1. Call Me If You Get Lost by Tyler, the Creator: Tyler, The Creator has gained great acclamation and attention over the last decade — evolving from a musician who made raunchy, explicit songs to a maestro who produces smooth, avant-garde masterpieces. The artist returns with his sixth album to bring an amalgamation of true hip-hop music. Tyler returns to his roots of rapping, bringing together meaningful lyrics about his lavish lifestyle and rise to fame. Call Me is narrated by Philadelphia’s DJ Drama, the founder of the Gangsta Grillz series, which included some of the most essential rap records of the century so far. Aesthetically, Tyler refers to himself as “Tyler Baudelaire”, an homage to French poet Charles Baudelaire. This album features 16 unique songs, with two 8-minute masterpieces. The standout songs are: “Corso”, “Lemonhead” featuring 42 Dugg, “Hot Wind Blows” with Lil Wayne, and “Sweet / I Thought You Wanted To Dance”.

2. The Voice of the Heros by Lil Baby and Lil Durk: Lil Baby and Lil Durk team up to deliver an 18-song album, packed with inspirational mottos and memorable verses. Both Atlanta-natives show listeners an inside look at what it’s like to rise to the top. The album is star-studded with different features from Travis Scott on “Hats Off” to Young Thug on “Up The Side”. The dynamic duo play each other’s part very well; Lil Baby continues to rap in a punctuated tone while Lil Durk is very poignant with his sound. Overall, this album is a key attribution to this year’s summer.

3. The Life of Pierre 5 by Pierre Bourne: Known for producing classic hits such as “Magnolia” by Playboi Carti and his signature producer-tag, “Ayo Pierre, you wanna come out here?”, Pierre Bourne is more than a producer. Over the course of five years, Bourne has worked on a series of self-titled projects called “The Life of Pierre”. The fifth installment of the series features classic “Super Mario” and “fruity” beats from Pierre along with features from Lil Uzi Vert and Playboi Carti. The long-awaited song “Switching Lanes” with Carti debuted on this album and is a fan-favorite for many. From start to finish, Pierre doesn’t disappoint and gains admiration as a real music artist.

4. Tell Em by Cochise and SNOT: Fans have been waiting for this long-previewed song. Popularized on TikTok and other social media platforms, Tell Em is a collaboration between upcoming rappers Cochise and SNOT. The song features a playful instrumental, hand in hand with Cochise’s catchy hook, “Tell ‘em what’s up” repeated all throughout the track. SNOT doesn’t dismay listeners as he brings a high-level verse to create one of the songs of the summer. The song was accompanied with a Cole-Bennett-directed music video, which has gained almost 15 million views as of now.

5. Culture III by Migos: The infamous trio returns with the third and final chapter in their “Culture” series. This album ends the group’s album succession on a high note. Tracks feature pop artists like Justin Bieber and fuse 808-drill music with a song from the late rapper Pop Smoke. At its best, Culture III is an ode to the first original trap album from the group. This album release signifies the trio’s rise to glory and fame, and how it all started originally. The takeaway songs from this album are: “Having Our Way” featuring Drake, “Straightenin’”, “Modern Day”, and “Jane”.

6. STAY by The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber: The Aussie pop star Kid Laroi teams up with one of the most influential pop artists in the world, Justin Bieber to create a worldwide hit. The song has an 80s-inspired synth instrumental that is paired with Laroi’s angelic singing cadence. In essence, the song is a homage to earlier pop songs that have a good rhythm and catchy beat. In the song, Laroi wishes sympathy from his ex-lover while Bieber admires his relationship with his significant other. Overall, the song is essential for the summer, and once played, you will be hooked forever.

7. The Off-Season by J Cole: J Cole returns with his complex rhyme schemes with The Off-Season. The latest release from the artist deals with racism, social violence, and issues with class and gender. Twelve tracks feature clever verses from J Cole, weaving between ideas of success and mortality. Songs to look at are: “My Life” with 21 Savage and Morray, “Pride is the Devil” featuring Lil Baby, and “Punchin’ the Clock”. After being on hiatus for two years, J Cole is back on track to release more precocious songs, as well as continue his other endeavors such as his brand deal with Puma.

8. Sin City The Mixtape by Ski Mask the Slump God: The South Florida rapper returns with a nine-track mixtape. His nimble, fast delivery of his words makes listeners more intentful about what he says. On tracks like “The Matrix ” and “ADMIT IT”, Slump God’s articulation and flow are jolting and have good energy. The rapper controls his emotions over heavy-808-bass beats. After not releasing for almost three years due to the passing of XXXTentacion and Juice Wrld, two of his closest friends, Ski decided to come back to the rap game with the intention of claiming his spot as one of the best. He announced that he will be dropping two more projects in 2021, and listeners can’t wait to hear what he has in store.

9. Industry Baby by Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow: After controversy over one of his hit songs, “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”, the young superstar Lil Nas X returns with “Industry Baby”, accompanied by Kentucky’s finest, Jack Harlow. The song has a trumpet-flaring instrumental, blazing listener’s ears with a catchy tune. Nas X reflects his supposed downfall and how he will always be in his prime. Harlow strengthens Nas’ idea with his own opinion about his role in the rap game. The music video is arguably as controversial as “Montero”, taking place in prison and having a nude-shower-dance scene. But, don’t let that dismay the song, because in its full potential, Nas X is a pioneer in the music industry, paving the way for the LGBTQ community as well as representing minorities. With this song, he is putting it in stone that he has something to prove and nothing to lose.

10. Donda by Kanye West: Kanye West is a testament to the definition of a perfectionist. He constantly refines his songs until they are the best representation of who he is as a musician, in the case for most of his albums like The Life of Pablo or Graduation. In the last few weeks, Kanye has allowed the world to see his creative process on his 10th upcoming album, Donda. A tribute to his mother Donda West, the Grammy-winner artist has been hinting at this project for almost a year now, previewing snippets of songs on social media. In preparation for the release, Kanye West hosted two listening parties in one of the biggest sporting arenas in the world, The Mercedes Benz Stadium. While Donda has still yet to be released, some of the exceptional songs from the events were “Hurricane” featuring The Weeknd and Lil Baby, “Off the Grid” with Playboi Carti and Fivio Foreign, “Pure Souls” with Roddy Ricch, and “No Child Left Behind”. To conclude the second listening party, Kanye “angelically floated” from the ground up into the skyline of the stadium with a harness. In my opinion, his second listening event had more finished and mastered songs. Only time will tell whether Kanye West will deliver his album, but for now, we can only wait…