With it’s diverse and innovative music sphere, this year has been defined by a lot of unique and amazing albums. With new artists bursting onto the scene and older artists expanding their style, this year has shaken up the music scene, these are some of the most unique, and best albums of the year in no specific order.
Let’s Start Here – Lil Yachty
Beginning in 2013 with his first song, Yachty seemed to cement himself as a larger player in a new generation of artists such as Lil Uzi Vert, 21 Savage, Denzel Curry, etc. Despite seemingly blending into the rap scene at the time, in 2023 his artistic integrity seemed to heightenwith the release of Let’s Start Here. Let’s Start Here, with its genre being Alternative/Indie opposed to his usual Rap, is very different. From the first song to the last, Yachty creates a very unique sound, mixing soulful music, rock, and rap.
UTOPIA – Travis Scott
Travis Scott, following his massive success in 2018’s “Astroworld” released an eclectic new album recently.With its more experimental instrumentation and vocals, he creates a refreshing sound we had yet to see from him.. With features from the Weeknd, Young Thug, Drake, Playboi Carti, and many more, this album is not lacking in musical diversity. . With over 120 million streams on the first day alone, nearly setting a record, UTOPIA has become one of the biggest hit albums of 2023.
A Great Chaos- Ken Carson
Ken Carson, after signing to Playboi Carti’s “Opium” released a lot of repetitive music, but with his new album, Ken tried to musically flip the script. In his new album, “A Great Chaos”, with its heart-stoppingly fast and intense instrumentals, Ken Carson pushed his unique sound further, and to a larger sphere. One song from the album, “Jennifer’s Body” went viral on social media, with many enjoying the uniqueness of the sound, and others disliking it due to its repetitiveness. However, Ken Carson does not seem like he’s done with the album at all, recently posting that he’s making a deluxe version of the album, but his best music still may be in the drafts.
For All the Dogs – Drake
Drake, one of the most popular artists of all time, dropped his album “For All the Dogs” in October, following it up with a deluxe version, called “For All the Dogs: Scary Hours 3”. With the production from smaller, less mainstream producers, especially on the deluxe, Drake seems to have started having more unique production. Drake used this album as a way to signal a new era of his music, and possibly production for mainstream rappers in general.
Kaytraminé – Kaytranada and Aminé
Kaytranada and Amine, formed a group in early 2023 and in May, announced a new collaborative album was coming out that month. Many were excited due to Kaytranada’s production which blended a myriad of genres into a fluid sound, as well as Amine’s incredible rapping ability. On May 19th, the 11-song LP dropped with its multi genre sound bringing sides of the music sphere into one, with some popular names accompanying the album, such as Snoop Dogg and Pharrell Williams.
How Do You Sleep At Night? – Teezo Touchdown
In 2021, Teezo burst onto the scene with his feature on Tyler The Creator’s “RUNITUP” from Call Me If You Get Lost. Here, Teezo was noticed due to his unique voice seen almost nowhere else in the music industry. However, he was still somewhat unknown until this year, he suddenly was featured on Drake’s For All The Dogs and Travis Scott’s Utopia. People were reintroduced to Teezo, and with a much more prominent presence than that on RUNITUP, people realized his potential. With the release of his album “How Do You Sleep At Night?” He was able to fully develop his voice and his music. With his odd blend of pop, rap, rock, and alternative, he stood out a lot from the competition.
Forward – Jordan Ward
The album Forward by Jordan Ward put his artistry and storytelling on display. The album creates an image of Jordan’s life, revolving around his family, his relationships, and his life in general. As opposed to his previous music, this album creates a more fun and lively sound, highlighted by some songs like “FAMJAM4000” and “BUSSDOWN”. The albums direction gives off an eclectic sound, with a different subject matter then what we’ve seen from Ward.
MICHAEL- Killer Mike
The album MICHAEL, by Killer Mike, expanded a lot more on Mike’s vocal skills, lyrics, and beats. Killer Mike is known for being a storyteller in his music, and he kept up that reputation with MICHAEL. With features from people like Future, Young Thug, Andre 3000, and Ty Dolla Sign, the album was not lacking in features at all. Many songs on the album tell stories and still stand as enjoyable rap songs, such as the 10th song on the album, Exit 9. This album shows Killer Mike’s prowess and how he’s unique from the thousands of other rappers.
Barbie the Album – Various Artists
Barbie, one of the most popular films of the year, had an amazing album released alongside it, The album, with many features ranging from Tame Impala, Ice Spice, Billie Eilish, and even Ryan Gosling, accompanies the film perfectly. Fans were expecting a massive album to accompany the huge movie, and they got the great album they were anticipating.
New Blue Sun – André 3000
The rap duo Outkast, containing André 3000 and Big Boi, split in 2007. People thought that they might never hear from André again. However, with André appearing on many more songs as features, (Life of the Party – Kanye West, The Real Her – Drake) people thought that he would eventually release a solo album. Then, Nov the 14th, he announced he was releasing an album. Despite the album having no lyrical component, it shows Andres artistry with a beautiful and truly unique sound we never really see from a mainstream artist.
Honorable Mentions:
One Wayne G – Mac DeMarco
Mac DeMarco, a huge indie artist, released a 199 songs album. Most songs being instrumentals, this album is less of a comprehensive album and more of a project.
Scaring The Hoes – JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown
JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown have already created a very unique sound heard almost nowhere else, with a genre defying sound.. With it’s very hard hitting instrumentals & vocals, JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown have set their unique sound in stone.
