2017 has been quite the year. With one of the most controversial leaders of the “free world” in office and political/military tension at an all time high (at least in our recent memory), we’ve seen a rise of protest music hitting the mainstream. On the flip side of the spectrum, 2017 was a year of the opioids. With artists dying from overdoses (RIP Prince, Lil Peep), singing about despair and anti-depressant abuse, it almost seems as if we are walking down a dark path. Luckily not all was bleak, we saw the return of Lorde and her hauntingly beautiful pop tunes, Arcade Fire tried something new, Drake once again turned the conventional notion of an album upside down, and Jay-Z came clean as Sean Carter. Grime reached an all time high thanks to the likes of Stormzy, Wiley, Skepta, and even Drake showing the world the power of the genre.
However, without a doubt the year belonged to Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar with his powerful introspective/conscious gangster album DAMN., and features on almost everyone’s remix, it was a big year for him and also for rap. Officially overtaking EDM and Rock as the top genre on the charts.
As always we have gathered our top album picks from last year below. Based not on album sales, but album power, how many times we listened to it, how much of an impact it had on us, and also the listener.
Here are top albums of 2017.
25. Arcade Fire – Everything Now
24. Wiley – Godfather
23. Future – HNDRXX
22. Stormzy – Gang Signs & Prayer
21. Mura Masa – Mura Masa
20. Jay-Z – 4:44
19. Sampha – Process
18. LCD Soundsystem – American Dream
17. Gorillaz – Humanz
16. Kelela – Take Me Apart
15. Vince Staples – Big Fish Theory
14. 2 Chainz – Pretty Girls Like Trap Music
13. Grizzly Bear – Painted Ruins
12. Drake – More Life
11. Charlotte Gainsbourg – Rest
10. Alvvays – Antisocialites
9. St. Vincent – Masseducation
8. Thundercat – Drunk
7. Tyler, The Creator – Flower Boy
6. Migos – Culture
5. Khalid – American Teen
4. King Krule – The OOZ
3. SZA – Ctrl
2. Lorde – Melodrama
1. Kendrick Lamar – DAMN.
Top 5 EP’s of 2017
5. Tame Impala – Currents B-Sides & Remixes
4. Skepta – Vicious
3. Nick Murphy – Missing Link
2. Ralph – Ralph
1. Buddy – Ocean & Montana