December 2025 Roundups: The Best Albums of the Month

With releases from Nas & DJ Premier to redveil, here are notable releases in November that stood out to us as the best albums of the month.

It’s impossible not to think about the huge contribution that each and every one of our subscribers has made to the year. Coming fast down rabbit holes of underground rap, neo-soul gems and jazz collectives that we’d never heard of until we introduced them to you has given us an absolute rush, and we’re humbled by the fact that you entrust us with your time and attention in a world that is absolutely saturated with content.

December brought one final tidal wave of exceptional quality, which feels more like artists laying down their mark rather than year-end farewells. Long-awaited collaborations finally materialized, and up-and-coming voices lived up to years of promise. Seasoned artists returned with a renewed sense of purpose, shaking off the dust of time to show us why we fell in love with them in the first place.

Well-known and lesser-known albums, these ten records cover a broad spectrum, moving from boom-bap revivalism and Marseille-recorded alt-rap to Blue Note post-bop and testifying R&B, Southern funk built on childhood car obsessions and Brooklyn mixtapes that glide through styles between plugg and chopped-and-screwed without even breaking a sweat. We’ll dissect 2025 as a whole in the coming weeks, but for now, take your time with these albums, allow them to soundtrack your holiday drives and quiet mornings, and your late-night unwinding.

Until then, introducing the newcomers.

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Big K.R.I.T., Dedicated to Cadalee Biarritz

Looking back at his career, Big K.R.I.T. has gone back and forth between being told what the industry wanted him to be and being true to himself, and naming his album after his childhood dream car, the Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz, shows how much this car is more of a reminder of his past than a status symbol. Off the heels of the polished but sterile Digital Roses Don’t Die, he’s opted for something grittier this time, throwing in some annoying radio ads and recurring jokes into 17 tracks of gritty Southern funk. “Gotta Do It” is built over a heavy drum beat, and takes inspiration from UGK and 8Ball & MJG, not just as throwbacks but as a reminder that you shouldn’t fake it, anything less is not acceptable. “Celebrate the Line” brings together a crew of Slim Thug, Paul Wall, Z-Ro, and Lil’ Keke for a Houston party that feels like it’s been earned, rather than put together for the sake of it. K.R.I.T. produces nearly everything himself here, samples Roy Ayers on “So Far So Good” and sends up the late DJ Screw on “Precious Metal” with the kind of love and care that’s characteristic of his sound. Comedian Karlous Miller drops by with a handful of comedic skits and a 44-second freestyle that doesn’t let the mood drop. This album is basically the record that K.R.I.T. would’ve made if he hadn’t been chasing radio hits, and it’s the hungriest he’s sounded in years. — Kamarion

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SALIMATA, The Happening

SALIMATA developed her writing skills freestyling over beats she found on YouTube, from UK grime to house to free jazz. Born in Brooklyn, she spent much of this album in Marseille, France, where the distance from her childhood home has given her crystal-clear clarity. Coming from a family of Ivoirian immigrants, her mum still makes her performance outfits, infusing them with the care and love of her ancestors. MIKE, who runs 10k Global, encouraged her to drop her very first project back in 2022, and now she’s repaying that faith with 14 sharp, uncluttered bars. The album gives a nod to the “Fergalicious” era without milking it, laying down club-fresh vibes and confidence-radiating conviction. Producers Creestal, Corey Fonville, and Ovrkast. made jazz-influenced beats that let her personality shine in every part of the music when building the backdrop for her album. — Fallon Reese

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Nas & DJ Premier, Light-Years

Two decades after Nas first hinted at a collaboration with DJ Premier in a 2006 magazine interview, the project is less a grand monument than a friendly chat between two men who don’t believe that their legacies should be locked away. DJ Premier brings beats that thump with a roughness, jarring samples and basslines that glide beneath the lyrics like the foundations of a building. “Pause Tapes” sends back to Nas’s childhood when he used cassette tapes to create homemade beats, and talks about his mother’s collection of Johnny Taylor records in her house, and Premier cuts up the samples so that they sound just like those memories. “NY State of Mind Pt. 3” Is based on Billy Joel’s song of the same name, and links New York City rap royalty to classic American rock without hesitation. “Nasty Esco Nasir” takes on a dramatic showdown between Nas’s different sides of himself, and finishes with one half of himself killing off the other. The only guest verse is by AZ, who keeps things tight-knit. Well-known as the last album in the Mass Appeal Legend Has It series, this album gave fresh platforms to Slick Rick, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Mobb Deep, Big L, and De La Soul in 2025. Now fifty-two, Nas raps about cryptocurrency and investments in Saudi Arabia right next to reminiscing about his childhood. — Wesley Durham

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Out Of/Into, Motion II

The collective of Gerald Clayton, Immanuel Wilkins, Joel Ross, Kendrick Scott and Matt Brewer started out as the Blue Note Quintet to celebrate the label’s eight-fifth anniversary and ended up calling themselves something that better fits their artistic approach. Each of them is a respected solo artist and, together, they don’t aim to copy the label’s past but to live up to its spirit by not sticking to a recipe. This second album is made from the leftovers of their almost forty tour dates, and has been refined and tightened night after night until it became more relaxed and precise. With no one hogging the stage, when “Brothers in Arms” dropped its eight-minute opening track, everyone got a fair turn. “Familiar Route” takes its cues from Herbie Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage” sound, but doesn’t go down the same path, it’s basically just inspired by it. Ross brings his vibraphone and marimba playing to the forefront of the mix and cuts through Clayton’s piano and Wilkins’s saxophone with crystal clarity. Scott’s steady beat gives the music momentum without fireworks and Brewer keeps everything grounded from the bottom. — Kevin Matthews

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Mark Lux, Opened Gates

One of the most promising acts in the L.A. hip-hop scene, Mark Lux’s 15 tracks here are him getting more confident in his decisions as he goes, and after getting features on tracks by Cuzzos to AZ Chike, striking out on his own with his Listen to the Kids label. The sound is straight from the West Coast’s melodic tradition, but doesn’t copy anyone else’s style, bopping between snappy funk and darker late-night vibes. “On Point” and “Crutch” were released as singles earlier in the year, showing that Lux can effortlessly switch up his flow. Well-known LA rapper Lil Duece, Dudadamthang, and KB Devaughn join forces for the five-minute “Fades,” which doesn’t meander off track either. “Only Child Syndrome” is a really personal song, digging into the feelings of growing up without any siblings, and turns peculiar habits into something we can all relate to. This album is 43 minutes long, which is neatly packed, so the whole thing zooms along. Mark Lux sounds like someone who’s still figuring out his voice, and because of that, it’s part of what makes the album stick. — Xavier Thomas

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Chris Patrick, Pray 4 Me

It’s hard to believe that Chris Patrick almost gave up on his music when he was just three months away from signing with Def Jam in late 2024. Coming from East Orange, New Jersey, he had spent years releasing EPs, guest verses and getting nods of approval from the likes of Nas, J. Cole and Black Thought but hadn’t yet achieved mainstream success. Well-known for a seven-minute freestyle on Kai Cenat’s Mafiathon, where he delivered one of the year’s best verses over the instrumental of Kendrick Lamar’s “Man at the Garden,” completely turned his fortunes around. This major-label album takes that momentum and distills it down into nine intense, thought-provoking tracks. “Frankenstein” teams him up with Marco Plus, over gritty beats, and has Patrick laying down lines about treating the first take as a last chance, basically do-or-die. The album wraps up with “Huncho’s Prayer,” which goes for nearly nine minutes, and gives him the space to let out all his feelings, both sadness and ambition. “Screaming at the Sky” is a heartfelt tribute to someone he lost, merging soul samples with hi-hats and doesn’t overexplain anything. “Ramen Noodles” takes hunger and makes it into a metaphor, but doesn’t overcomplicate things. Coming hurrying between trap beats, jazz-rap, and neo-soul, this album doesn’t feel like a genre-hopper. It’s more like a fusion of sounds that he’s naturally at home with. — Koda Lin

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redveil, Sankofa

After years of beloved LPs, redveil moved from Prince George’s County, Maryland, to Los Angeles at the beginning of 2024 to get access to real studios and session musicians, coming from years of working from his bedroom. His fourth album, inspired by a Ghanaian proverb, is about going back for what’s yours, weighing forward motion with tradition. “Buzzerbeater / Black Christmas” starts with a confessional tone and Morton baring his soul about a plan to kill himself at the age of thirteen, but then turns to victory. “Glimpse of You” is a heartfelt tribute to his brother, who is living with schizophrenia, and wants to visit him for his birthday. Morton brings in pianist Johnny May, flutist Amber Navran and guitarist Keelan Walters to add some meat to his sample-based sound, and “Mini Me” is an excursion into psychedelic rock, somewhere between Childish Gambino and Tame Impala. Morton is belting out the vocals with more confidence than he used to. The album ends with “Brown Sugar,” which is a delicious fusion of neo-soul and old-school backpack rap, with him and Smino trading lines about a casual affair, both vibing so well. — Miles Everette

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threetwenty, Separate from the Noise

When Ivana Nwokike and her husband, Filip Hunter, one half of the acclaimed R&B duo VanJess, and the Swedish hip-hop producer, respectively, formed the group threetwenty, they’d already been in the music scene for a good chunk of time. Coming fast out of that scene, they spent a year dropping raw, emotional singles that built up a massive word-of-mouth following. Well-known for blending neo-soul, jazz-funk and hip-hop, the ten tracks of their album don’t fixate on any one genre. “The Light (I Need You)” kicks things off with Ivana’s voice right in your face, and Filip’s beats that are warm and low-key. “Fruit” goes on for almost five minutes and rides the beat perfectly, without overstaying its welcome. “Lamp Onto My Feet” gives off subtle gospel vibes but isn’t explicitly religious. They released the album through their own New Century Sound label, giving them complete control over the sound and chemistry that they wanted to cultivate. Coming from Ivana’s background as a singer, her vocal runs feel completely improvisational, and Filip’s beats are sparse, giving lots of space. The name threetwenty is a declaration of their decision to step back from the expectations of others and go for something real. — Renée Halloway

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Niontay, Soulja Hate Repellant

Known for his aggressive and emotional lyrics, Niontay dropped his album Fada<3of$ through MIKE’s 10k Global label in April, establishing him as one of the best up-and-coming rappers in New York’s underground scene. Eight months later, this mixtape sharpens and polishes the raw talent that Fada<3of$ suggested, and the Florida-bred, Brooklyn-based rapper described the project as more direct and less conceptual than his album. The first single, “100days100nights” delivers exactly what he promised: under two minutes long, explosive beat, and his words dripping in the accent of his hometown. Earl Sweatshirt shows up on “Cressidaway! / Tpgeek” with a verse, just before the beat changes to something hazy, the two of them trading space with the same fluidity of old colleagues. Niontay is currently supporting Earl on his tour. It goes full-on chopped-and-screwed style, and Dadecountydates’ vocals are pitched so high they sound like helium-altered. The beats blend Detroit sounds, plugg, cloud rap and empty beats, and still manage to tie everything together with its sharp turns in style. — Tariq Belson

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Conway the Machine, You Can’t Kill God with Bullets

The highly-regarded Buffalo MC who went through a terrifying experience in 2012, where he was hit by three bullets to the head, neck and shoulder, miraculously made it out of that with half his face paralyzed and a voice that sounds like it’s been dragged out of a nightmare. He kicks things off this album with an excerpt of H. Rap Brown’s 1968 “Free Huey” rally, setting the tone for what follows as a resistance against forces who want to destroy. Conductor Williams produces several tracks, including the single “Diamonds” with Roc Marciano and the wild “Se7enteen5ive” which has his eccentric loops and isn’t recognizable until the hook hits. Timbaland brings a signature unusual beat to “Crazy Avery” and shows that Conway can get along famously well with someone else’s production without stumbling over his words. “Lightning Above the Adriatic Sea,” which was produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, lets him go back over all the things he’s overcome, without sounding like a celebration. “Never Sleep” re-plays a harrowing experience of watching a friend get humiliated on his own porch, “Hold Back Tears” trudges through a heartbreaking list of the passing of his loved ones. The album has a fusion of hard-hitting trap beats and old-school boom-bap sounds and Conway is still starving for more after years of being lauded as part of Griselda. — Owen Baptiste