Vibe Hour : 2024 Wrap Up

The galaxy became my metaphor for ranking noteworthy albums, singles, EPs, and collaborations.

I know it's weird to have that existential thought of being a mere speck in the grand scheme of the universe. It often blows my mind that the solar system is just circling the sun, traveling through the vastness of space. Days ago, I wondered what symbolizes this year's sonic releases. I could only think of the vastness of space—stars, moons, and planets exerting their gravity to influence the nearest celestial body. The galaxy became my metaphor for ranking noteworthy albums, singles, EPs, and collaborations.

Planets of 2024 (Albums)

We were well-serviced by today's best creatives. I believe we create the best under pressure, and the world has felt like a black hole since the pandemic. I'm so elated to know it hasn't hindered universal creativity. I'll address why these projects made it into this blog post, but first, here’s my list of the best rap albums of 2024:

Rap:

• Blue Lips - Schoolboy Q

• GNX - Kendrick Lamar

• Alligator Bites Never Heal - Doechii

• Chromakopia - Tyler the Creator

• You Only Die 1nce - Freddie Gibbs

Honorable Mentions:

• Glorious - Glorilla

• Megan - Megan Thee Stallion

• Dark Times - Vince Staples

TDE and Kendrick's PG Lang are taking up all the space-time in 2024, with albums from four acts on their rosters: Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Doechii, and SiR. Excluding SZA's recent deluxe release last week, TDE won the year in my eyes. Their signees are incredibly diverse and deliver the highest quality music today.

Blue Lips by Schoolboy Q felt like the best soundtrack to a movie that doesn’t exist, touching on themes of growing past old habits, traversing fatherhood, and surviving street life to leave a legacy. Doechii delivered one of the best bodies of work this year, putting the industry on notice. The second coming of Lauryn Hill might have just walked into the room—no elaboration needed.

Tyler the Creator is on a legendary run, separating himself from his peers. Chromakopia is another one-of-one masterpiece with top-tier bars and sounds only Tyler can deliver. Freddie Gibbs’ You Only Die 1nce, the sequel to You Only Live 2wice, spoke to vices and featured Gibbs’ signature gangsta bravado over witty production.

Honorable mentions like Glorilla’s Glorious, Megan Thee Stallion’s self-titled project, and Vince Staples’ introspective Dark Times also contributed to this year’s diverse offerings.

R&B Albums:

R&B faced undue criticism from consumers this year, but I’m constantly digging into crates and finding gems. Here’s my list of the best R&B albums released in 2024:

• Heavy - SiR

• Born in the Wild - Tems

• MUTT - Leon Thomas

• Algorithm - Lucky Daye

• Bryson Tiller - Bryson Tiller

Honorable Mentions:

• Anyway I Can - Elmiene

• I’ll Always Come Find You - Blxst

• Revenge - Muni Long

TDE’s domination continued with SiR’s Heavy, a fittingly titled project reflecting his battle with addiction. The album blended upbeat production with heavy themes, making it easy to consume without emotional drain.

Tems’ debut album, Born in the Wild, showcased her lyrical depth and memorable vibes. Seeing her live this year was a dream come true—she was stunning.

Leon Thomas III applied more force with MUTT, delivering a conceptual album reminiscent of 90s male R&B artists. Lucky Daye’s Algorithm pushed the genre to a funk-rock-soul intersection, showcasing his versatility. Meanwhile, Bryson Tiller’s self-titled project offered vibey, replayable tracks for everyone.

Honorable mentions include Blxst’s I’ll Always Come Find You, Elmiene’s Anyway I Can, and Muni Long’s vulnerable Revenge.

All Genres:

Some projects stood out but didn’t fit the Hip-Hop or R&B categories. Here’s my list of noteworthy releases across genres:

• Timeless - Kaytranada

• Tyla - Tyla

• Cowboy Carter - Beyoncé

• empathogen - Willow

• Bando Stone & the New World - Childish Gambino

Honorable Mention:

• Short n’ Sweet - Sabrina Carpenter

Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, a country-pop project, felt like a response to being snubbed by the CMAs. Kaytranada delivered another euphoric masterpiece with Timeless, featuring stellar collaborations. Childish Gambino’s swan song, Bando Stone & the New World, further cemented his legacy as a musically inclined storyteller.

Willow’s empathogen explored existentialism, vulnerability, and her deep connection to nature, while Tyla’s debut showcased her immense promise after her hit Water. Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet also deserves a mention, especially after her impressive Tiny Desk performance.

Stars of 2024 (Singles)

I grew up in an area with very little light pollution, so I could walk outside and easily spot Orion's Belt in the night sky. This made my mother's obsession with zodiac signs even more prominent in my life. The stars represent the standout singles presented by today’s best talent. Here’s my list:

• Buddy - Free Mind

• Summer Walker - Heart of a Woman

• Shaboozey - A Bar Song

• Bossman Dlow - Talk My Shit

• Wizkid ft. Brent Fiyaz - Piece of My Heart

Honorable Mentions:

• Rae Khalil - Is It Worth It

• Skylar Blatt ft. Chris Brown - Wake Up

• Tinashe - Nasty

Buddy is an artist who I believe is often overlooked in the new-school scene. His peers, like JID, Smino, and Saba, receive far more attention, though they all deserve it. Honestly, they should join forces one day. Free Mind serves as a manifesto for Buddy's journey—from a kid growing up in the ghetto to an emerging artist carving out his path.

Summer Walker delivered yet another sensationally catchy track with Heart of a Woman. She captured the essence of a ’90s sexy ballad while maintaining her signature, relationship-centered content. The song’s hook feels like a warning to her partner—he’s lucky she has both restraint and empathy.

Song of the Year nominee Shaboozey gave us his breakout track, A Bar Song. By taking up so much space on the charts, Shaboozey sparked meaningful conversations about the presence and acceptance of Black artists in the country genre. I hope he continues to thrive where he’s celebrated and doesn’t let the naysayers hold him back.

Another breakout star of the year, Bossman Dlow, is the only rapper I felt compelled to feature on this list. His viral hit, Talk My Shit, showcases a unique flow that’s both infectious and slightly comical—in the best way, respectfully.

Wizkid dropped an entire project this year that I think deserves another listen. Still, the standout single was undoubtedly Piece of My Heart, featuring Brent Fiyaz. Wizkid has an effortlessly timeless vibe. As long as he stays true to his sound, which is both easy on the ears and perfect for swaying hips, he will continue to win.

Among the honorable mentions, Rae Khalil’s Is It Worth It is a track that just makes you hit repeat. Skylar Blatt’s upbeat track, Wake Up, featuring Chris Brown, delivers lighthearted affirmations about staying in the present. And lastly, Tinashe breathed new life into her career with Nasty, a single that gained massive traction on TikTok and successfully transcended into the mainstream. Her experience and dedication truly helped her maximize the moment.

Moons (EPs and Collabs)

As I write this blog, our moon is in a waning crescent phase. It will increasingly become less illuminated until it forms the new moon and the cycle starts over. I have grown a greater appreciation for the moon this year, understanding and respecting its energetic presence. It is the best symbol of something that has more depth and impact than a star light-years away. Here are the EPs and collaborations that I believe deserve recognition as the best of 2024:

• Why Lawd? – NxWorries

• Auction – Sasha Keable ft. Destin Conrad

• 3 – Ella Mai

I was blessed with the opportunity to see Anderson Paak in concert just a few months ago. He only performed tracks from his Malibu album, which says so much about the man's range because he dropped one of the best albums this year. Knxwledge and Paak are a match made in musical heaven. With recurring themes of loss, reflection, and moving on after a breakup, Why Lawd? is a great album to get lost in.

My favorite Brit by way of Brooklyn, Ella Mai, came off maternity leave and back into the studio. She blessed our DSPs with a sample of her blissful life as a mother and partner to NBA champion Jayson Tatum. Her EP, titled 3, features three love-filled tracks that feel like a warm embrace.

Staying across the pond, the newest Puerto Rican sensation, Sasha Keable, graced us with her refreshing, churchy vocals. Paired with Destin Conrad's sultry delivery, their sexy track Auction deserves a spot on your "Between the Sheets" playlist.

K-Dot Made Us Listen

As promised, I saved my opinions about Kendrick Lamar until later in the blog. The Compton-born rapper had the world in a tailspin for at least a solid week and a half when he delivered an onslaught of lyrical dominance over one of the biggest artists of today—and arguably in the history of music. Drake is nearly failure-proof at this stage in his career, even after repeated criticisms of his lyrics being formulaic, juvenile, and misogynistic. Nevertheless, Kendrick found a way to shift the world’s perception and bring a very damning critique into focus.

The Canadian hip-hop superstar was undeniably harmed by this feud, as it dealt a blow to his brand and cost him a significant portion of his Black female fanbase. In my opinion, Kendrick took Aubrey to the woodshed with tracks like Euphoria—an eloquent way of saying, "I’m a better person than you." Then there’s 6:16 in LA, which twisted the knife even further into Drake’s psyche, and Meet the Grahams, a familial takedown so scathing that it had the internet calling for the beef to end due to the track’s eerie tone.

The greatest nail in the coffin of this feud, in my view, is Not Like Us. It’s a song so impactful that Drake is allegedly suing for analytics, claiming there’s no way anyone could like a song more than his at this point in time. Not Like Us deserves a deeper critique by intellectuals specializing in cultural moments and their lasting impacts.

My takeaway from this entire rap battle? We should do a better job of gatekeeping and protecting young women. But I’ll step off my soapbox now.

Kendrick Lamar made us listen for at least half the year—or more. The first blow in this feud landed on Future and Metro's Like That from the We Don’t Trust You album. The Pop-Out Show was another historical, feel-good moment for everyone involved. On top of that, Kendrick blessed us with GNX, a project still in heavy rotation for me. It’s a solid body of work that feels like Kendrick is hitting a new stride as a young OG in the industry, rapping better than ever.

Now, with his upcoming Super Bowl halftime performance, the whole world is waiting to witness history. This will be Kendrick’s coronation as one of the greatest of all time, becoming the first solo hip-hop act to headline the Super Bowl.

I believe music is in an interesting place where many of the greats, who might typically be slowing down, are instead producing some of their best work. Meanwhile, the younger generation seems somewhat frozen in status. It will take the desire to be number one for these younger, established acts to claim their rightful spot. Perhaps many artists are realizing the price of fame and are now negotiating how far they want to step into the spotlight—but that’s just a theory.

There’s so much to look forward to in the new year: a new project from Summer Walker, The Fall Off by J. Cole, and potentially new music from Beyoncé—who knows? I took the time and pleasure to curate a playlist featuring the best songs of the year, including many I spoke about here. Listen and take in this year's vibe before you leave it all behind. And if you enjoy a more guided music-listening experience, check out my Stationhead show, where I walk you through the playlist.

Katt Williams opened a portal this year, allowing so much truth to seep through the universal wormhole, reshaping our ideas of people, audacity, and morality. I believe the music of this year will remain engraved in our psyche because of the otherworldly significance it carries.

I hope you all take care of your universe and, most importantly, be kind to yourself—because you can never be too kind to yourself. Happy listening, and see you in the new year.