June 6, 2025 • 25 mins
On this week's episode, it's the best hip hop albums of 2025...so far! Let's talk about it!
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Support on CashApp: $Vegasworldinc77
Merch SALE! Shirts, Hoodies, Phone Cases, and more! Visit HHNP Logo Merch
Hip-Hop NOW Podcast's Theme music is produced by McLovin Beatz (@mclovin-beatz)
Blue Sky/Twitter/Instagram/Tik Tok/Threads/Spill: @Vegasworldinc
Facebook: HHNP FB Page
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Become a YouTube Member today!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Coming up on this week's episode of Hip Hop Now podcast,
it's the best of twenty twenty five so far.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Let's do it. Welcome to hip Hop Now, Potts. If
you from the future, you know what to do. Show
ass out of my past life.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
So disrespectful leg hip hop is say to today.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Let's get rightful to the business whatever, y'all.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
I A'm your host Vegas and this it's hip Hop
Now Podcasts say podcast specifically designed to keep you caught
up on all things hip hop, music and culture that
happened throughout the week. Big shout out to the supporters
on the audio side first that listened to this podcast,
that subscribe to this podcast, review this podcast. I know
(00:55):
you did on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and all that
good stuff. Appreciate you. Big shout out also to the
subscribers to this podcast right here on YouTube. We met
our goal for the year. You know how like you
get to work and you're like, I'm done with all
my work and it's eleven o'clock, I'm just going to
(01:17):
watch Netflix shows, go down a rabbit hole on YouTube,
and basically stay on social media the whole time. So
we're not doing that, but we're going to chill for
the goal. And you know, the goal to me at
this point, considering how quickly we got to ten thousand subscribers.
(01:40):
Right now we're at twelve thousand, knocking on thirteen. I
think twenty five thousand is the next goal. I doubt
that will happen before the end of the year, but
you never know, I might go vite, you know what
I'm saying. But shout out to everybody, and especially shout
out to new subscribers to this podcast. And if you
type of person who pop in, whether it's the audio
(02:02):
Joint or YouTube, but you didn't hit that subscribe button,
check this dataut because it's real. More than ninety percent
of the people who listen to this podcast or even
watch it on YouTube are not subscribed.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Not subscribe.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
So if you enjoy this content, and you know, whether
it's this weekly podcast or the shortsip post or the
special episodes, and I got a few more coming up
special episodes like my reaction videos, like I just did
a third video recently talking about the origin not the origins,
(02:41):
but what is coke rat basically, So it makes sense
if you like something to subscribe it, like comment all
that good stuff. But today is a special episode of
the podcast. Is an episode I do annually. As we
approach the end of the second quarter, we will be
(03:02):
at the halfway point of the year, and like I
say when I do my best of the Year podcast episodes,
I'm working on that end of the year list every
day throughout the throughout the year. So all the projects
that drop everything you know I'm listening to, you know,
(03:25):
surprise drops, drops we know about right like Little Wing
Carter six. If you was looking for my review today,
it's not that good, So there you go.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
But I'm building.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
I'm building that list throughout the year, and typically by
the halfway point there's some strong candidates. But this year
is a little bit different. I feel like the list
is full of good albums and I got maybe like
thirteen joints for y'all good albums, but maybe one or
(04:03):
two are those joints that I feel like by the
end of the year they'll still be on this list
because we got a lot coming up.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
So what I'll further ado.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
I know some people want to get right into it.
Let's get right into the business.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
All right.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
So like I said, this is a quick list, I'm
gonna run through them. I'm gonna give you some of
my thoughts on some of the albums. But here are
some of the albums I think are the best of
the year so far. Starting at the top, No Order, Relax,
and No Order whatsoever. Starting at the top. One hundred
Grand Royce with his album It's Personal Too. I was
(04:45):
introduced shout out to yents. I was introduced to one
hundred Grand roys through the first part you know It's Personal,
and I was like, Man, these beats a dope.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Homie Karam like, I like this.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
So I've always kind of kept my eye on his music,
and he's done some stuff with Dame Grease that was dope.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
But this year he.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Dropped a sequel to the album I was introduced to
him by, and Man, one thing about this dude is
you can't never call him a wack beat picker because
I love almost every beat he picks. I never look
at the beat and be like, ah, that could have
been better. They're always dope. So if you want boom back,
(05:30):
you want familiar samples. That's what I really like about it,
like flips on familiar samples. You should definitely check this
joint out. And again, the bars are there. It's boomback.
You know what I'm saying. You know what comes with
the territorial boom back. The beats make your head nah
like it's worth to listen. West Side Gun twelve. I
(05:53):
review this on the one of the episodes of Hip
Hop Now podcast and I said, straight up, I think
this is probably going to make my top five of
the year. We'll see what happens, but this is a
great album from Westside Gun. If you stayed away from
Westcott Westside Done for a little while, or you like
(06:15):
Stove God Cooks but haven't really heard anything since Reasonable Doubt,
I mean reasonable Drought. This is my This is probably
what you want to check out. There's probably one song
on here I skip, and that's saying a lot. And
it's also featured on this album as st Nax. So
it's a very dope album from Westside Gun. One of
(06:37):
the early candidates for my Top five of the year.
I mess with it heavy. I listened to it like
all the time, So check that out. Next up. Snoop Dogg,
is it a crime? Snoop Dogg just dropped Missionary with
Doctor dre At like I think. In December of twenty
(06:58):
twenty four, I'm thinking we're not really going to get
another album from Snoop, you know, probably a year or
two or whatever, you know, and I was thinking like
it would be different, But it felt like Snoop saw
the reception of that album, which I thought was great,
but maybe people who saw Doctor Dre and Snoop getting
together had an expectation that was more chronic Doggie style
(07:22):
and not necessarily what they make today, which is not
lacking my opinion, but I get it that people wanted
a more LBC, you know, harder edge Snoop, and I
think this album gives you that. Like Off the Rip,
he doesn't do much talking about you know, the whole
performing at that president's inauguration, but he does address it
(07:47):
in his light and he moves on. And I think
this is one of the better albums of the year.
Next up Lloyd Banks AO and three. Despite my mistakes,
this is going to be in a couple people who's
like top five of the year easy, you want boom,
bad beats, you.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Want bars upon bars upon bars.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
If you know Lloyd Banks and what he does is
like a technician with the bars, and I feel like
this project is one of his better albums recently. I
know there's some people who like everything he's released recently.
For me, he can be a little bit monitor, not
a little bit a lot of bit monotone, which if
(08:33):
you have a ton of songs with a ton of
verses and the songs are longer, they can all blend together.
I think this project is a little bit different because
because of the production, the production provides you with that variety,
and it feels like the production kind of sets the
tone for what you're gonna hear. So I think that's
what I like most about it, because it made me
(08:55):
get through the whole album without getting that feeling of man,
this just feels so redundant. I'm not even listening to
his lyrics, no bar work, and the guest features on
here are the same, like dudes like Ransom Styles P.
I believe it's on here, Like those dudes that you
know can can rap rap, they bring it on this record,
(09:20):
and I think it's just a dope album. This will
probably make my top five a year strictly off the
fact that it's refreshing to just hear different hip hop
and not different for different sake, but mainly because it
sounds good. Sounds like really good and it's still in
(09:43):
that hip hop bag. It's not in that bag that
blurs the lines between pop or some other genre of music.
It's straight up hip hop. But it just sounds really good.
And a lot of it has to do with did
I even say the album this is SOB and No
Id from the private collection of Saba and no Id.
(10:04):
I feel like Saba's lyrics are varied, the subject matter
matter is varied. He sounds poised on these records in
the pocket, all that good stuff, and no Id from
the producer's standpoint, it's the same thing variety, you know
what I'm saying, music that like. Put it this way,
(10:27):
I could listen to somebody like Currency all day every day.
Why because it's more about the vibe of it than
it's about whether those lyrics are similar to the lyrics
on the other song and if that beat is a
similar feeling to the nah Man that's what I.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
Came there for.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
But when somebody can make you really listen to the
things they're saying and kind of reflect and relate and
all that good stuff, now you're talking and I feel
like on this album with Saba and no Id, it's
gonna be hard to knock it out of my top five,
Like we're gonna have to have some stellar albums this
year in order for it to leave my top five,
(11:05):
because right now I could easily pencil it in.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
That's one of the top five.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
Next up, Too Short, Sir, Too Short, Volume one, Freaky Tales.
I just like it because it's classic. Too Short on
a new album, right Some people feel like, oh, if
he's not doing anything different, I'll just go listen to
the old albums. You're right, Too Short got a lot
of older albums where he's doing all these same things.
(11:32):
But what I like about it is that it's new
and I like the production, and Too Short is hilarious
to me. It's early nineties vulgar. I'm gonna just warn
you right now. It's not like he uses the B
word and that's it, or he might make a reference
towards a lady doing something. No, it's early nineties hardcore lyrics.
(11:59):
So if you cringe yet hearing certain things, don't even
press playfam I don't know how you heard the first single.
Next up, Jim Jones at the Church Steps These This
is one of those joints that will make it it will.
It will make the best of the year for me
because I just like it. It's just dope. I like
(12:21):
when Jim Jones raps like this. I like when his
production value is not only varied but kind of soulful
in some ways, and he rhymes perfectly in pocket. He's
like if Rick Ross was from New York. That's what
he's like. Like he talks about the same things all
(12:42):
the times, but it doesn't matter. It just sounds dope,
and I just like his cadence. I don't necessarily like
seeing him dress like, you know, like Dusty Rhodes at
the Bowling Alley or whatever that video was for who
Cares or young yn. I think it's whack for him
(13:03):
to even dress or act like that at his age,
But that is no way, there's no way put it
that way. Bars if that's how you put your boss
that I could listen to this album and let what
I think about how he dressed or how he's acting
in public deterred me from the fact that this is
(13:25):
a very dope album. And I think a lot of
people ignore this type of music from Jim Jones because
they feel like, now, I can't really mess with that dude,
I don't even know him. I don't need to mess
with him. It's just it's just a very dope album.
So if you liked L Capo, you'll like this. I'm
just saying. Next up, DJ Fresh Late Night Freeway Vibes.
(13:49):
That's an instrumental album from DJ Fresh. I think it's
like the I thought I had it down here, but
I think it's like the thirteenth volume something crazy. But
what I like about it is one of those instrumental
albums that you could just put on and rock to it.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
It's not boring.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
It's almost like some people can't just listen to an
instrumental hip hop album then when the ain't some bars
on that And sometimes I can feel like that, But
I feel like that when the beats are bare right,
like they're simple right, it's a loop, and it's a
loop that continues to happen until it's finished, right like
three minutes in, you're still.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
On that loop.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
That's not what these DJ Fresh instrumentals are. They have
take on the life of their own. They have a
personality with everything that's in that's included within the beats,
how they begin all kinds of stuff. So I really
mess with it for that reason. A couple more next
step Smith and Wesson Infinity. I was a little like
(14:54):
so so, and again I don't know if this will
make my best City year by the end of the year,
because again, there are a lot of albums on the
way that are highly anticipated. You know, they don't have
to live up to that anticipation for most fans. But
this album Infinity from Smith and Weston is pretty dope,
(15:17):
produced by Ninth Wonder and the Soul Council has a
number of bangers on there, but it could potentially be
one of those albums people forget because it came out
so early in the year. But if you haven't heard
it and you're a fan of Smith and Wesson, check
it out. I did a review on one of the
past episodes of Hip Hop Now podcast, but also I
(15:38):
did a ranking of Smith and Wesson albums, and honestly,
going back listening to the progression of that group up
into this album Infinity, it just makes sense lyrically, musically,
and all that good stuff. So check that out. Our
next up a dude who I did an interview right
(15:59):
here on this podcast. You should check that interview out.
I am God stity of God. If you require extreme
bar work articulation of words, I Am God never fails,
never fails, Like you can listen to like you listen
(16:22):
to the first record off the Joint, and it's so
potent with like just not only just bar work and technique,
but just execution of that technique, clarity of his voice
as he says these words, as he enunciates, and not
in an overtly way like I think that's what I
(16:44):
like about Push a T in particular, Like it's the
way he enunciates when he talks about all this. He
makes everything with all his coke. He makes everything sound
bigger than what he's actually saying. Right, it makes sense.
I'm really basic with someone else not saying the bars
are basic. But his execution of the verse is part
(17:08):
of what makes his versus dope. And that's the same
thing what I Am God. It's his delivery that makes
you pay attention to the words, and when you're paying
attention to the words, you kind of catching the gems
and the bars and you're like, man, this dude is awesome.
Speaker 2 (17:24):
The album is also.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
Next up Dave easton Ransom The Final Call I'm Not
Gonna Lie man like. Ransom did two recent collaborations right.
He did one with Conway last year that I kind
of like got into after the fact because they're both
(17:48):
I'm a big fans of both Conway and Ransom, but
I felt like I expected a little bit more and
sometimes it felt like the you know, the music didn't
match them teaming up, and the chemistry wasn't what I
thought it would be, but it wasn't bad at all.
That's kind of how I felt initially with the Davies
(18:10):
and Ransom right. It felt like, Okay, Davies, you take
your turn, and then Ransom takes his turn. But as
I go back and spin it, spin it more men,
I listen to this on a regular basis. Is it
top five for me at the end of the year.
I doubt it, but it definitely will be in my
best of the year because I think if again, if
(18:31):
you enjoy bar work and underground beats, this with a
theme with a theme in the final call, I think
he would enjoy this joint Wu Tang Clan Black Sampson
the Bestard Swordsman. This is not one of the better
(18:54):
Wu Tang projects, but it's also not one of the
worst it's somewhere in the middle where to me, it's good.
It's good for what it is. There's not a lot
of noise around it, because again, every time the Wu
Tang's coming out, we wonder if Rizzard's gonna be on
the boards, and lately he's not on the boards, and
(19:18):
it has to do with him not wanting to retread
ground production wise when it comes to that familiar Wu
Tang sound. I wish one time he would just do
that so that we can get a riser produced album
that sounds like the Wool, you know and love at
least a combination between their first two albums. But that's
(19:40):
not where Riza is. So we get Mathematics, which is
not bad trade off. It's just that in order to
get something that resembles the Wool sound, Mathematics is your
guy for the Wool and this album having a blaxploitation
theme to it. It's pretty good. It's pretty good. Will
(20:02):
it be top five of the year for me? No,
it's not even top five right now? Is it one
of the better albums of the year so far? Yes,
it is. So if you like the Wu you like
the Wo sound. All the members of there on the joint,
including Rizza.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
Check this out.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
You know you might dig it, because if you're waiting
for Rizza to dial it back to thirty six Chambers
or Wu Tang forever, you're gonna be waiting forever. Because
he said so, like nah Man, I'm trying to I'm
trying to create something different. And the last one I
have on my list is Exhibit Kingmaker. This is an
(20:39):
album that released recently. Exhibit was away from the game
for some time, so this is kind of like a
comeback album for him. And if you like Exhibit and
his music, if you haven't heard Exhibit before, not to
say that you should start here, but this is.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
A really good album, a really good album. I dug it.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
I messed with the themes, I messed with the guest appearances. Ironically,
the song with Redman was the one I didn't like
that much, which is weird because I love Redman, but
it was like it was okay. I guess I was
expecting more. But again, production is right. Exhibit sounds fresh,
(21:23):
sounds hungry, and it's an album in the same vein
that albums used to be made.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
Right.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
It's a concept, but it's not like every song is
a play on that concept, but the concept is felt
and heard throughout the project, and I just think between
and the way it's mess it too. It sounds excellent,
like if you put headphones on with it, it sounds great.
But I just enjoyed because it felt like Exhibit took
(21:54):
his time with this record and it's a good album. Now,
I know nowadays good isn't enough for some people. They
need you to say it's in your top five, or
if it's the best of the year, it has to
blow them away. I think music, we say music pasting
music is subjective. When I talk about some of these albums,
(22:17):
you may not like some of these albums. You may
not like some of these artists. I'm not here to
convince you. I'm just telling you from what I've heard,
and I've heard a lot that those that I just
gave you are the best of the year so far. Now,
when it comes to my best of the year, which
(22:37):
will happen in December, and this list will go, you know,
will be reshaped. Right now, there's two slots for my
fifteen at the end of the year. Because what I
do at the end of the year is I give
you ten albums that I feel are some of the
best of the year, and then I give you my
(22:58):
top five and right now, that was like thirteen, right,
so there are two who we can put in there,
and then throughout the year, like once I get a
solid fifteen. As albums release, especially if they're great, some
things will come off this list and you say to yourself,
(23:19):
because you're not on social media all the time, well,
what's coming up?
Speaker 2 (23:24):
Who?
Speaker 1 (23:24):
Well, my friend is rumors of a mob Deep album,
obviously a posthumous album for Prodigy with Havoc and Alchemists
on the boards. There's also the mass appeal seven albums
from seven legends on the way. Those seven albums being
(23:45):
Slick Wreck, which is up first, that'll be out pretty soon,
big Al, ray Kwon, ghost Face, who Else, Daylight Soul,
I'm forgetting somebody else, Nasen Premier, and then who's the
other person? I cannot remember? Noazen Premier, Slick Rick ray Kwan,
(24:10):
ghost Face, big Al, Daylight Soul, and mob D. I
could I forget mob D when I just mentioned mob D,
but also more recent dropping in July, You from the
Future Get your gass out of head. The Clips have
a brand new album. They have a single out right now,
(24:30):
Lord have Mercy. I heard a snippet of another song,
Lord Have Mercy, Lord Had Mercy. We about to get cars.
Beats clips are fact. So what's in your best of
the year so far? Did you have some of the
albums I had? Please leave album suggestions joints you feel like.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
Yo, this dropped this year. I think you should check
it out. Lead that in the comments section below.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
Subscribe to the channel if you love the content, hit
the like button if you like it.
Speaker 2 (25:00):
Comment.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
Of course I read the comments, but more importantly, share
it with people you know enjoy this kind of content.
Until next time, y'all. I'm not a critic, I'm a
fan face
Coming up on this week's episode of Hip Hop Now podcast,
it's the best of twenty twenty five so far.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Let's do it. Welcome to hip Hop Now, Potts. If
you from the future, you know what to do. Show
ass out of my past life.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
So disrespectful leg hip hop is say to today.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Let's get rightful to the business whatever, y'all.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
I A'm your host Vegas and this it's hip Hop
Now Podcasts say podcast specifically designed to keep you caught
up on all things hip hop, music and culture that
happened throughout the week. Big shout out to the supporters
on the audio side first that listened to this podcast,
that subscribe to this podcast, review this podcast. I know
(00:55):
you did on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and all that
good stuff. Appreciate you. Big shout out also to the
subscribers to this podcast right here on YouTube. We met
our goal for the year. You know how like you
get to work and you're like, I'm done with all
my work and it's eleven o'clock, I'm just going to
(01:17):
watch Netflix shows, go down a rabbit hole on YouTube,
and basically stay on social media the whole time. So
we're not doing that, but we're going to chill for
the goal. And you know, the goal to me at
this point, considering how quickly we got to ten thousand subscribers.
(01:40):
Right now we're at twelve thousand, knocking on thirteen. I
think twenty five thousand is the next goal. I doubt
that will happen before the end of the year, but
you never know, I might go vite, you know what
I'm saying. But shout out to everybody, and especially shout
out to new subscribers to this podcast. And if you
type of person who pop in, whether it's the audio
(02:02):
Joint or YouTube, but you didn't hit that subscribe button,
check this dataut because it's real. More than ninety percent
of the people who listen to this podcast or even
watch it on YouTube are not subscribed.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Not subscribe.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
So if you enjoy this content, and you know, whether
it's this weekly podcast or the shortsip post or the
special episodes, and I got a few more coming up
special episodes like my reaction videos, like I just did
a third video recently talking about the origin not the origins,
(02:41):
but what is coke rat basically, So it makes sense
if you like something to subscribe it, like comment all
that good stuff. But today is a special episode of
the podcast. Is an episode I do annually. As we
approach the end of the second quarter, we will be
(03:02):
at the halfway point of the year, and like I
say when I do my best of the Year podcast episodes,
I'm working on that end of the year list every
day throughout the throughout the year. So all the projects
that drop everything you know I'm listening to, you know,
(03:25):
surprise drops, drops we know about right like Little Wing
Carter six. If you was looking for my review today,
it's not that good, So there you go.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
But I'm building.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
I'm building that list throughout the year, and typically by
the halfway point there's some strong candidates. But this year
is a little bit different. I feel like the list
is full of good albums and I got maybe like
thirteen joints for y'all good albums, but maybe one or
(04:03):
two are those joints that I feel like by the
end of the year they'll still be on this list
because we got a lot coming up.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
So what I'll further ado.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
I know some people want to get right into it.
Let's get right into the business.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
All right.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
So like I said, this is a quick list, I'm
gonna run through them. I'm gonna give you some of
my thoughts on some of the albums. But here are
some of the albums I think are the best of
the year so far. Starting at the top, No Order, Relax,
and No Order whatsoever. Starting at the top. One hundred
Grand Royce with his album It's Personal Too. I was
(04:45):
introduced shout out to yents. I was introduced to one
hundred Grand roys through the first part you know It's Personal,
and I was like, Man, these beats a dope.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Homie Karam like, I like this.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
So I've always kind of kept my eye on his music,
and he's done some stuff with Dame Grease that was dope.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
But this year he.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Dropped a sequel to the album I was introduced to
him by, and Man, one thing about this dude is
you can't never call him a wack beat picker because
I love almost every beat he picks. I never look
at the beat and be like, ah, that could have
been better. They're always dope. So if you want boom back,
(05:30):
you want familiar samples. That's what I really like about it,
like flips on familiar samples. You should definitely check this
joint out. And again, the bars are there. It's boomback.
You know what I'm saying. You know what comes with
the territorial boom back. The beats make your head nah
like it's worth to listen. West Side Gun twelve. I
(05:53):
review this on the one of the episodes of Hip
Hop Now podcast and I said, straight up, I think
this is probably going to make my top five of
the year. We'll see what happens, but this is a
great album from Westside Gun. If you stayed away from
Westcott Westside Done for a little while, or you like
(06:15):
Stove God Cooks but haven't really heard anything since Reasonable Doubt,
I mean reasonable Drought. This is my This is probably
what you want to check out. There's probably one song
on here I skip, and that's saying a lot. And
it's also featured on this album as st Nax. So
it's a very dope album from Westside Gun. One of
(06:37):
the early candidates for my Top five of the year.
I mess with it heavy. I listened to it like
all the time, So check that out. Next up. Snoop Dogg,
is it a crime? Snoop Dogg just dropped Missionary with
Doctor dre At like I think. In December of twenty
(06:58):
twenty four, I'm thinking we're not really going to get
another album from Snoop, you know, probably a year or
two or whatever, you know, and I was thinking like
it would be different, But it felt like Snoop saw
the reception of that album, which I thought was great,
but maybe people who saw Doctor Dre and Snoop getting
together had an expectation that was more chronic Doggie style
(07:22):
and not necessarily what they make today, which is not
lacking my opinion, but I get it that people wanted
a more LBC, you know, harder edge Snoop, and I
think this album gives you that. Like Off the Rip,
he doesn't do much talking about you know, the whole
performing at that president's inauguration, but he does address it
(07:47):
in his light and he moves on. And I think
this is one of the better albums of the year.
Next up Lloyd Banks AO and three. Despite my mistakes,
this is going to be in a couple people who's
like top five of the year easy, you want boom,
bad beats, you.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Want bars upon bars upon bars.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
If you know Lloyd Banks and what he does is
like a technician with the bars, and I feel like
this project is one of his better albums recently. I
know there's some people who like everything he's released recently.
For me, he can be a little bit monitor, not
a little bit a lot of bit monotone, which if
(08:33):
you have a ton of songs with a ton of
verses and the songs are longer, they can all blend together.
I think this project is a little bit different because
because of the production, the production provides you with that variety,
and it feels like the production kind of sets the
tone for what you're gonna hear. So I think that's
what I like most about it, because it made me
(08:55):
get through the whole album without getting that feeling of man,
this just feels so redundant. I'm not even listening to
his lyrics, no bar work, and the guest features on
here are the same, like dudes like Ransom Styles P.
I believe it's on here, Like those dudes that you
know can can rap rap, they bring it on this record,
(09:20):
and I think it's just a dope album. This will
probably make my top five a year strictly off the
fact that it's refreshing to just hear different hip hop
and not different for different sake, but mainly because it
sounds good. Sounds like really good and it's still in
(09:43):
that hip hop bag. It's not in that bag that
blurs the lines between pop or some other genre of music.
It's straight up hip hop. But it just sounds really good.
And a lot of it has to do with did
I even say the album this is SOB and No
Id from the private collection of Saba and no Id.
(10:04):
I feel like Saba's lyrics are varied, the subject matter
matter is varied. He sounds poised on these records in
the pocket, all that good stuff, and no Id from
the producer's standpoint, it's the same thing variety, you know
what I'm saying, music that like. Put it this way,
(10:27):
I could listen to somebody like Currency all day every day.
Why because it's more about the vibe of it than
it's about whether those lyrics are similar to the lyrics
on the other song and if that beat is a
similar feeling to the nah Man that's what I.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
Came there for.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
But when somebody can make you really listen to the
things they're saying and kind of reflect and relate and
all that good stuff, now you're talking and I feel
like on this album with Saba and no Id, it's
gonna be hard to knock it out of my top five,
Like we're gonna have to have some stellar albums this
year in order for it to leave my top five,
(11:05):
because right now I could easily pencil it in.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
That's one of the top five.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
Next up, Too Short, Sir, Too Short, Volume one, Freaky Tales.
I just like it because it's classic. Too Short on
a new album, right Some people feel like, oh, if
he's not doing anything different, I'll just go listen to
the old albums. You're right, Too Short got a lot
of older albums where he's doing all these same things.
(11:32):
But what I like about it is that it's new
and I like the production, and Too Short is hilarious
to me. It's early nineties vulgar. I'm gonna just warn
you right now. It's not like he uses the B
word and that's it, or he might make a reference
towards a lady doing something. No, it's early nineties hardcore lyrics.
(11:59):
So if you cringe yet hearing certain things, don't even
press playfam I don't know how you heard the first single.
Next up, Jim Jones at the Church Steps These This
is one of those joints that will make it it will.
It will make the best of the year for me
because I just like it. It's just dope. I like
(12:21):
when Jim Jones raps like this. I like when his
production value is not only varied but kind of soulful
in some ways, and he rhymes perfectly in pocket. He's
like if Rick Ross was from New York. That's what
he's like. Like he talks about the same things all
(12:42):
the times, but it doesn't matter. It just sounds dope,
and I just like his cadence. I don't necessarily like
seeing him dress like, you know, like Dusty Rhodes at
the Bowling Alley or whatever that video was for who
Cares or young yn. I think it's whack for him
(13:03):
to even dress or act like that at his age,
But that is no way, there's no way put it
that way. Bars if that's how you put your boss
that I could listen to this album and let what
I think about how he dressed or how he's acting
in public deterred me from the fact that this is
(13:25):
a very dope album. And I think a lot of
people ignore this type of music from Jim Jones because
they feel like, now, I can't really mess with that dude,
I don't even know him. I don't need to mess
with him. It's just it's just a very dope album.
So if you liked L Capo, you'll like this. I'm
just saying. Next up, DJ Fresh Late Night Freeway Vibes.
(13:49):
That's an instrumental album from DJ Fresh. I think it's
like the I thought I had it down here, but
I think it's like the thirteenth volume something crazy. But
what I like about it is one of those instrumental
albums that you could just put on and rock to it.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
It's not boring.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
It's almost like some people can't just listen to an
instrumental hip hop album then when the ain't some bars
on that And sometimes I can feel like that, But
I feel like that when the beats are bare right,
like they're simple right, it's a loop, and it's a
loop that continues to happen until it's finished, right like
three minutes in, you're still.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
On that loop.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
That's not what these DJ Fresh instrumentals are. They have
take on the life of their own. They have a
personality with everything that's in that's included within the beats,
how they begin all kinds of stuff. So I really
mess with it for that reason. A couple more next
step Smith and Wesson Infinity. I was a little like
(14:54):
so so, and again I don't know if this will
make my best City year by the end of the year,
because again, there are a lot of albums on the
way that are highly anticipated. You know, they don't have
to live up to that anticipation for most fans. But
this album Infinity from Smith and Weston is pretty dope,
(15:17):
produced by Ninth Wonder and the Soul Council has a
number of bangers on there, but it could potentially be
one of those albums people forget because it came out
so early in the year. But if you haven't heard
it and you're a fan of Smith and Wesson, check
it out. I did a review on one of the
past episodes of Hip Hop Now podcast, but also I
(15:38):
did a ranking of Smith and Wesson albums, and honestly,
going back listening to the progression of that group up
into this album Infinity, it just makes sense lyrically, musically,
and all that good stuff. So check that out. Our
next up a dude who I did an interview right
(15:59):
here on this podcast. You should check that interview out.
I am God stity of God. If you require extreme
bar work articulation of words, I Am God never fails,
never fails, Like you can listen to like you listen
(16:22):
to the first record off the Joint, and it's so
potent with like just not only just bar work and technique,
but just execution of that technique, clarity of his voice
as he says these words, as he enunciates, and not
in an overtly way like I think that's what I
(16:44):
like about Push a T in particular, Like it's the
way he enunciates when he talks about all this. He
makes everything with all his coke. He makes everything sound
bigger than what he's actually saying. Right, it makes sense.
I'm really basic with someone else not saying the bars
are basic. But his execution of the verse is part
(17:08):
of what makes his versus dope. And that's the same
thing what I Am God. It's his delivery that makes
you pay attention to the words, and when you're paying
attention to the words, you kind of catching the gems
and the bars and you're like, man, this dude is awesome.
Speaker 2 (17:24):
The album is also.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
Next up Dave easton Ransom The Final Call I'm Not
Gonna Lie man like. Ransom did two recent collaborations right.
He did one with Conway last year that I kind
of like got into after the fact because they're both
(17:48):
I'm a big fans of both Conway and Ransom, but
I felt like I expected a little bit more and
sometimes it felt like the you know, the music didn't
match them teaming up, and the chemistry wasn't what I
thought it would be, but it wasn't bad at all.
That's kind of how I felt initially with the Davies
(18:10):
and Ransom right. It felt like, Okay, Davies, you take
your turn, and then Ransom takes his turn. But as
I go back and spin it, spin it more men,
I listen to this on a regular basis. Is it
top five for me at the end of the year.
I doubt it, but it definitely will be in my
best of the year because I think if again, if
(18:31):
you enjoy bar work and underground beats, this with a
theme with a theme in the final call, I think
he would enjoy this joint Wu Tang Clan Black Sampson
the Bestard Swordsman. This is not one of the better
(18:54):
Wu Tang projects, but it's also not one of the
worst it's somewhere in the middle where to me, it's good.
It's good for what it is. There's not a lot
of noise around it, because again, every time the Wu
Tang's coming out, we wonder if Rizzard's gonna be on
the boards, and lately he's not on the boards, and
(19:18):
it has to do with him not wanting to retread
ground production wise when it comes to that familiar Wu
Tang sound. I wish one time he would just do
that so that we can get a riser produced album
that sounds like the Wool, you know and love at
least a combination between their first two albums. But that's
(19:40):
not where Riza is. So we get Mathematics, which is
not bad trade off. It's just that in order to
get something that resembles the Wool sound, Mathematics is your
guy for the Wool and this album having a blaxploitation
theme to it. It's pretty good. It's pretty good. Will
(20:02):
it be top five of the year for me? No,
it's not even top five right now? Is it one
of the better albums of the year so far? Yes,
it is. So if you like the Wu you like
the Wo sound. All the members of there on the joint,
including Rizza.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
Check this out.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
You know you might dig it, because if you're waiting
for Rizza to dial it back to thirty six Chambers
or Wu Tang forever, you're gonna be waiting forever. Because
he said so, like nah Man, I'm trying to I'm
trying to create something different. And the last one I
have on my list is Exhibit Kingmaker. This is an
(20:39):
album that released recently. Exhibit was away from the game
for some time, so this is kind of like a
comeback album for him. And if you like Exhibit and
his music, if you haven't heard Exhibit before, not to
say that you should start here, but this is.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
A really good album, a really good album. I dug it.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
I messed with the themes, I messed with the guest appearances. Ironically,
the song with Redman was the one I didn't like
that much, which is weird because I love Redman, but
it was like it was okay. I guess I was
expecting more. But again, production is right. Exhibit sounds fresh,
(21:23):
sounds hungry, and it's an album in the same vein
that albums used to be made.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
Right.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
It's a concept, but it's not like every song is
a play on that concept, but the concept is felt
and heard throughout the project, and I just think between
and the way it's mess it too. It sounds excellent,
like if you put headphones on with it, it sounds great.
But I just enjoyed because it felt like Exhibit took
(21:54):
his time with this record and it's a good album. Now,
I know nowadays good isn't enough for some people. They
need you to say it's in your top five, or
if it's the best of the year, it has to
blow them away. I think music, we say music pasting
music is subjective. When I talk about some of these albums,
(22:17):
you may not like some of these albums. You may
not like some of these artists. I'm not here to
convince you. I'm just telling you from what I've heard,
and I've heard a lot that those that I just
gave you are the best of the year so far. Now,
when it comes to my best of the year, which
(22:37):
will happen in December, and this list will go, you know,
will be reshaped. Right now, there's two slots for my
fifteen at the end of the year. Because what I
do at the end of the year is I give
you ten albums that I feel are some of the
best of the year, and then I give you my
(22:58):
top five and right now, that was like thirteen, right,
so there are two who we can put in there,
and then throughout the year, like once I get a
solid fifteen. As albums release, especially if they're great, some
things will come off this list and you say to yourself,
(23:19):
because you're not on social media all the time, well,
what's coming up?
Speaker 2 (23:24):
Who?
Speaker 1 (23:24):
Well, my friend is rumors of a mob Deep album,
obviously a posthumous album for Prodigy with Havoc and Alchemists
on the boards. There's also the mass appeal seven albums
from seven legends on the way. Those seven albums being
(23:45):
Slick Wreck, which is up first, that'll be out pretty soon,
big Al, ray Kwon, ghost Face, who Else, Daylight Soul,
I'm forgetting somebody else, Nasen Premier, and then who's the
other person? I cannot remember? Noazen Premier, Slick Rick ray Kwan,
(24:10):
ghost Face, big Al, Daylight Soul, and mob D. I
could I forget mob D when I just mentioned mob D,
but also more recent dropping in July, You from the
Future Get your gass out of head. The Clips have
a brand new album. They have a single out right now,
(24:30):
Lord have Mercy. I heard a snippet of another song,
Lord Have Mercy, Lord Had Mercy. We about to get cars.
Beats clips are fact. So what's in your best of
the year so far? Did you have some of the
albums I had? Please leave album suggestions joints you feel like.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
Yo, this dropped this year. I think you should check
it out. Lead that in the comments section below.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
Subscribe to the channel if you love the content, hit
the like button if you like it.
Speaker 2 (25:00):
Comment.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
Of course I read the comments, but more importantly, share
it with people you know enjoy this kind of content.
Until next time, y'all. I'm not a critic, I'm a
fan face
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