#Gilda is so passionate and talented in her work

[oculusxcaro]

Who is your favorite customer?

"Whoever gives me the least amount of hassle." Khare can barely hide her grin as she answers but it's the honest truth. It was hard to pick favourites since there were quite a few customers she liked and choosing just one seemed unfair to all the others, but those who were easy to please were well up there, making regular visits to the diner and generally being a joy to serve. "You didn't hear this from me, but Gilda Dent? She's an absolute sweetheart, both she and her husband. It's not often you see that kind of love and passion so... it's nice to see, you know? Especially here in Gotham." She saw and heard a lot while working in Pauli's Diner, often hearing more than she'd have liked to know. The amount of venom some men had for their wives and partners was beyond depressing; the things they had to say about the people who were meant to be so special to them made her skin crawl. Harvey and Gilda were nothing like them. The love they held for one another shone brighter than any neon sign to be found in the city, outshining any star one might be lucky enough to glimpse past those smog-filled skies. She briefly wondered how they were doing and whether or not they were having a good week. Khare hoped so. They deserved all that and more, looking forwards to their next visit.

[marciabrady]

TAGGED: TEN CHARACTERS YOU IDENTIFY WITH (&&&either add what you admire about each, or what it is that connects you to them!)

Ilene Woods' Cinderella: I love how humble, fun-loving, and enduring she is. I identify with her concentrated efforts to put her best foot forward and to try to keep from succumbing to her environment. While she sometimes feels she falls short at leading by example, frayed from everyday wear, she ultimately triumphs against all odds, alighted by her sense of worth, her steadfast industriousness, and prospers in turning the tide and creating a successful counterculture, all of which is inspiring to me. Marcia Brady: The personification of Leo energy; every notable actress who's ever played her is a Leo, and for good reason. She's magnetic, radiant, moral- without being sanctimonious- and a natural leader. Adriana Caselotti's Snow White: Her buoyant joy, resiliency, and never-ending humor create a beacon of light wherever she goes. I love how much a complete individual she is and how resourceful she is in forging a new life for herself, even when she's left with nothing. She never allows her misfortunes to change who she is, and I wish I had more of her compassion, purity, strength, and unaffected kindness. Blanche Devereaux: Blanche turns the act of living into a performance. The simplest run at the grocery store or day at work is suddenly a gripping, page-turning adventure, complete with anticipation, glamour, and a glossy lexicon. She's riveting and, while she has the same insecurities that many of us do, I admire the way she shows up for her friends. Katrina Van Tassel: This character is pure vibes for me. I love how mysterious and to-herself she is, while very clearly exhibiting motivations, a personality, and wants and needs. She isn't gauche in any way, tasteful in everything, and she practically invented the word coquette. Gilda: I think most everyone has a lot of Gilda in them. Someone who's easy touched and still influenced by many of their past haunts, but does their best to keep it from surfacing and letting their emotions get the best of them. I love the glamour and energy that exudes from Gilda effortlessly, and how layered she is. Ethel Mertz: I always think about that quote, "Lucy threw pies while Ethel threw shade." I love Lucy, but Ethel was always the standout for me. Her comedic timing was impeccable, her singing voice was unreal, and she represented so much of what I love about the older women in my life. Her sense of self is fixed, she's comfortable about her place in the world and has discovered who she is. She's such a loyal friend and has the type of talent that comes only from a lifetime of concentrated effort. The Little Mermaid: Ariel's fire, passion, and complicated nature is something I've continued to revisit from the first time that I've met her. She's messy, flawed, but so vulnerable, authentic, and likable that you can't help but root for her. I think anyone who's LGBTQIA+ can identify with her struggles but, beyond that, I love how true to herself she is, refusing to be tainted by the prejudices of others. She's just generally a very active, restless character with so many ebbs and tides of thoughts, feelings, and desires. Rapunzel (from the original Brothers Grimm fairytale): Out of the fairytale princesses, Rapunzel always spoke to me the most. I always loved the princess in the tower archetype and her hair being such a central point of the plot- and harkening back to the sun- is a very Leo quality, in my opinion. I think the fairytale Rapunzel has a lot of the same spirit and energy that Aurora in the animated Sleeping Beauty carries. Mary Costa's Aurora: This character changed my life in so many ways. She brought my best friends to me, started me down the path of writing, and has enriched my life in so many ways. I'm mesmerized by her enchanted, romantic quality, the all-encompassing way she loves, her sense of duty, obligation, and loyalty to those around her, her keen sense of humor, how she wants to give the best of herself to everyone, the unending source of love that springs from her...I could go on forever.

tagged by: @drinksattheendoftheworld (thank you!!!)

tagging: everyone!! but, off the top of my head in no particular order other than alphabetical - @arthina @bettedavis @deforest @deliachase @disneydayandnight @gavillain @magistera @margotfonteyns @muzikalsiren @oozmart @peasantbarbie @princessnostalgia @royalhans @sparklejamesysparkle @the-blue-fairie

[gildagracedent]

About Gilda

Gilda Gold was born to Benjamin and Rebecca Gold in 1985. She enjoyed the ideal middle-class suburban upbringing. Her father worked 9-5 as an accountant while her mother worked as a high school English teacher. She realized how incredibly fortunate she was to have such loving parents, supportive friends, and a decent home early in her life. She saw her privilege daily as she walked home from school, went to the grocery store, and tutored underprivileged children. Conversely, she witnessed how so many Gothamites traversed the city with forlorn gazes

How could a city so full of hope and opportunity be filled with such despair and corruption? She vowed to at least alleviate some of the city’s pain.

In high school, she was very much so the artsy-creative type who would spend hours in the art studio. She excelled at history, anthropology, and anatomy - all skills that would serve her well as an artist. She graduated high school and was accepted into the prestigious Gotham University art history program. Something her parents attempted to dissuade her from - but she knew it was her passion. She had always meant to pair it with her artistic talents so that she could sell or donate her art for charity.

Gilda volunteered extensively in her free time, but it wasn’t til her sophomore year of college that she meant her husband to be - Harvey Dent.

She participated in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, but she wasn’t the only one. One day, while Gilda was teaching a group of girls about chalk drawings - a man was playing basketball with a group of middle schoolers. She saw him. Tall at 6′1, well built, a mop of dark curls. He reminded her of a young Marlon Brando. What really stood out was his smile - it told the world - “I’m safe. I’m hope. I’m positivity”.

 The girls saw their friends across the way, causing Gilda to run after them - it was then that she was introduced to Harvey Dent, a pre-law student. They hit it off immediately. It sounds cliche, like something out of a romance novel, but little did she know, it was love at first sight for him, too.

He was sweet, polite, and witty, but there was a vast intensity to him. She figured at the time he was merely passionate. During her free time, she’d join him in the library or his dorm, bringing him snacks. Sometimes he’d surprise her late in the art studio with her favorite takeout. They were only dating for a year before he popped the question. Gilda felt stunned, but Harvey assured her he was sincere.

Years later, Harvey became the youngest A.D.A. while she was an up-and-coming artist and collector. She and Harvey spent countless nights prepping for his DA Campaign election - attending galas, humanitarian events, conferences, etc, He won in a landslide - because of course he did - he’s Harvey Dent.

However, as time went on, Gilda began thinking about starting a family. She and Harvey felt passionate about their careers, but they talked at length about having a child or two. It never seemed to be the right time. Harvey had always been an over-achiever and a workaholic, but after winning the DA election - something changed. A darker side began to emerge. 

He would speak to himself, have fits of rage, lock himself inside their room, scream obscenities at no one. Sometimes, the man who spoke to her was clearly not her husband - but someone else. She supported Harvey as much as she could - but she was only his wife. Not a professional. 

It was those god damn Maronis. The most notorious crime family in Gotham. Harvey vowed to persecute them all. She believed in him, but was it worth his sanity? His future? 

Then there was that day in the courtroom. 

She didn’t even receive a phone call. No. She saw what happened on the news. They replayed Harvey's vitriol attack. Those bastards. After all, he had done for Gotham; they couldn’t even grant him his privacy?

She bolted to the hospital - petrified. Was he even alive? She spent countless nights listening to his raspy breathing, pleading for him to live. Or maybe it would be more merciful for him to die. All she knew was that things would change, but they would get through it together.

Alas. It was not to be. Harvey escaped the hospital after Jim Gordon insisted she go home and rest. He was the one who sat with Harvey.

That’s when Two-Face started his crime spree. Gilda figured months ago that Harvey was struggling with another identity - but had no idea how to approach the situation.

She called him. She waited. She visited some of his alleged bases. No luck. She remained at home. Nothing. There would sometimes be hints he was there - like the phone ringing and her voice being said before hanging up. Or, items being moved around the house - sometimes his items would go missing.

Guilt. Remorse. Fury. If only she tried to get him help sooner. If only she didn’t return home for those few hours. She witnessed his arrest - how Batman transferred him to Arkham. She tried to visit him. Oh, how she tried.

He was always “too busy.” Bullshit. Why leave hidden notes? Petals of her favorite flowers in envelopes? A new bottle of her favorite perfume after she accidentally dropped hers? 

Harvey, Two-Face, they didn’t give her a choice. An educated, savvy businesswoman, and loving wife perfectly capable of making her own decisions. She left town for a short while to recharge. What use would she be to her friends, family, colleagues, or husband if she crumbled? 

After spending some time away from Gotham, Gilda has returned. Ready to revamp her career and set things right with her husband. After all, everyone deserves a second chance. 

[smithsonianlvm]

#LMSP2017 Fellow Takeover: Carlos Francisco Parra

My time in the Smithsonian Latino Center’s Latino Museum Studies Program (LMSP) was one of the most significant experiences I have had in my doctoral studies. As a graduate student, a great deal of the work I must accomplish – research, reading, writing – is often done on an individual level, which can induce a state of isolation at times. Despite the archival-focused nature of most history dissertations, my study into the development of Spanish-language media in Los Angeles requires me to look beyond the limited institutional archival holdings that relate to this topic and instead engage persons involved with these media outlets as well as to look for a variety of objects that can help me piece together the story I am trying to retell.

Building upon the skills I have honed during my graduate program, the LMSP has allowed me to not only engage with the material objects and archival holdings related to Spanish-language broadcasting held at the National Museum of American History (NMAH) but to also build strong connections with distinguished historians and NMAH curators Kathleen Franz and Mireya Loza. Working with Drs. Franz and Loza I have broadened my understanding of what I am researching by exploring the different archival objects they have collected for the NMAH’s “Spanish-Language Broadcasting Collection” which covers a wide range of topics, personalities, and communities ranging from the humble origins of Spanish-language television at KCOR-TV (later KWEX-TV) in San Antonio, Texas (one of the precursors for the Univision media leviathan) to the personal recollections of Puerto Rican theater, movie, and telenovela actress Gilda Mirós. In this point in my research I have become aware of the dearth and difficulty of finding extant primary documents from Spanish-language television and radio stations from the early years of these industries. The ephemeral nature of broadcast media also complicates the ability of researchers to reconstruct historical narratives and provide analysis on these broadcasts’ contents. Through their resources at NMAH, Drs. Franz and Loza have made important strides in gathering a growing collection of oral histories and artifacts pertinent to the story of la televisión en español en los Estados Unidos.

During the summer I wrote finding aids for items within this collection, including one for Ms. Miros and another for the popular 1985 Telemundo telenovela Tainairí. Part of my responsibilities also included transcribing an oral history interview with an important figure in the early history of KMEX-TV Channel 34, the first Spanish-language TV station in Los Angeles. Working with these documents and objects is exciting because they are pieces of a greater narrative that still must be retold and studied by scholars. In the case of Gilda Miros’s career, it is exciting to historicize her trajectory as a Puerto Riqueña in telenovelas, journalism, the stage and even the big screen in her appearances in Nuyorican and Mexican films in the 1960s (the latter of which included appearances in films from the waning years of Mexican Cinema’s golden age with her role in the 1967 movie El Santo Contra la Invasión de los Marcianos (El Santo vs. The Martian Invasion). In my work with Tainairí I consulted NMAH’s growing collection on documents related to Telemundo to describe this successful 1985 telenovela produced in the network’s founding station, WKAQ-TV in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Starring Von Marie Mendez and Juan Ferrara in a series produced by Diomara Ulloa and directed by playwright Dean Zayas, Tainairí is a historical fiction telenovela which explored the struggle for abolition in late colonial Puerto Rico and examined race, gender, sexuality, and class. Tainairí is memorable as well for being one of the last great telenovelas produced by Telemundo before the rise of the network on the continental U.S. after 1987 and the ascendancy of the Miami affiliate WSCV-TV in novela production.

Beyond helping me see the larger picture of the dissertation project I am grappling with, Drs. Franz and Loza provided me with a great deal of career advice in how to enhance my scholarly career in these early stages. The enormous contribution LMSP has thus far provided to my career is also highlighted in the numerous professional relationships this experience has allowed me within NMAH and the different branches of the Smithsonian Institution. As a former high school teacher, one of my biggest motivations as a graduate student is to develop a way of linking my passion for history and learning with the larger public and leaving an educational impact on it. The public history/curatorial aspects of the LMSP curriculum has shown me some ways in which I can engage with the public at large and make scholarly work relevant. From building new professional relationships, to new friendships with other talented up-and-coming scholars, to living in such a culturally-vibrant and historically-rich city like Washington, D.C., the Latino Museum Studies Program has left an indelible mark on my long-term trajectory as a scholar and as an individual.

From left to right: Dr. Mireya Loza and Dr. Kathleen Franz of the National Museum of American History and Verónica Méndez (a fellow LMSP scholar) and myself observe a poster-size publicity advertisement in Variety magazine demonstrating the expansion of the Spanish International Network, SIN (the precursor to Univision) as of 1976. Photograph courtesy Hannah Gutierrez.

Following Dr. Kathleen Franz’s guidance on best practices for object handling, I inspect a pair of sneakers donated by Dunia Elvir, a Honduran American anchor at Telemundo 52 KVEA-TV in Los Angeles, California. Dunia’s sneakers feature a hand-drawn toucan bird, the Honduran flag, and a small Telemundo 52 logo, all crafted by one of Dunia’s fans.

A close-up of me inspecting one of the sneakers given to Telemundo 52 KVEA-TV (Los Angeles) anchor Dunia Elvir by a devoted viewer. In addition to learning about the provenance of the material objects held in NMAH’s Spanish Language Broadcast Collection, I learned about the proper method of handling these and other material objects so that they may not wear out over time and thus be available to future scholars.

Museum-level object handling practices were greatly impressed upon us during the summer 2017 Smithsonian Latino Museum Studies Program. Here I examine and handle objects from the Smithsonian’s Bracero Oral History Project along with LMSP fellows Veronica Mendez and Daniela Jimenez. In addition to learning about curatorial theory and practice, working with other emerging scholars was one of the most rewarding experiences I had during my time with the LMSP.

[rachelweiszcraig]

On Her Birthday, 5 Reasons We Treasure Rachel Weisz

Born on March 7, 1970, Rachel Weisz fell in love with performing as a teenager, quickly developing a knack for portraying smart, passionate, and caring women, a perfect combination for a Pisces. She has graced two Focus films––The Shape of Things and The Constant Gardener––with her radiant talent and intelligence. Today, we salute her remarkable achievements by exploring five things that make her one of our favorite actresses.

She’s one of our Oscar winners

At the 78th Academy Awards, Rachel Weisz took home the statuette for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as the spirited Tessa Quayle in The Constant Gardener. Adapted from John le Carré’s novel about corporate corruption and conspiracy in Africa, Fernando Meirelles’ thriller casts Weisz as the wife of Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes), a career diplomat trying to juggle his staid job and his independent spouse. Still early in her career, Weisz brought to the part the complexity and dignity for which she would become renown. “She’s so human. I remembered when we first met, Rachel had the same passion that a political activist would have,” Meirelles tells film writer N. P. Thompson. To comprehend the film’s labyrinthine politics, Weisz flew to Kenya to talk directly with actual aid workers and political activists. As an artist, she wanted to realize fully the rich complexity of le Carré’s character. “I loved the fact that she wasn’t entirely sympathetic,” Weisz explains to the Guardian. “She was a lone warrior with all the contradictions that that brings.” And her hard work paid off. Variety’s Todd McCarthy applauded how, stepping “straight from the pages of the book onto the screen, she fully embodies the driven, lusty, unstoppable Tessa.” In addition to winning the Oscar, she also won a Golden Globe for her unforgettable performance.

She never forgets her first love, theater

Before stepping onto a movie set, Weisz had trod the boards of many a stage. At Cambridge, she started her own theater group, Talking Tongues, whose piece, Slight Possession, won the Student Drama Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In 1994, she turned heads in Noel Coward’s Design for Living as, in the words of the Independent, “a devastatingly sexy Gilda.” Even as her TV and film career started heating up, Weisz stayed true to the theater. In 1999, she had to skip the world premiere of her first blockbuster, The Mummy, because she was due on stage to play Catherine in Tennessee Williams’s Suddenly, Last Summer. Focus Features’ 2003 film, The Shape of Things, gave Weisz the opportunity to bridge her two loves. Originally staged as a play in 2001 with, as the Guardian’s Michael Billingon put it, “a knockout performance from Rachel Weisz,” the drama was adapted for film by its writer/director Neil LaBute with the same cast. Weisz plays Evelyn, a smart, sexy grad student who transforms her dowdy boyfriend (played by Paul Rudd) into the man of her dreams––as well as the subject of her thesis––in this philosophical drama of love and change. Weisz transformed her theatrical role into a cinematic tour de force.

Weisz continues to garner applause and critical raves for her theatrical work. In a 2013 production of Harold Pinter’s Betrayal, Weisz, along with her real-life husband, Daniel Craig, and Rafe Spall were commended by The Hollywood Reporter as being “at the absolute top of their game.” Most recently she dazzled audiences in a revival of David Hare’s Plenty at New York City’s Public Theater.

There isn’t a genre she can’t conquer

Describing working with Weisz on The Constant Gardener, her co-star, Ralph Fiennes, tells the Guardian, “She’s not fearful, she’s willing to throw caution to the wind in order to get to the core of a scene.” Fearless also describes Weisz’s passion for tackling any type of genre, subject matter, or character. In 1999, appearing both in an epic historical drama, Sunshine, and a big-screen popcorn pounder, The Mummy, Weisz made it clear she was not going to be typecast. With sublime grace and dramatic agility, she moves effortlessly from a coming-of-age comedy, like About a Boy, to a serious drama like The Shape of Things. Or from a mega sci-fi saga, like The Fountain, to an international thriller like The Constant Gardener. Part of her drive comes from her being a movie lover first and foremost. “I just really liked stories,” Weisz tells the AV Club. “Film and theater are very powerful storytelling mediums. You sit in a dark room and enter another world. I love that as a member of the audience, and I sort of wanted to get on the other side.”

Celebrated for her beauty, but known for her brains

Starting a modeling career at 14, Rachel Weisz continues to shine as one of the world’s great beauties. She is on Empire Magazine’s list of the 50 sexiest female movie stars and was featured in Glamour’s “The 50 Most Glamorous Women of 2009.” In 2010, she topped an Esquire poll of the woman men would most like to marry. Fashion designer Narciso Rodriguez names her as one of his most important creative muses. But her beauty is definitely not just skin deep. After graduating from the prestigious St. Paul’s Girls School, she went on to take a degree in English literature from Cambridge University where she wrote a dissertation on the American writer Caron McCullers and the southern concept of femininity. A friend of the family and newspaper columnist, Matthew Norman, told the Guardian, “She could have become an academic, and often talked about how she might become a barrister. It feels like an accident of fate that she’s become a huge movie star.“

She honors her family by giving back

One of the reasons Weisz so poignantly captures women, like Tessa Quayle in The Constant Gardener, who fight for human rights is because social justice is part of her DNA. “Both of my parents were [Jewish] refugees from Eastern Europe,” Weisz tells People magazine. “My mom, she got out of Austria, the first country to fall to Hitler, in 1939.” Her father, George Weisz, left Hungary just before the Nazi occupation, moving to London to pursue his work as an inventor. “My father invented thousands of things—a metal detector which clears a safety path for land mines, an artificial respirator, [and] a milking machine so humans needn’t milk cows by hand,” Weisz told the New York Post. “I am very proud of him.” Her parents’ history and legacy has influenced her own desire to give back. After her Oscar-winning performance, she helped set up–– along with Ralph Fiennes, director Fernando Meirelles, and author John le Carré­­––the Constant Gardener Trust, which benefits the impoverished areas of Kenya where they filmed. And she wants her charitable work to provide an example for her own son. “Kids watch their parents closely,” she tells the Evening Standard. “Hopefully they grow up in a culture of caring about others, and it will be up to them to decide what they want to do, but hopefully it will rub off on them.”

Source: focusfeatures.com

[bscene]

Hip Harmony in Hollywood

With the fluidity and grace of a ballerina, Noevia Lopez has tip-toed through a life-time of epilepsy and a series of major hip-surgeries to accomplish her dreams as a dancer, stage performer, television personality and Pilate instructor.

Born in Havana, Cuba fifty-six years ago, Noevia has lived in the United States since the age of three when her family moved to New York (she’s resided in South Florida since 1985).

While diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of five, that debilitating condition never stopped the lithe lovely from pursuing her dreams of dancing at the highest levels.

Noevia counts the Neubert Ballet Company at Carnegie Hall, The American Ballet Theatre, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, stints with magician Doug Henning and fitness fashion maven Gilda Marx as a few highlights of a lifetime resume of excellence and aplomb.

“While I was trained in classical ballet, I always drifted towards the Broadway style of dance.”

After conquering the Big Apple, Noevia arrived in SoFlo chock-full of talent, expertise and credo.

“I’d been a long-time student and advocate of Joseph Pilates’ Contrology, long before it became a fad and craze. And so when I moved to Miami I quickly caught on as an instructor with Body Mystique studios.”

They say timing is everything and in the case of Noevia it couldn’t ring more true. Within 3-months of her move Channel 23/Telemundo came calling. Apparently, the station was interested in starting an aerobics show. They approached the powers that be at Body Mystique seeking an experienced, bi-lingual host and Noevia fit the bill.

“I auditioned and got the part. My show, En Forma Con Noevia ran for two-years!”

The station was eventually bought out by Hallmark and the new regime wanted to move in a new direction and so Noevia moved on, opening her own studio.

The show-biz bug still tugged, however, and two years later Noevia auditioned and was hired as lead dancer for a cruise ship entertainment review.

Three years later, however, Noevia found herself in love and soon after pregnant with her son-to-be Savion.

“From that point forward motherhood took center stage,” Noevia says with pride. “I embraced motherhood with the passion I’d only known through artistic expression.” (editors note: Savion is currently Noevia’s marketing manager. Noevia is currently married to Jesse Wilson).

In 2009 Noevia opened her first Hollywood endeavor, a Pilate Studio on Polk Street.

To say Noevia is hip is an understatement—she’s so hip that she’s had no less than five hip surgeries and even a replacement in 2017. Yet she continues to teach and dance and exercise in myriad disciplines. 

In her words: “At Pilates N Harmony we believe the first principal of class is concentration. We seek to bring you to a calm, relaxed and meditative mind. From there you will develop the highest level of concentration, free of inhibitions and insecurities you will be able to work on self. Our instruction is imaginative, motivating and supportive. Our environment is designed to be a tranquil and safe place to feel free and uninhibited.”

Pilates N Harmony is located at 2028 Harrison Street, Suite 208 in Hollywood. You can call for membership (954 921.2214), or log on to her website: pilatesnharmony.com

[theteenagetrickster]

75 Best Hip-Hop and R&B Albums of 2019, Ranked

For the final time of 2019, we’ll see you in the comments.

Before you begin scrolling through our list of the 75 best hip-hop and R&B albums of 2019, likely without reading any of the words we affixed to many of them, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page.

The eligibility period for this list is December 24, 2018, through December 9, 2019.

If an artist and/or their record label labeled a project as an “EP,” it was disqualified. We are publishing that list on Friday.

Our entire editorial team determined the selections (and the order of the albums listed). Please don’t send Donna your nasty emails.

No, we’re not on the payroll of “Insert Popular Artist Here.” But, we’d love an investment. Have them email Z.

This list is our list—not yours. We don’t expect, nor do we want, you to agree with every album selection or our ordering; we do want you to discover a few great albums you probably missed throughout the past 12 months and press play.

Great, let’s begin. Happy Holidays.

75. Radamiz — Nothing Changes If Nothing Changes

“Lately been accepting my mortality, nobody ever told you that your parents goin’ to get older, too,” Radamiz raps on “Shadowboxing,” the intro to his perfectly-titled sophomore album, Nothing Changes If Nothing Changes. It’s one of many lines that will jump out upon every revisit. Radamiz is a rapper who breathes universal truths, who candidly speaks of being a passion-driven and dreaming-chasing millennial fighting against the odds and the clock. Nothing Changes If Nothing Changes is East Coast hip-hop from a student of the game, who gives an honest portrait of his life with fiery rhymes, and head-nodding production that solidifies Radamiz as one of the best new rappers coming from New York. —Yoh

74. Wale — Wow… That’s Crazy

73. Lil Peep — Everybody's Everything

72. MIKE — Tears of Joy

71. Deem Spencer — Pretty face

70. Yung Baby Tate — GIRLS

Do not forget Yung Baby Tate. On the list of newcomers who released projects in 2019 that put on display their world-conquering star power, Yung Baby Tate shines. GIRLS, Tate’s independent debut, is vividly painted with shades of luscious vocals, radio-ready songwriting, and bright-colored, post-Nicki Minaj lyricism. You’ll remember Tate as the charming, Atlanta-born songstress who rapped, sung, wrote, and self-produced all 15 tracks. Tate is every woman, but also every artist, a living compilation of styles and genres. While GIRLS may be her first full-length offering, the album successfully represents her wide-ranging talents, and why Yung Baby Tate is on the road to a takeover. —Yoh

69. Baby Keem — DFMB

68. Medhane — Own Pace

67. YG — 4REAL 4REAL

66. Kaina — Next to the Sun

65. 03 Greedo & Kenny Beats — Netflix & Deal

Ever wonder what a Netflix binging session with your favorite rapper and producer would be like? 03 Greedo and Kenny Beats’ collaborative debut is the closest you’ll get this year. There’s no underlying concept about cinema’s relationship to rap or trying to create a #cinematic experience; Greedo raps about movies he used to watch in his trap house over a sampling of Kenny’s eclectic beats. Netflix & Deal is as brisk and exciting as any John Wick movie. You know bodies will be caught, but the thrill comes from seeing how they will top themselves this time. Movie magic. —Dylan "CineMasai" Green

64. Big K.R.I.T. — K.R.I.T. Iz Here

63. Roddy Ricch — Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial

62. Dreamville — Revenge of The Dreamers III

61. Wiki — OOFIE

60. Malibu Ken — Malibu Ken

Aesop Rock deserves to have a little fun. Teaming up with producer TOBACCO for , he puts his extensive vocabulary to use, describing plants dying from neglect on tour and the inner workings of Bob Ross paintings. TOBACCO’s woozy pre-tech synths whir and click at the speed of rap, matching Rock’s saturated yellows with nauseating greens. Malibu Ken is colorful, silly, and more than just a little morbid, a perfect slice of Magic Eye playtime handspun by two of alt-rap’s most endearing weirdos. —Dylan "CineMasai" Green

59. Summer Walker — Over It

58. Jack Harlow — Confetti

57. Jhay Cortez — Famouz

56. Young Dolph & Key Glock — Dum and Dummer

55. Grip — Snubnose 

Snubnose, the sophomore project by Atlanta rapper Grip, is a sneaky album. The kind of independent release that sounds major from a newcomer who could be confused as a young veteran. Where there should be kinks, Snubnose appears polished; where most artists fall into a mimicry of trends, Grip leans into original storytelling. He makes 13-tracks about gun violence feel like you’re watching a violent Quentin Tarantino film, with far-less n-words. Meticulous in form, riveting in execution, Snubnose is one rap album that you won’t forget. One of the best surprises of 2019. —Yoh

54. Roc Marciano — Marcielago

53. Young Nudy & Pi'erre Bourne — Sli'merre

52. SiR — Chasing Summer

51. Kano — Hoodies All Summer

50. YBN Cordae — The Lost Boy

YBN Cordae remembers what albums sounded like during the blog era. When Kendrick Lamar made Section.80; when J. Cole made Friday Night Lights; when Chance the Rapper made Acid Rap. Cordae channels that timeframe into , his debut album on Atlantic Records. The North Carolina-born, Maryland-raised rapper weaves through a coming-of-age story with thoughtful self-reflection, pointed storytelling, and soulful nostalgia. It’s a charming, major-label effort by a developing and youthful rapper with an open, old soul. Cordae still lacks a defining identity, but at the very least, The Lost Boy proves he knows how to tell a compelling story. —Yoh

49. Flying Lotus — Flamagra

48. Injury Reserve — Injury Reserve

47. Kevin Abstract — Arizona Baby

46. SAINt JHN — Ghetto Lenny’s Love Songs

45. Griselda — WWCD

Griselda’s debut album, WWCD, does not feel like a traditional debut. The record is wider in scope and sharper in presentation. Between the ferocity of Benny The Butcher, the ear of Westside Gunn, and the mighty snarl of Conway The Machine, Griselda are Buffalo, NY’s unstoppable force. As a group, Griselda have little to prove. Alone and together, the trio have gotten cosigns from some of hip-hop’s greatest writers: Black Thought, Pusha-T, and Raekwon. Respect given is respect earned and studied, in the case of Griselda. Bar for bar, WWCD is the essence of New York street rap for the modern era.—Donna-Claire Chesman

44. Maxo Kream — Brandon Banks

43. Kemba — Gilda

42. Mereba — The Jungle Is The Only Way Out

41. Baby Rose — To Myself

40. Lucky Daye — Painted

Given this was his debut record, Lucky Daye could've played it safe. As anyone who's heard "Roll Some Mo"—Painted's lead single and Lucky's breakout hit—knows, there's a wrenching tenderness to his voice that fits like a glove atop stripped-back production. The risk he took to pepper his album with funkier pop cuts, then, is not one every artist would have taken. Fortunately, Lucky rises to the challenge, proving himself a dynamic enough artist to erase this risk altogether. Plus, when he breaks out those vocals, they're all the more affecting because they've been used sparingly.—Hershal Pandya

39. KOTA The Friend — FOTO

No album warrants a tracklist of 19 songs. Yet, in crafting a worthy spiritual successor to the Rawkus Records era of music that many fondly romanticize, KOTA The Friend comes as close as humanly possible to justifying this run-time on FOTO. The album personifies the term “easy-listening,” maintaining a consistent mood throughout between KOTA’s strikingly unaffected delivery and the delicate, jazzy production on which he raps. No slouch on the mic, KOTA possesses a rare gift for situating bravado alongside vulnerability. He conjures favorable similarities to Phonte at his best, but not so much that FOTO ever suffers for these comparisons. —Hershal Pandya

38. Future — Future Hndrxx Presents: The WIZRD

Women, wealth, and worries are the three Ws found pulsing through the veins of Future’s seventh studio album, . Lyrically, there’s nothing new under WZRD’s promethazine sun, but the magic is in his ability to resurrect old muses as revamped concepts. Future hasn’t radically changed over the years, but here the presentation is altered. WZRD is another installment of melodic confessing, hypnotic anthems, and oil-black trap production that carries the infectious torch passed down from its predecessors. Still, it stands alone as a fresh glimpse into Future’s rockstar world. —Yoh

37. Quelle Chris — Guns

Quelle Chris is self-aware enough to know that everything in this life—emotions, money, ourselves—is weaponized. His sixth studio album Guns isn’t about physical violence as much as it’s a deconstruction of the actions we take in a world slowly devouring itself. Quelle travels the roads of Trump’s America with a twisted sense of humor and animated beats as his only sidearms, jumping between characters, ideas, and planes of existence as only he can. Guns is a polemic on reality itself, a reminder that no weapon formed against a sharp mind shall prosper. —Dylan "CineMasai" Green

36. Toro y Moi — Outer Peace

What good is inner peace when the outer world is falling apart? Toro y Moi’s Outer Peace combines a sleek disco sheen with contemporary rap cadences to bring pep to an increasingly passive-aggressive world. The housing market has crashed (“New House”), and sex barely sells like it used to (“Ordinary Pleasure”), but at least James Murphy is spinning records at his house tonight (“Laws of The Universe”). That cynical sense of humor alone will keep your toe tapping throughout Outer Peace, that is,if the gorgeous grooves and crushing low-end don’t. —Dylan "CineMasai" Green

35. James Blake — Assume Form

The most accessible of his projects to date, is a triumphant release that marks the evolution of James Blake’s artistry, as he matures past the reductive “sad boy” label he’s famously lamented. An unapologetically romantic album, Blake sheds the claustrophobic production of his previous output in favor of shimmering compositions, genuine hooks, and winning collaborations with the likes of André 3000 and Rosalia. Retaining his lyrical flair, Blake punctuates the album with quintessential lines, like “let's go home and talk shit about everyone,” that reminds you of the artist who first grabbed your attention years ago. —Hershal Pandya

34. Bad Bunny — X 100PRE

I’m in love with the way Bad Bunny says his name. I’m a sucker for a good self-reference, but I’m even more of a sucker for the way Bad Bunny bets on his longevity. With that, X 100PRE, Bunny’s debut album, is about being everlasting in a microwaved music industry. The record covers all adjacent hip-hop genres—which, at this point, means all genres—from pop-punk to trap, to lighter fare, and ballads with fine attention to getting our hips moving. You hear Bad Bunny, and you dance; you sing your heart out; you weep, and you celebrate. In one record, Bad Bunny captured every mode of human living. —Donna-Claire Chesman

33. Kyle Dion — SUGA

There are no words to explain Kyle Dion’s amazing, stunning, arresting, becoming, disarming, endearing, charming, affirming, enchanting, beguiling, mollifying, soothing, blaring, encouraging, surprising, yearning, pining, astounding, breathtaking, stupefying, thrilling, outstanding, exciting, exhilarating, electrifying, intoxicating, moving vocal tone on SUGA. Just press play. —Donna-Claire Chesman

32. Kehlani — While We Wait

While We Wait isn’t the full entrée, it’s just the appetizer. While waiting on the full-length follow-up to 2017’s SweetSexySavage, Kehlani treated fans to a taste of where she’s heading next. Kehlani bares her soul as staunchly as she always has to provide an unfiltered look into her state of mind. On While We Wait, she’s equal parts vulnerable and commanding, struggling to move on from a complicated relationship on “Too Deep” before confidently telling off an old lover on “Nunya.” With a diverse complement of beats, storylines, and moods, there’s plenty to enjoy on this small project. —Kenan Draughorne

31. 2 Chainz — Rap or Go to the League

Twenty-three years after the late, great Notorious B.I.G. rapped, “Either you’re slinging crack rock, or you got a wicked jump shot,” Atlanta hip-hop veteran 2 Chainz stands as an example of a man who had the jump shot and sold the drugs but ultimately chose rap as his escape route from poverty. His fifth studio album, Rap or Go to the League, is an opulent celebration inspired by the city that raised him and the odds he’s overcome. Rap or go to the League is a grown man still progressing as an artist, finding his most introspective voice. —Yoh

30. slowthai — Nothing Great About Britain

An agile storyteller, Northampton’s slowthai expertly mixes elements of UK grime and drill while unpacking the micro and macro of his British upbringing. Carrying no pretensions and seamlessly style-shifting across genres with his frenetic cadence, the singular rapper makes you move and listen simultaneously. In a year that has seen British rap dominate—from DAVE and Little Simz to Skepta and Octavian—slowthai’s versatility and poignant messaging set him apart. He’s funny while commanding attention, hilariously painting stark portraits of British classism, racism, and abuse in an ultimately gripping and focused fashion. —Zach Miller

29. Maxo — LIL BIG MAN

Maxo makes growing up sound incisive and blaring. This album takes place in the crevices of the torment of maturing. is a dusty reclamation of voice, relying on traditional boom bap structures and methodical writing to deliver a solemnly eviscerating experience. The wisdom baked into LIL BIG MAN will at once inspire, surprise, and soothe you. Maxo is Def Jam’s best-kept secret, but not for much longer. —Donna-Claire Chesman

28. Lizzo — Cuz I Love You

Equal parts bold, sexy, and witty, is a commanding listen that features Lizzo at her best. Harnessing her confident mic presence and ear for massive hooks, Lizzo creates a genuinely urgent body of work. A showcase for her eclectic sensibilities, the album jumps effortlessly between the eponymous opener, which recalls the work of The Alabama Shakes, to the infectious pop stylings of “Juice,” without missing a beat. It’s a shame Lizzo infamously fixated on one mixed review because overwhelmingly, the universal response to Cuz I Love You was justifiably glowing. —Hershal Pandya

27. Anderson .Paak — Ventura

A throwback to the beloved soul music of the ’70s, is a return to form for Anderson .Paak after the mixed bag that was . The key takeaway here is Anderson .Paak is fine when he raps, but he is special when he sings. Whether via the glorious, Smokey Robinson-assisted cut, “Make It Better,” or the disarmingly danceable, “Twilight,” Ventura is a breathing testament to this takeaway. The album offers lush canvasses to showcase the stunningly silky tone of .Paak’s voice. Add to this a transcendent André 3000 guest verse, and the case for Ventura becomes undeniable. —Hershal Pandya

26. GoldLink — Diaspora

Subtlety isn’t a characteristic that listeners often encounter on a major label album; the machine believes in a straight line product that doesn’t require further explanation. That’s not GoldLink. The Maryland native is a master of music woven to unveil slowly. With , his RCA “debut,” Link has created his most subtle, yet replayable work of art. Thanks to production warm as spring, Diaspora is a splash of Utopian sunshine, yet in the shadows of his lyrics, the 26-year-old is adding his mysterious life to the lexicon of Black music. It’s the mystery that endures, not the explanation, and GoldLink shapes Diaspora to be an album that lasts. —Yoh

25. Solange — When I Get Home

Solange’s take on Houston hip-hop belongs in a museum. She treats her hometown’s “chopped and screwed” traditions with elevated care throughout When I Get Home, placing it on a golden pedestal to be admired and revered. Dispersing interludes at every turn in the form of fragmented conversations and poems, she creates a linear journey that eternally builds upon itself. When “Almeda” parades into the spotlight with strutting kicks and whooping vocals, it’s impossible not to stand and salute Solange. —Kenan Draughorne

24. Rico Nasty & Kenny Beats — Anger Management

Kenny! Rico! Together! A match perfectly made, is a brisk concept album that captures all the stages of a temper tantrum and boasts some of Rico’s best work (“Big Titties”), and highlights the duo’s impeccable chemistry. Rico made this album from the heat of anger and the thrill of the up-and-down. She imparts boundless energy unto every cut. Kenny’s production is from another plane where music is warped and only made on acid. Their collective thump and vigor make Anger Management the pump-up album of every summer. —Donna-Claire Chesman

23. billy woods — Terror Management

You can’t eat books. You can’t rest easy at night. You can’t trust those closest to you. These are the lessons of billy woods’ second album of 2019, Terror Management. A show of strength from woods, who is writing through the apocalypse, Terror Management feels like being led down a series of jagged alleyways by a dishonest narrator. A narrator who is mistrustful in their own right. The album is knotty and internal. The album is wounded and beside itself. At times, Terror Management serenades fear. Sometimes, it merely quakes in place. Sometimes, woods cracks a joke. Most importantly, Terror Management is fucking good, man. Fucking. Good. —Donna-Claire Chesman

22. Ari Lennox — Shea Butter Baby

Ari Lennox blessed my new apartment during our interview; her soul is kind, and her music is knowing. Her musings on the failures of modern dating sound scrumptious with her silky vocal texture. The beauty of Shea Butter Baby is in the way Ari captures minutiae and makes it sound regal. She does not pull from the abstract, and it’s the rootedness of her art, the humble quality of the content, that makes the album such a triumph. Ari’s professing that this record is for Black women, too, is triumphant. The beauty and love of community permeate the work. —Donna-Claire Chesman

21. Polo G — Die A Legend 

Polo G isn’t waiting to receive his flowers. At just 20 years old, the Chicago rapper’s debut album, Die A Legend,reads like a breathless statement of purpose. Life has taken too much from the rapper, born Taurus Bartlett, for him to quit now. Across the album’s 14 tracks, scars created by loved ones lost (“Deep Wounds”) and a corrupt police system (“BST”) compel his meticulous croons. Even a banger like “Pop Out” mixes the spoils of victory and pained reflection with dizzying ease. Die A Legend maintains this balance throughout, finding energy in the melancholic. —Dylan "CineMasai" Green

20. Snoh Aalegra — -ugh, those feels again

Often, you'll listen to a modern R&B record, and sandwiched between trap concessions and crossover attempts, will be a bare and emotive track that'll make you wonder, “why isn’t this the album?” On , Snoh Aalegra took this approach and ran with it, constructing an album composed entirely of these deep-cuts. The effect is 14 organic songs, across which Aalegra shows remarkable restraint. Though her vocals are as lush as the production, she's careful never to over-sing or push for the emotion. As she acknowledges via the album's title, the "feels" are more of an inevitability than anything else. —Hershal Pandya

19. DaBaby — Baby On Baby

DaBaby’s Baby On Baby is 32 minutes of exhilarating trap sermons. He builds the church of Baby On Baby upon confidence pure as cocaine, a charisma so contagious it could charm the Halliwell sisters. The lively, dynamic production perfectly fits his distinctive, Southern rap voice. There are few holes to be found in DaBaby’s artistic armor; it’s refreshing to hear a new artist sound so developed. Baby On Baby is one of the most replayable albums of the year, and at this rate, we will remember 2019 as the year that DaBaby broke out and began his hip-hop takeover. —Yoh

18. Burna Boy — African Giant

With African Giant, international Nigerian superstar Burna Boy created more than a masterpiece. He created a social statement and global experience. Burna paints a spiritual picture, one that is uniquely his own, yet still feels like it belongs to all of us. African Giant is undeniably Naija, dipped in history and Yoruba dialect, leaping over language and cultural barriers. Burna’s lyrics are poignant, coasting over production charged with Afrofusion anthems, dancehall riddims, and hymns. The 19-track album is not just a vibe; it’s a victory. —Ronnia Cherry

17. Boogie — Everythings For Sale

On , Boogie accomplishes the rare feat of making an intensely personal album that is simultaneously self-aware and suitably mature enough to avoid veering into the trap of solipsism. A distinctly West Coast album that borrows influences from the Midwest, Boogie brings the specificity of his lyricism to life with pretty production, alliteration-heavy flows, and an effortless knack for melody. All of these come together to create a surprisingly pleasant listening experience, despite the album’s undeniably dense subject matter. —Hershal Pandya

16. Little Brother — May The Lord Watch

That North Carolina duo Little Brother’s exists is a blessing. It was unclear if we’d ever see Little Brother—currently comprised of rappers Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh—on a record together again, but they pulled it off. On their fifth album, they sound like they’re happy to be together again. Phonte and Pooh appear rejuvenated, modernizing The Minstrel Show’saestheticwhile still dropping jewels that rap fans of any age will find relatable. The beats shimmer, and the rhymes are funny and poignant. Let’s be thankful that UBN’s hiatus was only temporary. —Dylan "CineMasai" Green

15. EarthGang — Mirrorland

EarthGang’s Dreamville debut, , doesn’t stop moving. The motion of each song is exuberant and dynamic, a result of multi-flavored carnival production paired with WowGr8 and Olu’s animated storytelling. How the creative West Atlanta duo stretch and morph their voices to match a variety of styles and sounds make for an exhilarating debut album. It’s a Crayola box wrapped in dynamite. Mirrorland explodes from start to finish. —Yoh

14. Rapsody — Eve

Rapsody’s life music has evolved. Where 2017’s saw Rap focusing inward and weaving a gorgeous tapestry of the Black woman’s experience, features Rap looking outward in all directions. With her most enlivened performances to date, Rapsody honors the Black women who came before her, all to the point of creating opportunities for the Black women who will come after her to take up space. As an album, Eve is lively and emboldened. As a mission statement, Eve is admirable. Rapsody’s deep love of history and Blackness make this the most excitable album in her deep catalog. —Donna-Claire Chesman

13. Beyoncé — HOMECOMING: THE LIVE ALBUM

I remember falling in love when I first saw the HOMECOMING: THE LIVE ALBUM during a live screening of Coachella. Beyoncé has always been a great performer, but this album is more than just a performance. HOMECOMING: THE LIVE ALBUM pays homage to the Black artists that came before Beyoncé, it acknowledges how her Blackness has shaped her, and how she has shaped her Blackness. When she decided to share this moment of brilliance with the world, there was one word that came to mind: thankful. HOMECOMING is a replica of Beyoncé’s Coachella performance. It doesn’t just take us back to the moment; it fully placed us in it, as if we were there with her witnessing her at her peak. —Simi Moonlight

12. Danny Brown — uknowhatimsayin¿

Even at its darkest, Danny Brown’s music is bunches of fun. He gets immense joy from rhyming words together over the weirdest beats he can find. His traditionalist methods and gonzo music preferences meet halfway like never before on his fifth studio album The conceptual bombast of previous projects is thrown out the studio windows for thoughtful raps over zany beats. Executive produced by Q-Tip, the project is loose and punchy, chock full of vignettes as suitable for an open-mic standup set as they are for a rap album. At 38 years old, Danny has little left to prove. uknowhatimsayin¿ makes every word count. —Dylan "CineMasai" Green

11. Megan Thee Stallion — Fever

The rise of Megan Thee Stallion is a blessing to witness. With her formal 300 Entertainment debut, the “1501 Queen” establishes herself as one of the most charismatic forthright rappers working. Her energy is explosive. Her writing is bombastic. Her deliveries are bursting with conviction and swagger. Megan Thee Mack is unchained and unstoppable on , a celebration of her Houston roots and flair for spending another man’s coin. Megan is a dominant force in hip-hop, and considering the sheer strength of Fever, she does not seem to be slowing down. —Donna-Claire Chesman

10. Young Thug — So Much Fun

is a safer work than some of Young Thug’s more elastic, head-spinning offerings. Across 18 songs, the long-awaited debut uses shoulder-shaking trap rhythms and ear-candy melodies to deliver his most accessible work since Rich Gang’s 2014 mixtape, Rich Gang: Tha Tour Pt. 1. It’s still Thug, though. He provides humor and hits, thrilling bravado, and infectious style, all while being the original nucleus that inspires many of his contemporaries today. So Much Fun is the commercial oeuvre for an artist who was always a star but never shined in the mainstream. —Yoh

9. FKA twigs — MAGDALENE

Heartbreak can be oddly beautiful. Rarely do people experience the depths of human emotion as fiercely as when they’re cocooned in its all-consuming agony. If this sounds at all like bad teenage poetry, trust me when I say FKA twigs mines this territory much more gracefully on her transcendent sophomore album, MAGDALENE. Listening to her sing tortured lyrics like, “Were you ever sure? No, no, no, not with me” in her painfully pretty falsetto, it’s hard not to luxuriate in her—and, by extension, your—palpable anguish. Musically, the album conveys the same message more viscerally. It envelops you in asphyxiating production, delivering pockets of euphoric catharsis in the form of cinematic instrumental flourishes and twigs’ gorgeous, boundless vocals. —Hershal Pandya

8. MAVI — Let the Sun Talk

MAVI wants us to understand him on his terms. At just 20 years old, the Charlotte, North Carolina native is capable of bending words to his will, a Sorcerer Supreme in the making coming to grips with his Infinity Stone. On his debut album, , MAVI’s words exist on the borders of Black thought, spirituality, and raw honesty; they are puzzles revealing different configurations with every listen. If you know, you know, and if you don’t, MAVI’s technical skill and ear for beats are enough to pull in weary travelers. —Dylan "CineMasai" Green

7. billy woods & Kenny Segal — Hiding Places

billy woods and Kenny Segal are not scared; they are not in hiding. Instead, they are affecting wordsmith and mad scientist banding together to traverse the depths of retread emotions. A record concerned with the past and what it means for an emotional space to become hollow, will challenge and reward you in the same turn. Kenny Segal’s production is quietly cacophonous and cloudy, while woods presents his most direct and open writing to date. The pair belongs together. —Donna-Claire Chesman

6. Denzel Curry — ZUU

Denzel Curry is proof you can always go home. His latest album, ZUU, is a testament to home as the ultimate battery charger. Curry sheds the conceptual bombast of his last album, TA13OO, in favor of a non-stop thrill ride through the streets of his native Carol City, Florida. The sun-drenched comforts and drawbacks of home, along with clanging production from longtime collaborators FnZ, help him paint some of the most vivid images of his career. These are top-down bangers baked in the 98-degree sun. With ZUU, Denzel Curry found freedom in his backyard. —Dylan "CineMasai" Green

5. Little Simz — GREY Area

Little Simz wants you to stop fucking with her heart. She says as much two tracks into , her boldly cathartic third studio album. At 25, Simz is approaching the threshold of adulthood with more questions than answers, armed with bars that cut to the bone. She’s been one of the UK’s best rappers for years, but her songs have never been so focused, the beats—cooked up by longtime producer Inflo—never so varied and explosive. GREY Area is her masterwork, a panoramic view of a future star fighting back a quarter-life crisis. —Dylan "CineMasai" Green

4. Dave — Psychodrama

Plenty of reviews have regarded Dave’s as an album of a generation, a landmark of UK hip-hop, and we have to agree. Dave burrows into the depths of his psyche, and bravely reports his findings in an accessible and banging format. He makes the intimate aggressive and touching all at once. Psychodrama reveals Dave to be a master writer and rapper, an artist’s artist, and an artist to watch for years to come. —Donna-Claire Chesman

3. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib — Bandana

Good rap sequels are hard to come by. Thankfully, Freddie Gibbs and Madlib aren’t your average rapper-producer duo. Their debut album, 2014’s , recontextualized their respective sounds while cross-pollinating with each other’s audiences. This year’s is more holistic in form, its creators in sync for the first time. Their camaraderie strengthens Gibbs’ elastic flows (“Situations”) and storytelling (“Fake Names”) as much as it pushes Madlib to embellish his trademark samples with trap hi-hats (“Half Manne Half Cocaine”) and crisp kick drums (“Gat Damn”). Trust and freedom embolden this latest chapter in the MadGibbs Cinematic Universe. —Dylan "CineMasai" Green

2. Jamila Woods — Legacy! Legacy!

Jamila Woods makes eternal music. Her runs, her inflections, and her writing are all meant to stand the test of time. On Legacy! Legacy!,Jamila performs a time-bending act, bringing her literary heroes back to life and keeping them squarely in our thoughts as she carries their poetics into her classic album. Legacy!’s success is rooted in a fullness of life and self-love. There is so much agony in the world, but there is still so much love to share. Jamila Woods is in the business of spreading love. Plus, the record also doubles as a great reading list. —Donna-Claire Chesman

1. Tyler, the Creator — IGOR

was a new dawn for Tyler, The Creator. A heartbroken and deluxe dawn. A funky and riveting one. IGOR covered the whole spectrum of heartache. From urgency and helplessness to naming, to pining, to grieving, to coming into yourself. Every step of nursing our lost souls was found on IGOR. The operative question of this epic album is: Who do we become when the rug is pulled out from under us, and our hearts break? The answer is multiple, and each thread of reply makes up the fabric of IGOR. We became angry. We become obsessive. We become deranged. We become desperate, at first for the past, and finally, for peace.

We’ve lived with IGOR for seven months. In those seven months, new meanings have continued to reveal themselves as the album gets uninterrupted play. I heard IGOR at a taco spot in Philly. I hear IGOR in my sleep. The ubiquity of its themes makes it an easy record to latch onto, sure. But the sparkle of its static, the grandiosity of its arrangement, and the needling melodies and vocal performances make IGOR a sonic marvel, too. Let’s also not forget this album is a queer triumph.

IGOR is the album of the year because it was the most ambitious and wrenching record of 2019. IGOR is an album you hold tight and play deep into the night and then play again when the sun comes up, and your eyes are crusted. It’s the album you remember during your last fight, and the album you play when you’ve achieved apathy in the face of pain. It’s the album for when you care too much, and for when you sincerely hope they’re happy. IGOR is as spectacular as the heartbreak itself.

In a world committed to making us all feel like tiny performers on tiny stages, dancing for imaginary currency, IGOR expands our universes. Suddenly, our every move feels precious, purposeful. Our feelings become valid; our hopes and dreams become imperative. Who we are is imperative. Tyler may be wearing a pressed suit and wig, but he is unmasked. Thanks to IGOR, we follow suit.—Donna-Claire Chesman

This content was originally published here.