Everything that has a beginning has an ending, and thank God Jan. 1 is right around the corner, because 2016 needs to die. It’s been a long, hard and strange year for many reasons, from an exhausting race between two terrible choices for President to Britain giving Europe the deuces. Like Oddisee said, these are good days for bad people and no one really knows what tomorrow has in store.
In many ways, 2016’s music reflected the year’s bizarre zeitgeist, especially in the world of hip-hop. Chance the Rapper and Kanye West both made gospel albums, Childish Gambino dropped a funk project and YG emerged as the most politically active voice of his generation. Atlanta weirdo Lil Yachty floated to the top of the charts, Guwop came out the penn looking like a GQ model and Young Thug wore a dress.
2016 had fun music, (Lil Uzi Vert, pretty much anything Quavo appeared on) 2016 had sad music, (Isaiah Rashad’s “The Sun’s Tirade”, pretty much anything Drake appeared on) and 2016 had mad music, (simply put, 21 Savage). But more than anything, 2016 had music for everyone by everyone. The year’s best music didn’t just come from the usual suspects of one or two superstars, but rather a proliferation of prowess occurred, with the years hottest rhymes emerging from both elder statesmen looking to put up one last shot and young guns looking to prove their worth.
As a mysterious 2017 looms ominously around the corner, we take a look back at the hip-hop that got us through these strange times as we anxiously await the next chapter of music from the world’s hottest rhymers. 2016’s hip-hop had an A-team and (in order) it starts with…
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Vince Staples – Prima Donna
Plainly, Vince Staple’s Prima Donna EP contains dark themes. They are cleverly and subtly shaped by Vince’s exceptional lyricism so that you actually catch yourself grinning and bumping your head at some really morose content.
Maxo Kream – The Persona Tape
A lot of the albums on this list are complex pieces of social propaganda or experiments on the genre or something like a self-help track for city and soul made by concerned artists. The Persona Tape isn’t any of that, and Maxo Kream is very far from a concerned artist. This is a grimey mix tape that likes to tip toe that line of theatrics and reality that makes the genre so engrossing. It provides a peek into the personality of Maxo Kream by showcasing a sort of day-to-day Houston-bred chronicle of hitting licks, scamming on clients, and remorseless violence. Sure, you can find that in a lot of hip-hop albums, but not with the level of self-awareness that Maxo displays, and definitely not at this quality of lyrics. – Carlos Fuentes
Chance the Rapper – Coloring Book
For the past few years, Chance the Rapper has slowly climbed to the top of the rap game with his hazy tales of juvenile dreams and psychedelic, druggy anthems of nights that never seemed to end. So, when he dropped Coloring Book, a soulful, joyful celebration of life, the Chicago native caught quite a few listeners by a very pleasant surprise. Coloring Book is less of a rap album (or “mixtape,” depending on who you ask) than it is a passage that feels like it belongs in the Book of Psalms. Chance is toasting a new daughter, a victory over Xanax and a healthy relationship. He’s finally reaping the benefits of what he’s sowed and he wants to tell the world. In a year of dark subject matter, Chance has a little light and he’s going to let it shine. – Esteban Bustillos
Young Thug – No, My Name Is Jeffery
In a recent campaign for Calvin Klein, Young Thug proclaimed that there “was no such thing as gender”. In addition, with a graceful Alessandro Trincome dress featured on the cover, Young Thug stunts these progressive, calculated risks that boldly reflects Jeffrey. With endless charismatic hooks, a multitude of sheer confidence and unique crossover production, Thug has breathed new life departing from recent works I‘m Up and the Slime Season collection to a more focused, meditative take on the parameters of the man behind the music. Identity and manifestation are all the rage in Jeffrey with gleaming homages to the visionaries that shaped Thug’s career. But still, Thug’s individualism captivates a sublime musical experience that’s beyond enjoyable. – Tony Nguyen
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Isaiah Rashad – The Sun’s Tirade
Top Dawg Entertainment’s roster is revered by many hip-hop fans due to the well-skilled rap group, Black Hippy. This leads to the inevitable intra-label juxtapositions between Isaiah Rashad and his label-mates by the hip-hop community.
Death Grips – Bottomless PitThe Sacramento-native experimental hip-hop group, Death Grips, returns with another full-length LP: Bottomless Pit. They return with their most accessible project to date. While it is accessible, they trio is still has operating with the same visceral energy that fans have become familiar with. Familiarity is consistent throughout this project, but the it acts as a backdrop to the trio exploration in the new uncharted, eerie territory. The album opens with “Giving Bad People Good Ideas” like the mouth of a ominous cave, a cave that we have all seen before, but the its contents are unknown. Flatlander architects some of the most obtrusively, intricate production heard on any Death Grips project. As each song pass it envelopes the listener into a sonic hell. Bottomless Pit consists of a textured, nuanced that is similar to sounds of 2012’s masterpiece The Money Store. It is a project that long-time fans can find solace in, and while simultaneously reeling in new unsuspecting victims into the web that Death Grips has created. – Kevin Barahona
Denzel Curry – Imperial
Curry’s follow up to his critically acclaimed debut and double EP does not disappoint. The dense hypnagogic production in the majority of the album both juxtaposes and compliments iconic Curry’s relentless triplet flow. The drums throughout the album mirror Curry’s intensity, while the synth pads and samples create lush and ethereal textures to be sidechained through. Curry discusses the tried and true topics of systemic oppression and isolation, but what sets him apart is his perspective of an outsider. The shift of tone for the last few songs sends off the listener with a message of security and living the phrase “carpe diem” while giving respect to those who no longer have that opportunity. This shift is reflected in the change in production style relying more on samples and instrumentation than synth pads and atmosphere.There are many factors that set Curry above most of his peers, and those features have only been refined on his latest release. – Kamaron Black
YG – Still Brazy
YG tackled celebrity and his humble origins in Still Brazy, an album that truly gave back to its community. It’s a mainstream rap record that’s deeply rooted to what it was reporting on. Featuring the best production from YG yet, the instrumentals add color to the environment laid out in his debut. Still Brazy is a reflection on what home means, measuring of an artist’s come up, and an enumeration of the debts owed to his city. It’s concentrated, energetic, and pop in its essence. YG embraces his role as the guardian angel of Bompton. – Vibu Anbarasan
Kendrick Lamar – Untitled Unmastered
After “To Pimp a Butterfly,” critics and fans wondered how Kendrick Lamar could top himself. Would he feel the need to even make another album? Luckily, when Lamar gifted Untitled Unmastered to an unsuspecting populace earlier this year, the collection of TPAB rejects somehow met the unrealistic expectations thrown upon the Compton MC while still leaving fans begging for more.
Tribe Called Quest – Wet Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service
When analyzing 2016, there may be an overwhelming sense of disbelief. There were a lot of surprises this year and most of them were unpleasant. It was a bloody year too, losses everywhere, and it seemed like the effect of that loss was only to feed the madness. This reality was heavily felt in the world of hip-hop. With the atmosphere of insanity surrounding their genre, along with the death of founding member Phife Dog, A Tribe Called Quest understood the weight of 2016 better than most, and refused to succumb to the despair. Their response was to organize, mobilize, and release their final album. Somehow, all of that triumph in the face of adversity is communicated in the title alone, and even underlined by the fact that the name was produced by the late Phife Dog himself.