A writer ranks his favorite albums of 2018. Guess which rap mogul made the list twice?
By: Matthew Mendoza
2018 was a year filled with album releases from some of the biggest names in hip-hop. It seemed as if each week another great album was being dropped. But there can only be five named to my list for best of the year. Here are my favorites.
Bonus: Click here to listen to the Tusk top rap albums playlist!
Tusk’s Top 5 Rap Tracks of 2018
#1 Astroworld by Travis Scott
The best hip-hop album of the year goes to Astroworld by Travis Scott. This album is loaded with hits. The two heavyweights are “Sicko Mode” and “Carousel.”
My apologies to Nicki Minaj. She isn’t on the list, nor was her album remotely close to as good as Astroworld.
#2 Daytona by Pusha T
Pusha T’s self-proclaimed “Rap Album of the Year” falls just a bit short of Scott on my list, but not by much.
Daytona only runs for 21 minutes, but it is filled with bars upon bars and features executive production from G.O.O.D. Music counterpart, Kanye West.
All the tracks on this album are so good, but “Santeria” and “What Would Meek Do” reign as the two best.
#3 KOD by J. Cole
J.Cole’s new release, KOD, wasn’t filled deep tracks like the ones we saw on 4 Your Eyez Only.
KOD packed the hits, and Cole proved yet again that he belongs in the Best Rapper Alive conversation. This album’s standouts are “KOD” and “ATM.”
Cole goes off on this whole album, but these two tracks we just see Cole showing his diverse skills as an artist.
#4 Kids See Ghost by Kanye West
Kanye West and Kid Cudi finally teamed up for an extended project and it was well worth the wait.
At only 24 minutes, this album made it difficult to pick what the best tracks were but “4th Dimension” and “Cudi Montage” will have you seeing ghosts of your own.
#5 ye by Kanye West
Despite being in the news for his political rants again this year, Kanye West had a really good year for releases.
Some critics have claimed Ye doesn’t contribute to Kanye’s larger artistic statement, but for me “No Mistakes” and “Ghost Town” are two classic tracks to add to Yeezy’s resume.
