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HUSTLE FAVS: Albums of 2022

Exclusive, MusicDom Hustlemusic, genre, hiphop, rap, r&b, album, albumoftheyear, AOTY, 2022, hustle, Hustle ResponsiblyComment
HUSTLE FAVS: Albums of 2022

Yup you guessed it, it’s that time of year once again. My first album of the year list was pretty dope; (Hustle Favs of 2020) After taking a year off and not sharing my top albums of 2021; I am back on track sharing some of my favorite tunes that were released this year. So before you let those sleigh bells start ringing and gathering the crew for Christmas Caroling missions, lets take a look back at some of my favorite musical bodies of work that was released in 2022.

Same rules apply: My only criteria was if I thought the project slapped. No 5 mic criteria or ranking system; I didn’t open up an encyclepedia or do my googles on every project that was released and sift through half ass listens just to put something out I felt would bring closure to our year musically. This was simple; is the music good? did the rollout capture my attention? Would I want to share this with a friend or stranger? for whatever the reason. There was no cap or limit to the amount of projects that I wanted to share. Just vibes.

For consistency purposes I’ll try and give a brief ‘why this project made MY list’ blurb, and a few of my standout records from the project.

ENTERGALACTIC - KID CUDI

  • New Mode

  • Ignite The Love

  • In Love

  • Willing To Trust

  • Can’t Shake Her

Cudder does it again. I never know exactly what genre to consider Kid Cudi as he consistently pushes the envelop on sounds and honestly ENTERGALACTIC may be my favorite of his entire catalog. The soundtrack that accompanies the animated film that goes by the same name is a vibe the entire way through. It is the perfect pairing of audio & visual masterpieces. There has been rumblings of him 1)never working with frequent collaborator Kanye West ever again; 2) retiring from making music in the same capacity all together. If this is the last hooray; creatively he seems to be walking away on his on terms at the apex of his creative genius.

2000 - JOEY BADA$$

  • The Baddest (feat. Diddy)

  • Cruise Control

  • One of Us (feat. Larry June)

  • Zipcodes

  • Survivors Guilt

It was the ‘1999’ debut mixtape from Joey Bada$$ that was released in 2012 that put this classical NYC born emcee on my radar as someone to continue to pay attention to as they grew and matured in their craft. Fast forward 10 years later and Joey Bad delivers with in my opinion one of the more refreshing bodies of work I’ve heard in quite a while. Selfishly one of my AOTY contenders. We open up with a co-sign from DIDDY, we later get big ups from NAS; for a thoroughbred New Yorker it does not get more honorable than that. Substance combined with evolved production make this the sequel that we didn’t know we needed.

CHAPTERS OF THE TRENCHES - TEE GRIZZLEY

  • Jay & Twan 1 - 3

  • Robbery Pt. 4 - 5

Since his big breakout in 2017 with ‘First Day Out’ Tee Grizzley has built a consistent and loyal following from his detailed story telling ability. It’s a tag that ‘trap’ or ‘street’ artists rarely ever get to wear. But Tee flexes his storytelling ability throughout the entire project. A concept album if you will; each record reads out like a urban novel that have you rewinding just to make sure you didn’t miss any important details.

LUV 4 RENT - SMINO

  • No L’s

  • 90 Proof (feat. J.Cole)

  • Blu Billy

  • Matinee (feat. Kal Banx)

  • Defibrillator

In his third official release; Smino, the St.Louis native finally appears to be ready to accept the STL throne as the heir apparent to Nelly’s mega run in the early - mid 2000s. A full body of work; true to the roots of the Midwest with southern twang; Smino has a perfect balance of upbeat dance records and groove that make for the perfect record to play during the next family reunion. Good Rap music for all ages, without compromising who he is.

HER LOSS - DRAKE & 21 SAVAGE

  • BackOutsideBoyz

  • Privileged Rappers

  • Spin Bout U

  • Pussy & Millions (feat. Travis $cott)

  • Middle of the Ocean

Honestly..Drake needed a project to make the public forget what was Honestly… Nevermind. A rap duet with 21 Savage gave enough us a number of anthems to close out the year. Many believe it was because of Drake’s unnecessary shots that made competitors nervous; I think it was more of 21’s ability outperform his Canadian brother with either better bars or a more memorable presence. I’m ranking Her Loss equal to his & Future’s ‘What A Time to Be Alive’.

KING’S DISEASE III - NAS

  • Legit

  • Reminisce

  • Serious Interlude

  • I’m On Fire

  • First Time

No artist in Hip-Hop history has aged as gracefully as Nasir Jones. 30 years in and Nas has found his second wind alongside super producer Hit-Boy. The third installment of the Kings Disease series in my opinion has shifted the narrative putting Nas in the conversation of greatest emcee of all time. KD III is the icing on the cake being the trailblazer to how an artist can continue to grow with their original fanbase. Rap is a young man’s sport but Nas remains true while also giving young listeners something to latch onto as well.

THE FOREVER STORY - JID

  • Raydar

  • Surround Sound (feat. 21 Savage)

  • Kody Blu 31

  • Sistanem

J.Cole’s talent as an executive is criminally underrated. J.I.D’s ‘The Forever Story’ does not disappoint as one of the more witty and technical rhymers of the modern era puts his talent and range on display here. The album carries an unquestioned ‘hit’ in Surround Sound; but utilizes the rest of the album to simply outrap a lot of people.

MOB - BABYFACE RAY

  • Wonderful Wayne & Jackie Boy (feat. Lil Durk)

  • Spend It (feat. Blxst & Nija)

  • Massacre (feat. Doe Boy)

Babyface Ray has been a staple in Detroit’s rap scene for quite some time now but is just starting to hit his groove on a national level. Polished street raps; his unique and slurred delivery made for one of the better albums to release in ‘22. I get depth. I get substance. The LP is more than just sliding on opps, its like Ray was bringing his audience into the process of finding himself. Having conversations with his mom, addressing his potentially unhealthy gravitation to syrup; we get to the true depths of a Detroit street rapper.

MR. MORALE & THE BIG STEPPERS - KENDRICK LAMAR

  • Die Hard (feat. Blxst & Amanda Reifer)

  • Father Time (feat. Sampha)

  • Rich Spirit

  • Purple Hearts (feat. Summer Walker & Ghostface Killah)

  • Count Me Out

One of the longstanding King’s of modern rap; at the height of his legendary run takes a 5-year hiatus and returns with Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. At a status where everything he does is critically acclaimed; K.Dot remains his thought provoking and vulnerable self by exploring topics that have layers of trauma caked and embedded into our community for generations: from Daddy Issues, to homophobia, and family members who can’t keep their hands to themselves. He continues to take rap to new heights while also putting his own insecurities and mistakes on display to allow the culture to push forward. The right decision for Album of the Year in my book.

MORE BLACK SUPERHEROES - WESTSIDE BOOGIE

  • Nonchalant (feat. Mamii)

  • LOLSMH II

  • Prideful II

Honestly one of my favorite artists over the past few years. Following up his 2019 Everything’s for Sale with More Black Superheroes. Boogie is a very calculated and intentional artist; from his artwork, to his rollout, the concept of More Black Superheroes being a photo that any Black father can re-create is meaningful. An uberly talented rapper, the non orthodox voice makes for a more memorable project.

ROMONA PARK BROKE MY HEART - VINCE STAPLES

  • Magic

  • When Sparks Fly

  • East Point Prayer (feat. Lil Baby)

  • Rose Street

If there was a way to describe Romona Park Broke My Heart; if we were to get a 2022 remake of Menace II Society, it’d be the perfect soundtrack to that film. Descriptively walking us through growing up South Central LA, with a certain set of principals and codes to abide by. Between the return of King Kendrick, Westside Boogie emerging, and yet another AOTY contender from Vince Staples; the Westcoast is in good hands once again.

IT’S ALMOST DRY - PUSHA T

  • Rock & Roll (feat. Kanye West & Kid Cudi)

  • Dreaming of The Past (feat. Kanye West)

  • Neck & Wrist (feat. Jay-Z)

  • Just So You Remember

  • Diet Coke

I don’t want this moment to be overshadowed by the fact this may be the official end to the G.O.O.D Music era. At the time of this post; it has all been reported that 1) Kid Cudi would no longer be collaborating with Ye. 2) Pusha no longer is acting President of G.O.O.D and no longer has any musical obligations to the label. With Ye featured on 2 records and one of them featuring Cudi; this may be a moment frozen in time to give Push his self-proclaimed ‘Rap Album of The Year’. Nobody campaigned harder in 2022 than Push; continuing to give us high class drug bars like very few of his contemporaries.

DRIP SEASON 4 (DS4) - GUNNA

  • Private Island

  • Pushin’ P (feat. Young Thug & Future)

  • How You Did Dat (feat. Kodak Black)

  • Living Wild

Unfortunate the legal situation Gunna and friends have gotten themselves into; but that is a story for another day. Here we can celebrate a staple release from one of the hottest artist of the early 2020’s. Pushing P had pop culture in a frenzy; and still boasts an all star list of featured artists from Drake and Young Thug; to rumored love interest Chloe amongst others.

$OUL $OLD $EPRATELY - FREDDIE GIBBS

  • Couldn’t Be Done

  • Blackest In the Room

  • Lobster Omelette (feat. Rick Ross)

  • Rabbit Vision

  • Dark Hearted

I’m not a fan of the antics that Freddie has been displaying over the past few years. Social Media trolling definitely a thing in this era but you’d expect it coming from the 20sumthings and not the Gary, Indiana staple. But its obvious that Gibbs is having fun with every situation after hitting a stretch of success many artists envy for. After separating from his Jeezy affiliation he’s found himself in acting spots; thriving in ‘rap beefs’ (see Gunna, and Benny the Butcher) all while making some of the best music of his career in $oul $old $eperately.

GHETTO GODS - EARTHGANG

  • Ghetto Gods

  • Waterboyz (feat. JID & J.Cole)

  • Power (feat. CeeLo Green & Nick Cannon)

  • Strong Friends

  • Run Too (feat. Ari Lennox)

Easily one of my favorite spins of the year. The image proceeds the music; cut from the Andre 3000 cloth stylistically probably why I’ve been late to the Earthgang party. Eclectic raps that hit hard; an epitome of Atlanta artistry, Olu and WowGr8 put together a helluva project here. Not to mention the deluxe version has some bangers on it as well that didn’t make the original cut.

BACK FOR EVERYTHING - KODAK BLACK

  • Let Me Know

  • Midas Touch

  • Super Gremlin

Easily one of the more interesting and naturally polarizing figures in music. Kodak Black speaks directly to a certain demographic but his stories and the honesty that shows in his music is second to not many. His natural voice is hypnotizing but there is a level of substance that is lined throughout his music and Kodak’s first of two LP’s of the year is solid run through; and boasts one of the largest hits of the year in diss to labelmate in Super Gremlin.

LARRY JUNE - SPACESHIPS ON THE BLADE

  • Things You Do

  • Brand New Machinery (feat. Duckwrth)

  • For Tonight (feat. Syd)

  • Breakfast In Monaco

  • Appreciate It All

“Good Job Larry” for yet another successful release for the West’s new curator of cool. With a style somewhere between Curren$y and Dom Kennedy. He is in a class by himself with his approach to his music. Futuristic, yet relatable and refreshing all at the same time; Larry June keeps the run going with Spaceships On the Blades.

SABA - FEW GOOD THINGS

  • An Interlude called “Circus” (feat. Eryn Allen Kane)

  • Few Good Things (feat. Black Thought & Eryn Allen Kane)

  • Come My Way (feat. Krayzie Bone)

  • Still (feat. Smino & 6lack)

  • If I’d Had A Dollar (feat. Benjamin Earl Turner)

  • Make Believe (feat. Foushee)

In this era where it seems like not many projects have sticking power; I knew upon my first listen when this LP dropped in February that it’d be one of the strongest Hip-Hop releases of 2022. Here I am 10 months later and the sentiment still stands; Saba composes a complete masterpiece and in my opinion the strongest (non-Kanye) Chicago release since Chance the Rapper’s ACID RAP dropped in 2013. I hope he can get that hometown push that rivals Chance’s ascend because the talent and a viable body of work are clearly in place.

AB SOUL - HERBERT

  • Message In a Bottle (feat. Sir Skiiwalker)

  • Do Better (feat. Zacari)

  • Gang’nem (feat. Fre$h)

  • Art of Seduction (feat. Ambre)

At one point in time, and I know I’m not alone in thinking this but Ab-Soul was in rap limbo. As if there isn’t already enough pressure being an original member of Black Hippy; and label mate of rap superstars K.Dot, Jay Rock, and Schoolboy Q. Soul seemed like he was the one unable to translate the success from the mixtape / blog era into major label success. And you can tell he went through every emotion en route to finding himself artistically in the way he did on HERBERT. I may be fighting through some feels because its been far too long since a release but dare I say it; HERBERT is the best TDE release of the year and a helluva way to reintroduce yourself to the world.

BEYONCE - RENAISSANCE

  • Break My Soul

  • Cuff It

  • America Has a Problem

I understand the power of the Bey-Hive and I wouldn’t dare leave out The Queen’s Renaissance release. There’s a reason why she essentially stops time when its time to roll out a new body of work. I’ll admit pop/R&B isn’t my genre of choice but I know greatness when its right in front of me.