June just ended a little over a week ago. With June ending, it means that we are a little more than halfway done with 2017. Wow, it seems just a few days ago I was complaining about the cold in February. So, I decided to put out what I think are the best albums of 2017 so far. Key words, I think, thus meaning it is totally opinion based, don’t get upset when I don’t add Drake’s More Life onto my list. That being said, the rules are simple, the album had to be released after December 31st. Readers note, my musical range is pretty narrow, resulting in this list compromising mainly of R&B, Soul, Electronic, Hip-Hop and Rap acts. Sorry, there is no Paramore and no Brett Young. My apologies, I will expand the music library soon.
Honorable Mentions: Drake More Life, Bryson Tiller True to Self, A. Chal On Gaz, Migos Culture, Kodak Black Painting Pictures, Joey Bada$$ All Amerikkkan Bada$$
SYD – FIN
Little fan fact for you, half of this is list is comprised of debuts. Man, what a year it has been for music. Syd, as well as the next artist both come from a male dominate label/group. Syd was a part of Odd Future then she did an album with The Internet. It’s kind of odd to have this be her solo debut, but she nailed it. She is confident on all of her songs, from her hidden affair on “Know” to her seamless transition to giving her takes on a break ups on “Over”. Fin is a chill cool album, it’s a different sound then your usual R&B album. Listen carefully and you will hear what a confident woman who is in control sounds like.
SZA – CTRL
If you want to know what another confident woman sounds like, look no further than Sza’s CTRL. This long awaited debut was definitely worth the wait. I never heard of her but seen on twitter raving about her so I had to listen. I was not disappointed at all. When she sang “I been secretly banging your homeboy, why you in Vegas all up on Valentine’s Day?” on her opening track I was instantly hooked. SZA takes us through a wonderful journey of her learning through past relationships, from being cheated on to being the cheater. It’s not an album about dwelling on mistakes it’s an album about acceptance and growth. “Pretty little birds”, the penultimate track, also my favorite track SZA comes to this acceptance of although being down she is still fearless. She can definitely swim as well as she can fly.
GOLDLINK – AT WHAT COST
That album cover! If you can draw what this albums sounds like, that album cover what the result will be. At What Cost has this futuristic vibe but also gives a nostalgic sense to it. GoldLink has this sound that just pulls you in and next thing you know you listened to the album three times in a row. This colorful produced album is filled with songs that will continue to be relevant for years to come. This album is fun to listen to, it just naturally puts you in a good mood. If this is what “future Bounce” is going to sound like, I am hopping aboard that hype train.
KHALID – AMERICAN TEEN
I was reluctant on adding Khalid on this list because my girlfriend at the time bought us tickets to go see Khalid in Milwaukee and he didn’t show up. We stood out there in line, in the rain, for more than 2 hours to not see the artist we were most looking forward too. I mean, Travis Scott was headlining but we were really more excited about seeing you perform. At first glance, “Location”, his hit single, is corny but god damn is it catchy. Once you dive deep into American Teen that is where you see the potential. This 19 year old from El Paso is going to be here for a long time. Khalid wrote majority of the lyrics on this album and that alone is quite impressive. He hit some notes that anyone can relate too. The Memories of heartbreak, the memories of wanted someone, the hope of getting out and exploring everyone has had them before. Khalid’s soulful voice calmly glides through these topics in a manner that is somewhat unique and refreshing.
SAMPHA – PROCESS
You probably heard Sampha here and here and here oh and also here. So the odds of you hearing Sampha are particularly high. In Process, what it lacks in length (40 minutes to short) it makes up for it in soulful melodies. I read up a bit on Sampha and I read that he lost his father to lung cancer in 1998 and his mother died of cancer in 2015. You can definitely hear and feel their spirits in this album. You can feel his presence of feeling alone and in a lost place on “Blood on me” when he sings “I’m on so alone now, serving out of control”. Sampha paints this beautiful picture of his grieving, his family, and his childhood in this soulful electronic masterpiece.
2 Chainz – Pretty Girls Like Trap Music
2 Chainz has come a long way since his Tity boi days. 2 Chainz is on another level in the appliance game. He got Nicki throwing jabs at Remy.
“I left my shades in Atlanta so I told my pilot to stop the plane/He bust a U in the air”
“My side chick got pregnant by her main dude and I’m offended/I called, she ain’t pick up, I text her back, bitch you stingy”
This is 2 Chainz world… We are just paying Rent.
Vince Staples – Big Fish Theory
Big Fish Theory was a last minute addition. I can’t stop listening to it. Vince deserves so much more credit than he actually gets. He has always dropped solid work. Vince has definitely pulled what some people will call “futuristic” sound, there is just a lot of energy in this album. Vince and Kendrick went bar to bar on “year right”, Vince can definitely stand his own. The album is only 36 minutes long but he packs so much in those 36 minutes that it feels longer. At a time where almost over every other is rapping about the same topics, Vince pushes new boundaries, new sounds that others would not dare to step into. Vince is really good at doing at whatever the fuck he wants to do. It’s as simple as that
FUTURE – HNDRXX
Future dropped two albums in a week span. Future and Hndrxx and depending on who you speak too they will argue that one album is better than the other. Both albums have two different sounds, two sounds that future has perfected, recently since What a Time to Be Alive. Hndrxx is the R&B/rap album that other rappers have a trouble crossing. Drake is good at it, but sometimes it feels forced from Drake. Future knows how to talk about heartbreak and being down and depressed that “harder” people can relate too. Hndrxx is an apologetic album with a lot of humble bragging.
YOUNG THUG – BEAUTIFUL THUGGER GIRLS
This is the best album Young Thug has ever had because you can understand him at least 90% of the time. This is definitely an experiment album, this is Lil’ Wayne trying rock, This is Kid Cudi trying rock, the only difference is that Young Thug actually dropped something good, if not great. I would argue that it is his best album to date. Thugger sounds like has control and finally has a direction on how he wants this album to go. It resulted in cohesion, an album with meaning. Young thug tries to calm down his chaotic and formless life and does a good job of it.
KENDRICK LAMAR – DAMN.
Damn. Literally that is the first word you get after listening to this album. If you ever wondered what it would sound like if Kendrick perfected what he tried doing on To Pimp a Butterfly, Damn. Would be the result. DAMN., is the best thing Kendrick has dropped since Section 80 and I am a Kendrick stan, I loved all of his albums. Kendrick has been the best rapper since GKMC but he proved his worth on DAMN. Jacob Moore from Pigeons and Planes summed it up perfectly “With DAMN., Kendrick humanizes himself both lyrically and sonically, making something that is equally challenging and enjoyable. In 2017, that is a colossal accomplishment.” Kendrick is the greatest rapper alive right now and he working his way towards GOAT status.
dreamers theology 