Best albums of 2019, RANKED

50 – 31 | 30 – 16 | 15 – 1

50. Christian Alexander — Summer ’17

Christian Alexander crafts a lo-fi wonderland that will make and break your heart.

49. Yelawolf — Ghetto Cowboy

Breaking free of Shady Records, Yelawolf proves he’s more than capable at making a late career resurgence.

48. Banks — III

Finally bridging the gap between pop and her dark electronic aesthetic, III is the best album of Banks’ career.

47. Rapsody — Eve

With thoughtful wordplay and impeccable production, Eve is leagues above most rap releases this decade.

46. Future — Future Hndrxx presents: THE WIZRD

Despite a relatively quiet 2019, Future’s early year release is an aging artist playing to his greatest strengths.

45. SAINt JHN — Ghetto Lenny’s Love Songs

One of the best auto-crooners working today, SAINt JHN erases the line between pop and hip-hop.

44. Kim Petras — TURN OFF THE LIGHT

In a just world, TURN OFF THE LIGHT would be the standard for how all future Halloween pop albums should sound like.

43. YBN Cordae — The Lost Boy

Every now and then, an upcoming rapper will come along and perfectly fuse the worlds of new and old school rap. YBN Cordae is that artist in 2019.

42. Maxo Kream — Brandon Banks

Maxo Kream is already an incredible trap rapper, but Brandon Banks also proves that he’s a one-of-a-kind storyteller too.

41. Dave — Psychodrama

Hailing from the UK, Dave is a gifted storyteller and also the best rapper from the country that isn’t named Stormzy.

40. EARTHGANG — Mirrorland

Eccentric doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of this record. With its three-dimensional flows and undefinable production, EARTHGANG is only just getting started.

39. Baby Keem — DIE FOR MY BITCH

Though uneven, DIE FOR MY BITCH is a perfect indicator and appetizer for the potential that melodic rap will be bring with it into the new decade.

38. Lewis Capaldi — Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent

Every year there’s a British crooner that’s able to blow everyone away if their powerhouse voice. Lewis Capaldi is that artist in 2019.

37. Emotional Oranges — The Juice: Vol. 1

If you’re itching for a groovy time, look no further than Emotional Oranges for their brand of funk-R&B, just remember to steel yourself for a feels trip as well.

36. Denzel Curry — ZUU

Not as conceptually dense as TA13OO was, ZUU is a album solely filled with bangers that sets out what it intended to do. To give listeners a raging good time.

35. Aries — Welcome Home

Hip-hop-centric crooning is a staple in 2019. Welcome Home doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but what it does do, is excel at making the catchiest and effective version of the genre yet.

34. Boogie — Everything’s For Sale

Melancholic and abrasive, Boogie is a bright newcomer that will leave his mark in hip-hop. Read the review here.

33. Blarf — Cease & Desist

TV personality Eric Andre’s alter-ego, Blarf is an intriguing foray at insane sample-based production that shouldn’t be as good as it should be.

32. Flume — Hi This is Flume (Mixtape)

Fusing electronic, house, rap and pop into an amalgamation of a record, Flume crafts an album that a whirlwind of inspirations that works like a well-oiled machine.

31. Rico Nasty & Kenny Beats — Anger Management

If Nasty was pure aggression, Anger Management is a project that explores a wider range of emotions by rapper Rico Nasty, backed with impeccable production from rap’s hottest producer right now, Kenny Beats.