This year, I discovered the magic that is Spotify's discover tab. I found so many great albums that I had no idea existed. As a result, many of the best albums I listened to this year didn't come out in 2016, so these are the best albums I listened to this year.
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Anderson .Paak probably had the best 2016 of pretty much anyone on the planet (seriously, find me someone who had a better 2016). Malibu was hot, every single one of his features was on point, and dude just seemed like he was having fun performing. This album is his victory lap and I think it's way stronger than Malibu. On this album, .Paak shows up and sings his heart out. This album is nothing but baby making music intermixed with some hilarious skits. I've seen people call this the "RnB Madvilliany" and I have to say that that comparison has some merit. My only complaint about this album is that it's too short, but most great things are.
- Highlights: Suede, Best One, Livvin, Get Bigger / Do U Luv
- Don't forget that dot: You paid for it
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I'm not going to address the content in this snippet because I can't do it justice like others have online. I will say that I found this album super engaging and found the sound of it to be some of the best of the year. The first time I put it on, I had an idea of what I wanted to hear in general that day, which was somewhat ambient and airy music. Instantly, this album hit that need for me. Also, Lil Wayne shows up on Mad and I think it's his best verse is an extremely long time.
- Highlights: Mad, Cranes In The Sky, Don't Touch My Hair
- If you 'bout it: Master P talking about No Limits was interesting
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A Tribe Called Quest - We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service
People thought we'd never get another Tribe album, myself included. This seemed even more likely when Phife Dawg died earlier this year. So when this came out, everyone was suprised, not just with that it came out but in how great this album is. Seriously, there's not one thing negative I can say about this album. Tribe evolved their already great sound to work in today's day and age. It also helps that there is a lot of live instrumentation on this album (Jack White on guitar for a bunch of songs!). Seriously, if you haven't given this a chance, please do, because you won't be let down.
- Highlights: Movin Backwards, The Space Program, Mobius
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This year, I discovered a type of music called "emo revival". I'm sure we all remember the shitty emo that came out in the early 2000s. I'm talking about bands like My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy that I loved to hate on when I was in high school. This album sounds nothing like those bands and in fact sounds more like Vampire Weekend and Real Estate. There is no screaming, the lyrics make no sense, but those bright jangly guitars will keep you coming back. This album also flies by at 15 minutes. It's a shame that this band broke up, because their sound is super compelling and I'd love to here more.
- Highlights: Listen to the damn thing, it's super short.
- But, I'm Busy Eli! Ugh okay, You're In is good.
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2016 was the year that Outkast finally clicked for me. Before then, I knew they were good but could never get into them. This album is incredible and is probably one of the best hip hop albums in history. I'm not going to say a whole lot about it because it's like 20 some years old at this point.
- Highlights: SpottieOttieDopaliscious, Y'All Scared, Da Art of StoryTellin' (Pt. 1)
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Staying on the emo revival train, I have this fantastic album from 2012 from a Philly outfit name Glocca Morra. This album has somewhat traditional rock instrumentation, but the vocals here are where it's at. The lead singer has no tone and isn't afraid to use a traditional "emo scream", but the screeching is never offputting. But the reason this album is so good for me is that it frames traditional emo troupes that apply to being a teenager around the first year of marriage. It shows a great deal of maturity while still making very catty observations, as emo wants to do. Finally, even though this album makes some depressing observations about relationships in general, the way this album ends leaves me feeling very happy.
- Highlights: Eat the Fucking Snow, Me + Geniene
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I Have liked ScHoolboy Q since Habits & Contradiction, but wasn't really into His last album, Oxymoron. So, I Had a little trepidation wHen I first put tHis album on. Lo and beHold, first voice I Hear on tHe album is Anderson .Paak and I knew tHis was going to be a good one. THis is easily the best TDE release tHis year. Q brings tHe Heat in every verse He does and tHe album Has some great beats. THere really isn't a lot for me to say about tHis otHer tHan if you like gangsta rap, you're gonna like tHis. Also, tHis album Has tHe best Jadakiss verse in a sec.
- Highlights: THat Part, Groovy Tony / Eddie Kane, Big Body, Blank Face
- Get Top On The Phone: THat Part (Black Hippy Remix)
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Duck. Little Brother, Duck - Don't Take Our Filth Away
I asked my friend Raji about this band and he described them as the "Screamo Mars Volta". As a fan of neither the genre of "screamo" nor of the band "Mars Volta", I can't confirm if that moniker is accurate. I will say that this is the heaviest album that I enjoyed this year. It's absolutely fucking anarchy and I still don't know what they are upset about (or if they are even upset), but this album picks up hard in the second song and doesn't let up until it's done. It's full of weird time signatures, random ass drums, wailing guitars and I love it.
- Highlights: Anarchy Will Make You Pay Five Dollars At The Door, Everybody Loves Screamo, I'm Just Happy To Be Around So Many Docks
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Erykah Badu - But You Caint Use My Phone
You wouldn't think that an album centered around Drake's Hotline Bling could be any good, right? You would be so wrong though, because Erykah totally pulls this off. This album ends up being less about meme'ing Drake and more a critique about how we communicate with phones in general. Think about it, we're addicting to these tiny germ ridden devices that we constantly have on us. I realized the other day that I do literally all of my financial activity on my phone. This is a completely new thing that we're still trying to figure out the impacts of, both at a personal and ecological level. Badu addresses all of this in a wholly unique way. Also, Andre 3000 and a somewhat convincing Drake impersonator features.
- Highlights: Hello, Caint Use My Phone (Suite), What's Yo Phone Number
I'm convinced that soul music sounds best in the live form. This album is really cool because between songs, Isaac does his famous "Ike's Rap"s, where he just talks in his sexy ass voice about life. The instrumentation on this album is on point, the songs transition smoothly, and the brass section keeps it banging.
- Highlights: Never Can Say Goodbye, Do Your Thing, Theme From The Men
I discovered this album while looking at the producers of Joey Bada$$'s album and boy am I happy I did. It's basically a jazz album that uses hip hop beats. It's all instrumental/sample base and is super relaxing.
- Highlights: Chance, Can't Run Away, Moments