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Do you guys want to hear me talk about the moral, ethical and economic decline of a falling empire or do you want to see me hit some dingers?
Here are the 50 best albums of 2025, yo:
50. Emily Allan — Clanging
If the “Let’s remake America Psycho but make Patrick Bateman a woman” crowd has it, Emily Allan’s day-to-day operations should be studied by whoever lands the gig.
49. Tunde Adebimpe — Thee Black Boltz
Just jams, man.
48. Blood Orange — Essex Honey
Blood Orange and Caroline Polachek need a joint album together. Remember Chairlift?
47. Benet — Make ‘Em Laugh
Put Faye Webster on a track and you get an automic bid in to the Top 50. Benet understands the rules and regulations.
46. El Cousteau — Dirty Harry 2
I’ve reached the age where the cool rappers are way younger than me and I don’t totally, fully, know what they’re talking about. Comfy in the grays.
45. Sword II — Electric Hour
Sword II is the weird, sticky, run-off from a melted Atlanta indie scene—some dream pop, some hardcore, little local tap water— Sword II forms an early 2000s alterative rock band whose single would’ve been the theme for WWE Backlash 2005 or played at the end of an episode of Scrubs when JD narrates the lessons he’s learned.
44. Hit-Boy & The Alchemist — Goldfish
The Alchemist put out 11 albums this year. I like that he lets himself rap on this one, as a treat.
43. Deep Sea Diver — Billboard Heart
This album sounds expensive [complimentary].
42. Clipse — Let God Sort Em Out
When Pusha-T puts out an album, it’s a Top 50 album. That’s never not been true. But man, Pharrell did everything in his power to try to stop him.
41. Scienze & NappyHigh — Praises
ScienZe raps for those hour-long cold, snowy train rides where you’re either going to some place you hate or leaving some place you hate (most likely both).
40. Twen — Fate Euphoric
If only Courtney Love got her hands on Adderall in ‘92 instead of whatever Kurt left in the ashtray.
39. Dillon & Paten Locke — Rations
The sad finale of a trilogy of albums. Studies in Hunger coming in 2009. Food Chain in 2016 and now Rations—serving as a eulogy to producer Paten Locke, who passed away in 2019. I started this trilogy in high school, and now, 900 years old, blessed to have made it to the finish line.
38. Stereolab — Instant Holograms On Metal Film
They did it again. These crazy sons of guns, they did it again.
37. Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist — Alfredo 2
These two men have come together to create a genre of high-level background noise. Grammy-level stuff. You could get all your work done and not miss a single thing of importance Freddie says.
36. Your Best Friend Jippy & Tha God Fahim — The Solar Lottery
There existed a world in which Adult Swim would’ve dropped a huge direct deposit to these gentlemen for rights to these songs.
35. Slick Rick — Victory
Mobb Deep, Big L, De La Soul, salute to the legends who dropped albums this year. If this were Slick Rick’s debut album, it would be no. 1 on this list. All these years later, still rapping like he’ll appear— eyepatch and all— if you say “Slick Rick, The Ruler” three times in the bathroom mirror on Friday the 13th.
34. Bruiser Wolf & Harry Fraud — Made By Dope
Bruiser Wolf raps like Mary Poppins joyfully reading aloud a recipe for shepherd’s pie but instead, it’s a highly specific story about selling narcotics.
33. Foxwarren — 2
First Foxwarren album came out 2011.
Second, 2018
And now 2.
More bands should make albums every seven years.
32. Mae Powell — Making Room For The Light
If premiered at Cannes, Making Room For The Light would break the record for most consecutive standing ovations.
31. Billy Woods — Golliwog
Billy Woods, the best writer in hip hop history, will always have a spot in my Top 50.
30. Gelli Haha — Switcheroo
Gelli Haha is like if Sarah Squirm wanted to make pop music instead of period jokes.
29. Ghostface Killah — Supreme Clientele 2
Every Ghostface Killah album is the best Ghostface Killah album.
28. U.S. Girls — Scratch It
This is the soundtrack for any southern woman of a certain age, making their way through the Vegas strip, post-divorce, coming down from a dramatic midlife crisis. My shit.
27. The Cool Kids — Hi Top Fade
Like Atlas, Chuck Inglish singlehandedly carries the Boombox industry on his shoulders.
26. Pink Siifu — Onyx’!
Shout out Pink Siifu dropping an album meant to be blasted through boat speakers, at the end of November. Procrastination brothers.
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