Sour Puss Top 20 Rap Albums Of 2022

To start off 2023 let's take a look back at what dropped in 2022. A year filled with more hits. A year that gave us Ice Spice and a house album from Drake? 2022 was eventful. Let's see what hit the best and where it ranked.

To start off, it's important that we highlight what didn't make the cut. This is our 2022 Album Honorable Mentions.

Honorable Mentions

D Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape - Dreamville, J. Cole

You’d expect anything by Dreamville to be a top 20 album of the year and it is most certainly close to that, but something was just missing for me. “Stick” was hands down the best introduction song of any rap album this year and truly showed the potential that both Kenny Mason and Sheck Wes have, but everything after that did not feel like a Dreamville album to me. J. Cole wiped the floor on “Heaven’s EP” and “Freedom of Speech”, but his Dreamville cohorts did not have the hunger that they showed on Revenge of the Dreamers III. It seemed like they lacked anything new to offer, not saying it was bad, but I expected more from the mixtape. If anything, I would put this mixtape at #21, but too bad it’s a top 20 list. - Justin Kuczborski.

Joey Bada$$ - 2000

Everyone was expecting great things from Kendrick Lamar, Denzel Curry, JID, and Joey Bada$$ this year and all of them delivered, besides Joey. Joey’s 1999 and ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$ were such beautiful albums that I expected the same from 2000, but rather I was met with disappointment. The writing seemed lazy for a guy of Joey Bada$$’s talent and it appeared that Joey felt like he had nothing else to prove, which is what I credit to the lazy songwriting. The standout on this album was “Survivor's Guilt”, where Joey shed light on Capital Steez’s death, along with some decent songs, like “Brand New 911” featuring Westside Gunn and “Head High”, but besides those, everything else was boring to me. - Justin Kuczborski

Vinyl Days - Logic

I understand the concept of this mixtape was to heavily base it on samples and that this record was completed in only twelve days, but I just cannot put a thirty song album on the Top 20 Hip-Hop/Rap Albums of the year. Logic will always be viewed as a corny artist because of that 1-800 song, but he is one of the best MC's of the past decade and his earlier albums were some real masterpieces. While he has fallen off in quality, the man has nothing left to prove and we can see that on this album, as Logic cares far more about the creative process than the result of it. “Tetris” was a bop, “Therapy Music” with Russ was a masterclass, “Breath Control” with Wiz Khalifa was a proficient display of his flow, “Vinyl Days” with DJ Premier was all that in one, but the album as a whole dragged on and was sluggish. - Justin Kuczborski

Yeat - 2 AlivE

Yeat is the definition of a mumble rapper, but don’t those beats elevate you to another dimension? Yeat has taken hyperpop to new levels in the past year or so and while it doesn't sound like he is saying much in his songs, then you’d actually be correct. I truly think it’s just his cadence and delivery that make him popular. I’m not hating by any means. I actually enjoy Yeat. He manages to create songs that are sonically intriguing, as we saw with nearly every song on 2 Alivë and on “Talk” and “Flawless” with Lil Uzi Vert from his most recent EP Lyfë, despite lacking lyrical prowess. Yeat might just be the new flavor of the year and be a distant memory soon , or he'll be here to stay. - Justin Kuczborski

Sorry 4 What - Tory Lanez

As I am writing this, Tory Lanez was found guilty and is facing upwards to 20 years in prison for three charges against Megan Thee Stallion for a shooting that took place back in the summer of 2020, but I’m going to put some respect on Tory Lanez’s name as an artist with this album. I will argue to the day I die that Tory Lanez is the most versatile hip-hop artist of this generation and there is no other way you can convince me. The man can rap with the best of them, which I was really exposed to on his mixtape Loner back in 2020. Lanez can sing in multiple styles, whether it’s on a lovey-dovey vibe, which he is mainly known for, or on some 80’s dancehall beats, which we saw on his Alone At Prom album, which is one of the most underappreciated albums of the past few years. However, on this album he sort of just threw all of those styles into one, making it somewhat all over the place and more of a mixtape vibe than a studio album. “Sorry 4 What? // LV Belt” is a prime example of this, as he starts off the song using his impressive vocal range, only to quickly transition that into some hard hitting bars. Tory spends much of the album going back and forth between the style that made him a mainstay in the business to begin with, while also incorporating flows and wordplay that only some could dream of. Never have I seen someone spit like Tory, while also singing their heart off in the same song, as we see in “No More Parties in LA”. Tory clearly had a chip on his shoulder given what has been going on in his life, but however you view the man, I can confidently say he went out with a bang and will go down as another example in the rap industry as what could have been. - Justin Kuczborski

20. SICK! - Earl Sweatshirt

Earl Sweatshirt is one of the rappers of all time. Half the time it seems like he’s half asleep and not making sense, but it just sounds good. It sounds cool. Cool people listen to Earl Sweatshirt. SICK! Was an interesting listening experience. If you took off Earl’s vocals and just isolated the instrumentals I would not be able to imagine how someone could possibly flow on these beats. The beats are almost like elevator jazz? Not in a disrespectful way though, as the production was good. Earl songs are guaranteed at least one stank face per listen. He is always capable of saying something that will hit you. My favorite lyric off the album was in “God Laughs” when Earl said “My Grandfather spoke 13 languages, somehow had nothing ever to say”. I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s just because of how real he keeps it? Anyways, the song “2010” was in my personal top 10 songs of the year. Earl Sweatshirt reminds me of my nostalgic high school days and will always have a place in my heart. - Sam Suckow

Favorite Song: 2010

19. Only built for infinity links - Quavo, takeoff

Talking about this album is difficult considering Takeoff tragically passed away weeks after the album's release, but man what an album this was and what a performance by Takeoff. The Migos were something special, as each member offered something different, so when Offset fell out with the rest of them, I had no concerns that Quavo and Takeoff wouldn't be able to cook up that classic Migos energy. The album rollout came and ended with “HOTEL LOBBY (Unc & Phew)”, where Takeoff dominated the entire song with the triplet flow he made famous. It was great to see Quavo prove once again, especially after Culture 3, that he is not just the melodic, mainstream Migo, but as someone who can rap near, but not at, the same level as Takeoff or Offset. The production on this album was a perfect representation of that Migos sound we are all familiar with, which made Only Built For Infinity Links feel like Culture 4. Something about Takeoff’s adlibs and Quavo’s background vocals just makes this album feel at home. They stuck to what got them to the dance in the first place and just added onto it, which I had zero quarrels with. Some standout songs to me besides “HOTEL LOBBY (Unc & Phew)” were “Chocolate” featuring Young Thug and Gunna, “Nothing Changed”, and the concussion to the album, “Tools”. - Justin Kuczborski

Favorite Song: HOTEL LOBBY (Unc & Phew)

18. 7220 - Lil Durk

I used to wake up bright and early back in 2018 to hate on Lil Durk, but now in 2022, he is somehow my number one artist on Spotify Wrapped. Lil Durk has really impressed me over the past few years, as I think he offers something different with each album, all while staying within his comfort zone. His Signed To The Streets trilogy has yet to disappoint, along with the Just Cause Y’all Waited tapes and don't get me started on his collaboration album with Lil Baby. 7220 and its deluxe was everything we’d expect from Lil Durk, but I think this album proved that he needs to break out of his comfort zone on the next record, even though that is what he got him to where he is today. That “No Auto Durk” energy was great on the album, especially on “AHHH HA”, “Golden Child”, “Petty Too” featuring Future, but we've seen it before. However, something about “Hear It Back” with Moneybagg Yo on the deluxe provided something different from that typical “No Auto Durk” flow, as Durk discussed not getting love back from his day ones despite all they have gone through. His melodic, methodical flow and storytelling was special on the album as well. “Headtaps” was a powerful song for Durk, “Shootout @ My Crib” and “No Interviews” were extremely catchy even considering the topic of both songs, but yet again, we’ve seen it before and it is slowly becoming tiring. “What Happened To Virgil” was a nice song for the industry and both Gunna and Lil Durk were more than serviceable to deliver that type of song. The songs on this album were nowhere near bad and were enjoyable, but they were predictable. The dude can rap like crazy, but I think if he keeps doing what he is doing now, he’ll end up like DaBaby simply because he refused to take a risk with his craft. - Justin Kuczborski

Favorite Song: Hear It Back (feat. Moneybagg Yo)

17. DS4EVER - Gunna

Gunna had a lot of expectations to meet following his WUNNA album, as that record was arguably his best to date, as well as the first time we saw some character and versatility from him. In my opinion, he did not reach that expectation with DS4EVER, yet he was still able to produce one of the top trap albums of the year. The album rollout for DS4EVER didn't miss whatsoever, with “too easy” featuring Future and eventually Roddy Ricch on the remix. The album made waves through social media before it even dropped, as the phenomenon that is “pushin’ P” was eaten up by fans around the world, along with the leak of “P power” featuring Drake. The album attempted to repeat what he did on WUNNA, as he built upon his vulnerability on songs such as “die alone” featuring Yung Bleu and Chris Brown, as well as his songs with Nechie on the tape. Let’s be real though, no one listens to Gunna because of his vulnerability – we listen for his immaculate flow. On “south to west”, Gunna was spewing some heat I never knew he had in him, as the pace in which he was rapping was unheard of by him. “idk that bitch” featuring G Herbo was such a calm, yet raw vibe from the two and common collaborator Lil Baby did his thing with Gunna on “25k jacket”. While it sounds like I’m raving about this album, the biggest downside is that the good songs were really good and the lackluster songs were extremely boring, which we did not see on WUNNA. Gunna could definitely come back with an album better than DS4EVER if he turns his typical twenty song album format into a maximum of fifteen songs. - Justin Kuczborski

Favorite Song: 25k jacket (feat. Lil Baby)

16. RAMONA PARK BROKE MY HEART - Vince Staples

If you missed Vince Staples' album, RAMONA PARK BROKE MY HEART, in 2022 I’m sure you’ve at least seen him a couple times in that Kia commercial that seems to come on anytime I’m watching something. Vince Staples has always been an artist I enjoyed listening to, but never seeked out any of his own music. I would just hear of him when he’d pop up on a Earl Sweatshirt or Amine album. This was my first true listening experience for a body of work from the Californian artist. I’m glad it was because “WHEN SPARKS FLY” ended up as the song we used at Sour Puss for our shorts campaign. The sample that song used must have dropped from the heavens above. The vibes from that song are incredible, and takes the listener to a happy place. Records such as “EAST POINT PRAYER” featuring Lil Baby and “THE BEACH” were two other standouts for me. A solid, enjoyable album. One thing I appreciated the most was the album transitions. The tracklist flows so if you press play on the intro you can’t tell when the next song comes on. Composing an album with transitions is a lost art in music nowadays. - Sam Suckow

Favorite Song: WHEN SPARKS FLY

15. THE INSPECTION - Cochise

The production on this album was out of this world, and it is all thanks to the mind of Cochise. Cochise appears to be inspired by the intelligible mumbling sound curated by UnoTheActivist, but popularized by Playboi Carti, however, Cochise takes it to a whole new level. The production of the opening song “MR.PROFESSOR” is that of an action movie, mixed in with his contagious energy that can only get you hype. The impressive production continues with “PROFESSOR PROFESSOR”, which has a total of three different beat-switches and still sounds as cohesive as songs with a singular beat. If I could go back to listen to any song from this year for the first time again, it would be “PROFESSOR PROFESSOR”. Cochise proved his status as a rapper-producer on this album, as the instrumentals were unique and could only be rapped on by him. The features on the album were limited to only three songs, yet meaningful, as they included Chief Keef on “HUNT”, Young Nudy on “NICE”, and a bunch of appearances from some underground U.K. artists, like Sam Wise, BlazeYL, Mally on “DON’T RUN”. If you were expecting some lyrical genius here from Cochise, go listen to something else, as we were treated to bars such as “something is under the seat” repeated 18 times in a row and “I’m with your bitty, I give her P like I’m Diddy. N****s can’t see me. Give her that pee-pee-pee”. This album was a much needed break from all of the seriousness and hardness that surrounds the industry, so it was good to see someone like Cochise have fun with this album. - Justin Kuczborski

Favorite Song: PROFESSOR PROFESSOR

14. Simple. - IDK

Simple by IDK was one project that flew under everyone's radar. Perhaps due to the length being on the smaller side. Capping off at eight songs and just eighteen minutes, IDK delivered every second. The collaboration with Denzel Curry, “Dog Food”, off of this project was easily in my top ten for best songs of 2022. IDK took this album live to one of my favorite series to watch, Tiny Desk by NPR. His performance on their was one of the most enjoyable shows I’ve ever seen from NPR’s segment. This album felt very lively. It feels as if IDK recorded this in the same room as you. Tracks like “Zaza Tree”, “Breathe”, and “Taco” had this great upbeat, groovy, tap your foot along type of vibe to them. This was a collaboration album between IDK and KAYTRANA, who executively produced the entire tracklist. I’m going to need another album from the two of them. Their chemistry was on another level and the instrumentation blended so well with IDK’s energy and performance. - Sam Suckow

Favorite Song: Dog Food

13. Almetha’s Son - SwaVay

2022 is the year I discovered Atlanta artist SwaVay. Where does Atlanta keep all these dope artist’s? Whatever is in the water in Atlanta it’s working. Songs off of Almetha’s Son dominated our Sour Puss monthly playlist’s since the release. SwaVay first caught my attention once I came across one of his visuals. There is nothing like an artist with a good creative direction. We’ve seen music videos fall to the back of the line with apps like TikTok dominating the short content game. What may be the end for full length music videos, SwaVay took advantage of the short content wave. In a way to promote the album, they created witty and thought out skit’s for each song. With a tracklist with minimal features, G Herbo’s name stands out significantly more in comparison to these “industry plant” albums that are riddled with big names to help drive recognition. The song between G Herbo and SwaVay, “KICK DOOR”, was a great performance on a flip of a sample that was also sampled on a beat that came from a song that also came out this year, “PRICE OF FAME” by Brent Faiyaz. SwaVay has a very energetic, aggressive and fast flow that’s fun because his lyricism holds substance and tells stories. He has a similar feel to a young Kendrick Lamar which is ironic because in the song, “FRIENDS”, SwaVay shares one of his influences, “And showin' me some artist from Compton who he say got the same story as me, his name Kendrick Lamar. He told me, "You study this n****, you gon' be a star". SwaVay is a soon to be star in this game. If this is just the start for this Atlanta rapper, sky’s the limit.

Favorite Song: GO SHORTY

12. Honestly, Nevermind - Drake

This album will always be that time period in Drake’s career everyone will kind of just act like it never happened. If you told me at the start of 2022 we were going to get a House album by Drake I would have laughed. Then again, hinting back at songs like “One Dance” and “Controlla” off Views, House Drake has always been around, low-key. Honestly, Nevermind was a solid album and a good attempt at a different sound for the aging artist. For someone like Drake who has sat on top of the charts and in front of the whole world’s face for the last decade and a half, I applaud him for taking a stab at something different. It was refreshing. A leap of faith isn’t something you see often in the music industry that is very reliant on “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. I’d be lying if I told you that there weren’t any skips off of this fourteen song project. However, records like “Texts Go Green”, “Sticky”, and “Jimmy Cooks” were bangers. They came out at a perfect time in the year, just in time for summer. Some people said this is like Ibiza club music. Other’s said it was the type of music they play in H&M while you shop. Regardless, this album has me dancing every time it comes on. I think everybody needs to just open their minds, move their feet and loosen their hips. - Sam Suckow

Favorite Song: Texts Go Green

11. Luv 4 Rent - Smino

I was late to the party when it came to Smino’s album Luv 4 Rent. I’ve been a fan of a lot of Smino’s old work. However, this was the first time I ever listened to a full length Smino project. Smino’s charisma is really his driving point. His music is fun. It almost goes away from music at some points, he keeps it interesting. Songs like “No L’s”, “Louphoria”, and “Curtains” all have these abstract sounds and sound effects that keep things intriguing. One of the best parts of the project was the contributions from collaborators. When you have Lil Uzi Vert and J. Cole on your track list, it’s hard to miss. It seems as if Smino can work with anybody on a track and has this unique ability to pull out the best of everybody he works with. Which stems back to his versatile sound that almost changes song to song throughout this project. His persona almost reminds me of a modern day Andre 3000, where he is just able to do a lot at once but make it seem so effortless. His energy shines all the time, but he plays a character who’s laid back and chill. There’s no other way I would describe this album besides exciting. - Sam Suckow

Favorite Song: Louphoria (with Cruza)

10. MORE BLACK SUPERHEROES - WESTSIDE BOOGIE

Westside Boogie broke his three year hiatus since dropping his well received album, Everything for Sale. Boogie’s new project titled MORE BLACK SUPERHEROES, continued building his strong discography. Boogie approached this album with three different personas: Westside Boogie, Ratchet Boog and Superhero Boog. These personalities and egos he portrays throughout the album were unique. I can’t recall a time I’ve ever seen someone take this direction. This is what I love about Boogie. He can get very serious and have a heartfelt song, but follow it up with a turnt song that is “dumbed down”, all the while each song holds to the meaning of the album. MORE BLACK SUPERHEROES was filled with more in depth relationship songs from Westside Boogie. Cuts like “NONCHALANT”, “LOLSMH II”, “PRIDEFUL II”, and “CAN’T GET OVER YOU” will have you rethinking any affectionate relationship you’ve ever had before. The way Boogie can describe the way everybody feels and thinks in ways we’ve never heard or seen before is incredible. Boogie’s music is able to relate and change preconceived perspectives. Being one of my favorite artist’s over the last couple of years, Boogie delivered another beautiful body of work. - Sam Suckow

Favorite Song: NONCHALANT (feat. Mamii)

9. HEROES & VILLAINS - Metro Boomin

Metro done did it again. In my eyes, Metro Boomin is the most talented producer of the past decade and he proved his productional skills once again on this album, as he calls in the Avengers of rap today to come together on HEROES & VILLAINS. This album is presumably the follow up to NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES, which provided listeners with a euphoric vibe, thanks to the soothing vocals of Travis Scott and Swae Lee throughout the album, yet HEROES & VILLAINS is an in-your-face affair. We get a taste of that with the clean transition of the first song with a Homelander sample to the second song “Superhero” with Future and Chris Brown. The rest of the album is scattered with clean transitions, as that has become Metro Boomin’s calling card over the years. The album provided us with a Cactus Jack vibe that Travis Scott and Don Toliver offered, with help from guys like Future and 21 Savage. “Creepin’” with The Weeknd and 21 Savage was a necessary reprieve from the trajectory of this album, but that didn’t last for long, as the song was followed up by “Niagara Falls (Foot or 2)” with Travis Scott and 21 Savage, a song that makes me feel like I’m cruising down in a low-rider. The sample in the beginning of “Feel The Fiyaaaah” with A$AP Rocky and Takeoff was something you’d hear Kanye West rap on, yet both artists still gave that instrumental justice, especially Takeoff, as he somehow was able to mention each letter of the alphabet throughout his verse. Go listen for yourself as it is so difficult to put into words Takeoff’s performance on the song. - Justin Kuczborski

Favorite Song: Superhero (Heroes & Villains) [with Future & Chris Brown]

8. learn 2 swim - redveil

redveil might be an unfamiliar name to some, but not to us at Sour Puss. redveil made a name for himself, bursting onto the scene with his debut self-produced album, learn 2 swim. I first took notice of the DMV rapper when I sent a TikTok to my cameraman admiring the coloring grading on a music video that featured his song “pg baby” off the album. It wasn’t until a couple months after my coworker told me to go listen to his album that I actually discovered redveil and took a deep dive into his music. First thing that impressed me was when I found out he produces his own beats and that he’s only 18. The level of maturity redveil shows in his music, you would’ve sworn he was a vet in the game. I always enjoy an album that has those “three track runs”. It’s easy to have a couple good songs on a project or even two good ones back-to-back, but when there’s three straight songs back-to-back-to-back that flow, it’s like striking gold. Track’s, “diving board”, “pg baby”, and “new info” do just that. The instrumentation on the “diving board” with the piano and the saxophone grooves so well. The gas stove clicking after the song transitions to “pg baby” shows he is really about to start cooking. This beautiful sample flipped on “pg baby” stems from the Band of Thieves song “Love Me or Leave Me”. This is an all time flip to me. The way he incorporated it just gave the track this soulful energy that paved the way for him to just rip through it. Then “new info” came in with another amazing soul sample. It had an old school J. Cole feel to it and I love the nostalgic feel it delivers with each listen. The rest of the tracklist is filled with great production, clever lyricism and powerful melodies. If you haven’t heard anything from redview yet, it’s okay, I’ll forgive yoU, but only if you go listen right now. - Sam Suckow

Favorite Song: pg baby

7. It’s Almost Dry - Pusha T

Pusha T might be pushing 50, but he is still pushing out top tier albums. What I love about Pusha T’s albums is that they personify quality over quantity. It’s Almost Dry comes in at just twelve songs, which combats the rinse and repeat method of thirty song albums used by a lot of rappers today. Pusha T shows love to artists from his generation, with features from the likes of Jay-Z, Kanye West, Kid Cudi, and Pharell Williams, as well as the new generation of rappers, like Lil Uzi Vert and Don Toliver. Pusha T’s slow and methodical flow tied in with hard-hitting bars is what preserves Pusha T a spot as one of the best lyricists today. The album has bumping cuts, like “Let The Smokers Shine The Coupes”, but can slow the pace of the album down and provide a late 90’s vibe with the song “Neck & Wrist”. - Justin Kuczborski

Favorite Song: Let The Smokers Shine The Coupes

6. I NEVER LIKED YOU - Future

If you were expecting something different from Future's classic trap sound, then you should go listen to something else, because he did what he does best on this record. Some might say Future drops too often, but I’m not complaining, as one of the best trap artists of all time delivered one of the best albums of the year. If it weren’t for some lackluster songs on I NEVER LIKED YOU, some of which I couldn't name off the top of my head without looking at the bloated tracklist, I would've put this above Her Loss. The opening song of “712PM” with it’s powerful angelic vocals followed by Future’s mumbly-drug induced flow was everything you’d want from him and the hits continued to come through, as “KEEP IT BURNING” featuring Kanye West came with ambient synths ringing throughout and both Kanye and Future’s confident attitude is what makes the song what it is. Typical features that make a Future album a Future album, like Gunna, Young Thug, and Lil Baby, are welcomed on the tape, along with two songs including Drake, “WAIT FOR YOU” featuring Tems and “I’M ON ONE”. “WAIT FOR YOU” is a cry out to a lover to stay and “I’M ON ONE” provides a braggadocious tone from both Future and Drake. Future explored his emotional side on this album, with songs like "LOVE YOU BETTER" and "WORST DAY". I most certainly wold not mind an album from Future where he dives more into this untapped side of his artistry. Besides the main bangers, like the ones previously mentioned, as well as “PUFFIN ON ZOOTIES”, there are some low-key sleepers on the album that describe Future's personality, such as “MASSAGING ME” (actually sounds like misogyny in the song itself) and “HOLY GHOST”, which might as well be a sequel to “712PM”. - Justin Kuczborski

Favorite Song: KEEP IT BURNING (feat. Kanye West)

5. Her Loss - Drake & 21 Savage

This album alone tells us that the industry needs more collaboration tapes. Her Loss comes from two of the most polarizing figures in rap today to culminate Drake’s trilogy run of albums from the past year or so. Besides all of the running jokes Drake appears to be a part of, as seen on “Rich Flex” with the "21, can you do something for me" bar, the song is a solid opener for an album that has some of the hardest hitting songs from the latter half of the year. Following the first song on the album, “Major Distribution” begins with Drake’s smooth voice, yet quickly transitions to contains deep, raw vocals from Drizzy, and while the next few cuts take a dive in quality and seem atypical from the two, the album picks up in second half album. “Circo Loco” to the final song “I Guess It’s Fuck Me” was one of the best song runs of the year. The limited features truly make it feel like a collab album, as the Travis Scott appearance on “Pussy & Millions” was the only necessary feature on the album. The beat-cuts on the album were somewhat incohesive, as heard on “Broke Boys”, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the song or the album as a whole. - Justin Kuczborski

Favorite Song: Pussy & Millions (feat. Travis Scott)

4. The Forever Story - JID

The Forever Story was well worth the four year wait after JID’s last album, DiCaprio 2. JID has been leveling up in the meantime though, with quality appearances on Dreamville’s Revenge of the Dreamers 3 and popping up on features occasionally, but The Forever Story truly solidified him as a top musician in the game today. The album rollout began with “Surround Sound” featuring 21 Savage and Baby Tate, with a beautiful sample from Aretha Franklin's "One Step Ahead", followed by “Dance Now” with frequent collaborator Kenny Mason. The album offers a fresh sound from JID, offering a soulful taste to this record that focuses on storytelling and passion, slightly moving away from his lyrical-miracle-spiritual fast flow that got him recognition from XXL back in 2018. There are some cuts that call back to what made him popular to begin with, like “Raydar”, but it is clear JID is more so focused on the passion of this album rather than the creative wordplay. The album invokes a feeling that JID is coming of age with this new style that can now separate himself from artists he rose on the scene with and I expect his next album to be even better. JID’s reliance on samples on this record, which is what his style encourages, as we see this from his labelmates J. Cole and Bas, is something I’d usually have a grievance with, but JID just does it so well. - Justin Kuczborski

Favorite Song: Kody Blu 31

3. RUFFS - Kenny Mason

Atlanta based rapper Kenny Mason went on a run in 2022 after the highly successful collaboration "Stick" with Sheck Wes and Dreamville’s own J. Cole and JID. His long awaited LP RUFFS gave the world a taste of what he is capable of. A sixteen song tracklist with a few features from Young Nudy, Jean Dawson, DavidTheTragic and Amindi. Kenny has been known for his aggressive almost Rock N Roll style. The LP opens with a grunge guitar riff and hard hitting 808’s on “ZOOMIES”. The type of music perfect for mosh pits. I was fortunate enough to see Kenny live on the RUFFS Tour following the release of the project. The show in Brooklyn, New York was jumping. Kenny has one of the best abilities to engage a crowd and keep the people entertained. He can come jumping out the gate or slow it down with cuts like “HALLOWEEN” and “WESTSIDE” then he’s able to come with boom bap records like “HALOS” and “SHELL”. Kenny is the future and is one of the best emerging underground rappers. Excited for what’s next. - Sam Suckow

Favorite Song: SHELL

2. Melt My Eyez See Your Future - Denzel Curry

Melt My Eyez See Your Future felt like one of the most mature versions of Denzel we’ve seen to date and possibly the best. The fifth studio album courtesy of Denzel Curry covered heavy topics about human rights, living through pandemic’s, and censorship. Denzel opened up this project walking on beats with the three track run of “Melt Session #1”, ''Walkin”, and “Worst Comes To Worst". Denzel set the tone early for the rest of the way. What almost felt like a true to Hip Hop sounding album, the production throughout was filled with samples and and a Jazz like swing, which introduced the deluxe beautifully. The deluxe installment of Melt My Eyez See Your Future provided a Jazz version for each track in collaboration with the band Cold Blooded Soul. The original edition received the efforts from artists such as: JID, 6LACK, Rico Nasty, Jasiah, T-Pain, 454, Slowthai, and many more. The fact that this record didn’t receive a Grammy nomination was sickening. This album was easily one of the biggest standouts of 2022 and deserves way more recognition. - Sam Suckow

Favorite Song: Worst Comes To Worst

1. Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers - Kendrick Lamar

If you didn’t have Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers at number one, then you’re gonna have to come see me. The return of K.Dot was announced on April 18th, 2022, when Kendrick posted a letter via pgLang and from the desk of Oklama. One thing that I’ve always loved about artists like Kendrick or Frank Ocean is the way they drive their value from mystery and keeping their lives private, away from the media. The album roll out for Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers was a true masterclass. A week prior to the album's release, Kendrick gave the world a five minute music video for “The Heart Part 5” where K.Dot did nothing but rap for five minutes straight. All while he’s rapping in the music video, his face is transforming into the faces of icons such as Kobe Bryant, O.J. Simpson, Jussie Smollett, Kanye West, Nipsey Hussle, and Will Smith. A legendary moment in Kendrick’s career. Then came the album. Yet again, another masterclass. Kendrick does an amazing job at pushing boundaries with each album he’s delivered. His sound seems to evolve every time. I remember the day this dropped I had a 6:00 A.M. shift at my part time job. While working I pressed play on the intro, “United In Grief '' and let it run until the end. It felt like a movie. With songs like “We Cry Together” where Kendrick and Taylour Paige do this open dialog argument all while following a rhyme scheme, which they turned into a short film after the album’s release. Then you have Kodak Black who was featured all over this project, including my favorite moment with “Rich - Interlude''. People took to social media confused and some offended over the fact Kodak Black was featured numerous times throughout the track list (due to his controversial history in the news). However, I believe the thought behind his inclusion was beautiful. On one of my favorite records off the project, “Savior”, Kendrick raps the lyrics “Like it when they Pro-Black, but I’m more Kodak Black”. This is Kendrick exclaiming the fact he’s only human and that he’s only a musician, as people tend to look to Kendrick as a leader when it comes to fighting for Black’s rights because of his previous work and actions helping empower Black people. The thematic importance of “Savior” is Kendrick trying to say he’s not your savior, that he can’t end racism, that we need to get everybody involved and I love that message. The overall message of this album was Grief and the different process’s everybody takes. I enjoy the substance when it comes to Kendrick’s music. A lot of reactions to this album I heard were people complaining that “it had no replay value” or “he’s doing too much”, but I feel as if this is real art. This is taking Hip Hop and making something beautiful to the fullest extent. It’s almost like when people hate LeBron. Sometime’s people just hate greatness and Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers was greatness. - Sam Suckow

Favorite song: Count Me Out

And that wraps it up for us here at Sour Puss for the Top 20 Hip-Hop/Rap albums of 2022. It was a spectacular year for music and we can only hope that it continues for 2023.