best rap album covers of the 2010s

—Philip Cosores, The best hip-hop this decade still paid homage to the jazz and soul that shaped its identity from the beginning. From Drake, Future, and Kanye West to Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and Young Thug, here are the best hip-hop albums of the last decade. For his part, Rocky was to serve as the telegenic public face of this empire, a gateway to the odd, luxuriant strains of rap that thrive online, just below radio’s radar. Scott and his team somehow maintain focus, connecting to a throughline that allows him to dangle explorations of his personal life, his somewhat dangerous embrace of fame and his often tenuous grip on the real world. Music Quiz / 2010s Artists on Their Album Cover Random Music or Artist Quiz Can you name the bands and musicians based on a picture that was on the cover of an album released in the 2010s? Over nine tracks, Metro Boomin crafts an immersive, 808-dominated canvas for Savage’s cold delivery to pierce through with jarring threats that paraphrase “No Heart’s” “keep shootin’ until somebody die.” 21’s murder and trap house chronicles marked him as one of rap’s best go-to’s for guilty-pleasure, shoot-‘em-up tracks.–A.G. The rest of the record unfurls with the same bittersweetness—contemplative and cerebral, balanced out with a playful plinking piano or sunny “doo doos.” With Telefone, Noname invites us into a meaningful conversation, and we’d all be fools not to be on the other end of the line. The rapper’s cousin and fellow Pivot Gang member John Walt (aka Walter Long Jr.) was murdered in 2017, and his death shadows every corner of the record. Lonely,” featuring Frank Ocean, whose velvety voice is all over the album, makes poetry out of boredom and depression: “Check in on me sometime/Ask me how I’m really doin’/So I never have to press that 911.” Siren-like synths (that will sound familiar to old-school Odd Future fans) and frantic, uneasy drum beats are offset by dreamy strings and jazzy improv, melding Flower Boy’s 14 tracks into a cohesive listening experience that accurately illustrates the rapper’s ups and downs. Where to begin when writing about the genre that defined the decade? His skills are on full display throughout R.A.P. A$AP, was “Fucking Problems,” a DJ Khaled-less DJ Khaled track carried by a slick Drake verse, a boffo 2 Chainz chorus, and a sure-thing beat from Noah “40” Shebib. —Robert Ham, While hip-hop media has been fixated on the line about “kissing white boys since 2004,” the truth is that Tyler, The Creator’s 2017 album Flower Boy is much more than a revelation about his sexuality. Weyes Blood: Titanic Rising 2. A Tribe Called Quest – We Got It from Here… Thank You 4 Your Service 6. The Best Hip-Hop Albums Of The 2010s, Ranked. A few simple, James Blake-ian chords, a faraway drum, and Drake in full loosened-tie mode—tossing hearty punchlines like he’s already on a comfortable slope. There’s something so fun and innocent about “Cocoa Butter Kisses,” one of the album’s most re-listenable tracks. Eve kicks off with the strength of “Nina,” works its way through the fortitude of “Cleo,” swagger of “Aaliyah,” and prowess of “Oprah.” Every track breathes as an energetic push in the name of the Black woman it was named after. The Best Indie Rock Albums of the 2010s. Some of the artists mentioned above are Warner Music artists. Below you will find the 30 best hip-hop and R&B albums from January 1, 2010, to today, ranked. ; While "Lemonade" by Beyoncé won over critics, "Love?" 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