As the year is coming to a close I thought that I would take the time to go through the releases of this year and highlight all the albums that I truly enjoyed and think that others should give a shot. Obviously this list is completely subjective and includes my own biases and tastes in music but I will try to give a little bit of explanation for why I like the album so much. Without further ado, here are my top albums of 2018.

This year’s releases didn’t really interest me until about April, starting with Post Malone’s Beerbongs and Bentleys. Although I was sort of late to the game with Post Malone I have come to really appreciate his music. This album is really fantastic not for its storytelling or strong themes, because it doesn’t have those and that’s not what you should expect when going to listen to this album. Instead, you should be ready to listen to something fun and weirdly relatable. This album is one that you can hardly resist singing along to the catchy lyrics and beats and is perfect for those time that you just need to let loose. The next four albums that I want to highlight all came out one after another. For those who don’t know, Kanye West produced five mini albums, all 7 tracks, one a week. I should add a bit of caveat here that I am a huge Kanye fan so I am heavily biased toward practically anything he works and also that you should separate the recent controversy involving him and really look at his as an artist rather than his public persona. The first four were fantastic and I believe they all belong on this list. The first one was Daytona by Pusha T, produced by Kanye. This album has some fantastic tracks and the beats and rhythms are all flawless. This album is about what the life of Pusha T is like and is a fun but reflective piece that really resonates with me. The second album of these four is Kanye’s own album, Ye. Ye is again more of a reflective, retrospective piece in which Kanye talks about his struggles with being bipolar and his struggles in life currently. This album comes off a lot more raw and emotional than most of his albums and it’s a welcome change, giving his listeners insight into him and proving what a talented artist he really is. The third album he released was his collaborative album with Kid Cudi under the the collective name Kids See Ghost and it was their self titled album, Kids See Ghosts. Now this project was one that I was actually very surprised with. Kanye and Cudi work very well together and fit each other’s sounds really well. This project is in some ways related to the previous album, Ye, but is definitely a separate work. This album has a very different sound but is one that works perfectly and makes me excited for future Kids See Ghosts releases. Nasir is the last of the four and is by Nas, an older rapper who came back this summer. Unfortunately, of the four that I really enjoy this is probably my least favorite of them but the first two tracks are so strong it is worth it anyway. Nasir is possible the most poetic of the four I am highlighting, all talking about some problem in the world and it uses a lot of metaphors. One of the most interesting things I have read about this album is each song relates to one of the seven deadly sins. Although this is not confirmed to be true I think that adds even more to its poetic nature. The fifth in this Kanye series isn’t bad it just didn’t really interest me and didn’t make it onto this list.` `

There was one release just after the release of Daytona in May that was also really good but wasn’t a Kanye release and I didn’t discover until much later in the year. THE ORIGINALS. by Tobe Nwigwe was a little out of my normal music tastes but I’m glad I decided to branch out. Nwigwe has a ridiculously smooth and clean flow and his lyricism is nothing like I’ve ever heard. If you’re willing to branch out a bit, nothing seriously weird, I highly recommend this album. Nwigwe also released another album this year titled MORE ORIGINALS and I recommend it for all the same reasons. The next release I’d like to feature is TA13OO丨 TABOO by Denzel Curry which Claire Hargis reviewed and I recommend you check that out if you want a detailed analysis. However, I recommend this album for the truly unique sound that Curry uses in this album and the strong messages he portrays. This is a must listen to in my opinion. The last album I’d like to feature is iridescence by BROCKHAMPTON. This group is very talented and it really shows in this work. I was kind of reluctant to listen to this at first because I wasn’t sure I liked their sound in the first song but I implore you to listen to it regardless, it has so much to offer and has such a unique sound that just gives me no choice other than recommending it.

Looking back at this I realized that basically everything is a rap album this year. Although I’m sure there are plenty of other albums that I missed, and I’m happy to listen to any suggestions that you post the comments, it was a really good year for rap and I think it shows in this article. If you’re looking for best album, I think it could go to any of these albums but if I had to choose I think it’d have to be either Kids See Ghosts, TA13OO丨 TABOO, or iridescence.