Great Hip-Hop Albums/EPs That You Might’ve Missed in 2022
Here are the Hip-Hop albums from 2022 we believe deserve more love.
We are music fans, and we value our rare finds. Now is the time of year to unveil your shining achievements to the public.
The ten great hip-hop projects we think got lost in the shuffle in 2022 are listed below. Have fun with the collection and listen to music you may have missed.
These albums are well worth your time, we assure you.
Nerves Baddington — Micro/Macro
Birmingham, Alabama's Kilgore Doubt, inkline, and Cam the Invisible Man make up Nerves Baddington. We're thinking of releasing their Micro and Macro albums together as a double LP since they go together so well—many musicians in the Spotify age release EP-length projects that are promoted as full-length albums. In defiance of the norm, Nerves Baddington released two ambitious 45-minute projects combined into one immaculate record, clocking in at precisely 73 minutes. Micro/Macro is one of the few albums that might appeal to casual rap fans and more discriminating hip-hop listeners, offering an hour and a half of top-tier experimental yet accessible hip-hop. The soundscapes are well thought out, the lyrics are a balanced mix of the cerebral and the abstract, and the inkline and guest appearances are seamless. Micro and Macro are excellent on their own, but when they are put together, they form an even more powerful whole due to subtle aural and lyrical cross-reference points. The music in Micro/Macro is both ambitious and intriguing. — Philemon Hayes
Kojey Radical — Reason to Smile
Kojey Radical is leaving no stone unturned in pursuing a better life. The London rapper has been active in the UK's great conscious hip-hop and jazz rap scene for nearly a decade, gradually expanding his repertoire with numerous EPs that helped him tighten any loose screws in his music. In his debut album, Reason to Smile, he uses only the highest quality ingredients, resulting in a collection of songs that is as intellectually stimulating as emotionally honest and open. The album accommodates everything that's been in Kojey's thoughts recently. Reason to Smile is a triumph for Kojey, who made every second count with the help of a slew of producers who gave him free rein. The album features jazz-infused odes to success, romance, and darker moments of community violence and unity. It marks the beginning of the first full exploration of Kojey's anxieties. — Jamila Wamuiru
Sadistik & Kno — Bring Me Back When the World Is Cured
On Bring Me Back When the World Is Cured, Sadistik uses his rhyming to depict tragic but beautiful scenes; his pensive phrases and flows are profoundly moving, and the album's robust sound helps the emotional content hit home even more than it did on his previous efforts. Over a decade, Kno has shown himself to be one of the industry's top producers. His contributions to the critically acclaimed albums as a member of the production trio CunninLynguists are unparalleled. And the instrumentals he composed for his 2010 solo album Death Is Silent are as impressive. His hauntingly beautiful rhythms for Sadistik on Bring Me Back When the World Is Cured are stunning, and he is an expert at creating evocative musical environments that make you feel something. — Murffey Zavier
redveil — learn 2 swim
redveil's latest album allows him to see the entire scope of his musicianship for the first time, including the areas in which he has excelled and those in which he still has work to do. Although he doesn't always succeed, I find it intriguing that he isn't afraid to try new things, even if he has no idea where they will go. His music is so intense and well-composed that it's easy to overlook that he's just a high school graduate. There's little doubt that he will keep developing as a musician, and it's not hard to see him being a hip-hop legend in the years to come. Although the album has some shaky spots, redveil's experimental spirit and forward-thinking aesthetic aims make him the undisputed leader of hip hop's next generation, making the album a delight to listen to anyway. As he matures and learns what he wants from his music, redveil's songs only improve, with Learn 2 Swim serving as a springboard for even more brave and moving work. The object seems to be a finger's reach from him. — Nehemiah Dawson, Jr.
Ransom — No Rest for the Wicked
No Rest for the Wicked, Ransom's latest album, is a showcase for the next level of development in the career of the sizzling MC. Throughout these 39 minutes, the acclaimed rapper reveals himself to be more than simply an MC with top-notch lyrical skills. The 41-year-old maintains his cutthroat manner but discusses far more than is typical. He shares intimate details of his life on the streets, in the music industry, and as a man, talking about his family and his sentiments. By a wide margin, the reflective poetry of this album is what makes it Ransom's most personal work. The album's excellent production from industry giants like Nicholas Craven, Streezy, and a few skilled others, contributes to its one-of-a-kind vibe. Each song is a unique experience in its own right, with gorgeous audio layering and unforgettable soul and voice samples embedded in drum rhythms. Ransom uses these rhythms by having the band members perform in lockstep with the mood he creates. — Harry Percy Brown
Quelle Chris — Deathfame
On Deathfame, Quelle Chris thinks about the effects of fame and fortune on an artist's physical and mental health and happiness in the music business. Chris has explored these subjects in his prior albums, but as he enters middle age, they appear to be weighing on his mind more regularly. The rhythms are often languid and winded, conveying sheer tiredness and fading hope, even on the tunes with more direct rap rhymes. Although Chris's trademark acerbic wit is still evident, the album is not as comic as previous albums like Everything's Fine, opting for a more deadpan tone. Even as Quelle Chris' music gets more demanding, it's still very captivating, and his lyrics are loaded with intelligent, profound insights on life, death, success, and failure. — LeMarcus Dontrell
Sampa the Great — As Above, So Below
Sampa the Great was all prepared to go on an extensive international tour after her album, The Return, won the Australian Music Prize. Still, the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic put a temporary halt to concerts throughout the globe. She left Australia for her birthplace, Zambia, where she spent time with her family and the music of her childhood. As Above, So Below sounds organic and earthy but utterly modern, drawing inspiration from the music of Zambia, Botswana, and South Africa. As Above is a significantly shorter album than her first, but it shares its predecessor's emphasis on legacy and culture while also going inside and addressing personal difficulties. The results prove that Sampa the Great was right to take these risks. The album is a robust and unabashed artist's sincere tribute to a nation and region. This level of insight, musical harmony, and overall appeal shows how much she has matured as an artist during her time in the spotlight. — Brandon O’Sullivan
billy woods — Church
The one thing you can count on from billy woods is a hit. He is one of the finest working rappers and has the lyrical ability to define an entire generation. His writing, by all accounts, is steadily improving, and he has a forceful, direct speaking voice to match. Just over half a year after the release of the excellent Aethiopes, billy woods returns with a new effort that also merits inclusion among the finest of the year. Church is distinct from the Aethiopes, yet it's nearly as excellent. Church, while still firmly left-field, is a more straightforward beats and bars affair, with production from Messiah Musik, whose instrumentals are more in line with the sounds of Blockhead and Kenny Segal on earlier billy woods projects, than Aethiopes, which is heavier on the experimental side and arguably less accessible. — Oliver Ivan Martin
MAVI — Laughing so Hard, it Hurts
Laughing so Hard, it Hurts is a terrific addition to the fantastic portfolio of 2022 rap albums, and MAVI is a smooth and soulful hip-hop artist. The jazzy piano sounds over which MAVI raps are reminiscent of the music you could hear at a small, specialized jazz bar in New York City. In an odd sense, it's warming and reassuring. He also displays a consistent stream of mind, spending many lines emphasizing the same rhyme scheme. Laughing so Hard, it Hurts may not be for everyone, but it will surely please fans of experimental Hip Hop because of its rich poetry, smooth flows, and unusual but soothing instrumentals. — Reginald Marcel
Loyle Carner — Hugo
British rapper Loyle Carner released his third studio album, Hugo, after the success of his previous two efforts. His newfound sobriety and parenthood are reflected in the album's lyrics, which delve deeply into his experiences coming of age as a mixed-race person raised by white parents in the United Kingdom. Carner has always had a reputation for writing contemplative lyrics with a conversational tone; nonetheless, he speaks more lucidly here as he confronts his anxieties and conflicts feelings. Carner admits to having problems at home, expresses regret for being a sinister father figure, and desires to break the cycle of abuse and neglect in the album's last three songs. Loyle Carner's displays of sensitivity have always been highly nuanced, but they take on a new level of complexity on Hugo. Fury is one of our most potent instruments in situations of injustice, and the album demonstrates a crucial aspect of the depth and criticality Loyle Carner has via its use of this emotion. Hugo, Loyle Carner's most successful piece to date, is a brief and clear statement of how the world has influenced him. — Brandon O’Sullivan