2017 for all intensive purposes was a memorable year for all the wrong reasons (45’s antics being at the top of the list), but as far as musically it was arguably one of the best. 2017 brought us an introspective and captivating Jay-Z, who was intent on showing us how a mature album from a legend in rap should sound, as well as Kendrick Lamar’s Damn, Drake’s More Life, Big Sean, Logic, Meek Mill, and a slew of others. Big K.R.I.T.’s Return of 4eva and Cyhi the Prynce’s debut album No Dope on Sundays most recently left fans satisfied as the hype for their projects continued to grow by the month. The average rap fan however misses albums over the course of the year and even the most avid fans can sometimes miss gems that drop during the year for different reasons. After scrolling through my TIDAL account, I stumbled across some projects that fell on deaf ears but were stellar nonetheless.
Project Title: West 1996 PT 2
Artist: Lute
Lute, a new signee to J.Cole’s Dreamville Records, dropped a project this year entitled West 1996, which served as his debut album. The sequel to his earlier mixtape, it contained two notable singles Juggin and Still Slummin, the latter debuted in 2016 on J.Cole’s Revenge of the Dreamers 2 project. Lute’s project contains a healthy blend of hard work and strive messages in it and despite its somberness, is filled with enough lyricism to satisfy real hip hop heads.
Project Title: Laila’s Wisdom
Artist: Rapsody
Another Carolina emcee, Rapsody’s lyrical ability is well known to industry heads and fans alike, but if you need a refresher listen to her verse on Complexion off Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly project. Her latest project Laila’s Wisdom is filled with records that touch a nerve from her song Black and Ugly to Power featuring Kendrick Lamar to Sassy to Nobody feat Black Thought and Anderson Paak. The acclaim from the project garnered her a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album as well as Best Rap Song.
Project Title: Ready
Artist: Ella Mai
If you are unaware of who she is by now you deserve the full weight of judgment you feel from the page now. Born in London, she moved to the states and after dropping her project Time on SoundCloud, ended up being signed to DJ Mustard’s record label 10 Summers. Her latest work is not vastly different than her previous projects: rather its the cohesiveness and focus that stands out the most as she transitions into a serious R&b artist. Songs like Breakfast in Bed, Nobody Else and Makes Me Wonder showcase the sound DJ Mustard became known for as well as her vocal ability. But real talk she’s beautiful and sings well. So I heard it like bet. Adding it to my favorites.
Honorable Mentions
- Kehlani– SweetSexySavage
- H.E.R.- Volume 2
- Jidenna- The Chief
- Rotmi- Jeep Music Vol. 1
Wright World 