25 best rap albums of 2022
Words by Dan Cohen
2022 has been a notable year for rap and hip-hop, with some all-time greats going toe-to-toe with rappers making their first seminal projects. Here, we look at the best rap albums of this year.
25
Her Loss, Drake & 21 Savage
Standout Track: Pussy & Millions (feat. Travis Scott)
Drake’s numbers over the past few years don’t exactly represent where he stands musically. Every project, in fact, since 2015’s If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, has been quite underwhelming. The combination of lazy writing, searching for radio hits, and his strange venture into house music earlier this year has led to me viewing Drake less as a musician, and more of a brand.
It’s therefore a genuinely pleasant surprise to hear Drake actually sound like he’s hungry with something to prove when he raps on Her Loss. 21 Savage has always brought out the rapper in Drake, and nothing makes that more apparent than their relentless back-and-forths on this project, albeit if at times it sounds like a Drake record featuring 21. Once you look past some of Drake’s glaring misogyny scattered throughout, you get one of the best rapping efforts of his career, supported by 21 Savage in full flow.
24
MORE BLACK SUPERHEROES, Westside Boogie
Standout Track: LOLSMH II
Westside Boogie stays within the realms of what he knows on More Black Superheroes. A concept album that acts as a therapy session for Boogie, the record sees him grappling with problems from his past that he can’t escape. He admits as much on ‘Stuck’: “I love the hood, I know I’m stuck.”
Whilst the content is largely a continuation of 2017’s Everything’s For Sale, the project is still varied enough to feel authentic. Combine that with soulful samples and Boogie’s unique voice and delivery, More Black Superheroes is an earnest look inside the rapper’s mind.
23
Alpha Place, Knucks
Standout Track: Leon The Businessman
Alpha Place is proof that the UK rap scene is shifting. When you pass the success of Dave and Slowthai over the past few years, there’s largely been a void of credible rap coming out of the nation since the grime trend petered out. Artists such as Knucks prove there is a new generation ready to fill that void.
Yet rather than trying to replicate the style of grime or drill, Alpha Place is an album filled to the brim with lowkey, jazzy instrumentals, and features some of the best technical rapping from a UK artist to date. Knucks’ storytelling seems to have reached a new height, whilst select features from the likes of SL and Stormzy prove he’s very much at the forefront of the scene.
22
2000, Joey Bada$$
Standout Track: Brand New 911 (feat. Westside Gunn)
“Who the best emcees? Kenny, Joey and Cole”, Brooklyn rap mainstay Joey Bada$$ states on 2000 opener, ‘The Baddest’. No doubt that’s the result of some unbridled hubris, but this album does remind us of the rapper’s prolific lyrical abilities. Often delivered over a laidback beat, 2000 doesn’t give much space for Bada$$ to lay claim to having the best flow, but it provides for an enjoyable listening experience that’s less intensive than other projects on the list.
Such beats involve recognisable samples like Stephanie Mills’ 1989 track ‘Something In The Way (You Make Me Feel)’. (2000’s use of samples, in fact, eventually caused a month-long delay to the album’s release). Overall, this is a strong record, but its main impact is of reminding the sheer talent a 17-year-old Bada$$ released 1999 a decade ago.
21
Drill Music In Zion, Lupe Fiasco
Standout Track: Ms Mural
Now a veteran in the rap game, Lupe Fiasco often has to remind us that he can do this in his sleep. Drill Music In Zion was written and recorded within 72 hours, and provides an earnest reflection of how the rapper sees the state of the genre and the world around him. It’s therefore no surprise that at points, the album can feel a little repetitive. This is, however, easy to overlook when unpacking Lupe’s dense rhymes over lush, jazz-rap beats.
The storytelling on songs ‘Kiosk’ and ‘Ms Mural’ is excellent, whilst they intelligently observe how art is commercialised in the modern day. Lupe is still staying away from the mainstream, but Drill Music In Zion is still his most accessible record for years, and features the dexterity of a seasoned professional.
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