I thought a good way to start of my blog, and continue sharing more of my personality, would be to do a list of my favourite music releases of this year. I decided to keep the list precise, so I unfortunately missed out on talking about some great albums which landed just outside my top 5.
Honourable mentions: K-Trap – No Magic, RV & Headie One – Drillers and Trappers 2, D-Block Europe – PTSD, Octavian – Endorphins
5) Loyle Carner – Not Waving, But Drowning
Perhaps a slight contrast compared to the rest of the upcoming list, but Not Waving, But Drowning had some incredible production; which layered with Loyle Carner’s voice created a blissful listening experience.
Standout songs – Desoleil (Brilliant Corners) with Sampha, Loose Ends (feat. Jorja Smith) & Sail Away Freestyle
4) House of Pharoahs – Seasons II
The precise seven track project doesn’t have one skippable song, and is great to listen to in any environment or mood.
Standout songs – Make Sure, Lit Like London, Cigarette
3) Skepta – Ignorance Is Bliss
Skepta’s sound has developed and changed so much since he first came out over a decade ago. More recently his sound has moved away from traditional grime and more towards the ever so popular trap sound – and I’m totally OK with that. The album only has one US feature (Key!) but you can feel the influence dotted throughout the album.
Standout songs – Redrum (feat. Key!), Greaze Mode with Nafe Smallz, Love Me Not (feat. Cheb Rabi & B Live)
2) Dave – Pyschodrama
Dave is only at the start of his music career, but the quality and depth in what he creates makes him sound like a seasoned vet. This project most definitely cemented him at the top of UK music all genres and also sign posts what direction he is looking to go into in the future. A side-note could be that there is no AJ Tracey feature – many people have been waiting for a project from the two together ever since ‘Thiago Silva’ but this seems unlikely now as they seem to have gone separate ways musically, with AJ chasing a more American trap sound usually producers such as Maaly Raw.
Standout songs – Screwface Capital, Location (feat. Burna Boy), Streatham
1) The Plug – Plug Talk
The reason why I have decided to give the label The Plug Records first ever project the number one spot on my list is because they did something I had been anticipating for years. They went full throttle with the US (and Canada)-UK collabs. In recent years the two nations have been beginning to work with each other more and more (see Drake), but Plug Talk took this to a whole new level. The result was excellent, creating songs that will always be remembered culturally as the beginning of something great.
Standout songs – Rich (feat. D-Block Europe & Offset), Red Eye (feat. WSTRN & Lil Baby), Broken Homes (feat. Nafe Smallz, M Huncho & Gunna)
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