Top 10 Albums - 2023
music
This year has been… interesting. My main genre is usually Hip-Hop, and there’s a common sentiment about how it’s been such a bad year for it, but that’s not really the case in my opinion. If you’re only paying attention to the mainstream, then sure, things have been pretty weak this year. As usual though, when mainstream is faltering, the underground and everything in between tends to pick up. Of course, I didn’t listen to just Hip Hop this year, there were some surprises in other areas that have crept into my top 10.
This should also be obvious, but this is just my opinion. There’s a lot of albums that I’ve missed this year, and I do intend to catch up to them eventually.
For those curious, my mechanism for ranking albums is based primarily on how much I’ve listened to each one, while also taking into account innovation and creativity. I feel like that’s the fairest way to rank things, since it’s the best indicator for personal enjoyment, and like I said, this is a personal list.
I wanted to talk a bit about each project and why I loved them, but I’ll include the numbered list at the bottom of the page as well if you just want to skip to that.
So without further due, let’s go through my top 10 albums of the year.
#10
2 Chainz & Lil Wayne - Welcome 2 Collegrove
Hip-Hop
As someone who really respects both 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne, I haven’t really listened to many of their solo albums. They always kill it on features though, so when I saw that they were doing a follow-up to their first collab album from 2016, I was pretty interested, and it did not disappoint. This album has a cool structure to it. It features 50 Cent narrating 5 “scenes” in between the tracks with a developing story, which compliments the vibe of the album really well. It’s mostly hard-hitting and upbeat trap sounds throughout, but there are a few smoother cuts as well. Easily the best part about this project is the performances in the booth. 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne rap their asses off consistently throughout, and the features do really well too (Benny the Butcher is a standout for me). Overall this is a really fun album, definitely has throwback vibes to the early 2010s.
Favorite tracks:
G6, Big Diamonds, P.P.A., Oprah & Gayle, Can’t Believe You
#9
RAYE - My 21st Century Blues
Pop/Dancehall/R&B
I was pretty unfamiliar with RAYE before this, but once I heard the hit single “Escapism.” on the radio, I couldn’t wait for this album to come out. Escapism is such a big song, and I don’t mean that in terms of how it charted, I’m talking about its production. Big, crisp, and booming drums along with RAYE’s catchy vocals made it one of the best songs of the year for me, so when the album came out and I found most of the songs to not match its vibe, I was initially disappointed.
Luckily everything grew on me as the weeks went by, and I now see My 21st Century Blues as one of the best albums of the year.
Looking into RAYE’s background, she’s had a lot of trouble when it comes to the overbearing and controlling nature of music labels and executives, something she comments on throughout the album. That, alongside dealing with addiction, body dysmorphia, and sexual assault, leads to RAYE writing emotionally gripping tracks like “Ice Cream Man.”, and “Body Dysmorphia.”. Her songwriting is quite strong on a lot of these more personal songs, but that doesn’t mean the bangers aren’t really good either. “Black Mascara.” in particular hearkens back to RAYE’s EDM roots, but it hits harder than a lot of her older hits, perhaps because this time she’s able to make music on her own merit. The rest is a great blend of Pop, Dance, and R&B, showcasing RAYE’s versatility as an artist.
Overall I’ve grown to really love this album, and can’t wait to see how RAYE’s career continues to develop.
Favorite tracks:
Hard Out Here, Black Mascara, Escapism, The Thrill Is Gone, Flip A Switch, Five Star Hotels
#8
Nas - Magic 3
Hip-Hop
I don’t know how they keep doing it man.
Magic 3 serves as the conclusion of Nas’s six-album run with producer Hit-Boy, and it’s safe to say they end on a high note. Once again, Hit-Boy provides Nas extremely well-crafted boom-bap beats, but just like the previous two albums in the Magic series, these ones have a bit of a darker edge compared to the King’s Disease trilogy.
Great rhyming, story-telling on point, amazing production, and of course I have to mention the excellent Lil Wayne feature. There’s a lot of reflection on this album, like on the song “No Tears” where Nas looks back at everything he’s been through in his life and career alike. Similarly on the “Based On True Events” tracks, shows that Nas still has a lot to talk about. I also really like the closing track “1-800-Nas&Hit”, which serves as the end credits for this entire saga.
It’s been one hell of a run with Nas and Hit-Boy. For Nas to still be rapping like this at his age, it really re-cements him as one of the greatest rappers of all time.
Favorite tracks:
TSK, Superhero Status, No Tears, Never Die, Based On True Events Pt. 2, Japanese Soul Bar
#7 Fall Out Boy - So Much (for) Stardust
Pop-punk/Alternative Rock
This was a big surprise for me. Fall Out Boy’s been one of my favorite artists from all the way back in middle school, but when I heard they were cryptically teasing new music, I wasn’t super excited since their last full-length album and singles in between didn’t really stick with me. Luckily, it seems like the little hiatus the band has been on has paid off because this is an excellent album.
If you’re a longtime Fall Out Boy fan and enjoy their different sounds over the years, then this is the album for you. So Much (for) Stardust initially feels like Fall Out Boy going back to the days of Save Rock and Roll, but the songwriting and tone throughout feel like throwbacks to Infinity on High and Folie a Deux (which happen to be my two favorite Fall Out Boy albums). Unlike some of their stuff post-2015, this album really feels like Joe and Andy got to play their instruments to the fullest. Even Pete Wentz has a few cool baselines here and there. Substance-wise, it’s your typical Fall Out Boy lyrics, although I found “What a Time To Be Alive” really interesting, as it’s a reflection of what time was like right before and during COVID.
The best song to me hands down is the title track, which just so happens to be the closer. I’m not really sure how to describe it other than that it feels like pure Infinity on High, but in 2023. The production on it, as well as throughout the whole album, has this almost theatrical feel to it that makes the song feel really grand, making it one of my favorite tracks of the year.
Favorite tracks:
Love from the other side, hold me like a grudge, so good right now, the kintsugi kid, so much for stardust
#6
Drake - Scary Hours 3
This is only counting the Scary Hours tracks off of “For All The Dogs Scary Hours Edition”, not the whole album
Hip-Hop
When Drake first dropped “8am in Charlotte” as one of the singles for For All the Dogs, I was so excited for that album. The tone of the song and Drake’s rhyming over the gorgeous beat from Conductor Williams was exactly what I wanted from Drake at this stage in his career, yet it’s the only song on the album that sounds like it. For All the Dogs overall really didn’t do it for me (outside of a handful of tracks that I still revisit), and it seems like that was the word online as well.
Clearly Drake wasn’t deaf to the criticisms, because not long after he decided to drop the third installment in the Scary Hours series, this time in the form of a deluxe version of For All the Dogs. It’s like a six-track EP added onto the album, but I, like many others, am treating it like a separate project.
And boy what a project it is. These tracks are very similar to “8am in Charlotte”, featuring production from Ovrkast, The Alchemist, Conductor Williams, Lil Yachty, Boi1da, and Vinylz. Drake is fully into his backpack rapper zone here. He sounds inspired to take the pen seriously again, this time for six tracks straight.
“Red Button” starts off by letting you know exactly what type of project this is going to be like, putting people on alert. I thought the Taylor Swift was hilarious (and very true), as well as the procrastination bar. “Stories About My Brother” is my favorite track on here, because aside from a very light hook, it’s just bar after bar over an amazing Conductor beat. “The Shoe Fits” isn’t as replayable as the rest of the tracks, but Drake tells a pretty funny story throughout it that results in a nice twist at the end. “Wick Man” is really interesting as it sees Drake reach a type of introspection that we haven’t really heard in a while. He reflects on his late friend who passed in Dubai, talking about how it’s shaken his faith in the world and god (shots at Pusha T though, really Aubrey? Risky business). The Alchemist beat its over is great too, you can hear a lot of Griselda’s influence throughout this song and the EP as a whole. “Evil Ways” is great, I’ll always be there for two rappers trading bars one after the other, and J. Cole and Drake both have some really great lines. It’s not quite the big anthem that was “First Person Shooter”, it’s more laid back, but I still really like it.
“You Broke My Heart” is the only song that feels like it doesn’t really fit with the other five, but it’s still great. Drake’s back in his petty boy singer bag here, but it’s catchy as hell and done well, unlike a lot of the tracks like this that were on the main album.
Overall I really loved these tracks and they’ve been in heavy rotation since they dropped. I understand why Drake can’t do a whole album like this, and I don’t necessarily even want that since I do enjoy his more poppy/R&B cuts, that is when they have real effort put into them. That’s the thing that sets these tracks apart, is you can tell there was a real fire that made Drake perform as well as he did here. I hope we get a similar level of consistency on whatever he does next, but for now, I’m glad we got these songs.
Favorite tracks:
Stories About My Brother, Wick Man, Evil Ways, You Broke My Heart
#5 JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown - SCARING THE HOES
Hip-Hop
This was another collab album from two artists I respect but haven’t really listened to much outside of features (Meek Mill and Rick Ross had one too this year, funny how that works). I wasn’t really sure what to expect going into SCARING THE HOES except for crazy production and rapping. And, well, I certainly got both.
The whole album achieves the goal set by the title. The production is super chaotic and all over the place, and took me a few listens to fully digest every track. It’s not exactly stuff you can play around any crowd but damn is it fun. There are some crazy sample flips in this, one of my favorites being the gospel flip in “God Loves You”.
Something I want to highlight is JPEGMAFIA’s performance. Every single track he snaps, rapping his ass off with flow switches and crazy cadences that manage to find a pocket in the chaos of his production. One of my favorite moments of his is during the beat switch on “Shut Yo Bitch Ass Up/Muddy Waters”, he rides that beat so well that I find myself constantly replaying that song.
That’s not to say Danny Brown isn’t rapping really well either, he absolutely is and has some hilarious lines throughout. My one gripe with this album is that Danny’s voice is kind of buried in the mix on a lot of these tracks, which is a shame because when you look at the lyrics, he has some of the funniest bars on the album.
To me, SCARING THE HOES is kinda like if Run The Jewels was on crack. That’s honestly the best way I can describe it. Head banging, nerdy, weird and experimental hip-hop that never misses throughout. I almost skipped this one this year too, but managed to throw it on before the year ended, and I’m so glad I did because it’s been on rotation ever since.
Favorite tracks:
Burfict!, Shut Yo Bitch Ass Up/Muddy Waters, Orange Juice Jones, Kingdom Hearts Key, God Loves You, Jack Harlow Combo Meal
#4
Lil Yachty - Let’s Start Here.
Psychedelic Rock/Funk/Alternative
Let’s Start Here. was easily the biggest surprise of the entire year for me. I’ll admit, I was never really a fan of Lil Yachty’s music. His style of rap just isn’t for me. I thought he was fading away too until “Poland” came out and became a huge hit, but I still didn’t think he would drop this.
This album is a psychedelic rock album, but has plenty of funk and pop-punk influences as well. It’s as if someone smashed Pink Floyd and Tame Impala together, combining it with Lil Yachty’s strange but fitting vocals and a slew of hidden features singing alongside him.
You can tell from the very first track that this is something special. The transition in “the BLACK seminole.” gives me chills every time, feeling so grand and theatrical. “the ride-” is where those Tame Impala influences really shine through, and it’s a great time. The baseline and drums on “running out of time” make for one of the grooviest songs of the year in my opinion. I think my favorite song is still “drive ME crazy!” though. Diana Gordon’s vocals are simply beautiful on this track, and it’s impossible to not have a good time when listening to it. It’s not all light and upbeat though, the music can get a little crazy with tracks like “IVE OFFICIALLY LOST ViSiON!!!!” and “The Alchemist.”, which make for great head-banging rock tracks.
I’ve got to take a minute to just marvel at this project’s existence. For a rapper like Lil Yachty, whose roots are grounded in Soundcloud-era trap, to take such a huge left turn with his music and completely switch genres for a whole album, and execute it almost perfectly? It’s an amazing accomplishment. There aren’t many artists out there who are willing to take creative risks like that and still deliver. Now it’s not exactly the greatest album in this type of music, I think Yachty’s influences are still stronger. There’s also of course the matter of his vocals, which aren’t exactly great, but he manages to tweak it enough to fit the soundscapes being created and it’s never a hindrance.
Overall, Let’s Start Here. is a fantastic album through and through, and something that I’ll be listening for year and years to come.
Favorite tracks:
the BLACK seminole, running out of time, WE SAW THE SUN!, drive ME crazy!, sAy sOMETHINg, paint THE sky, The Alchemist
#3
Kali Uchis - Red Moon in Venus
R&B/Neo-Soul
I saw Kali Uchis live in Boston this year with my sister, despite not having listened to her music much. I was familiar of course with her work with Tyler, the Creator and some of her more viral songs on TikTok, but hadn’t delved into her discography much. Needless to say after the amazing show, I was hooked and started with Red Moon In Venus.
What a gorgeous album. That’s really the best word to describe it. Kali’s lush vocals, alongside the R&B style production, makes this such a smooth and pleasant listen. Kali herself describes the album as “a timeless, burning expression of desire, heartbreak, faith, and honesty, reflecting the divine femininity of the moon and Venus”, and that’s exactly what the album sounds like. The first real song, “I Wish You Roses”, sets off the tone of the album. Even though it’s Kali wishing this ex-lover their best, there’s still a hint of remorse and longing in there, a feeling that permeates throughout the project.
“Fantasy”, featuring Don Toliver, is one of my favorite tracks on the album. It’s where we take a bit of a break from the slower and more calming tracks and get an excellent drop into a nice, bouncy beat with Kali’s vocals swirling throughout. Don himself is excellent as always, with a short and sweet verse in the second half of the track. “Hasta Cuando” is excellent as well, but the album perhaps peaks with the song right after, “Endlessly”. The production from Darkchild is so, so clean and rich here, and of course, the chorus is easily addictive.
“Blue” is a fantastic track where I think some of the album’s strongest songwriting comes through. It’s where those feelings of burning desire really concentrate into a melancholy song where you can really feel Kali’s pain. It’s almost a little downing, so that makes “Deserve Me”, an R&B banger featuring Summer Walker, a much-needed break. “Moonlight” is a great hit, although I’m still not to sure about “Happy Now”. It makes sense to pivot towards a happy ending for this project, but sonically I’m not all the way into this one. Still, that doesn’t detract from what an amazing album this is.
This is the album that made me a real fan of Kali Uchis, and it’s been in my weekly rotation ever since my first listen. I can’t wait to hear what she does next.
Favorite tracks:
I Wish you Roses, All Mine, Fantasy, Hasta Cuando, Endlessly, Blue, Moonlight
#2
Tyler, the Creator - The Estate Sale
This is only counting The Estate Sale tracks from “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST: The Estate Sale”, not the whole album
Hip-Hop
We meet again, Mr. Baudelaire.
Tyler is pretty consistent with dropping a new album every two years, however, he shook things up a bit by instead releasing a deluxe for his 2021 album, CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST. Like Scary Hours 3, these new tracks, of which there are 8, feel like an EP, so just like that one, I’m treating it as its own project.
These songs very much carry the same spirit as the main album, which is to say they’re excellent. “STUNTMAN” is an absolute banger with Vince Staples and Tyler sounding amazing on it. “WHAT A DAY” is over a Madlib beat. It’s an iconic sample that leads rappers to be introspective on it, which Tyler does. Talking about his state of mind and a much-needed vacation, it feels like something that would fit right into the earlier chunk on CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST. “WHARF TALK” is great. It feels like a blend of Igor and CMIYGL, and really captures the vibe of sitting by the water and just enjoying life.
“DOGTOOTH” was one of the singles for this release, and it’s great, but in my opinion, the real gem is “HEAVEN TO ME”. This honestly might be my song of the year. Tyler raps over a Kanye West beat, and it’s just perfect. The sample and how it’s used alongside the guitar makes for such a feel-good track that instantly puts me in a good mood no matter what. It’s here where Tyler reminisces over the best parts of each era in his life, finding what “heaven” is to him. He also looks to the future and imagines what heaven could be: having a family, being healthy in his 40s, and just enjoying life. That’s really what this track is all about, enjoying life. It’s an infectious feeling that always makes me happy, it’s just good to hear Tyler talk like this when usually he’s dealing with something a bit more downing.
“BOYFRIEND, GIRLFRIEND” with YG is labeled as a demo, but it honestly feels like a complete song already. Feeling really reminiscent of the Igor era, it features a poppy/dance beat that Tyler and YG effortlessly flow on, and the bridge is quite nice as well.
“SORRY NOT SORRY” is not only the closer to this EP, or even CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST, but perhaps an entire chapter in Tyler’s career. The music video really helps sell the point of this song but it’s Tyler apologizing to what he feels are all the shortcomings in his life. His focus on wealth, hiding his sexuality, not making time for family, and feeling like he’s failed his ancestors, it’s clear he’s remorseful. The video, however, shows that by doing so, he’s actually setting all of this aside, “killing off” his prior alter egos and eras, and preparing for something new and different. Tyler has spoken out about how much he respects and loves Kendrick Lamar’s “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers”, and you can see some of that influence creep into this song, and I absolutely love it.
Tyler, the Creator is one of my favorite artists of all time, and The Estate Sale tracks only further cemented that for me. Adding these amazing tracks onto an already great album, it’s all been fantastic.
#1
Travis Scott - Utopia
Hip-Hop
For a lot of Hip-Hop fans, including myself, this was the most anticipated album of the year. As I mentioned at the start of this, mainstream has had a pretty bad time in terms of interesting and exciting releases that actually held up, but hopes were still high for the long-awaited Utopia that Travis Scott has been working on. Things felt pretty sketchy as Travis’s features prior to this weren’t really hitting as well, and the only single that was released, “K-POP”, really did not hit as much as it intended to.
Thankfully, everything panned out, and Utopia is great. Despite not being perfect, this was my most listened-to album of the year, so it’s only fair that it gets the number 1 spot.
With the unsettling and pitched modulated vocals as the start of “HYAENA” leading into a Yeezus-inspired booming beat, Travis’s steady flow, and ending it off with some Mike Dean synths, you know you’re in for a ride. The album is called Utopia, but from everything with the album cover to the darker production some of these tracks, lead to more of a dystopian feel that I think Travis was going for. “MY EYES” starts off lighter though, with a very Frank Ocean-ey vibe that Travis rides (also really, Sampha only gets two lines?), only for it to drop into a hard-hitting trap beat that has some of Travis’s best rapping, and even lyrics. It’s rare to hear Travis these days with any level of introspection, but here we get a rare peak at his psyche, feelings of loss over his relationship and reflection on the Astroworld Festival tragedy. It really is an amazing track. “SIRENS” absolutely hits with an amazing beat, and Mike Dean once again comes through with this crazy transition by twisting the beat into a synth break. It ends with a skit that leads into “MELTDOWN”, one of the best songs of the year. It features a monstrous Drake verse, coming in with a whispery yet aggressive tone, taking shots at Pharrell, Pusha T, and Kodak black. Travis still holds his own though, as the beat shifts a little alongside some Tie Fighter sound effects that absolutely elevate the track, then switching into a hard Tay Keith beat to finish off.
I should add that when this album first came out, the features were hidden, so it was easily my favorite first listens I’ve ever had.
“FE!N” might be one of the most hype songs of the year, it’s hard not to want to turn up when it comes on. Playboi Carti even switched his voice (although his verse has absolutely no real structure to it). Beyonce crushes it on “DELRESTO”, but “I KNOW ?” is a sleeper deep cut that I wish more people were talking about. It has similar vibes to the song “Mafia” from 2021. I’m always down for some nice keys over a light trap beat, and this song nails that.
I also want to highlight “SKITZO”. It starts off decent with the first two beats, but the last beat switch really elevates it. A more old-school sample flipped beat, it’s some of Travis’s best rapping. He’s not really known for bars, but on this part, his pen is actually really nice and he has some great lines.
Hearing Westside Gunn on an album this big is amazing, and “LOST FOREVER” is absolutely fantastic.
My favorite moment on the album might be when SZA hops on “TELEKINESIS”. It starts off great with Future rapping introspectively while Travis sings in between his verses, but the song absolutely explodes in triumph when SZA comes on. I mean that literally, the trumpets that Travis alludes to with the chorus of the song earlier come in blaring as SZA sounds like an angel. It gives me goosebumps every time and makes this one of the best songs of the year.
Look, Utopia is not perfect. In fact, I have a few gripes with it. I think “MODERN JAM” is weak because Travis’s pen really does not hold up to a beat like that. “GOD’S COUNTRY” feels half-baked, probably due to being a YANDHI leftover. “TOPIA TWINS” is kinda fun but kinda mid, and I really do not like “CIRCUS MAXIMUS”. I also feel like having a generic 21 Savage verse on the closing track was a mistake, it should have been just James Blake and Travis Scott.
However even with those gripes, the high points of this album kept me coming back almost every single day since its release, and that’s special. That’s why it’s made it as my album of the year. The energy that this album brings throughout keeps it stuck in my head, and at the end of the day, Travis Scott dropped another amazing album that I think will age really well.
The Final Ranking
If you made it this far by reading everything, thank you. I’m still new to writing so it’s probably pretty rough, but talking at length about the stuff I’m into is a skill I want to keep working on, which is why I’m putting renewed effort into this website in the first place.
- Travis Scott - Utopia
- Tyler, the Creator - The Estate Sale
- Kali Uchis - Red Moon in Venus
- Lil Yachty - Let’s Start Here
- JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown - Scaring the Hoes
- Drake - Scary Hours 3
- Fall Out Boy - So Much for Stardust
- Nas - Magic 3
- RAYE - My 21st Century Blues
- 2 Chainz & Lil Wayne - Welcome 2 Collegrove
The year in review
There’s so much I’ve missed from 2023. Like I said, mainstream had it kinda rough this year, but there’s a lot out there, you just have to know how to look for it. In terms of what I missed that I want to try to get to in 2024, I have Maps - Billy Woods, Woire Dire - Earl Sweatshirt & The Alchemist, Guts - olivia rodrigo, And Then You Pray For Me - Westside Gunn.
The albums I did listen to however I loved, and will continue coming back to them for years to come.
Anyways, here’s to a good 2024.