Top Ten Albums of 2020
- Matt McLaughlin
- Jan 8, 2021
- 4 min read
With so many emotional moments and movements in 2020, hip-hop and R&B saw one of its strongest years ever with great releases that catapulted multiple artists into new levels of fame and recognition. To celebrate, I wanted to give MY top ten albums from 2020, enjoy.
Photo Credit: RIFF Magazine
10. Man on the Moon III-The Chosen
Credit: Kid Cudi's Official Website
With December 2020 showing signs of fatigue and artists saving their music for 2021, Kid Cudi delivered a fantastic album that fits right in with the MOTM trilogy and showcases Cudi’s bars that seem to have been forgotten. Songs like “Tequila Shots” and “She Knows This” perfectly exude Cudi’s acceptance of his struggles of addiction and anxiety that have come to define the trilogy. An unexpected release that lived up to its predecessors.
Favorite Tracks: “Tequilla Shots,” “Show Out (ft. Pop Smoke and Skepta),” “She Knows This”, “Rockstar Knights (ft. Trippie Redd)”
9. Savage Mode II-21 Savage and Metro Boomin
Credit: Tidal.com
When you have Morgan Freeman narrating the album trailer, expectations for a cinematic album are high, and the pair delivered. 21 coldly spits over Metro Boomin’s amazing trap beats that makes a perfect marriage of producer-artist. Only thing that keeps the project outside the top 5 is Drake claiming to date SZA when she was 17.
Favorite Track: “Mr. Right Now (ft. Drake)”
8. From a King to a God-Conway the Machine
Credit: Qobuz.com
On FKTG, Conway puts everyone on notice that he’s just as good as his Griselda peers Benny and Westside Gunn with incredible rhyme schemes and bars that percolate Conway’s NY swagger and confidence. On “Lemon,” Conway matches Method Man bar for bar and that’s all you need to know to understand the quality of this project.
Favorite Tracks: “Spurs 3 (ft. Benny the Butcher and Westside Gunn),” “Lemon (ft. Method Man)
7. Meet the Woo Vol. 2-Pop Smoke
Credit: Genius.com
Shortly before his tragic death, Pop Smoke reenergized New York with his signature 808 Melo-produced sound that catapulted Pop to the front of the Brooklyn drill movement. Meet the Woo 2 continues the innovation and energy that built Pop Smoke into a superstar, and his confidence and energy oozes out of each record, especially when he pairs with Fivio Foreign, A Boogie, and more throughout the mixtape.
Favorite Tracks: “Invincible,” “Element,” “Foreigner (ft. Fivio Foreign)"
6. Alfredo-Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist
Credit: Pitchfork.com
Over signature jazzy Alchemist beats, Freddie continues one of the most dominant runs ever and delivers incredible bars along with fantastic features from Tyler, Conway, Rick Ross, and the aforementioned Benny. Freddie floats on each beat and delivers some of the best lyrics of the year on this project but not enough overall to compete with such strong albums like Burden of Proof or EA.
Favorite Tracks: “Something to Rap About (feat. Tyler, The Creator),” “Scottie Beam (ft. Rick Ross)”
5. After Hours-The Weeknd
Credit: Highsnobiety.com
On this album, Abel takes you through a night in the fast lane that cannot be compared to anything that was released this year. The Weeknd cements himself as a global star with the incredible “Blinding Lights” and “Heartless” and provides an incredible atmosphere but the lyricism doesn’t elevate this album towards the top three in my opinion.
Favorite Tracks: “Save Your Tears,” “Escape from LA,” “Blinding Lights”
4. Eternal Atake-Lil Uzi Vert
Credit: Genius.com
With such hype around the release, Lil Uzi delivers on EA top to bottom with bangers that cannot help but have you nodding your head and rhyming with him, which was my biggest takeaway from this album. Uzi comes back with a vengeance and damn near makes my speakers implode because he's spitting so much fire. The production is fantastic and combined with Uzi’s lyrics make this a go-to party album or in the car.
Favorite Tracks: “POP,” “You Better Move,” “Prices”
3. Legends Never Die-Juice WRLD
Credit: Genius.com
LND is the most emotional album of 2020. Period. As a huge fan of Juice WRLD, my biggest concern was the album becoming overloaded with features or incomplete songs, but I was completely wrong. The interludes and intro signal Juice WRLD’s massive potential and respect from legends but heartbreaking tracks such as “Life’s a Mess,” “Fighting Demons,” and “Stay High” display the demons that fueled his authentic lyrics and made this album feel like an original Juice WRLD album, which is why I love this project and put it in MY top three.
Favorite Tracks: “Life’s a Mess (ft. Halsey),” “Bad Energy,” “Righteous”
2. Burden of Proof-Benny the Butcher
Credit: Genius.com
The evolution of Benny has been astonishing to watch. Coming off The Plugs I Met, Benny teamed up with Hit-Boy to deliver a fantastic 12-track project that gives one clear message: this is just the start. Benny’s flows and rhyme schemes are impeccable, and the nod to Jay Z’s “Reasonable Doubt” on the intro made my inner music geek freak out.
Favorite Tracks: “OVER THE LIMIT (ft. Dom Kennedy),” ” “Where Would I Go? (ft. Rick Ross),” “Sly Green”
1. Circles-Mac Miller
Credit: Genius.com
Over just 14 tracks in less than an hour, Circles encapsulates both the struggles and genius that
Mac Miller possessed before his passing, but is a perfect example of handling posthumous albums. The original version contained 12 songs but the deluxe version only added two more tracks while maintaining the cohesiveness of this album that makes it feel like Mac never left.
Favorite Tracks: “Circles,” “Complicated,” “Blue World”
In one of the most memorable years in human history, music once again became a factor of healing for so many people and 2020 was bursting with artists exploring the boundaries of expressing themselves in more challenging ways than ever. Now, the gauntlet has been thrown at the feet of the legends (looking at you, Kendrick, Drake, and J. Cole).
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