The 20 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2023

Most of the time I sample my own kicks, snares and hi-hats to create the sound, and then I tweak them out or run a filter on them, to cater to how the sample may sound. Sometimes the sample may have a higher or a lower fidelity, it might sound a little grainy, so I want the percussion sound to match that, to sound like it’s already been there. I’ll duplicate the drum track twice and then I’ll try different effects on it and see if it makes the drums hit differently. I use different presets because I use Logic and they have different presets for kicks and presets for snares, so sometimes I’ll just go there and manually move it into what sounds good for me. It’s not always what I think it will be, but I just go in and mess with it until it sounds like something different, something that I never did before.
Lamar even incorporated dance to his music in his most recent performance at the Grammy’s. In the years since he’s had to overcome a lot of challenges stemming from the album’s success, but through it all he has still found time to get everyone’s hopes up about Utopia coming. Billed as “a mix of psychedelic rock,” we can expect it to be experimental and as exciting as his live shows and music are. Love Records is the next chapter, is about getting back to the love and making the best music of my life.” All this love around hints at a heartfelt and introspective project that’ll keep us dancing.

In this case, Rich Gains, half of the production duo Blended Babies , has given the Detroit MC an eclectic vibe that pushes him in ambitious new directions. As a result, Boldy delivers incredibly intriguing tracks balanced against some of his bleakest bars in recent memory. Seventeen years removed from their first collaborative effort, the elusive crate-digging Zeus Madlib and Brooklyn’s own Talib Kweli–the Libs–return with Liberation 2, a Luminary-only album a decade in the making.
Original Soul was coached by three professional choreographers who mentored them and helped refine their dancing. Over the course of 32 episodes they routinely participated in professional dance battles including the popping battle at Juste Debout, the Seven 2 Smoke battle at The Notorious IBE, and b-boy battles at Chelles  Battle Pro. B-boy Lilou, b-boy crew Phase T, and promoter Bruce Ykanji all made appearances in the show.

This hip hop song won Best Rap Performance in the 47th Grammy Awards. Like most artists, Jay-Z’s album is about his personal life and experiences. In addition, the song pertains to a message about drugs and racist police officers. The video shows the artist being pulled over for simply being African American. Although not the first hip-hop song, the Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” was considered the first significant single of the genre. Within weeks of its release, it became a chart-topping phenomenon and gave its name to a new genre of pop music.
On his single Bling Bling, and the Cash Money roster were perhaps the epitome of the "bling bling" lifestyle and attitude. Though many rappers, mostly gangsta rappers, unapologetically pursue and celebrate bling bling, others, mostly artists outside of the hip hop mainstream, have expressly criticized the idealized pursuit of bling bling as being materialistic. Hip hop began in The Bronx, located in New York City, when DJs began isolating the percussion break from funk and disco songs.

Throughout hip hop’s history there have been major moments, from the first time a drummer used a break beat on a record to the first time a hip hop album went platinum. Building off of the original four pillars that defined the genre, hip hop artists touch every part of American culture, from dance (think Beyonce’s show-stopping productions) to fashion to politics . Towards the end of the old school hip hop era, the movement began to gain national recognition. The Sugarhill Gang’s song “Rapper’s Delight” rocketed up the national music charts, ushering in a new wave of musicians, artists, and performers, while also introducing people around the world to this new type of music.
The Chamberlin used a keyboard to trigger a series of tape decks, each containing eight seconds of sound. Similar technology was popularised in the 60s with the Mellotron. In 1969, the English engineer Peter Zinovieff developed the first digital sampler, the EMS Musys. He used sounds from the human body, locomotives, and kitchen utensils. The method also involved tape loops, splicing lengths of tape end to end so a sound could be played indefinitely.

Some of the most used DAWs are FL Studio, Ableton Live, and Pro Tools. Hip hop has played a small but distinct role as the musical face of revolution in the Arab Spring, one example being an anonymous Libyan musician, Ibn Thabit, whose anti-government songs fueled the rebellion. Hip hop sounds and styles differ from region to region, but there are also instances of fusion genres. Hip hop culture has grown from the avoided genre to a genre that is followed by millions of fans worldwide. This was made possible by the adaptation of music in different locations, and the influence on style of behavior and dress.
Evoking the DC comic book character Harley Quinn, her bold onstage look is about reclaiming the colours white female punk artists wore before her and showing her fans, many of whom feel like outsiders, that they can be anything they want to be. The next part reveals how he rose to his current position – it tells of his success journey. The story behind the song and its meaning is being turned into an actual children’s story. However, the track is about how cops and robbers rise and fall.

More importantly, it has connected young people with fundamental ideas of social awareness, and  identity, as well as purpose. Given the need for outspokenness, justice, and engagement today, the necessity for Hip-Hop remains prominent. Vote for who you think are the freshest new age rappers currently in the hip hop game. Feel free to add any missing rap artists who deserve more recognition. Big Sean felt “the world needs to hear n feel Nipsey [Hussle’s] presence” when he released the rapper’s posthumous collaboration from the first MC’s Detroit 2 album.
But by using song lyrics, Hollywood gave his rhyme an inherent flow and theme. By the end of the 1970s, artists such as Kurtis Blow and The Sugarhill Gang were starting to receive radio airplay and make an impact far outside of New York City, on a national scale. Blondie's 1981 single, "Rapture", was one of the first songs featuring rap to Demons In The Dark top the U.S. Blues, rooted in the work songs and spirituals of slavery, was first played by black Americans around the time of the Emancipation Proclamation. This way of preaching, unique to African-Americans, called the Black sermonic tradition influenced singers and musicians such as 1940s African-American gospel group The Jubalaires.

The market for these roaming dance clubs was fiercely competitive. DJs started devising ways to one-up their rivals; one common practice was toasting. Toasting involved either improvised or scripted talking while a song was playing. Known for his engaging and hold-no-punch interview style, Rizzy has sat down with the music industry’s top heavyweights, such as Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs, De La Soul, DJ Khaled, and RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan. He’s also been at the forefront in supporting and breaking its new stars, including Fetty Wap, Schoolboy Q, Tory Lanez, Young M.A, Nick Grant, Young Dolph, Lil Uzi Vert, A$AP Ferg, Oswin Benjamin, and more. Join Torae as he brings you all your favorite hip hop hits, the latest in entertainment news & gets the biggest guests in the business to "Talk That Talk".