1. Care Package by Drake
Care Package is special because it’s a compilation of Drake’s most famous hits. Until now, you couldn’t (legally) find them on any streaming service. Legends such as J. Cole, Rick Ross, Beyonce, James Fauntleroy, and Sampha are featured on Care Package. Some stand-out songs on this album are “4 pm in Calabasas” and “Draft Day.” These songs are perfect to do homework to but not so distracting that you can’t focus on what you are writing. This album is definitely aptly named because it was everything Drake fans could ever want or hope for and we definitely never expected that we would get it.
2. Chixtape 5 by Tory Lanez
Chixtape 5 is an album I accidentally stumbled upon while scrolling through Spotify. I love it because it’s a mixture of all the sounds I used to hear in the music my parents listened to when I was growing up. Ashanti is featured on the cover and it’s perfect because the album is based on her and other artists’ 90’s hits. My favorites on the album are “The Take” and “A Fool’s Tale (Running Back).” Tory Lanez definitely deserves props for bringing an appreciation for 90’s music to today’s generation.
3. Over It by Summer Walker
Summer Walker single-handedly saved 2019 with her hit album Over It. She shot to stardom after her hit song “Girls Need Love” which featured Drake. Her voice is one in a million and hit producer (slash her new boyfriend) London-on-the-Track took it to the next level. Over It chronicles the different feelings we all have in relationships, from being happy and in love to heartbreak and begging for respect. You should definitely listen to “Playing Games” and “I’ll Kill You” from the album.
4. Twenty 88 by Twenty 88
(Honorable Mention: “None of Your Concern”)
Twenty 88 is the debut (and only) album by hip-hop duo Twenty 88. Twenty 88 is formed by Big Sean and Jhene Aiko and the combination of their voices couldn’t be more perfect. Most of the songs are sung like a story. One person sings as if the other person can’t hear them, and vice versa. This way, you get to hear how different the perspectives of two people in a relationship can be. My favorite songs are “Selfish” and “Talk Show.”
“None of Your Concern” is a song that was released by Big Sean and Jhene Aiko this year. Even though they no longer perform as the duo Twenty 88, they still continue to make some of the best songs together. “None of Your Concern” is about their own real-life breakup and the struggles they faced forming their own identities (they are back together now by the way).
5. Shea Butter Baby by Ari Lennox
Ari Lennox is inspirational to me because she has had to stand up to so many people who dislike her natural hair or how normal she is. She stands up for what it means to be black and beautiful, and you can hear her pain in her songs. My favorite song is “I Been” because it is so simple and beautiful. Ari Lennox should be appreciated more. This is just the beginning for her, and it should be interesting to see what she does next.