2018 Rap Up: Introduction & Albums 100-76

Music is one of the greatest bridges between people. Whenever I meet someone new, shortly after I will inevitably pivot to music, asking the dreaded, “what type of music do you listen to?” I ask this knowing full well I do not even have a good answer to that. “I listen to everything” feels like a cop out, even though it is absolutely true. So, I started saying the genre that I have been with through ups and downs: rap music. I became a fan of rap music about 13 years ago. It started with hits from 50 Cent, Kanye West, D4L, and Dem Franchise Boyz. I moved on from there to likes of Eminem, Common, and Talib Kweli (with a bit of an added bonus of snobbery). Now I am at the best place I have been with genre and a wonderful means to preface this year’s Rap Up. Embracing the future of rap whatever that may bring, digging to the depths of what it has to offer, and appreciating the past all the same.

That path brings me here. Attempting to write the most comprehensive and engaging write up I have done to date about my favorite rap albums of the year. In 2015, I wrote up my list 25 albums at a time. Four years later, I am doing the same thing. I will start at album number 100 until we get to – what I viewed as – the best rap album released in 2018. I also added some new components to the project, which I am calling the Rap Awards. More will be revealed about that as we move forward. For now, let us get to the list.

100. Takeoff – The Last Rocket

99. A$AP Rocky – TESTING

98. Cypress Hill – Elephants on Acid

97. $uicideboy$ - I Want to Die in New Orleans

Chuck Strangers - Consumers Park

96. Chuck Strangers – Consumers Park

Chuck Strangers debut record finds him in a familiar position. Despite the fact that he had not released an album until now, he has been the producer for a large part of the Pro Era collective, which includes rappers Joey Bada$$ and Kirk Knight among others. However, 2018 saw Strangers step into the spotlight. He does not disappoint either. Flowing over similar boom bap beats as his Pro Era counterparts are known for, Strangers leaves a lasting imprint as an emcee. There may be no better example of this than the featureless "Fresh" that sees Strangers flowing over the work of The Alchemist. Clocking in at 44 minutes, the record is just the length to leave the listener wanting even more from Strangers, a guaranteed way for him to lock in fans for years to come.

KYLE - Light of Mine

95. KYLE – Light of Mine

KYLE crafts a comfortable space for himself that still pushes boundaries oscillating between singing and rapping throughout this record. The best parts of this album are when KYLE cuts loose and his personality shines through. This is true even of the more intimate tracks such as “Babies” that sees him bearing some of his insecurities in a collaboration with Alessia Cara. KYLE also tries out a variety of flows keeping the listener on their toes from tracks like “Ups & Down” to “Playinwitme.” The album reads some parts a diary, sometimes a party, but never anything less than KYLE.

94. The Doppelgangaz – Aaaaggghh

93. Apathy – The Widow’s Son

92. Various Artists – Superfly Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

91. Ace Hood – Trust the Process II: Undefeated

90. Rich the Kid – The World Is Yours

Rich the Kid moved to Georgia when he was a teenager and that connection becomes abundantly clear from the outset of The World Is Yours. A discipline of Atlanta’s trap scene, Rich the Kid brings an energy all his own moving between short punches on the title track to the lackadaisical work he puts in on “Leave Me.” “Plug Walk” is certainly the track that shines the brightest on The World Is Yours – it also strikes a balance between the aforementioned spectrum of flows he deploys – but there is a solid record lying underneath the hits seeking to inject life into a currently oversaturated subgenre.

89. Princess Nokia – A Girl Cried Red

88. Young Thug & YSL Records – Slime Language

87. Nines – Crop Circles

86. 88rising – Head in the Clouds

By way of its youthful exuberance, 88rising’s Head in the Clouds record reminds of Khalid’s American Teen from last year. Much of the album is dripping with the sounds of summer, exemplified by the lead single, “Midsummer Madness.” The sounds of the albums are as diverse as the talents of the collective that put it together. 88rising is a record label, music conglomerate, and more featuring the talents of rappers, producers, and singers alike. The features – such as that from 03 Greedo who will be making an appearance later in the list – complement that diversity in sound exquisitely. Tracks like “Swimming Pool” explode through the bass and bounce the whole car, while “Peach Jam” makes you feel the summer breeze in your hair. There’s something for everyone here. Also shout out to Rich Brian who put together an incredibly solid 2018 (yeah, I know his Amen debut didn’t make my top 100, but it’s still worth your time if you like this sound).

85. Roc Marciano – Behold a Dark Horse

84. Action Bronson – White Bronco

83. Joell Ortiz & Apollo Brown – Mona Lisa

Fat Tony - 10,000 Hours

82. Fat Tony – 10,000 Hours

For the majority of this record, Fat Tony refuses to settle into a single sound. Some tracks, like “10,000” lean heavier into pop sensibilities while his collaboration with Cadence Weapon on “Poet Laureate” shows off his ability to spit bars. 10,000 Hours is at its best when it's working to keep you on your toes. There is no better example of this than the back-to-back of “Got It Out the Mud” and “Texas” mixing country, dance, and rap sounds. I couldn’t help but continue to come back to these tracks as examples of what Fat Tony does so well. It is a decision no other rapper in this top 100 made and one that works to set Tony apart, plus… “Got It Out Mud” goes pretty hard.

Dave East - P2

81. Dave East – P2

Dave East continues his strong track record of putting out solid, consistent work with P2. Though the record may not hit the listener like last year’s iteration, Paranoia: A True Story, this record cements East as a storyteller who doesn’t just rely on words, but heart, intensity, and pain to illustrate the pictures of his life. “Prosper” and “Violent” present two of the best examples. He has a knack for being able to ride beats well on tracks like “Thank You” and “Annoying” too. The album is a deep 15 tracks exploring both East’s life before and after he has blown up and most tracks are approached with a contemplative tone about what East really wants from this life. While it does run long, East proves that he has got something to say that is worth listening to.

80. Drake – Scorpion

79. Death Grips – Year of the Snitch

78. Cadence Weapon – Cadence Weapon

77. E-40 – The Gift of Gab

The bulk of E-40’s The Gift of Gab can best be expressed by a legend in the rap game flexing his hyphy muscles. After some two and a half decades in the game, he still has that ability to get you hype on any given track. The three-track run from “Who You Talking To” to “Wicked” through “Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Nothing” is enough to get any party going. Not only do the beats get your head moving, but E-40 can still spit bars that make you do double takes or chuckle in the midst of the instrumental ripping through the bass in your car. While E-40 is the first of legends showing they still got what it takes to release good records, he certainly won’t be the last in the countdown.

Octavian - SPACEMAN

76. Octavian – SPACEMAN

For the next album though, we visit overseas to take a look at what is going with Octavian in England. Admittedly, I cheated my own rules a bit by listening to this one. I included EPs in the countdown this year, but left out mixtapes once again. While I plan on including every piece of rap music released next year, I had not initially planned to include any mixtapes in this countdown. Did you listen to Octavian’s mixtape though? Because if you didn’t, you should make that a priority. When Octavian cuts loose on tracks like “Break That,” it’s quite a bit of fun. However, that is not where he sets himself apart. It is on the tracks where he keeps his bars much closer to the vest. Tracks like “This Is My World” keep the same snare/hi-hat combo you hear on so many of the trap-influenced tracks on the record, but it features a far more subdued Octavian spitting lines about his family and what his life was once like. Even the track after that (“Build”) continues some of those same sentiments and sound. It is often easy to get absorbed by the flash – that piano and ad-lib combo is mesmerizing on “Sleep” – but Octavian makes it worth the listeners while to slow down every so often.

As you can tell by even glancing above, I had quite a bit to say about the first 25 albums in the countdown. From my view, that bodes well for the state of hip hop. There were numerous records in these first 25 that would be worth your time. If we are already at that point, you can imagine what heights we will get to in the next few days. Stay with me to explore the work of both numerous newcomers trying to cement their names, legends doing what legends do, and terrific sophomore and junior effort from some of rap’s biggest names. Tomorrow we will move through the next 25 albums in the list. Until then, thanks for reading.