HipHopDX's Best Rap Albums of 2017

In the two years since *To Pimp a Butterfly*, we’ve hung on Kendrick Lamar\'s every word—whether he’s destroying rivals on a cameo, performing the #blacklivesmatter anthem *on top of a police car* at the BET Awards, or hanging out with Obama. So when *DAMN.* opens with a seemingly innocuous line—\"So I was taking a walk the other day…”—we\'re all ears. The gunshot that abruptly ends the track is a signal: *DAMN.* is a grab-you-by-the-throat declaration that’s as blunt, complex, and unflinching as the name suggests. If *Butterfly* was jazz-inflected, soul-funk vibrance, *DAMN.* is visceral, spare, and straight to the point, whether he’s boasting about \"royalty inside my DNA” on the trunk-rattling \"DNA.\" or lamenting an anonymous, violent death on the soul-infused “FEAR.” No topic is too big to tackle, and the songs are as bold as their all-caps names: “PRIDE.” “LOYALTY.” “LOVE.” \"LUST.” “GOD.” When he repeats the opening line to close the album, that simple walk has become a profound journey—further proof that no one commands the conversation like Kendrick Lamar.

After years of strong guest features and acclaimed mixtapes, North Carolina MC Rapsody comes into her own with her ambitious second LP, *Laila\'s Wisdom*. Backed by a slew of vintage samples and soulful live instrumentation, Rapsody flaunts unhurried flow, consummate storytelling skills, and a knack for memorable choruses on songs like \"Pay Up,\" revealing her frustration with deadbeat dudes over slinky electric guitar and the swirling \'70s funk of \"Sassy.\" Longtime compatriot Anderson .Paak delivers the hook on the languid \"Nobody,\" and Kendrick Lamar, Rapsody\'s original cosigner, elevates the woozy, psychedelic \"Power.\"

As its title suggests (albeit a little backhandedly), *Flower Boy* explores a softer side of Tyler, the Creator. Not that he wasn’t thoughtful before, or that he’s lost his edge now—if anything, the dark wit and internal conflict that made *Goblin* a lightning bolt in 2011 has only gotten richer and more resonant, offset by a sound that cherry-picks from early-\'90s hip-hop and plush, Stevie-style soul (“Garden Shed,” the Frank Ocean-featuring “911 / Mr. Lonely”). “Tell these black kids they can be who they are,” he raps on “Where This Flower Blooms.” “Dye your hair blue, s\*\*t, I’ll do it too.”

The Mississippi MC’s ambitious third album is split between his stage persona and private life—the first half opens with “Big K.R.I.T.”; the second, “Justin Scott.” Fittingly, K.R.I.T.’s Southern rap purism is at its most personal here: “Price of Fame” explores the disconnect between success and true happiness. But the mood lifts on trunk-rattlers like the T.I.-featuring “Big Bank” and space-funk slow-burner “Aux Cord,” an homage to soul legends from Parliament to B.B. King.

Wu-Tang workhorse Raekwon has kept impressively high standards over the past 20 years, turning low-key street epics into a cottage industry. Toning down the slick production of 2015’s *Fly International Luxurious Art*, *The Wild* returns to the gritty boom-bap of *Only Built 4 Cuban Linx*—variations on a theme that the rapper still manages to make vivid and fresh, from the tense “M&N” to the touching “Marvin,” a tribute to Marvin Gaye.

The lead single from *Mumble Rap* is a blatant contradiction of the album’s title. On “P.O.P.” (“power of p\*\*sy”), not only does Belly enunciate—he revels in his technical prowess, opening the first verse with feverish alliteration. The rest of the album, too, is made up of the kind of verbose and proficient rapping lauded by the traditionalists who coined the phrase “mumble rap” as a diss. “Biggie taught me how to snap,” the Canadian rapper boasts at one point. But then there’s “The Come Down Is Real Too,” a song whose SWV sample and trap-friendly sway proves Belly is more than just a microphone murderer.

“WE IN YEAR 3230 WIT IT,” Vince Staples tweeted of his second album. “THIS THE FUTURE.” In fact, he’s in multiple time zones here. Delivered in his fluent, poetic flow, the lyrical references reach back to 16th-century composer Louis Bourgeois, while “BagBak” captures the stark contrasts of Staples’ present (“I pray for new McLarens/Pray the police don’t come blow me down because of my complexion.”) With trap hi-hats sprayed across ’70s funk basslines (“745”) and Bon Iver fused into UK garage beats (“Crabs in a Bucket”), the future is as bold as it is bright.

Released within two weeks of his 2017 self-titled project, *HNDRXX* is a master statement of soulful, sly R&B from the Atlanta rapper. If *FUTURE* echoed the spontaneity and double-time flow of his now-classic mixtapes, the follow-up is stacked with anthems that are calibrated for a massive mainstream audience. Two marquee cameos—The Weeknd and Rihanna—add extra star power, but highlights like “Damage,” “Incredible,” and “Fresh Air” are all about Future’s brilliant mix of brutal honestly and unchecked hedonism.

2 Chainz is a hit maker, but *Pretty Girls Like Trap Music* shows there are deeper ambitions afoot. His production arm is strong—Mike WiLL Made-It, Murda Beatz, and Mike Dean all put in work. He speaks his mind, dissing the government and “mumble-rap” while Nicki Minaj references her Remy Ma beef on “Realize.” Pharrell leaves his platinum imprint on “Bailan.” Then 2 Chainz puts his life story out there on the revelatory “Burglar Bars”—the realest song he’s ever cut.

On his second album, the Brooklyn rapper’s heart still lies with hip-hop’s golden age. While trading verses with ScHoolboy Q and Styles P on “ROCKABYE BABY” and “SUPER PREDATOR,” his deft lyricism is as evocative of East Coast rap’s early-\'90s glory days as his buttery boom-bap. His thoughts, however, focus firmly on contemporary America, and he riffs on government, racism, and freedom with absorbing frankness. “DEVASTATED” is entirely forward-facing, saluting his personal triumph over hard times on top of sparkling trap beats.

*I Decided.* is a departure from Big Sean\'s IDGAF past. “Voices in My Head/Stick to the Plan” and “Bigger Than Me” show him confronting reality, openly baring scars and lessons learned. “No Favors” features one of Eminem’s most lethal guest spots. Sean Don turns stockpiled venom into an antidote, and with his overpowering verbal jiu-jitsu skills, the redemptive message comes across loud and clear: “I feel like I sent the prayers up and God blessed back/Whoa.”

He had a bumpy few years, between the Drake feud, the death of compatriots, and his breakup with Nicki Minaj, but Philadelphia firebrand Meek Mill sounds as determined as ever, rapping in his signature panicked blare, as if he’s just sprinted miles to the booth. *Wins & Losses* mixes dark, gothic beats and punchy, blurting collaborations with younger voices, like Lil Uzi Vert (“F\*\*k That Check Up”) or an emotional Young Thug on the weepy “We Ball.”

Parts of Oddisee’s latest confront Trump’s America: “How you gonna make us great when we were never really all that amazing?” But the DC rapper sees little renewed cause for concern: “I’m from black America/This is just another year,” he raps on “NNGE”. Not that the familiarity of oppression blunts his fight. Over funky, soulful tracks, he addresses the sexism (“Hold It Back”) and police brutality (“You Grew Up”) that stifle his simple hope: “I just wanna be free.”

The prolific MC, producer and musician Oddisee’s new album ‘The Iceberg’ is a plea for humanity to dig deeper in search of understanding and common ground. His third release in just 12 months, ‘The Iceberg’ is a distillation of stereotypical tropes in hip-hop and beyond, 12 tracks about money, sex, politics, race and religion that appear superficial until his multi-dimensional lyrics unfurl to expose the complexities of individuality and identity: how we see ourselves and how others see us. Deeply soulful, and shot through with jazz, Go-go, gospel, thick r&b and hard beats, the album is a timely, poetic statement. ‘The Iceberg’ is out February 24 on Mello Music Group. Lead single “Things” acts as a mission statement for the album, a deep dance groove with lightning-quick lyrics about “things” he’s going through. Says Oddisee, “"We all go through the trials & tribulations of life. Why is it we feel the need to individualize our shared experiences? If only we could see our concerns as others do, maybe they wouldn't be so serious." Oddisee World Tour March 2 – Paris, France – La Place March 3 – Lyon, France – Bizarre! March 4 – Nantes, France – Stereolux March 6 – Bristol, UK – The Lantern March 8 – Manchester, UK – Gorilla March 9 – Dublin, Ireland, The Sugar Bluc March 11 – London, UK – Islington Assembly Hall March 13 – Munich, Germany – Ampere March 14 – Erfurt, Germany – Franz Melhose March 15 – Berlin, Germany – Gretchen March 16 – Hamburg, Germany – Mojo Club March 17 – Cologne, Germany – Gloria March 18 – Stuttgart, Germany – Im Wizemann March 19 – Frankfurt, Germany – Zoom March 22 – Nijmegen, Netherlands – Doornroosje March 24 – Rotterdam, Netherlands – Bird March 25 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso March 26 – Brussels, Belgium – Ancienne Belgique March 30 - Milan, Italy - Biko Club April 7 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Sofia Live Club April 8 - Bucharest, Romania - Arenele Romane April 10 – Vienna, Austria – Grelle Forelle April 11 – Warsaw, Poland – Stodola April 18 – Philadelphia, PA – Theater of Living Arts April 20 – Washington, D.C. – 9:30 Club April 21 – Raleigh, NC – King’s Barcade April 23 – Atlanta, GA – The Loft April 26 – Houston, TX – Fitzgerald’s April 27 – Dallas, TX – Dada Dallas April 28 – Austin, TX – Empire Control Room May 1 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater May 5 – San Diego, CA – Music Box May 7 – San Francisco, CA – The Regency May 9 – Eugene, OR – WoW Hall May 10 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre May 11 – Seattle, WA – Neumos May 12 – Vancouver, BC – Biltmore Cabaret May 13 – Spokane, WA – The Big Dipper May 14 – Boise, ID – Neurolux May 17 – Omaha, NE – Slowdown May 18 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry May 19 – Milwaukee, WI – Shank Hall May 20 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall May 21 – Indianapolis, IN – The HiFi May 26 – Detroit, MI – Arab American National Museum May 27 – Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace May 30 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall May 31 – New York, NY – Highline Ballroom

WET (The Wonderful Ego Trip) is the follow-up to 2015's The Great New Wonderful. It is a concept album about the human ego.

Sinatra. Vandross. Thugger. Young Thug gets in touch with his inner crooner on this mixtape, touching on R&B, dancehall, even country. There are sublime music beds and acoustic guitar flourishes (“Me Or Us,” “Family Don\'t Matter”)—he’s clearly having fun accessing new levels of expression as guests like Snoop Dogg, Lil Durk, Future, Millie Go Lightly, and Jacquees serve as able foils.