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Every month in hip hop feels endless, with releases always on the way. Here we’ll take a look at some of the best of the month.
Smino – Luv 4 Rent
Smino has been slowly building his repoitore over the years, but with such a large break between Nior to Luv 4 Rent, the hard work has proven to have paid off. Already being somewhat of a master of his own sound, he expands his sound by bringing a new range of collaborators. Seeing features from J. Cole, Lil Uzi Vert, TDE signee Doechii, and Fatman Scoop to name just a few, he flawlessly bends elements of neo-soul & hip hop to his whim. Another entry into a seemingly flawless catalog.
Boldy James & Futurewave – Mr. Ten08
Boldy’s run this year has been nothing short of impressive. With this being his third album of the year & surely not the last, he continues to prove why he’s one of the best out. While his project with Nicholas Craven felt like a victory lap, explicitly sharing his success in a series of phone calls throughout the album, this time we get him back in proper form. Laced with beats provided by Futurewave, adding a broad variety of instrumentals, and Boldy providing even more drug dealing lyrics.
Drake & 21 Savage – Her Loss
Yes, the album has plenty of flaws. There should be more 21 Savage, there should be a wider range of beats, “Hours in Silence” is unbearable, but the highlights here are too great to ignore. For multiple albums now, Drake’s rapping has sounded like on pure autopilot, but here we get him with some fire in his delivery. While 21 Savage is used sparingly, he shines every time he comes on. This paired with the rollout that followed it, multiple fake promo videos, it made for one of the most fun Drake releases in years.
Roddy Ricch – Feed tha Streets III
Roddy’s career after his sophomore release has been feeling uncertain. Where he might go after such a disappointing & messy album was a question running throughout the minds of many. With Feed tha Streets III, he seems close to being back all the way. His more lowkey tracks leave something to be desired compared to his older material, but the more energetic tracks fully deliver. “King Mattress” & “Twin” give some of his best material in awhile, and there’s plenty of other dope cuts in the mix. With him mostly being on his own on this release, very few features in the tracklist, hopefully he can deliver a star-studded release with hits once again.
$ilkmoney – I Don’t Give a Fuck About This Rap Shit, Imma Just Drop Until I Don’t Feel Like It Anymore
This album is one of the most complex you can find this month. His last release didn’t shy from issues of racism & politics, but this one delves further into it. Bringing the complexity of racism, constant paranoia from drug induced trips, and ancient teachings you can hear in rappers like Killah Priest’s music, the album is insanely dense. Doing all this but still maintaining the fun wordplay of his older music with a constantly exciting backdrop of production, he delivers one of the best albums of the year.