There was a lot to be worried about going into 2024. Hip-hop had just given us a lackluster 50th anniversary that didn’t provide many great albums or moments. Instead we got a lot of angst about the state of the genre, capitalism and not nearly enough reckoning about how the industry treats women. We were entering a year that felt like albums didn’t matter and all record labels cared about was empty-calorie singles that were popular enough to book unproven, green artists on tours that were failing and getting canceled. Last year, rap didn’t feel dead. It’ll never die. But it felt like a genre that was veering further and further away from the glory we were promised.
But 2024 broke through the blasé haze and gave us one of the legitimate great years in hip-hop. Of course, the main headline is a generational feud between rap’s two biggest stars, Kendrick Lamar and Drake (with a short cameo from J. Cole), that showed them at their best and sometimes worst. Their battle birthed some incredible moments and a few megahits, giving us two of the game’s best at their hungriest. But the year didn’t end there.
Here’s what we loved to watch in 2024Read now
2024 saw women such as Megan Thee Stallion and GloRilla assert themselves further as household names and superstars. We saw the emergence of a new, future great in Doechii. And rappers seemed to really care about constructing great bodies of work. From Tyler, The Creator’s Chromakopia to rapper Common and producer Pete Rock’s The Auditorium, there were great albums for every sector of rap fans.
The story of 2024 was rap’s recovery. With that said, Justin Tinsley and I decided to continue our annual tradition of highlighting the moments that defined this year from rap’s unforgettable moments and beyond. 2025 has some big shoes to fill.
Album of the year
Tyler, the Creator performs songs from his new album Chromakopia at Lovejoy Wharf in Boston on Oct. 31.
John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
‘Chromakopia’ by Tyler, The Creator
So much of 2024 revolved around who occupied rap’s coveted Big 3. The general consensus was that the list consisted of J. Cole, Lamar and Drake. For the life of me, I don’t understand how Tyler, The Creator isn’t considered to be in the same category. He’s put out four great albums, and his latest, Chromakopia may go down as another classic on his résumé. The project takes us through the psyche of a man struggling with his past and what it means to his journey as maybe being a parent one day. In between these deep introspections are songs such as “Sticky” and “Balloon” that are instant hits. Tyler, The Creator is parked firmly in his prime and Chromakopia is another signifier of that fact. — David Dennis Jr.
‘Why Lawd’ by NxWorries
At some point over the last eight years, a lot of us had given up hope for another NxWorries (a group consisting of Anderson .Paak and Knxwledge) project. Rumors are a dime a dozen in the music industry, so while the hints were out there, nothing concrete ever came up. In a way, that was fine. The replay value on their 2016 album Yes Lawd! hadn’t dwindled in any considerable fashion. Well, patience truly is a virtue because the duo came back with another project you’ll want to run back again and again. “MoveOn” is on the short list of my favorite songs of the year and sits near the top of their prolific catalogs as an undeniable gem. Yet, what makes this project truly so much fun to listen to revolves around two tentpoles. The vulnerability behind so many of the songs, such as “Battlefield,” “SheUsed” and “OutTheWay, is apparent. And two, the sequencing of the album. The latter can take a great project and make it a time stamp, and that’s exactly what we have here. Now, if history serves me correctly, we’ll all just have to wait patiently until approximately 2032 for the next installment. – Justin Tinsley
Artist of the year
Future and Metro Boomin
This might be cheating but Future and Metro Boomin, two Atlanta artists, are indelibly linked for the way they set the year on fire. Not only did they drop two incredible albums, We Don’t Trust You and We Still Don’t Trust You, but they were arguably the catalyst for Drake and Lamar’s most recent feud. After all, it was Future who sent shots at Drake and invited Lamar to set more fire to the Canadian on “Like That.” Metro Boomin also made viral gold by flipping comedian Willonius Hatcher’s “BBL Drizzy” R&B song into a beat, inviting amateur rappers to diss Drake over the catchy tune.
But really, the duo’s year was made by the greatness of their albums. I’m particularly partial to Future Vandross — the toxic, crooning version of Future — and We Still Don’t Trust You is almost exclusively that. The melodies take root in your skin and don’t leave. This is prime Future and so much of that comes from the chemistry he has with one of the great producers of the modern era. — David Dennis Jr.
Kendrick Lamar
I’ll have more on this shortly, but no one in rap — pop culture, honestly — had a year quite like Kendrick Lamar. Think about it like this: In a music world where most artists release songs at ridiculous clips and are ever present on social media, Lamar’s music did most of the talking. Outside of his battle with Drake, which overwhelmingly went in Lamar’s favor and the recently-released GNX, the only other times we heard from the Compton, California, MC were a Harper’s Bazaar interview with SZA (which might as well have been their pre-tour announcement) and his Super Bowl halftime announcement. Everything Lamar did this year was intentional. — Justin Tinsley
Best live show we saw
Rapper Kendrick Lamar performs during “The Pop Out – Ken and Friends” concert presented by pgLang and Free Lunch at The Kia Forum on June 19 in Inglewood, California.
Timothy Norris/Getty Images for pgLang, Amazon Music, and Free Lunch
Kendrick Lamar — ‘The Pop Out: Ken & Friends’
OK, I lied. There was one other time we heard from rap’s self-proclaimed “boogeyman.” Lamar’s victory lap came in the form of a homecoming in “The Pop Out” concert in Los Angeles — on Juneteenth of all days. Lamar provided a stage for countless artists, gangs and ‘hoods across the city to have an international platform. The momentum built throughout the show with Lamar as its triumphant closer. He performed for more than an hour running through a litany of hits, including his Drake takedowns in “Like That,” “Euphoria” and, of course, “Not Like Us,” the latter of which he ran through countless times with hometown heroes such as Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan, Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook and more on stage celebrating. The crazy thing is, little did any of us realize at the time, Lamar’s run and the fallout from the beef would be far, far from over. — Justin Tinsley
ScHoolboy Q in Atlanta
As mentioned, one of the rougher aspects of rap was the number of artists who tried to do large concert venues without the library, stage presence or fan base to pull it off. ScHoolboy Q didn’t try to overshoot, instead opting to pack out intimate venues across the country. ScHoolboy Q performed at Tabernacle in Atlanta with the charisma and stage presence to fill up State Farm Arena. His set was roughly 90 minutes without any breaks, taking us through his decade-long catalog of hits, never getting winded. The highlight came every time he roared through songs from his tremendous 2024 album Blue Lips. The three-song run on that album of “THank god 4 me” to “Blueslides” to “Yeern 101” is one of my favorite-sequenced moments of the year, so hearing each song was like a shot of adrenaline. You just have to see ScHoolboy Q live and remember why he’s always been a jewel in TDE’s crown. – David Dennis Jr.
Co-Rookies of the Year
Bossman DLow and BigXThaPlug
Consider this our version of Jason Kidd and Grant Hill, who were named Co-Rookies of the Year in the NBA in 1994. Thirty years later, it’s a dead heat between talented hip-hop newcomers. It’s always tricky to name rappers “rookies” based on the depths of their catalogs, but 2024 is the year Bossman DLow and BigXThaPlug went national. Day parties, nightlife, strip clubs, kickbacks — if people were trying to enjoy themselves and go up, chances are songs like “Shake Dat Ass,” Lul Tyler’s “2 Slippery,” “Come Here” with Sexyy Red, “The Largest,” “Mmhmmm” or “2AM” weren’t too far behind. Also, if hitting the gym is one of your 2025 resolutions, do yourself a favor and make sure you add a couple of songs from both of these guys to your playlist. Thank me later. — Justin Tinsley
GloRilla performs onstage during Rod Wave’s Last Lap tour at State Farm Arena on December 5, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Paras Griffin/Getty Images
Song I couldn’t stop listening to
GloRilla — ‘Yeah Glo’
I mean this is in the absolutely most respectful way possible. And as a native of Memphis, Tennessee, I’m sure GloRilla will take it in such a way. But the Grind City MC gives me vintage Project Pat feels. Her songs are catchy, graphic novels molded into the most digestible forms. To be honest, GloRilla had a handful of songs that made us all mean mug and remember the days when fights in clubs were just the norm — namely “TGIF.” One must admit, though, rapping, “Before I let a hoe play with me / I’ll go eat up on some jail food, on gang” is classic Memphis tough talk. Which is saying something if you know that city’s rap history. — Justin Tinsley
Kaytranada feat. Childish Gambino — ‘Witchy’
I went to a Kaytranada show a few months ago and I did it solely to hear “Witchy.” This isn’t to say that there weren’t other Kaytranada songs I love and was excited to sing along with. But in a year that was as defined by earworms as much as anything else, Childish Gambino singing his heart out to “Witchy” over Kaytranada’s synthy madness was the ultimate earworm for me. This is Childish Gambino at his best, finding the perfect pocket and note to mix with some of Kaytranada’s finest work. If you listen and don’t at least want to do a two-step, I’ll Venmo you five bucks. — David Dennis Jr.
Artist/Album that disappointed
Benny the Butcher – ‘Everybody Can’t Go‘
Here’s the thing. I’ve become such a big fan of Benny the Butcher over the years that I do grade him on a high scale. One of the best street rappers of his generation with a ridiculously impressive catalog, The Butcher has more than lived up to his name with graphic street tales and a flow as addictive as the bricks he raps about selling. To his credit, he’s still rapping tough on Everybody Can’t Go, but the album never felt cohesive. It was almost as if he was trying to prove he could rap as hard as possible with a random collection of songs rather than a body of work with real connective tissue. Songs such as “Jermanie’s Graduation,” “Bron” and “Pillow Talk & Slander” are noteworthy, but the album as a whole doesn’t feel nearly as big as it’s supposed to. That being said, he is still someone to check for because there are few as convincing as him. This album just didn’t do it for me. And here’s a thought for 2025 that I know for a fact he’d excel at: a Tiny Desk performance at NPR’s office in Washington. Let’s put that in the universe now. — Justin Tinsley
Verses we can’t stop thinking about
Megan Thee Stallion – ‘HISS’
A lot of people have had a lot of things to say about Megan Thee Stallion over the last few years. Well, she had a whole lot to say about them on one of the first songs to send shockwaves in 2024. On a record that aimed at several of her foes, such as Drake, Tory Lanez and Nicki Minaj — the latter of which crashed out something serious — her venom became a precursor to a year that didn’t hold back on putting people on front street. It’s not the “best” verse of the year, but it’s definitely one that set the tone for the type of time 2024 would be on. — Justin Tinsley
Media moment of the year
Katt Williams on Club Shay Shay
Interviews like this happen only a few times in a decade. This was one of the moments that genuinely shook up so many pockets of pop culture. Katt Williams has been a comedian who spoke his mind his entire career. But this was different even for him. NFL legend and First Take host Shannon Sharpe couldn’t have known what was to come when he booked him for his Club Shay Shay podcast. But Williams didn’t disappoint to say the very least. Over the course of a few hours, Sharpe posed topics and Williams took them and ran with it. He never bit his tongue or cut corners. Williams simply told his truth and the world reacted. — Justin Tinsley
Justin Tinsley is a senior culture writer for Andscape. He firmly believes “Cash Money Records takin’ ova for da ’99 and da 2000” is the single most impactful statement of his generation.
David Dennis Jr. is a senior writer at Andscape, and the author of the award-winning book “The Movement Made Us: A Father, a Son, and the Legacy of a Freedom Ride.” David is a graduate of Davidson College.
