Well, 2017 was full of ups and downs and HELLA good music to take away the blues. Below I've listed my Top Five Albums of the year and why:
I. Green Twins, Nick Hakim
I have literally played this album every single day since it's release in Mid-May, at least ONE song from this project. It has a nostalgic feel and simply makes you feel good. I have mini-personal concerts in my house and I have definitely grooved to many tunes from Green Twins, including Those days and Roller Skates around my mini ass apartment without a care in the world. I have could choose one word to describe his album it would be Blissful.
II. The Never Story, J.I.D.
I had no idea who this was, but a friend dropped this album in our group text and based on our conversations, I had to be one of the only ones who checked it out because there are no skips on this album-- This is a solid piece of work. The beats were versatile and i believe he has a slight voice on him as well. I instantly gravitated to his track "All Bad" which talks about having to open up and confess to your significant, knowing they are about to be pissed. Once i finally took that track off of repeat, i decided to listen to the entire album and was blown away. My favorite track is "EdEddnEddy" which puts me in the mood of kicking it with the homies, doing things we had no business doing, but "D/vision" is easily the best track on The Never Story. J.Cole signed J.I.D., and recently Earthgang (features on the track "D/vision") to his label, Dreamville, and I believe it was a smart move. There's room for growth and all of them are young and very talented. I look forward to hearing more work from them all.
III. Laila's Wisdom, Rapsody
RAPSODY GAVE KENDRICK A RUN FOR HIS MONEY ON THE TRACK "POWER" DAMNIT. Thank me later. Laila's Wisdom was full of gems. I always appreciate the woman being honest, transparent, and vulnerable especially one with some type of platform. Sometimes, we need to know/hear we're not the only one. My favorite track is "You Should Know" featuring Busta Rhymes (whose flip at the end makes my heart melt) I believe its my favorite because her wordplay reminds me of my favorite track on Jay-Z's The Black Album called the "Moment of Clarity". Shoutout to 9th Wonder!
IV. Love.Life.Live., Isaiah Sharkey
This man here is gifted. I caught on to Isaiah Sharkey during a trip to Chicago and I've been hooked since. If you want a classic R&B/Soul album with a dash of Funk, this would be it. R&B is my first love by the way. His voice is so soothing and his range makes me smile. When I began listening to this album, it reminded me of when I first discovered Bilal's debut album. Love.Life.Live. is so effortlessly beautiful. My favorite track is "You". It made me take a step back and realize, " hmm, maybe us women can trip a little too much and not realize we're pushing people away". I know I am guilty of this -- I overthink everything. I also appreciate that by the end of this album he accepts her and loves her for who she is. Being a part of generation that gives up on people so easily, i found comfort in the track "LH". This is an album for the Man, indeed.
V. 4eva Is A Mighty Long Time, Big K.R.I.T.
I don't know where to begin. K.R.I.T. gave me a great, moving album and I usually don't leave his albums in rotation for long. He never misses when it comes to mixtapes, but him going independent MUST have been the secret ingredient for this album. From Live from the Underground to this latest project, you can hear is growth as an artist. Now, I will say he is an acquired taste. He is unapologetically southern and his music won't be fully appreciated any time soon, but his artistry is undeniable. I have a few faves on this album, but "Drinking Sessions" literally brought me to tears. You felt the pain in his voice, it was a cry out in rhyme. The Vulnerability.. FROM A MAN. I stress this a lot because we have formed a culture where men are afraid to feel and show or release. My brother, you are slowly killing yourself when you keep emotions bottled up. You're not weak, you're human.
List your Top 5 Albums of 2017 below.
