The Best Albums / Mixtapes Of 2017

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2017 has been a great year for album releases with a wide range of Grime, Hip-Hop and RnB artists dropping projects over the last 12 months. We also noticed that there seemed to be an exceptional number of high-quality debut albums releasing.  With that being said we have listed our favorite albums and mixtapes of the year in chronological order of release date.

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Wiley – GodFather

At the very start of the year Wiley dropped his project Godfather. On this 17 track album. Wiley improves his already decade covering discography by shinning not only by himself but alongside grime heavyweights like JME, Skepta, D Double E. and Devlin to name a few. Stand Out Track – Speaker Box

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Migos – Culture – 

Did any group have a bigger 2017 than the Migos? We highly doubt it, fresh of the coattails of there smash hit Bad and Bougee The Migos delivered Culture, which was an appropriate title for the groups worldwide breakthrough, as the trio cemented themselves as part of the Culture. Stand Out Track – Bad and Boujee 

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Sampha – Process – 

The past few years have definitely been a process for Sampha but in February of 2017 the UK singer finally released his debut album. It proved to be worth the wait as Sampha’s ethereal voice sparkles all over his minimalist beats and of course, his piano skills are out in full force. Stand Out Track – (No One Knows Me) Like The Piano 

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Future – Future –

Future has been at the top of the Hip-Hop game for a few years now and with his self-titled album we receive him in his purest form. It is impressive how many hits Future can get onto a single project but then to repeat it a week later is even more impressive. Stand Out Track – Mask Off 

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Stormzy Gang Signs & Prayers –

The Prince of Grime dropped his debut studio album at the top of the year which is still making waves in the charts almost a year later. Shocking everyone Big Mike displayed not only his rapping skills but his singing on ‘Blinded By your Grace’ Pt 1 & 2.  Stand Out Track – Cold

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Drake – More Life –

You would be hard-pressed to find the last time Drake wasn’t on the charts with his own track or featured on someone else’s. His latest project More Life may have Aubrey’s most eclectic mix of sounds, but it proved to be a smash hit. Simply put Drake knows how to make good music regardless of genre. Stand Out Track – Passionfruit 

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J Hus – Common Sense –  

Did you see what J Hus did in 2017? Bouff Daddy followed up his seminal track with ‘Common Sense’ an album that encapsulated the various different sounds of the UK music scene. It is rare for young artists to deliver such complete packages on their first tries but young British Artists are smashing it. Stand Out Track – Fisherman (Ft MoStack & Mist) 

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Playboi Carti – Playboi Carti –

“In New York I Milly Rock, Hide it in my sock”. Quote this line to any hip-hop fan and they will instantly know what song you’re talking about. The popularity of ‘Magnolia’ may have been a gift and a curse for Cash Carti however as his mixtape seems to have flown under the radar, if you don’t take offence to mumble rap then you should check it out. Stand Out Track – Magnolia 

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Kendrick Lamar – DAMN – 

Kung Fu Kenny seems to evolve with every album but if Damn is his final form then fans should not be disappointed. Damn is regarded by many as one of the greatest Hip-Hop albums of all time never mind the year.  Stand Out Track – Fear

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SZA – Ctrl – 

Another debut album on the list! SZA’s album proved to empower all women. At the same time, the male listener can still enjoy the young TDE artists album. Ctrl is un-apologetically for the fairer sex, but no man should be too scared to listen. Stand Out Track – The Weekend

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Jay-Z – 4:44 –

Jay-Zs 4:44 listens almost like a therapy session. With Sean Carter being very honest with himself, his wife, his kids and his mother on his album. It is always interesting to get the rap veterans point of view on current affairs, especially within the music industry. Jay showed us that age is just a number on his 13th studio album. Stand Out Track – The Story Of O.J

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Tyler, The Creator – Flower Boy –

One word fans of Tyler would never think they could describe Tyler as is mature, but with his latest album the artist reaches new heights. Hinting about his sexuality and admitting fame may not be all its cracked up to be are central themes for the album. – Stand Out Track – 911/Mr. Lonely (Ft Frank Ocean & Steve Lacy)  

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Giggs Wamp 2 Dem – 

The past 18 months have been huge for UK artist Giggs. Steadily gaining popularity in the UK mainstream whilst managing to keep your core fan base is no mean feat. Hollowman managed to get not one but two features on Drake’s More Life as well as dropping his own tape towards the end of 2017. Wamp 2 Dem sees Giggs in his usual ferocious form.  Stand Out Track – Peligro (Ft Dave) 

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Krept & Konan 7 Days/7 Nights – 

We had the pleasure of interviewing Krept and Konan right before they released their two albums and it was clear how much the duo have grown. This maturity bleeds into their project. Recruiting some of the biggest names in the game right now the two projects prove to be more than worth the extra work.  Stand Out Track – Ask Flipz (Ft Stormzy) 

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Dave – Game Over –

The youngest artist on the list may have one of the oldest heads on his shoulders. On Game Over Santan spits bars way beyond his years with tracks like ‘Question Time’ easily being one of the realest tracks of the year.  Stand Out Track – No Words (Ft MoStack)  

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Brockhampton – Saturation III –

The internets first boy band started and finished their Saturation series in 2017 with the third iteration arguably being the strongest. The album flows and has tons of quotable lyrics. Don’t let a fan tell you Saturation 1 is the best however! Stand Out Track – Bleach