Wiz khalifa - Khalifa
Wiz has been making albums and songs for a while now and each gets better. Last year he did the soundtrack for fast and furious 7 with Charlie Puth (see you again) which is probably the biggest hit of his career. His album talks about smoking as expected and success; it is a more personal album on his path. The album goes from him talking about humble beginnings, getting rich, blowing checks and more stories about his life. It's one of those albums that you can listen to without skipping and that's what I love most about it.
Rihanna - ANTI
I'm not a Navy but this has to be my favourite Rih album ever. Personally I prefer her as a fashion 'icon' than as an artist but she exceeded my expectations with this. It starts with 'Consideration' ft SZA which has this mesmerising egotistic feel and the rest of the songs go on to talking about weed, love, sex and more. In 'Higher' she sings her heart out in what sounds like a doyenne drunk dialling a lover. 'Woo' which has Travis Scott written all over it, 'Needed Me' tells you how it's all game and they shouldn't catch feelings. 'Work' ft Drakewhich is probably the most overplayed album is the new 'twerk' anthem and somewhat makes me wonder if they are together. Overall the album has a Caribbean vibe to it and also the DGAF attitude Rihanna lives by which makes it perfect. (Ps it went platinum in like 24hours).
Kanye West - The Life Of Pablo
Being a creative human must be hard when it comes to decisions. Kanye's music has evolved over his 7 albums. This to me may not be the best but it is the most creative as it balances and combines the six previous albums. It talks about his father, goes gospel in the first track of the album, fashion, family and more, it also has a little trap vibe to it. As someone who hated 'Yeezus' this is an upgrade but still not as lyrical as I wanted it to be.
Hoodie Allen - Happy Camper
One of my favourite albums this year thus far, I randomly found out about Hoodie which let me onto this album. I can't go in on each song because it is that good and this will be the longest review but just note it is lyrically good and relatable,it's a fun album that I think anyone can enjoy.
Kevin Gates - Islah
I kept seeing a line from his song though I didn't know it was at the time so I typed the line into Google and I found the song and I decide why not try listening to more songs (lool the things I do for music). Gates talks about the good, the bad and the ugly in the songs in a form of gangsta rap. He has a melodic voice that can go from raping to singing his own hooks and this makes me excited for his new tape coming soon. Oh by the way the line is 'I got 2phones; one for the plug and one for the load'.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - This Unruly Mess I've Made
I hated 'Thrift shop' so I never gave their first album a chance. I didn't plan on giving this a chance until I heard 'White Privilege II' and I thought 'maybe I should give them a chance' and I did and to my surprise I enjoyed it. 'Growing Up' ft Ed Sheeran is probably my favourite, 'Light Tunnels' ft Mike Snap is dope as it explains Grammys and the music business in a way. Overall the album is good and Macklemore proves his capability as he rhymes over different beats.
Anderson .Paak - Malibu
I found out about him on Twitter when this project was released and I decided not to be left out (I was looking for new artists to listen to). As an artist he's very creative, .Paak blends different genres of music to make his own, so whether you are a hiphop, R&B, rock or soul fan you will find a song on this album to enjoy. The album talks about his livelihood and it shows how he's a romantic. 'Room in here' ft The Game is probably my most played. He exhibits a sound ranging from Stevie Wonder to Kendrick Lamar.
Zayn - Mind of Mine
I was never a fan of One Direction tbh lool but Zayn was my favourite. When 'PillowTalk'came out I was excited for the album mainly because Gigi was in the video (yes incase you didn't know I am obsessed with models). Other songs came out after that and I was sure it will be a dope album but I was still skeptical. The album is a love letter/story with the JT, Miguel & Frank Ocean vibe, which exhibits him going from a member of a boy band to an adult solo R&B singer. It's hard to pick a favourite because are different but yet quite similar.
Twenty88 - Twenty88
When you pair Jhené with anyone you best know the song is going to be amazing and with Big Sean they have great chemistry. I randomly saw the magazine cover then I found out they had formed a duo and are releasing an album. Trust that I was excited to hear it. I already presumed what it could be about and it is probably one of my most played albums in 2016. I can't pick a favourite song but I can't wait for more music from the duo.
Royce 5'9" - Layers
Probably one of the most lyrically artist that ever existed. From collaborating with Eminem as half of Bad Meets Evil to being a member of the conglomerate SlaughterHouse he has exhibited his skills over and over. Before the album he released a mixtape, that and the album talk about him being a recovering alcoholic and stories about his life. Yet some might say he goes into soo much detail in his rap, to me that's the best part of being a lyricist. It might not be one of those albums that you fall in love with on first listen, but trust me if you listen to it a couple more times you will see why I think it should be on this list.
Bas - Too High To Riot
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