Music is the most subjective and beautiful thing in the world. It allows people to express and convey their thoughts uniquely. Music can transport the listener to a different mental state, free from their problems and issues. I’ve been listening to music for all 17 years of my life; the older I grow, the more important music has become to me. 2025 has been an amazing year for music, so much so that it was difficult to come up with an accurate ranking because all of them were deserving of a top spot. With that being said, I hope you enjoy reading about some of my favorites from this year, and it’ll help broaden your music taste.
- Trompe L’oeil – UntilJapan
UntilJapan is by far my favorite artist in the underground rap scene, and for good reason. His sophomore album delivers even more sound variety than his previous project. UntilJapan has perfectly mastered haunting sound production with rich samples like Brent Faiyas’s ‘Role Model’ on ´Watch Your Back´. Songs like ‘Shoot For the Moon’ capitalize on his ability to pair bass-heavy sound with trumpets and his signature deep, dark vocals. More than just a collection of songs, Trompe L’oeil feels like a moon odyssey that’s undeniably elevated in production quality.
- From The Private Collection of Saba And No ID – Saba
Saba’s collaboration album with producer No ID blossoms into a portrait of Chicago’s musical atmosphere while also being deeply rooted in shared history. Throughout all 15 tracks, No IDs’ production blends jazz, neo soul, and boom bap samples while also letting Saba’s vocals feel very present. The 2nd track, ‘Breakdown’, is a perfect example of their homage to Chicago rap, with the trumpets only being played every other verse, similar to Chicago jazz bands of the 80s. Each track has several layers of thoughtful craftsmanship and a shared vision.
- Life Is Beautiful – Larry June
Larry June has been making music for a while, but this is the first time he’s made a project as smooth and jazz-inspired as this. Most of that can be attributed to the Alchemist’s otherworldly production and 2 Chainz’ melodic vocals and adlibs. While it is Larry June’s album, the real spotlight should be shined on the Alchemist’s production and 2 chainz ability to completely switch up his normal rage-inducing mosh pit style to more of a laid back vibe to fit the production perfectly. Perfect for summertime, the album sustains a feel-good atmosphere through all 11 tracks.
- Made In Paris – Pierre Bourne
Pierre Bourne once again proves that he is the best dual knife artist in the industry. His production completely transports you to a different atmosphere, specifically in ‘la loi, crete la loi’, where, in the first 15 seconds, you are transported to the beginning of a SpongeBob episode. While Pierre Bourne’s production skills continue to be top-tier, his singing ability only improves with each and every project. The Paris theme doesn’t follow through in all 24 songs and feels quite forced in the tracks where it is used. However, the theme is not what I’m looking for in an artist who specializes in creating mixtapes.
- Samurai – Lupe Fiasco
Although this album has only 8 songs, every single second of each track delivers perfectly and fits beautifully into the ancient samurai and old Japan theme. Several samples of Japanese jazz from the 70s are used in half of the tracks, while the other side of the record fills your ears with a vibrant and exotic take on traditional dance songs involved in traditions like Noh, Mai, and Kabuki. The album creates a great blend between laid-back 80’s rap and Japanese-inspired adlibs and sounds.
- God Does Like Ugly – JID
JID once again proves why he is the best lyricist in rap right now. His newest album pairs his comparatively light voice with production that perfectly fits him. In past albums, he struggled to pair his voice with the correct production. But on this album, the problem was completely wiped away. Every single song on the project is perfectly constructed in the pairing of the production and vocals. It does, however, lead to less diversity, but I don’t think it matters. I will gladly listen to the same song 15 times because the song is just that good.
- Angel Eyes – Kenny Mason
Kenny Mason continues to be the best genre mixer in the world right now. He effortlessly combines indie pop with rock in the track ‘Been Havin’ as well as combining mellow rock and earthy rap in ‘hoodrat. His small interludes at the start and end of every song flow so well into each track, and add to the listening experience instead of having the thought to just skip to the next song. He is also an artist who screams into the mic, somehow makes the song better, and doesn’t take away from the experience, as demonstrated on ‘On the Way’. Overall, if you were to listen to one album off this list, I would recommend this one because I truly believe there is a song for everyone on this project.
- Alfredo 2 – Freddie Gibbs
It is extremely hard to follow up a masterpiece like Alfredo, but I believe Freddie Gibbs and the Alchemist did it on this Album. The amount of diversity present on this album is the main reason it’s number one on my list. Already, the Alchemist’s beautiful production is the highlight throughout the whole album, but the spotlight is shared with each feature. Starting with the beautiful singing by Anderson Paak on ‘ensalda’, followed by Larry June’s verse in ‘feeling’ which has been stuck in my head since it came out, and ending with JID completely taking over ‘gold feet’. Freddie Gibbs does a great job facilitating his own album with consistent flows and ad-libs. Alfredo 2 solidifies Freddie Gibbs and the Alchemist as masters of their laid-back aesthetic and reinforces their storytelling abilities.
