Between the biggest battle of the last 20 years, YSL’s stint in the longest criminal trial in Georgia history, and the downfall of a previously unstoppable executive, hip-hop had a pretty massive 2024. Sadly, these stories and many others garnered a lot of headlines and pushed the culture’s proliferation far outside of its musical boundaries. Many folks re-listening to “Family Matters” and “6:16 in LA” did so to catch the gaps in evidence and strategy, not to reflect on their melodic or lyrical prowesses. So it goes without saying that many of the art form’s most compelling and impressive offerings over the past 12 months or so flew completely under the radar… Even our own, for a time. But we’re very happy to admit that we slept on some gems and rounded up five of the most underrated rap albums of this year that grew on us the most.
These hip-hop projects took some time to settle in for many different reasons. They all came out pretty early in the year, back when we still had larger releases on our horizon or found ourselves completely overwhelmed by surprise diss tracks. We’ve already sung some of their praises before and want to double down on them, whereas other picks never got their proper shine. However, no matter why we initially brushed these records off, their merits in performance, production, thematic depth, catchiness, or idiosyncrasy eventually eroded any skepticism. Obviously, we missed out on a lot of hidden treasures in 2024, and looking back on everyone’s sleeper picks will be one of the year’s very last treats for the rap community. Before we head into the next quarter of the century, don’t skip out on these outstanding works.
Bruiser Wolf – My Story Got Stories
My Story Got Stories easily ranks among 2024’s funniest hip-hop albums for the enthralling and unmistakable delivery of Bruiser Wolf, one of Danny Brown’s Bruiser Brigade colleagues from Detroit. But many fans heard his storybook tone and kept their praise to only that. Despite the acquired taste that this project’s main artist and production pallet employ, don’t miss out on some of the sharpest, most clever, and most hilarious punchlines of the year. “Everything I do is monumental / It’s a cycle, period, menstrual” had us laughing all throughout 2024, and there’s plenty of heartfelt sadness and melancholy to balance out that sense of humor. Dusty samples, languid boom-bap beats, vivid street life descriptions, and quick-hitting song structures make for a whole slew of stories that walk the line between harrowing and hilarious. Also, the focus on accountability and loyalty informs the bravado with a lot of conviction.
All that said, don’t think that Bruiser Wolf’s My Story Got Stories is just a collection of old-timey, quirky, comical asides. “2 Bad” with Danny Brown and Zelooperz is one of the most ridiculously animated bangers of the year, and “I Was Taught To” with Trinidad James is a trill and low-riding cruise. Some of the stark and skipping sample flips, such as the atmospherically stretched-out vocals of “Holla At Ya Mans” and the static-laden soul on “Dope Ain’t Good” with Stretch Money, can bleed into each other on occasion. Fortunately, once you really focus on the instrumentals and verses, it all comes together as a psychedelic, rugged, and somehow unsettling album experience. It just goes to show that a whimsical perspective can bring the light out of the darkest street corners, which was an unparalleled process to undergo in 2024.
Read More: 25 Best Rap Albums Of 2024 So Far
TiaCorine – Almost There
When thinking about the best rap albums of any given year, you might initially call attention to what feels deep, meaningful, or thematically significant. But then you’d have to balance that out with some of the most fun and vibrant music of that same period, and we can’t let 2024 go by without putting TiaCorine’s Almost There EP into that conversation. It’s eight tracks of no-frills plugg and rage-inspired material with some truly catchy melodies and moments, such as the phased-out and swirling buzzes on “Blick” with Key Glock and the choppy triplet embellishments on “Burnt.” What really creeps under your skin and leaps out without warning, though, is the North Carolina spitter’s vocal dynamism and flow control on here. It’s a big part of what makes these beats come alive, even as they might not hit your ears as particularly unique instrumentals.
For every deep-toned and menacing trap banger like “Give No F**k,” there’s a bubbly and sweet wave to ride on cuts like “Shamone.” Production-wise, there’s a lot here to create a solid resting place for TiaCorine’s displays: acidic synths, dense bass, sharp trap percussion, dreamy pads, and airy tones. She handles it all with a lot of charisma and surprising versatility, as her raspy growls on the Luh Tyler-assisted “Yung Joc” match the bass while her malleable flow delivery compliments the crystalline keys. All in all, Almost There occupies multiple hip-hop moods and appeals at the same time. “Olive” with Zelooperz is still one of our favorite ragers of the year, whereas “Bonnet” and “Nah He Tweakin” round the EP out with more relaxed and ethereal melodic dominance. Despite its short length and simple nature, this is one of rap’s most satisfying batches of ear candy in 2024.
Quadeca – SCRAPYARD
By the time our mid-year list rolled around, Quadeca’s new mixtape SCRAPYARD was already burrowing itself into our brains. Still, a lot of that appeal came down to the enduring catchiness and emotional resonance of the Los Angeles native’s 2023 EPs leading up to the full album. The tender bossa nova and alt-tinged hyperpop fusions of “A LA CARTE” featuring brakence, the brief yet minimally glitched-out confidence of “I MAKE IT LOOK EFFORTLESS,” and the jittery distortion on “GUESS WHO?” were leftovers from last year that, when we initially listened to SCRAPYARD, ranked head and shoulders above its newer offerings. Eventually, the controlled chaos of genre mixes, mood swings, and production techniques of the whole package really settled in as an expressive, cathartic, and engrossing full-length.
Harcore Quadeca fans finally got “BEING YOURSELF” on an official release, introducing its cavernous bass and fluttering flows to a whole new base. “PRETTY PRIVILEGE” draws from – and evolves – the emo-trap tradition with rich hand percussion and intoxicating electric guitar tones. Perhaps the biggest grower is “U TRIED THAT THING WHERE UR HUMAN,” whose initially off-putting whispers perfectly prelude an ambient, folky, lo-fi beat that gives more singer-songwriter than seasoned MC. Add a soulful boom-bap cut in “WAY TOO MANY FRIENDS” and you’ve got one of the most creative, undefinable, and colorful albums of 2024 in any genre. Maybe that’s why the 24-year-old’s latest LP took some time to grow. It’s not solely hip-hop – or any genre, for that matter. Yet its assembly of disparate scraps to craft an earthy sound not only creates amazing rap music as a result, but also excellently embodies the art form’s ethos.
Read More: 30 Best Rap Songs Of 2024 So Far
Tierra Whack – WORLD WIDE WHACK
A week after Tierra Whack dropped her long-awaited debut full-length album WORLD WIDE WHACK, Kendrick Lamar lit the rap game on fire and reset the year for our minds. It was honestly a huge disservice and misstep on our part, as the Philly native came through with the vibrance and wonder that she’s known for while adding some new flourishes to her arsenal. For example, “MS BEHAVE” is one of her most brash and bass-heavy songs yet, and “X” continues this dark and primal percussive journey. Longtime fans still got some of the low-key, crisp, and perky jams they love such as “DIFFICULT” and “INVITATION,” in addition to Tierra’s most diverse and organically fused sonic pallet yet. The project travels from triumphant and egocentric excess to down-trodden and despondent tribulations, although it never loses its personal and intimate charm. In other words, it fittingly and progressively expands Whack World.
Nevertheless, Tierra Whack’s experimentation and songwriting focus on WORLD WIDE WHACK doesn’t automatically jump out at you. Somber interludes like “NUMB” and “BURNING BRAINS” are pretty unassuming at first, and only reveal their powers once the stickiness of other tracks wears off on you. Maybe you can attribute this to the thin trap drums on a lot of beats here, or to the washed-out aesthetics that cloak much of each song’s atmosphere. But you eventually realize what’s taking all that extra space up, and it’s the 29-year-old’s captivating personality and presence. It’s sometimes understated, but those partially obscured moments always pair up with relatable lyricism and grounded themes of identity, contradiction, and emotional volatility. It might not be the most bombastic or instantly gratifying LP of 2024, but it certainly stands among its most vulnerable and varied.
Cavalier – Different Type Time
Finally, we wanted to shout out Backwoodz Studioz for backing one of the best lyrical displays of 2024. Cavalier’s Different Type Time reflects the passions of a rapper unsatisfied with the perfectionist rat race of the music industry, and these 21 tracks reflect that level of frustrated inspiration with grace. Boom-bap permeates throughout calm and collected instrumental clouds on cuts such as “Can’t Leave It Alone” with Eric Jaye, and the project overall feels like a particularly healing piece of underground hip-hop. Of course, jazzy passages and reflective ambiance define much of this LP as well. It makes more fiery fare like “Doodoo Damien” hit that much harder, especially when the Brooklyn-born and New Orleans-based lyricist weaves intricate rhyme schemes together with raw perception wise beyond his years. Since it’s such a familiar sound, it’s up to the listener to dig through the diamonds in these verses.
As much as the pen dominates Different Type Time, Cavalier also crafted some of the most gorgeous soulful fusions of hip-hop this year, such as “Think About It” with Billzegypt. There’s such an immediate and in-your-face approach to a lot of the mixing behind the instrumentation and percussion here, adding this live feel to narratives of struggle that turns them into consistently evocative songs. Even though 2024 had more daring or widespread challenges to rap’s status quo, this album shows off the power of tradition, homage, and fundamental ingenuity with no need for invasive bells and whistles. It’s a very blunt record in that sense, even if the bars here will always warrant a rewind. For those listeners looking for the furtherance of the culture’s linguistic excellence, storytelling prowess, and foundational elements, this offers even more.
Read More: Cavalier & Quelle Chris Drop Off “Shining Brighter” Featuring Pink Siifu & Denmark Vessey To DSPs
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