It was no 2016, but 2024’s roundup of music was a close competitor. Projects from our favorite artists like Clairo, ScHoolboy Q, Westside Gunn and Tyler, The Creator pushed major innovation. This year was flourishing with musical excellence and intoxicating tracks that can’t go unmentioned.
1. Blue Lips, ScHoolboy Q
To start off our list, we have ScHoolboy Q’s sixth studio album, Blue Lips. This project was a beautiful showcase of Q’s maniacal assertiveness with such raw and vulnerable delivery. Q’s music was as blunt and aggressive as it was touching and honest. “Funny Guy” introduces the album, complimented by a playful flute that dances around the chant “Bring the d*pe, bring the h*es, bring the money bags in”. A wonderful welcome into the opulent delirium the rest of the album offers. Tracks like “oHio” feat. Freddie Gibbs demonstrate Q pushing narrative structures into his music. This, in turn, showcases his ability to apply multiple modes of sounds harmoniously into one track.
His audience can feel the vulgar and frenetic energy of the album in tracks “Pop”, “First”, “Back n Love” and “Pig Feet”. Yet, Q still produces the beautiful and velvety track “Blueslides”, covering introspection and societal dilemmas. The album itself covers so much artistic ground, and each track is intoxicating in it’s own fashion. Blue Lips is an unapologetic storm of stories involving Q’s trials and tribulations, perfectly cascading into a lurid set of tracks.
2. #RICHAXXHAITIAN, Mach-Hommy
Haitian rapper and Jersey dweller Mach-Hommy blessed his listeners’ ears this year on May 17th. #RICHAXXHAITIAN is prolific in sound, utilizing coarse yet elegant samples with a bit of Mach’s modern touch. Indeed, sound carries in this project, yet the lyricism notably laces it’s way through each track with great poise and animus. Hommy takes his time to be intentional with his words, and simultaneously pays homage to his native tongue, Haitian Creole. The lyrics to Hommy’s music are never released, making each listen a specialized and diary-like experience.
Track “POLITickle” opens with a synthy intro as Mach dives heavy into his verse, fashioned in capitalist critique. Feature, Drea D’Nur, sends the song off with her emotional serenade “All the pain, we we we’ve been through/ It feels like rain, clouds the sun from shining through.” D’Nur’s verse encapsulates Haitian struggle that Mach seeks to inform listeners about throughout his project. While “PADON” trudges through an old-school grainy beat, Mach raps brazenly of being the engineer of his own finesse. Track “XEROX CLAT” stands as a brief interlude/phone conversation between Mach and feature, Haitian Jack, over a silky Conductor Williams beat. Hommy discusses the roots of a society’s downfall being: “A handful of businessmen in a room somewhere… with avaricious hyper-capitalistic aims”. Mach’s lyrical lessons dance across a plethora of sonic modes in #RICHAXXHAITIAN, deeming it an incredibly meticulous body of work for 2024.
3. Charm, Clairo
Clairo’s Charm was the soft-spoken femininity that 2024 needed. This project is warm, dreamy and reminiscent, dabbling in Clairo’s undeniably flirty and fluttering sound. Track “Second Nature” plays with the idea of a person becoming Clairo’s all-consuming reverie, dancing atop a bouncy Mellotron beat. Charm beautifully transforms sappy subjects into smooth honey-gold tracks that strikes a lover’s ears with a gentle daydreaming flow.
One of the most dynamic tracks on the project, “Terrapin”, waltzes amongst a gentle snare drum and a loopy hum as Clairo discusses reservations in her relationships. Notable in this track, is the cascading piano that leads listener’s to the summit of the song, accompanied by a jazzy crescendo of piano, drums and Clairo’s silky vocals. Tracks like “Echo” and “Thank You” embody the botanical and soft-natured sound that Clairo executes so well. Gingerly applied here are soft guitar strums and dreamy synth beats. Charm does a great job of placing the volume of Clairo’s vocals a touch above her instrumentals, neither masking nor over-exposing her. This undoubtedly unveils her voice’s feathery nature.
When taking a listen to “Pier 4”, Clairo takes a dive into the clouded, melancholic side of love and individualism. This track feels like a confrontation of the self, fittingly placed last in an album discussing exterior relationships. Clairo’s echo-chamber of vocals, her delicate guitar and the lyrics “Playing out moments when there was a touch” are worthy of a tear-shed. This album felt like fuzzy sepia film and a tear drop on your journal page all in one, worthy of remembering for 2024.
4. Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat, Charli xcx
Brat didn’t shatter the internet quite enough this summer, so Charli released Brat‘s alter-ego, Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat. The charmingly underwhelming title serves perfectly for the concept of the remix project; To create a sibling song to each Brat track, both extending and evolving the track conceptually. Charli’s remix album worked beautifully to preserve the hungover, hot mess, chain-smoking persona felt so heavily in Brat. Yet, the remix album also offers the maturity of an older sister with a few more years under her belt. So, listeners said goodbye to “bad tattoos on leather tanned skin”, and hello to “late nights in black silk in East London”.
Track “Everything is romantic” featuring Caroline Polachek is a beautiful extension and remaking of it’s Brat counterpart. A grandly romanticized flute and strings ensemble transforms to a rather sullen and introspective Polachek solo, capturing the shift from idealism to realism. Both original and remix seek to define what is truly romantic. One adorned with sparkling club beats, the other lo-fi piano riffs.
Tracks “Club classics” feat. Bb trickz, and “365” feat. Shygirl are their originals on a drug induced high with little filtration from the maiden track. Revolving electronic basslines are heightened to a tastefully executed overstimulation of sound. Bon Iver’s nostalgic bellowing vocals on “I think about it all the time” deepens the remix track devoted to Charli’s late friend SOPHIE. “Guess”, featuring Billie Eilish, transformed a sexy track to a seductive, and gorgeously provocative club banger with her kittenish verse. This album was the feature-fest of 2024, making it an unforgettable player in the Brat music movement.
5. Still Praying, Westside Gunn
Still Praying is the richest humblebrag of 2024, feeling like a diamond-studded knock to the jaw. Think Margiela coats, European trips, sparkling wrists and pounds of cash. DJ Drama, and his token laugh, are found on most tracks; A fitting inclusion for a sh*t talking project. And Gunn does just that; Talks his sh*t. His powerful pen and satin-smooth samples show off on this project, harkening back to similar sounds found in Hitler Wears Hermes 8: Side B.
Gunn shouts out his comically heavy wrist on track “Justin Roberts”, mimicking a wrestler’s introduction. He welcomes us to the “lifestyle of the rich and blamous” in “Beef Bar” over a soft tintinnabulation and old school record switch up. Gunn’s ability to place luxury lyricism over delicately jazzy beats plays out gorgeously here. Track “Underground King” is quite literally sparkling in your ears while Gunn raps of his divine artistic stature, with a brief interlude from his daughter, Westside Pootie. Most tracks sound like an 800k bracelet in a ray of sun, blooming with a confident and lavish energy.
This album is conceited and opulent, yet the beats argue a certain graceful modesty. Gunn knows he’s made it, and this album is really just him telling his listeners that.
6. Chromakopia, Tyler, The Creator
Tyler’s Chromakopia is a terrifyingly beautiful work of art. His ability to rap about his trousers packing $1M, while simultaneously singing about his mother’s changing hands on the same project is captivating. This album is extremely multi-dimensional, and nothing shy of his best work. Tyler talks sexual exploration, heavy pockets, self-importance and heritage. It’s a creative gold mine, and shows Tyler for Tyler. This project grows outward from Sir Baudelaire, Wolf Haley and IGOR, and searches inward to an authentically vulnerable Tyler Okonma.
Track “St. Chroma” starts listeners on their journey through Tyler’s spirit with an invigorating buildup and Tyler’s whispered verse. Tyler doesn’t tread lightly in his lyrics here, although nearly masked by the sounds of marching feet. Inspired with self-confidence, the feverish track “Rah Tah Tah” follows. Tyler lays the heavy bar “I could never ride no Hellcat, sh*t don’t cost enough” atop a scuzzy beat. Similar smack-talking energy is found in track “Thought I Was Dead” feat. ScHoolboy Q. Over a maniacal and woozy cadence led by a distorted trumpet, Tyler raps of his persistent swagger despite the inauthenticity found around him. Remember, it’s not truly a Tyler album unless we feel put in our place after a listen.
Track “Like Him” showcases Tyler’s quavering voice entering the unknown void that is his father. This song stings with every lyric, and the outro is arguably the most beautiful sonic experience on the entire project. “Like Him” is suggestive of Tyler admitting his vulnerability and yearning for the man who shares the same DNA as him. It’s shaky, raw and harrowing.
Chromakopia displays the sheer amount of range that Tyler is able to cover conceptually and artistically. This project covers all bases exploring grief, vanity, anecdotal experiences and roots in the same 14 tracks. Chromakopia caused a surge of meaningful conversation in the music world; Well worth the two year wait.
7. I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU, JPEGMAFIA
2024 was also the year of artistic innovation, JPEGMAFIA supplying his vanguard project I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU. This project ushered listeners into sounds of the avant-garde, uncomfortable, and undeniably brilliant. JPEG plays around here with rap, punk, etc., paving the way for his carefully articulated, yet haywire tracks to land with the utmost flavor. He didn’t scare the ho*s as he did in 2023, but rather intrigued us further…
“50 beat switches a minute, they gon’ put me in a Guinness” embodies JPEG’s playground of noises that is “i scream in the mirror before i interact with anyone”. This punchy track includes a stressful guitar-heavy chorus with timid cymbal interludes where JPEG releases his unnerving energy. In “Exmilitary”, JPEG skates over a Wu-Tang Clan “Tearz” sample with a bulky pen. He raps with scorching confidence, like much of the album. Tracks “SIN MIEDO” and “it’s dark and hell is hot” express the same chaotic and authoritative energy. I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU is deliciously amusing, and takes a sharp left from mainstream listening.
JPEG doesn’t shy away from getting a bit touchier on the tracks “either on or off the drugs” and “Don’t Put Anything On the Bible” feat. Buzzy Lee. These two tracks, both honest and melodious, divert heavily from the majority of the album. I found this refreshing, as it provided a truly satiating listen. JPEGMAFIA beautifully corrodes the rap genre, placing an ungodly amount of sounds and styles together in matrimony. This project was tumultuous and berserk in the best ways possible.
8. Alligator Bites Never Heal, Doechii
Doechii screams “I’M EVERYTHING!” in track “BOOM BAP” off of her newest mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal, and I believe it wholeheartedly. Recently nominated for Grammy’s Best Rap Album, Doechii’s 2024 project stood as a curious lens into the TDE artist’s extraordinarily creative approach. Alligator Bites Never Heal provokes a certain feminine confidence amongst a male-dominated genre. Doechii has created an introspective project that exists boldly within Hip-Hop; It’s an ego trip fused with a therapy session, and it’s Doechii flexing her quick-witted, bedazzled pen.
“And I’m carrying these b*tches like my period late”, Doechii raps in her track with Fetish, “GTFO”. It’s undeniable that Doechii carries herself in this project with audacious authority. From “CATFISH”, to “BULLFROG” Doechii slides over dimly-lit bass-dominated beats where her bars transcend. She raps of midnight swims in her jeweler and rocking her 24” waist, telling those who feel “froggy” to hop out. Track “BOILED PEANUTS” uses a Los Sospechos “Jano’s Revenge” sample, where Doechii plants her ingenious Hip-Hop energy over a fluttering saxophone. She raps about her label being up her a*s, expecting a certain image from her, yet Doechii resounds in the chorus that she has “no chip on my shoulder.” This mixtape feels like a creative manifesto for Doechii; A new-found voice of her own, despite her label’s direction. It’s divinely empowering.
Amongst the bad b*tch rap tracks, Doechii supplies some beautiful pieces of music, “BLOOM” and “ALLIGATOR BITES NEVER HEAL”. These melody-forward tracks touch on the more personal side of Doechii, discussing her views on individuality and curating a place for her petals to stretch. It’s really beautiful to see Doechii’s production literacy and artistic range take shape in this project, and even more beautiful to see her receiving recognition for it. 2024’s Alligator Bites Never Heal was the mixtape of the year, and a timeless work of art from the Swamp Princess.
