Yes, the war between Kendrick Lamar and Drake is the biggest rap story of 2024. No, it’s not the only thing that happened. Far from it. Since the turn of the new year, folks from across the hip-hop spectrum have unloaded indelible new projects. Whether it’s been trap legends or underground heroes — Future and Metro Boomin or Common and Pete Rock — the best of the best have definitely pulled up. Now, it’s time to give them their due.
So here it is. Today, Okayplayer takes a look at the 11 best rap albums of 2024 so far.
Roc Marciano – ‘Marciology’
There is a certain lane of rap that’s really thriving in hip-hop’s underground right now. It’s filled with names like Griselda, Crimeapple, Big Ghost Ltd, Rome Streetz, Hus Kingpin, Estee Nack and more. The sound is a throwback to gritty ‘90s boom-bap rap and highlighted by razor-sharp lyrics and sparse, atmospheric backdrops — many times with no percussion included. The originator and torchbearer for this lane of rap is the regal, Roc Marciano. The Hempstead, Long Island veteran rapper unveiled another solid chapter in his storied rap career with the album, Marciology that dropped earlier this year. At this point, Marci doesn’t need to venture outside of his tried and true lane, because let’s be honest, this man created the entire blueprint. If you haven’t locked in with this project yet, be sure to check out the first single, “Gold Crossbows” along with other heaters, like “LeFlair’ and “Higher Self” featuring T.F. and Flea Lord. The energy is different and elite on any Marciano project — and thankfully he sticks to the script and delivers another winner. — by Geo Hagan
Gangrene (Alchemist and Oh No) – ‘Heads I Win, Tails You Lose’
Thenew Gangrene album is a shining example of what happens when a rap album crosses the line into a unique work of art. Heads I Win, Tails You Lose is mood music at its very best — from the album’s first two tracks “Congratulations You Lose” and “Dinosaur Jr.,” the listener is immediately transported to a murky music chamber where the rhymes are coarse and complex, and the beats feel cinematic and otherworldly. “Espionage” features a jagged, unrelenting string riff, and “Magic Dust” featuring Evidence delivers a raw syncopated drum pattern that feels unfinished yet completely whole at the same time. Elsewhere, on certified head-nodders like “Muffler Lung” and “Cloud Surfing,” Uncle Al proves that he’s still miles ahead of the new crop of beatmakers aiming to usurp his spot. For two West Coast reps who can be fairly classified as hip-hop vets, Oh No and ALC are sounding better and hungrier than most of rap’s promising upstarts. Long Live Gangrene! — by Geo Hagan
Cavalier: Different Type Time
It’s actually quite fitting that Cavalier named his new album Different Type Time, because his latest opus truly seems to get better with every new listen. The project was released in April, and throughout the 15-plus cuts on the album, the Brooklyn-raised, New Orleans-based rapper deftly weaves in and out of lush sonic creations with slick and creative wordplay. There are really no skips on the album, but be sure to spend extra time on hip-hop gems like “Come Proper,” “Touchtones,” “Pears” and the uplifting closer, “Flourish.” In an interview with Okayplayer, Cavalier stated the following about his plans for his continuous career evolution: “My vision is to continue to make memorable, forward-pushing contributions that build an unquestionable catalog.” No doubt about it, Different Type Time is certainly a project that will go down as one of the best projects of the year. — by Geo Hagan
Vince Staples – ‘Dark Times’
In an era of narcotized melody and swashbuckling street rap romanticism, Vince Staples specializes in sobering reality. With an even-keeled perceptual lens, he juxtaposes mundanities like local block parties with their resulting candlelight vigils, often rendering them with biting humor. The cynicism was a throughline for the first half of his discography. He peels that back for Dark Times, a thoughtful, yet surprisingly vulnerable LP about a young man in the coming-of-age phase of rap stardom. Wielding his customary wry wit, dense imagism and a stage actor’s control of his own vocal intonations, he distills life’s complexities with rarefied nuance, sifting through existential confusion and weary resolve like a dusty vinyl collection. For the dream-like “Justin,” a hopeful Vince recalls a casual date that crescendos with an unnerving revelation, and his steely gaze melts into the timidity of hopeless loverboy; it’s a convincing aboutface for a rapper who once said, “fuck your dead homies.” Elsewhere, on tracks like the melancholy “Government Cheese,” he comforts troubled friends with an unconvincing brand of “Keep Ya Head Up”; Vince’s lying to an imprisoned homie becomes an act of quiet magnanimity, with his muted tone mirroring his ambivalence. With its guarded buoyancy, “Little Homies” helps swirl all the emotions together for an artist who’s familiar with darkness, but isn’t too stubborn to search for light — yet. — by Peter A. Berry
Future & Metro Boomin – ‘We Don’t Trust You’
We Don’t Trust You might be primarily seen as the public start of a legendary rap feud, but it should be remembered for being an excellent rap album. Pairing Future’s off-kilter warbles with Metro Boomin’s cinematic production, the LP plays out like a wholesome avengers movie for street music. For the Kendrick Lamar-assisted “Like That,” Metro reimagines Rodney O and Joe Cooley’s “Everlasting Bass” as a blockbuster for the trap, with Future’s implicit threats and extravagant flexes setting the stage for Kendrick Lamar’s masterful climax — an agile war declaration that changed the course of rap history. While tracks like that one are explosive, the Rick Ross-assisted “Everyday Hustle” embodies soulful opulence, and the Playboi Carti and Travis Scott-featured “Type Shit” is an exercise in sleek, dystopian cool. It’s a project that knows what it’s supposed to be, and it exceeds those expectations anyway, delivering apex bangers from two trap music legends we can always trust. — by Peter A. Berry
ScHoolboy Q – ‘Blue Lips’
ScHoolboy Q’s Blue Lips is a game of multitudes, with the California spitter pulling all of his many sides into full focus. He can be his goofy, animated self, or he can be quiet and soberingly reflective. Or he can be a straight-up menace. He connects them all with a masterful control of his tones and sonic aesthetics, which keeps things from feeling stagnant. For tracks like the blues-inflected “Pop,” he’s the snarling gang banger; you can practically feel him sneering at you through your AirPods. Meanwhile, for “Thank God 4 Me,” he shifts between viciousness and gratitude for a track that emanates aggression and playful grace. With his twitchy inflections and nuanced writing, Q treats each of his emotions with equal care, and the beats he chooses only enhance the feelings of his lyrics. For his Mac Miller tribute “Blueslides,” he submerges reflection in pensive piano and reedy strings. On the subdued “Cooties,” he revels in his responsibilities as a soccer dad, with the misty instrumental playing out like a foggy morning day that begins with waking his kids up for breakfast. Swirled with production that’s as diverse as it is kinetic, Blue Lips is quintessential Q — a one-man stage play courtesy of one of rap’s most well-rounded performers. — by Peter A. Berry
Flo Milli – ‘Fine Ho, Stay’
You didn’t need an album title to tell you that Flo Milli is here for the long haul. But the Mobile, AL native’s second studio album, Fine Ho, Stay, serves a loud reminder. Flo’s bubbly, self-assured sound continues to elevate, building on the sexual nature of 2022’s You Still Here, Ho? with even more bars touting the magical wonders of her personal playland (“Know the cookie good but it’s gon’ hit you like an edible,” she quips). The cast of producers is noticeably upgraded as well, with the likes of Mike WiLL Made-It, Cardo and Bangladesh contributing to the hypnotic, thumping soundscapes. “Never Lose Me” (and its Cardi B and SZA-guested remix) is a clear standout, but tracks like “Neva,” “Clap Sum” and “Tell Me What You Want” are the kind of irresistible turn-ups that burrow into your brain and, ahem, stay there. — by John Kennedy
Rapsody – ‘Please Don’t Cry’
“I think the most beautiful shit is when you can be the most honest with yourself,” Rapsody says at the start of “That One Time,” a flute-powered Please Don’t Cry cut that finds the North Carolina MC looking in the mirror and keeping it all the way real with herself about love and life. “That’s when you the most free, when you can be vulnerable,” might as well double as the mission statement for Please Don’t Cry, a 22-track self-exploration that finds Rap at her sharpest. She hits all the notes, showing love on “3:AM,” reading raggedy dudes for filth on “Diary of a Mad Bitch,” pleading to a higher power on “Faith” and “God’s Light.” Rapsody flirts with dancehall on “Never Enough” and reworks a Monica classic for the self-care ode “DND (It’s Not Personal).” And when it’s time to talk her shit, “Back in My Bag” and “Raw” (with Lil Wayne) bring big bars like crisp cellular reception. Please Don’t Cry is what excellence sounds like. Listen up. — by John Kennedy
Mach Hommy – ‘#RICHAXXHAITIAN’
Elegant and esoteric, Mach Hommy’s #RICHAXXHAITIAN is a mosaic of arcane boom bap soundscapes, labyrinthine raps and dense mystique. Here, Mach continues to flaunt his own peculiar brand of messy precision; his verses can feel scattered, but they’re rendered through elegantly rhymed couplets, and the freneticism evokes the underlying chaos that usually comes with sorting through thoughts and sensations. It can feel like a more serious, East Coast version of Drakeo The Ruler. “Antonomasia” sees Mach and Roc Marciano graft blink-and-you-miss-it wordplay over a bubbling soul sample for a back-and-forth that’s as frantic as it is skillful, while the Your Old Droog-assisted “Empty Spaces” is a showcase for off-kilter rhyme schemes and theatricality. In a leftfield turn, he also taps in with 03 Greedo and Kaytranada for a title track that evokes the artful eclecticism of the LP — a neo boom bap icon teams with an underground West Coast legend and an electronic stalwart join in a seamless dance. In between all the organized chaos, Mach can inject pathos, but, as is the case with his best work, he keeps us separated with mesmerizing skill, coded language and impenetrable cool.— by Peter A. Berry
Tierra Whack: ‘World Wide Whack’
Blending colorful aesthetics with unfiltered emotions and twitchy, child-like vocal inflections, World Wide Whack is a luminous funhouse for feeling. Checking in at a brisk 38 minutes, Tierra Whack’s debut album sees her tap into her entire range of styles and sounds for a showcase that’s as efficient as it is virtuosic. For tracks like “MS Behave,” she morphs into a quirky fusion of Missy Elliott and Kendrick Lamar, flaunting some cartoonish intonations and off-kilter wordplay for a track that’s equal parts clever and anthemic. On songs like “Moovies,” “Imaginary Friends,” and “Shower Song,” she renders free-wheeling romance and playfulness and bars that straddle the line between surreality and naked humanity. Whether she’s battling depression (“27 Club”) or embracing momentary invincibility (“Chanel Pit”), Whack swirls subgenres and vibes with a rarefied combination of finesse and visceral power — a constellation that lets her mold the world of rap in her own image.— by Peter A. Berry
Common & Pete Rock – ‘The Auditorium, Vol. 1’
In Common’s own words, The Auditorium, Vol. 1 is a rap love letter from the “stellar regions of the soul.” Checking in at a little over an hour, Com and Pete Rock’s joint album is a nostalgic odyssey for lovers of classic soul chops and metaphysical poetry. On the intro, “Dreamin,” Com laces Pete Rock’s celestial horn samples with a rumination of his own version of Thugz Mansion. Like the best Common tracks, it’s sincere, skillful and a little corny — with the latter quality being an endearing one that communicates his unabashed earnestness. Pete Rock’s gleaming soundscapes only enhance the effect, coloring Common’s optimism in the sheen of a believer. For “Fortunate,” Common’s wide-eyed earnestness and paternal baritone seep into a bed of dreamily gleaming synths for a track that at once savors the present and locks in on the future, a microcosm for a legendary link-up we should all be thankful for.— by Peter A. Berry
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