2024 witnessed some great music. There were some excellent albums throughout the year, but these are the 15 Rap albums that AFH considers the best.
This crop includes collaborations between revered MCs and producers, surprise mixtapes, and lofty concept albums. In some cases, veteran artists became more personal and vulnerable. In other events, Rap legends returned to form—and rediscovered their best channels of creativity. These 15 projects cover multiple generations, continents, and distinct points of view. These selections span different pockets of the Rap landscape, all in the name of greatness—with some inclusions newly released, others from the first weeks of the year, and one from a talented voice we lost in 2024.
We compile these album lists yearly for the last decade (and change) to share great music and celebrate those pushing the culture and genre forward. Thank you to everybody who made music in 2024.
(listed chronologically)
Masta Ace & Marco Polo – Richmond Hill
Five years and change after Masta Ace & Marco Polo made a thematic pilgrimage to Breuklen (the MC’s homeland), they follow-up with a journey to the producer’s. Richmond Hill maintains the quality of Masta Ace solo album-making that has decorated the last quarter-century. Marco proves to be a perfect sonic complement yet again—with an array of tempos, vibes, and moods—all created with an expert on the sampling-drum machine.
“Life Music” reworks a classic club record for sharp commentary on the fickleness and fragility of life. Ace speaks positively, reminding the listener that he wants them to have a happy, long existence. Arrested Development stalwart Speech contributes, as does The eMC’s Stricklin with a feature revealing he nearly passed. “Below The Clouds,” with Blu, sounds like it could have been a Below The Heavens holdover featuring Ace—with two MCs kicking wisdom to Hip-Hop hopefuls. “Certified” enlists the talented quartet of Coast Contra for an upbeat, syncopated display of rhyming that would make the early ’90s proud. Ace and Polo are skilled architects of audio universes—from BK to Richmond Hill. In these settings, these creators know how to thread an album with narrative, character, story—and no shortage of substance.
Key Tracks:
“Life Music”
“Certified”
“Below The Clouds”
“Plant Based”
Released: January 26, 2024
Label: Fat Beats Records
Guests: Inspectah Deck, Speech, Blu, Coast Contra, Wordsworth, Che Noir, Stricklin, Pav Bundy, E-Smitty, C-Red
Producers: self
Ol’ Burger Beats – 74: Out Of Time
Ol’ Burger Beats took the producer compilation to lofty levels of concept. 74: Out Of Time finds the Oslo, Norway beat creator making 17 songs in the same beats-per-minute pocket while also paying light homage to 1974. This international collection brings some of the most introspective and original voices in the Stateside indie Hip-Hop scene together for something cohesive in its soulful commentary on life experiences, with O.B.B. expertly concocting mellow Jazz, gentle percussion, and thoughtful accents.
West Coast mainstay Ill Camille thrives on two songs: the opener “Free Form” (alongside Philly’s lojii) and the smoky poetry of the title track. Armand Hammer’s billy woods and Tha God Fahim drop top-tier verses on “Black Sabbath.” woods raps from his vantage point: “I used to think the means justified the ends / I had it backwards, I made amends / N___as is men / Maryland terrapin windbreaker, zip it to my chin / Brothers out here howlin’ in pain with fentanyl patches on e’ry patch of skin / I decline even acetaminophen, rather bare it and grin / Bury my face in her quim / Sad like old-timers cuffed in boot-cuts and Timbs.” Each vocalist seems to treat the opportunity with care—packed with wisdom, observation, and self-reflection. 74: Out Of Time lives up to its title. When music can often seem like fast food, this feels anachronistic—something from the pre-email days of collaboration, with ’70s afternoon Jazz sounds complemented by laid-back raps aimed at your synapse.
Key Tracks:
“How I Live”
“Free Form”
“Out Of Time”
“Black Sabbath”
Released: February 16, 2024
Label: Coalmine Records
Guests: billy woods, Fly Anakin, Kooley High, Pink Siifu, Lil B, Quelle Chris, lojii, Ill Camille, Vic Spencer, Awon, Tha God Fahim, MoRuf, Yungmorpheus, Gabe ‘Nandez, Oliver the 2nd, DJ Chali, J’von, Vuyo
Producers: self
J. Cole – Might Delete Later
On April 5, 2024, J. Cole dropped an amazing body of work. After a series of cryptic video releases, Cole’s Might Delete Later felt more like a mixtape than an album, with Cole laser-focused on razor-sharp bars. This was Cole at peak rhyming powers, as he prepped the world for his reported final album, The Fall Off.
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