The post The Best Rap and Hip Hop Albums of 2018 appeared first on Hot Pop Today.
]]>Just in this year alone, some of the most recognizable rap and hip-hop artists presented their new albums including Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, Eminem, and Kanye West.
Still, that didn’t discourage us, and after a lot of hard work, which included listening to the songs and researching the reactions of the audience and the critics, we finally managed to compile our list of the best rap and hip-hop albums of 2018. So let’s take a look at it.
Produced and mostly written by Kendrick Lamar, Black Panther: The Album is a proof that movie soundtracks don’t have to be just a tie-in to the film but works of arts on their own. Lamar did a great job choosing his collaborators and making an enjoyable album, which would be just as popular Marvel’s blockbuster movie Black Panther wasn’t standing behind him.
After Cardi B emerged to the rap scene with her international hit single “Bodak Yellow” in 2017, her debut album Invasion of Privacy was one of the most anticipated albums in 2018. It turns out that the wait was worth it since the record received critical acclaim while topping the US Billboard 200.
After his 2017’s album Revival didn’t meet with the best reception, Eminem decided to go rogue and deliver one of the most satisfying records of this year. Kamikaze featured the 46-year-old rapper at his best, delivering heavy punch lines and disses all over the place. While the critics gave it mixed reviews, the audience loved the record and made it the bestselling rap and hip-hop album of the year.
Maybe a surprising entry on the list for some, but Pusha T’s Daytona, his first studio album since 2015, is worthy of being in contention for the best album of 2018. Although the record as a whole was unfairly overshadowed by the rapper’s feud with Drake, Daytona still managed to find its way to the wider audience being appreciated for its impeccable production, crafty beats, and Pusha T’s razor-sharp lyrics.
Despite the tough competition, Travis Scott’s third studio album Astroworld seems to be the most deserving to be at the top of our the best rap and hip-hop albums of 2018 list. It was a commercial and critical success, being described as “a futuristic record with virtually flawless production, that lingers on the mind long after the final track.” You’ll have a hard time finding one bad song on the album, which tells you everything you need to know about this brilliant release.
The post The Best Rap and Hip Hop Albums of 2018 appeared first on Hot Pop Today.
]]>The post Album Review: “Black Panther: The Album” appeared first on Hot Pop Today.
]]>Kendrick is surely one of the most ambitious and successful rappers on today’s music scene, and his enormous potential is evident on the five tracks in which he is featured on this soundtrack. He opens up the album with a hammer track called “Black Panther,” where he channels his inner conflicts and burdens of being a leader of people. Lyrics are accompanied by a powerful beat which sinks well with the weight of his words. Then he teams up with Jay Rock, Future and James Blake on “King’s Dead,” which represents almost a sequel to the first track. Together they work as a movie narrative, which is pretty awesome when you look at it.
However, not all tracks are hardcore rap that we are used to hearing from Lamar. Black Panther: The Album also experiments with pop-friendly vibes. This is probably due to a fact that movie needs to appeal to wider audience, so a mainstream hit is a necessity after all. Such is the track “All The Stars“ which features Kendrick and SZA. Although it might come off a bit mellow and as a song you’ve heard numerous times before, it will surely find its audience. The last track “Pray For Me” with Kendrick and The Weeknd may be appealing to the casual and The Weeknd fans, but it isn’t something hip-hop fans will think of highly. ‘Big Shot’ featuring Kendrick and Travis Scott can be viewed as experimental for Lamar, and although it might seem like a misfire, the song is catchy and might grow on you with time.
When it comes to the songs on Black Panther: The Album which doesn’t feature Kendrick Lamar, you should pay attention to “X” (Schoolboy Q, 2 Chainz, and Saudi), “Opps” (Vince Staples and Yugen Blakrok), and “Bloody Waters” (Ab-Soul, Anderson Paak and James Blake) where you will find plenty of good rap.
Overall, the album is satisfying, with positive certainly outweighing the negative. It is surely a worthy soundtrack to accompany a superhero like Black Panther and the rap-centric album fits nicely in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
The post Album Review: “Black Panther: The Album” appeared first on Hot Pop Today.
]]>The post The Best Rap and Hip Hop Albums of 2018 appeared first on Hot Pop Today.
]]>Just in this year alone, some of the most recognizable rap and hip-hop artists presented their new albums including Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, Eminem, and Kanye West.
Still, that didn’t discourage us, and after a lot of hard work, which included listening to the songs and researching the reactions of the audience and the critics, we finally managed to compile our list of the best rap and hip-hop albums of 2018. So let’s take a look at it.
Produced and mostly written by Kendrick Lamar, Black Panther: The Album is a proof that movie soundtracks don’t have to be just a tie-in to the film but works of arts on their own. Lamar did a great job choosing his collaborators and making an enjoyable album, which would be just as popular Marvel’s blockbuster movie Black Panther wasn’t standing behind him.
After Cardi B emerged to the rap scene with her international hit single “Bodak Yellow” in 2017, her debut album Invasion of Privacy was one of the most anticipated albums in 2018. It turns out that the wait was worth it since the record received critical acclaim while topping the US Billboard 200.
After his 2017’s album Revival didn’t meet with the best reception, Eminem decided to go rogue and deliver one of the most satisfying records of this year. Kamikaze featured the 46-year-old rapper at his best, delivering heavy punch lines and disses all over the place. While the critics gave it mixed reviews, the audience loved the record and made it the bestselling rap and hip-hop album of the year.
Maybe a surprising entry on the list for some, but Pusha T’s Daytona, his first studio album since 2015, is worthy of being in contention for the best album of 2018. Although the record as a whole was unfairly overshadowed by the rapper’s feud with Drake, Daytona still managed to find its way to the wider audience being appreciated for its impeccable production, crafty beats, and Pusha T’s razor-sharp lyrics.
Despite the tough competition, Travis Scott’s third studio album Astroworld seems to be the most deserving to be at the top of our the best rap and hip-hop albums of 2018 list. It was a commercial and critical success, being described as “a futuristic record with virtually flawless production, that lingers on the mind long after the final track.” You’ll have a hard time finding one bad song on the album, which tells you everything you need to know about this brilliant release.
The post The Best Rap and Hip Hop Albums of 2018 appeared first on Hot Pop Today.
]]>The post Album Review: “Black Panther: The Album” appeared first on Hot Pop Today.
]]>Kendrick is surely one of the most ambitious and successful rappers on today’s music scene, and his enormous potential is evident on the five tracks in which he is featured on this soundtrack. He opens up the album with a hammer track called “Black Panther,” where he channels his inner conflicts and burdens of being a leader of people. Lyrics are accompanied by a powerful beat which sinks well with the weight of his words. Then he teams up with Jay Rock, Future and James Blake on “King’s Dead,” which represents almost a sequel to the first track. Together they work as a movie narrative, which is pretty awesome when you look at it.
However, not all tracks are hardcore rap that we are used to hearing from Lamar. Black Panther: The Album also experiments with pop-friendly vibes. This is probably due to a fact that movie needs to appeal to wider audience, so a mainstream hit is a necessity after all. Such is the track “All The Stars“ which features Kendrick and SZA. Although it might come off a bit mellow and as a song you’ve heard numerous times before, it will surely find its audience. The last track “Pray For Me” with Kendrick and The Weeknd may be appealing to the casual and The Weeknd fans, but it isn’t something hip-hop fans will think of highly. ‘Big Shot’ featuring Kendrick and Travis Scott can be viewed as experimental for Lamar, and although it might seem like a misfire, the song is catchy and might grow on you with time.
When it comes to the songs on Black Panther: The Album which doesn’t feature Kendrick Lamar, you should pay attention to “X” (Schoolboy Q, 2 Chainz, and Saudi), “Opps” (Vince Staples and Yugen Blakrok), and “Bloody Waters” (Ab-Soul, Anderson Paak and James Blake) where you will find plenty of good rap.
Overall, the album is satisfying, with positive certainly outweighing the negative. It is surely a worthy soundtrack to accompany a superhero like Black Panther and the rap-centric album fits nicely in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
The post Album Review: “Black Panther: The Album” appeared first on Hot Pop Today.
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