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Our writers, editors, videographers and designers share their favorite music of the year. Peep our List of Lists for the full No Bells List Experience.
Millan Verma
On a train bulleting through Europe, the Dutch family next to me give each other kisses and share laughs, making me realize I’m so lonesome that it hurts. Then I put on Charley Crockett’s new album–suddenly I’ve got a friend too.
I get to Atlanta at 9PM after a day of classes. My alarm rings at 4:30AM the next morning and I roll off my brother’s couch to catch a Frontier flight. The man sitting next to me was shot in the hand two weeks ago, and halfway through the flight he vomits heavily into a thin plastic bag. I take off his hoodie and pour cold water over his head. I ask the three women in front of me if they can help. God’s grace: they are all registered nurses. I touch down in New York City and listen to Surf Gang – now I belong here and replace the word “stress” with “motion.”
Hayden calls me on a hot Tuesday night and asks if I wanna hit a lick in Los Angeles. His boss buys me a plane ticket and I’m connecting through Dallas 30 hours later. We work ten hour days in the brutal sun, jousting with cops and business owners on the premise that we are doing the American thing by pestering registered voters on commercial street corners by order of two coke-addled lobbyists. There’s blood on the money but it feels kinda good so we whip our rented Mustang to the rocky beaches of Topanga and smash the gas on every curve. Young Roddy adds butane to that dumpster fire of a week, making me smirk at a check that’d otherwise make me shudder.
I’m alone in my car, thinking about how my life lives in three states at once. I haven’t had a conversation in days. One time I had a dream where I put all of my friends into a great house deep in the Georgia mountains. Nobody explicitly took mushrooms but the spiritual severity of the situation created the same effect. The melodies of Muddymya’s Eden encircle me like plasma, invisible, constantly regenerating; a séance in an unlikely place.
After being in a coma for two months and vibrantly detailing his journey through purgatory, RobOlu takes my car’s aux. “This is some shit I made when I got home.” “Triplehflo” plays. I woke up this morning back on business, on Monday makin’ masterpieces bitch it’s time to get it. The doctors said he should be dead.
I could go on. But just know that the songs and albums listed have served me as balms and amplifiers through this unruly year. I’m sure I forgot many.
Albums
- Charley Crockett – The Man From Waco
- Lil Kee – Letter 2 My Brother
- Kenny Mason – Ruffs
- Grandma – Angelhood
- Black Sherif – The Villian I Never Was
- Lady Wray – Pieces of Me
- Sainté – Vacation
- Young Roddy – Never Question God
- Flo – The Lead
- Rob49 – Welcome to Vulture Island
Songs
Unranked
Atl Smook – “Talmbout Naan”
Babyxsosa – “Angel”
Bear1boss – “Quit!”
Popstar Benny – “Fun (feat. MuddyMya)” / “Merry Go (feat. Yellabandana)“
Neno Calvin – “Bad Day”
RobOlu – “Triplehflo”
Bktherula – “Coupe”
Kendrick Lamar – “Rich Spirit”
Young Nudy – “My Gang”
Nedarb & Danger Incorporated – “Nosebleed”
Kenny Mason – “GIVENCHY”
DavidTheTragic – “NONCHALANT”
Jean Dawson & Earl Sweatshirt – “Bad Fruit*”
Zach Bryan – “The Outskirts”
Ice Spice – “Munch (Feelin’ U)”
NoCap – “I’ll Be Here”
Quavo, Takeoff & Youngboy Never Broke Again – “To The Bone”
Lil 50 – “Out the Sunroof”
Bashfortheworld – “Third World”
RXKNephew – “Backyard Boogie”
Marsofyouth – “Dirty”
Rx Papi – “Trailer Park Blues”
Muddymya – “Peach Sprite”
Joony – “ON DAT SHIT”
Future / Gunna / Kendrick Lamar featuring Kodak Black – “VOODOO” / “how you did that” / “Silent Hill“
SURF GANG – “HARDY BOYZ”
Lil Baby – “Right On”
Yeat – “Rëal Six”
Ice Spice – “Euphoric”
Novelist – “Straight G”
Ethel Cain – “dust bowl (demo)”
Hayde Bluegrass Orchestra – “Girl From the North Country”
Best EP of 2022: Muddymya – Eden
Srikar Poruri
Albums
quinn – quinn
Yeat – 2 Alive
Steve Lacy – Gemini Rights
Earl Sweatshirt – Sick!
Brakence – Hypochondriac
Dazegxd – vKiss
MIKE – Beware of the Monkey
Brent Faiyaz – Wasteland
454 – FAST TRAX 3
Rosalia – Motomami
Songs
Skaiwater – “#miles”
Ice Spice – “Bikini Bottom”
Yeat – “Out the Way/Kant die”
BKTHERULA feat. Destroy Lonely – “FOREVER, PT. 2”
Jean Dawson – “PORN ACTING*”
TiaCorine – “FreakyT”
Central Cee – “Bunda”
Brakence – “cbd”
Luh Tyler ft. Loe Shimmy – “A Day in the NOYA”
Also shoutout Jaydes’ soundcloud output and this song I can’t stop listening to.
Mano Sundaresan
- Most of this music sounded best in my dad’s dingy old Camry I brought up from Atlanta to DC to New York.
- Besides my Number One, I associate a lot of my favorite stuff this year with the work I made about it—videos, reviews, profiles, mixes—and the people I met through it. Criticism has never felt more fulfilling.
- I burrowed deep into a handful of discographies and scenes this year and admittedly skipped over / skimmed a lot of Important Music; that’s ok, I think.
- Milwaukee is my favorite rap scene heading into 2023. Certified Trapper would be on this list but can’t be distilled to one song imo.
- I didn’t listen to as much ‘‘internet music” as I did the last few years. Maybe it wasn’t as interesting? Maybe it doesn’t work as well in cars? Regalia was the coolest stuff to me, Caleb Wilfinger and I have a piece coming on that later this month.
- Fav rap album not from 2022 was Rx Papi and Gud’s Foreign Exchange, easy number one if I had to redraft that year.
- Ice Spice – “No Clarity” came out in Nov 2021 but embodies ’22 more than anything else on this list.
I’ll leave you with this raw thought I posted while I was fried out my mind trying to move into my apartment:
Albums
- Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers
- quinn – quinn
- Yeat – 2 Alivë / Lyfë
- Papo2oo4, DJ Lucas & Subjxct 5 – Continuous Improvement
- NBA Youngboy – 3800 Degrees / The Last Slimeto
- Brakence – Hypochondriac
- 454 – FAST TRAX 3
- Earl Sweatshirt – Sick!
- jaydes – Heartpacing
- Pierre Bourne – Good Movie
- Chicken P – Bussabrick Vol. 1 and 2
- Xaviersobased – who are you?
- iLoveMakonnen – Summer ’22
- Rx Papi – First Week Out (Deluxe)
- Izaya Tiji – Nevameant2b
Songs
- Peezy – “2 Million Up”
- Ice Spice – “No Clarity”
- Bear1Boss – “It’s Not Fair”
- Yeat – “Kant rëlax”
- cheRomani+ feat. Specxfic – “euphoria”
- Lay Bankz – “Boyfriend N. 2”
- Rx Papi – “Trailer Park Blues”
- Kodak Black – “Walk” / “Spin”
- Zahsosaa & DSturdy – “Shake That”
- Veeze – “Let It Fly”
- Papo2oo4 – “Space Jam“
- Northxan – “Control <X“
- RealYungPhil feat. Boofpaxkmooky – “Glo”
- Tisakorean – “Backseat”
- NBA YoungBoy – “Vette Motors”
- BKTHERULA feat. Destroy Lonely – “FOREVER, PT. 2”
- Hitkidd feat. Aleza, Gloss Up, Slimeroni, & K Carbon – “Shabooya”
- Loe Shimmy feat. Kodak Black – “Bounty”
- Joe Pablo & Chicken P – “N****s Cheap”
- Future feat. EST Gee – “CHICKENS”
- Glokk40Spaz – “I Choose Violence“
- Autumn – “My Collection”
- Weiland – “Broken Ego“
- Slimesito feat. Dee Aura – “Christian Dior”
- Lerado – “Right”
Tyler Farmer
Albums
Smino – Luv 4 Rent
Jean Dawson – CHAOS NOW*
Steve Lacy – Gemini Rights
Earl Sweatshirt – SICK!
dazegxd – vKiss
454 – Fast Trax 3
Yeat – 2 Alivë
Dj Lucas, Subjxct 5, Papo2oo4 – Continuous Improvement
SZA – SOS
Toro y Moi – Mahal
Songs
Yeat – “Poppin“
Jean Dawson – “THREE HEADS*“
Earl Sweatshirt – “Titanic“
NxWorries, H.E.R. – “Where I Go“
SZA – “Kill Bill“
Ice Spice – “Munch (Feelin’ U)“
Rob49, Lil Baby – “Vulture Island V2“
hemlocke springs – “Girlfriend“
Kenny Beats – “Still“
Wiki, Subjxct 5, Dj Lucas – “Silent Meeting“
Vivian Medithi
Songs
10. d0llywood1 (feat. blackwinterwells) – “a song about our feelings”
9. Ice Spice – “be a lady”
8. A$AP Rocky & Playboi Carti – “Sights (Our Destiny)”
7. Suzy – “Satellite”
6. Yung Kayo – “down (one kount)”
5. Veeze – “Let It Fly”
4. BABYXSOSA – “FACETIME/TEXTING”
3. Cruel Santino (feat. Amaraae) – “Born Again”
2. Yeat – “Känt Die”
1. Kendrick Lamar feat. Summer Walker & Ghostface Killah – “Purple Hearts”
You Are Now Big Stepping With Mr. Morale. “I know y’all love it when the drugs talkin… but shut the fuck up when you hear love talking.” While critics frothed apoplectic dissecting Kendrick’s lyrics for signs of illiberalism, “Purple Hearts” takes a page from Marianne Williamson and puts love first.
A politics of love can feel facile or futile, naïvely optimistic or even blatantly ignorant, but Kendrick, Summer and Ghostface are anything but unworldly. So when Ghostface cries “God, please blow the whistle, we need an intermission,” it isn’t the innocent prayer of a child for global peace, but a plea for respite from a man well acquainted with the wickedness of the world. Kendrick, who spends most of Mr. Morale wrestling with angels and picking apart his failings, momentarily revels in those same flaws, unabashed and unapologetic: “I bless one day that you attract somebody with your mind exact” is just “may you live in interesting times” for people who are sick of dating apps.
Absolute goosebumps when Summer comes in under the hook, totally steals the show. She’s easily one of the best songwriters of her generation, laugh out loud funny (“I hate it here/asking if I been on the pole”), elite-level horny (“Now if it’s love I deserve to get some head on a balcony sometimes”), straight up talking her shit (“Summer in the storm/I cannot conform” COME ON!). “I just might love you still, just think I love me more.” Before you can love the world, you have to be able to love yourself.
Nigel Washington
Anyone who listened to a lot of rap in 2022 can easily tell you this was a fun year for the genre, even if it didn’t always come from the usual dignitaries. The initial box office excitement from new Kendrick Lamar and Drake projects quickly dissipated behind a tidal wave of unique artists and sounds who demanded my attention. GloRilla’s distinct baritone voice and undeniable Memphis energy shattered any lingering expectations we had about the current wave of women rappers in the best way possible; Milwaukee gave us a new and refreshingly exciting rap scene to root for; and “lyrical” rap—headed by perfectly produced projects from Roc Marciano, Boldly James, and Earl Sweatshirt—had a highlight year. The songs and albums I had to revisit the most only scratches the surface of all the exciting trends to emerge in rap this year.
Songs
- GloRilla, HitKidd – “F.N.F (Let’s Go)”
- Lil Yachty – “Poland”
- Roc Marciano, The Alchemist – “The Elephant Man’s Bones”
- Freddie Gibbs – “CIA”
- TiaCorine – “Freaky T”
- Babyface Ray – “Anotha One”
- NxWorries, H.E.R – “Where I Go”
- Certified Trapper – “Stomach in My Back”
- SCY Jimm – “Ballin”
- 10KDunkin – “Loose Screw”
Albums
- Roc Marciano, The Alchemist – The Elephant Man’s Bones
- GloRilla – Anyways, Life’s Great
- Earl Sweatshirt – Sick!
- Babyface Ray – Face
- TiaCorine – I Can’t Wait
- CEO Trayle – HH5
- Young Nudy – Monster
- Fly Anakin – Frank
- Brent Faiyaz – Wasteland
- Dankhead Corleone – Hom3 Alone
Cuautemoc Xocoyotzin
Albums
- Jean Dawson – CHAOS NOW*
- Fousheé – softCORE
- Earl Sweatshirt – SICK!
- MAVI – Laughing So Hard it Hurts
- Steve Lacy – Gemini Rights
- Vince Staples – Ramona Park Broke My Heart
- JID – The Forever Story
- Smino – Luv 4 Rent
- MIKE – Beware of the Monkey
- Denzel Curry – Melt My Eyes See Your Future
- billy woods – Aethiopes
- Little Simz – NO THANK YOU
- SZA – SOS
- Bad Bunny – Un Verano Sin Ti
- Rosalia – Motomami
- Kendrick Lamar – Mr Morale & The Big Steppers
- Rico Nasty – Las Ruinas
- quinn – quinn
- Saba – Few Good Things
- redveil – learn 2 swim
HM: RAP Ferreira – 5 to the Eye with Stars & Open Mike Eagle – Component System with the Auto Reverse
Songs
- Smino feat. Lil Uzi Vert – “Pudgy“
- Fousheé feat. Lil Uzi Vert – “spend the money“
- Baby Keem feat. Lil Uzi Vert – “bank account“
- Zack Fox – “triflin’“
- Open Mike Eagle – “I Retired Then I Changed My Mind“
Jesse Taconelli
All alphabetical, excluding Dazegxd – vKiSS, quinn – quinn, and Quadeca – I Didn’t Mean To Haunt You (all deadAir)
Ashenspire – Hostile Architecture
Black Country New Road – Ants From Up There
Billy Woods – Aethiopes
brakence – hypochondriac
black midi – Hellfire
Daniel Rossen – You Belong Here
Ethel Cain – Preacher’s Daughter
Fievel Is Glauque – Flaming Swords
Fontaines DC – Skinty Fia
JID – The Forever Story
Jockstrap – I Love You Jennifer B
Naked Flames – Miracle In Transit
Josh Svetz
Music is the closest thing we have to a time machine. Songs and albums act as passageways to the doors of our memories, transporting us to specific formative moments in our lives. However monumental, or minuscule, the right song evokes the feelings of the past, reverting us mentally to messy high school breakups, glorious triumphs when everyone counted you out, somber grief over passed on friends, and simple times on the basketball court. Whenever I look back on my life, I can always find a piece of music to accompany it. But to simplify the ever-expanding score, here’s the soundtrack to my life in 2022, one track/album for each month only.
January: Chief Keef – “Yes Sir“
February: Babyface Ray – FACE
March: Yeat – 2 Alive
April: Yung Lean feat. FKA Twigs – “Bliss“
May: Cruel Santino – Subaru Boys
June: Drake – Honestly Nevermind
July: Cochise – “Turn It Up“
August: Destroy Lonely – “No Stylist“
September: Ame – “Biden“
October: Kendrick Lamar/Kodak Black – “Silent Hill“
November: Realest K – “Toxic“
December: Brakence – Hypochondriac
Eli Schoop
Albums:
- Cities Aviv – Man Plays The Horn
- 454 – FAST TRAX 3
- black midi – Hellfire
- Soul Glo – Diaspora Problems
- Speed – Gang Called Speed
- Chief Keef – 4nem
- Alex G – God Save The Animals
- M.I.A. – Mata
- Fievel is Glauque – Flaming Swords
- Ravyn Lenae – Hypnos
- Jon Doe aka J Dilla – The 94’ Batch
- Klein – Star in the Hood
- The Smile – A Light for Attracting Attention
- Moin – Paste
- Steve Lacy – Gemini Rights
Songs
- Thaiboy Digital – “I’m Fresh“
- black midi – “Welcome To Hell“
- Z-money ft Valee – “Risk“
- Steve Lacy – “Sunshine“
- Jane Remover – “Royal Blue Walls“
- 454 – “ZIP CODE“
- Pink Siifu ft Valee – “Griptape!!“
- Serph ft. Zun – “Piplup Step“
- Babyfather ft. Tirzah – “1471“
- jaydes – “convenience“
- PinkPantheress ft. Sam Gellaitry – “Picture in my mind“
- Cruel Santino – “HEATING ROCKS“
- Alvvays – “Pharmacist”
- Rx Papi – “In My Feelings“
- MIKE – “nuthin i can do is wrng”
Caleb Wilfinger
I often spent most of this year consumed by my Internet Music bubble, which while unsurprising, became pretty apparent during the process of making my longer list of 2022 favorites. This year had a deep bench of projects I loved and listened to on a regular basis, but I still found it fairly easy to shrink the pool down to the releases I can see myself constantly returning to for years to come. From late 2010s emo-rap forebears and short and sweet Pluggnb gems, to prescient albums from some of rap music’s best writers, these are my favorite releases of 2022.
Albums
10. Bladee & Ecco2k – Crest
9. Drippin So Pretty – Betrayed
8. Alvvays – Blue Rev
7. Earl Sweatshirt – Sick!
6. Smokingskul – Da SlimePrint
5. Autumn! – ##B4GC2
4. Billy Woods – Aethiopes
3. Ame – Enchanted
2. Yeat – Lyfe / 2 Alive
1. Glokk40Spaz – Baby Whoa
Songs
10. Daxegxd – “tell me (jane remover remix)“
9. Destroy Lonely – “NOSTYLIST“
8. Brakence – “5G“
7. Kaixan – “Margiela“
6. Earl Sweatshirt – “Vision (feat. Zelooperz)“
5. Autumn! – “Know You Hear Me!“
4. Drippin So Pretty – “Shallow“
3. Yeat – “Holy 1“
2. Glokk40Spaz – “I Choose Violence“
1. Ame – “Degree“