Top 5 Hip-Hop Albums of 2019

Each year of music has its own masterpieces and 2019 is no exception.

While 2019 was not anywhere near the best year for hip-hop that there has been, fans of the genre have gotten a few albums out of the year that will go down in history. This is my list of what I believe to be the five best albums of this past year.

5. Kanye West – “Jesus Is King”

Kanye West’s ninth studio album, “Jesus Is King,” is quite the change of pace for the polarizing artist. This project was such a big deal for the Chicago-born artist that I had written a full post detailing Kanye’s entire story arc and career leading to this point.

On “Jesus Is King,” West mixes his unique, artistic style with a gospel driven sound, which creates a surprisingly beautiful blend. The subject matter of this album is pretty straightforward, though this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, with Kanye and the featured artists rapping and singing about God, religion and doing their best as a person to make the world a better place. It’s a very positive album that always puts me in a good mind state whenever I listen to it along with it being a great addition to Kanye’s already incredible discography.

4. Rich Brian – “The Sailor”

The Indonesian immigrant rapper Brian Immanuel, known professionally as Rich Brian, released his debut album “Amen” in Jan. of 2018, to an underwhelming reception. Over a year later, Brian released his album “The Sailor,” showing clear growth, maturation and musical development.

“The Sailor” focuses on Brian’s journey from Indonesia as a young boy and the trials and tribulations he faced on his adventure. Production on this album is a huge step above any of his previous work, as he is an artist that self-produces almost all of his own tracks. The biggest thing for me though, is the overall growth in style that the young artist has shown, going from childish, joke tracks to masterpieces like his song “Yellow” and others on this incredible album.

3. Brockhampton – “Ginger”

To be completely honest, I never fully understood the hype that surrounded the rap group Brockhampton. I had always thought their story was really profound and inspiring, though their music just never really stuck with me. That was until the release of their 2019 album, “Ginger.”

“Ginger” is chocked full of a mix of songs, though the main theme is therapy. After controversy surrounding the group last year with one of the members leaving, Brockhampton was a bit all over the place. Their prior release, “Iridescence,” was a bit lackluster, but after the group took a bit of time to themselves to recuperate and get back on track, they returned with a beautiful album.

Songs like “Sugar” and “No Halo” are some of the standouts for me on this album and as a whole it is clear that the group may be better than they ever have been, in sync with each other and ready to continue taking over the world of rap with the coming years.

2. Jaden – “ERYS”

Jaden Smith’s 2017 album “SYRE” was one of my favorites of that year. The young artist’s diversity and depth is what really captured me, and two years later, significant improvements appear. On “ERYS,” Jaden continues the story that started on “SYRE,” yet flips it on its head and introduces the villain of the story: ERYS.

ERYS is all of the negative aspects of society boiled up into one person, who Jaden raps from the perspective of. The story is mesmerizingly poetic and deep, while using incredible music and new sounds to tell it.

With this being the second album Jaden has released in his career, it is only up from here and with the amount of creativity that comes out of him, I’m excited so see where he goes next.

1. Tyler, the Creator – “IGOR”

Tyler, the Creator struck gold with his fourth studio album “IGOR.” The first time I had listened to this album it felt as though I was watching an abstract art film – an experience that I had never felt before, listening to an album. In short, “IGOR” blends a variety of sounds, from bouncy 80s dance music to distorted 808 drums and warped synths to create a completely new sound of his own.

This new, experimental sound that Tyler creates on “IGOR” works perfectly with the story of the album, which follows an outcast-to-society protagonist as he falls in love, is rejected and must come to terms with the situation and furthermore all of the trials and tribulations of the situation.

While there are other incredible albums that came out in 2019, no album comes close to the masterpiece that is “IGOR.”

What’s your favorite hip-hop album of 2019? Make sure to comment down below and let me know.