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Remember, this article only covers albums which have dropped from July-September. Check out our best albums of the Second quarter here.
While we were pleasantly surprised by the many arguably masterpiece-quality releases from the first half of 2022, the third quarter has taken a different route. The quantity of strong releases is certainly there, but only a couple have set themselves far above the pack. There were also some standout trap and drill releases over the summer. Here we will discuss our favorites.
Honorable Mentions
#5: Meyhem Lauren & Daringer – Black Vladimir
Far too often written off as an Action Bronson sidekick, Meyhem Lauren is one of the flyest and toughest rappers in the New York renaissance. Delivering in particular on projects with a single producer (notably the Glass series with Harry Fraud and Gems From the Equinox with DJ Muggs), the long awaited Black Vladimir sees him linking with in-house Griselda producer Daringer for what might be their best work ever.
The energy on this album brings you back to Tana Talk 3 and that peak of hungry underground spitters; Laurenivici brings hilarious, cold quotable on every single bar while Daringer is cut loose from the Beat Butcha style. It’s a pleasant surprise that constantly draws you back in, from stank face to stupid grin.
Listen to Black Vladimir on Spotify
#4: Sha Ek – Face of the What
Under much pressure given his strong singles, Sha Ek comes through with more than just one of New York drill’s best albums to date; He instead stakes his claim to the city’s throne. Check out our full review here!
Listen to Face of the What on Spotify
#3: Roc Marciano & The Alchemist – The Elephant Man’s Bones
The long awaited collab album from the underground’s most influential and prolific artists actually lived up to the hype. Check out our full review here!
Listen to The Elephant Man’s Bones on Spotify
And our playlist of Roc / Alc collabs here
#2: Lucki – Flawless Like Me
After years of teases, Lucki’s new album Flawless Like Me feels like his most fully realized; Nearly an hour long, with big name features like Future and Babyface Ray, and a real rollout, its the culmination of a lot of his new style with a lot of focus and pain. Despite the triumphant, upbeat production, Lucki’s signature style of simple, yet evocative allegories of use and abuse are as cutting as ever. Check out our full review here!
Listen to Flawless Like Me on Spotify
#1: JID – The Forever Story
JID was anointed as the next big thing in hiphop from the moment his debut album The Never Story dropped. Displaying unrivaled flows, energy and songwriting, he had nearly unreasonable hype to live up to; And five years later, he has surpassed it. The Forever Story takes all of his technical talents and fills in the gaps with deeply personal and conscious themes that set it over the top. Tales of family, poverty, and his rise to stardom make for a dense, powerful listen, which never gets boring thanks to flawless production and big name features (notably Lil Wayne, Yasiin Bey, 21 Savage, and more).
You’d be hard pressed to find a hiphop head who doesn’t love this album. Frankly, it’s got the makings of an instant classic and sets JID in the pantheon of essential figures in the genre. Expect a full review with our end of year writeups!