We have already shared our list of 10 favorite songs from 2016 with you so it’s only right that we graduate to albums today. We’ll be brave enough to admit that 2016 didn’t see too many gems being released but one can always find a few selections that match your taste.
This list contains albums which we liked and played the most in 2016 hence the term “favorite”. Sales, radio spins or critical acclaim are no factors. Since the definition of an “album” has blurred quite a bit, we have also considered mixtapes and other digital-only projects for this list. Only those albums released between January 1 and December 31, 2015 have been considered. Take a look at our staff’s picks below.
Mac Miller – The Divine Feminine
This album surprised a lot of people, myself included. I didn’t care for Mac’s music until last year with GO:OD AM. Once I heard the Anderson .Paak featured ‘Dang!,’ I was ready. It was funky and I knew the style was going to be different than anything we would hear this year. With features from Bilal, Ariana Grande, CeeLo Green, Kendrick Lamar, Ty Dolla $ign, and Njomza, Mac Miller put together an album about love without sounding corny. Rappers have a tough time creating songs for the ladies so to do a whole album about the thing that brings relationships together and tears them apart is spectacular. – Joe Coad
Ty Dolla $ign – Campaign
Ty Dolla $ign remains one of the most underrated R&B artists out. Despite hitting the mark with 2015’s Free TC, the LA based artist has never really gotten the credit he deserves for his song making ability and raw talent. Campaign is yet another great example of his skill level. He shows his range with mellow, conscious cuts like ‘No Justice’ and unapologetic braggadocio Hip-Hop with the title track featuring Future. It’s only a matter of time before Dolla $ign gets his just due. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. – Akaash
Chance The Rapper – Coloring Book
Did anyone have a more breakout year than Chance the Rapper? There is no doubt that he’s been destined for stardom since 2013’s Acid Rap, but 2016 was the culmination of all the pieces he had put together since then. It started with a show stealing verse on the opener of his mentor and idol Kanye West’s new album in March. He followed that up in May with his diverse and mainstream-breakthrough Coloring Book. He ultimately ended it with his frequently promised Grammy nominations and another SNL appearance as a cherry on top. I like to look at Chance’s mixtape trilogy as moments in time. If 10 Day felt like high school and Acid Rap college, then Coloring book was someone who just graduated and started his first entry level job in the real world. It was an artist who had gone through the normal ups and downs of growing up and was starting to figure out what really mattered to him in life. Apparently working on his proper debut studio album now, one can only wonder what Chance’s next phase will bring musically. – Scott Evans
10. Royce 5’9″ – Layers
Although we were promised three full length albums from Royce 5’9 in 2016, we’re more than happy with what we got. Layers marked his first solo album since 2011 and however silly it may seem now, he had something to prove with it. The project is the perfect introduction to the newer, sober Royce, so much so that it actually feels like a debut album from the Detroit rapper. Nickel doesn’t miss a step and has us anticipating whatever comes next, whether it’s PRhyme 2 or The Book Of Ryan. We’ll take both. – Akaash
9. Lloyd Banks – All or Nothing: Live it Up
A lot has been said about Lloyd Banks and his underrated abilities in rap but let’s admit it – some of his projects have been a little too much of the same old. All or Nothing: Live It Up however, was a great piece of work where he experimented a little more with the production, paid more attention to song concepts and rapped some crazy lines that we’re still trying to decipher to this day. Now let’s just hope we finally get to hear his fourth album in 2017. – Navjosh
8. Kanye West – The Life of Pablo
Not much else can be said about an album that’s been discussed as much as Kanye’s 7th solo LP The Life of Pablo. With its mess of a release and its constant updates, it was a fragmented piece of music that perfectly resembles the artist that created it. As 2016 has progressed, West has seen public perception of him return to almost Taylor Swift levels of hatred. Capped by a canceled tour, meetings with Donald Trump, and his wife being the victim of a robbery, the year’s end has been all over the place for West. Pablo is similarly all over the place. Some lyrics are head scratching, the gospel themes inconsistent, but somehow when packaged together it works as some sort of organized chaos. Kanye has always delivered albums that represent his current mind state and surroundings. If The College Dropout was an aspiring superstar and Yeezus was a frustrated entrepreneur, than Pablo is little bits and pieces of everything in between, like some sort of hits compilation made up of new material. – Scott Evans
7. The Weeknd – Starboy
If you didn’t think The Weeknd was a star by 2015, he decided to drop an album full of reasons for you with Starboy. He pulled influence from the likes of Michael Jackson, 50 Cent and David Bowie on this one and the eclectic sound of the singles paid off. His subject matter didn’t change much but that’s all the more reason to love him. He’s just as good at telling us about partying with girls and doing cocaine as Pusha T & Malice were at telling us stories about selling it. This album dropped towards the end of the year which made it fall off the radar a little bit so if you missed this, please do yourself a favor and go back to it. – Joe Coad
6. Rihanna – ANTI
Twitter told us that this album was “trash”. I’m here to tell you that Twitter has lied to you once again. There wasn’t a better stretch of music in 2016 than what Rihanna gave us from ‘Kiss It Better’ to ‘Same Ol Mistakes’. She dominated the radio with this album, even forcing Fifth Harmony to change the name of their ‘Work’ single to ‘Work From Home’. 2015 saw Rihanna going left and it didn’t work. 2016 was Rihanna getting back to what works for her while spicing things up. – Joe Coad
5. Z-Ro – Drankin & Drivin
We’re pretty sure this is the most surprising pick out of all for the readers but hey, we don’t look at sales or number of Twitter followers when it comes to our lists. Z-Ro’s Drankin & Drivin literally came and went by the normal standards but boy, it was one hell of an album he created. Before your Drakes, Kid Cudis and Travis Scotts, it was this Houston veteran who was rapping and singing his a*s off on records. This album contains the best of his craft and if you haven’t heard it yet, trust us when we tell you that you’re missing out on something crazy. – Navjosh
4. Anderson .Paak – Malibu
It’s always interesting when an artist seemingly comes out of nowhere but is really just getting the recognition for the work he’s put in all those years. Enter Malibu, our formal introduction to the talented Anderson .Paak after a co-sign and a few guest spots from Dr. Dre. Released in early January, no album in 2016 shocked with such polish and focus as Malibu did. The beginning of the year is notorious for dry spells in entertainment as the awards and holiday rush start to come to an end. Ironically enough, last year it delivered an album that kept us listening into the next year. His collaboration album with Knxledge was the victory lap to his break out year, but Malibu was his lasting impression. – Scott Evans
3. Ab-Soul – Do What Thou Wilt.
For the vast majority of last year, Ab-Soul almost felt like the neglected member of TDE. A long wait was the last thing we wanted after the disappointing These Days… but we learnt our lesson – never doubt Soulo. Just three weeks before the end of 2016, DWTW was released on a short notice. The album challenges stereotypes through its genius concepts, raises the bar lyrically and easily keeps listeners’ attention from the jump until the final moments. Be patient, it’s gonna take a while to decode this one. – Akaash
2. Majid Jordan – Majid Jordan
Perhaps the most unlikely pick on the list, OVO Sound’s Majid Jordan delivered the album that all of their fans wanted in February of 2016. The self-titled debut showed commendable growth from A Place Like This but still managed to fulfil the expectations of fans with the cohesive blend of R&B, Disco and Dance music. Playing the LP from start to finish is effortless and feels like a journey through a refreshing, new genre. Expect great things from this duo in 2017. – Akaash
1. Travis Scott – Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight
To be honest, I didn’t care for a Travis $cott album when Birds was about to drop. But I decided to tune into Beats 1 Radio out of curiosity when it was announced that he would be debuting the album live on Apple Music. What I heard was tons of infectious tunes I couldn’t resist. I ended up purchasing a copy of the album and haven’t stopped playing it since then. It isn’t the most rappity rap album but since this list is all about the ones we loved the most in 2016, Birds deserves that number 1 spot. Guilty pleasures of life! – Navjosh