5 New Albums You Must Listen To! – March 2023
By Philippe Martin 04/03/2023
The first quarter of the year is ending, and it brings some amazing new rap albums. As the year progresses, there are some exciting new releases from established stars like the Dreamville crew and some drops from underground artists like Drumwork Records. Larry June is back with a great collaborative album and 6lack makes a return after a 5-year break from dropping a full-length project.
With that being said, here are the best albums of March 2023. 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.
- Larry June & The Alchemist - The Great Escape
- 6lack – Since I Have A Lover
- Hit-Boy – SURF OF DROWN
- Dreamville - Creed 3: The Soundtrack
- Conway the Machine & Jae Skeese - Pain Provided Profit
Larry June & The Alchemist - The Great Escape
After releasing the 2 excellent singles “60 Days” and “89 Earthquake”, Larry June and The Alchemist finally team up for a complete project that features great chemistry and inspired production choices. “The Great Escape” is a masterclass at setting the mood to work hard and reach your goals. This is not new territory for Larry June, but it feels like he has now reached a high point in popularity that enables him to work with a legend like The Alchemist and spread his positive message to more ears. The LP is packed with amazing features like Action Bronson, Ty Dolla $ign, Boldy James, Wiz Khalifa, Joey Bada$$, and Curren$y. Even with so many great rappers, the project always feels like Larry June and Alchemist are at the steering wheel.
Over 46 minutes and 15 songs, there are all the themes needed for a good Larry June album: sports coupes, real estate investments, and organic smoothies. “Summer Reign” and “Porsches in Spanish” feature silky productions, sounding like they were made for slow drives on the ocean coast. “Orange Village” and “Art Talk” are low-key bangers that pit Larry’s laid-back flows against capable rappers with distinct vocal performances. The Alchemist raps well on “60 Days”, showing that the veteran producer has even more talents to showcase for the world. “Barragan Lighting” is a blog-era masterpiece that will surely go in the “Lyrical Murders” playlist. Overall, this is one of the best Larry June albums to date and a great starting place for anyone discovering his music.
Released 03/31/2023
6lack – Since I Have A Lover
The Atlanta artist is finally back with his third studio album “Since I Have A Lover”. Five years have passed since the amazing “East Atlanta Love Letter” and the singer has much to say on this jam-packed 19-song project. With only two or three features, 6lack shines by himself for most of the runtime as he touches on subjects like heartbreak, personal growth, and fatherhood. It may not set a particular mood as “FREE 6LACK” did back in 2016, with no songs like “PRBLMS” that push the RNB sound forward, but “Since I Have A Lover” is a cohesive and well-produced project.
“Inwood Hill Park” and “Fatal Attraction” are catchy and intoxicating, putting you in a mental state to think about your past flames and the toxic things you may have done for love. The lead single “Since I Have A Lover” and the quick “chasing feeling” both use beautiful strings and laid-back drums to let 6lack sing his melancholic melodies. On “Preach” and “Talk”, he shows that he can still rap as he did back in his battle rapper days. The delivery may not be aggressive, but he inspires respect by being confident and nonchalant over atmospheric instrumentals.
Released 03/24/2023
Hit-Boy – SURF OF DROWN
For the last couple of years, Hit-Boy has been collaborating with Nas on multiple projects and producing incredible songs for Beyoncé, Big Sean, and Dom Kennedy. On “SURF OR DROWN”, the rapper/producer delivers a solid solo project that sets the bar high for artists who can play on both sides of the production boards. The beats are diverse, but they sonically sound similar enough to give the project a nice cohesive signature. With 11 songs and almost as many features, the album wastes no time in giving you bangers and soulful melodies alike.
After the quick intro, the song “The Tide” with Nas is a stand-out track that sees the California artist match his mentor’s energy as they spit intelligent verses over a crazy beat switch. The next 3 songs feature some of the best rappers from the West Coast, including the excellent song “CORSA” with Dom Kennedy. “Slipping Into Darkness” with The Alchemist is the best song on the project for its lyrical content and the amazing production from the two respected beatmakers. They rap over each other’s beats and it sounds like they are having a blast.
Released 03/24/2023
Dreamville - Creed 3: The Soundtrack
Following 2022’s mixtape “D-Day” with DJ Drama, the talented label led by J. Cole is back with another project that solidifies its position as a cultural force within the music industry. Created as the official soundtrack for the new Creed movie, the album is more diverse and bolder than their previous work. There is a great balance between classic hip-hop records, RNB ballads and afro-beat instrumentals. To achieve that performance, they recruit a lot of outside talent that blends in perfectly with the Dreamville crew.
The opening track “Culture” clearly demonstrates what hip-hop is all about: deep lyrics, cold attitudes, and contagious energy. The only presence by the Dreamville leader is on “Adonis Interlude”. It masterfully interpolates the Dr. Dre song “The Watcher” and it features the first verse by J. Cole in 2023. One of the best tracks is the banger “Jack” featuring EARTHGANG, Buddy, and Ant Clemons. The four artists shine as they rap and sing on a Pluss production. RNB artists like SiR, Khelani, Ari Lennox, and Blxst all show up to bring a melodic touch to the well-curated soundtrack.
03/03/2023
Conway the Machine & Jae Skeese - Pain Provided Profit
Drumwork Music Group is in full effect with the release of the collaborative album between the leader, Conway the Machine, and the underground emcee Jae Skeese. The Buffalo artist is making the right move by sharing his light with his talented protégé. Their respective styles merge beautifully over the course of 7 songs that only has guest features on the last track “Food”. The two lyricists easily handle the rest of the tracklist as they spit hard verses with multiple flow changes and amazing wordplays.
The opener “Cocaine Paste” and the second track “Metallic 5’s” have a similar grimy vibe that establishes the mood for what’s about to come. Conway and Skeese match each other’s energy well as they attack the same subjects with no lyrical mercy. On “Stefon Diggs 2”, they change up their rhyme patterns and it results in a deadly delivery. The production is consistent throughout the project, but it switches to a more melodic approach on “Promise” where the guitar loop inspires the rappers to rap and sing the most inspiring verses of the album.
Released 03/17/2023