I haven’t written a year-end review since I put together the best Chicago mixtapes and tracks of 2016. As a change of pace, I’ve decided to compile a collection of my favorite albums of the year. This stretches beyond Chicago and is a personal reflection of what I’ve listened to the most, and what I consider to be the best bodies of work.
Keep in mind that I haven’t listened to everything 2019 has had to offer (how can you these days)? These are not in order, and there will be Spotify streams as well as a link to add to your Apple Music library if that is your preferred streaming service. Below each album, you’ll find a list of my favorite tracks, and the ones I suggest starting out with.
This is part 1 of 2. Part 2 will be dropping soon!
NOTE: If the notable tracks section says IN FULL, this means that I enjoyed the album as an entire body of work.
SAINt JHN – Ghetto Lenny’s Love Songs
Notable Tracks: Wedding Day, 5 Thousand Singles, Who Do You Blame, 94 Bentley, I Can Fvcking Tell.
Rico Nasty & Kenny Beats – Anger Management
Notable Tracks: Cold, Cheatin Code (featuring Baauer) BauBig T*****s (featuring Baauer and Earthgang)
YBN Cordae – The Lost Boy
Notable Tracks: Wintertime, Have Mercy, Bad Idea (featuring Chance The Rapper) RNP (featuring Anderson .Paak), Broke as F***k, Nightmares Are Real (featuring Pusha T) Family Matters (featuring Arin Ray) and Make It (featuring Meek Mill)
Elcamino – Elcamino 2
IN FULL
Danny Brown – uknowhatimsayin¿
Notable Tracks: Change Up, Theme Song, Dirty Laundry, 3 Tearz (featuring Run the Jewels), Savage Nomad, Best Life
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib – Bandana
IN FULL
Notable Tracks: Dark Roast (featuring Dread Solo), Melancholy Funk (featuring Linkrush), Destiny (feat. Phoniks)
Little Simz – GREY Area
Notable Tracks: Boss, Selfish (featuring Cleo Sol), Venom, 101 FM
DJ Muggs & Mach-Hommy – Tuez-Les Tous
Notable Tracks: 2 Second Style (featuring Kungg Fuu), Wet Bally (featuring Mayhem Lauren), Bon Nwit, Mami Wata (featuring Your Old Droog & Tha God Fahim)
IDK – Is He Real?
Notable Tracks: 24, Porno, Julia. . .
flowsfordays 