This year marks the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop and sadly Hip-Hop was not “hoppin”. 2023 was devoid of quality mainstream rap albums leaving fans with not much to celebrate in what was supposed to be a monumental year for the genre.
Fans did get some music from the superstars of rap but none of it resonated as timeless music. Lil Uzi Vert’s Pink Tape did numbers, but the amount of bloat on a 26 track album with a 87 minute runtime meant the album was forgotten just as fast as it arrived.
Thankfully other genres pulled their weight and did not suffer the same fate. This year had a lot of great music from acts across Pop and R&B that put their souls into delivering quality music that will be played for years to come.
Without further ado, here is the Pops Culture list for the top 10 albums of 2023
10. SREMM 4 Life – Rae Sremmurd
It’s been five years since the group’s last studio album and all the while the group has been veiled in rumours of a split up, with Swae Lee excelling as a solo artist and Slim Jxmmi staying dormant. However, the brothers are in fact back and still every bit as good as when they left.
Their 2023 project, SREMM 4 Life, shows a lifelong commitment to each other. The mannequin challenge creators delivered their signature sound over some old school samples and new production that remains refreshing amongst a sea of monotonous Hip-Hop tones that have plagued the genre lately.
SREMM 4 Life is a must add to your outside rotation.
9. Alone At Prom (Deluxe) – Tory Lanez
In 2020, Tory Lanez had the world in the palm of his hands. Quarantine radio had the lockdown world in a frenzy, while having the utmost fun with the some of the baddest chicks in Hollywood. What more could a 28 year old man want?
Well the answer turns out to be freedom. All of that “success” came crashing down after a rambunctious night out with Hip-Hop babe Meg The Stallion and Kylie Jenner. As we now know, the events of that night led to his conviction in which the Toronto rapper is now facing 10 years of time in prison.
Despite the gargantuan fall from grace, Tory never failed to deliver musically. Two years after the original release, Tory (still in prison mind you) gave fans what they’ve long been waiting for: Alone At Prom (Deluxe).
The deluxe comes in with an additional 10 songs at a runtime of 36 minutes. It’s a good followup to the acclaimed original release, delivering in the same 80’s style vein as the original release, just not quite at the same level.
Fans of Alone At Prom will still find some songs to love on this deluxe release and it will hold them off for some time as Tory serves his sentence.
8. Good People – Majid Jordan
The Toronto tandem of singer Majid Al Maskati and producer Jordan Ullman pulled a 180 from their last album veering away from a more mainstream pop approach, and tapped into a quieter zen mode on Good People. The delivery on this album is far more calm, subdued, and reflective in tone than Wildest Dream and it’s quite refreshing.
These two still play well off of each other and their chemistry remains sizzling despite the tonally tranquil vibe. Standout song Violet is a masterclass in song crafting and demonstrates what they can deliver when they’re at their best.
While the tone has shifted, which may not jive with everyone, the quality has very much not and Good People is certainly good music.
7. UTOPIA – Travis Scott
Speaking of rappers who found themselves in major controversy at the heights of their careers, Travis Scott emerged from his silent sabbatical after his controversial concert debacle with the much anticipated UTOPIA album.
The Houston native delivered one of the better Hip-Hop albums of the year with a medley of outerworld production that kept listeners engaged. Featured artists were able to match the tone of Travis’ production and elevated the songs they contributed to.
Production has always been Travis’ strongest suit and that didn’t change at all with this release. Travis was not afraid to expand his palette across various songs, even going so far as to accommodate boom-bap rapper Westside Gunn.
Despite refusing to address any of his emotional turmoil throughout the concert ordeal and performing with average rapping ability, UTOPIA managed to be a solid album in 2023 that shines with high production value and quality features.
6. For All The Dogs – Drake
Let’s get things straight. For All The Dogs is not Drake’s worst album, but it’s also not his best.
Despite critical disdain, For All The Dogs is still a good album from the 37 year old artist, especially in a year that was lacking quality Hip-Hop releases. But its subject matter, lazy tone flow, and subpar bars are just not to the level we’ve seen from Drake.
It’s clear that Drake is playing the streaming game now and while expectations prior to its release were more in line with a rap focused album, where the album excels is in its R&B givings that exude far more quality than Drake’s rapping.
5. a Gift & a Curse – Gunna
Fresh off trial Gunna came home to a lot of heat from the streets due to his snitching allegations that got him off of charges. Being a snitch is usually a career death sentence for a rapper, look no further than Tekashi 6ix9ine.
However, most listeners are not from the streets and when it comes to music almost anything is excusable to the masses as long as the music bangs. And that’s exactly what Gunna ensured on this album despite having none of his original producers or features.
a Gift & a Curse was hands down a top three hip-hop album of the year with fukumean going viral and incorporating one of the greatest musical transitions ever heard with its outro transition into rodeo dr.
The most impactful aspect of this album is that Gunna wasn’t afraid to tackle the elephant in the room and he got vulnerable about the charges that were laid against him. He made the impossible happen by ending the snitch accusations with a quality album. It was a surprising release that gave his career some extended life.
4. 11:11 – Chris Brown
Chris Brown just can’t miss. The legendary R&B artist of our generation has been in the game for 18 years and some of his best music has come within the last six.
It’s a generational run in the streaming era that started with Heartbreak On A Full Moon and his 11th studio album, 11:11, continues the trend. Breezy has managed to tap into a futuristic melodic sound that is modern, yet still resembles R&B of the past.
There’s a uniqueness to his music and it’s allowed him to deliver this amazing body of work that coalesces both quantity and quality together in an era that’s so focused on only delivering the former and failing at the latter.
Out of 22 tracks there are less than three skips at most. Breezy really is him.
3. Cult Claissiqué – John Lindahl
Cult Classiqué isn’t just an album and it’s not just a collection of songs. It’s a masterpiece; that combines theater and music in album form.
Cult Classiqué is a meticulously crafted album that interpolates the horror movie genre with an 80’s pop sound. Every song is a bombastic display of instrumentation that’s accompanied by electrifying vocals with a hint of horror sprinkled in to tie the theatrical element together, think Michael Jackson Thriller.
There’s a level of passion here that goes beyond just making music, Lindalh layers each track with meticulous care and infuses other songs of the album together bringing a sense of nostalgia as you continue to listen.
The only blemish on this project is not having heard it when it was released, but as they say, better late than never. Press play and just let it ride.
2. When I Hear Your Name – Maeta
Maeta is beautiful and full of soul. When I Hear Your Name came at such a perfect time in the year, most music up to June was mundane and uninspired, but this album had so much life that takes hold.
From the moment you press play on the intro, Sexual Love (feat. James Fauntleroy), you’re gripped by mesmerizing murmurs that feel alien yet familiar and a bassline chord that strikes your emotional depths with each strum. It’s followed by Maeta and James Fauntleroy harmonizing their vocals together to sing about the starting of the utmost passionate night.
It’s slow and deliberate, but with each note it crescendos and ascends into a bombastic display of passion that explodes into one of the greatest intros on an album that’s ever been made. From that moment you could tell what type of energy Maeta was on with this album.
Maeta took her time to create a quality experience and the remainder of the album does not falter from that level as she ventures and explores with different sounds and features. Even if a song doesn’t resonate emotionally, the quality never wavers across the 14 songs.
1. But IF iiM HONEST – RAAHiiM
This was the hardest decision to make in 2023. Not that RAAHiiM and his album But iF iM HONEST do not deserve the top spot, but any of the nominations from the top four could have easily been in this place instead.
However, given the overall picture, the time spent, the release dates, the amount of songs and the quality, But iF iM HONEST manages to stand a bit above the rest.
RAAHiiM’s magic lies not only in his alluring singing prowess, but also his ability to craft heartfelt and transparent stories that are reminiscent of 00’s R&B, with modern production that soothe the soul and captivate the minds of listeners.
Every song is crafted with care and there’s an emotional story being told across each song. It’s meticulous and concise and comes in as the #1 album of 2023.
Pops Culture 
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