I’ve said this several times in previous articles I’ve written, my inspiration for writing an article can come at the most random times. This time, it was because of an Instagram story that I posted about the two year anniversary of Chris Brown’s album, “Indigo”. After I posted it, I suddenly had the urge to write about my 10 favorite albums ever. Spoiler alert, you will be seeing “Indigo” on this list. It was my album of the year pick in 2019, you can check out that article on this link, and I still listen to it often to this day.

The criteria for favorite albums of all time can definitely be a confusing subject. How does one even rank these albums? Commercial success? Length? Quality of songs & features? The answer is: a combination of all three with an added option. The added option is your own personal experience with the music itself. I’ve said this before on my YSN instagram but music is what connects with the soul. Any artist that you listen has the ability to grab your attention with either their lyrics, voice, production, or message. Some artists nowadays can even grab your attention by their visuals. It’s all in what gravitates to what the listener can either relate to or just simply enjoy. For example, if you’re going through a break up you’re not going to be in the mood to listen to Meek Mill, “Flamerz Flow” all the time. If you’re feeling sad you’re going to want to gravitate towards more Brent Faiyaz & The Weeknd. So here’s my point to all this, these are MY favorite albums because I relate to them the most. My experiences with these albums have been significant in my life. There may be albums that have been way bigger than some that I pick on this list that I just didn’t have that big of a connection with. For example, there is no Kendrick Lamar album on this list. It doesn’t take away from the fact that To Pimp A Butterly is a classic rap album, I just didn’t listen to it all that much. I know the significance it has for the culture, it just doesn’t make MY list. I hope y’all don’t take that as some sort of disrespect. Before we get into the 10 albums, which were very hard to narrow down by the way, I’m going to list some honorable mentions.

Honorable Mentions

The Weeknd – My Dear Melancholy, (March 30th, 2018)

2018 was a great year for music, and this right here was a big part of it for me. This project here just missed the cut of the top 10. I wouldn’t even call it an album because it is only six songs, but it is by far my favorite piece of music ever released by The Weeknd. I remember just being in complete awe the first time I listened to it. The fact that his voice sounds exactly the same on stage is just astonishing. Y’all know me… I’m all about the late night drives and this EP is the perfect thing to play while on a drive. If you want to know what great music is go to the 2:14 mark on the song “I Was Never There“. You’re welcome.

Favorite Songs

1. I Was Never There ft. Gesaffelstein
2. Privilege
3. Call Out My Name
4. Wasted Times
5. Try Me
6. Hurt You ft. Gesaffelstein

Future – DS2 (July 17th, 2015)

One of the most defining rap albums of our generation. Dirty Sprite 2 (DS2) by Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn, a.k.a Future. This album doesn’t need much explaining about its greatness. The fact that every single person knows what comes after, “dirty soda Spike Lee, white girl ice tea, fully loaded AP“, just shows the legacy that DS2 has on the music industry. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, Future’s first, and since then he has scored six more #1 albums. This is that timeless music. You know damn well my children are one day going to hear “Stick Talk” blasting through the car speakers. ATL legend. Just gotta be thankful we were here when it happened.

Favorite Songs

1. Stick Talk
2. F*ck Up Some Commas
3. Trap N****s
4. Where Ya At ft. Drake
5. Thought It Was a Drought
6. Blow a Bag
7. Blood On the Money
8. Colossal
9. Kno the Meaning
10. Slave Master

6LACK – East Atlanta Love Letter (September 14th, 2018)

Dear 6LACK,

We need the album bro. Please. Just give us a single. A track list. Something man we out here struggling.

Sincerely,

Everyone with a good music taste

Back to our regularly scheduled programming, this album is an incredible piece of art. And just like a lot of albums that are on this article, I can’t believe it has been almost three years since it dropped. After dropping his debut project, “Free 6LACK” in November of 2016, the Atlanta artist came back with, “East Atlanta Love Letter”. If you know me, you know an album means a lot to me when you see the vinyl version in my room. And to use for reference along the article I will now insert a picture of my vinyl wall (before I move in August at least).

“East Atlanta Love Letter” is a wonderful piece of art and the amount of times I listened front to back is ridiculous. If this article was “My 15 favorite albums of all time” then this wouldn’t be in the honorable mention section. This video that I’m about to link, is just a display of why 6LACK is one of the best in the game right now. Can’t wait for his next album.

Favorite Songs

1. Sorry
2. Disconnect
3. Thugger’s Interlude
4. East Atlanta Love Letter ft. Future
5. Unfair
6. Stan
7. Pretty Little Fears ft. J. Cole
8. Nonchalant
9. Loaded Gun
10. Balenciaga Challenge ft. Offset

Bryson Tiller – True To Self (May 26th, 2017)

Four years have gone by like nothing. Y’all know how I feel about this album. Y’all know that Bryson Tiller is in my top 10 artists of all time. Here’s my “True To Self” review article that I did in April. An album that to my surprise wasn’t really liked by a lot of people, but it is one of my favorites ever. I don’t understand how you can listen to “In Check” or “Don’t Get Too High” and not be mesmerized. The fact that Bryson himself gave this album a “C” grade is insane to me. Will forever listen to this album, no matter what.

Favorite Songs

1. In Check
2. Don’t Get Too High
3. Set It Off
4. We Both Know
5. You Got It
6. Stay Blessed
7. Before You Judge
8. Rain On Me (Intro)
9. Teach Me A Lesson
10. Somethin Tells Me

Travis Scott & Quavo – Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho (December 21st, 2017)

Another album that got a lot of hate on the socials, but I loved. Whenever these two get on a song together I expect fireworks, and that is exactly what this album delivered. Almost four years ago is crazy though. I listened to this every single day for at least four months straight. I can probably still rap about 80% of the album to perfection. Takeoff’s verse on “Eye 2 Eye” is one of the best things I’ve ever heard on a song and that’s just facts. Also this era produced some of the best Travis concerts ever and I would just like to showcase that with this video. I used to watch Travis’ Observatory concert videos almost every day. Times were obviously a lot simpler then, I’m a lot more occupied nowadays. Nevertheless, an incredible album that I feel many people need to revisit to truly appreciate the greatness.

Favorite Songs

1. Eye 2 Eye ft. Takeoff
2. Moon Rock
3. Saint Laurent Mask
4. How U Feel
5. Where U From
6. Saint
7. Go
8. Motorcycle Patches
9. Huncho Jack
10. Dubai Shit ft. Offset

I’m sorry for literally flooding you with “Honorable Mentions” but they are important to the list. Especially because these albums I just listed represent very significant parts of my life. However, we are now at the main event. Ladies and gentlemen, I now present to you… my 10 favorite albums of all time. Let’s get into it.

******DISCLAIMER*******. These upcoming albums are not in any sort of order. Thank you for participation in the program…

My 10 Favorite Albums Of All Time

Chris Brown – Indigo (June 28th, 2019)

As stated previously, “Indigo” has its spot on my list. It is currently my most listened to album on Apple Music, tallying over 2354 minutes played since its release three years ago. Which is just above 39 hours. The album is long as hell (32 tracks), just like the album he dropped before this one, “Heartbreak On A Full Moon” which also is an incredible album but just missed the cut. Indigo was my pick for album of the year in 2019, and I still stand on that to this day (word to Deontay Wilder). The album debuted at number one, Brown’s third of his career, selling 108K units in its first week. It was officially certified platinum in December 2019 by the RIAA. Go listen to, “Emerald/Burgundy” from 4:08 to the end and you’ll see why it was my album of the year. It’s just what music is supposed to sound like. Can’t wait for his next album. Supposedly it is supposed to drop this year but, we shall see.

Favorite Songs

1. Emerald/Burgundy ft. Juicy J & Juvenile
2. No Guidance ft. Drake
3. Natural Disaster/Aura
4. Come Together ft. H.E.R
5. Part of the Plan
6. Red
7. Indigo
8. Dear God
9. All On Me
10. Lurkin’ ft. Tory Lanez

Meek Mill – Wins & Losses (July 21st, 2017)

Remember what I said about special connections and memories with the music. If you’re one of my close friends you’ve definitely heard this story at least twice but since not all of you are, it’s time to tell it on the world wide web. The date is July 20th, 2017 and I’m in Kos, Greece. If you’re not a geography major, Kos is an island southeast to mainland Greece that is very close to Turkey. As me and my family are about to sleep my at my uncle’s house everything starts to completely shake and fall down. Cups, plates, drawers, I mean everything. While this is all happening guess where my stupid self was? I was in the bathroom peeing…. just my damn luck. Anyways, we manage to get out the house safely and we’re checking our phones to see there is a 6.7 magnitude earthquake and we’re close to the epicenter. We get in our cars and drive to near the top of the mountains and spend most of the night there waiting for updates. As morning arrives, we drive back down to near the house and me and my brother are so tired we take a blanket and lay it on the sidewalk. And that ladies and gentlemen is where I heard this album for the first time. On a sidewalk at six in the morning in Kos, Greece, and ever since then it has been my favorite Meek Mill album. The end.

Favorite Songs

1. 1942 Flows
2. Heavy Heart
3. F**k That Check Up ft. Lil Uzi Vert
4. Issues
5. Never Lose ft. Lihtz Kamraz
6. Connect The Dots ft. Yo Gotti & Rick Ross
7. Whatever You Need ft. Chris Brown & Ty Dolla $ign
8. Price
9. Glow Up
10. Made It from Nothing ft. Teyana Taylor & Rick Ross

Travis Scott – ASTROWORLD (August 3rd, 2018)

An album that is a benchmark for performance, commercial success, and features. “ASTROWORLD” by Travis Scott was an album that moved mountains in the industry. This goes back to my point about 2018 being one of the greatest years for music. Migos, Travis Scott, J Cole, The Weeknd, Drake, Meek Mill, Tory Lanez, Lil Baby, & Gunna all dropped projects. And “ASTROWORLD” was arguably the highlight of the year. I still can’t believe the Grammys had the audacity to pick Cardi B’s album for RAP ALBUM OF THE YEAR over this. However, we move on to talk about the albums success. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 charts, selling 537K units in its first week. It is #6 on first day streaming numbers on Spotify (64M) and is currently still charting at Billboard 200 (#45). This album does not have one single bad song. Travis Scott is one of our generations best artists and arguably the greatest performer. At least he’s the greatest performer I’ve seen (blessed enough to see him twice). I can’t wait for Utopia to drop. Please make it be this year.

Favorite Songs

1. CAN’T SAY ft. Don Toliver
2. ASTROTHUNDER
3. NO BYSTANDERS ft. Sheck Wes & Juice Wrld
4. BUTTERFLY EFFECT
5. SKELETONS ft. The Weeknd
6. STARGAZING
7. HOUSTONFORNICATION
8. SICKO MODE ft. Drake
9. STOP TRYING TO BE GOD ft. James Blake
10. 5% TINT

Pop Smoke – Meet the Woo 2 (February 7th, 2020)

Still mad they took this legend from us. Just 13 days before he passed away he released, “Meet the Woo 2”, his first project to ever secure a top 10 spot on the Billboard 200. I remember looking at tickets for his tour just a week before he was tragically murdered in California. I wrote everything that Pop Smoke meant to me and the rap game in this article down below. I listened to this album for over 16 hours and it was all over my most listened to songs of 2020. From the first time I heard “Welcome To The Party” in July 2019 to now, I can say that Pop Smoke has had an insurmountable impact on my life. Wish he was still here with us.

The Legacy of Pop Smoke

Favorite Songs

1. Christopher Walking
2. Mannequin ft. Lil Tjay
3. Get Back
4. Dreaming
5. War ft. Lil Tjay
6. Armed N Dangerous (Charlie Sloth Freestyle)
7. Invincible
8. Shake The Room ft. Quavo
9. She Got a Thing
10. Element

Juice WRLD – Death Race For Love (March 8th, 2019)

A death that truly still hurts me to think about. Both Juice and Pop Smoke honestly. Y’all know how important Juice, and especially this album, was to me. Both summers of 2019 and 2020 was spent listening to this. Empty is still my #1 most played song at Apple Music coming in at 343 minutes played. The album itself is second all-time to “Indigo” with 1233 minutes or 20.5 hours played. This album was a getaway from all the madness of life for me. It was an album that I could relate to fully and it just comforted me knowing that even the biggest artists in the world were at the end of the day just humans. I wish everyone could see how talented Juice really was. He literally free-styled this whole album. If you want to see what else I’ve written about Juice WRLD, you can go look at this article I did on him last August.

The Legacy of Juice Wrld

Rest in Heaven Juice. We all miss you down here.

Favorite Songs:

1. Empty
2. The Bees Knees
3. Who Shot Cupid?
4. Flaws and Sins
5. Robbery
6. Maze
7. Hear Me Calling
8. Feeling
9. Fast
10. Desire

Bryson Tiller – T R A P S O U L (October 2nd, 2015)

Nothing needs to be said that isn’t already known. Bryson Tiller is one of the greatest artists of our generation. Mastered a whole sound and made his own lane. There’s a reason why this album is 3x platinum. Almost six years later and I still bump “Right My Wrongs” like it dropped yesterday. Refer to my vinyl wall photo at the beginning of the article for the YSN stamp of approval. A completely 10/10 album. And I say that with absolutely no hesitation. When my kids ask me what was music like when I was a teenager this will be one of the albums I show them. Now I will spend 20 minutes trying to rank my favorite songs.

Favorite Songs

1. Right My Wrongs
2. Exchange
3. Overtime
4. Open Interlude
5. Don’t
6. Rambo
7. The Sequence
8. Sorry Not Sorry
9. For However Long
10. Been That Way

Migos – Culture (January 27th, 2017)

The name is self-explanatory. This album set the bar for the culture. And when this dropped, Migos were on top of the world. You don’t believe me? Watch the last 40 seconds of this video and then come back to this article. At one point in my life I knew every single lyric on this album. If I had a gun to my head and the shooter told me to sing a song and if I don’t miss a word he’d spare my life I’d either pick, “T-Shirt“, “Dreams & Nightmares“, or “Christopher Walking“. Culture III was a very good album with a lot of highlights, but even as a fan, I don’t know if they can ever top this classic right here. I mean, that’s almost unrealistic expectations for any artist. I’ll never forget what it felt like to hear “Kelly Price” for the first time (one of Travis’ best features by the way). I’ll forever be appreciative and thankful for this album. And you should too.

Favorite Songs

1. T-Shirt
2. Slippery ft. Gucci Mane
3. Kelly Price ft. Travis Scott
4. Deadz ft. 2 Chainz
5. Brown Paper Bag
6. What the Price
7. Big On Big
8. Get Right Witcha
9. Call Casting
10. Bad and Boujee ft. Lil Uzi Vert

GIVĒON – TAKE TIME (March 27th, 2020)

When I listened to this project it had nearly the same effect that my first listen of, “T R A P S O U L” had on me. I remember it like it was yesterday, I was in my dining room writing an essay and decided to give it a listen as mainly background music for me to focus. However, once I heard his voice come in on, “THE BEACH” I knew I was listening to special. At that moment I stopped everything I was doing and just sat there and listened to the whole thing all the way through. And to this day I’m thankful that I did because it ended being a project that I listened to every day for almost a year straight. Just like I said earlier with The Weeknd, if you want to listen to real music click on this video right here. Givēon’s debut album is on the way and I think I’m the most excited person on earth for it. He has grown so much in just a year. From a Drake collaboration, to a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album, and to winning Best New Artist at the BETs. The only way from here is up, and hopefully I can be there for every step of the way.

Favorite Songs

1. FAVORITE MISTAKE
2. HEARTBREAK ANNIVERSARY
3. LIKE I WANT YOU
4. THE BEACH
5. THIS AIN’T LOVE
6. WORLD WE CREATED
7. TAKE TIME (INTERLUDE)
8. VANISH

Roddy Ricch – Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial (December 6th, 2019)

My 2019 album of the year runner up (not by much) has found its place on my list. Originally it was in the honorable mentions, but I listened to the choir on, “War Baby” again so I had to switch it with “My Dear Melancholy,”. Roddy Ricch is another artist that fans are waiting on to drop, as PEMFBA was his last release. However, with his latest song “Late At Night” charting at #20 on the Billboard 100 I’m assuming a project is soon to come. This album right here was one of the most commercially successful on this list. Probably only behind Tiller and Travis Scott in terms of sales and awards. PEMFBA was certified 2x platinum last November, won the BET award for Best Rap Album last June, and charted at #1 several times on the Billboard 200 over multiple months. Roddy such a legend he had Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber begging for their fans to go buy their albums/singles just to try and beat him. And do y’all remember how he responded to that?

stream rare by selena gomez 🔥

— Roddy Ricch (@RoddyRicch) January 17, 2020

stream yummy by justin bieber 💪🏽

— Roddy Ricch (@RoddyRicch) January 11, 2020

And he beat both of them. Light work. We waiting on the next one Roddy, and no matter what it is, you already certified. Grammy Award winner, multiple number ones, and a multi-platinum artist. Real music always prevails.

Favorite Songs

1. War Baby
2. Perfect Time
3. Boom Boom Room
4. The Box
5. Prayers to the Trap God
6. Gods Eyes
7. Intro
8. Big Stepper
9. High Fashion ft. Mustard
10. Roll Dice

Rod Wave – Pray 4 Love (April 3rd, 2020)

And to wrap up the list I will now throw in my 2020 album of the year. Rod Wave with “Pray 4 Love”. One of my favorite artists in the game right now came through with an incredible piece of work with no misses. Man I still remember the first time I heard this album. “Dark Clouds” is still to this day my favorite Rod Wave song I’ve ever heard (tied with Street Runner). It was the St. Petersburg native’s best performing project, debuting at #2 on the Billboard 200 with 72K units sold in its first week. And after the deluxe was released in August it re-entered the charts at #4. “Pray 4 Love” officially certified platinum just this past March, making it his first platinum project. His next album, “SoulFly” dropped in April of this year and it eventually became his first number one album. My summer of 2020 consisted of about five or six artists. Givēon, Pop Smoke, Juice WRLD, Chris Brown, The Kid Laroi, & Rod Wave. And I don’t see summer 2021 being that much different. Unless Meek and Drake drop like they are supposed to. Nevertheless, this a classic album and the audience that Rod Wave gained after he dropped it just shows exactly that. Hopefully he can stay away from the feds and just focus on the music for a long and prosperous career.

Favorite Songs

1. Dark Clouds
2. The Greatest
3. Ribbon in the Sky
4. Girl of My Dreams
5. F**k the World
6. Thief in the Night
7. Rags2Riches ft. ATR Son Son
8. Pray 4 Love
9. 5% Tints
10. Thug Motivation

And that is how we are going to start the second half of 2021. Thank you to all that have made it this far in the article. I enjoy writing about what I love and it truly keeps me going. It pushes me to try and reach that next level that I know I can achieve. This upcoming fall me and my friends Walter Reyes, Terrell Byrd, and Khalil Snekcim are *hopefully* starting our own podcast and we are looking for a name. We will probably come up with one ourselves but hey, it never hurts to ask. I put my heart and soul into this website so I would love to hear your guys thoughts and feedback. Once again I truly thank you for tuning in. This is YSN, signing out.