Top 5 album releases - November 2022
By Philippe Martin 04/12/2022
In November, much of the mainstream attention has been directed at the surprise project from Drake and 21 Savage. Many other great albums deserve recognition too, with Nas continuing his reign with the “King’s Decease” series and BROCKHAMPTON releasing two albums before retiring as a group. With only one month to go before the year-end, the “Best Of” lists will begin to be published, so be sure to stay on the lookout for Rap Nerd’s selections for 2022.
With that being said, here are the best albums of November 2022. This list contains many independent placements from artists who dropped great albums and some mainstream releases that deserve the attention they have been getting. Let us know in the comments what you think about these and if any other albums deserved to make this list.
- Drake & 21 Savage - Her Loss
- Nas - King’s Decease III
- BROCKHAMPTON - TM
- Boldy James & Futurewave - Mr. Ten08
- Juicy J & Lex Luger - Crypto Business
- Honorable Mentions
Drake & 21 Savage - Her Loss
Drake’s collaboration with 21 Savage is similar to 2013’s “What A Time To Be Alive” album with Future. It all makes sense on paper but in practice, there are some imbalances between the strengths of each artist. Especially when it comes to melodies, Drake is clearly more comfortable and he ends up taking much more space than his peer. The presence of four solo songs by Drake and only one from 21 Savage is a good example of the misbalance within the tracklist of the LP. What ties it up together is the impressive list of producers, with quality beats from 40, Metro Boomin, OZ, Wheezy, and Boi-1da.
“Rich Flex” is a great intro as the two rappers go back and forth between the hooks and the verses, showcasing natural chemistry together. The beat is also worth highlighting, with Tay Keith producing a piano trap banger that represents the project’s overall sound. The unique feature of the album comes from Travis Scott on “Pussy & Millions”. The trap superstar sounds sharp as he delivers a rich and lengthy verse. Both rappers show their lyrical capabilities on the tracks “Middle of the Ocean” (Drake) and “3AM on Glenwood” (21 Savage), a nice change of pace compared to the rest of the project.
Released 04/11/2022
Nas - King’s Decease III
The veteran rapper is back for another entry in his very successful “King’s Decease” series where he teams up with Hit-Boy on the production boards. They are a great duo, where Nas can bring his experience and natural charisma and where Hit-Boy can bring his work ethic and diverse creative range. The third entry solidifies what they have established since the first instalment in 2020, but with a twist as there are no features on the album, letting the New York artist operate on his own terms.
The 49-year-old sounds very focused and hungry like he still has something to prove after 30 years in the music industry. On many occasions, he makes statements about his current headspace and how he manages to stay relevant after so many years of doing his thing. Songs like “Recession Proof” and “WTF SMH” are good examples of the efficient output of Nas on the microphone. He takes time to have some fun on the closing track “Til My Last Breath”, a victory lap banger full of good energy. With a 52-minute runtime and 17 tracks, the listening experience is quite heavy but worth keeping up with to witness the amazing performances of the Nas and Hit-Boy duo.
Released 11/11/2022
BROCKHAMPTON - TM
The adventures of the best boyband in the world, BROCKHAMPTON, are ending with the double release of the projects “The Family” and “TM”. In a bizarre way, the first one is carried by Kevin Abstract and the second one features the entire group doing their regular formula. “The Family” serves as an over-the-top explanation of the group’s downfall and “TM” is the last effort to recreate the undeniable chemistry that they showcased since their debut in 2015. This new group project never really gets close to the quality of the Saturation trilogy, but it’s great when the energy is high with Merlyn Wood, Dom McLennon, and Matt Champion all having stellar performances.
The intro “FMG” and the song “NEW SHOES” are powerful bangers that recall the ways that the members can become something greater than each one taken individually. Their vocal performances are only matched by the amazing production, especially on “FMG” where the bounce of the kicks and the weird effects mix beautifully. This could have been a Run the Jewels instrumental, and it would have worked well. The second half of the record features slower songs, like many tracks on their 2019 album “GINGER”. Overall, this is not the best LP from the Texas collective, but it marks the end of an interesting modern experiment that gave a fresh take on the group formula and its place on the hip-hop scene.
Released 18/11/2022
Boldy James & Futurewave - Mr. Ten08
Fresh off last month’s album with Nicholas Craven, Boldy James is losing no time with this new album, reminding everybody of the huge amount of music artists can release when their work ethic is consistent. With three excellent album releases, 2022 has definitely been a productive year for the Detroit rapper. His team-ups with talented producers are paying off once more as the instrumentals provided by Futurewave on “Mr. Ten08” are impeccable.
The saxophone and the drums on “Mortermir Milestone” make it sound like a classic mob soundtrack, setting the stage for Boldy’s bars about selling narcotics. Featuring a strong hook by 2100 Bagz, “Dormin’s” is of the most melodic song of the project and a nice change of pace from the overall griminess of the ghetto vibes. Using the same sample that Alchemist used on 2020’s “Scottie Beam”, Futurewave creates an epic song on “Jam Master J”.
Released 04/11/2022
Juicy J & Lex Luger - Crypto Business
Juicy J has now been working in the music industry for almost 30 years, so the addition of another mixtape to his catalogue is no big news. At this point, he seems to be doing music because he enjoys it and his die-hard fans keep on showing up for drugged-out raps and heavy trap beats. “Crypto Business” is his third collaborative release of the year, following February’s “Stoner’s Night” with Wiz Khalifa, and June’s “Space Age Pimpin” with Pi’erre Bourne.
The overall vibe of the record is pretty consistent, with no RnB tracks and no musical exploration from the Three 6 Mafia rapper. The hard-hitting “Cause I Live It” and the smoky “Hit the Smoke” are clear examples of songs that have been heard many times before, but they still inspire the same response upon listening. You just wanna party and let loose from everyday anxieties. The features do not add much diversity to the vocal performances, but they match the stone-cold attitude of Juicy J.
Released 15/11/2022
Honourable Mentions
Joji – SMITHEREENS
Following the very successful release of his previous album “Nectar”, the Japanese artist Joji drops the short but well-organized project “SMITHEREENS”. It is sonically on par with the rest of his work, creating excellent melancholic songs about love and maturity.
Released 04/11/2022
Roddy Rich – Feed Tha Streets III
The Compton superstar releases another project trying to recapture the career high point of “Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial”. This new entry in the “Feed Tha Street” series is a nice effort, with some decent bangers like “King Size” and “Blue Cheese” and many ballads like “#1 Freak” and “Just Because”.
Released 18/11/2022
38 Spesh & Harry Fraud – Beyond Belief
The very talented Harry Fraud is ending 2022 with a bang, releasing his third collaborative project of the year. 38 Spesh is a natural fit with Fraud’s production, letting his sweet melodic choices mix with the harsh vocals and street tales of the Rochester native. The list of features is impressive, with contributions from Benny, Conway, Curren$y, Ransom, Wiz Khalifa, and many more.
Released 18/11/2022
Jay Worthy & DJ Muggs – What They Hittin 4
Jay Worthy’s musical output is incredible. With a third full-length project this year, he solidifies his status as one of the most efficient rappers on the West Coast. This time around, he teams up with the veteran producer DJ Muggs for a toned-down collection of songs touching on his usual subjects like hustling and living life fast.
Released 11/11/2022
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