When I read year-end “best of” lists, I wonder if I’m living in a different world than the critics who write them. I love Kendrick Lamar as much as the next sentient being, but when I think back on the music of 2017, Damn doesn’t loom as large in my mind as it seems to in everyone else’s (at least judging by its appearance at or near the top of almost every list). I’m not going to pretend that my experience as a listener is universal (for one thing, it’s my job to listen to as much new music as I can), but neither is anyone’s—and that’s another reason I find most “best of” lists so frustrating. We all experience music differently, and often fall for albums because of where we live, who we are, or any of a million other factors that affect how we get information about the world.
I write this not just to explain my decision-making process, but to demonstrate what a challenge it can be to whittle my list down to ten—the five “best” and five honorable mentions. If you’re eager to find new local hip-hop artists you don’t know, I hope this is a good starting place.
