Top 25 Albums of 2025

2025 honestly was one of the hardest years of my life ever. However, musically I think this is the best year of the 2020s so far. There were a lot of incredible releases. There were also some disappointments and ass releases, but I didn’t hear as many of those as I usually do I think. Be sure to check out the EP list that I published a couple days ago if you haven’t yet. Before I get into the full LP list I just wanna mention a few releases that didn’t make it.

Jay Electronica’s Leaflets project should’ve been here, but the release of that album was kind of a disaster. I guess that’s to be expected of Jay Elec at this point though. There were only five songs that featured rapping on it to begin with, and now two of them are completely unavailable on DSPs. It was already the length of an EP in the first place, but now it’s even shorter. The two songs that got removed were really fucking good too, so that’s very disappointing. A more fitting word to describe the situation than “disappointing” would be “embarrassing” though. Jay Electronica is one of my favorite rappers of all time, but he’s getting harder and harder to defend each year. I want for him to get his shit together and release a proper full-length solo album with minimal features. I personally don’t mind the voice clips and movie samples since that’s always been a key component to his artistry, but maybe tone it down just a little bit. I think he went a little overboard with it on the three projects he released this year.

Benjamin Booker’s Lower album is my favorite non-rap album of 2025. It was one of the first projects I listened to and wrote about after I was discharged from the hospital this year. Shoutout to my homie Noah for putting me onto that one. The only other project I wanna mention before we get into the official list is brainorchestra.’s Jet Force Orchestra album, which is my favorite instrumental LP of the year. It’s actually one of my favorite projects I’ve ever heard from brain, and I kinda wish I had written about it when it dropped. Hopefully the wax doesn’t sell out before I get a chance to cop it. Anyway, let’s go ahead and get into the official list. As always, it should go without saying that these are definitely not the only albums that are worth your time from 2025. There are plenty of really dope projects that didn’t make it onto this list, so be sure to check out other people’s year-end content, such as FREEMUSICEMPIRE, Cinemasai, Eric the Young Gawd, Dead End Hip Hop, The Rap Music Plug Podcast, etc. There’s a ton of stuff out there for everyone.

25. GOLLIWOG by billy woods

This is probably the most popular album on this list. Other entries come close, but it seems like this is the album that got the most attention. I wouldn’t be surprised if I got hate comments for putting it so low on this list. I do love this album though. It’s not my favorite woods album, but it has several of the best songs he’s ever made. Tracks like Waterproof Mascara & Maquiladoras are absolutely stunning to me. Pretty much every verse from woods has at least one god-tier quotable too. The main reason this isn’t higher on my list is that there are a couple features from artists I’m not into at all. There are also some really awesome guests here too though. Despot has one of the best features of the year on Corinthians. The production is elite too. This is an incredibly dark, oftentimes haunting record, which I really dig. I mean, I guess that was to be expected just based on the title and cover art. My favorite song is the closer, but I think I listen to Maquiladoras the most. That beat is incredible. That’s like a top 5 instrumental of 2025 for me. I love it. The album’s dope as hell.

24. Contacting by Sunmundi & Sasco

🔗 Read my review

Sunmundi is one of my favorite artists of the 2020s, and Sasco is a really amazing producer as well. His album, The Hottest Year on Record, was one of my favorite albums of 2024; my favorite track was the closing song, Cave Painting, which featured a GLORIOUS verse from Sunmundi along with Big Flowers & Nakama. When Sasco told me he was working on this full album with Sunmundi I was pretty ecstatic. Thankfully, it ended up being just as fantastic as I had imagined. Some of the instrumentals here are just straight up astonishing. I hear a beat like Bright Moments and wonder how the hell he made something like that. Sunmundi absolutely tears everything down as well. I’ve never heard a verse from him that I wasn’t super impressed by. He’s easily one of the best rappers under 30 in my opinion. Every feature here is crazy too. Defcee spits one of the best guest verses of the year on Dawn of Time. I also really loved my homie Hester Valentine’s performance on Spirit Ballistics. This album features some of the most impressive, dynamic production you will hear from 2025. Definitely check this one out if you haven’t yet. If you dig it, be sure to go back and check out The Hottest Year on Record & Lived and Born.

23. Nemesis by Araless

Ruben a.k.a. Check the Rhyme recently asked Twitter what the most underrated album of 2025 was, and this album was my answer. I first listened to Araless earlier this year when he dropped the self titled Toxic Crusaders album with Hash Adams. That project released on We Are the Karma Kids, so that’s how it landed on my radar. That was a pretty lighthearted, fun project, so I was a little caught off guard by the vibe on this solo release. This is another very serious, dark album focusing on the subject of a genetic illness that has plagued Araless’ family, taking the life of both his mother and sister. The nemesis in question is Huntington’s disease, which is an ailment with which I was previously unfamiliar. After doing some light research, I was kind of dismayed by how brutal it is. As you can imagine, the lyrical content of this project is super heavy and personal. Araless’ writing really tugs at my heartstrings. One thing I didn’t know from the Toxic Crusaders album is that he’s also a very competent singer in addition to being a skilled MC. He also fully self-produced, mixed, and mastered this record. The dude’s hella talented. Since this is such an expansive & ambitious record, I wouldn’t be surprised if it takes a year or two for him to put out another project. I hope in the meantime we can get a physical release of this project because as far as I can tell it’s strictly digital at the moment. Like I said, this is arguably the most slept on album of the year, so check it out. You might love it as much as I did.

22. Seeker of Knowledge by Chow

🔗 Read my review

This is another super slept on album. It’s one of the few projects I wrote a full track-by-track review for in 2025, and it’s one I go back to quite a bit. Chow’s another one of my favorite artists that I’ve started listening to in the past couple years, and this is his best work so far in my opinion. The production from himself, shemar, and dj nOOnsomewhere is excellent. As far as lo-fi Hip Hop goes, it doesn’t get much better than this. I feel like I wrote that exact same sentence in my review. I think this album would sound perfect on cassette. As of now it’s only available digitally and on CD. I plan on copping the CD + T-shirt bundle as soon as I get my bread up. Anyway, Chow has a pretty awesome production style, and the way he raps over his own beats always sounds cool as hell. The lo-fi sound can make it difficult to understand what’s being said at times, but I don’t even really mind that much because it sounds intentional. I think it works to the album’s benefit if anything. Again, this is another one of the most slept on projects of the year in my opinion. Check it out.

21. Psychological Cheat Sheet 6 by Vic Spencer & August Fanon

I believe it was a couple years ago that I saw Vic Spencer tweet an explanation of the concept behind his PCS series with August Fanon. It was kind of a while ago, so my memory’s a bit fuzzy, but I’m pretty sure he said that he spent 14 days in a group home years ago. This series is based on that experience, and he plans on releasing an album for every day he was there. I wasn’t sure that he’d follow through with doing an album for every single day, but we’re almost halfway through already, so I’d say it’s pretty likely that he completes the task. We’ve been getting an entry per year since it started, so I guess 8 years from now it’ll be concluded. I’m looking forward to buying the full vinyl boxset when that day comes despite already having the fifth one on wax. I already know that shit’s gonna be expensive as fuck, but it’ll be so cool to own. I really fuck with Vic Spencer, man. The story he’s been telling with this series has been fascinating to me. I think it resonates with me in particular because I’ve been institutionalized for mental illness five times in the past 8 years, so it’s cool to hear such a dope rapper cover that kinda subject matter. These are Vic’s best albums too. This is my favorite thing that he does. It’s a treat every year when he drops these, and this latest one is one of the best so far. August Fanon is my favorite producer, and tracks like The Group Home Anthem or Store Pass are great examples of why. This album just dropped less than a full week ago, so I could see it growing on me even more in the future. It’s dope as hell.

20. Jestures by Atmosphere

This was one of the most pleasant surprises of the year for me. I actually think this is one of the best Atmosphere albums ever. This is the most I’ve enjoyed a project from them in about 20 years. Slug sounds hungrier than he’s been in a long time on this record. Ant also had a really awesome year musically. Between this project, Brother Ali’s Satisfied Soul, and his placement on GOLLIWOG, he went pretty hard in 2025. This year he put out the best beats I’ve heard from him since 2018’s Bad Actress by deM atlaS. As a hardcore Atmosphere fan, I had a big ass smile on my face as I listened to this project. This shit made me so happy. Hopefully this is the beginning of a late-career resurgence/revitalization. If they manage to follow this up with another project that’s similar in quality, I will be elated. If you’re a Rhymesayers junkie and you haven’t peeped this yet, you’re seriously missing out. I love this shit.

19. Hostile Engineering by Lt. Headtrip & Steel Tipped Dove

This was a really exciting collaboration for me. Steel Tipped Dove’s production on this record isn’t as abrasive and harsh as something like Tap on the Glass or even EMBLEMS, but it’s still as off-kilter and experimental. As always, Lt. Headtrip’s lyricism had me hooked. The opening line is “I felt the urge to pray today” and I knew I would love this as soon as I heard him say that. There’s a lot of quotable writing; Headtrip is one of those MCs who has my full attention with every word he says. There’s never any filler bars. His flow is super intricate and unique, and Dove’s dynamic production matches it perfectly. There are a lot of albums on this list that I wish I wrote about, and this is definitely one of them. I love how there are zero features on this project. Headtrip takes center stage and completely nails it with every verse. My favorite song at first was Eatin’ Every Breadcrumb, but it changes damn near every time I play the album. The beat on Fun Don’t Stop is crazy. I actually think this is one of the most accessible full-length LPs Lt. Headtrip has made in a long time. It’s super dope. Give it a listen if you haven’t yet. I’m planning on copping the record soon.

18. Run Toward the Monster by Ty Farris & Apollo Brown

Ty Farris is one of those MCs who I’m always super excited to check out no matter who he’s working with. I think he’s absolutely one of the best rappers alive. Him & Apollo Brown are a pair that I knew would be fire before I even listened. It just seems like a no-brainer. They’re two of the best Detroit artists in their respective fields. Earlier in the year, Ty Farris had one of my favorite features on a WateRR song called Days of Youth. Man was rapping about spreading the ashes of his deceased mother in a river. My jaw dropped when I heard that shit, and it made me even more excited to peep this album. This is my favorite Apollo Brown album I’ve ever heard. Ty Farris just works perfectly over these beats. My favorite song is the incredibly personal Beautiful Struggle. I feel like he was able to channel the serious tone of the aforementioned WateRR song. I’m kinda bummed that I got to this album late because all the vinyl is sold out already. I’d love to have a physical copy, so hopefully there’s a repress at some point.

17. BLOCK HEAVY GANGSTA EDITION by Bloodblixing

🔗 Read my review

This is Bloodblixing’s best album. It has the best set of features, production, and verses from Blix himself. Shit, even just the cover is the best artwork Bloodblixing has used. It’s my favorite cover art of 2025, so shoutout to Chop the Head for that. I also think this album is miraculously the best mixed project I’ve heard from him. Blix is kinda infamous for having super rough mixing in all his music, but that wasn’t an issue for me with this one. I didn’t even think about it. There are some truly incredible instrumentals on this project such as SCHADENFREUDE or TRICK BOX, and none of the features feel like they were phoning it in. A few of the best features of the year appear on this project, such as Teller Bank$ or Deleteeglitch. This is Bloodblixing’s magnum opus as of now, and I am very curious to see how he tries to surpass it in the future. It’s dope as hell. Check it out if you haven’t yet.

16. Grateful Dread by AJ Suede

This is another one of the most slept on albums on this list in my opinion. For whatever reason I didn’t see much discussion around this project, which I find quite strange because I think it’s one of the best releases I’ve ever heard from AJ Suede. There’s a different producer on each track, so we get a very diverse soundscape as a result. Suede killed every single beat here too. As I said in the EP list, I feel like Suede was rapping better than ever this year from a technical standpoint. There’s a crazy posse cut with Teller Bank$ & Sleep Sinatra here. At this point, one of my rap fantasies is them forming a supergroup because every time they got on a track together the result is sizzling hot fire. Suede dropped three albums this year if I’m not mistaken, and all of them were pretty tight, but this is easily my favorite. I love these beats, and Suede’s flow sounds so good. I can’t wait to see what he does in 2026 ’cause he killed it this year. This album’s dope as fuck.

15. Sortilège by Gabe ‘Nandez & Preservation

This is another one of the more popular albums on this list. This album was very critically acclaimed, and for good reason. Preservation’s one of my favorite producers ever, and Gabe ‘Nandez is a pretty amazing MC. This is the best album he’s ever made. I started listening to him after he was featured on Aethiopes, and it was always clear to me that he was super talented. However, this album in particular is the best selection of instrumentals he’s ever rapped over. It’s definitely his most well-rounded and cohesive record. I’ve come to realize that rappers with kind of monotone voices tend to be my favorites, so Gabe is right up my alley. I’m gonna order the cassette when I can because I need to have this in my collection. There are some crazy flows and amazing beats here. If you haven’t heard this album yet, you’re seriously fuckin’ up.

14. POCKET JAMS 2 DELUXE by Ilajide

I recently posted a tweet in which I mentioned Ilajide as one of the most underrated MCs I can think of. Every time I hear his music I wonder how he’s not internationally famous. This album—particularly the deluxe version—is the best solo project he’s ever put out. Nobody makes funk rap better than this dude. This is definitely the most danceable album on the list. This is just a really fun, feel good album that will make you wanna move. He previewed some songs from it at the end of 2024, including my favorite track, COUNT YO DAYS. I’d been thinking about that song ever since I first heard it, so I was delighted when it finally came out on the deluxe version of this project in September. That beat is so incredible. Ilajide’s flows are super intricate and fast paced, and his production is excellent. This LP is pure fun. I don’t think it’s been released physically yet, but I’m definitely gonna buy it if it ever is. Ilajide is super slept on, but people seem to be waking up slowly but surely. He recently got a cosign from the legendary DJ Quik. I need that collab asap. Anyway, give this a listen if you like funky production and bouncy flows. It’s fire.

13. DRUG$$$ by Teller Bank$

Teller Bank$ is one of my favorite rappers of all time, and this is one of the best projects he’s ever put out. The production from q no rap name, Killer Kane, Philth Spector, and ayashi[!] is very melodic and moody. From what I understand, they all worked on these beats together in person, resulting in one of the best produced albums of the year. There is some incredible rapping on this project too. The vocal deliveries on songs like 2-CHAIN$ & Look Ma, I’m billy woods!! are really captivating. The lyrical content is hard as fuck, and Teller’s flow is stellar. All the songs are pretty straightforward structurally; we don’t really get a lot of memorable hooks or anything like that. This album is for people that wanna hear one of the best rappers alive rip fire verses over amazing beats. If you’ve ever enjoyed Teller in the past, this is a must-listen album. I mean, it’s a must-listen for everybody, but if you’re a fan and you haven’t heard it yet you’re seriously fuckin’ up.

12. Roc Marciano Presents: MULBERRY SILK ROAD by Errol Holden

https://soundcloud.com/errolholden/sets/roc-marciano-presents-1?si=674f38c7da454cb0b86633013615d987&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

This album really came outta nowhere for me. I didn’t even know about it until I saw Sleep Sinatra say that he’d been listening to it a lot. I don’t know much about Errol Holden, but as you can see he earned a cosign from the legendary Roc Marciano. I had no expectations before listening to it, but I ended up being pretty blown away. The dude is an incredible MC. The flows here are stunning. The closest thing I can compare it to would be $ILKMONEY, but it’s not totally the same. I guess he also sounds kinda like Vega7 the Ronin. At first I thought this project was fully produced by Roc Marci, but he apparently only did the beat for dip dip diver. I’m not sure who did all the other beats. The instrumentals are really dope though. With that said, Errol Holden himself is the star of the show here. He’s rapping at an incredibly high level throughout this entire record. There are some really out of pocket lines. There’s one track where he raps about peeing on someone. Shit is crazy. The album’s amazing.

11. A River Dies of Thirst by Snotnoze Saleem

This is definitely the most experimental album on this list. Snotnoze Saleem has been on my radar since 2022. I first knew him as an associate of SHADI, and at a certain point it seemed like he was going for a similar style. The first few projects I heard from him had some really cool ideas, but they didn’t quite hit for me. However, I guess they were considered mixtapes, and they kinda felt like demos. I knew he was onto something when I heard him use the term “immaculate ejaculate.” This project here is his debut album, and he knocked it outta the park in my opinion. It’s fully self produced if I’m not mistaken, and the beats are insane. Saleem’s rapping here is pretty fucking crazy too. The flows are wild, and the lyrics can be quite beautiful at times. Track 3 is honestly one of the most wild songs I’ve ever heard. This is an incredibly adventurous record sonically. This is unlike anything else that dropped in 2025. I had a feeling I would really dig this album based on the title and cover art, but it exceeded any and all expectations. I think it’s amazing.

10. Pale Black Negative by Rhys Langston

Rhys Langston is another artist I’ve known of for a few years at this point, but none of his projects have connected with me the way this one did. This album is pretty incredible. It’s fully self produced, and the instrumentals here are beautiful. Rhys’ performance over them had me hooked too. There are even features from artists of whom I’ve struggled to enjoy in the past that ended up actually being dope as fuck on this album in particular. I feel like this is a real lighting-in-a-bottle release. It sounds very high budget and polished. Rhys Langston’s poetry and almost spoken-wordesque flow sound amazing over these lush instrumentals. I think the production on past releases has been what’s prevented me from getting into the music, but the sound of this album in particular is pretty beautiful. It meshes with Rhys’ rap style perfectly. This is another one of the most slept on albums of the year in my opinion. This shit should be on everyone’s list frankly. It’s a genuinely amazing record. I can’t wait ’til my vinyl arrives. Stop sleeping on it.

9. Mercy by Armand Hammer & The Alchemist

This is my favorite Armand Hammer album now. I’ve always been a Shrines truther, but this one is on another level. The Alchemist had a pretty crazy year between this and Alfredo 2. People keep talking about how he’s overrated or he fell off… Nah, man. No. He’s still absolutely one of the best producers alive. I guess people wanna discredit him due to his bizarre refusal to publicly condemn Israel. My thing is, why do we need Alchemist of all people to do that? It’s not gonna affect anything. I mean, it’d be nice to know he’s on the right side of history, but at the end of the day I don’t give a shit about Alchemist’s stance on something like that. Whether or not he says free Palestine isn’t gonna affect how I feel about what’s going on, but I digress. These beats are fucking incredible. I had to tweet about it when I heard the instrumental on Crisis Phone.

https://twitter.com/focusOGNICK/status/1993798405014081782?s=20

Of course woods & Elucid themselves slaughter every single verse here, and the features from guys like Quelle Chris & Earl Sweatshirt are glorious. This is another one of the more popular albums on this list, and I’d say it’s definitely worthy of the fame and praise. It’s dope as fuck.

8. Much Given, Much Tested by BlackLiq & Dub Sonata

🔗 Read my review

This was another one of the bigger surprises of the year for me. I’ve always liked BlackLiq’s music, but this project in particular really resonated with me in a different way. I adored Dub Sonata’s production in combination with BlackLiq’s super personal & introspective lyricism. There are some fire flows and features here too. This was one of the few albums that moved me enough to do a write-up, and I think it ended up being one of the best things I wrote this year. I’m really glad I was able to get a vinyl copy because it was nearly sold out by the time I finally heard it. I think there’s only one vinyl left for sale at the moment. I suggest you get yourself a copy because this shit is amazing. I’m looking forward to seeing what BlackLiq puts out next because this made me even more of a fan than I already was.

7. Time Outreaches Any Distance by ToadStool

Here’s another super slept on album that just dropped at the beginning of December. ToadStool is an MC from Rhode Island who I first discovered in 2023 when he was featured on blank thought’s My Life Flashed Before Me album alongside Wesley Rocco & Unsung. I kept up with his output from that point forward, and it became quite clear to me very early on that he’s an incredibly skilled MC. The dude’s flow is smooth as hell, and he rhymes effortlessly. I really enjoy his SWAMPCRAWLR album, but this latest release is the best thing I’ve ever heard from him. I feel like he really leveled up artistically for this project. It’s his most focused, well-rounded album thus far. The features from Defcee, Onry Ozzborn, and Rap Man Gavin are crazy too. As far as I know this album is only available digitally for now. Hopefully we get a physical release at some point because I’d love to add it to my collection.

6. Music to My Eyes by junclassic & Uncommon Nasa

This album was a really bittersweet listen. junclassic suddenly passed away out of nowhere a few days prior to the release of this project. It was really shocking to everyone because I don’t think anyone knew that was gonna happen. It sucks that he’s not here for me to tell him how amazing this album is. What’s crazy is that he almost foreshadows his own passing in the music at certain points. The voice memos that end certain tracks such as Move or Helpful Destiny just feel really heavy in light of his passing. It’s like he knew he wasn’t gonna be around much longer. The context of this album’s release kinda adds a new dimension to the music. Uncommon Nasa has become one of my favorite producers in the past few years. Every time he produces a full LP for someone it ends up being a super cohesive, well rounded project, and this one is no different. The features on this album are excellent as well. Short Fuze in particular might’ve spit the best verse of his career on Glitches. I love this record, and am looking forward to receiving my CD soon. junclassic was honestly one of the nicest people I’ve encountered through my journey as a content creator, so I was very saddened to hear when he passed away. Rest in peace.

5. VEGA GENESIS 3 by VEGA!

https://soundcloud.com/bewarevega/sets/vega-genesis-3?si=ff0cf26bccb048ffa992d1002dd2fb59&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

🔗 Read my review

At this point in the list we’re getting into “best albums I’ve ever heard” territory. People who know me probably are surprised that this isn’t number one to be honest. It was easily my most played album of 2025 (738 minutes), and I personally would consider it my favorite Trap album of all time. I’m constantly playing it around my friends and quoting VEGA! bars. I’ve converted a few people I know in real life into believers. I’m definitely the biggest VEGA! fan on the planet though. I need the VEGA GENESIS trilogy on wax. That’d make me so happy. After this album, I’m finally ready to add him to my “favorite rappers of all time” list. I hope to hear more work from him in 2026. Maybe some collaborations with other dope artists in a similar lane. There’s nothing else on this list that sounds even remotely similar. If you like artists like Yeat, this is a must-listen album. The production? Fire. The melodies? Fire. The bars? Fire. The flows? FIRE. I love everything about this project, including the review I wrote for it. That’s probably my favorite thing I wrote in 2025. The album’s amazing. Check it out.

4. Neighborhood Gods Unlimited by Open Mike Eagle

🔗 Read my review

Open Mike Eagle is a top 5 rapper of all time for me, and this seriously might be my favorite album from him yet. It’s a tough call between this, Dark Comedy, 4NML HSPTL, and Rappers Will Die of Natural Causes. It gets even harder if you include Time & Materials by Cavanaugh. I listened to this latest album a ton this year though. I love how much singing OME did on this record. He’s not the type of vocalist that’s gonna blow you away with the notes he’s hittin’. His soft vocals just sound really pleasant, relaxing, and emotive to me. This is also one of the best produced albums I’ve heard in a long time. I think these are my favorite beats I’ve ever heard from Child Actor, which is saying a lot. We also get fire instrumentals from K-Nite 13, Kenny Segal & Mike Parvizi, Playa Haze, ialive, August Fanon, and Nolan the Ninja. There’s kind of a dreamy, surreal atmosphere to a lot of the sounds on this project, and same goes for some of the lyrical content as well. I played this in the car while running errands with my mom once, and she had quite a cheerful reaction to the song about his phone getting run over by a truck. That’s easily one of the best songs of 2025. I’m sure most of the people reading this list have heard this record already, but if you haven’t yet you’re seriously missing out. This album’s incredible.

3. The Wolf & the Walrus by Teller Bank$ & Ed Glorious

Teller Bank$ & Ed Glorious are like my favorite rapper/producer duo right now. They had my favorite album of 2024, so I was pretty psyched when I saw the announcement for this latest one. These guys are two of the best artists that do what they do. Ed Glorious is probably the most slept on producer I know of at the moment. If I was an MC I would be begging him for beats 24/7. Teller Bank$ is pretty much tied with Sleep Sinatra as my favorite rapper of the decade. When you have two artists who are this talented working together, it’s a no brainer that the result is some truly incredible art. The opening track on this project is a sequel to one of my favorite Teller Bank$ songs, Suicide Hotline 3, so that was pretty exciting for me. Lyrically, 3 is like “I WANT TO KILL MYSELF.” However, 4 sounds like he’s already in the process of killing himself. The despondent delivery just evokes a sense of pure misery. He sounds completely hopeless on that song. It’s crazy. My favorite track is The Wolf though. That might be the hardest song of the year. Nah, it definitely it is. That shit is crazy. He sounds fuckin’ bloodthirsty on that track. The production throughout this entire record is incredible too. Both of these dudes are some of the most slept on artists I know about. I feel like DRUG$$$ got more attention than this one, but maybe I’m wrong. Both the albums are amazing, but I prefer this one personally. It’s boiling hot fire.

2. TIMESOFPERIL by Sleep Sinatra

This is basically a perfect album. It’s my favorite thing I’ve ever heard from Sleep Sinatra. If this had come out any other year of this decade it’d be my album of the year, but 2025 was a particularly strong year for alternative rap. Up until this came out, my favorite record from Sleep was The Spirit of Baldwin Ave. In terms of subject matter alone, that’s probably still my favorite album from him. However, as a full album experience, this latest record is watertight. There’s nothing even remotely close to filler on this thing. It’s just banger after banger. Literally every single track is amazing. I love SINAI.’s production, and Sleep kills every verse. Manji is crazy. Oracle is insane. Missile Silo is bonkers. All the features are wild too. My favorite is probably Doseone, but Breeze Brewin & Nolan the Ninja killed their performances as well. There’s nothing to nitpick with this one. It’s an incredibly cohesive record. I fucking love it. It’s dope as fuck.

1. The Sword & the Soaring by Navy Blue

This album is fucking beautiful. As soon as I pressed play on this shit I had a feeling that it’d end up being my favorite of the year, and I was not wrong. This is the album I’ve always wanted Navy Blue to make, ever since I heard his Higher Self single five years ago. Every verse I’ve heard from Navy Blue in the past has been really dope, but the production wasn’t always what I wanted it to be. That’s not an issue here at all. These are the perfect beats for Navy Blue. Every single song can be considered a highlight. Navy Blue has a soulfulness to the way he raps that most other MCs lack. So much of the lyricism here is genuinely profound in my opinion too. There are some very emotional moments here as well. It’s just a very heartwarming listen. I haven’t been able to find a physical release of this album, so hopefully we get vinyl or tapes or even CDs at some point in 2026. I need this in my collection. It’s my favorite album of the decade so far, and I won’t be surprised if it maintains that spot forever. I don’t think it’ll be possible for him to top this with future releases. You don’t just make something better than perfection. You may match it, but you can’t surpass something like this. If I still gave scores in my reviews I’d probably give this a perfect 100. I cannot stress enough how much I love this thing. Check it out if you haven’t yet. It’s a masterpiece.

As always, thank y’all for rocking with me this year. I’ve got big plans for 2026, so I hope you guys stick around for that. Thank you to all the artists featured on this list for giving me an amazing soundtrack to an otherwise harrowing year. I had a lot of fun writing this list. Let me know what your favorite albums of the year were in the comment section below. Also, check out this playlist I made of my favorite features of 2025. Oh, and happy New Year. ✌🏽

#AJSuede #Ant #ApolloBrown #Araless #ArmandHammer #Atmosphere #AugustFanon #billyWoods #BlackLiq #Bloodblixing #Chow #DubSonata #EdGlorious #Elucid #ErrolHolden #GabeNandez #Ilajide #junclassic #LtHeadtrip #NavyBlue #OpenMikeEagle #Preservation #RhysLangston #Sasco #SleepSinatra #Slug #SnotnozeSaleem #SteelTippedDove #Sunmundi #TellerBank #TheAlchemist #ToadStool #TyFarris #UncommonNasa #VEGA #VicSpencer

NOTE: PATREON SUPPORTERS RECEIVED ACCESS TO THIS REVIEW ON August 3rd, 2024.

This album was released on July 8th this year. As I recently said on Instagram, Sleep Sinatra is perhaps my favorite rapper alive right now, so when I read the Bandcamp description for this project and saw that it was being promoted as Sleep’s most personal work yet, I was more than intrigued. Everything about the way this album was presented to me was appealing. I love the simplicity of the album cover. It just looks so underground. I love the aesthetic. I was also excited when I learned that this is completely self produced. The last self-produced Sleep Sinatra album we got was DIVINENATION, which is one of my favorite albums from him. I kinda knew at a certain point that I was gonna love this album, but it surpassed even my expectations.

The album starts with a really cool intro called A Living Testimony. I love the instrumental here so much. It sounds the way the album cover looks to me. I think this was the perfect way to prepare listeners for what follows this track. The way the song’s name is repeated after every line is really cool. As the title indicates, Sleep is really taking us to where he’s from with this project.

The Spirit of Baldwin Ave
Where you can find your path or choose to remain stuck
The Spirit of Baldwin Ave
Where generational pain and the past gets numbed by various substances and strains
The Spirit of Baldwin Ave
Let me guide you through where Sleep learned to outlast in the game
With The Spirit of Baldwin Ave

I love everything about this track. The way the instrumental kinda dismantles itself and winds down as the song is ending is really cool. Track 2 is called Regina’s Son, and this is the song that convinced me to buy the album before I even heard anything further down the tracklist. This shit is fucking amazing, man. I’ve always liked the beats I’ve heard from Sleep, but it feels like he leveled up here. The vocal sample that he looped up here is fire. Sleep is in peak condition on the mic as well.

Felt your spirit close to me every time that I got scared
Now when I put it in the air, think about how you would care
Told me, "Always keep your fist up, don't let 'em pump you with a stare"
I stumbled through life, trippin', my vision was impaired
This is for my niggas still hitchin' on them stairs
When I see you, you know I'll holler, got a little time to spare
Had to sit inside my feelings when they wasn't mine to share
Had to drop a couple tabs just to make the picture clear

I thought the first verse was fire already, but then he came back in for a second verse that’s somehow way stronger. He absolutely slaughtered this shit.

I'm Regina's son, Sydney's last bastard
The black sheep that rose out the concrete from Lancaster
Life been haphazard, I been seekin' to rise
Finally put the drink down, and shortly after Josh died
Transmute the grief to motivation, prayin' to find
I ain't sayin' I'm fine, I been troubled all of my life
The difference is I can see the resemblance in all the light
Self made chaos erasing your prime

I felt it, man. The song is just so soulful. I think it’s amazing. The following track, The Spirit, is somehow even better. The beat here sounds like some underground lo-fi G-Funk, and it’s amazing. It sounds like nighttime in the form of music. I love how hard-hitting the snare is too, and Sleep sounds so fucking good over it. The first verse is fire.

The pain's worship, I learn how to be grateful
Knowin' that it's 'bout the sacrifices that'll make you
Lil niggas is ape food, just spectatin' at the zoo
Wise ones unlearn the bullshit and stay true
As long as I can gain intelligence then I can't lose
While every year my pen increase in appraisal
Dig deep since the cradle, was drownin' in fifths
My coffin' floated to a grave view
Cracked the lid open, seen light out the haze hue
Nigga, I paid dues

Once again, the second verse is incredible as well. The song doesn’t throw any curveballs at the listener. It’s just a fire beat with top tier rapping. This is a far cry from the off-kilter, experimental, niche listen that was Memory(ummm…). This is far more accessible than most of the stuff on that project. I love both. This shit is dope as fuck. Track 3 is called H.O.P.E.

https://youtu.be/5ex9m4w3lQc?si=J-xGrGyxc2lydRdD

This song really resonated with me on a deep, emotional level. The acronym in the title, “hold on, pain ends,” was written on the wall in the mental hospital in which I stayed for three months in 2018. When I heard Sleep say it on this track, it shook me. Especially because of the haunting vocal sample that Sleep looped up for the instrumental. It sounds like my mind state at that time in the form of music. It also goes back to that “bruised” concept that I mentioned in the Memory(ummm…) review though. I mean, just look at this…

I let the tears get concealed in the rain, it made it easy
Still fat, meat be greasy, I been trimmin' the weight
Acknowledge some things will never be the same, and I'm okay with that
The devil had his snipers on the roof, but now I'm bangin' back
Thoughts become things, I'm vigilant of the chain react
Links broken, stayin' in hope to keep the strength intact
There was too many nights that I would fade to black

It was one of the most difficult times in my life, and this song really made the memories rush back through my head. It nearly brought me to tears to be honest. The song is fucking incredible. I love it. The barrage of highlights just doesn’t end. Track 5 is called Angel Numbers, and it’s fucking awesome. I love this beat so fucking much, man. It’s so good. Sleep absolutely snapped over it too.

Fiend adjacent like half of my life
Unc asked if I could roll, lace the blunt with the white
Once the pain took a toll, I was born every night
With scores of darkness, been absorbing every light
And soul versin' on any mic, incendiary strike, straight burnin'

His flow is so fucking good over this beat, man. The second verse is also really fantastic, and I even love the hook on this track.

Born on angel numbers, my life got a purpose
Been underground, digging for meaning, I know it's working
Can't go backwards, I know what my worth is
Mind a diamond, minin' precious metals from the surface

I love every single aspect of this track. It’s dope as fuck. It’s followed by yet another major highlight called TotalEclipse (BLACKOUT). It features the one and only Homeboy Sandman. The beat here is fucking incredible, man. This is probably the trippiest beat on the whole album. I love the drum pattern here so much, and that vocal sample is amazing. I feel like Sleep went extra hard on this track specifically because of Homeboy Sandman’s presence. He absolutely slaughtered this track.

I been reachin' for the stars, seekin' what we are
Reason seepin' in the scars, grief season when the dreams were far
Eve before achievements, even been schemin', I needed spars
Teeth cut, and sinkin' in this scene for this thing of ours
Been believing in my meaning since my younger years
Hunger feared, movie shine different when the sun appeared
Run them gears, brain mechanical on some upper tier
Rarely took sabbatical, results made me love it here

Homeboy Sandman sounds so good on the second verse too. Their flows are completely different on this track. I don’t know whose I like more. I think my preference would change depending on my mood.

Crusade of the great ones
Takin' every chance, and never playin' it safe once
I have not forgotten it's all God
I'm shootin' every shot like a ball hog
My authority a top priority
Near the age of forty three, glory be
At the core of me I have no interest
Getting twisted like Todo & Dorothy

Even the hook that Sleep spits after the guest verse is fire. I love everything about this song. It’s amazing. The following track is called 20/20 Hindsight, and it’s my favorite song on the album. This shit is beautiful. I absolutely love the production, whose tone matches that of the lyricism perfectly. Sleep dives into certain relationships in his life in brutal detail. He gets so specific, and it’s almost unsettling because I feel like I shouldn’t be hearing something so personal. It damn near feels like an invasion of privacy.

If I say I love you, you should pay attention, we was really henchmen
Juugin' out that basement with the weapons
I showed up in that all black, you was ridin' no question
So why you let this world move you all demented?
We had legit gigs, got it in with no preference
Nigga, you never needed me, you needed blessings
Let them rabbit holes lead you too deep and started stressin'
And all I really want for you's a perfect ending

I’m not sure who either of these verses are directed towards, but they’re clearly very important in Sleep’s life. The second verse is fantastic, and I really love the hook here too.

Some stay, and some go
Lessons that I learned in life got my heart froze
You wanna see their true character, and it shows
When your luck runs out and ain't got love no mo'

The song is incredible. It’s followed by a song that is just as good, and arguably better called Kayla Mae.

https://youtu.be/hWBaMNUT8-0?si=kLTic9PcOL9tfICH

The production here is jazzy and heavy, and the lyricism evokes the warm feeling of infatuation when you’re with someone you love romantically.

I'm tryna close in on distance that grows
I see the weight on your shoulders, let me carry the load
If I'm broke then put myself together, show you I'm whole
You need a breather, I'll bend air for the sake of some hope
I love you more than anything that I have ever wrote
We both tryna be different, I respect how we have grown
So I'm pourin' all in even though my cup gettin' low
It's hard to act like I don't want you when you smile through the smoke

I also love the way he just repeats the name “Kayla Mae” at the end of the song. The whole thing is one verse, and it’s just barely over 2 minutes long, but it doesn’t feel too scant at all. I think this is a top 3 track on the album for me. I love it. Track 9 is called Nights at the Lunar Lounge, and it features a singer named Cecilia. I don’t love the instrumental on this one quite as much as all the others, but it’s still very good. The opening verse from Cecilia is pretty nice too. It took some time for this track to grow on me a bit because the subject matter isn’t super intriguing to me. I think it’s so well executed that I can’t help but enjoy it though.

Can I trust you, love?
If I bust a slug, you gon' grab them shells or you gon' duck & run?
But I don't need a Bonnie, I ain't no Clyde neither
Tryna be the opposite of Ike & Tina
Maybe move off grid & grind reefer with a picture perfect view
Them hips swingin' in that satin dress lookin' like curtains move
Need a peep behind the scenes, baby, we can work it through
Know your plate's full, but love, it is worth a chew

This isn’t one of my favorite tracks on the album, but I still think it’s really good. I fuck with it. The following track is called Ghosts on Baldwin. This one has another pretty soulful beat that I like a lot. The vocal sample is nice, and I like the minimal percussion. There’s one verse from Sleep on this song, and it’s excellent.

Ascend to higher than I've seen with every accolade
Dreams can be reality, it's all in how you stack the play
Even from the negatives, off the ropes I'm Cassius Clay
Activate, show 'em where to go from a manic state
Lead the way, speakin' my existence into deeper veins
People fake, stare you in the eyes, I'm only seein' snakes
God save this weakened place, this wicked world with seasons gray
It seems we gotta search for a reason to keep the beast at bay

This somehow feels like the shortest song on the album, even though the tracks surrounding it are technically shorter. I think the beat is really nice, and I love the verse. I can’t really explain why this one didn’t blow me away like damn near every other track did, but I obviously still really fuck with it. It’s dope. The penultimate track is a highlight called F.E.A.R. I really love these acronym songs Sleep likes to do. I’m wondering if S.L.E.E.P. from Incorruptible Saints was written around the same time. Anyway, the production here is amazing. Somehow this track feels way longer than the preceding song. I think it’s probably because it’s so much more uptempo. It’s one of the most fast-paced songs on the project. Sleep bodied the verse.

Plan's to drop emotions in a ditch, they gettin' killed quick
These niggas and bitches is real slick
I won't take chances, I'ma keep my focus where it is
Lessons I learned, evil ain't in layin' out shit
Prayin' for gifts not how it works, I pray for strength
Confidence get rebuilt, niggas feelin' like tanks
Went blank for a second in fear, but this connection was here
Finally separate the mind from its gears

I really love the way the verse ends too…

Every time I'm rhyming feel energy around me golden
That's probably reason for the crowd control
They know it's divine guidance the way that Sleep is snappin'

I really love Sleep’s vocals on the outro. He’s been experimenting with singing more and more, and I love it. He has a really smooth voice. I mean, he’s not gonna blow anyone away with his vocal ability, but I feel the soul in his performance. Speaking of soul, I actually got some old school Ab-Soul vibes from this track. Emphasis on “old school.” I’m talkin’ Long Term era Ab-Soul. Anyway, this shit is fire. I love it. The closing track is one final highlight called Spectral. This has one of the trippiest instrumentals on the whole project. I love it. Needless to say, the verse from Sleep was quite enjoyable for me.

On the surface stuck, while I'm tryna focus on this skyline
Thankful for every listener, customer, writer, and byline
In this lifetime be who you are, start at the right time
That's right now, open the path, you better write it down
Hyper sound, seein' beneath, niggas ain't deep
I respect experiences and hearin' them when you speak
I had rose out the grimmest depths
Blowin' purple in stride like Grimace steps, tryna see if I can finish yet
Wisdom test flesh on the daily, this whole world crazy
I go ghost maybe and take all my babies

I love the outro too. Something about the word “energy” just sounds good in a rap song. I’ve heard a few rappers use it lately, and it always sounds dope. I love it. Anyway, this was a phenomenal way to close the album. It’s fire.

Goddamn. This shit is fucking incredible. Last year Sleep had my album of the year with Incorruptible Saints, which I said was one of the best albums I’d ever heard in my life. I think The Spirit of Baldwin Ave is the best album I’ve ever heard from Sleep. This dude is seriously on another level, man. This is a top 3 album of the 2020’s so far in my opinion. I don’t know if I said this in my Memory(ummm…) review or not, but Sleep is my favorite rapper right now. The consistency and high quality is awe inspiring. This is my type of album. I love when artists make shit like this. Sleep put all of himself in this one. He’s never been afraid to get personal in his music; he has a whole series called Post Traumatic Growth—by the way, the second entry in that series is fire and has grown on me immensely over the months since its release. This album here is on another level though. On Twitter, I saw Sleep say that he’d be cool with this being his last album, and I totally understand why. This could’ve been a self titled album. As a listener, I felt closer to Sleep than ever after hearing this. Also, the production is incredible. I just realized I’ve only really been talking about the lyrical content, but this album is amazing sonically as well. I love SINAI.’s production so much, and Sleep fits over it beautifully. This kinda stuff is why Sleep has become one of my favorite artists of all time since I started listening in 2020. I live for this shit. Do not sleep on it. I think it’s dope as fuck.

Favorite Song: 20/20 Hindsight
Least Favorite Song: Nights at the Lunar Lounge

96

Grade: A+

https://focushiphop.com/2024/08/06/album-review-sleep-sinatra-the-spirit-of-baldwin-ave/

#Cecilia #HomeboySandman #SINAI_ #SleepSinatra

Note: Patreon supporters received access to this review on July 29th, 2024.

This album was released on May 10th this year. Sleep Sinatra released my album of the year for 2023, and he’s become one of my favorite rappers of all time since I started keeping up with his releases in 2020. When Sleep was promoting this album, there was a lot of discussion about this being his most avant-garde release yet. Unless I’m mistaken, I think this was my first time hearing a project with production from bloomcycle, A.K.A. Big Flowers. However, I have definitely heard beats that they have posted snippets of on social media before, and they’re honestly always fire. I had only heard a few though, so I still didn’t really know what to expect until I heard the EP of B-sides called YoolaG’z, which was flames. Since I thought that EP was so dope, I was basically expecting this to be another one of my favorite Sleep Sinatra albums, and that’s pretty much exactly what ended up being the case.

The album begins with Reincarnation. Aside from a couple exceptions, most of the tracks on this album are pretty brief, and this one in particular is one of the shortest. I really like this one, but I guess it just took a while for me to warm up to it as an intro. I think I was expecting something different for the opening track. “Different” in terms of maybe the tempo or at least the energy level. The beat, while very great, is the type of thing I would expect to hear on an interlude, so it was cool to hear Sleep actually rap over something like that. As far as Sleep Sinatra’s actual performance on the mic goes, it should come as no surprise that I love this shit. I am starting to wonder if Sleep is capable of doing anything that I think is wack. It’s getting to the point where I’m wondering why every other rap fan I know is not freaking the fuck out over this dude. He’s really my favorite rapper right now. The dude already gives me pretty much everything I love in an MC, and he just keeps getting better. I’ve realized that a big part of it is the voice. He just sounds so good when he raps to me. I think when I first started listening to him, the one thing I felt the need to make note of was the fact that he actually had interesting shit to say, and he wasn’t saying the same shit as everyone else. That was all the way back when I checked out Sleeper Effect, and that aspect of his music hasn’t changed a bit. One thing that did stand out to me on my first listen of this album when I heard this song was how perfect the mix on Sleep’s voice sounds. It sounds pristine. Televangel handled the mixing and mastering on this project, and did a really stellar job. I couldn’t have asked for better mixing here. Even when Sleep’s mixing is intentionally a little off-kilter, it never bothers me. In fact, I always think it sounds good. I had a conversation with a friend recently about the vocal mixing on Blood in My Eye. If you compare the way Sleep’s voice sounds on that song and Reincarnation, the difference is night and day. I think it sounds cool as fuck on Blood in My Eye, and it actually adds to my enjoyment of the music, but I know some people don’t feel the same way. I don’t think anyone will have an issue with the way the vocals are sounding here though. It sounds like he’s rapping in front of me. Anyway, I feel like I should cut to the chase; as soon as Sleep started spitting, I was on the edge of my seat listening closely to each and every line.

Survival been imperative to belief
I been buildin' up tools, even my therapist a G
The narrative's complete, it's terror when I seen the future clean
Foresight in the sense of your mind's eye, unique

He always finds a way to slip in at least one line in a verse that really makes me think. It doesn’t even have to be deep when I say he makes me think. I just mean he creates activity in my brain. There are certain MCs who will spit something and it has zero effect on me because I just do not care about what they have to say. With Sleep it’s like every line gives me something to chew on. I really love the way the verse on this track ends.

I'm destined for more
Devil try to take it all, now I'm settlin' scores
Essence restored, the message is you've been here before

It’s one of those situations where I just wanna pause the music and think about certain lines I just heard in the context of my own life. That last line in particular really just makes me think. I guess it’s a very spiritual line of thinking that a line like that evokes, so that’s kinda where it took me. Another line that stood out to me was the following…

They stay stagnant, I'm takin' my plays and makin' kills
Bring home what I eat, and proceed to try and heal
Jaded by my belief, been grief-stricken at will

During my first year at my current university, I became friends with a musician who introduced to me this idea of certain artists sounding “bruised” in their music. I believe I have a slightly different understanding of the concept from what he was trying to instill, but it basically boils down to a sense of perseverance that you get from some people. Some artists have endured especially turbulent circumstances, and they may not have come out unscathed, but they survived, and it’s reflected in the music. I think my friend was referring more to a particular sound, but for me it’s easier to recognize something like that from a lyrical standpoint. That’s what I thought of when I heard these lines. Anyway, I wasn’t sure how I felt about this track as an intro to the rest of the album at first. As far as structure goes, this song is incredibly straightforward. It’s a beat and a verse. However, the beat and verse in question are far from basic. There’s a lot going on here. I’ve been trying to think of a way to describe bloomcycle’s production, and I think the term that came to mind was “unconventionally attractive.” Basically what I’m trying to say is that it’s fire, and there’s not a lot of stuff that sounds like it. It’s a really fucking cool vibe honestly. I love it. It really grew on me as I became more acclimated to the project. I always liked it, but now I’d consider it a highlight on the album. I think it’s dope as hell. It’s followed by another highlight called Memoriam, Pt. 1. Reincarnation was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to unique, eccentric production on this album. This beat is somehow even more peculiar and intriguing. I really love it to be honest. It sounds cool as shit. At certain moments throughout the track there’s this relatively high-pitched, melodic sound that kind of uncovers itself. I think it might be a synth. If everything sounded like music, it’s what a lightsaber being unsheathed would sound like. I don’t know if that’ll make sense to anyone aside from me, but I’m sticking with it. This is honestly one of my favorite beats on the album. The song is only 70 seconds long, and it’s the shortest track on the project. On my first listen of the album, it was basically over before I even had time to form a concrete opinion. I was just like, “woah, what is happening?” and then the next track started. It’s definitely a song that makes you wanna hit the rewind button. The first thing that stood out to me about Sleep’s performance here was his flow. That might be another reason why I love his music so much; it never feels like he’s recycling a cadence. He always switches it up. I’ve listened to certain artists where it seems like they are only capable of one flow, and it’s not necessarily a fatal flaw, but sometimes stuff like that decreases my longevity as a hardcore fan because I get tired of hearing the same thing over and over again. Anyway, I’m kinda rambling now. The point is, his flow is dope on this track.

Peeped your bluff
No absolution when you speak corrupt
So if you goin' through it, gotta keep it up
Livin' life by the grooves in the wax when the needle touch

The bars just get crazier as the song progresses. I probably should’ve mentioned this earlier, but the official Bandcamp blurb describes this project as “an album meant to explore the cycle of identity, death, and rebirth as we carry on through time.” That one sentence framed my understanding of the record. It kinda guided me in what to expect and take note of lyrically.

Pourin' my truth over ice, exploring the hidden cuts
Past trauma, had to dig it up, so I could move on, can't get enough
Too prolonged, hearing ghost songs, so I wrote them down when I awoke
Blacked out at a wake at about 8, losing my mother's touch

Sleep is another one of those dudes who’s able to pack so much into one line. I can’t get this much enjoyment in 70 seconds out of just any rapper. There’s something very precise about this song and album in particular. Going back to the Bandcamp description, it refers to the album as “dense with intention,” and that’s something that I definitely picked up on. This album was worked on for a long time before it was finally released, and I could tell. It just sounds like it was meticulously crafted despite having an at times chaotic soundscape. This is the perfect example of an album that takes multiple listens to fully digest and process. I couldn’t make sense of this track after hearing it once. It’s too much to take in on just one listen. I mean, I knew I fucked with it, but I didn’t know why. It’s fire though. I think it’s dope as hell. Track 3 is called Forensics. I love it. The beat here is so good. It’s jazzy, intricate, and detailed. This is gonna sound like another completely random thought, but I pictured a bed of nails in my head when I heard this. I guess sometimes I perceive instrumentals like Rorschach tests. That happened a lot with this album. This beat in particular sounds kind of hypnotizing. I love it. Sleep’s lyricism is of course fire as always. It just gets better and better, man. As soon as I heard the first couplet, I already knew this was gonna be fire.

Inner dialogues spillin' out
From the dark side of the mud where no feelings sprout

The verse is so fucking good, and the off-kilter, jazzy instrumental is the perfect backdrop. I love it. It’s followed by Origins, which features SKECH185 & PremRock. I think this is one of the most important moments on the album, and definitely a standout collaboration for 2024. This shit is amazing. It was during this track that I realized of what the off-kilter, yet melodic production on this album reminds me. At first I was just thinking “video game soundtrack,” but I realized the particular game I was envisioning was Earthbound specifically. Something about the instrumentals sound like they have this innocence to them. They basically communicate a whole story to me. This beat in particular sounds kind of whimsical, yet incredibly sad at the same time. I can picture myself standing on a hilltop listening to the instrumental with tears streaming down my face as I reflect on past trauma. It’s the perfect beat for lamentation. It sounds like barely holding onto innocence in the face of devastation. The lyricism explored here reinforces that vibe for me too. The title, Origins, is another aspect that kinda framed my understanding of this song. I feel like Sleep really went in about what influenced him to become the person he is today. They all did.

Reflections of a lifetime's rhythm
Through crime I analyze pain and intuition
Took pen' chances and I started penning visions
Prophetic how the profit built up consistent
But still gotta go and get it
Upholding the pictures of reality through broken lenses
I was a knotty headed street kid, a codefendant
Just tryna tell you how it goes, son, I hope you listen

I love the verse, and the way SKECH185 comes in right behind him is awesome. I love the way it ends too.

Autumn '93, a van was pickin' up little black girls on the way home
My older sister was given a knife as a keepsake
Because she was pretty for a darkskinned girl
Let the vultures tell it
Just because it once was doesn't mean it has to keep with the culture

His verse is incredible, but what’s crazy is that perhaps the most impactful part of the whole song is just when he’s talking over the beat about something he encountered.

See, some friends of mine were doing this podcast, and one cat was just talking about how he always knew older guys who’d mess with young women, and like how that was cool, and everybody was going, “just ’cause you knew it happening, doesn’t mean we keep it happening, and just because you saw it doesn’t mean it was okay,” and he kept just going, “…but, people used to do that.”

I feel like part of what makes this hit so hard for me is that it’s completely believable. That sounds exactly like a real conversation that I would expect to hear on a podcast, and it’s something that would probably stir some strange emotions in me. I don’t even know how to approach that conversation without help from someone to formulate my thoughts, so I’m just gonna leave it alone. I did want to make sure I noted it in this review though because it’s fascinating to me. I know I said it was the most memorable part of the song for me, but to be honest PremRock might’ve had the best verse. He absolutely slaughtered this shit. His writing is incredible here, man. The last four bars are just devastating. It’s amazing. Again, this is one of the best collaborations of the year for sure. I actually don’t think I could’ve asked for a better outcome with everyone involved. It’s dope as fuck. The following track is called Choice Theory. The beat on this one sounds a lot less melancholic than that of the preceding track in my opinion. It has kind of a warm, comforting atmosphere to it. It makes me think of maternal love. It sounds like a soft, pink blanket. Sleep’s performance over it is of course fantastic. I love every line, but I especially love the way the verse ends. I’ve never really tripped on psychedelics, but I have kind of a fascination with it, so it’s always an interesting subject in rap for me.

The world is what you make it, I engaged in the dangerous
Found solace in the sacred, worth is innovation
Slow it down with patience, overviewing creation
Realized the power inside was understated
Munchin' 8ths and seein' a new paradigm
For every pinnacle I'm grabbing gear to be prepared to climb
Highest peaks, mind release, and I'm still alive
Tried to bury me deep, the peace is what I'm here to find

Sleep’s writing is just… Well, it’s probably clear how I feel by now. Needless to say, I love this shit. One other thing I wanna make sure I mention is that I really loved the additional percussion that came in after about 30 seconds. It’s a subtle detail that didn’t even register on my first listen, but it really adds a lot to the song in my opinion. It’s fire overall. The following track is another one of the most memorable moments on the album for me. It’s called Cut Weight, and it features Milc. The instrumental on this one kinda blew my fuckin’ mind when I heard it. This was me when it came on…

This beat is seriously insane to me. I still kinda don’t know how bloomcycle made this work. The first Teller Bank$ album I ever heard was called The Grotesque & Beautiful, and that title really stuck with me. That’s kinda how I feel about this instrumental. It’s like a lighthearted, friendly, inviting sound that has been looped into kind of an ominous atmosphere. It’s like when you see a creepy animatronic or a clown or maybe an old white van with a suspiciously friendly middle aged man as its owner. It gives you the impression that it’s trying to lure you in so that it can destroy you. On the surface it sounds cheerful and fun, but upon further inspection it becomes eerie as fuck. Kinda like the music video for Ain’t It Funny by Danny Brown. It does sound a little Vaporwave-adjacent to me. I typically don’t like Vaporwave that much, but this is too crazy for me to not love. Anyway, the first verse from Milc is really nice. I like the way he rhymed here a lot. The way the instrumental kinda transforms for Sleep’s part of the song is really cool too. This is the one track where I really would love to know what the creation process was like. I’m wondering whether or not the instrumental sounded like it does now when the verses were initially written and performed, and I’d also be curious to know who laid their verse first. This song is crazy. It’s maybe the craziest moment on the whole album to me. It’s just insane. Bonkers. I love it. Anyway, it’s followed by another major highlight called Lucy.

https://youtu.be/xrafpu86r_4?si=Stx8gTkv8pTX3kO3

This song contains what is perhaps the most traditional-sounding instrumental on the record. It sounds like a journey in the form of music, or the soundtrack to a journey rather. In fact, one of my main conclusions from this album is that bloomcycle would be excellent at making film soundtracks. I guess it doesn’t have to be a film. It could be any story. Anyway, there’s a lot of emotion packed into this beat. It sounds kinda dreamy. It makes me feel like I’m flying through the night sky, above the clouds gliding past stars. I feel like Sleep was able to match the tone of the production really well too. I also like how he kinda waited for a while and let the instrumental play a little bit before he started rhyming over it.

Only seen my uncle cry twice, but he laughed a lot
How we circumvent pain for the active plot
Refuse the heart for the gains 'til the path is blocked
Now every relation strained from the baggage brought

I don’t know if I said this already, but this is one of my favorites on the album. I love everything about it. Track 8 is called Exhaust, and it actually features a verse from Big Flowers. Once again, the production here kinda sounds like the soundtrack to a journey. This instrumental sounds like something that would play specifically at the outset of the story. I love it. The opening verse from Sleep is of course excellent.

Frequencies unmeasured, a wave setter
Every creation is straight embers
Ain't it funny how ventin' the pain can bring pleasure?
I'm accepting my gains, work my lane 'til it's weathered
Through the obstacles came many ways to make it clever
Stayin' sharp had to sever off all the weaker parts
Yet still keep my heart even when them demons dart
Rollin' up to ease it, find meaning in the deepest dark
This all subjective, portraits of the self throughout your essence
Time skips when the pen moves reflective

I really like the hook, and the verse from Big Flowers definitely grew on me as I spent time with the record. One thing that I always loved is the way their verse starts though. The way they come in just sounds so cool. The flow didn’t immediately grab me, but once I caught on to how beautiful the writing is I grew to enjoy it.

Flowers gon' wither at the grave if we immortal or not
Yeah, so I'm forgoing the plot
I'm forgiving it all, I'm not forsaken with my god
Told my mama I'm locked in even though my memory's shot
I be clocked in so much, it's like the memory lost

It’s a really nice verse. I fuck with the song. It’s followed by All This Grief, which features Old Grape God. This is another track that stands out, mostly due to the production style. The beat here is a lot spookier than pretty much anything else on the album. The opening verse from Old Grape God is pretty cool; I really appreciate how expressive his voice sounds.

I ain't finna waste my time or yours
I'm here to get you open, every last pore
Tryna shake you to your motherfuckin' core

Sleep of course sounds amazing over this instrumental. I love how dark he got with the lyricism here.

Ghosts haunt the speakers, seen the ether when I'm rockin'
Sink deeper, life a stone cold teacher, it stuns me often
You're still remaining strong, no other options
Flowers at the gravesite will tell you if the love's forgotten

It’s a fire verse. This song didn’t blow me away like most of the others, but I obviously still really enjoyed it. It’s dope. Track 10 is called Soul in a Box, and it was originally featured on the YoolaG’z EP of B-sides.

https://youtu.be/i0ZEMv-ej7s?si=0rfyeNTxx1L9Pi7L

This is another one that grew on me immensely with repeated listens. I love the vibe of this beat. It sounds like the daze you enter when you finally take a giant bong rip of some indica after a long tolerance break. It’s a really pretty beat. It sounds just as pretty as Big Flowers’ visual art.

I saw a single feather fall
My interpretation is to rise above even through the pain
Been findin' graces, align amazement with perfect timing
Divine in places, I've nurtured grinding
I'm wide awake, Sleep been further climbing
Defining strength through the words I'm rhyming
Know that I'ma hold the weight 'til the Earth inclining

The hook on this track is dope too. I think the reason this one had to grow on me is that it feels very slow compared to a lot of the other tracks, so it felt like a bit of a sonic lull at first. I grew to appreciate it as I listened more closely though. It’s a really dope song. EvP Battles has a very entrancing beat to me, and it features an artist named Yo OG with whom I was previously unfamiliar. To be honest, I think my favorite moment in the whole track is just the transition between Sleep & OG’s verses. The instrumental drops out and we’re just left with the echo of the transitional sample before the beat comes back in and OG starts rapping. It sounds cool as hell. I of course enjoyed Sleep’s performance, but I was particularly curious about this Yo OG person. I had never heard of them, and their name seemed cool. I tend to prefer stage names that are more googleable, but that name in particular for whatever reason benefits from the simplicity in my opinion. Thankfully, I ended up really enjoying his verse.

I had knowledge and wisdom, but no understanding of what's going on, so I'm still wondering how I got here
I just got this strange feeling
It's familiar, but I'm not really fond of it, but I for damn sure be following
Voices upstairs in the crib yellin' out the door, makin' me conjure these thoughts and feelings
Sometimes I'm not privy to the force
Spit a sound into the atmosphere and hope it's universal
And at the end of the day, the reality is I gotta get this bread
And ain't nothing guaranteed, but there's marbles spinnin' in my head while we in the funk of it
'Cause we all God in this

It’s definitely the kind of verse that I had to run back multiple times to fully appreciate. I see that he was featured on an episode of Reel Notes with Cinemasai, so I’ll definitely be checking that out for more info about him. Overall, the song is dope as hell. Track 3 is Memoriam, Pt. 2, and it features another artist with whom I was previously unfamiliar named desde. For this track we return to the exact same beat that was used on part one, which I feel like is a ballsy move. Something about using the same beat on two tracks on the same album seems risky. I mean, they are kinda two parts of the same song, but still. I think it was a bold move, and it paid off. Sleep killed the first verse.

I'm still worth all my weight in gold
I just need a shine and a patient soul
With some peace of mind, I could take control
Better free my mind before it takes its toll

The second verse from desde is pretty cool. I wasn’t crazy about her vocal delivery, but I dug the lyricism a lot, and I can get behind the flow. Sonically, she actually reminded me of Jessica Care Moore’s intro and outro on Nastradamus. That album is a notorious dud, but I actually always loved Jessica Care Moore’s parts on there personally, so I meant that comparison as a compliment. Overall, this is a really dope track. The penultimate song is a major highlight called Killing Time.

https://youtu.be/HINJwqPEZaA?si=7Mq2ISeNHul7BFz5

I guess this one has another relatively traditional-sounding instrumental. I love it. It’s perhaps the prettiest beat on the whole project. It’s the type of thing that I would enjoy even if there was no rapping over it. It just sounds really heavenly. Through the process of writing about each track on this album, I came to appreciate the sequencing even more. This sound really works well for the last leg of the album. I’ve mentioned the production sounding like a journey or story throughout this review. This particular one sounds like what would play after the main conflict is resolved. The way the percussion comes in after about 30 seconds is so awesome. Sleep of course killed the verse.

Even in times so bleak I keep building
Got children to teach and grief to reach the ceiling
Dutch master spillin', the path makin' an incline
Sleep ain't even reachin' his peak, and yet he still shine
Goin' 'cause he don't feel emotions when it's kill time

The song’s pretty brief, but I actually think that works to its benefit. Not that it would’ve gotten stale if it was extended a bit, but it just really hits you hard and then moves on, and I kinda fuck with that. The song’s amazing. However, I think my favorite song on the whole album is the closing track, Tombs. This song might have the best instrumental I’ve heard in 2024. This beat is fucking incredible. That vocal sample is so fucking beautiful, man. This is lowkey one of the most beautifully haunting beats I think I’ve ever heard. It sounds like my own ghost singing to me. I love it. The best thing about it is that the momentum just builds and builds the more the loop plays. It’s really entrancing, and it makes me wanna move. I always catch myself swaying to the music when it comes on. Needless to say, I loved the first verse from Sleep on this song.

Stopped passing down the trauma through realizing what's wrong
My mind in a song, my soul barren, it's been gettin' fire drawn
Heart beatin' on my sleeve, bleedin', just leadin' me along
Chiefin' 'til I'm bombed through seasons findin' meanin' in the flaw
Disrupted by life frequent, at war through peace and I'm calm
No reason for qualms, we'll all end up underneath the lawn
Whether you king fish or a prawn, no lines is gettin' drawn
Gotta let it grow, that's how the doe survives from the fawn

The second verse is performed by shemar, to whom I was first introduced when he produced Sunmundi’s amazing Nature of My Nature EP. He’s definitely one of the most exciting artists that I’ve discovered in the past 12 months. The transition between the two verses is phenomenal, and I loved shemar’s performance.

Death ain't an end no more, I ain't scared
Stitchin' first name transmutations, inheriting shadow birthright
Was never about individual tangibles, I'm livin'
What needs explanation ain't my responsibility
Catharsis not a solution to wounds, but we still embrace
With a salient taste of repetition
Lockin' eyes with an old flame
With the sun coursin' through my veins, it's nothin'
I feel nothin', but thanks

I think it was probably very intentional that this is the last verse on the whole album, and I think it wraps things up really nicely. The way the instrumental kinda gets muffled for the last part of the song sounds amazing too. This song just sounds so incredible to me. It’s like bloomcycle somehow communicated the sense of passing away and entering heaven with an instrumental. The shit is unbelievable.

This album is amazing. I’m not surprised. I knew I was gonna love this shit. It gave me exactly what I wanted, and I don’t even think I knew I wanted it until I heard it. This is absolutely one of the best albums of the year, and one of the best albums Sleep has ever made. It’s definitely top 5. Probably top 3. I kinda don’t even know where to begin with summing up all my thoughts. I guess I should start with bloomcycle. They did an amazing job here. These beats are unbelievably cool. There’s really not a single instrumental on here that I don’t really enjoy. Literally every single one of them stood out in some fashion. As you could probably tell from a lot of the things I had to say in the body of this review, the production really sparked my imagination, which is always cool. I think there probably aren’t many artists I’ve covered more than Sleep in the past four years, so there’s not much I can say about him in general that I haven’t said before. His performance on this album in particular really moved me though, and a lot of it is due to the subject matter. I personally just find the lyrical themes of death and rebirth really interesting. The concept of rebirth is something I’ve been interested in for a while now because of a conversation I had with my friend. I told him about how I used to be really different, but I kinda became a new and improved person after my psychotic episode in 2018. He sent me a text that said something along the lines of “i been thinkin about how u said you were different before psychosis. you were reborn. ill explain later.” Ever since I got that text, I’ve been kinda fascinated by the concept. As a result, this album here ended up really resonating with me. I have no consistent gripes. The beats are amazing, the rapping is phenomenal, the features are a lot of fun, and even the sequencing is thought out and well crafted. Sleep is really an albums artist, man. He knows what he’s doing. This shit is dope as fuck. Check it out.

Favorite Song: Tombs
LEast Favorite Song: All This Grief

90

Watch the video below for some additional perspectives on the album.

https://youtu.be/B75WVfqwtj4?si=1KQPJSLfLfo9Tywx

Grade: A

https://focushiphop.com/2024/08/05/album-review-sleep-sinatra-bloomcycle-memoryummm/

#BigFlowers #bloomcycle #desde #Milc #OldGrapeGod #PremRock #shemar #Skech185 #SleepSinatra #YoOG