![For The So[U]le](http://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e448f9107f0455f95d191fe/1581557322643-UL53HZ22JD9GJLOHP3WL/LOGOHeader.png?format=1500w)
A Week of Best Of’s 2022: Collaborative Album
12.28.22
We have officially made it, to the last week of 2022. The music industry is relatively quiet around this time, and hopefully a lot of us are at home resting, gearing up for the new year, as well. With every year-end, however, we finally get to talk about the ‘Best Of’s.’ Everyone has their own Spotify Wrap or Year In Apple Music, and everyone has an opinion on who had the best product out this year.
This week, we’ll round up 2022 with a ‘Best Of’ each day, leading up to the start of 2023. Here is what our schedule will look like:
Monday: Best Freestyle
Tuesday: Best Music Video
Wednesday: Best Collaboration Album of the Year
Thursday: Artist of the year
Friday: Album of the year
Collaborative albums are always a lot of fun. You always hear about artists that are planning to deliver a collaborative album, with an artist they are close with, that can hold their own in booth with one another. Then it comes down, did they hold their own? Did one artist take over? A great collaborative album showcases both artists throughout, highlights their skills, and may even include a few additional features from other artists close to the collaborators in the industry. What was your favorite collaborative album of 2022? Here are some of For the SoUle’s favorites.
Everyone knew Her Loss was going to be a game-changer for 2022, but who knew to the extent. Not only did Drake and 21 Savage have a hilarious marketing roll out for the project, which would later get them into some potential finance issues, but the numbers they put up in record streams would make it all worth it. Billboard shared Her Loss earned 404,000 equivalent album units, or 513.56 million streams, upon their first week of launch, making the launch week the fourth-largest streamed week of all-time for any album. Eight singles from the project landed in the top ten on Billboard their debut week, as well.
Throughout the marketing for the project, 21 Savage mentioned that Drake help him write some of his verses on the album. To which, Drake shared that 21 helped him as well. When it comes to triumphing one over the other, most would say you cannot beat Drake in any music category. However, 21 Savage also has an international fanbase and a solid reputation in the music industry. The two played off of each other extremely well throughout the project. This will be a legendary joint project for many years to come.
I am going to count the label collaborative album here because it does follow the rules. Different artists on the same tracks throughout the album, highlighting their other label mates and industry friends, back-and-forth verses, with no sign of slowing down the energy throughout. Gangsta Art was twenty-seven songs long, and there was not a single too-slow or un-exciting song on the track. Even if you came to listen to Yo Gotti, or Moneybagg Yo, or 42 Dugg, even the smaller names from the label really shined on their verses throughout the project. Big Boogie went viral with his single KeKe, Lil Poppa is since getting radio play, and Lehla Samia’s Hood Rich anthem is probably the best song to sing along to on the project (and for the ladies, probably the best one all summer). It might be impossible for this project to get old. It is impossible to step to CMG. They cannot loose.
I consider Gucci Mane a troubled genius. It seems like each year there is a New 1017, and the collaborative albums from the team are always lengthy, and exciting. The So Icy Boys The Finale project went viral for consisting of 80 tracks at just under four hours in length. Now, if you know, you’ll see they are four different collaborative So Icy Boys projects placed together, but it’s smart because it’ll have you doubling back on Gucci’s previous work with his artists. You probably know Pooh Shiesty and Foogiano, but what about Bigg Scarr, Enchanting, Mac Critter and Kato2x? You’ll certainly get familiar by going through this project. Everyone has tons of representation throughout, and I have never seen a team mix and sound together so well. I hope that one day this crew can keep it together, staying out of danger, and legal issues, so that they can really take over. RIP Big Scarr, one of my favorites.
Last Ones Left has to be my personal favorite. 42 Dugg and EST Gee are probably my two favorite artists to come out over the past couple of years. They always seemed like they would make a good duo to put together a joint project, whether or not they were both signed to CMG. Being from Detroit and Kentucky, the sound is not the same, and they are not from the south, at that. But their voices are rather distinct, one deeper, and one more high and raspy. There would be no doubt that two are going to blow up, especially with CMG on their side. The album is seventeen tracks long with not a single skip, if you ask me. Several back-and-forth verses between the two, unmatched energy, it was actually my running album of the year, number two most listened to in my Year-In Apple Music report. Besides the energy the two brought on this album, they appear to be great friends, which of course rubs off on the chemistry in the studio. Free 42 Dugg so we can have more in 2023.
Quando Rondo and NBA Youngboy both put out new music more consistently than most. Fans have been waiting for this collaborative project between the two for years, and I personally was not sure it would ever come. The marketing roll out for the project was rather light, but Youngboy fans stay ready for his new music, and it certainly was no light or quiet year for the artist. I love that the theme of the project and the artwork being each of the artists repping for their own locations, while showing the similarities between the two, hoping we can one day come together. Peace and a truce, probably not something you automatically think of when thinking of Quando Rondo or NBA Youngboy, however this is what can happen through such collaborative projects.