Armand Hammer - Shrines Fiona Apple - Fetch The Bolt Cutters R.A.P. Ferriera - Purple Moonlight Pages Open Mike Eagle - Anime, Trauma and Divorce Aesop Rock - Spirit World Field Guide Ka - Descendents of Cain Protomartyr -Ultimate Success Today Tyshawn Sorey - Unfiltered Small Bills - Don't Play It Straight KeiyaA - Forever, Ya Girl
>02. SONGS YOU RAN INTO THE GROUND
Open Mike Eagle - Bucciarati Armand Hammer - Charms (feat. KeiyaA) MIKE - What's Home 1/2 Run The Jewels - Walking In The Snow AMANI + King Vision Ultra - A Not So Fruitful Wealth KeiyaA - I Want My Things! Liv.e - About Love At 21 SAULT - Sorry Ain't Enough Jenevieve - Baby Powder Blu & Exile - Miles Davis Fiona Apple - Rack of His R.A.P Ferriera - Doldrums Small Bills - Sunchoke Lido Pimienta - No Pude Protomartyr - Processed By The Boys Aesop Rock - Marble Cake Cleo Sol - Young Love Pink Siifu & Fly Anakin - Mind Right (feat. Liv.e) Quelle Chris & Chris Keys - Mirage King Krule - Underclass
>03. WHAT ALBUM SURPRISED YOU?
Fetch The Bolt cutters surprised me because I didn't think Fiona Apple could make a better album than The Idler Wheel, and she did.
Both KeiyaA and Liv.e surprised me with two of the best debuts in R&B/Neo-Soul that I have heard in a while. I had read good things about both artists, but those albums really are something else.
>04. WHAT ARTIST WERE YOU LOOKING FOR, BUT DIDN'T SHOW UP?
Kendrick Lamar
>05. WHAT ARTIST DID YOU DISCOVER THIS YEAR (new or old)?
Three really good discoveries this year:
Liv.e KeiyaA Soojin Suh (jazz drummer)
>06. WHO ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN 2021?
An album by the Roots.
A Benny the Butcher album that is not produced by Hit-Boy, I would love for him to work with alchemist for an entire project.
A Kendrick Lamar album.
>07. WHAT ALBUM DID PEOPLE OVERLOOK?
Cleo Sol - Rose in the Dark: I actually cannot believe more people/press are not talking about this considering how much of a hit SAULT has been with people. This is the singer of SAULT and this album is excellent.
>08. WHAT NEW GENRE DID YOU EXPLORE THIS YEAR?
Unfortunately, I don't think I got into a new genre, though I'd like to think I listen to a wide range of stuff.
>09. WHAT'S THE 1ST LIVE SHOW YOU WANT TO GO TO ONCE THIS IS >ALL OVER?
Fiona Apple because Fetch The Bolt Cutters is incredible.
>10. WHAT RELEASE DISAPPOINTED YOU?
Nas - King's Disease: Nas' writing is not at its best here but I thought what really brings it down is how generic Hit Boy's production is. Hit Boy did much better on the Benny album in my opinion, but his beats are the definition of middle of the road for most of this record.
Idles - Ultra Mono: Horrible lyricism to the point where this band - who is one of my favorite bands at the moment - sound like a parody of themselves. By far my biggest disappointment of the year.