I can be described as a lot of things, but “hip” isn’t one of them. I’m a Black man who was born and reared in the South, so my frame is my frame, and I’m proud of that. Therefore, end of year lists from people like me tend to be specific. I hope this end of year list of albums—a hodgepodge of my personality—will have some gems you’ve never heard of.
Here they are, in no particular order.
André 3000, “New Blue Sun”
Yes, this came out November 2023, but this is my list. For an album released in the fall, I liked this a lot in the early spring. My older brother called me and said, “Stacks dropping soon, but it ain’t jamming.” Despite the warning, I couldn’t wait to hear it. This album is, what the children call, a vibe. It was cool to sleep to and great on drives. I hate I haven’t gotten to see Dré perform it live.
Ka, “The Thief Next to Jesus”
André 3000, Yasiin Bey, and Ka are my favorite rappers. Ka died October of this year. Everyone I’ve ever played his music for left saying something like “He’s elite.” Ka mastered himself, found his lane and musically took you on every journey he set out on. He is a master swordsman and his pen is gilded. Peace be upon him.
“The Thief Next to Jesus” is impeccable. I am a sucker for sparse production and intelligent word play. Ka does this better than anyone. This is listening music. Listen.
38 Spesh, “Mother & Gun”
Often when I reflect on my nonexistent period as a drug kingpin, I rap like the upstate New York rappers. You’ve probably never heard of Conway, Benny, Westside, Spesh or Stove God, but I have, and they tell the tales of my imaginary street life perfectly.
Spesh opens “Mother & Gun” with this bar: “It’s hard to explain all the pain the game teaches me / I stopped selling cocaine recently.” I’ve never sold cocaine, but if I ever did, I would rap like this. This album is drugs and guns. It’s also disappointment and triumph. If that ain’t part of the Black experience in America, I don’t know what is …
Freddie Gibbs, “You Only Die 1nce”
First of all, ignore the internet chatter; this is only about music. Gibbs is a gifted lyricist. I am so proud to hear him really start to wrestle with his individual existence. In a recent interview at Cal Berkley, he “wished he could have made a career rapping about some funny sh*t.” He said he doesn’t want to be gangsta for himself or his son, it’s just how he lived for two decades.
As a family man, hearing him talk about what he thought he had to do to make money is sobering. I appreciate seeing Black men attempting to be the best man he can be to positively impact Black families. We aren’t finished until we’re dead. Gibbs still has a long way to go in content, but the Big Rabbit is progressing nicely.
McCoy Tyner and Joe Henderson, “Forces of Nature”
Hearing a concert from 1966 for the first time in 2024 is a feat. Blue Note released a show from Slugs’ Saloon with McCoy Tyner and Joe Henderson leading a stellar quartet with bassist Henry Grimes and drummer Jack DeJohnette. I don’t know how to describe jazz but one of my favorite songs is “Black Narcissus” by Joe Henderson. It feels grown. This album on long drives, with a special hand to hold and the drone of modified exhaust on my Chevy, is a good time.
Curren$y and DJ Fresh, “The Encore”
After I never started selling drugs, I loved cars. Well, maybe just liked a lot. Curren$y raps for men like me. It’s for us. This is my post-car wash music and what it means to drive and be fly, especially if I have a haircut, fresh T-shirt and nice shoes on.
Larry June, “Doing it for Me”
Organic. Maybe you don’t know who this is and what it means. This was summer night music, even though he’s talking "foreigns" and I push a Chevy. Good job, Larry. Good job.
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