Thoughts
I originally started a list of all my favourite records, CD’s and tapes that I picked up this year but that was getting really long and redundant as I post about releases I picked up each week. I pick up albums that I like so it would just be a list of all the albums I picked up this year both new and old. I decided I would do the harder thing and narrow it down. So, I asked myself If I could only take five records with me for the rest of my life from this year, what would they be? Well after a lot of piles and deliberation, going back and forth and agonizing, I came to these five records.
20023 has been one of the best years for rap music and I truly believe we are living in a renaissance of sorts within the genre. There are so many fresh perspectives and styles within the music right now. This was a truly a challenge for me and It was harder than I thought it was going to be and trust me I thought it wood be hard. Here we go in no particular order, my five desert island rap releases from an incredible 2023.
Mestizo - IWWIW - IIWII
I don’t think there was a cooler release inn 2023 than this one. I think Mestizo finally made the record he has been trying to make all his career and really found that straight up level of cool own this record that was unmatched in 2023. No harder rap song was released than Smile now, cry later this year. The piano is perfect, it demand Eire attention and lets you know you are in for it if you don’t get your shit together. This track is probably the best and my favourite track released in 2023. It is everything I have loved as a hip hop fan and take me back to my teenage days. It is a mature take on the music of my teenage days. Mestizo continues not shine and seems to have entered an incredible part of his music career both as a solo mc and with A7pha and I can’t wait for more!
Rove - Poke The Bear
I love producer compilation albums and in my opinion it has become sort of a lost art in hip hop. The early 2000’s were littered with amazing compliations and I loved it. Especially on vinyl. Rove has filled that void and then some for me smashing it out of the park in working with pretty much all of my favourite rappers. This really is a masterpiece that I feel I am the target audience for. It is weird to give praise like this to one of your long time homies but I try to be subjective even though I contributed cuts to a track. If I didn’t know Rove at all, this album would still find its way on the list. I sometime feel weird playing records I am involved in but I know I would feel the same way about them one way or another, if I kew them or not. There are so many favourites own this one, as I look at the back cover right cover right now I am like reading every track title and saying to myself that is dope track, that one is my favourite, which is why this was another brainer for this list. This is just a perfect compilation front to back and I am really excited to see what Rove does in 2024 to follow it up!
Homeboy Sandman - Rich
Homeboy Sandman is one of those rappers for me that can do no wrong. The subject matter on this one is witty and relatable as it is with all of his releases. Homeboy Sandman is the every persons MC and Rich is a perfect example of that. Then We Broke Up is an incredible real and poignant story rap about modern relationships that is relatable even if you didn’t break up with your significant other. It is witty, observational and perfect. I listened to it for the first time with my partner and we talked about it, laughed and enjoyed it together. The production from Mono En Stereo is truly incredible. I love the simplicity of it as it allows Homeboy Sandman to really shine but I think the beats could all stand on their own as well which tells me they are not as simple as they might sound paired with a rapper. Off The Rip is a certified banger and slang I was not familiar with and actually had to look it up even though I could gleam the meaning of it through the song. I just wanted to confirm my own inferences. This one takes me back to hearing the Souls of Mischief track Cab Fare as the vibe and rawness are similar to me in a weird way. If you took the drums off of it, it would be almost identical in my mind. Just a really fun record front to back and maybe my favourite from his extensive catalogue.
Sleepingdogs - I’m Faking My Own Death Just To Get Some Rest
I am super glad that Andrew came into my world ion 2023 and I am extra glad that he teamed up with Jesse The Tree to makemsuch an incredible record. This like all of these is a front to backer with no skips, but there are some real standouts. Again with the theme of relatability that seems to be really prevalent in my rap listening in 2023, they like Homeboy Sandman created tracks that pull me into their world experiences that often mimic parts of my own. I think as a I age as a rap listener these are the types of records that pull me in and have staying power on the turntable both in radio play and home listening. That is a true measure for me with an album in these types of lists, is both radio play and home listening. I think home listening carries more weight for me because of their manual process and delicate listening that it takes. Like all of these records this one got a lot in that category. This is such a beautiful record and should be a staple in your collection and rotation.
Quelle Chris & Cavalier - Death Tape 1 Black Cottonwood
I think this one is a real sleeper on the list and I hope more people check it out. I learned about this album on Twitter one day thanks to a post from Cavalier. I checked it out because Quelle Chris was in involved and there is nothing that he is inviolved in that I don’t love. This is a real work of art sonically and both Qulle Chris and Cavalier knock it out the park on the mic. This may be my favourite Quelle Chris produced album to date. The way this album flows is perfect. Like all of these releases it benefits from perfect track sequencing, which I think is the most underrated part of putting out an album. It can make a good album a great album and make a great albums sound like it only has a few good songs on it. The track Phat Beach into the Magic Interlude is a true work of art. I feel like these two tracks together are more of one song with two parts. I love it and I never get tired of it. It bring me great joy every time I hear it and I can assure you I heard it a lot this year. I don’t feel like they can be played separately. The are inseparable in my mind and ears. This is such a great album.
If you have not listened to any of these albums this year. I would encourage you to give them a listen or if you aver maybe give them a relisten. I am excited to hear what 2024 will bring in th eWorld of rap. I don’t think it ins compete with 2023 but I am happy to be proven wrong and in the immortal words of Mayor Ed Koch in Style Wars, “time will tell”.
Thank you all again and again for reading my thoughts each and every week about rap music both new and old. It has been fun and challenging at the same time. I am not sure what 2024 is going to bring for me and TFTRN but I will do my best to keep it going. I have no intentions of stopping but the last couple of months have proven more challenging to write these things for a variety of personal reasons. I want to wish each and everyone of you all the best in 2024 and I hope you all experience health, happiness, fun, and are able to achieve some goals and creative outlets.
-peace
chaps