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Some Albums That Helped E. Lit Survive 2020, In Alphabetical Order:

Posted on January 18, 2021

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)

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