – Weather or Not
Favorite Tracks: ‘Throw it All Away,’ ‘To Make a Long Story Longer,’ ‘Weather or Not,’ ‘Powder Cocaine,’ ‘Rain Drops’
8) Smino – NOIR
Favorite Tracks: ‘LMF,’ ‘Kovert,’ ‘Skedos,’ ‘MF Groove,’ ‘Summer Salt’
7) Sylvan LaCue – Apologies in Advance
Favorite Tracks: ‘Perfect Imperfections,’ ‘Selfish,’ ‘Best Me,’ ‘Empathy,’ ‘5:55’
6) Noname – Room 25
Favorite Tracks: ‘Ace,’ ‘Self,’ ‘Don’t Forget About Me,’ ‘Regal,’ ‘Montego Bae’
5) The Internet – Hive Mind
Favorite Tracks: ‘La Di Da,’ ‘Roll (Burbank Funk),’ ‘Come Together,’ ‘It Gets Better (With Time),’ ‘Hold On’
4) Mick Jenkins – Pieces of a Man
Favorite Tracks: ‘Reginald,’ ‘Padded Locks,’ ‘Gwendolynn’s Apprehension,’ ‘Grace & Mercy,’ ‘Consensual Seduction’
3) Milo – Budding Ornithologists Are Weary of Tired Analogies
Favorite Tracks: ‘Mid Answer Trying to Remember What the Question Is,’ ‘Nominy,’ ‘Deposition Regarding the Green Horse For Rap,’ ‘Galahad in Goosedown,’ ‘Thinking While Eating a Handful of Almonds’
2) Earl Sweatshirt – Some Rap Songs
Favorite Tracks: ‘Azucar,’ ‘Ontheway!,’ ‘Eclipse,’ ‘Cold Summers,’ ‘December 24th’
1) Saba – CARE FOR ME
Favorite Tracks: ‘Heaven All Around Me,’ ‘Calligraphy,’ ‘Smile,’ ‘Logout,’ ‘Prom/King’
Honorable Mention (more possibly to come)
Vince Staples – FM!
A$AP Rocky – TESTING
Kendrick Lamar & TDE – Black Panther
PRhyme – PRhyme 2
Nickelus F – STUCK
Reason – There You Have It
Shane Reis x God.Damn.Chan – VEIB
Chris Crack – Just Give Me a Minute
Janelle Monae – Dirty Computer
Chuck Strangers – Consumers Park
J. Cole – KOD
Phonte – No News is Good News
Bas – Milky Way
Roc Marciano – Behold a Dark Horse
Jean Grae x Quelle Chris – Everything’s Fine
Trapo – Oil Change
Quadry – Malik Ruff
Shad – A Short Story About a War
Sango – In the Comfort Of
Bishop Nehru – Elevators: Act I & II
Flatbush Zombies – Vacation in Hell
Kali Uchis – Isolation
JPEGMAFIA – Veteran
Nipsey Hussle – Victory Lap
Scallops Hotel – Sovereign Nose of Your Arrogant Face
Maxo Kream – Punken
Kenny Segal – Happy Little Trees
Planet Asia – The Golden Buddha
Cozz – Effected
Dessa – Chime
Myke Bogan – Joe Fontana
Rejjie Snow – Dear Annie
O.C. – A New Dawn
Travis Scott – ASTROWORLD
Dr. Octagon – Moosebumps
EarthGang – Royalty EP
ewonee – ’73
Apathy – The Widow’s Son
Westside Gunn – HWH 6
CZARFACE x MF DOOM – Czarface Meets Metal Face
Murs – A Strange Journey Into the Unimaginable
Sarah Violette – AnxiousLove
Playboi Carti – Die Lit
Kadhja Bonet – Childqueen
Dem Atalas – Bad Actress
The Electric Heart – The Electric Heart
DrxQuinnx x Lil Kydd – The Citizen
ANoyd – Blame it on Jay Z
Dabrye – Three/Three
Black Thought x 9th Wonder – Streams of Thought Vol. 1
Cardi B – Invasion of Privacy
Tom Misch – Geography
Qari – No Time to Explain
Pac Div – 1st Baptist
Smoke DZA – Not For Sale
Phoelix – TEMPO
Lupe Fiasco – DROGAS Wave
Blueprint – Two-Headed Monster
Sudan Archives – Sink
Mad Squablz – Lamps
Patrick Paige II – Letters of Irrelevance
serpentwithfeet – Soil
R+R=NOW – Collagically Speaking
Femdot – Delacreme 2
Kiefer – Happysad
Pink Navel – Born on the Stairs
Black Thought x Salaam Remi – Streams of Thoughts Vol. 2
Kids See Ghosts – Kids See Ghosts
Freeway – Think Free
Drake – Scorpion
Marlow – Marlowe
.38 Spesh – Son of G Rap
The Carters – EVERYTHING IS LOVE
Clyde Guevara – FreeJAH
Buddy – Harlan & Alondra
Joey Purp – QUARTERTHING
Masego – Lady Lady
Knowledge the Pirate – Flintlock
Millyz x Statik Selektah – Saints & Sinners
Innanet James – Keep it Clean
6lack – East Atlanta Love Letter
BROCKHAMPTON – Iridescence
Hermit and the Recluse – Orpheus vs. The Sirens
Octavian – SPACEMAN
Flee Lord – Loyalty or Death
Ohbliv – EZ Widas
Ivy Sole – Overgrown
Logic – YSIV
IshDARR – Slow Down, Kid
Stro – Nice 2 Meet You, Again
DJ Muggs x Roc Marciano – KAOS
Jean Deaux – Krash
Myles Bullen x Pauly Beats – Not Dead Yet
Lil Wayne – Tha Carter V
Vdon – The Bone Collector
Huey Briss – Black Wax
Apollo Brown x Joell Ortiz – Mona Lisa
Phony Ppl – Mozaik
Metro Boomin – Not All Heroes Wear Capes
Termanology – Bad Decisions
Curren$y – Fire in the Clouds
ANKLEJOHN – VAN Ghost
Noveliss – Cerebral Apex
Edan x Homeboy Sandman – Humble Pi
MIKE – Renaissance Man
Action Bronson – White Bronco
Masta Ace x Marco Polo – A Breukelen Story
Rico Nasty – Nasty
Pink Siifu – Ensley
August Greene – August Greene
Spose – We All Got Lost
images via Mac Miller, Jamla, Elzhi, Khrysis, Denzel Curry, Loma Vista, Warner Brothers, Freddie Gibbs, Curren$y, Alchemist, EMPIRE, Evidence, Rhymesayers, Smino, Interscope, Sylvan LaCue, Blame the Label, Noname, The Internet, Sony Music, Mick Jenkins, Cinematic Music Group, Rory Ferreira, The Order Label, Earl Sweatshirt, Saba, Saba Pivot LLC & All rightful photographers/owners
– Benny P