The time has come. I’ve been so excited to write this article for a very long time now. I’ve compiled a list of 30 albums that have made the cut as my favorite albums of the cursed year that is, 2020. Just a reminder before I continue writing this, these are MY FAVORITE ALBUMS. Please don’t get in your little ass feelings crying to me about why I didn’t include your favorite artists. Like my friend, take it easyyyy. Usually when I don’t list an album it’s because I didn’t listen to it either fully or at all. I will however always welcome your opinions and debates just don’t go too wild I promise it’s not that serious. Before I list my favorite albums of the year I will now say some honorable mentions that just missed the cut.

Honorable Mentions

A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie – Artist 2.0 (February 14th)

Now here’s the thing with A Boogie. He’s obviously a very important artist in the game and has an extremely strong fanbase, but I feel like his music as of late is just not hitting the same as it used to. Like if I listen to “Jungle” or “No Comparison” and then listen to the music on this project then there is really no comparison (see what I did there). I’m not saying this album was bad, because it definitely had some hits, I just couldn’t get into it as much as his previous projects.

Favorite Songs

1. King of My City
2. DTB 4 Life
3. Me and My Guitar
4. Numbers ft. Roddy Ricch, Gunna, & London On Da Track
5. Reply ft. Lil Uzi Vert

Lil Yachty – Lil Boat 3 (May 29th)

The real ones will never forget Lil Yachty’s unbeatable 2015-2017 run with Summer Songs 2, Lil Boat, & Teenage Emotions. And there’s nothing wrong with what Yachty is doing now. Clearly he can still rap, as shown on this very project. It’s sad to see some of his fans turn on him whenever he drops because he’s still young at only 22 and still has a lot of time to grow as a person/artist. I hope he’s happy with where he’s at because he seems like a genuinely good dude. I enjoyed the album, it just didn’t make it into my top 30.

Favorite Songs

1. Split/Whole Time
2. T.D ft. Tyler, the Creator & A$AP Rocky
3. Oprah’s Bank Account ft. Drake & DaBaby
4. Pardon Me ft. Future & Mike WILL Made-It
5. Wock In Stock

Nav & Wheezy – Emergency Tsunami (November 6th)

Nav started off hot on the rap scene with his first hit songs being Up, Myself, and Nav. He hasn’t slowed down since and you have to respect that about him. Throughout all the twitter memes and people constantly calling him trash, he’s still remained relevant and is consistent numbers. He released another project this year that you might see later on this article but for, “Emergency Tsunami” I just didn’t feel that need to come back to it and listen with the exception of two-three songs. Big shout out to Wheezy though, he’s absolutely insane in any song he produces.

Favorite Songs

1. Friends & Family
2. Young Wheezy ft. Gunna
3. Repercussions ft. Young Thug
4. Don’t Need Friends ft. Lil Baby
5. Modest

Playboi Carti – Whole Lotta Red (December 25th)

I can already feel the Carti stans assembling to attack me while I type this. Let me explain por favor. I’ve listened to this album only twice since it dropped. Which as of today was only three days ago. There’s no way I can sit here and rank it along with all these albums that I’ve listened to constantly throughout the year after only two full listens. It’s a good album and it’s slowly growing on me, but I can’t insert it into my list with only two full listens. The songs that I’m going to list at the bottom are also subject to change for this project.

Favorite Songs

1. Vamp Anthem
2. New Tank
3. New N3on
4. Place
5. Sky

Now we are back in business. Ladies and gentlemen, people of the world, wherever you are right now I just want to thank you for tuning in. Here are my favorite albums of 2020. Hope you enjoy.

YSN FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2020

30. Kehlani – It Was Good Until It Wasn’t (May 8th)

I’ve always listened to Kehlani songs, but I never sat down and gave a full attentive listen to one of her projects until this one right here. Right out the gate, “Toxic” had me intrigued and it just had that vibe where you had to find out what the next song was. I knew this album was fire when she had me screaming lyrics to, “Bad News” like some hurt teenage girl. The project did incredibly well commercially selling 83,000 units in its first week while charting at #2 on Billboard 200, her highest ever charting position. It was also the 9th highest female album debut on Spotify this year with 52 Million Streams. With features from Jhenè Aiko, Masego, & Lucky Daye the album was a big sigh of relief during the peak of quarantine. If this year wasn’t so jam-packed with music it definitely would’ve been higher on my list.

Favorite Songs

1. Bad News
2. Serial Lover
3. Toxic
4. F&MU
5. Can I

29. The Kid Laroi – F*CK LOVE (SAVAGE) (November 6th)

The Kid Laroi is someone I wrote about discovering this year in my last article and I have not regretted it one single bit. He’s turned into one of my favorite artists for a very simple reason. He has yet to miss. It seems that with every song or video he just keeps getting better. Which is incredible to see, especially with the fact that he has made songs with big name artists like NBA Youngboy & Lil Tjay. Savage debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 selling an impressive 52k units in its first week. Laroi, real name Charlton Howard, only just turned 17 in August so he hopefully has a long career ahead of him.

Favorite Songs

1. TRAGIC ft. YoungBoy Never Broke Again & Internet Money
2. WITHOUT YOU
3. PIKACHU
4. ALWAYS DO
5. FEEL SOMETHING ft. Marshmello

28. Gunna- WUNNA (May 22nd)

Gunna and Lil Baby have both been leading the new wave of Atlanta behind their predecessor Young Thug for almost four years now. Gunna has established a solid discography with projects like, “Drip Season 3” & “Drip or Drown 2”. Although, “WUNNA” wasn’t a genre-defining album, it came through with multiple hits like “DOLLAZ ON MY HEAD” & “SKYBOX“. Gunna himself would go on to earn his first #1 album with, “WUNNA” selling 111,000 units first week. It always seems as if Gunna and Thug are in the studio 24/7 so I’m definitely expecting more music to come, especially the release of their latest collaboration with Yak Gotti, “Take It To Trial” on December 18th.

Favorite Songs

1. MET GALA
2. NASTY GIRL/ON CAMERA
3. ROCKSTAR BIKERS & CHAINS
4. DOLLAZ ON MY HEAD ft. Young Thug
5. DO BETTER

27. Nav – Good Intentions (May 8th)

As I stated previously in this article, Nav has been on a consistent run since he came on to the rap scene. No matter the criticism, his presence is palpable in the industry. Whether it be producing credits on Beyonce & Jay Z’s “EVERYTHING IS LOVE” or producing/writing Drake’s “Back to Back“, Nav’s work is underrated. Coming off his last album, “Bad Habits” going #1 people were waiting to see what Nav would come back with. Good Intentions was a better & stronger release in my opinion. It also performed better commercially, selling 127k units in its first week and also returning to #1 two weeks later selling 135k units. It’s not my favorite Nav project of all time, but there’s a reason why “Good Intentions” made this list and that’s because it was a great album in my eyes.

Favorite Songs

1. Turks ft. Travis Scott & Gunna
2. Run It Up ft. Pop Smoke
3. Recap ft. Don Toliver
4. Coast to Coast
5. No Debate ft. Young Thug

26. Lil Uzi Vert – LUV vs. The World 2 (March 13th)

After holding on to all this unreleased music for what seemed like a whole millennium, Lil Uzi Vert finally compiled a lot of his unreleased music into a deluxe album of his project, “Eternal Atake”. Highlights from the project for me were Come This Way, Moon Relate, & Bean (Kobe) ft. Chief Keef. With this project Uzi became the first artist ever to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 with every single song from both projects in back to back weeks. Uzi is a record breaker in general, and with the music he’s been previewing recently I don’t expect him to stop dominating anytime soon.

Favorite Songs

1. Yessirskiii ft. 21 Savage
2. Lotus
3. Moon Relate
4. No Auto ft. Lil Durk
5. Strawberry Peels ft. Young Thug & Gunna

25. Lil Durk – The Voice (December 24th)

Considered one of the 2020 MVPs to many, Lil Durk has stepped up to lead the way for Chicago rap along with G Herbo, Polo G, & King Von. His new moniker, “The Voice” entails a lot more than just his lyrics on his songs. He is considered the voice for the streets and for the ones who are struggling within their legal and relationship issues. I ranked Durk’s, “Love Songs 4 the Streets 2” in my top 5 albums of 2019 and he hasn’t stopped going crazy. Obviously I would’ve loved to see Von grow alongside his friend, but I know that Durk can carry that legacy to even greater heights. Right now I just hope his mental health is in a good place and I hope he stays safe.

Favorite Songs

1. The Voice
2. Still Trappin’ ft. King Von
3. Changes
4. Death Ain’t Easy
5. Free Jamell ft. YNW Melly

24. Brent Faiyaz – F*ck The World (February 7th)

Straight out of the DMV, Brent Faiyaz is slowly becoming a superstar. Growing a strong fanbase over social media, Brent’s music is finally getting the recognition it deserves without losing its authenticity in the slightest. This was his first project to chart on the Billboard 200 selling 22k units in its first week. His next single after this project, “Dead Man Walking” (released in September) already has over 8.6 million views on YouTube. There is only one way that Brent is going and that is up. Very excited to see what’s in store for him in 2021.

Favorite Songs

1. Clouded
2. Rehab (Winter In Paris)
3. Been Away
4. F**k The World (Summer In London)
5. Soon Az I Get Home

23. King Von – Welcome to O’Block (October 30th)

Another young star sadly taken from us due to unnecessary violence. Since discovering King Von last year me and my brother both became huge fans, tuning in to all of his songs like “Grandson For President” & “2AM“. Sadly on November 6th, only a week after the release of this album, King Von’s life was tragically taken in Atlanta outside of a nightclub. You could just see the potential and story-telling in his music with songs like “Wayne’s Story” and “How It Go“. I’m very sad to see him go at such a young age but I’m glad that his music will live on forever. RIP King Von.

Favorite Songs

1. All These N***** ft. Lil Durk
2. How It Go
3. I Am What I Am ft. Fivio Foreign
4. Wayne’s Story
5. Demon

22. Toosii – Poetic Pain (September 18th)

One of raps rising stars, Toosii has showed that he is here to stay with “Poetic Pain”. Right out the gate with, “Sinners Prayer” he shows off his rapping ability and goes to another level on the next track with, “Walking Again“. Poetic Pain debuted at #17 on the Billboard 200, making it his highest charting project of his career. Toosii isn’t even 21 yet, so him dropping this at his age makes it even more impressive. His range from hard rap songs such as, “Floating” to melody based hits like “Met In LA” shows his potential to have a long-lasting impact in the industry.

Favorite Songs

1. Nightmares ft. Lil Durk
2. Sinners Prayer
3. Sapiosexual
4. Walking Again
5. Floating

21. Drake – Dark Lane Demo Tapes (May 1st)

Listen, it’s Drake. Whatever he releases is going to sound good and do well sales wise. This was a mixtape of throwaways and it sold 223k units in its first week. That’s what happens when you are the biggest artist in the world. And even the throwaways are better than some artists whole discography, which is insane to even think about. It was certified platinum in November, just a couple weeks after he announced his next album “Certified Lover Boy” is dropping in January 2021. I already know it’s going to go #1, I just want to see what Drake is going to give us with his first full-length project in three years.

Favorite Songs

1. Chicago Freestyle ft. Giveon
2. Not You Too ft. Chris Brown
3. From Florida With Love
4. Time Flies
5. War

20. Chris Brown & Young Thug – Slime & B (May 5th)

Two artists that were in my top 5 last year with their respective albums collaborated to make an album full of hits. I remember listening to this album while playing Madden 20 franchise with my friends every night. I would just press play and let it slide through. Both Chris Brown and Young Thug are known for their ability to always fit in on whatever track they get on, so when I heard a collab album was coming I already knew what was going down. Both artists talent levels are out of this world and I am glad that they got together to make this. The album was released on a Tuesday, so I don’t think either of them were going for/needed commercial success, but it ended up peaking at #24 on Billboard 200 anyway. You see how I mentioned that every song just flowed right, Young Thug recorded all of his verses for the project in one day. Simply built different.

Favorite Songs

1. Stolen
2. Big Slimes ft. Lil Duke & Gunna
3. Go Crazy
4. City Girls
5. Animal

19. Future – High Off Life (May 15th)

When you’ve been in the game as long as Future, you don’t have to prove nothing to nobody. Regardless, Future came correct with his latest studio album, “High Off Life”. And I wasn’t the only one who agreed, as this was Future’s highest debut at #1 with 153k units sold in its first week. Even at the age of 37, his incredible work ethic shows in the countless features and projects he releases. Like he says on this very album, you can’t get too comfortable.

Favorite Songs

1. Posted With Demons
2. Too Comfortable
3. Last Name ft. Lil Durk
4. Hard to Choose One
5. Trillionaire ft. YoungBoy Never Broke Again

18. The Weeknd – After Hours (March 20th)

Let me preface this first by saying this is a great album. There were some songs on here that made me just lay down in my bed and close my eyes in pure agony, a power that is only held by a few artists. However, in my humble opinion, this is not his greatest project. To me, TO ME, that title is given to My Dear Melancholy. After Hours is commercially The Weeknd’s best project gaining the third biggest debut of 2020 with 444k units sold in its first week. The album infamously snubbed of all possible Grammys with Abel even tweeting out his frustration to the Recording Academy. Despite its “low” ranking on this list it still had some incredible music which I will now list below.

Favorite Songs

1. Escape From LA
2. Alone Again
3. Nothing Compares
4. Heartless
5. Snowchild

17. PartyNextDoor – PARTYMOBILE (March 27th)

That album run of Uzi, Don Toliver, The Weeknd, and PnD in March was special. To end the month PartyNextDoor gave us a solid project after basically disappearing on us fans for three years (which is completely okay by the way please let these artists live their lives). After dropping three singles from the album (THE NEWS, SPLIT DECISION, & LOYAL ft. Drake) I was definitely ready to hear new music and see what kind of sound he was coming with. Although, it might not seem like this but PartyNextDoor’s debut self-titled mixtape was released on July 1st, 2013. Seven years ago. That right there makes me feel old has hell but I digress. The album debuted at #8 on Billboard 200, making it Party’s second top 10 album. Although some people were searching deep for that 2013 Party sound, I was very happy with what was released. The music had substance talking about his past experiences with songs like “NOTHING LESS” and taking accountability for mistakes in his previous relationships in “SAVAGE ANTHEM”. I believe it definitely deserves a spot in anyones top 20. I don’t know if he’ll disappear again or not but, only time will tell.

Favorite Songs

1. NOTHING LESS
2. THE NEWS
3. SHOWING YOU
4. SPLIT DECISION
5. TURN UP

16. Lil Durk – Just Cause Y’all Waited 2 (May 8th)

Durk went on an unbeaten run in the studio in 2020. As previously stated, “The Voice” put on for his city in a major way with some incredible music. With features from Polo G, Lil Baby, Gunna, & G Herbo, Durk kept up with the competition and showed his versatility in every song. From “3 Headed Goat” to “All Love” you gonna have to do some heavy convincing to tell me that he can’t kill any song he gets on. The project debuted at #5 with 57k units sold but re-peaked at #2 with the release of the deluxe in July. Durk can’t stop and he won’t stop, I’m excited to see what he has for us in 2021.

Favorite Songs

1. Triflin Hoes
2. 3 Headed Goat ft. Lil Baby & Polo G
3. When We Shoot
4. Broke Up In Miami
5. Turn Myself In

15. YoungBoy Never Broke Again – Top (September 11th)

Youngboy has truly been through all the ups and downs of fame in a short time. He’s been an incredibly famous and recognizable figure in the rap industry since he was 16 years old. Through all the jail time, the beefs, and the 7 kids at only 21 years of age, only one thing has remained the constant. The music. No matter the circumstance Youngboy, real name Kentrell Gaulden, has been delivering on the music end consistently since his rise to the top. No matter how you feel about him, you can’t ignore his presence and dominance. He has spent 202 weeks in a row on the top 100 YouTube Music chart and is the #1 artist on the platform over artists like Ariana Grande, Eminem, and Taylor Swift. Youngboy has a plethora of mixtapes but only two official studio albums. “Until Death Call My Name” (April 2018) and “Top”. This was his most-successful album debuting at #1, his third project to do so, on the Billboard 200 selling 127k units first week. It was also just recently certified gold (selling over 500k units) in December. All this just proves one thing, if he just stays out of trouble Youngboy is here to stay.

Favorite Songs

1. All In
2. Sticks With Me
3. Drug Addiction
4. The Last Backyard…
5. House Arrest Tingz

14. Vory – VORY (December 9th)

If there were upset picks in relation to album lists, this would be my upset pick. Unless your name is Walter Alexander Reyes Jr, you did not know this was going to be this high on my list. You only get the YSN exclusives if we best friends lo siento everyone. Vory is raps unsung hero, from writer credits on Drake’s “Mob Ties” or Beyonce & Jay Z’s “FRIENDS” Vory has been working on the low waiting for his chance. This project right here is a perfect example of taking the opportunity when it is placed before you. This album was absolutely incredible and since it dropped I haven’t stopped listening. Vory has the one skill that an artist needs to have any sort of longevity in today’s world. Versatility. From going crazy with the bars in “Harder Than Pain” to singing like a seasoned vocalist in “CC Interlude“, Vory shows what he can really do. With the support of Meek Mill at Dreamchasers Records and recognition from big artists like Lil Baby, I have a strong feeling Vory about to take off in 2021.

Favorite Songs

1. CC Interlude
2. Harder Than Pain
3. Try Me If You Want
4. Too Real
5. Don’t 4get

13. Pop Smoke – Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon (July 3rd)

The second best selling album of the year. If only he were still here to reap the benefits of his work. The sad fact is we’ll never know what would’ve happened if those didn’t walk into that LA home and kill Pop Smoke. All we have is the music. And this album right here, definitely left its mark. Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon showed off Pop Smoke’s versatility, something we hadn’t really seen in either of his previous projects. Pop Smoke is really known as a drill rapper but he reached out of his comfort zone and came through with melodic hits like, “Enjoy Yourself” and soft R&B tracks like, “Mood Swings“. The album was his first number one and even re-peaked at #1 in October, three months after its original release. It currently has sold over 1.5 million units since its release and has consistently stayed in the top 10 on the Billboard 200 charts. Just like he said, “shoot for the stars, aim for the moon“. RIP Pop Smoke.

Favorite Songs

1. 44 BullDog
2. Gangstas
3. Aim For The Moon ft. Quavo
4. Mood Swings ft. Lil Tjay
5. Got It On Me

12. 21 Savage & Metro Boomin – Savage Mode II (October 2nd)

The throwback cover art, Morgan Freeman narrating the album, and the abundance of “p****” ad-libs by 21 Savage throughout the album was incredible. The whole aura of the album, even from the trailer, was just so enticing to the people waiting on it. Since their original collaborative mixtape in June of 2016, 21 Savage and Metro Boomin have both cemented their spots in the rap elite. Both artists winning several awards and earning top #5 albums, the duo finally reunited to release what was basically a cinematic masterpiece. During my first listen I was sitting there learning the difference of snitches and rats from the voice of Morgan Freeman in between 21 Savage telling me, “Millionaire still shaking killers hands“. The album was both artists second #1 on Billboard, selling 171k units in its first week. Seeing 21 go from his XXL freshmen cover to a grammy-award winning artist has been a sight to see. I would be completely fine if they never made another Savage Mode project because this was an amazing listen from top to bottom.

Favorite Songs

1. Runnin
2. My Dawg
3. Glock In My Lap
4. Many Men
5. Brand New Draco

11. Future & Lil Uzi Vert – Pluto x Baby Pluto (November 13th)

These last 12-15 albums were extremely hard to pick. This project right here is two people who have already appeared on this list and decided to release a collab album out of nowhere. Like most of America, I did not complain when I found out this was coming out I simply prepared. And Future and Uzi did not disappoint, continuing to bless our ears with hits on hits. Like I stated previously, both Uzi and Future have absolutely nothing to prove to anyone as their legacies have both already been set in stone. However, they still continue to deliver. The album debuted at #2 on Billboard 200 selling 106k units in its first week, just missing out on a #1 to an ACDC comeback album (for the oldheads). Shout out to my brother right here because since its release, this album has been the dance soundtrack in our household. We’ll see if he reads this and texts me about it.

Favorite Songs

1. Drankin N Smokin
2. Tic Tac
3. Baby Sasuke
4. Stripes Like Burberry
5. Because of You

10. The Kid Laroi – F*ck Love (July 24th)

Here we are. My top 10. From here on out it is albums I can listen to all the way through with no hesitation. Unless you know me personally you probably weren’t expecting to see this make the cut. Laroi came on to the scene with hits like, “Diva” & “Let Her Go” (mostly being up tempo rap songs). However, with this project, Laroi exposed a side of him artistically that none of his listeners heard before. In doing so, Laroi created a whole new part of his quickly-growing fanbase tapping in to the sad music. With songs like, “NOT FAIR” & “NEED YOU THE MOST (So Sick)“, Laroi showed that one component that I keep reminding y’all that’s key to remain relevant in this music world. Versatility. If you only go to one sound or stay in one lane nowadays, you can kiss your career goodbye. The project debuted at #8 but would later re-peak at #3 with the release of deluxe (Savage) in November. Laroi is only 17, from the snippets I’ve heard he’s going to stay for a while. Can’t wait for his 2021.

Favorite Songs

1. TELL ME WHY
2. NOT FAIR ft. Corbin
3. RUNNING
4. GO ft. Juice Wrld
5. NEED YOU MOST (So Sick)

9. Lil Baby – My Turn (February 28th)

With arguably the song of the year in “The Bigger Picture” and many people’s album of the year with “My Turn”, Lil Baby went crazy in 2020. Although Lil Baby has been in the rap game for a few years now, I don’t think anyone besides either him or people in his camp expected a blow up this crazy for 2020. The album was in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 for 30 straight weeks from its release until October 5th. It debuted at #1 and then re-peaked and stayed at #1 for five weeks straight. Coming one week shy of Taylor Swifts record for the year. The album is certified 2x platinum and I’m guessing its not going to stop there.

Favorite Songs

1. Commercial ft. Lil Uzi Vert
2. No Sucker ft. Moneybagg Yo
3. Emotionally Scarred
4. Sum 2 Prove
5. Heatin Up ft. Gunna

8. Don Toliver – Heaven or Hell (March 13th)

Since his breakout on the “JACKBOYS” project Don Toliver has been in the spotlight of rap fans everywhere. With many awaiting on his studio debut, Don Toliver put the pedal to the metal and delivered an absolutely flawless album which at the time I considered to be a top five album of the year. From the production to his soothing vocals, Toliver (real name Caleb Toliver) dominated every single track with his ability to take control of the beat and the listeners ears. I remember listening to “Cardigan” and “After Party” for the first time going absolutely insane and jumping around like an absolute maniac (shout out Sonny Digital). The album peaked at #7 on the Billboard 200, an incredible feat for Toliver’s first studio album. While he hopped on features with Eminem, Nav, & Masego, he continuously rose to his current level of super stardom. His potential has no ceiling and he can become even bigger than he already is. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for him next year.

Favorite Songs

1. Cardigan
2. After Party
3. Euphoria ft. Travis Scott & Kaash Paige
4. Can’t Feel My Legs
5. No Idea

7. Polo G – The GOAT (May 15th)

What an incredible album. When you can make people cry just based off the greatness, you already know you won. Polo G is a young superstar who has completely exceeded any expectations that anyone would’ve thought of before this year began. After his last album, “Die A Legend” released in June of 2019, peaking at #6 on the Billboard 200, the rap community was waiting to see how he would follow that up. He came back with one of the most inspired & articulate works of the year. He sets the tone with the first song being, “Don’t Believe The Hype“. The lyrics were his personified pain, “I dig deep into my soul when I speak into the mic. All them sit-downs in the county made me think about my life”. When it comes to great music you can just feel it through the song. It’s either you making the stank face or just sitting there with your jaw dropped going to replay what you just heard. The album was Polo G’s most successful of his career debuting at #2 selling 99k units in its first week. If this year wasn’t so full of albums from artists that I love he would’ve definitely been higher. I wish that he stays safe and his mental health is in a good place because he can really become a legend in this rap game.

Favorite Songs

1. 33
2. DND
3. Flex ft. Juice Wrld
4. 21
5. Don’t Believe The Hype

6. Bryson Tiller – Anniversary (October 2nd)

One of my favorite artists of all time for a reason. He don’t miss. After a three year break from his last album, “True to Self” Bryson Tiller came back with a project full of “TRAPSOUL” throwaways to keep his fans entertained until he released his long-awaited album “Serenity”. Little did I know that this was going to be one of my favorite albums of the year. I’ll always remember the first time I listened to it. I left my apartment at around 12:15 and walked around Richmond admiring the peaceful night with this album playing in the background. There’s a park close to where I live called Monroe Park and I sat on a chair, kicked my feet up, and let the album play. If anyone was with me when that “Years Go By” started playing you would’ve seen the biggest ear to ear smile ever. This project became all I listened to for a solid two weeks. It just makes me feel at peace to know that Bryson Tiller is back and that he still has not learn how to make a bad song. I can wait another year or two for Serenity knowing that no matter what’s released I know I’m going to get that same smile when I let it play for the first time.

Favorite Songs

1. Sorrows
2. Keep Doing What You’re Doing
3. Next To You
4. Always Forever
5. Outta Time ft. Drake

5. Juice Wrld – Legends Never Die (July 10th)

Remember what I said earlier with Polo G about when you can just feel it when the music is great. This is what I felt with this album right here. From beginning to finish it had me so happy but also so sad at the same time realizing what a generational talent we had sadly lost. Ever since December 8th, 2019 the music community has had a big void created by the tragic loss of Jarad Higgins (aka Juice Wrld). It was so heartbreaking to hear some of the lyrics on this album as it seemed like cries out for help. For example on the song, “Wishing Well” Juice reveals his biggest struggles with his addiction saying, “if it wasn’t for the pills I wouldn’t be here, but if I keep taking these pills I won’t be here”. It really to see artists die at such a young age because there are endless possibilities of what he could’ve become. This album not only showed his talent, but commercially blew everyone out of the water. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 selling 497k units in its first week, making it the second biggest debut of 2020. It also spent 20 straight weeks in the top 10. Just like Pop Smoke, I just wish he was here to reap the benefits of his work. All in all, I’m glad that during his time on earth he was able to provide for his family and leave a legacy with his music. Rest in Peace Juice Wrld, we all miss you down here.

Favorite Songs

1. Blood on My Jeans
2. Righteous
3. Fighting Demons
4. Wishing Well
5. Tell Me U Luv Me ft. Trippie Redd

4. Giveon – Take Time (March 27th)

Now this right here. This was/is my therapy session. For a period of a month and a half in the summer I would leave my house at around midnight to embark on a late night drive and I guarantee you at least two-three songs from this project would be played at full volume. I discovered Giveon after hearing Chicago Freestyle for the first time in February and I haven’t looked back since. It’s crazy because when I saw “Take Time” get nominated for a Grammy (Best R&B Album) I felt so happy, even though he doesn’t know I exist. It’s just the fact that music for me is what you can relate to, and to here Giveon sing lyrics that I myself could relate to just connected me to the music itself on a whole different level. The album is a 10/10 for me with absolutely no skips and I’m so happy that I discovered Giveon this year. I can’t wait to see what he does with a full-length project. I’m sending him nothing but good vibes and a thank you.

Favorite Songs

1. HEARTBREAK ANNIVERSARY
2. FAVORITE MISTAKE
3. LIKE I WANT YOU
4. THE BEACH
5. THIS AIN’T LOVE

3. Lil Uzi Vert – Eternal Atake (March 6th)

Ah what I would do to go back to this exact day. No COVID-19 in America, Uzi dropping an album he held from us for three years, and just vibes man. Eternal Atake was arguably the most anticipated album I’ve seen in my lifetime during the social media era (other options are probably Astroworld & Whole Lotta Red) and it delivered. Lil Uzi Vert, real name Symere Woods, gave us an incredible concept album with no disappointments. From songs like, “Silly Watch” to “P2” the man just doesn’t miss. There’s a reason he has popped up three times on this very list, he’s just good at what he does. EA sold 288K units in its first week, making it the 6th highest debut of 2020 in all genres. The album was certified platinum in June and as of July it surpassed two billion streams. I’m so thankful that of all the years I could’ve been a human being, God placed me on this Earth while Lil Uzi Vert is making music.

Favorite Songs

1. Venetia
2. Celebration Station
3. Silly Watch
4. P2
5. Prices

2. Pop Smoke – Meet The Woo 2 (February 7th)

The King of New York. Simple. Pop Smoke would’ve gone on to become 5x bigger than he currently is if he was still alive man. Still hurts me to this day. I remember looking for tickets for his first ever tour he was going to do after he dropped this but sadly he was tragically killed only 12 days after the release of “Meet The Woo 2”. From the start to finish, Meet The Woo 2 showcased Pop Smoke’s ability to take control of any song with his powerful voice and cadence. The album debuted at #7 selling 36k in its first week, an incredible feat for only an artists second mixtape. The project would go on to be certified gold in July as his album, “Shoot For the Stars, Aim For the Moon” was taking over the charts at the same time. Just like I said with Juice Wrld, I’m glad he got to leave his legacy on his songs and provide for his family. At the end of the day, the music will always live on. Rest in Peace to Bashar Jackson (aka Pop Smoke), you are deeply missed.

Favorite Songs

1. Christopher Walking
2. Dreaming
3. Mannequin ft. Lil Tjay
4. Get Back
5. Armed N Dangerous

1. Rod Wave – Pray 4 Love (April 3rd)

And for my #1 album of the year, I’m going with Rod Wave’s album “Pray 4 Love”. 14 songs with no skips. All hits. I’m pretty sure I know 90% of the lyrics on this album because for a couple months it is all me and my friends listened to. Yeah, 2020 wasn’t the kindest to us. Rod Wave makes his second appearance in my top 10 album of the year list after I put his last album, “Ghetto Gospel” at #6 for 2019. Every single song spoke to me on a different level spiritually. The lyrics resonated too hard and hit hard. When I heard this man sing, “I’m not mad I’m exhausted” I knew it was about to be wraps. The description of someone’s pain and past experiences over beautiful vocals and production were the main reasons this ended up at #1. Last year I picked Chris Brown’s “Indigo” and now it’s Rod Wave. As time goes on it might change (Indigo is still my 2019 AOTY) but as of right now this is the album that I can’t see anyone or anything beating in terms of 2020. Screaming “The Greatest” lyrics with my brothers, nothing can beat it.

Favorite Songs

1. Dark Clouds
2. The Greatest
3. Girl of My Dreams
4. Ribbon in the Sky
5. F**k the World

Wow that was a lot. I have been through a lot this year, as seemingly everyone has. The mental challenges that have been brought to my plate have felt impossible to deal with at times. Throughout the struggle there has, and will, always be a constant. The music. Music has brought me a sliver of happiness where at times I didn’t think it was possible. As I sit here at 3:10am on December 29th I can look back at this year as my life’s biggest lesson. No matter what happens in life you have to stay true to you, keep your family close, and have faith. I’d like to thank everyone who was there for me when I needed it the most. I’d also like to give a massive thank you to all of you who are reading this right now. Getting my writing out anywhere is helpful and has already put me in some spots for further opportunities. I want to wish everyone a happy new year and to all keep your energy and money protected. And lastly, thank you for tuning in. This is YSN, for the last time in 2020, signing out.