(ThyBlackMan.com) In recent memory, 2020 has been one of the best years in hip hop. The lock down has slowed some of the heavy hitters from releasing due to not being able to promote and do a tour for the album. There have many newer artists that were able to get some shine and even some mid-tier rappers able to make the leap in their careers because of the lack of the big hitters.
Here are the top albums of 2020 rated on how much I enjoyed them rather than them being the outright most lyrical or culturally impactful albums. For the most part, these albums have very high replay value in them, something that weights very strongly for me as far as how good an album is.
- Curren$y and Harry Fraud- The OutRunners (July 24)
Curren$y is one of my top 5 rappers at any time. Although I wish that Back at Burnie’s was in 2020 instead, this album was a very good album from him. Harry Fraud handles 100% of the production on this album and if you are a fan of the critically acclaimed Cigarette Boats mixtape from these two, you’ll also like this one. Harry Fraud is very underrated as a producer and Curren$y bring out the best in him. While you won’t get anything ground breaking or anything new from Spitta, you do get the consistency that he is known for and laid-back flow over great beats.
Key Songs: Cutlass Cathedrals, Mugello Red ft. Rick Ross, Rivera Beach ft Conway the Machine
- Conway the Machine- From King to a GOD (September 11)
Following Lulu in 2020, this album is considered his debut studio album. To me, it more than lived up to the hype. Conway’s grimy flow over equally grimy beats is one of the best combinations in Griselda. Although half of the songs on the album has features, I don’t feel like they overshadow Conway, and in some instances actually make the song better. You see Conway at the top of his game when he is on songs with rappers of equal lyrical quality like Freddie Gibbs and his Griselda brothers.
Key Songs: Front Lines, Seen Everything but Jesus ft. Freddie Gibbs, Spurs 3 ft Benny the Butcher & Westside Gunn
- Drake- Dark Lane Demo Tapes (May 1)
Drake’s only album offering of 2020 was clearly not a studio album from him yet it served its purpose… to offload some of his older songs. There are some heavy hitters on here along with some of the songs that were previously leaked but not finished. Even when he isn’t at his best, he somehow manages to be better than most other artists. There are some misses on this album, but as a whole, it is very solid.
Key Songs: Chicago Freestyle ft Giveon, Landed, War
- Gunna- WUNNA (May 22)
Gunna has really grown since he first started out as part of Young Thug’s YSL label. Nowadays, a Gunna feature is one of the best features you can get in hip hop. Listening to WUNNA, you can see why. While he hasn’t made unrealistic leaps in flow and delivery like his partner in rap, Lil Baby, what he does, he does almost to perfection. His ability to make an ordinary song, something that sounds pleasant to listen to is his gift. The production on this album is also a high point. Listen to the first song on the album, Argentina, to see what Gunna is all about…
Key Songs: Argentina, Skybox, Met Gala
- Big Sean- Detroit 2 (September 4)
This album felt like it came 10 years after his last album, I Decided, but it was just 3 years later. Big Sean’s silence after that album left many fans wondering did he fall off or did he still have “it”. This album answers both of those questions. Sean came back with a vengeance and shut the critics up in a big way. Although it didn’t live up to his best album, it was still better than almost every other album released in 2020 and lyrically, Sean is at his best, even better than his album peak, Dark Sky Paradise.
Key Songs: Deep Reverence ft Nipsey Hussle, Harder Than My Demons, Friday Night Cypher ft Tee Grizzley, Kash Doll, Cash Kidd, Payroll, 42 Dugg, Boldy James, Drego, Sada Baby, Royce Da 5’9, & Eminem
Staff Writer; Tardell Swift
This brother is new to writing yet has many different interests such as gaming, hip hop, wrestling, and manga.
You can follow him on Twitter; PhirewoodGaming and keep up with his thoughts there as well.