Top Albums of 2024, So Far According to Retro.

2024 for music, and just music in general, has already cemented itself as being one for the books. The sheer amount of music that has come out from the big names like Future and Metro Boomin, Gunna, Childish Gambino, Denzel Curry, etc has been crazy. Not to mention Kendrick Lamar absolutely slaughtering Drake and his reputation, spawning one of the best diss tracks to ever be released, both musically and impact wise. This year has been nothing short of amazing, and it’s been an absolute joy to listen to everything that has been released this year.

Today though, I want to focus on five albums that I think have earned their spot as being the best albums of the year, even with all the good music this year, it was very easy to choose, especially the top two because of how wonderfully crafted they feel and for different reasons.

5. Born in the Wild by Tems

Starting off with Tems, I and everyone else in the world have been waiting for Tems to release a full-length album, and it simply did not disappoint even with 18 tracks, you don’t feel it. I actually have very little to say about this album, Tems’s voice is beautiful and she delivers track after track. It’s an album I can very confidently put on repeat at any time, doing anything and just vibe to it. No real notes on this one, 9/10 album, a wonderful job from Tems and I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Favorite tracks: Love Me JeJe, Get It Right, Wickedest, Me & U.

4. Timeless by KAYTRANADA

If you somehow don’t know who KAYTRANADA is, I think you absolutely need to first: reevaluate your life because you’ve been missing out on some seriously great music, and then second: listen to his discography. KAYTRANADA is an extremely talented musician, he is a perfect example of the modern day DJ. Production is always on point and he brings in some lesser known talent along with some established names. It’s a nice mix that allows you to acquaint yourself with some artists you may have not heard of and on songs where they’re able to shine beautifully. Some standouts being Rochelle Jordan and Durand Bernarr, two artists I didn’t know but their songs, Spit It Out and Lover/Friend for Rochelle, and Weird for Durand, were some of the best songs on the album. If you know, you know KAYTRANADA is an extremely versatile producer, and every song is so different and so beautiful, another album I can confidently put on at any time, doing anything, and catch a vibe with. 9/10 as well

Favorite tracks: Spit it Out, Witchy, Weird, Snap My Finger.

3. King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2 by Denzel Curry

King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2 by Denzel Curry is a more recent entry into my top 5, another highly anticipated album this year for me as I’m a Florida native, specifically from South Florida, where Denzel also hails and I’ve loved seeing how respected he’s become as an artist, especially after TA13OO and Melt My Eyez See My Future. His career trajectory has only been positive. Now with his sixth album, Denzel has reintegrated his southern hip hop roots, mixing in sounds from Houston, Memphis and of course South Florida, all while putting a huge focus on collaborations, with some notable legends like Project Pat, 2 Chainz, and Juicy J. This album feels like a celebration of southern hip-hop, and Denzel Curry glues it all together wonderfully. The album is also very concise and to the point, at 15 tracks, only 10 of them are actually songs, but with how many features there are, it feels like a big album that’s longer than it is, in the best way possible. Easy 9/10 album for me, I see this staying in my rotation no matter what mood I’m in. 

Favorite tracks: HOT ONE, ULTRA SHXT, BLACK FLAG FREESTYLE, COLE PIMP.

These next two are my picks for album of the year, and it’s very close between these two. I don’t think one is better than the other truthfully order means nothing, but West Coast wins with this list so, starting off with ScHoolboy Q…

1B. Blue Lips by ScHoolboy Q

Blue Lips is ScHoolboy Q’s sixth studio album, and while I wasn’t a big fan of his previous album CrasH Talk, I was highly anticipating Blue Lips. I have been wanting more music from Q because of how long it’s been since his last entry, and I absolutely adore Blank Face LP, which I hold as one of the best albums to have come out in the 2010s, along with Oxymoron which was a STRONG debut. Blue Lips is more of Q at his absolute best. It’s loud, lyrically intentional and just classic hardcore, gangsta rap at its core. I like to describe it as a beautiful mess of a meal. From track 1 to 18, the album isn’t cohesive at all as far as beat choice and the songs transitioning track to track, which isn’t a bad thing at all especially with ScHoolboy Q, he pulls it off magnificently. His versatility is shown the best on this album, even the first two real tracks “Pop” ft. Rico Nasty and “THank god 4 me” contrast each other so well, with Pop being this high energy song that I wish Rico had more time on, but she’s used wonderfully. Then THank god 4 me, which is my favorite song on the album, it starts off with a slow beat for the first verse then suddenly switches into a high energy one for the second verse until the two crescendo into this beautiful marriage of beats for the third verse and Q really doesn’t let up on his rapping ability. At first, this switch up caught me off guard, I prefer more jazzy rap beats so I immediately wanted more of how the first verse sounded until I realized the two meshing in the third verse and it made me appreciate and love the whole song altogether. It’s a genius use of beat switches that I think is one of my favorite uses in recent years. This whole album is full of this. Q’s ability to switch between slow, moody beats like those on Germany 86’, Blueslides, oHio, Nunu, and Foux, and then mix in high energy entries in between those like Yeern 101, First, Back n Love, and Pig Feet.

The last three songs of the album in particular, Germany 86’, Time Killers, and Pig Feet being very personal songs, all having very similar messages and subjects, but all sounding so very different is fascinating. Germany 86’ being a reflection of his life growing up and shouting out the women in his life over a beautiful jazz beat, then Time Killers having a more personal subject juxtaposed with hardcore lyrics about crime, how his community has been affected, and then reflecting on how far he’s come over a very moody beat that acts as a canvas for Q to paint over. Then Pig Feet, a higher energy song, explicitly opposing the police and even detailing a bit about what Q would do as a Hoover Crip. Huge Fuck the Police vibes there, you can feel the NWA influence. Every song on this is wonderful and the last three lead into this final short outro, Smile, where Q gives a tribute to his family and those around him, all while also giving us a pretty good idea of where Q is at mentally and he seems to be in a very good place. I adore this album, it’s constantly been in my rotation since it released, an easy 9.5/10.

Favorite tracks: THank god 4 me, oHio, Germany 86’, Nunu, and Smile.

1A. Dark Times by Vince Staples

I remember when Summertime ‘06 came out, Vince hit the scene with his first major studio debut and it shook the hip hop game up. It led to a few years of consistently good albums like Prima Donna and FM!, and then 2020 came and he released his self-titled album, and at the time I thought it was his best work, bar none, he couldn’t do better. Two years later he released Ramona Park Broke My Heart, and at that time I thought the same thing, that felt like his magnum opus, his masterpiece. Now, we’re at Dark Times, his final album under Def Jam and I don’t want to jinx myself again, but I have the same feeling, this feels like his masterpiece, his Illmatic, but this feels more justified.

Vince Staples has been releasing some of his best music the last few years, and this one not only feels perfect, but I truly believe it is perfect. From beginning to end, it’s a reflection of his life and state of mind. It sounds nothing like a typical West Coast album does, however, with the amount of soulful cuts and samples throughout this album, I wouldn’t have even been able to tell he was from California sonically, but it’s so clear lyrically. The beats are so uplifting and soulful, while the lyrics are so dark and murky, it’s a genius juxtaposition that allows the listener to honestly feel what Vince is saying more. And while he may not be the most technically superior lyricist, he’s so intentional with every bar, it feels more skillful that way. With songs like Étouffée, Little Homies, Children’s Song, he has so many tracks with lines that hit home so hard even if you didn’t live the same life. The entire album is one big canvas where he paints this beautifully cinematic picture. You feel his pain and his perspective. I don’t know how Vince will one-up himself again, though I’m sure he will, but Dark Times was perfect.

Favorite tracks: Étouffée, Little Homies, Children’s Song, Freeman, Black&Blue

There are more albums I love of course, some I haven’t even been able to fully dive into fully yet but of those that I’ve listened to, these five are the notable ones, the ones that shined the brightest to me. If you haven’t heard any of these albums, or even heard of the artists behind them, give them a listen, even if you don’t like it for whatever reason, I hope you’re still able to appreciate the artistry these five have showcased this year.