Summer has come and gone, though not that it much matters in 2020. To "celebrate," here are my 10 favorite Hip Hop projects released between June 20-September 22 of this year.
10. MILC & Lawz Spoken - Cocaine Cobra: Some real banger production from Lawz Spoken who is on a tear this year and while MILC isn't quite a Sandpeople level type puncher, he still more than holds his own on this album. Peep it!
9. Only One - Project Mayhem: A nice surprise drop from Only, who brings some of the more clever, humorous punchlines that you'll likely hear all year. The album's closer with Sapient and Illmac, "Soap," is in the running for song of the year. Peep it!
8. Juice WRLD - Legends Never Die: It took me a while to warm up to this as there's a lot of obvious posthumous production throughout this thing, but the songs as they exist are still solid and are a fitting tribute to Juice. Peep it!
7. DJ NoWords & Ngafsh - Dynamic Duo: Not sure if I should be more thankful to Fsh for bringing NoWords into the game ore to NoWords for bringing Fsh back into the mix. Either way, this album absolutely proves how well the classic LA CVE sound can thrive in a new decade. Peep it!
6. Nappy Roots - 40RTY: A dark melancholy yet optimistic album like only the Nappy Roots can provide. These days, it's rare for true vulnerability to be presented in a way that doesn't come across as corny or manufactured, but Nappy Roots have been doing it for multiple decades, and this is one of their best! Peep it!
5. Pink Navel - Giraffe Track: A very cohesive and engaging coming of age album from Pink Navel, complete with lots of smiles and tears. The Ruby Yacht prince lays a lot of personal history on the table here and it's a fun ride throughout. There's also an accompanying book which should be fun to dive into... Peep it!
4. Video Dave - Week 1560: Perhaps the most "summery" project on this list. Video Dave gives us a run through of his week in a very breezy fashion via raps and croons to soothe the soul. A wonderful debut for Open Mike Eagle's Auto Reverse label. Peep it!
3. VA - RYD Radio, Vol. 4: The strongest installment of the RYD Radio series yet. Avocado plucks, over the course of the long compilation, a wide array of styles and sounds here, perfect for showcasing that battle rappers aren't all acapella bars. Lots of talent on this one, but Geechi Gotti might be the ultimate star of the show at this point. Peep it!
2. Illmac - SMMR: No one questions Illmac's pen, which is one of the strongest in the game, but musically, I find that he can often get a bit stale, almost robotic in his delivery. He changes all that up with "SMMR," however, really stepping up his flows, cadences, and hooks to large levels. The Sandpeople history track, "Forest Grove," is the cherry on top. Peep it!
1. Uggish - ...And Now to Learn to Fish: For the top spot, here's an album that really went way too under the rader. Uggish from Bi-Polar Bear delivers his (debut?) solo album in form of the soulful whimsical "And Now to Learn to Fish." Uggish's cinematic and reflective rhymes create an ideal end of summer album. Peep it!
Here's to being alive this time next year! [Variex's "Struggle Sandwich" would have made the list, but it doesn't officially drop until October 2nd.]
