Ten More 2024 Rap Albums You Haven't Heard But Should
By mid-October, much of the music press has stopped paying attention to new music. With a perverse pressure to get their year-end list making firmed up by Thanksgiving at the latest, some of your favorite outlets are likely already compiling long lists or working out rankings before disseminating blurb write-up duties to overworked staffers and eager freelancers. Exceptions exist, and big names with expected November/December release dates may get special dispensation. But if you're a lesser known or independent artist hoping for a look from the media in the final weeks of 2024, you're shit out of luck.
As longtime CABBAGES subscribers know, this newsletter pursues an agenda of hip-hop/rap music discovery, with a focus on indies and self-released work. But it's a one-man show over here, and I typically can only manage three album review recommendations every week. More often than not, there are several other good-to-great projects coming out every month that I can't or don't get to.
As I did some months back, below I've tried my best to tell you a little about the 2024 albums I haven't been able to cover and that you more than likely haven't heard, all in one convenient list. I intentionally aimed to spotlight artists I haven't covered much here before, though of course there are some that regular readers will recognize. What you won't find are major label releases, nor any albums/tapes/EPs I've already written about this year. This isn't meant to be comprehensive or self-affirming. I'm just trying to turn you on to some records you haven't heard yet and that aren't backed by Sony, Warner, or UMG. Let's go...
ANKHLEJOHN, Pride Of A Man
With innovative beatsmiths like The Alchemist and Ewonee behind him, and multi-generational emcee talents Inspectah Deck and Navy Blue at his side, the formidable D.C.-area rapper spits with artful intensity and purpose on his latest LP. (buy it / stream it)
Calvin Valentine & Lawz Spoken, ADVENTURE
Off-roading, whitewater rafting, and other such Land Cruiser-led activities populate the Los Angeles stoner's dope reunion weekend smoked-outing with his High Noon At Cobra Island collaborator. (buy it / stream it)
Cavalier & Quelle Chris feat. Denmark Vessey, Death Tape 2 | We 'Gon Need Each Other
Willfully excluded from streaming behemoths, this artist-direct effort from the underground hip-hop supergroup does more than defy the industry as the modern day Ghost-Rae-Cap configuration deliver an eclectic, authentic set that only they could create. (buy it / stream it)
cropscropscrops & Steel Tipped Dove, Long-Light Derecho
Amid the veritable Fused Arrow surplus this year, you might have missed this Montreal-based artist's casually abstract yet implicitly urgent narration over STP's muted, unusual instrumentals. (buy it / stream it)
FEED THE FAMILY, ZING LANGUAGE
Comprised of BoriRock, Dun Dealy, Shaykh Hanif, and Top Hooter, this Griselda-adjacent Massachusetts quartet embody squad loyalty with their boisterous hustle bars, drug deal wisdoms, and luxe schemes. The Jake Scalli "Danny" skits slap too. (buy it / stream it)
Glorygirl2950, Queen Of The Land
Boasting similarly unconventional flows and punchy absurdism like RXKNephew and Christ Dillinger, this pitchy/quirky/cool Atlanta rapper–and evident Chief Keef stan–aggressively makes her mark on the first of two (so far) 2024 projects. (buy it / stream it)
Kendall Spencer & August Fanon, The Trauma Center P1
Coping, raging, and coming to terms after a near-fatal accident that left him with only one arm, the rapper perseveres with unflinching albeit life-affirming honesty over some spacious bap beats by the ever-impressive Brooklyn producer. (buy it / stream it)
Lexa Gates, Elite Vessel
Laidback raps both spat and sung characterize the Queens native's indie breakthrough, laden with her calm lyrically accounting and replete with a drop-in from Bruiser Brigade's own Zelooperz. (buy it / stream it)
maassai, DEC0N$tRUCT!0N
Admitted hard-drive dumps rarely sound this good, but even a concise collection of leftfield loosies and curated asides from the proficient H31r emcee evokes strong emotions and deep vibes. (buy it / stream it)
Rapswell, Calypso
Though technically his first solo album, the PENPALS rapper approaches this semi-nautical project with a veteran's gaze and an adventurous spirit. (buy it / stream it)