Yes, it’s that time of the year again. Music lists are a great organizer for learning what others have been listening to over the past year. In the first major year with pandemic-free restrictions, it has been great getting out there to see concerts, festivals, and DJ Sets with others.
As the music industry has plunged deeper into deluxe album streams and TikToks, the music landscape could not be any more expansive and stratified. Basically, the algorithms and structured playlists help us find music. This is a good problem to have to be honest, but it does take away the social connection of asking others what they are listening to.
In my downtime, I try my hardest to listen to mainstream, local, regional and music in Hip-Hop, R&B/Soul and try to work my way through other genres. Obviously, it’s a challenge to catch up to listen to everything, but here are 25 ranked albums and songs that move me this year. I really enjoyed a lot more as you can see with the extended best-song list. Some albums and songs are here but left off the ranked list, (Ice Spice’s Munch (Feeling U), Lil Yachty’s Poland, Harry Styles As It Was, Steve Lacy’s Bad Habit).
A few of the list are known, and some are not. As New York Times Pop Music Critic Jon Caramanica mentions “Lists are just imperfect snapshots.” Hope you enjoy this list and share the albums and songs with someone.
Favorite Albums 2022
1. Little Simz – No Thank you
Poignant lyrics on Little Simz’s time in the record industry with faulty contracts, mental health, and the struggles of being a woman or an immigrant in all corners of the world not just Britain.
2 Omah Lay – Boy Alone
Solid and tight Afrobeat album even Bieber’s feature dosent’t slow the album down.
3. Syd – Broken Hearts Club
Right Track with Smino and Control were the standouts for me.
4. Bad Bunny – Un Verano Sin Ti
A prominent and dynamic show case for Bad Bunny within different genres across Latin American Reggaeton, Dembow, S
5. PJ Morton – Watch the Sun
PJ Morton using his vocals and a variety of guests to share lessons on love, faith and hope.
6. Maverick City Music/Kirk Franklin – Kingdom Vol 1
Bridges the gap between Contemporary Christian Worship/Music and Gospel fan bases for nearly 2 hours. Recorded in a Flordia prison to raise injustice within mass incarceration.
7. Ari Lennox – Age/Sex/Location
Remember seeing a photo of a whiteboard with over 80 songs slated to be on the album. She picked the best 12 songs.
8. JID – The Forever Story
Methodical, poignant, and lively from start to finish.
9. Saba – Few Good Things
Notes on Growing, Grief, Family, and home from the West Side of Chicago to California
10. Montell Fish – Jaime
TikTok-ready songs from the quasi-Christian based artist for longing, healing, and letting go.
11. Durnad Bernarr – Wanderlust
Self-motivation R&B album of 2022 outside of Beyonce’s Renaissance
12. Lil Silva – Yesterday is Heavy
UK producer invites a who’s who of indie R&B, soul for clubs tracks for introspection.
13. Stromzy – This is What I Mean
UK rap album addressing relationships strains set to gospel choirs
14. Lady Wray – Piece of Me
Different from R&B Radio but so exciting especially for folks that love Sharon Jones.
15. Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers
Polarizing, difficult, and challenging. But so is therapy.
16. UMI – Forest in the City
Lush and peaceful. Great to see UMI have her debut album.
17. Bartees Strange – Farm to Table
A record that knocks mixing Indie, R&B and hip-hop production.
18. Amber Mark – Three Dimensions Deep
Love this debut after years of singles.
19. Denzel Curry – Melt My Eyes, See my Future
Been a fan since 2012 from Threatz, an album full of introspection and growth through the state of rap and the world.
20. Vince Staples – Ramona Park Broke My Heart
A darker realized version of growing up in Long Beach building off his previous albums (Summertime 06, FM!, Big Fish Theory)
21. Craig David – 22
Still consistent after all these years.
22. Apollo Brown – This Must Be the Place
Beat tape from the Detroit producer not only to study to, but to travel, and to ponder,
23. Kenny Beats – Louie
Colorful beat record with a handful of Kenny Beats guests (JPEGmafia, Slowthai)
24. The 1975 – Being Funny in a Foreign Language
Needs more 80s Sax.
25. Larry June – Spaceships on the Blade
Motivation while grabbing your pressed juice in your Porsche 911.
Really Also Liked (Either needed more time, or released very late 2021)
Protoje – Third Times The Charm
Hurray for the Rif Raff – Life on Earth
Thee Scared Souls – Self Titled
Omar Apollo – Ivory
Westside Gunn – 10
Jensen Mcrae – Are You Happy Now?
Nas/Hit-Boy – King’s Disease 3/Magic
Makaya McCraven – In These Times
Tobi Nwigue – MoMints
Earl Sweatshirt – Sick!
Favorite Songs 2022
1. Bartees Strange – Heavy Heart
A song to lament in year of highs and lows with friends and family. Knowing how to love yourself and others amidst grief and mistakes and showing up no matter the result. To have a heavy heart is learning how to love, have grace, and care in all your relationships no matter how they end.
Sweet and short House empowerment anthem set to the Robin S. Show Me Love Sample.
3. Gunna/Future/Young Thug – Pushin P
Pushin Pain into purpose, progress, progression.
My Song of the summer. Drake, once again making the melancholy danceable.
5. Ravyn Lenae/Steve Lacy – Skin Tight
To understand everything won’t go as planned is freeing to make mistakes and fail to grow.
6. PJ Morton/Nas/Stevie Wonder – Be Like Water
The song to uplift you on your toughest days.
The best breakup songs are when one bares their soul with grief, regret, and care. Knowing Future, It could be all for radio anyway.
Love how the lyrics ride to the beat that paints the picture of a sunset. This is the one I gravitated to. Tito me Pregunto is great too
9. Maverick City Music/Kirk Franklin – Jealous
All 15 minutes. The Threw me a Party part gets me every time.
10. Amber Mark – Healing Hurts
Growth, acceptance, and forgiveness are continuous processes.
11. Glorilla/Cardi B – Tomorrow 2 (Remix)
Glorilla with the breakout year. Undeniable Cardi Verse. The opener took me back to my childhood
Too many Dead Rappers is the lyric that says it all. RIP Takeoff, PNB Rock, Trouble, Drakeo, King Von
Solid track to play in the summer twilight.
14. Kaytranda/Anderson Paak – Twin Flame
Dig the Sister Sledge disco sample. Now to see both live.
Looking into the future. Still viewing the past.
16. Kendrick Lamar – Count Me Out
The best of therapy from an album that took time to grow. The 3rd line has the influence of the YC/Future song Racks
Healing and grieving take time. But sometimes it haunts like a ghost.
It’s very tongue in cheek that the song is carried by the Toni Braxton sample He Wasn’t Man Enough, where his vices and work-life balance led to a breakup
19. Chance the Rapper and Joey Badass – The High & The Lows
10-Year Reunion, from the song Wendy N Becky. Interested to see what Chance does in Ghana.
20. Hurray for the Rif Raff – Rosemary Tears
To start again means taking the lessons learned from others to grow within your own community.
21. Lil Silva/Sampha – Backwards
Sampha’s vocals stopped me in my tracks once again.
22. Earthgang – Strong Friends
Checking in on your people isn’t enough, it is to be open with your friends as well
23. Earl Sweatshirt & Armand Hammer – Tabula Rasa
The highlight of his 25-minute album.
The synthpop keys start this ride on one the best pop albums this year.
25. Lady Wray – Through it All
For the people who love retro soul.
26-50: Also Liked the Following Songs
Sza – Smoking on my Ex Pack
Omar Apollo – Evergreen
Benny the Buther/J Cole – John P’s Caddy
Craig David – Maybe
Ari Lennox – Hoodie
Rod Wave – By Your Side
Omah Lay – Temptations
Rauw Alejandro/Archangel – Cazadores
Kendrick Lamar/Baby Keem – Mr. Morale
JID – Kody Blu 31
Rico Nasty – Easy
John Legend – Pieces
Brockhampton – 37th
The Weekend – How Do I Make you Love Me
Bad Bunny – Titi Mi Pregunto
Bandmanrill – Free Bro
Ab-Soul/Zacari – Do Better
Vince Staples – When Sparks Fly
Little Simz & Cleo Sol – Who Really Cares
NxWorries & H.E.R. – When I Go
Steve Lacy – Bad Habit
Xavier Omar – Feelings for You
Harry Styles – As It Was
Shakira & Ozuna – Monotonia
Beyonce – Church Girl
The Typecaster 
