2019: DCWS's Top 10 Albums of the Year
/10. MAY THE LORD WATCH - LITTLE BROTHER
When Little Brother’s decade-long hiatus ended, they had walked into a generation that knew little about them. But rather than sounding outdated or angry at hip-hop’s new audience, “May the Lord Watch” sounds like a rebirth of what hip-hop’s in desperate need of: personalized thoughtfulness. Jam-packed with what Phonte and Big Pooh refer to as “black superhero music”, their newest album is evidence that soul-cleansing boom-bap remains timeless.
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9. UKNOWHATIMSAYIN¿ - DANNY BROWN
“Never look back, I will never change up.” "Uknowhatimsaying¿’s opening chant confirms as much for Danny Brown. Newly equipped with a full mouth of teeth and a buzzcut, Brown recruits Q-Tip to incubate a world for his zany, post-Atrocity Exhibition self. The result grants him the freedom to speak with a comedian’s remorse, experiment with cadence, and push the limits of his nasally register. The wall-melting hallucinogenics on “Dirty Laundry” are as bizarre as the interdimensional howls on “Belly of The Beast”. Approaching 40, Danny Brown doesn’t bat an eye. He’s seen it all.
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8. NOTHING GREAT ABOUT BRITAIN - SLOWTHAI
With Brexit looming, a classist poverty gap widening, and a perceived government organization wilting, the adolescent pains of a Northampton boy felt microscopic. It was only once Slowthai shared his perspective on “Nothing Great About Britain” that he realized how universal his feelings were. Despite there being no sensible time to call the Queen of England a “c**t”, there’s always time for a man to champion the working-class and become a spokesman for those overlooked by the elected. Slowthai smiles in pillory to set an example — one with revolutionary power.
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7. ALL MY HEROES ARE CORNBALLS - JPEGMAFIA
From the darkest caverns the internet has to offer, JPEGMAFIA spawned with “All My Heroes Are Cornballs”. It’s a bundle of self-produced chaos — a glitchy, spastic, bipolar universe with the potential to disorient and destroy. Peggy is in a special class that can conjure a song entitled “Jesus Forgive Me, I Am A Thot” and make its schizophrenia sound saccharine. Whether the title reads regretfully or disdainfully, Peggy ensures that the he will not fall victim to the same verdict as his inspirations.
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6. ZUU - DENZEL CURRY
Denzel Curry’s decision to represent Carol City at the biggest junction of his career is indicative of ZUU’s power. A homesickness surmisable from his interviews leads Curry to substitute his artistic license for a freestyled rawness; one emblematic of a forgotten Florida scene. While unchained and destructive on moments like “RICKY” and “SHAKE 88”, “ZUU” also captures Curry’s penchant for anthemic hooks and melody. He was in need of a soundtrack to back his wrestling ring concerts, so he made it.
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5. TEARS OF JOY - MIKE
Death’s inevitability is something we can’t hope to plan for. This much is evident on MIKE’s “Tears of Joy”. It’s a brooding pine for the past, a denial that time is where it currently stands, and a choking realization of the impression his mother left on his life. From aboard the layer-carousel that sees MIKE appear, only to disappear behind its mangled and dusty production, “Tears of Joy” is a perfect illustration of death’s devastating ripple effect.
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4. BANDANA - FREDDIE GIBBS & MADLIB
Madlib’s tinkered beats and mid-track transitions were devised to trip up all unworthy artists. So when Freddie Gibbs pirouettes and skips over his booby traps and pitfalls, Madlib can only feel the need to up the ante. Bandana’s cocaine raps are an ounce of the year’s purest, and a demonstration of iron sharpening iron.
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3. IGOR - TYLER, THE CREATOR
IGOR’s new-age blend of hip-hop and 80’s-synth tries to capture the entirety of love’s life cycle: it’s euphoria, delusional forecasting, impending doom, and cataclysmic end. A topic so intricate and infinite that it allows Tyler, the Creator to showcase his genius as a producer and flaunt his mind’s dense catalogue of influence. The result of wrangling such a beast — remembering to convey love’s potential to inspire, tangle, debilitate, and ultimately devastate — is one of music’s best stories of unrequited love in recent memory.
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2. GREY AREA - LITTLE SIMZ
Female prominence defined 2019: Nancy Pelosi was the face behind America’s third impeachment, Greta Thunberg catalyzed the action behind the climate emergency, and hot girls rejoiced so loudly throughout the summer that Megan Thee Stallion’s influence has only recently quieted. And although these movements didn’t have to align in order for Little Simz to deliver “GREY Area”, they made for perfect timing. For Simz, her mid- 20s were responsible for rummaging through the demolition of an unexpected break-up. “GREY Area” emerges from the rubble with a hardened sense of self, a promise to never be fooled again, and a personal vendetta against anyone who doubted her. “I don’t need that stress, that stress / I’m a boss in a fucking dress.” Simz’s reclamation comes at a time of chaos and uncertainty. By all estimations, that’s when it’s needed most.
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1. PSYCHODRAMA - DAVE
The misconceptions and stigmas around mental health have deterred the conversation. But, the tides are turning. When “PSYCHODRAMA” won the Mercury Prize earlier this year, it was further evidence that society isn’t in the midst of a fad, but a political and social awakening. On his debut, Dave stands as self-aware as any 21 year-old can, conscious of the oppressive forces governing his life: blackness, depression, paranoia, and the need to survive despite it all. Framed as a psychoanalytic dive, Dave’s feelings speak to this momentous zeitgeist — the one left the responsibility of bringing light to society’s demons; and left to warn of their ubiquity, discrimination, and in most cases, inevitability. By way of hyper focus, “PSYCHODRAMA” uses Dave as a vehicle to deliver a generational paradox: we know nothing about each other, but fight the same battles.