![]() The independent label founded by native rapper Westside Gunn tapped into the year’s hunger for depth like it was its job. It’s fitting that in 2021, Griselda Records, of Buffalo, New York, would come to dominate the rap subconscious. Here are our picks for the best rap albums from 2021. ![]() The concerns of the real world are as pressing as ever, and that’s ultimately where rap music shines brightest. Hip-hop in 2021 felt raw and urgent Drake and Kanye even settled petty grievances toward the end, perhaps realizing that there’s too much at stake here. Rappers spent 2021 in a mood of genuine introspection, which makes sense given that the year was filled with so many reminders of how precious life is. phenom Little Simz’ deeply personal I Might Be Introvert, where she flips gracefully from confronting her own trauma to flexing at a party with ease. Tyler, the Creator’s Call Me if You Get Lost found the rapper finally accepting his own greatness, making for what’s easily his best album. There was Lil Nas X, who put to rest whatever fealty to genre or form stubborn rap purists had, with Montero, a textured and confessional album that also finds the “Old Town Road” star really rapping - like, rapping, rapping - while managing to imbue his delivery with the playful pleasure of golden-age dance music. But rap is also a genre built on resilience, and 2021 saw its biggest artists, in addition to a slate of exciting newcomers, find new ways to balance joy and pain, the prevailing pendulum of emotion in the pandemic era. Before the clock even struck midnight on New Year’s Eve last year, news of the death of hip-hop’s poet laureate, MF Doom, rattled like a shock wave. Over the past 12 months, our sense of loss seemed to outpace our capacity for grief. ![]() ET to hear Rolling Stone Music Now broadcast on SiriusXM’s Volume, channel 106.In a lot of ways, 2021 represents one of the most tragic periods in rap history. ĭownload and subscribe to our weekly podcast, Rolling Stone Music Now, hosted by Brian Hiatt, on iTunes or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts), and check out three years’ worth of episodes in the archive, including in-depth, career-spanning interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Halsey, Neil Young, Alicia Keys, Phoebe Bridgers, the National, Ice Cube, Dua Lipa, Questlove, Killer Mike, Julian Casablancas, Sheryl Crow, Johnny Marr, Scott Weiland, Liam Gallagher, Alice Cooper, Fleetwood Mac, Elvis Costello, John Legend, Donald Fagen, Phil Collins, Justin Townes Earle, Stephen Malkmus, Sebastian Bach, Tom Petty, Eddie Van Halen, Kelly Clarkson, Pete Townshend, Bob Seger, the Zombies, Gary Clark Jr., and many more - plus dozens of episodes featuring genre-spanning discussions, debates, and explainers with Rolling Stone’s critics and reporters. To hear the entire episode, press play above, or download and subscribe on iTunes or Spotify. ![]() Cole’s The Off-Season, vouches for the greatness of Topaz Jones’ Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Mama, and much more. The episode draws from Conteh’s personal list of the year’s best songs (which ranges from Morray’s “Quicksand” to Megan Thee Stallion’s “ Thot Shit” to Drake’s “What’s Next” to Noname’s “Rainforest.”) as well as Rolling Stone’s overall rankings of 2021’s top albums. The new episode of Rolling Stone Music Now focuses on the best hip-hop of 2021 so far, with Mankaprr Conteh and Jeff Ihaza joining host Brian Hiatt to talk about their picks. ![]()
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