{"id":965664,"date":"2023-12-19T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-19T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=965664"},"modified":"2023-12-19T15:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-12-19T12:00:00","slug":"pitchfork-rap-columnist-alphonse-pierres-favorite-records-of-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=965664","title":{"rendered":"Pitchfork Rap Columnist Alphonse Pierre\u2019s Favorite Records of 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article main-content\" lang=\"en-US\">\n<div class=\"ArticlePageLedeBackground-JMVDp bIwRjk\">\n<header class=\"ContentHeaderWrapper-cqMZiN iFFuPW content-header article__content-header fullbleed\">\n<div data-testid=\"ContentHeaderContainer\" class=\"ContentHeaderContainer-cMdHiZ eFZJeG\">\n<div class=\"ContentHeaderHedAccreditationWrapper-WaWBW fTkfBu\">\n<div data-testid=\"ContentHeaderTitleBlockWrapper\" class=\"ContentHeaderTitleBlockWrapper-cyIGwg dMceKV\">\n<div data-testid=\"ContentHeaderRubric\" class=\"ContentHeaderRubricBlock-aIcNK jMWrMO\">\n<div data-testid=\"ContentHeaderRubricDateBlock\" class=\"ContentHeaderRubricDateBlock-kvxmSu jVyBWg\">\n<div class=\"RubricWrapper-dZIqzO lULYX ContentHeaderRubricContainer-fiPRfk fRUoUz\"><span class=\"RubricName-gkORYq fCauaT rubric__name\">Columns<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1 data-testid=\"ContentHeaderHed\" class=\"BaseWrap-sc-gzmcOU BaseText-eqOrNE ContentHeaderHed-SVoJX deqABF fUKuKJ dyRzMH\">Pitchfork Rap Columnist Alphonse Pierre\u2019s Favorite Records of 2023<\/h1>\n<hr class=\"ContentHeaderContentDivider-ldpHoK ddpvNv\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"ContentHeaderAccreditation-fcyiw bhgqZY content-header__accreditation\" data-testid=\"ContentHeaderAccreditation\">\n<div class=\"ContentHeaderDek-bCXPyE fuFZml\">Projects by Veeze, Ken Carson, MIKE, Noname, billy woods, Babyface Ray, Sexyy Red, and more prove that hip-hop is still thriving.<\/div>\n<div class=\"ContentHeaderByline-jXtKQj jgXynP\">\n<div class=\"ContentHeaderBylineContent-dkwwFS fRKSvg\">\n<div data-testid=\"BylinesWrapper\" class=\"BylinesWrapper-vmGrt cZzmZD bylines ContentHeaderBylines-cTXqro ljGzhW\"><span class=\"BylineWrapper-jRoBEm jYubaV byline bylines__byline\" data-testid=\"BylineWrapper\"><span class=\"BylineNamesWrapper-jrdaOa fXeqQN\"><span data-testid=\"BylineName\" class=\"BylineName-kqTBDS dDLLkB byline__name\"><span class=\"BaseWrap-sc-gzmcOU BaseText-eqOrNE BylinePreamble-itSxDZ deqABF kRwXQa jcgMlx byline__preamble\">By <\/span>Alphonse Pierre<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<p><time data-testid=\"ContentHeaderPublishDate\" datetime=\"2023-12-19T10:00:00-05:00\" class=\"BaseWrap-sc-gzmcOU BaseText-eqOrNE ContentHeaderPublishDate-eNTYkb deqABF kSRRkI eFanim\">December 19, 2023<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ContentHeaderLeadAsset-hVxhYG cUtuGz lead-asset ContentHeaderLeadAssetWrapper-gQBTSl ljLtrQ lead-asset--width-fullbleed\" data-testid=\"ContentHeaderLeadAsset\">\n<figure class=\"ContentHeaderLeadAssetContent-kyKlgP eGZaQl\">\n<div class=\"ContentHeaderLeadAssetContentMedia-bwiUDr keSRCn lead-asset__content__photo\"><span class=\"SpanWrapper-zEXFr koTknX responsive-asset ContentHeaderResponsiveAsset-cgZUtS coCHna\"><\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"aspect-ratio-container\" class=\"AspectRatioContainer-bEozCe cwMgJu\">\n<div class=\"aspect-ratio--overlay-container\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.pitchfork.com\/photos\/65808ba0a391df640e402bb0\/2:1\/w_120,c_limit\/header_Rap%20Column%20EOY2.jpg 120w, https:\/\/media.pitchfork.com\/photos\/65808ba0a391df640e402bb0\/2:1\/w_240,c_limit\/header_Rap%20Column%20EOY2.jpg 240w, https:\/\/media.pitchfork.com\/photos\/65808ba0a391df640e402bb0\/2:1\/w_320,c_limit\/header_Rap%20Column%20EOY2.jpg 320w, https:\/\/media.pitchfork.com\/photos\/65808ba0a391df640e402bb0\/2:1\/w_640,c_limit\/header_Rap%20Column%20EOY2.jpg 640w, https:\/\/media.pitchfork.com\/photos\/65808ba0a391df640e402bb0\/2:1\/w_960,c_limit\/header_Rap%20Column%20EOY2.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"CaptionWrapper-jYrTxZ lffKHz caption ContentHeaderLeadAssetCaption-ifsaEE iMTfYL\" data-testid=\"caption-wrapper\"><span class=\"BaseWrap-sc-gzmcOU BaseText-eqOrNE CaptionCredit-eowWKH deqABF kSRRkI gxwcqg caption__credit\">Clockwise from top left: Veeze\u2019s <em>Ganger<\/em>, Sexyy Red\u2019s <em>Hood Hottest Princess<\/em>, Ken Carson\u2019s <em>A Great Chaos<\/em>, Vayda\u2019s <em>breeze<\/em>, jaydes\u2019 <em>Ghetto Cupid<\/em>, Babyface Ray\u2019s <em>Summer\u2019s Mine<\/em>, H31r\u2019s <em>HeadSpace<\/em>, and MIKE\u2019s <em>Burning Desire<\/em>. Image by Marina Kozak.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<div data-attribute-verso-pattern=\"article-body\" class=\"ArticlePageContentBackGround-dcEtzE kUtTlG article-body__content\">\n<div class=\"ArticlePageChunksContent-enJWmu ilcJfn\">\n<div data-testid=\"ArticlePageChunks\" class=\"ArticlePageChunks-fwcPjP cAlDKu\">\n<div class=\"GridWrapper-cFSKbf cxzKYj grid grid-margins grid-items-2 ArticlePageChunksGrid-hkPQhP lnoYVP grid-layout--adrail narrow wide-adrail\" data-journey-hook=\"grid-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"GridItem-beYvyV kCPYUp grid--item grid-layout__content\">\n<div class=\"BodyWrapper-kzyFNv gGoeHn body body__container article__body\" data-journey-hook=\"client-content\" data-testid=\"BodyWrapper\">\n<div class=\"body__inner-container\">\n<p><em>Pitchfork writer Alphonse Pierre\u2019s rap column covers songs, mixtapes, albums, Instagram freestyles, memes, weird tweets, fashion trends<\/em>\u2014<em>and anything else that catches his attention.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>I\u2019ve been writing this column for the past three years, but in 2023 more people than ever asked me that eternal question: <em>Has rap fallen off?<\/em> It was incredibly annoying. The short answer: no. The long answer: Well\u2026<\/p>\n<p>The genre is as complicated as ever. Especially since it\u2019s clear that: The mainstream is generally a soulless rat race. The festivities surrounding this year\u2019s 50th anniversary of hip-hop were mostly corporatized failures. The legal war against the genre continues with the ongoing RICO case against Young Thug, which will once again put rap lyrics on trial. And as for some of the mega-powerful and allegedly abusive men who have profited most from rap\u2019s rise over the decades, a reckoning is long overdue.<\/p>\n<p>As a rap critic, I think about these things every day, even as I search for the cool shit underneath the genre\u2019s Drake-dominated surface. My favorite albums and mixtapes and EPs of the year mostly came from regional artists who are reshaping the past into exciting and fresh sounds. Sometimes that musical time traveling was achieved through skillful sampling that aims to repurpose with purpose rather than just regurgitate not-so-distant nostalgia. Other times it was through the gradual evolution of a homegrown style: In Milwaukee, my favorite scene of the year, numerous sounds had a moment, including the hand-clap-driven style dubbed lowend, which was adapted from the late-2000s local subgenre jack rap.<\/p>\n<p>Even with all of the demoralizing and unsettling shit, I had a good-ass time listening this year. As a writer and fan, what I look for in rap albums is constantly changing. Obviously it\u2019s nice if a full project is a knockout from front to back, but it doesn\u2019t have to be for me to consider it good, or even great. It just has to make me strongly feel <em>something.<\/em> No matter if they\u2019re fun or sad\u2014or for dancing like it\u2019s 2007 in Atlanta or sitting in your bedroom with your headphones on\u2014all of the releases on this list reminded me that there\u2019s nothing quite like the high you get when you become obsessed with a new rap record.<\/p>\n<h2>25. YT: <em>#STILLSWAGGIN<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>What\u2019s more 2023 than a rapper in London reimagining ringtone-ready California jerk music from 15 years ago? YT\u2019s <em>#STILLSWAGGIN<\/em> updates the nostalgic sound but keeps its lighthearted spirit with a dead-set focus on girls (from Oxford), house parties, and loud fashion trends. (Honestly, the funniest part is that he uses the word \u201ctrousers.\u201d) It\u2019s time to dig your Prada sneakers and shutter shades out of the closet and swag out like you\u2019re about to go post up in front of a Zumiez.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"GridWrapper-cFSKbf cxzKYj grid grid-margins grid-items-2 ArticlePageChunksGrid-hkPQhP lnoYVP grid-layout--adrail narrow wide-adrail\" data-journey-hook=\"grid-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"GridItem-beYvyV kCPYUp grid--item grid-layout__content\">\n<div class=\"BodyWrapper-kzyFNv gGoeHn body body__container article__body\" data-journey-hook=\"client-content\" data-testid=\"BodyWrapper\">\n<div class=\"body__inner-container\">\n<figure data-testid=\"IframeEmbed\" class=\"IframeEmbedWrapper-sc-ldQZQl ejqOZZ iframe-embed\">\n<div data-hasconsent=\"true\" data-testid=\"IframeEmbedContainer\" class=\"IframeEmbedContainer-hkaqNE rtPbe\">\n<div class=\"IframeEmbedAspectRatioWrapper-hLozwN ibCpuC\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2>24. L5: <em>Blood on Switch St<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>L5 sounds like he\u2019s getting twisted joy out of making you squirm on <em>Blood on Switch St<\/em>. His sicko anthems are peppered with ominous door knocks, drums that pump like a shivering heartbeat, and his signature shrieking flow, which makes him sound like his body has been inhabited by Pazuzu. But what makes this horror-inflected mixtape\u2014and other jump-scare-worthy releases like 2Sdxrt3all\u2019s <em>Fuck School<\/em> and LilBirdie\u2019s <em>Da Biggest Bird<\/em>\u2014more than a hollering gimmick is how it pulls in strains of Keef, YoungBoy, and ATL rap history while sounding like nothing you\u2019ve ever heard before. These drill nightmares are so identifiable that Druski even made a parody skit about them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"GridWrapper-cFSKbf cxzKYj grid grid-margins grid-items-2 ArticlePageChunksGrid-hkPQhP lnoYVP grid-layout--adrail narrow wide-adrail\" data-journey-hook=\"grid-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"GridItem-beYvyV kCPYUp grid--item grid-layout__content\">\n<div class=\"BodyWrapper-kzyFNv gGoeHn body body__container article__body\" data-journey-hook=\"client-content\" data-testid=\"BodyWrapper\">\n<div class=\"body__inner-container\">\n<figure data-testid=\"IframeEmbed\" class=\"IframeEmbedWrapper-sc-ldQZQl ejqOZZ iframe-embed\">\n<div data-hasconsent=\"true\" data-testid=\"IframeEmbedContainer\" class=\"IframeEmbedContainer-hkaqNE rtPbe\">\n<div class=\"IframeEmbedAspectRatioWrapper-hLozwN bAXJOK\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2>23. Sparkheem: <em>Survivor\u2019s Guilt<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>My perfect morning goes something like this: Wake up, hit the gym, eat a well-balanced breakfast, and then log onto YouTube and immerse myself in the doomsday percussion and tumbling flows of DMV crank. The scene thrived this year, as a new generation of regional heroes put both harder and softer bents on the sound. For a quick snapshot, look no further than Maryland producer Sparkheem\u2019s <em>Survivor\u2019s Guilt<\/em>, which features an all-star team of rising DMV stars (KP Skywalka, CruddyMurda) and homegrown staples (Q Da Fool, Lil Dude) riding over his go-go-inspired bounce.<\/p>\n<h2>22. Osyris Israel: <em>#FreeScott<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>Helmed by Maryland producer Osyris Israel, <em>#FreeScott<\/em> is a compilation tape with memorable contributions courtesy of rappers and producers from all over the map: Minnesota\u2019s Lerado sounds like he\u2019s beaming in from an underground lair, South Carolina\u2019s Fucksnowrr is off to the races, and Baltimore\u2019s FastMoneyFendi might get the belt for best faux-Neptunes song of the year. On top of all that are truly wild remixes of Drake\u2019s \u201cJungle\u201d and Thug\u2019s \u201cConstantly Hating,\u201d along with beats that range from plugg to drum\u2019n\u2019bass to pits of darkness.<\/p>\n<h2>21. Myaap: <em>Worth the Wait<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>Milwaukee lowend was my sustenance this year. Seriously: I\u2019ll forget to eat for an entire day, but won\u2019t forget to fire up the new TaeRackz party-drill deep cut or AyooLii\u2019s latest creative brainstorm. Myaap\u2019s dance anthems on <em>Worth the Wait<\/em> are especially essential, throwing off New Orleans-bounce levels of mayhem\u2014nothing but familiar samples, breakneck drum patterns, and a wicked combo of shit talk and dancefloor commands.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"GridWrapper-cFSKbf cxzKYj grid grid-margins grid-items-2 ArticlePageChunksGrid-hkPQhP lnoYVP grid-layout--adrail narrow wide-adrail\" data-journey-hook=\"grid-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"GridItem-beYvyV kCPYUp grid--item grid-layout__content\">\n<div class=\"BodyWrapper-kzyFNv gGoeHn body body__container article__body\" data-journey-hook=\"client-content\" data-testid=\"BodyWrapper\">\n<div class=\"body__inner-container\">\n<figure data-testid=\"IframeEmbed\" class=\"IframeEmbedWrapper-sc-ldQZQl ejqOZZ iframe-embed\">\n<div data-hasconsent=\"true\" data-testid=\"IframeEmbedContainer\" class=\"IframeEmbedContainer-hkaqNE rtPbe\">\n<div class=\"IframeEmbedAspectRatioWrapper-hLozwN bAXJOK\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2>20. BabyK Turnt: <em>$tack or Starve<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>Keeping the lowend wave going, Babyk Turnt\u2019s <em>$tack or Starve<\/em> exemplifies what makes this style so fun. It\u2019s twerk music. It\u2019s loverboy music. It\u2019s getting-money-with-the-bros music. You want to sample Nas? Fuck it, speed that shit up and throw some claps on it (see: \u201cLike Woahhh Pt. 2\u201d). You want to get in your feels? Sure, as long as it\u2019s loaded up with battering 808s and sounds like it was recorded in a janitor\u2019s closet. Anything goes.<\/p>\n<h2>19. Babyface Ray: <em>Summer\u2019s Mine<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>The last three Babyface Ray albums\u2014<em>Unfuckwitable<\/em>, <em>Face<\/em>, and <em>Mob<\/em>\u2014had their moments, but they ultimately let me down like that barber who isn\u2019t bad enough to abandon but not good enough to ever blow you away. Then came <em>Summer\u2019s Mine<\/em>, a low-stakes heater where he sheds the burden of having to be the nationwide flagbearer for Detroit by just doing what he does best: rap and chill (not necessarily in that order). Everything that makes him great is here: vivid fit checks. Sentimental memories. Wavy beats. A real return to form.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"GridWrapper-cFSKbf cxzKYj grid grid-margins grid-items-2 ArticlePageChunksGrid-hkPQhP lnoYVP grid-layout--adrail narrow wide-adrail\" data-journey-hook=\"grid-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"GridItem-beYvyV kCPYUp grid--item grid-layout__content\">\n<div class=\"BodyWrapper-kzyFNv gGoeHn body body__container article__body\" data-journey-hook=\"client-content\" data-testid=\"BodyWrapper\">\n<div class=\"body__inner-container\">\n<figure data-testid=\"IframeEmbed\" class=\"IframeEmbedWrapper-sc-ldQZQl ejqOZZ iframe-embed\">\n<div data-hasconsent=\"true\" data-testid=\"IframeEmbedContainer\" class=\"IframeEmbedContainer-hkaqNE rtPbe\">\n<div class=\"IframeEmbedAspectRatioWrapper-hLozwN bAXJOK\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2>18. Doris: <em>Side Nigga (Full Movie HD) Part 1-5<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>The best rom-com of the year isn\u2019t in theaters. It\u2019s on SoundCloud, where New Jersey\u2019s Doris has been pouring his lovelorn heart out on his <em>Side Nigga<\/em> series (which was then compiled into this collection, like a DVD box set). In less than 10 minutes, you get all of the ups and downs of crushing hard, rapped and sung through warped vocals and mostly self-made beats that are just as likely to loop a soul sample as they are to blend garage drums and Three 6 Mafia. It\u2019s funny, sweet, and a little sad.<\/p>\n<h2>17. Mitchell: <em>Antii<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>Mitchell has enough stories to fill an entire night around the campfire, especially when bouncing off his Oakland-bred partner in crime, 1100 Himself. They each laid down crystal clear scenes on solo albums this year. While 1100\u2019s tales on <em>Leven Durant<\/em> feel like constant montages of double crosses and shootouts, Mitchell\u2019s <em>Antii<\/em> is filled with breezier coming of age stories. It almost feels like you\u2019re in the backseat of his car while he cruises around the city, giving you the lowdown on the girl he used to fantasize about back in high school, the dude around the way that he feels like robbing out of spite, and the college party that sounds straight out of <em>Higher Learning<\/em>. You\u2019ll want to cough up some gas money so he can keep on rambling.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"GridWrapper-cFSKbf cxzKYj grid grid-margins grid-items-2 ArticlePageChunksGrid-hkPQhP lnoYVP grid-layout--adrail narrow wide-adrail\" data-journey-hook=\"grid-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"GridItem-beYvyV kCPYUp grid--item grid-layout__content\">\n<div class=\"BodyWrapper-kzyFNv gGoeHn body body__container article__body\" data-journey-hook=\"client-content\" data-testid=\"BodyWrapper\">\n<div class=\"body__inner-container\">\n<figure data-testid=\"IframeEmbed\" class=\"IframeEmbedWrapper-sc-ldQZQl ejqOZZ iframe-embed\">\n<div data-hasconsent=\"true\" data-testid=\"IframeEmbedContainer\" class=\"IframeEmbedContainer-hkaqNE rtPbe\">\n<div class=\"IframeEmbedAspectRatioWrapper-hLozwN bAXJOK\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2>16. H31r: <em>HeadSpace<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>The off-balance raps of Brooklyn\u2019s maassai and the bugged-out club creations of Jersey producer JWords make <em>HeadSpace<\/em>, their collaborative album as H31r, one of the most original hip-hop albums of the year. It\u2019s a perfect combination: maassai\u2019s esoteric rhyme schemes and point-blank introspection are elevated by JWords\u2019 head-cracking drums and oblong bloops, which sound straight out of a <em>Twilight Zone<\/em> episode.<\/p>\n<figure data-testid=\"IframeEmbed\" class=\"IframeEmbedWrapper-sc-ldQZQl ejqOZZ iframe-embed\">\n<div data-hasconsent=\"true\" data-testid=\"IframeEmbedContainer\" class=\"IframeEmbedContainer-hkaqNE rtPbe\">\n<div class=\"IframeEmbedAspectRatioWrapper-hLozwN bAXJOK\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2>15. Mari Montana: <em>Outstanding Member<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>On <em>Outstanding Member<\/em>, Mari Montana is fighting to keep his soul out of the hands of the devil, questioning his life\u2019s purpose, and dissing Joe Biden\u2014and that\u2019s all just on the very first track. The burly voiced West Palm Beach, Florida native sounds like he\u2019s been deadbolted into a confessional booth. He\u2019s constantly got his heart and his hurt on his sleeve, a little like YoungBoy if YoungBoy\u2019s favorite No Limit rapper was Fiend instead of Soulja Slim.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"GridWrapper-cFSKbf cxzKYj grid grid-margins grid-items-2 ArticlePageChunksGrid-hkPQhP lnoYVP grid-layout--adrail narrow wide-adrail\" data-journey-hook=\"grid-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"GridItem-beYvyV kCPYUp grid--item grid-layout__content\">\n<div class=\"BodyWrapper-kzyFNv gGoeHn body body__container article__body\" data-journey-hook=\"client-content\" data-testid=\"BodyWrapper\">\n<div class=\"body__inner-container\">\n<figure data-testid=\"IframeEmbed\" class=\"IframeEmbedWrapper-sc-ldQZQl ejqOZZ iframe-embed\">\n<div data-hasconsent=\"true\" data-testid=\"IframeEmbedContainer\" class=\"IframeEmbedContainer-hkaqNE rtPbe\">\n<div class=\"IframeEmbedAspectRatioWrapper-hLozwN bAXJOK\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2>14. Legend Yae: <em>The Industry Made Me Hate Music<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>As you can probably tell by its moody, Tumblr-ass title, <em>The Industry Made Me Hate Music<\/em> isn\u2019t the brightest affair. But unlike a lot of other Southern pain rap, listening to it doesn\u2019t feel like watching the Studio Ghibli tearjerker <em>Grave of the Fireflies<\/em> on loop. The flickers of optimism come from Legend Yae\u2019s voice: He always sounds like he\u2019s daydreaming about better times. So even when the South Carolina crooner is numbing the pain with drugs or engulfed by paranoia, there\u2019s always a little hope peeking through.<\/p>\n<h2>13. MIKE: <em>Burning Desire<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>You can pretty much count on a really good MIKE album every year at this point\u2014he\u2019s as reliable as throwing on an episode of <em>Seinfeld<\/em> before bed. That consistency is never boring, though, because each album is centered around a different emotion or element of his artistry. This time his production moves to the fore; he\u2019s bloomed into one of the best beatmakers on the East Coast. It\u2019s so explorative and curious\u2014flamboyant on \u201cZap!\u201d or cathartic on \u201cshould be!\u201d or blissful on \u201cSet the Mood.\u201d Pair that with rapping that removes the bumpers, and you\u2019ve got another firecracker.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"GridWrapper-cFSKbf cxzKYj grid grid-margins grid-items-2 ArticlePageChunksGrid-hkPQhP lnoYVP grid-layout--adrail narrow wide-adrail\" data-journey-hook=\"grid-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"GridItem-beYvyV kCPYUp grid--item grid-layout__content\">\n<div class=\"BodyWrapper-kzyFNv gGoeHn body body__container article__body\" data-journey-hook=\"client-content\" data-testid=\"BodyWrapper\">\n<div class=\"body__inner-container\">\n<figure data-testid=\"IframeEmbed\" class=\"IframeEmbedWrapper-sc-ldQZQl ejqOZZ iframe-embed\">\n<div data-hasconsent=\"true\" data-testid=\"IframeEmbedContainer\" class=\"IframeEmbedContainer-hkaqNE rtPbe\">\n<div class=\"IframeEmbedAspectRatioWrapper-hLozwN bAXJOK\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2>12. jaydes: <em>ghetto cupid<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>The only guarantee on a jaydes song is that he will absolutely be going through it. On <em>ghetto cupid<\/em>, Broward County\u2019s perpetually brokenhearted experimentalist delivers sullen brooding and gloomy memories that pull as much from My Bloody Valentine as they do Lucki. That hodgepodge should be corny but it\u2019s not, because he\u2019s just so earnest about it all.<\/p>\n<h2>11. billy woods and Kenny Segal: <em>Maps<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>The rapper lifestyle has rarely sounded so unglamorous. On the brilliantly bleak travelogue <em>Maps<\/em>, New York indie-rap maverick billy woods floats around like a ghost\u2014from the Netherlands to a Costco in the Midwest, from the backseat of a $300 Uber ride to outside Kennedy Fried Chicken\u2014blowing dope and waiting until it\u2019s time for his next gig. As ever, woods\u2019 raps are stuffed with an overwhelmingly colorful blur of wordplay: \u201cFrom up here the lakes is puddles,\u201d he observes at cruising altitude, \u201cthe land unfold brown and green, it\u2019s a quiet puzzle.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"GridWrapper-cFSKbf cxzKYj grid grid-margins grid-items-2 ArticlePageChunksGrid-hkPQhP lnoYVP grid-layout--adrail narrow wide-adrail\" data-journey-hook=\"grid-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"GridItem-beYvyV kCPYUp grid--item grid-layout__content\">\n<div class=\"BodyWrapper-kzyFNv gGoeHn body body__container article__body\" data-journey-hook=\"client-content\" data-testid=\"BodyWrapper\">\n<div class=\"body__inner-container\">\n<p>His words on NYC are so alive that you can practically smell the conch fritters frying up in the pan, taste the tang of city tap water, and see him breathlessly chasing down a Brooklyn bus. Sometimes the fortysomething father of two just bars out, like when he seamlessly weaves the titles of Cam\u2019ron classics into a nostalgic verse about the days when he had nothing to lose. Kenny Segal\u2019s varied beats are the backbone\u2014switching between gentle and hard, kooky and sublime\u2014and give woods the space to lay out life lessons, sly jokes, and observations that make the mundane parts of life sound so profound.<\/p>\n<h2>10. Noname: <em>Sundial<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>Some of the best rappers in the world pop in like sitcom guest stars on <em>Sundial<\/em>\u2014billy woods, Jay Electronica, $ilkMoney\u2014and yet Noname is never overshadowed. It\u2019s a tangled and lionhearted manifesto, where anyone and anything can get this work on the mic, from Jay and Bey to the thought processes that gives corporations the freedom to commodify Black art. The fact that she says it in a cadence fit for the library makes it that much harder.<\/p>\n<h2>9. Lunchbox: <em>New Jazz<\/em><\/h2>\n<p><em>New Jazz<\/em> is all overheating-robot beats and nonstop freefall. Harlem\u2019s Lunchbox, who you might know as the producer behind much of Sheck Wes\u2019 <em>Mudboy<\/em>, reinvented himself as a human sound-effect machine and is now taking Yeat\u2019s rage to a darker, more phantasmic, and more internal place. You could mosh to this music, but it could just as easily make you want to go way off the grid.<\/p>\n<h2>8. Vayda: <em>breeze<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>I might have played Vayda\u2019s <em>breeze<\/em> more than anything else all year. It\u2019s full of short, sunkissed tracks that are bouncy, psychedelic, and as weightless as jumping into a pile of leaves. Stylistically the Atlanta rapper and producer jumps all over the place, going from Jersey club to soul to kaleidoscopic shit that could be on an old Ruben Slikk mixtape. I saw her perform songs from the tape twice this year, and each outing felt charmingly magnetic.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"GridWrapper-cFSKbf cxzKYj grid grid-margins grid-items-2 ArticlePageChunksGrid-hkPQhP lnoYVP grid-layout--adrail narrow wide-adrail\" data-journey-hook=\"grid-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"GridItem-beYvyV kCPYUp grid--item grid-layout__content\">\n<div class=\"BodyWrapper-kzyFNv gGoeHn body body__container article__body\" data-journey-hook=\"client-content\" data-testid=\"BodyWrapper\">\n<div class=\"body__inner-container\">\n<figure data-testid=\"IframeEmbed\" class=\"IframeEmbedWrapper-sc-ldQZQl ejqOZZ iframe-embed\">\n<div data-hasconsent=\"true\" data-testid=\"IframeEmbedContainer\" class=\"IframeEmbedContainer-hkaqNE rtPbe\">\n<div class=\"IframeEmbedAspectRatioWrapper-hLozwN bAXJOK\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2>7. Sme Taxfree: <em>My Whole Life a Mob Movie<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>As far as I know, there\u2019s no mafia-obsessed film, show, book, or album as concerned with BBLs as SME Taxfree\u2019s <em>My Whole Life a Mob Movie<\/em>. Taxfree is 2023\u2019s Milwaukee heavyweight champ. He\u2019s a prolific juggernaut teeming with hilarious punchlines who excels at depicting a lifestyle you usually only see in Tubi cinema set in Detroit. (Seriously, I wouldn\u2019t be surprised to learn that this tape is more inspired by the acting of Jamal \u201cGravy\u201d Woodard than Al Pacino.) Over a consistently hard-hitting roundup of beats that puts a sentimental spin on Milwaukee slap, it brings a new sauce to mafioso rap.<\/p>\n<h2>6. Ken Carson: <em>A Great Chaos<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>The thesis of my dismissive review of Ken Carson\u2019s 2022 album <em>X<\/em> (which is still bad) boiled down to: He is like Playboi Carti if Carti had no believable emotions or interests outside of becoming an empty, heavily sponsored voice of a generation. And now all of a sudden I\u2019m yapping away to my friends that Carson\u2019s 2023 follow-up, <em>A Great Chaos<\/em>, is like the Future album that Future can\u2019t make anymore. Hear me out. Zoom right by all of the nonsense about emo girls and boob jobs and you\u2019ll find real, actual love and pain and rage. You\u2019ll find a rapper that has clearly been digging through the weeds of Gucci, Keef, and Uzi (and, uh, Green Day). You\u2019ll find this drugged-out, blown-out, off-the-wall blur of reality and fantasy. He realized that trying to remake <em>Whole Lotta Red<\/em> was a dead end and did Opium <em>Future<\/em> instead. Give him the damn Most Improved trophy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"GridWrapper-cFSKbf cxzKYj grid grid-margins grid-items-2 ArticlePageChunksGrid-hkPQhP lnoYVP grid-layout--adrail narrow wide-adrail\" data-journey-hook=\"grid-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"GridItem-beYvyV kCPYUp grid--item grid-layout__content\">\n<div class=\"BodyWrapper-kzyFNv gGoeHn body body__container article__body\" data-journey-hook=\"client-content\" data-testid=\"BodyWrapper\">\n<div class=\"body__inner-container\">\n<figure data-testid=\"IframeEmbed\" class=\"IframeEmbedWrapper-sc-ldQZQl ejqOZZ iframe-embed\">\n<div data-hasconsent=\"true\" data-testid=\"IframeEmbedContainer\" class=\"IframeEmbedContainer-hkaqNE rtPbe\">\n<div class=\"IframeEmbedAspectRatioWrapper-hLozwN bAXJOK\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2>5. Lostrushi: <em>Sisterhood<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>The glitchy <em>Sisterhood<\/em> is nostalgia done right. It sounds like the past and present all at once, as Lostrushi blends references to anime soundtracks and video games from the 2000s with sped-up melodies and digitized synths that sound like transmissions from another dimension. No matter if the songs are grand and sweeping like \u201cINFINITUDE\/\/UROBOROS\u201d or sweet and low-key like \u201cSORORITY,\u201d there\u2019s a bored longing to his music that reminds me of revisiting a melancholic manga that changed my life in high school.<\/p>\n<h2>4. Starker: <em>Spiridon<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>If you have been brainwashed into believing that fast rapping is uncool, listen to born-and-raised Williamsburg, Brooklyn MC Starker and you\u2019ll instantly be convinced that nothing else is as fly. With his sandpaper voice, Starker crams enough bars and jokes to fill one of those brick-sized fantasy novels you can\u2019t believe people actually finish into a near-30-minute mad dash over a whirlwind of woozy and tough THERAVADA beats. His one-liners and couplets are so specific and ingrained in New York-centric hip-hop, fashion, and basketball culture that they\u2019re liable to go over heads outside of the city. Sometimes a bar will stick out through the trail of smoke, maybe because it reignites a memory or just feels so fucking random: \u201cI pull up in the Beamer and lose my keys like Beenie Man,\u201d or, \u201cWorse than the guest in yo apartment who keep steppin\u2019 on the carpet that you just purchased.\u201d Put some respect on fast rapping.<\/p>\n<h2>3. Sexyy Red: <em>Hood Hottest Princess<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>Bigtime commercial hip-hop had a dreadful year\u2014but thankfully there was at least the galactic takeover of Sexxy Red\u2019s <em>Hood Hottest Princess<\/em>. The St. Louis firebreather channeled the uncompromising recklessness of Gucci Mane into a wall-to-wall thriller of hard-nosed, raunchy raps, getting all the softies to clutch their pearls along the way. It\u2019s provocative without that being the point. It\u2019s catchy even when it doesn\u2019t try to be. And it birthed a few phrases that very well may find their way into the next edition of Webster\u2019s dictionary. (They should be adding \u201c<em>skeeyee<\/em>\u201d as I write this.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"GridWrapper-cFSKbf cxzKYj grid grid-margins grid-items-2 ArticlePageChunksGrid-hkPQhP lnoYVP grid-layout--adrail narrow wide-adrail\" data-journey-hook=\"grid-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"GridItem-beYvyV kCPYUp grid--item grid-layout__content\">\n<div class=\"BodyWrapper-kzyFNv gGoeHn body body__container article__body\" data-journey-hook=\"client-content\" data-testid=\"BodyWrapper\">\n<div class=\"body__inner-container\">\n<figure data-testid=\"IframeEmbed\" class=\"IframeEmbedWrapper-sc-ldQZQl ejqOZZ iframe-embed\">\n<div data-hasconsent=\"true\" data-testid=\"IframeEmbedContainer\" class=\"IframeEmbedContainer-hkaqNE rtPbe\">\n<div class=\"IframeEmbedAspectRatioWrapper-hLozwN bAXJOK\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2>2. Mari Boy Mula Mar: <em>Bitty Breaker<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>We don\u2019t get a lot of swooning, happily-in-love rap albums. It\u2019s a genre where\u2014with the dudes especially\u2014you\u2019re more likely to get broken hearts and tantrums rather than heart eyes and words of affirmation. But Milwaukee rapper Mari Boy Mula Mar\u2019s Valentine\u2019s Day project <em>Bitty Breaker<\/em> is a full-on love fantasia, where his deep feelings are communicated via pure horniness. A buzzkill might say it\u2019s a mixtape of lust, not love. But listen to him gently declare, \u201cBaby you so bad I might just pay yo car note\u201d on \u201cPersonal Trick,\u201d or how he sounds like he\u2019s about to get down on one knee after peeping her French tip toenails on \u201cCompliments,\u201d and tell me that this is not complete infatuation. A very freaky infatuation, but infatuation nonetheless.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"GridWrapper-cFSKbf cxzKYj grid grid-margins grid-items-2 ArticlePageChunksGrid-hkPQhP lnoYVP grid-layout--adrail narrow wide-adrail\" data-journey-hook=\"grid-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"GridItem-beYvyV kCPYUp grid--item grid-layout__content\">\n<div class=\"BodyWrapper-kzyFNv gGoeHn body body__container article__body\" data-journey-hook=\"client-content\" data-testid=\"BodyWrapper\">\n<div class=\"body__inner-container\">\n<figure data-testid=\"IframeEmbed\" class=\"IframeEmbedWrapper-sc-ldQZQl ejqOZZ iframe-embed\">\n<div data-hasconsent=\"true\" data-testid=\"IframeEmbedContainer\" class=\"IframeEmbedContainer-hkaqNE rtPbe\">\n<div class=\"IframeEmbedAspectRatioWrapper-hLozwN bAXJOK\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2>1. Veeze: <em>Ganger<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>I would like to say something neat and tidy like: The last five years of Detroit rap has all been leading to <em>Ganger<\/em>. But that wouldn\u2019t feel exactly right, especially considering how Veeze stitched together so many other regional flourishes to make this disorienting maze of pontificating and punchlines such a milestone. He\u2019s got the mad-scientist flair of Wayne and the slurred magnetism of Kodak and Keef, packaged with the foot-on-the-gas sense of humor and urgency that has made Detroit a burgeoning epicenter of hip-hop culture this decade. So yeah, Veeze is rapping his ass off. Even after countless listens, I\u2019m still catching new bars, new jokes, new wordplay. In a year where so many lamented the creative downfall of rap, <em>Ganger<\/em> came along to prove all of them wrong.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"GridWrapper-cFSKbf cxzKYj grid grid-margins grid-items-2 ArticlePageChunksGrid-hkPQhP lnoYVP grid-layout--adrail narrow wide-adrail\" data-journey-hook=\"grid-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"GridItem-beYvyV kCPYUp grid--item grid-layout__content\">\n<div class=\"BodyWrapper-kzyFNv gGoeHn body body__container article__body\" data-journey-hook=\"client-content\" data-testid=\"BodyWrapper\">\n<div class=\"body__inner-container\">\n<figure data-testid=\"IframeEmbed\" class=\"IframeEmbedWrapper-sc-ldQZQl ejqOZZ iframe-embed\">\n<div data-hasconsent=\"true\" data-testid=\"IframeEmbedContainer\" class=\"IframeEmbedContainer-hkaqNE rtPbe\">\n<div class=\"IframeEmbedAspectRatioWrapper-hLozwN bAXJOK\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p><em>Listen to a playlist of songs from these records on Spotify<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p> Source URL: https:\/\/pitchfork.com\/thepitch\/our-rap-columnists-25-favorite-records-of-2023\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Columns Pitchfork Rap Columnist Alphonse Pierre\u2019s Favorite Records of 2023 Projects by Veeze, Ken Carson, MIKE, Noname, billy woods, Babyface Ray, Sexyy Red, and more prove that hip-hop is still thriving. By Alphonse Pierre December 19, 2023 Clockwise from top left: Veeze\u2019s Ganger, Sexyy Red\u2019s Hood Hottest Princess, Ken Carson\u2019s A Great Chaos, Vayda\u2019s breeze, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":965665,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[54],"class_list":["post-965664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-pitchfork-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/965664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=965664"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/965664\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/965665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=965664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=965664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=965664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}