* Toro Y Moi - What For? (Favorite track: Lilly)
I found this album over the summer when I was on instagram and an alternative hip hop profile posted clips for the video to his song "Lilly". I was so intrigued by his sound that I listened to the whole album and found it soothing and energetic with a hint of retro in there.
*Willow Smith - Ardipithecus (Favorite Track: Natives Of The Windy Forest)
I've always been a fan of Willow, so this album is a big deal because it's her first one. I found it on facebook when I was doing my routine scrolling, and AFROPUNK shared a post they made for it. The name of the album is interesting too; in an interview about it, this is what she had to say about it: "I wanted to name my musical compilation after it because, while I was making these songs I was in such a transitional state. Digging deep in the soil of my heart and finding bits and pieces of my ancient self that tell stories, which end up being the lyrics to the songs. Ardipithecus is my first album in my entire career and it makes me feel so blessed to be able to share my evolution with the LightEaters as I continue excavating my inner worlds…”
* Raury - All We Need (Favorite Track: Woodcrest Manor II)
Raury has come a long way from when I knew him, so I'm very proud of his album and his representation in the music industry. I liked "Woodcrest Manor II" because it was a continuation of "The Indigo Child Project" he released as a mixtape a while ago. I honestly can't pick from any of the songs on here. They're all different in messages and can equally be enjoyed.
* Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Favorite Track: Lost In A World)
I recently did a persuasive speech on why Kanye West should be president in 2020 (my teacher said it was excellent, but that's another story). In order to write the speech, I felt the need to listen to more of his music. So I started by watching his music videos on YouTube, until I came across his film "Runaway", which had the album "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" as the soundtrack. I've never been so moved/inspired by a 40 minute video in my entire life. I may be exaggerating, but I'm serious about it. I cried and everything. This man is pretty fantastic.
* Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly (Favorite Track: The Blacker The Berry)
This album makes me angry. Not because of the work itself; I think Kendrick is a great artist. I liked a lot of his early work and I appreciate his influence in music in this album. It's just the concept that is emphasized in this piece that I believe is meant to make people like myself angry. You can look at it like Anthony's speech in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, for me to compare it to something else. But the death of Caesar is more along the lines of the death of black people's dignity.
*Tame Impala - Currents (Favorite Track: Let It Happen)
I found Tame Impala on Pandora. But one day, I was on SoundCloud listening to a mix of their music and I came across the 8 minute song "Let It Happen" and it completely moved me. It kind of reminds me that there's but so much in this world that I can control and that life will do its part when necessary. Turns out the album is kind of meant to be a bunch of songs about a faulty relationship. There are many great tracks on this album (i.e. LoveParanoia, The Less I Know The Better, and Yes I'm Changing), but this song was my favorite because it was the one that got me interested in hearing more.
* Toro Y Moi - Samantha (Favorite Track: Want)
This is one of Chaz's newer works. It's a mixtape, with quite a few collaborations. I chose "Want" as my favorite because it has such a hard beat to go along with Chaz's smooth voice. The end of the song consists of an excerpt from The Notebook where Ryan Gosling does his "What do you want?!" monologue, which adds to the vibe that the song is reaching for. But in actuality, this album is reasonably emotional and isn't something that I listen to in the epitome of happiness. But it has great sound and helps create a relaxing atmosphere to dance to.
* Earl Sweatshirt - I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside (Favorite Track: Faucet)
Ominous. This album, Earl in general, can be perceived as reasonably ominous. But it's awesome. I just listened to it for the first time this morning and it was quite the breath of fresh air. Earl always has a great sense of flow with his bars and manages to get you into what he is saying. And the things that he says are, for the most part, the unspoken things that you want to say but never do. I feel like he's growing in his music since this sounds a bit different from his other work, but it still has his unique sound.
* Kid Cudi - Speeding Bullet 2 Heaven (Man On The Moon III) (Favorite Track: Adventures)
I was so excited to find out that Kid Cudi was making more music. But I knew this would be different from the first two Man on the Moon's because the in between albums (Indicud and Satellite Flight) were where he started to morph into more of a vocal and rock feel, minimizing his rapping. SBTH is more alternative (to use his own words) rock, but still has his free-spirited vibe to it. "Adventures" has some great motivational messages to it, and feels like like you're flying through the clouds. Yes, a song can make you feel like that. The end is a bit interesting though, because Beavis and Butthead come in and... say things. I've never watched Beavis and Butthead, but they seem like two people you just sit there and try not to laugh at as they converse with one another.
*Travi$ Scott - Rodeo (Favorite Track: Pornography)
I really consider this to be a guilty pleasure type of album. I normally don't listen to music like this, but the songs on here are incredibly catchy. Travis looks up to Kid Cudi, but mainly for the party-hard inspiration he gave in his early pop work. So that could be the reason why I'm drawn to this album. "Pornography" is the first track on here that pretty much introduces the concept to the listener. There's singing, rapping, and a great beat to break dance to. And that pretty much goes for the whole album. It makes me feel like there's nothing for me to worry about other than what I'm doing now and how to make ti even better.
*The Weeknd - Beauty Behind The Madness (Favorite Track: Tell Your Friends)
This is his most popular album yet. A lot different from his other ... okay, so it's safe to say that the next album an artist makes is gonna be different somehow. "Tell Your Friends" is my anthem to my senior year in high school because it's telling people that I know who I am and I'll show you the world, go tell people what you want. No matter how much I change, I'm still awesome. He still has a heartless demeanor to him, but sometimes that's an attitude that helps people focus on their own lives.
* The Internet - Ego Death (Favorite Track: Get Away)
I don't remember how I found this song. I never really listened to The Internet before I found it somewhere. It probably was AFROPUNK again. Anyways, I watched the video for "Get Away", and I was upset that I didn't find this group sooner. It's a new sound that's somewhat hard, but the lead singer Syd tha Kyd has such a crisp soft voice that balances it out. This was my album during Thanksgiving, which was a time I remember being internally angry for some reason. But I listened to this and did some dancing, and everything felt better.
* Hands Like Houses - Unimagine (Favorite Track: Introduced Species)
I wanted to find a good rock album to listen to, so I did some searching. I watched a PVRIS music video on YouTube and found Hands Like Houses in the suggested videos, since they're signed to the same record label. I first heard "A Tale From Outer Suburbia" and I absolutely loved it. But I chose "Introduced Species" as my favorite because of the parts where they say "we don't belong here." It's a fact that may be hard to wrap you mind around, but they say it with such confidence. I feel like the whole song is about the idea that we are all the same and that our differences are all a matter of perspective. It's better to embrace each other's differences instead and to help each other succeed.
* A$AP ROCKY - At Long Last A$AP (A.L.L.A) (Favorite Track: Love $ex Dreams, or L$D)
Another artist that I normally don;t listen to. I may have heard this song on MTV Hits or on YouTube, but it was stuck in my head for a while and became a part of a memory of mine. It's about how love can be as addicting as a drug. Period. No if's and's or but's. I also watched a lecture he gave in Oxford University where he's speaking about being successful in the music industry and his influence growing up. ASAP is a charismatic guy who thinks quite a bit about the dynamics in music and fashion, and shows it in his sophomore album.
* Hopsin - Pound Syndrome (Favorite Track: Fly)
This guy right here is quite the risk taker. I'm not surprised or anything, since he skates. And that is a risky sport. I think that Hopsin is one of the realest rappers there is because he raps about things that people tend to ignore about there everyday lives. That includes religion, pop music, hypocrisy (any and all of it), self-sufficiency, and even anxiety. "Fly" is the best song to show what I mean. It's my favorite because it's him saying that no matter the obstacles that the "American Dream" gives us, we can make our own path to be our best. This is specifically in context to the media/economy/consumerism that taints people's mentality. Those things don't matter. Stay strong in your image and great results will come out of it.
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And these are the albums that I have absolutely loved from this year. Note: these aren't the only ones that I've been listening to. I still love Childish Gambino the most and and will never delete his albums from my phone. And I've been listening to a lot more Kaye West lately (808s and Heartbreak, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, etc.). But these are new albums for me in context of what I started listening to this year because it was the hottest new thing out or something a friend suggested to me or something that I managed to stumble upon. Please feel free to share your favorite albums in the comments. I assure you I will check it out. B-)
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