First, no one can be objective, there’s no truth in music. Then, it can be mentally difficult for artists to accept these insights. We are music fans above all and we never want to hurt anyone. Our goal is only to discover new talents and to bring them to our readers’ ears. We know they don’t always have the time to listen to everything we scan and write about during the year so these lists are just recommendations of what they should first focus on. Nothing more.

We know it’s a shared subjective feeling: 2018 has been another great year for music. We got introduced to fascinating newcomers with strong concepts that prove that albums are certainly not dead yet. Some rising singer-songwriters confirmed their defining style while a few established artists successfully re-recorded their masterpiece or explored challenging new soundscapes. You can find below the 30 albums that made 2018 according to our staff and stay tuned for our usual 100 Tracks of the year list next week.

30) Amen Dunes – Freedom

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29) Kadhja Bonet – Childqueen

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28) Yves Tumor – Safe in the Hands of Love

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27) Whitney Ballen – You’re A Shooting Star, I’m A Sinking Ship

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26) Tirzah – Devotion

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25) CupcakKe – Eden

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24) Rosalía – El Mal Querer

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23) Tomberlin – At Weddings

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22) Sidney Gish – No Dogs Allowed

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21) Ezra Furman – Transangelic Exodus

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20) Kali Uchis – Isolation

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19) Janelle Monáe – Dirty Computer

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18) Frankie Cosmos – Vessel

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17) U.S. Girls – In A Poem Unlimited

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16) Ariana Grande – Sweetener

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15) Ex:Re – Ex:Re

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14) Car Seat Headrest – Twin Fantasy

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13) Tierra Whack – Whack World

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12) IDLES – Joy As An Act of Resistance.

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11) illuminaties hoties – Kiss Yr Frenemies

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10) Mr Twin Sister – Salt

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9) SOPHIE – Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Sides

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8) Low – Double Negative

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7) noname – Room 25

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6) Soccer Mommy – Clean

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5) Beach House – 7

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4) Robyn – Honey

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3) Lucy Dacus – Historian

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2) Snail Mail – Lush

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1) Mitski – Be The Cowboy

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Since she shared her mixtape Telefone in 2016, Chicago-born rapper and poet noname is on our radar. Earlier this year, she self-released her excellent debut album Room 25 which features the single “Blaxploitation”. The track just received a visual treatment signed by Alex Lill. Inspired by movies like Godzilla and King Kong, her first video ever sees her hometown being attacked by a giant black kid. Focusing on the way the information is covered by the media, it smartly addresses the fear of racism. Watch below.

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Despite having been a frequent collaborator of Chance the Rapper and Mick Jenkins for the better part of the 2010s, it wasn’t until 2016 that Fatimah Nyeema Warner aka Noname became a rap sensation. That year saw the release of her first mixtape “Telefone” to critical acclaim. Relying on jazz as the musical’s backbone on which to support her rapping and letting her songs brim with unusual savoir faire, Noname filled a void in today’s male-dominated and electronics-heavy rap music. It was always clear that if she was going to make it, it was going to happen in her own terms. Now, she’s releasing her first proper album, the self-produced and self-funded “Room 25”.

Unlike recent rap albums, “Room 25” is relatively short of collaborations. While half of the tracks do have featuring artists in them, their contributions never take the spotlight away from Noname. It’s also a rare rap album in that it hardly follows any of the genre’s conventions (“I know n****s only talk about money and good pussy”, she raps with tongue firmly planted in cheek at the end of “Self”). It’s straightforward and brief for what might be regarded as a conscious rap album, the sum of the lengths of its eleven tracks barely surpassing the thirty-minute mark. For the most part, “Room 25” does away with sampling and studio-born tricks, instead embracing an old-school feel that fits perfectly with Noname’s flow. In terms of production, “Room 25” is simply perfect; a lively album with an instrumentation so palpable that listening to it feels just like being in front of Noname and her band in a tiny jazz bar.

Jazzy and groovy, “Room 25” is as much of a musical step forward for rap music as it is a look backwards. The ongoing interplay between the bass and the drums serves as the cornerstone for pretty much every song here, giving off nostalgic airs in its nods to early 90s rap music. But Noname is no doubt a 2018 rapper. Her fast and spirited vocal delivery resonates with current trends, and the commending width of her register aids her in attenuating drastic genre shifts. Though diverse in its sonic palette, she flows seamlessly even without recurring to the rap music’s headlining trick: the skit.

It’s an album that can be simultaneously revered by a younger demographic used to the R&B-tinged sounds of “Regal” and “Part of Me” and by old-school rap purists, who will find joy in the playful basslines and drum patterns of songs like “Blaxploitation”. Arguably the best song on the album, the latter finds Noname at the top of her game as a lyricist, dropping verses that basically put any other current rapper to shame: “I’m struggling to simmer down, maybe I’m an insomni-black / Bad sleep triggered by bad government / Write a think piece in the rap song, the new age covenant.” “Blaxploitation” is as politically powerful as it is catchy, a relentless, take-no-prisoners two-minute banger that plays on notions of racial identity and white hypocrisy. Relying on its Adam Ness-sung chorus hook, “Prayer Song” is a thrilling take on police violence as poignant and effective as any song in Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp A Butterfly”. Boasting impressive lyrical skills as indebted to Missy Elliott as they are to Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison, Noname is simply one of the most thrilling lyricists of our age.

“Room 25” is as broad in sounds as it is in lyrical themes. The album starts off with Noname showing off, as a good chunk of rap records do. Even before you’ve heard more than thirty seconds of it, she begins by letting you know that “Room 25” is going to be that kind of album; that it’s going to infiltrate your consciousness and shake you up: “Maybe this the album you listen to in your car / When you driving home late at night / Really questioning every god, religion, Kanye.” And that’s only how it begins. By the end of the song, she goes to display some God-tier female braggadocio skills: “Fucked your rapper homie, now his ass is making better music / My pussy teachin’ ninth-grade English /My pussy wrote a thesis on colonialism.”

By the end of the album, though, the show-off façade collapses and we’re sent home after being finally offered an honest window into Warner’s life. The closing track “no name” functions as a sort of inverse fourth-wall break; the mask separating artist and person disappears as Fatimah Nyeema Warner takes Noname’s place for the album’s conclusion and comes up with a commanding political rationale behind her artistic moniker. “No name for people to call small or colonize optimism / No name for inmate registries that they put me in prison / When labels ask me to sign, say my name don’t exist, so many names don’t exist.” It’s hard not to be instantly reminded of Emily Dickinson’s famous poem: “I’m Nobody! Who are you? / Are you – Nobody – too?” “no name” is probably the most contemporary song on “Room 25”, its second half channelling Frank Ocean’s more wistful side. It’s an odd last track in that it closes the album by taking it in a wholly different direction, but it makes the album’s narrative come full circle. “Room 25” works as a portrait of Noname, and it’s not fully completed until its last notes gradually vanish in a lovely fade-out.

Equally hook-laden and intricate, “Room 25” can be enjoyed on many levels. From its sensual instrumentation to Noname’s splendid lyricism, there is something here for every kind of music lover. If there is something missing from “Room 25”, that’s a true hit that stands out from the other songs. Not that it needs one, though. Noname’s first album is simply one of the best debuts in recent history.

“Nightride” – Tinashe

“We Got It From Here…Thank You 4 Your Service” – A Tribe Called Quest

“1992” – Princess Nokia

“Malibu” – Anderson .Paak

“My Woman” – Angel Olsen

“Hopelessness” – Anohni

“Coloring Book” – Chance The Rapper

“Atrocity Exhibition” – Danny Brown

“Blackstar” – David Bowie

“Blonde” – Frank Ocean

“How To Be A Human Being” – Glass Animals

“Oh No” – Jessy Lanza

“The Life Of Pablo” – Kanye West

“Dangerous Woman” – Ariana Grande

“Puberty 2” – Mitski

“Telefone” – noname

“Tempo” – Olga Bell

“Cut & Paste” – Oscar

“Nothing’s Real” – Shura

“American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story” – Kevin Abstract

You can also check our other lists:

20 Favorite Videos

20 Favorite EPs

20 Favorite Albums and Mixtapes

Radar 2017

100 Favorite Tracks

The hip-hop artist grew up on sounds of soul, R&B, and jazz, and began playing the piano at the age of seven. Saba’s experience playing the piano quickly led to his experimentation in music production. He accredits much of his musical inspiration to Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, which he says was the deciding force in his life which made him want to professionally pursue music. The Chicago native has quite the discography under his belt, and now, he presents a new single: “Church / Liquor Store”.

“Church / Liquor Store” is a story that was written about Saba’s hometown and his upbringing. He speaks about his hardships and overcoming them, growing up in Chicago, and speaks about the finer things in life. One of the most powerful messages in the song was Saba speaking about how his life has molded him into the person he is.

The track features Saba’s profound lyricism, a verse by Noname, and soulful vocals by Akenya, which all are backed by Cam O’bi’s killer production. The track is a nostalgic and slow-rolling ballad which pays homage to the sentimental styles of soul and R&B that many of us grew up on. Much of this perception is due to Cam O’bi’s unique production style. The Las Vegas producer has been making some of those most impressive and particular-sounding beats around as of late. Cam was one of the credited producers on Noname‘s hit mixtape “Telefone“, and has produced for other artists such as Vic Mensa, Chance The Rapper, Lil Wayne, and Mick Jenkins.

Chicago-based artist Noname has been causing quite a bit of excitement lately with her refreshing take on hip-hop and has built a serious reputation for being a stand-out lyricist. Fresh off the release of her breakout mixtape, “Telefone”, Noname followed up the body of work with this collaborative single with Saba.

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“Church / Liquor Store” is featured on Saba’s new LP “Bucket List Project”, which was released on October 27. You can order it here.

Keep up with Saba on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Soundcloud.

Fatimah Warner, formerly known as Noname Gypsy, and now simply known as Noname, is a Chicago native rapper known most prominently for her features on various Chance The Rapper projects. Rappers who gain certain degrees of popularity in this way often phase off into obscurity when no longer given the podium by others “higher up” in hip hop. Noname, however, makes tremendous waves on her new mixtape “Telefone.”

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For those who haven’t yet listened to “Telefone,” imagine sweet poetry clad in smooth, geometric production while delivering a very unique, honest message. Noname does not boast, trash talk or invoke anger, yet she professes the struggles and blessings of her life in a very open but fine-tuned sort of way. She brings serene bars to each track on this tape, invoking feelings of insightfulness as well as inner pain. On “Freedom Interlude” she raps, “Bill Cosby ain’t the god we made him, They all forgave him” and follows it just a few lines later with the sentiment, “Delusions on the guest list, You said plus one, So where your plus one at?” as she expresses a confusion with society and a personal issue nearly in the same breath.

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The artist is no stranger to the technical side of rap either. Her flow winds easily through each verse, sounding similar to that of Childish Gambino on his best days. She is also never short on rhymes and has many a trick up her sleeve, such as the fact that she can craft a strong, catchy hook whenever she wants to.

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Additionally, the beats laid under Noname do a fine job of supporting her. Phoelix and O’bi craft an airy, digital age stream of sound on “Diddy Bop,” made to fit her well and also to push Raury’s gentle style to the forefront. On her mixtape, Noname has a special gift of speaking from several different angles in one project, song and even verse. She does not limit herself to social commentary, every day matters or simple self-expression. Rather she combines all of these things.

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Noname and her mixtape “Telefone” do more for hip-hop as an art form in one mixtape than many successful rappers do in three.

Most importantly, however, she does it artfully. The way Noname places words can be extremely up front and no-nonsense, but also more poetic than many casual hip hop listeners might be used to. She brings a great sense of creativity and skill with the pen to this project and that is its driving force. Noname may have become widely heard through her work on Chance The Rapper’s music, but she is without a doubt steering her own ship now. “Telefone” does more for hip-hop as an art form in one mixtape than many successful rappers do in three. Noname has arrived, it’s time to pay attention.