The HNHH staff has submitted its picks for the 20 hottest albums of the year. Personal taste, of course, bears almost zero correlation to these types of end-of-year lists. We invited 18 artists to talk about their favorite album of the year. Somewhat surprisingly, there was a pattern: Solange's A Seat at the Table, 21 Savage and Metro Boomin's Savage Mode, and Travis Scott's Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight were far and away the most frequently mentioned albums.
See what A$AP Ferg, Denzel Curry, and the rest had to say below.
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RiFF RaFF: 21 Savage - "Savage Mode"
"It was a short ALBUM to the point and showcased his style it did what an album is supposed to do. Metro Boomin really had some open heavy beats so u can hear the lyrics clear and it had a nice flow to the album. Oh and it was jamming START to finish. No extra filler tracks, all singles."
CJ Fly: 21 Savage - "Savage Mode"
"That shit is just hard. It's a modern classic."
Rich Chigga: The Weeknd - "Starboy"
"It's sooo good!"
24hrs: Frank Ocean - "Blonde"
"The production was crazy. Everything about it was crazy."
Sonny Digital: Rae Sremmurd - "SremmLife 2," D.R.A.M. - "Big Baby D.R.A.M."
"D.R.A.M. doesn’t sound like nothing else."
Ace Hood: Travis Scott - "Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight"
"Solange's 'A Seat At The Table' was another favorite, love the content and vibe overall of the project."
Denzel Curry: Kendrick Lamar - "Untitled Unmastered"
"They took random songs from over the years while he was working on 'TPAB' and made a masterpiece out of scraps. Kendrick is one of my favorite artists so after watching him kill the Grammy's, I was shocked like the rest of the world when he surprised us with the project. The album was cohesive for songs made over the years and still fit within the 'TPAB' universe."
A$AP Ferg: Solange - A Seat At The Table"
"The music is great and very relaxing."
Marty Baller: Kanye West - "The Life of Pablo"
"I always rocked with Kanye and love how it was gospel inspired."
THEY.:
Drew: Travis Scott - "Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight"
"You can listen to that in any situation. Perfect urban hip-hop album and his work with Cudi on it was crucial. Also, Bruno's 24K Magic. Bruno's a genius. Honestly. His ability to take such old classic elements of Nu Jack Swing and different decades of RnB and make each song so infectious... well done."
Dante: The 1975 - "I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It"
"I have been a huge fan of The 1975 since their debut, but this album really blew me away. The melodies and writing are as strong as ever, but they took a lot of risks sonically and arrangement wise that kept me coming back. 'UGH!' and 'If I Believe You' are a couple of my favorites."
Jazz Cartier:
"There's been so much out this year, I'm definitely going to skip a few. But if an album is my favorite it has to be flawless with no skips. These are a few that come to mind:"
Rihanna - "Anti"
Solange - "A Seat at the Table"
Mick Jenkins - "The Healing Component"
YG - "Still Brazy"
Kaytranada - "99%"
Jahlil Beats: YG - "Still Brazy"
"That album captured the essence of LA gangsta rap. I believe it's the most slept on album of the year. YG is underrated, dude makes great music."
Nyck Caution: ScHoolboy Q - "Blank Face LP"
"I didn't really listen to that many albums this year but I would probably have to go with Schoolboy's album. He always delivers and this really wasn't disappointing at all from front to back."
Jay IDK: Solange - "A Seat At The Table"
"I feel like the album captured a time in music that we haven't seen in a while. It's one for the few soul albums we currently have, but with such a modern twist, aesthetic to it."
Mila J: Bruno Mars - "24K Magic"
"I’m a fan of Bruno’s as an artist and a performer. This is a dope, fun, conceptual album."
Juicy J: 21 Savage - "Savage Mode"
Tech N9ne: Travis Scott - "Rodeo"
"I was banging 'Rodeo' by Travis Scott day in, day out. I haven’t gotten 'BITTSM' yet cuz I’ve been touring. And everytime they go look for it for me it’s sold out, which is a good thing for Travis Scott. I’m a fan. 'Rodeo' is really good high music."