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Top 25 Projects of 2020/ Mid Year: A thread
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I'll be posting this to Medium, so if people would like to support me and help me earn more attention & money for this content, I'd greatly appreciate it.
25. Hus KingPin- Gunpowder. The Long Island MC continued dropping at fast pace in 2020. His 2nd project was a shorter LP with less features and more Hus. Content is gruesome & vivid, and plays like a series of short hood tales. Standout tracks: Bucketlist, Traffic.
24. CJ Fly- RUDEBWOY. Having already found his voice as a member of PRO ERA, it is more self assured & cohesive than most debuts. Produced by Statik Selektah, content mostly covers his upbringing, but Statik keeps it from sounding redundant. Standout tracks: RUDEBWOY, BLOCK PARTY
23. Big Ghost LTD- Carpe Noctem. Ghost rounds up an A-list of NY's underground Mafiaso rappers for a dope compilation. He provides the eerie, sinister beats and MCs including CRIMEAPPLE & Rome Streetz tell chilling tales. Stand out tracks: Clyde Frazier Minks, Paper Plane Lords
22. Che Noir & 38 Spesh- Juno. They have developed great chemistry that helped him cook up beats that fit her laid back, cocky flow perfectly. Adding gems about self improvement & hard work to the street tales separates her from others. Stand out tracks: Fruits of My Labor, Prey.
21. Planet Asia & 38 Spesh- Trust the Chains. The dual threat artists joined forces for a 10 track, 30 minute project. 38 Spesh handles production, as Planet Asia spits with a hunger not typical of a respected 20+ year veteran. Stand out tracks: Learned From OGs, Winter Time.
20. Preservation- Eastern Medicine, Western Illness. He flipped samples from vinyls he found in Hong Kong & recruited MCs like Roc Marciano, Ka, Mach Hommy, & Quelle Chris to drop verses. Standout tracks: Correspondence, North Bridge, I78/ Capillaries.
19. Sy Ari da Kid- It Was Unwritten. The hour long, 14 track tracklist gave me high hopes of an artist influenced by the 90s. He flexes the pen, maturity, & introspection to carry the project with ease. Standout tracks: A Dream & A Plan, Pioneer/ Peace.
18. Brian Brown- The Journey. The Nashville MC paired his southern draw & diverse content over head nodding production. Reminiscent of Big KRIT & Isaiah Rashad, he manages to boast, motivate, & drop gems simultaneously. Standout tracks: Runnin, Come On In, Journey.
17. D-Smoke- Black Habits. The winner of Rhythm + Flow quickly got to work. The LP shows how diverse of an artist he is as covers a lot of topics using many flows & beats. The constant on the album is well thought out writing. Standout tracks: Top of the Morning, Closer to God.
16. Knxwledge- 1988. The prolific DJ/ producer consistently drops work on his Soundcloud, but this was one of the few backed by label. Chopping samples, he takes the smallest chunks of songs to create short dusty, hazy sounding loops. Standout tracks: don't be afraid, howtokope
15. Big Ghost LTD & Conway- No One Mourns the Wicked. The Machine upped his pen & found stronger chemistry with Big Ghost on his 2nd project of 2020. Darker sounding & more cohesive, he doubled down on the signature Griselda sound. Standout tracks: Dead Flowers, Sicarios, Icon.
14. Skyzoo- Milestones. His 2nd EP of the yr is an ode to fatherhood. He discusses his relationship with his father & how he's managed to grow being a father. Conceptually he was ambitious, but he executed it perfectly. Standout tracks: Eyes Wide Shut, Duffle Bag Weekends.
13. Ka- Descendants of Cain. The unsung Brownsville MC's chill, matter of fact delivery sets the tone. The project is the journey through the mind of an unapologetic, wise survivor of crime ridden streets. Standout tracks: Sins of the Father, Patron Saints, Pray.
12. Westside Gunn- Pray for Paris. Another strong, well produced project for Griselda. Packed w/ vivid drug talk, he takes back seat on tracks to let others shine. At times it plays like a compilation overseen by WSG, but quality doesn't dip. Standout tracks: Allah Sent Me, 327.
11. Vinnie Paz- As Above So Below. The Philly mainstay returns with a host of rugged tracks that make you want to stomp out your enemies. His delivery, pen, & clear storytelling gave this project a lot of replay value. Standout tracks: The Black Hand, Ciero Miedo, Sicilian Bull.
10. Navy Blue- Àdá Irin. The emerging 23 yr old MC, shares vivid coming of age stories w/ the wisdom of an elder. Jazzy, soulful production & a smooth delivery adds a gloomy element, as the poignant songwriting carries the project. Stand out tracks: To Give Praise, Life’s Riddle.
9. Killah Priest- Rocket to Nebula. The vetera takes us on a journey through his mind. Focuses on sharing his deepest thoughts and ideas & at times relies on a spoken word delivery. Dense, but captivating, you don't realize it's 75 minutes. Standouts: Grandmother's Land, Memoirs.
8. Stove God Cooks & Roc Marciano- Reasonable Drought. The Upstate NY MC made his long awaited debut backed by strong production. He focused his pen & used a range of flows & deliveries to stand out from MCs covering the same themes. Standout tracks: Break the Pyrex, John Starks
7. Jay Electronica- A Written Testimony. Long awaited debut from the enigmatic MC is strong as expected. Partially an ode to the Nation of Islam, partially his own journey as a man, every lyric is thought out & intentional. Standouts: Ghost of Soulja Slim, Fruits of the Spirit.
6. Freddie Gibbs & Alchemist- Alfredo. An unexpected project, the artists known for collaborative projects dropped another strong project. Freddie flexes a strong pen & rugged, nonchalant delivery detailing a life of crime. Standout tracks: God is Perfect, Something to Rap About.
5. Skyzoo & The Dumbo Station- Bluest Note. Taking a page from Guru's book, Skyzoo teamed up with a jazz band to craft a grown up, polished EP. His polished songwriting & laid back flow mesh perfectly with the live jazz instuments. Standout tracks: We Used to Live in Brooklyn.
4. Deante Hitchcock- BETTER. One of the more eclectic LPs this year, tracks range from party anthems to stream of consciousness verses. No matter the track, it's Deante's infectious energy & songwriting that carries this project. Standout tracks: Flashbacks, I Got Money Now.
3. Boldy James & Alchemist- The Price of Tea in China. The effort that Boldy puts into telling detailed, clear stories immediately made this LP stand out. The eerie, eclectic beats fit Boldy's content & delivery holds the project together. Standouts: Carruth, Scrape the Bowl.
2. Royce da 5'9- The Allegory. As the title suggests Royce gives us his personal takes on a host of topics. By self-producing, he was able to create the entire project. From financial literacy to unjust, racist systems, he tackles a lot in 22 tracks. Standouts: Overcomer, Tricked
1. Run the Jewels- RTJ 4. As the nation's lack of trust in the police & gov't grew this album couldn't have come at a better time. Their frustration, especially Killer Mike's is turned into chilling, aggressive verses. Standout tracks: walking in the snow, JU$T.
