The staggering volume of amazing music released in 2020 was the silver lining of one of the most challenging years of my adult life. Here are some of the highlights:
- Aesop Rock – Spirit World Field Guide (Rhymesayers)
- AJ Suede – Knowhatimean? (self-released)
- Al.Divino & Futurewave – Kataklizm (self-released)
- Archie Shepp, Raw Poetic & Damu the Fudgemunk – Ocean Bridges (Redefinition)
- Armand Hammer – Shrines (Backwoodz Studioz)
- Arms and Sleepers – Corpus Dei (Future Archive)
- Awol One – Tony the Walrus (Speakerface)
- Batsauce – Shelter Skelter (Full Plate)
- Blockhead – Quar and Peace (self-released)
- Blu & Exile – Miles: From An Interlude Called Life (Dirty Science)
- BlUu Edwards – All We Need Is Kill (Wrecking Crew)
- Boldy James – The Price of Tea In China (ALC)
- Buckwild – Music Is My Religion (Kurrup Money)
- Brzowski & C Money Burns – The Subjugation of Bread (Milled Pavement)
- Cargo Cults – Nihilist Millennial (Wrecking Crew)
- Chester Watson – A Japanese Horror Film (POW)
- Controller 7 – Exhale01 (self-released)
- Controller 7 & Buck 65 – Billy (self-released)
- Count Bass D – CBD (self-released)
- Day Tripper – Langford Landscapes (Full Plate)
- Dillon & Batsauce – Self Medicated EP (Full Plate)
- DJ Muggs & Al.Divino – Kilogram (Soul Assassins)
- DJ Scientist – The Artless Cuckoo Vol. II (self-released)
- Doseone – G Is For Job (self-released)
- Dr. Oop & Nada Clue – Essential Business Vol. 1 & 2 (self-released)
- Ear Dr.Umz – Mental Picture Show (self-released)
- Ecid – Post Euphoria Vol. 3 (Fill In the Breaks)
- 80’s Babies – unLEARN (self-released)
- Escape Artists – Evergreen (Cathexis)
- Factor Chandelier – First Storm (Fake Four Inc)
- Factor Chandelier – Eastlake (Fake Four Inc)
- Fielded – Demisexual Lovelace (Backwoodz Studioz)
- 4-IZE – Look Into My IZE (Ultra Beast United)
- Gel Roc – Grandeur (Abolano)
- Googie & Henry Canyons – Hijinx (Backwoodz Studioz)
- Griff/Scorcese – Midnight Express (Insubordinate)
- Haphduzn – Visceral (self-released)
- Heliocentrics – Infinity of Now (Madlib Invazion)
- Henny L.O. & Ohbliv – Sages (Mutant Academy)
- Him Lo – Slapyagoddamnfaceoff (Grilchy Party)
- ialive – I’ll Wait Forever (Cold Rhyme)
- Ill Scholars – Ill Scholars (self-released)
- Illogic – Autopilot (self-released)
- Junclassic – The Hope Business (self-released)
- Ka – Descendents of Cain (Iron Works)
- Kay the Aquanaut & Maki – The Nautical Blue (self-released)
- Kid Abstrakt & Emapea – Jazzy Vibes (self-released)
- LAPIS – Third Person You (Fresh Selects)
- lojii – lo&behold (self-released)
- Lt Headtrip – Dreamery (We Are the Karma Kids)
- Lydia Liza & Big Cats – Oh Boy (self-released)
- Mestizo & Controller 7 – Couch (self-released)
- MidaZ the Beast – Where the Sidewalk Ends (self-released)
- Moodie Black – F U Z Z (Fake Four Inc)
- Napoleon Da Legend & Ro Data – The Stuff of Legend (Chong Wizard)
- Nation GVNG – Nation GVNG (Insubordinate)
- Nolan the Ninja – Talk Soon (Sport Cast)
- Observe Since ’98 – Royaume Du Sauvage (Loretta)
- Open Mike Eagle – Anime, Trauma & Divorce (Auto Reverse
- Pink Siifu & Fly Anakin – FlySiifu’s (Lex)
- Proe & MF Shalem B – Belove Below (Childproof)
- Pro Zay – Alley Muzik (self-released)
- Pseudo Intellectuals – A Late Stage Malaise (Lo Do)
- Ransom & Nicholas Craven – Director’s Cut: Scene 2 & 3 (Chong Wizard)
- R.A.P. Ferreira – Purple Moonlight Pages (Ruby Yacht)
- Rasheed Chappell & Buckwild – Sinners and Saints (Get On Down)
- Rigz & Futurewave – Substance Abuse (self-released)
- Roughneck Jihad – The Red Sentence (Expanded-Art)
- Salami Rose Joe Louis – Chapters of Zdenka (Brainfeeder)
- Señor Kaos & Illastrate – Kings of Vice (Ultra Beast United)
- Serengeti – AJAI (Fake Four Inc)
- ShrapKnel – ShrapKnel (Backwoodz Studioz)
- Sons of the James – Everlasting (Fresh Selects)
- Thundercat – It Is What It Is (Brainfeeder)
- Ultra Beast – Rush the Court (Ultra Beast United)
- Verbal Kent & The Other Guys – Blade of the Short Cut (HiPNOTT)
- Vic Spencer – Psychological Cheat Sheet (Old Fart Luggage)
- Vitamin D – Flips Vol. 1 & 2 (self-released)
- WateRR – Workshop of the Mind (self-released)
- White Horse – White Horse (Uncommon)
- Wrecking Crew – Raheem’s Lament (Wrecking Crew)
- Yppah – Sunset In the Deep End (Future Archive)
- Zilla Rocca & Chong Wizard – Midnight Sons (Chong Wizard)
Picking the very best of that bunch is difficult, but if I had to narrow it down to only 10 of those titles they most likely would be:
- Armand Hammer – Shrines (Backwoodz Studioz)
- BlUu Edwards – All We Need Is Kill (Wrecking Crew)
- Serengeti – AJAI (Fake Four Inc)
- Controller 7 & Buck 65 – Billy (self-released)
- Blu & Exile – Miles: From an Interlude Called Life (Dirty Science)
- 4-IZE – Look Into My IZE (Ultra Beast United)
- Ill Scholars – Ill Scholars (self-released)
- Open Mike Eagle – Anime, Trauma & Divorce (Auto Reverse)
- Chester Watson – A Japanese Horror Film (POW)
- WateRR – Workshop of the Mind (self-released)
