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Writer's pictureAndrew Doucette
Dec 28, 202214 min read

Top 50 Projects of 2022 Pt. 1 (50-26)



50. India Shawn - Before We Go (Deeper)


Review


You would be hard pressed to find a more pure R&B artist than India Shawn. Even when she continues to expand into different genres, it still has that classic R&B feeling to it. Her voice is silky smooth and puts the listener in a trance. The production by D’Mile is still unparalleled in this lane of shiny retro R&B, especially because he also produced for most of Silk Sonic's catalogs. This is her first full album in almost a decade, and seeing her slowly gain a fanbase with some quality R&B is really awesome to see. It’s wild to look at an old song from 2014 that has JID, 6lack, and India Shawn on it and see where they all are now. Hopefully the wait for the next full album won’t be another decade.



Selling Point: Great vintage R&B



49. Smino - Luv 4 Rent


Review


Smino is still completely unique, even after taking four years to release this album. This feeling he gives off between the singing and melodic rapping is impossible to accurately describe, but that is the appeal. Songs like “No L’s” and “Pro Freak” are pretty straightforward, but tracks like “90 Proof” and “Louphoria” are incredibly unique. The latter of these is basically a shoegaze instrumental that was looped with drums and Smino is rapping over it. It’s hazy and beautiful at the same time. It means that projects like this can’t be enjoyed by everybody, but for those that do enjoy it, they will probably absolutely love it!



Selling Point: The vibiest hip-hop project you’ve ever heard



48. Kenny Beats - Louie


Review


Kenny Beats may not have said anything on this album, but he was still able to convey plenty of emotion through these samples, beats, and the few guest vocalists that are on here. A project made in catharsis for his father who was diagnosed with cancer, this project was made for him. It’s not supposed to be a look into the horrors of having a parent go through that, but is instead reminiscing the old times and how they came to have a great relationship, even through the rough patches. It’s the perfect project to listen to on a walk in a park on a warm summer day.


Favorite Moment: The sample on “Eternal”


Selling Point: An album to make you feel better



47. Steve Lacy - Gemini Rights


Review


Steve Lacy’s solo music has always been a bit lacking, but he was finally able to put out a project that lives up to his potential this year! Instead of most of the songs being passively enjoyable and groovy, most of these 10 tracks grab your attention immediately. Whether it’s the 80s psychedelic single “Mercury” or the groovy “Helmet”, they draw the listener in compared to just setting a mood like his music used to do. I wonder what will happen with his career at this point after his tour was flooded with people from TikTok that were only there for a couple songs. Hopefully he continues to make music just for the sake of making great music and doesn’t pander to this newfound audience.



Selling Point: Groovy R&B/pop music by an up-and-coming artist with lots more to give



46. Ab-Soul - Herbert


Review


This album only came out a handful of days ago, so I can’t put it that high on the list, but Ab-Soul definitely came through with a great project! No one writes quite like him when it comes to his wordplay. There is almost always some double entendre in his lyrics that are equally extremely smart and laughable at the same time. This is likely Ab-Soul’s most accessible album, as many of these songs have fairly accessible, classic hip hop beats that he spits over. Herbert is also his most personal album, especially with tracks like “Do Better”, “Herbert”, and “Gotta Rap”, the final of which is produced by DJ Premier. It’s been six years since he released an album, but this is a good time to jump on the Ab-Soul bandwagon.



Selling Point: Thoughtful, unique, introspective hip-hop with some incredible wordplay



45. billy woods - Aethiopes


Review


This project will probably be considered an underground classic in the future. It seems that so many people who know of billy woods absolutely love this project, and it's even raised his profile a little bit. There are plenty of features from underground legends on here that people will love, even if I personally think that there’s too many features on here. Billy’s lyrics are about as dense as a college professor’s. His parents were both professors, and his father was even an important writer in the liberation of Zimbabwe around 1980. They both clearly had an influence on billy’s lyrics and how he writes. Someday, I really want to dive deeply into a billy woods project, but that requires way more time than I currently have with school. Still, Aethiopes is still pretty enjoyable on the common level as well.



Selling Point: An extremely intelligent person from a unique point of view



44. Earl Sweatshirt - Sick!


Review


Sick! is still far from my favorite Earl Sweatshirt project, but it’s one of the easiest to play consistently. The production is much more accessible on the majority of the album, with a few of them even having trap-inspired elements. The features all add to their respective songs, especially on “Tabula Rasa” with Armand Hammer. This project really relies on if Earl Sweatshirt’s version of making accessible music is something that works for you. Earl’s best music is still made from his darkest places, but I don’t want him to go back there just to make music. Sick! shows that he can still make quality music that can exist outside of the darkness.



Selling Point: Thought-provoking, but easy listening hip hop



43. Quadeca - I Didn't Mean To Haunt You


Review


Quadeca’s ambition for this album is almost unparalleled for anything that came out this year. I Didn't Mean To Haunt You is completely unique and easily the most interesting thing I’ve ever heard from an artist that used to be primarily a Youtuber. It’s a concept album about being stuck in purgatory after committing suicide and his journey of coming to terms with his decision. It’s a heartbreaking listen when it comes to understanding the lyrics, but even the overall sound of this project is an achievement in itself. Hopefully he can continue to make something just as unique and even better from here.



Selling Point: The most ambitious album made by a 22-year old this year



42. SZA - SOS


Review


SZA’s second album is here after half a decade of waiting and at 23 tracks, it’s a mammoth release. This project is too big to fully digest in the couple weeks since it came out, but there are plenty of great songs to go around. The live instrumentation on “Gone Girl” sounds incredible, while SZA’s vocal performance on this project is definitely her best showing ever! Songs like “Blind” and “Snooze” show how she’s definitely up there with the best R&B singers today! “Kill Bill” and “Notice Me” show her cheeky lyricism about love and heartbreak that has always made her music unique from other R&B. She really tears herself apart over these songs as well, with the vast majority focusing on her own flaws in these relationships. Even with the extreme length of SOS, this project was easily worth the wait.



Selling Point: One of R&B’s most legendary new names is back again with more great music



41. Boldy James & Real Bad Man - Killing Nothing


Review


Yet again, Boldy released four albums in 2022, but none of them topped this one with Real Bad Man. Boldy has plenty of memes about his music because it does all sound the same, but it’s still really great. His rapping and flow may be monotone, but it always works with whatever the production is. Read Bad Man’s production on this project is more menacing than what Boldy usually goes over. The drums and bass on here sound incredible most of the time! Boldy also upped his game for hooks on this album, as many of his best hooks he’s ever written show up on here. His writing is razor sharp yet again. Boldy will continue to release great material, so I’ll end this one by saying that this album cover is one of my favorites in a while!



Selling Point: Dirty Detroit hip-hop



40. Jockstrap - I Love You Jennifer B


Review


The electronic duo from the UK officially released their debut album this year, and it was worth the wait! With repeated listens, the vocal melodies only became infinitely more memorable, while the subtleties in the electronics just became even more apparent. For example, the electronics in the beat on the title track became so much better once all the details were finally heard. Georgia’s voice has this theatrical feeling to it that helps this music stand out even more than it already does. Part of me misses all the classical influences they had on their 2020 EP, but now that I’ve been able to live with this project for a while, I have come to appreciate it even more.



Selling Point: Experimental electro-pop that is both catchy and weird



39. Mike Dimes - In Dimes We Trust


Review


Everyone needs some ratchet Texas hip-hop in their life, and Mike Dimes is here to provide that for the current generation after the previous generations of DJ Screw and Paul Wall. The production here is hard-hitting, while his bars aren’t that impressive, they aren’t bad in any sense of the word. His hooks are still easily one of the best in this genre all year, while his attempts at slowing it down aren’t that bad. The runtime is only 30-minutes as well, which makes it easy to have it play over and over again. Hopefully Mike can retain this level of Texas trap music for his future projects.



Selling Point: Hard-hitting trap music with lots of energy



38. Rico Nasty - Las Ruinas


Review


I didn’t end up coming back to this Rico Nasty project as much as I originally thought, but that doesn’t take away from its quality at all! The electronic-driven production on here combined with her usual aggressive hip-hop works really well. This project does lack standout moments compared to her previous projects, but every song on here is super entertaining and danceable. She also digs into her emotions a lot more than ever before on the last three songs here, and it adds a lot to her as an artist! Hopefully she continues to be just as introspective in the future, because she could really be something special if she implements that.


Favorite Moment: The lyrics on “Easy”


Selling Point: An electronic-hip-hop mixtape from one of hip-hop’s most unique mainstream stars



37. Djo - Decide


Review


This project still isn’t unique at all, but I still really enjoy the entire thing. The production is still a fantastic combination of indie music and electronica, and even the effects on the vocals sometimes feel very Daft Punk-ish. His voice is pretty good though, even without the effects on his vocals. The songwriting is not mindblowing either, but it’s still really solid. The production always brings together the song, especially with how the drums and guitars blend together. Djo’s bridges are what helps make it stand out among the rest of indie music. I’m sure it’ll be a while until the next Djo album, but I’ll definitely be listening to this project for a while.



Selling Point: Quality indie and electronic project



36. Saba - Few Good Things


Review


Saba had impossible standards to live up to after his 2018 opus Care For Me, but thankfully, he decided not to try and recreate the magic of that project. Instead, Few Good Things is just another great rap album. I didn’t end up coming back to this project as often as I thought, but that’s a testament to everything else that came out this year and not a dig at Saba. Even revisiting it at the end of the year, all the rapping and production is still really great. Even the features add to their respective songs. I’m just glad that Saba’s is in a better place and is still making great music.



Selling Point: Soulful and easy-listening hip-hop



35. Little Simz - NO THANK YOU


Review


Little Simz decided to surprise us with another great project to end the year. This is her first project on an independent label, which she talks about a lot on this project. She clearly isn’t a fan of the major label she used to be on, as she goes at them on the majority of the tracks on this project. Being off the label hasn’t changed her sound that much, but having Inflo at the helm yet again is always a good thing. He clearly had more of an influence on this project, as this is the most SAULT-oriented project she’s ever released. Songs like “Gorilla” and “No Merci” are two of the best bangers of her career, while the awe-inspiring “Broken” is one of her most introspective tracks ever. I don’t know if Little Simz will continue to release albums at this rate, but she’s clearly a special artist.



Selling Point: One of the best rappers currently out with arguably the best producer



34. DJ Premier - Hip Hop 50 Vol. 1


Review


DJ Premier had said that there was supposed to be a new EP in this series every month or two, but five months later and there is still nothing besides this project. Either way, this Premier EP was an incredible surprise! DJ Premier is one of those artists that makes you realize why you love hip hop. It’s just drums, samples, and the rappers spitting their hearts out. There is almost nothing more than that over these five songs, but it doesn’t matter. Hearing Nas over another Premier beat in 2022 was amazing to hear, while having Slick Rick and Lil Wayne on the same song produced by Premier works way better than it has any right to. I do hope that we end up getting the rest of the EPs, but if not, DJ Premier has given hip hop a gift for its 50th anniversary.



Selling Point: One of the greatest hip-hop producers ever making a love letter to the genre



33. Jensen McRae - Are You Happy Now?


Review


Jensen’s songwriting still stands above the majority of songwriters, let alone people on their debut album. These aren’t words that are written just to fit a melody and sound the best, the words are the songs. As great as I think her voice is, the lyrics are still the most important aspect by far. Her attempts at tackling everything from mental illness to the emotional struggles of growing up are just as entertaining as they are potent. The production by Rahki is pretty good as well, but that’s not surprising for someone who’s produced for Eminem and Kendrick Lamar before. I hope Jensen can progress from here to make something even better, because even though this is a great debut, there is still more potential here.



Selling Point: A great songwriter at the beginning of her journey



32. Wiz Khalifa, Girl Talk, Big K.R.I.T., Smoke DZA - Full Court Press


Review


Full Court Press is still one of the easiest hip hop listens I’ve had all year! It’s so easy to put this project on and get lost in three quality southern rappers trading verses and songs. Girl Talk provides a soulful southern hip hop background that gives them the platform to really show out over. Each rapper on here has moments where they shine the most, no matter if it’s a Wiz Khalifa chorus or a Big K.R.I.T. verse. This type of project should not be this entertaining, but for some reason, they were able to make magic just within the couple days it took to make this album.



Selling Point: Easy listening and fun southern hip hop



31. SAULT - Earth


Review


The percussion in SAULT’s music has always been incredible, but this project ramps it up to another level! The grooves on this project are still burrowing their way into my mind, even after a couple months of listening. While a handful of these songs barely have any lyrics, let alone lyrics in English, the atmosphere around this album is nothing but incredible percussion and healing. When Cleo Sol does show up, like on the cinematic “Valley of the Ocean” or the meditative “Stronger”, it makes this project feel like it could’ve been the best SAULT project they’ve ever released. It does fall a little short of that standard, but it’s still another great and healing record from the UK collective.



Selling Point: Percussion-driven music with a meditative turn



30. Lupe Fiasco - Drill Music in Zion


Review


One of hip-hop’s most legendary lyricists came back with an album he completely wrote and recorded in 72 hours, and it still managed to be one of the most thought-provoking projects of the year! Even the concepts behind the songs are wild. “Precious Things” is a song where every single line of the three verse song is something that you can do with your hands, with the last verse being from the perspective of hands and ending with the line, “The problem is you don’t use us to write the raps anymore.” The last song, “On Faux Nem,” shows Lupe talking about drill music and the killings that have happened in this genre. He even has the line, “How does that transpire to be so damned by God, you want your friend to be goddamned liars?” The way he writes is still so unparalleled, so it’s not surprising that he’s currently teaching a class at M.I.T. on the subject.



Selling Point: The closest thing to pure poetry in hip hop



29. Jean Dawson - Chaos Now


Review


Chaos Now is still Jean Dawson’s most cohesive project so far, and it shows that he can really make something special someday. There are still some kinks to iron out here, but the majority of the songs here are undeniably great! The guitar-driven indie rock made by Jean Dawson pushes boundaries that most people are not doing. For example, having Earl Sweatshirt on a baroque-pop song is unimaginable to the average person, but Jean Dawson somehow found a way to pull it off. “Pirate Radio” ends the album with a similar mashing of art pop and hip-hop and it ends up being absolutely beautiful. It’s only a matter of time until Jean Dawson hits the big time with one of his songs.


Favorite Moment: The chorus on “Glory”


Selling Point: Someone that is pushing indie rock into the future while blending it with a plethora of different genres



28. Freddie Gibbs - $oul $old $eperately


Review


It may not be an arguable instant classic like Freddie’s last two projects, but $$$ is still really great! Hearing this project shows that Freddie doesn’t have to rely on a Madlib or an Alchemist to make a great project, he can do it by himself. Of course, there are still a murderers’ row of talent on this project that includes some all time great producers and artists. James Blake, Kaytranada, Justice League, Madlib, The Alchemist, DJ Dahi, Anderson .Paak, Raekwon, Pusha T, Scarface, and many more lend their talents to this project, but Freddie is still the star. It is always his flow, cadence, and lyrics that demand attention more than anything his features bring to the project. There’s no telling where Freddie will go, but I’m sure it’ll be great.



Selling Point: One of hip-hop’s best artist releasing his first album without a single producer in close to a decade



27. Jack White - Fear of the Dawn


Review


Fear of the Dawn is Jack White blending the weirdness of his previous album with the tight songwriting he’s had for the past couple decades. The songs on here are far from straightforward instrumentals, most of them are actually pretty wild instrumentally, but Jack keeps the song structures on here tighter than before. There is always at least a hook that the audience can latch onto, even if the instrumental is going wild. There may not be an immediate hit on here that he will be playing for the next couple decades, but the overall album is chalk full of entertaining, experimental, blues-rock bangers that Jack has been known for.



Selling Point: One of only rockstar’s currently innovating and pushing rock forward



26. Kenny Mason - Ruffs


Review


Ruffs is easily the least serious Kenny Mason project so far, and it’s also by far his most cohesive. While he does alternate between hip hop and rock music, he combines them more effortlessly here than ever before. It makes this mixtape be the easiest project of his to play so far, especially front to back. This could easily be a jumping in point for many fans of hip hop that are not familiar with Kenny Mason yet. He also has features from bigger names like Young Nudy and Jean Dawson that will hopefully draw more people here. Just personally, I think what Kenny is doing is extremely unique and deserves so much attention.



Selling Point: Hip hop, trap, and rock music coming together in a unique and accessible way



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