We are halfway through 2021 and with this being said, I think we could all agree that our favorite rappers have blessed us with some good music. J. Cole’s "The Off Season", Tyler, The Creator’s Call Me When You Get Lost, G Herbo’s “25”, Migos’ “Culture III”, also others like Moneybagg, Pooh Shiesty, YSL, & much more. It’s very debatable who has the best album of the year (AOTY). When it came to the most buzz Pooh Shiesty had the most anticipated album & when it came down to it he didn’t disappoint. When J. Cole announced his album would drop all hip hop fans went crazy because it was a 3 year anticipated wait. Tyler dropped his glorious album just last month & a lot of people are saying he in fact has the album of the year.
Now, we’re not talking about album sales but simply how the album was crafted & of course the lyrics. Other artists like Vince Staples & IDK put out their albums just a few weeks ago & those are definitely AOTY contenders. G Herbo’s “25” definitely was a different tone from Herb as he talks about the loss of his recent friends, becoming a dad, & handling the rich life. His beat selection on this is grittier but fans still hear the fun side of Herb's lyricism. Most people I know say Tyler has the AOTY hands down & I would think so as well. DJ Drama assisted him on this as he gave him a classic Gangsta Grill hosted project. His delivery & self-produced beats made me believe that the “Cherry Bomb” Tyler was back. So as I listened to this project more it definitely gave me “Cherry Bomb” vibes.
These albums that I named will be listened to for years to come. As we wait for Drake’s well-anticipated “CLB” & Travis Scott’s “Utopia”. The artists above have some competition to come. These days however rappers love to drop secretly or announce things the week before so we don’t who’s going to drop for the remainder of 2021. Be on the lookout for artists like Baby Keem, Babyface Ray, EST Gee, Benny The Butcher, Roddy Rich, Meek Mill & many more to drop music as the world is opening & and tours are becoming present again within the music industry.