The Best Rap Albums of 2020
I would like to imagine that the world of the Grammy’s and that the real world were actually one in the same everyday.
The only problem is that most of the people who vote for these awards are rarely ever right.
Yet, once every multicolored moon, they converge into a beautiful moment.
For one of the few times ever, I can agree, wholeheartedly with the Grammy’s, on the best Hip-Hop albums of the year. All I need to do now is to rank them.
Black Habits – D Smoke
The reality of an album released fourteen years after an artist's first is daunting. However, D Smoke presents an aesthetically compelling and lyrically project in Black Habits. From the beginning to the end of the album, the entire project is amazingly put together and worth listening to, even if you’ve never listened to him before.
Alfredo – Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist
Describing Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist’s collaboration Alfredo is that it is tight and compact. In the short 35 minute project, the two come together and create one of the best albums of the year. What helps Alfredo - or at least, helps in the discussion - are the perfectly timed and prepared features, including Rick Ross and Tyler, the Creator.
A Written Testimony – Jay Electronica
Let’s get controversial with our choices - as the title of the RatedR will seemingly be continuously attached with - and continue with A Written Testimony by Jay Electronica. It’s a lyrical masterpiece to say the least: the thesis of the political album. Helped by uncredited verses by Jay-Z with almost every single song, it is powerful and very good.
King's Disease – Nas
I once heard someone say that the best album Nas ever did was Illmatic. Oh, that was me. I was wrong, sorry. A thorough listen to all of his projects reveal a grove of amazing projects, and King’s Disease might top them all - at least, those not named Illmatic. It’s a thorough and mature project. It’s powerful and well put together by Hit-Boyé
The Allegory – Royce da 5'9"
This is the best album of the year in my opinion. If I cared for the Grammy’s, I would choose it to be the Hip-Hop album of the year. Royce da 5’9” uses The Allegory to present the reality of black people in America and the lies that come from money and capitalism. The lyrical prowess of 5’9 and of most of his features glides on the soft, yet rich, instrumentals.