Written by: Oliver Heffron
While only one artist is listed on the cover, making a great hip-hop album takes a village. Cultivating a dynamic environment for your voice to exist is an increasingly important talent. An essential aspect of what rises to the top in the genre's saturated landscape is effective beat selection and innovative production.
Here are ten hip-hop albums from 2022 with incredible, world-building production:
Freddie Gibbs – $ouls $old $eparately
While his collaborations with Madlib and The Alchemist have proved Freddie Gibbs as a once-in-a-generation talent, a significant weakness in his discography is his beat selection on past solo projects. However, $ouls $old $eparately proved his ability to craft a dynamic instrumental tracklist with a compelling theme.
The project weaves soul samples, layers of melody, diverse percussion, and comedic interludes to build Gibbs' own Hotel California: The $$$ ("Triple-S") Resort and Casino, a fictional Vegas with plenty of drinks, drugs, and celebrities.
Highlights include: "Couldn't Be Done" (with Kelly Price) [Prod. by Swoope & Super Miles], "Zipper Bagz" (Prod. by Kaytranada), "PYS" (Prod. by DJ Paul), and "Dark Hearted" (Prod. by James Blake).
Larry June & Jay Worthy – 2 P'z in a Pod
Bay Area MC Larry June teamed up with Jay Worthy to create a lavish and relaxing experience with 2 P'z in a Pod, mainly due to its extravagant instrumentals produced exclusively by Sean House (who forms LNDN DRGS with Worthy). The tracklist showcases exceptional crate digging, stitching together beautiful loops that perfectly reflect the duo's back-and-forth luxury raps. It's the perfect album to play on a picturesque drive, preferably on the way to Sausalito.
Highlights include: "Vanilla Cream," Maybe the Next Time" (feat. Roc Marciano), "Hotel Bel-Air" and "Late Nights (feat. Jim Jones)."
Little Simz – NO THANK YOU
British MC Little Simz and producer Inflo deeper their dynamic synchronicity on new album NO THANK YOU, following up the roaring success of Sometimes I Might Be Introverted with a careful orchestration of crisp boom-bap percussions blending elements of gospel, funk, soul, and electronic music into one atmospheric sound. The production elephants Simz’s lyrical power by presenting a grand, Cathedral-like stage where her masterful rhymes take center stage.
Reflecting the content of Little Simz’s descriptions of the isolating, soul-surrendering aspects of success and fame, Inflo’s accompaniment presents a lavish scene of musical luxury that retains a core of spiritual longing. Utilizing inventive arrangements of choir vocals and swelling orchestration, the production builds an ethereal atmosphere of melancholy and spirituality.
Highlights Include: “Angel,” “Gorilla,” “Silhouette,” and “Heart on Fire,” all produced by Inflo.
Metro Boomin – Heroes & Villains
Metro Boomin delivers an Atlanta Trap Classic on Heroes & Villains, teaming up with a star-studded roster of artists who've also uplifted the genre with carefully placed features from artists like Young Thug, 21 Savage, Travis Scott, and Future.
Combining top-tier trap production with a cinematic atmosphere, Heros & Villains shows Boomin' still at the peak of his producing powers, ready to remind everyone of his pivotal role in Atlanta's rise to hip-hop dominance.
Highlights include: "Superhero (Heroes & Villains) [feat. Future & Chris Brown]," "Creepin (feat. The Weeknd & 21 Savage)," "Umbrella (feat. 21 Savage & Young Nudy)," and "Metro Spider (feat. Young Thug)."
Gunna – DS4EVER
Gunna's best quality is how his vocals enmesh themselves and accentuate a good beat. DS4EVER sees that power at its peak as the Atlanta crooner slides effortlessly into the project's fabric of airy, intoxicating, and melodic trap instrumentals.
Gunna found his own unique space on DS4, displaying a talent for finding melodies that fit its accompaniment like a glove even when it dipped outside the trap genre. The project combines pop melodies, acoustic guitar and pianos, and futuristic trap percussion within a spacey mix that makes the beats feel as high as a plane.
Highlights include: "private island (Prod. by Wheezy & Rex Kudo)," "thought i was playing (feat. 21 Savage) [Prod. by Mike Will Made It, Shawn Ferrari, & iWeirdo]," "livin wild (Prod. by Turbo & McNab)," and so far ahead > empire (Prod. by Turbo, Taurus, Charlie Handsome, & Bak)."
Smino – Luv 4 Rent
On his third album, Luv 4 Rent, Smino delivers his unique combination of soulful rap and futuristic funk in final form. Handled mainly by longtime collaborator Monte Booker, with additional production from Phoelix, Groove, Kal Banx, Childish Major, and more, the LP's production orchestrates a groovy neo-soul/alt-hip-hop party that never stops.
The album retains the distinct core of Smino and Monte Booker's past projects while incorporating more sampling and features than before, helping the St. Louis MC produce his best project to date.
Highlights include "No L's" (Prod. by Kal Banx), "90 Proof" (with J. Cole) [Prod. by Groove & Monte Booker], "Modennaminute" (with Lucky Daye & Phoelix) [Monte Booker & Phoelix], and "Pudgy" (featuring Lil Uzi Vert) [Prod by Chi Chi, Childish Major, Daoud, & Beat Butcha].
Yeat – 2 Alivë
Like a hoard of suit-donning teenagers invading a movie theater, Yeat took the rap game by storm this year, primarily because of his ability to flow over incredibly high energy, synthetic rage trap beats. 2 Alivë sees the perfection of the sound Yeat's been building, delivering a stellar 12 track album that immerses the listener in a high energy, psychedelic fit of euphoric rage with its innovative trap production.
Over ear-crunching synthesizers, mystical flute melodies, and an array of pulsating 808 grooves, Yeat's vocals are masterfully mixed and modulated to sound effortless yet perfect. His seamless flow anchors the tracks alongside the baseline, never falling into the background but always finding the right pocket in the beat.
Highlights include: "Poppin'" (Prod. by BenjiCold], "Jus Bëtter" (Prod. by Dream Awake & Lil Flexer), "On tha Linë" (Prod. by Hue & Dream Awake), and "Rackz got më" (feat. Gunna) [Prod. by Trgc & Takado].
Pusha T – It's Almost Dry
After grinding for two decades on his unique combination of visceral coke raps and boundary-pushing production, Pusha T found the perfect formula on It's Almost Dry. Expanding on the rich musical palette of his last LP, DAYTONA, It's Almost Dry's production surrounds Pusha's salient imagery with lurking menace and exhilarating beauty. As a result, it's the most dynamic and colorful project in the legendary Virginia Beach MC's catalog.
The album mixes patented angelic chipmunk soul samples with rapturous, experimental grooves from longtime Clipse collaborator Pharrell Williams and possibly the final meaningful musical contribution in Kanye West's ill-fated career. The combination produces an ominous, surreal, and biblical canvas for Pusha to paint his cocaine illustrations. As a result, the project retains the driving grit of past Pusha projects while offering moments of reflection, release, and even a little room for dancing.
Highlights include: "Brambleton" (Prod. by Pharrell Williams), "Let the Smokers Shine the Coupes" (Prod. Pharrell Williams & Ojivolta), "Dreamin of the Past" (feat. Kanye West)" (Prod. by West), and "Diet Coke" (Prod. by Kanye West & 88-Keys).
Vince Staples – Ramona Park Broke My Heart
Since his stellar debut Summertime '06, Vince Staples has tested the boundaries of his sound with projects like the experimental Prima Donna EP, EDM festival-ready Big Fish Theory, and radio station-themed FM!. Perfecting a similar sound found on his previous self-titled LP, Ramona Park Broke My Heart returns to Long Beach with the best aspects of his sonic exploration to create a visceral, nocturnal, and nostalgic portrait of his hometown.
The beats manifest an industrial melancholy, finding beauty in metallic degradation as if they were iron being infectiously corroded by the salty sea breeze. Seamless transitions and well-placed interludes link the tracks together, pairing audio snippets with dreamy sonic atmospheres to emphasize one of the album's themes: sharing the brutality of reality by pairing shared experience with the sonic expression of a strange, manufactured dream.
Highlights include: "Aye! (Free the Homies)" [Prod. by LeKen Taylor], "Magic" (feat. Mustard) [Prod by. Mustard, Hughes, My Best Friend Jacob, & Unknown Nick], " When Sparks Fly" (Prod. by Frano), and "East Point Prayer" (feat. Lil Baby) [Prod by. Reske & Kenny Beats].
Chief Keef – 4NEM
Nearly a decade after permanently changing the game with Finally Rich (whose complete edition was recently released), Chief Keef delivered an instant classic with the brazen, explosive, and triumphant album 4NEM. While known for his raw delivery and abrasive instrumentals over Keef's extensive discography, 4NEM sees Sosa compress the most potent aspects of his musical vision. Like the toy soldier Chief Keef on the cover, the album sonically manifests the musical trend the Chicago legend has pioneered. The beats on 4NEm not only bang but declare sonic warfare.
From unyielding snare rolls that resonate like gunfire, swelling horns that resonate like a victory parade, somber piano reflections, and artillery-grade 808s, 4NEM builds a militant, emotionally intense musical backdrop, one that reflects its driving theme of adolescent warfare. While his vocals are masterfully mixed, exuding his fiery delivery and understated melodic talents. Keef is the godfather of letting the beat breathe, allowing the production on the album to shine. If the album doesn't seem culturally relevant, check out which song opens the final season of Atlanta. Keef is the modern-day definition of your favorite rapper's favorite rapper. You can bet they've been playing these beats all year.
Highlights include: "Bitch Where" (Prod. by Sonickaboom & Akachi), "See Through" (Prod. by BassKids & Hollywood J), "Say I Ain't Pick Yo Weak Ass Up (feat. Ballout) [Prod. by Young Malcolm], "Hadouken" [Prod. by Juicy J & DJ Paul], and "On What" (Prod. by Chief Keef, Slowburnz & Akachi)