2023 has been a fantastic year for music so far. While there hasn’t been a flurry of big drops album wise, there’ve been quite a few gems that may have flown over your head, including ones from some artists that I think deserve a little more love than they’re getting. So, with this list we’ll going through some of those artists and some of their projects that you should check out.
Montell Fish
Genre: R&B
Montell Fish is an artist that has been on the scene for a while. However, it’s his 2022 release of his sixth studio album “Jamie” that’s been getting quite a bit of attention. Using his innate ability to blend R&B, soul and rap, added with some of the best vocals in his genre, Montel Fish is an artist that I believe will continue to make big strides and is definitely a great addition to your catalog if you love R&B and Indie.
Lil Yachty
Genre: Alternative/Hip Hop
Looking back at the 2016 XXL freestyle, I honestly could not predict what Lil Yachty’s trajectory would allow him to reach in terms of his creativity and success. Over the last couple of years however, he’s slowly learned to master a certain nuance. After announcing a search for band members on his socials, he a beautiful, psychedelic experience with the aptly named “Let’s Start Here”. It’s exciting to see where he’ll go from here after releasing a project that many are proclaiming as an album of the year candidate.
Ben Reilly
Genre: Hip Hop
Hip Hop is a very saturated industry at the moment so it can be easy to let glaring talent go unnoticed. After dropping his 2021 LP; “Freelance”, he’s been compared to Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem for his voice, flow and cadence. While these comparisons hold some truth, Ben Reilly is truly pioneering Hip-Hop, constantly outdoing himself with what he can push the genre to with distinct production and instrumentals. After a couple of single releases this year, it’s going to be interesting to see what he has up his sleeve.
Kaytranada
Genre: House, Electronic, Hip-Hop, Funk
Kaytranada has been an artist I’ve been following for quite a while. While he already does have quite the fanbase as is, I always felt he deserved more love, especially for how much he’s influenced the house music scene over the last few years. (He was one of Drake’s influences on Honestly Nevermind). With his latest release “Ketamine”, Kaytranada now has the album ofthe summer. It’s left me only wanting more from Kaytranada and who he might potentially work with down the line.
Ice Spice
Genre: Hip-Hop
Can I honestly say that I saw Ice Spice maintain her success after hit single “Munch”. Not at all, but it’s been amazing to see her ride that success while carrying her infectious energy over to her fun run of collaborations. This year alone she’s delivered some great tracks with some artists like Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift and PinkPantheress (Boy’s a Liar Pt.2 is subjectively songof the year) I’m really excited to see how she grows from here cause at this rate, the sky’s the limit for Ice Spice.
Daniel Caesar
Genre:R&B
While Daniel Caesar is far from new to the music, his presence has been marred by a series of comments that I won’t specify right now (He apologized everyone). After ending 2022 on a high with a spectacular single in “Please Do Not Lean”, I was in high anticipation for a potential album and he definitely did not disappoint with his latest record; “Never Enough”. An open and vulnerable Daniel absolutely kills it with this record. With fantastic features from the likes of Omar Apollo, Ty Dolla $ign, Rick Ross and more, this has to go down as my favorite Daniel Caeser LP to date.
Jordan Ward
Genre: R&B, Indie
If we have to discuss artists in the album of the year conversation, it’s impossible to not include Jordan Ward with his debut “FORWARD” LP. Jordan Ward takes inspiration from so many places. One artist I was quick to compare him to was Frank Ocean, as Jordan is able to use his voice in so many interesting ways. However, genre-wise he perfectly blends R&B with funk, indie and hip-hop. FORWARD is definitely my album of the year, and I definitely recommend not just diving into the album but his entire catalog. The man does not miss.
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