![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: Album of the Year
12.30.22
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
And just like that, we have reached the end of this week, and the end of yet another year. It has been another wonderful year for hip-hop, and it all comes down to everyone’s most beloved topic of each year, award show, everything. Album of the Year. What was your favorite album of 2022? Here are some of For the SoUle’s favorites.
God Don’t Make Mistakes was a huge project for Conway the Machine. Finally releasing his album under Shady Records, and it did not disappoint. Conway proved he can be who he is as an artist at a higher scale than what many considered Griselda to be because hip-hop on the radio no longer sounds like the music they create: real, raw, street, hip-hop. Conway stuck with Shady to use the platform, and put out a record old fans, and new fans would love. He had several big name features which was new at the time for the crew when released in February of this year. God Don’t Make Mistakes reached Billboard Top 200 charts in the US and the UK. Conway would for the rest of the year go on to be one of the most consistent artists of the year, along with Benny and Westside Gunn, who continue to release quality music for their fans, and hip-hop fans whom continue to do their research and understand what a huge impact these guys have on hip-hop today, and will continue to make as we roll into the New Year.
This is simply an album you are going to see on everyone’s top albums of 2022 list. When the project initially released, many outlets compared it to previous Kendrick Lamar albums and ranked the others much higher than Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers. To me, this is one of the best he has created to date. Now, many of the tracks may not be something that you listen to for fun when you are trying to get pumped up for the day. However, the skill and the thought, and the storytelling behind every single song on this project make this the best album of 2022, and Kendrick’s catalog. Kendrick could direct movies with the album. He is an artist. It shined bright, through and through, with this album.
Nas has had an incredible past two or three years. He continues to showcase his skills, and although considered old-school by many, he has done his homework and continues to work with newer artists in hip-hop today, and will continue to grow his fanbase by doing so. While this album in particular has no features, he works with top tier producer Hit Boy, who recalls Nas’ releasing his first album with no features, as well. With this, Nas focuses on lyricism throughout his project, and can be debated as one of the top lyricists in the game.
Pusha T drops another great album this year. While I definitely have this in my top five records of the year, many have compared it to Daytona, from 2018. Comparatively, Daytona debuted at 77,000 album sales, peaking at the number 3 spot on Billboard US Charts. It’s Almost Drying debuted with 55,000 album sales and made the number one spot on Billboard US Charts. Numbers do not lie, but do they really matter? These numbers are minimal compared to earlier times of Pusha T, but he continues to showcase his time is not over, and he can do this with, or without, the help of Kanye West. While this Grammy nominated album was released with GOOD Music, Pusha T has since stated that he will no longer be a part of the label. With Pusha’s gritty tone and raw lyrics, I expect nothing but even more music and consistency, with new areas of content to come from King Push moving forward. Not to mention, he went viral on TikTok. Pusha T. TikTok. The takeover has just begun.
A personal favorite, and most listened to album of the year for me. There are many things that stuck out to me to have this album realistically listed on my top five albums of 2022. First, the growth of the artist. If you listen to G Herbo from ten years ago til now, and quite frankly, even three years ago til now, you can hear the differences in his sound, delivery, videos, and throughout his entire process. It is fun to see an artist evolve, and improve, which is what we are witnessing here. This comes with the want and the need to be great. G Herbo has grown a family, and he is putting a lot into the business of being consistent with his music, and taking the business part of it seriously. This past year, he’s done several free styles to promote the tape, multiple interviews, created tons of music videos for a great number of hits throughout the project, the only thing that would have been more great, would have been a tour, though he did do this around the same time last year. Then, consider how many double albums you listen to all the way through. Twenty-five tracks, nine features. The features are exciting, the solo tracks have meaning and different styles. I will not go ahead and call it a no-skip double tape, but it is pretty darn close.