The Music That Made 2020 Tolerable

Giving up life as you know it to become a hermit used to sound a little appealing. Who doesn’t want to get away from the busy world and all of the stressors that come with it? It sounds pretty good on paper, but as we have experienced in 2020, most humans weren’t designed to live in isolation. While the pandemic barred us from visiting with friends and family, concerts, movie theaters, and travel, it didn’t take away new music.

When you’re stuck inside all of the time and separated from friends and family, music takes on a whole new importance. Music can relate to your experience, it can help distract from awfulness, and it can help connect you to other people. We needed that this year, and luckily, music artists stepped up to the plate and delivered.

If I’ve learned anything from 2020, it’s never to take things that bring you joy for granted. In 2020, music brought me an immense amount of joy; many weeks, the thing I looked forward to the most was listening to all of the new music that was released Thursday nights. I’m so thankful that week after week, artists provided us with a much-needed distraction from a bleak year.

So, as 2020 comes to a close, I want to celebrate the artists, albums, and songs that brought me some happiness in this seemingly never-ending year. I’ve listened to over 150 albums this year, and I’m ready to talk about them. Okay, not all of them because that would take way too long, but still, I’m ready to talk about the music I was rocking with the most this year.

I’ll be handing out meaningless, made-up awards for different categories, as well as highlighting some of my favorite albums of 2020. Keep in mind, my favorite genres are hip-hop, R&B, and pop music, so that’s what will be celebrated the most. At the end of the day, even if you disagree with some of the winners, I hope you enjoy and maybe even find a new artist or two that you like. Cheers to the music of 2020, and thank god for 2021.

Category: Sad Boy Album of the Year

In a sad year, it’s only fitting that artists channeled those feelings into making sad music. Listening to sad music while you’re sad can be toxic, but it can also be therapeutic. When I was feeling melancholy this year, my go-to album was Circles by the late, great Mac Miller. Dealing with depression and anxiety is a major theme of Circles, but oftentimes Mac’s lyrics are hopeful and content. His life may have been swimming in circles, but he was finding some comfort and satisfaction in that. Despite Mac’s optimism, the album takes on an additional layer of sadness when you realize he never got the chance to really see through the hope he raps and sings about. This album came out about a year and a half after his passing, and it’s one of the most well done posthumous albums of all time. It’s a sad album for a sad year, and Mac Miller, and everyone who worked on this project, deserve a ton of props.

Category: Turn Up Album of the Year

While going out to bars, clubs, or parties was a no-go this year, nothing was stopping you from having a dance party of one. While I certainly cut loose to quite a few albums this year, the winner of this category is the one that made me want to bust a move every time — Chromatica. Chromatica is Lady Gaga’s danciest effort yet is mostly electropop in sound, but also prominently features house and disco elements. If you want an example of this album’s infectious dance energy, check out “911.” Sure, I don’t know what “popping a 911” means, but if you can make it through the song without even a head bob or a foot tap, you’re a weirdo. Additionally, “Rain On Me,” “Sour Candy,” and “Stupid Love” also sound like they were made to be played in a crowd of people. It’s really a shame that gatherings were outlawed this year, as Chromatica would have made a great playlist for any group of people.

Category: Best Debut Album

Usually, one of my favorite things to do is to discover new restaurants and breweries, but while COVID may have stopped me from finding the perfect new chicken sandwich shop, nothing could stop me from discovering new music. 2020 was a great year for new artists, but 070 Shake wins this category for me with her debut album Modus Vivendi. You might recognize 070 Shake from her breakthrough performance on Kanye’s Ye, where she sang the powerful hook on “Ghost Town.” 070 Shake’s personal and emotional lyrics help make Modus Vivendi such a compelling listen, but the production, including some by legendary producer Mike Dean, also grabs your attention. It’s hard to put a label on the album; it’s some sort of mix of soul and alternative R&B with a ton of synths thrown in; it’s a great late night driving soundtrack. In the end, it’s fair to say that Modus Vivendi is something unique; It’s a beautifully crafted and incredibly impressive debut from a promising young artist. If you’re interested in getting a taste of the album, check out “Guilty Conscious,” “Microdosing,” and “Under The Moon.”

Category: Most Fun Album of the Year

In the midst of the monotony of 2020, it was nice to have a few albums that were an absolute blast to listen to. Plastic Hearts, by Miley Cyrus, is my pick for the most fun album of the year. The album starts off with a bang, the intro track, “WTF Do I Know,” is brash, loud, and features that classic Miley Cyrus IDGAF attitude. The entire album marks a shift in sound for Miley, ushering in her rock era, which her voice is extremely well suited for. Seriously, how did it take her so long to get here? Miley’s voice and rock music are like pancakes and syrup. The whole album is packed with jams like “Midnight Sky,” “Plastic Hearts,” and “Prisoner.” The album mostly has an upbeat pace, which helps contribute to the fun, but even the slower and more heartfelt songs like “Never Be Me” are a pleasure to listen to. Thanks, Miley, for providing some much-needed fun.

Category: Album of the Year

One of my quarantine highlights was staying up late and listening to After Hours by The Weeknd. Sitting in the living room with my fiance, the lights off, the night was ripe with anticipation, and The Weeknd’s piercing vocals hit me in both familiar and new ways. It was the correct way to give the album a listen.

Full disclosure, I’m what you might call a The Weeknd Stan, he’s my favorite artist of all time, but I have high standards for his work. After Hours is The Weeknd’s most cohesive project since Kiss Land; it has a story that is clear from the opening track to the closer, both of which are excellent. It’s very cinematic in that sense, and The Weeknd has brought that vision to life beyond the album, performing in a red suit and bandaged face. The album helps show The Weeknd’s progression as a man; it details his battle with addiction and dealing with feelings of wronging others. The album builds to the titular track, “After Hours,” where he apologies to a former lover for his past transgressions and pleads for her to take him back. The album is very diverse in musical style; it features a mix of 80’s style pop, old school ballads, and moody R&B crooning. The single “Blinding Lights” dominated the charts this year, but the entire album is a masterpiece from one of the best vocalists in music.

Runners Up

While those were some of my favorite albums of 2020, there was way too much good music released this year to only talk about five albums. Seriously, I could drone on all day, but I won’t, for your sake. So, instead of a long write up, here’s a few words on some other albums that made 2020 more tolerable.

Lil Uzi Vert — Eternal Atake (Deluxe): While I hate Uzi for starting the trend of artists releasing a whole new album as a deluxe, both the deluxe and standard versions of Eternal Atake are a treat. On “Pop,” Uzi shouts out Balenciaga 15 times in a row, and I think that’s worth celebrating.

Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist — Alfredo: This is the best pure rapping album of the year. Rap artists have long been intrigued by the mafia, and in Alfredo, Gibbs does those themes better than anyone.

UnoTheActivist — 8: If you were going through Playboi Carti withdrawals, UnoTheActivist’s 8 is a worthy substitute. Checkout “Das Him,” which flips Lil Uzi Vert’s “Futsal Shuffle 2020” in a fun and unique way.

Denzel Curry & Kenny Beats — Unlocked: Denzel Curry is one of the best rappers alive but Unlocked differs from his past work in both style and production. It feels like a 90s era New York-style rap album but with more modern production.

Spillage Village — Spilligion: Many describe Spilligion as a folk-rap album, but to me, it has more gospel and soul influence than folk. It’s a fascinating album that’s uplifting and emotionally punchy.

Drake — Dark Lane Demo Tapes: After a couple of lackluster albums, Drake came back strong with a mixtape that shows off his versatility. “Toosie Slide” is the classic Drake pop song, but songs like “Chicago Freestyle” and “From Florida With Love” are Drake at his best.

Westside Gunn — Pray For Paris: Drug dealing, art, and fashion, are Westside Gunn’s go-to topics on Pray For Paris, but the album really stands out because of its beautiful production. It also has great features from Joey Bada$$, Tyler the Creator, and more.

Key Glock — Yellow Tape: It’s impossible not to nod your head along to Yellow Tape; Key Glock has an untouchable swagger that’s all over this project. The interpolation of Dr. Dre’s “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” in “Dough” is legendary.

Amine — Limbo: If you only know Amine from his hit single “Caroline,” you need to get more acquainted with him. It’s a great comfort album, its mostly light, fun, and catchy.

Kid Cudi — Man on the Moon III: The Chosen: It’s not the nostalgia talking; Kid Cudi hit it out of the park on this one. It has tracks reminiscent of the first two installments of the Man on the Moon trilogy, but it also blends more modern, Travis Scott-esque sounds.

Brent Faiyaz — Fuck The World: Brent Faiyaz has a gorgeous voice and makes the kind of carefree and inconsequential R&B I love. The beats are very spacious, allowing his crooning to carry the tracks.

J Hus — Big Conspiracy: I’m not big into UK rap, but Big Conspiracy instantly had me hooked. It’s an incredibly smooth album, and J Hus impressed me with his versatility.

Benny The Butcher — Burden of Proof: Benny The Butcher is a gritty rapper from New York, but Burden of Proof marks a shift for him as he raps over rich, luxurious beats.

Conway The Machine & Big Ghost Ltd — No One Mourns The Wicked: Conway The Machine put out three projects in 2020, but No One Mourns The Wicked is his best. Between Conway’s grimy lyrics, menacing laugh, and bleak beats, the album is dark in the best way.

Dua Lipa — Future Nostalgia: 80’s vibes were all the rage in 2020, and no one did that sound better than Dua Lipa. This album was a strong contender for Turn Up Album of the Year.

Other Albums Worthy of Praise:

• Future & Lil Uzi Vert — Pluto
• Dominic Fike — What Could Possibly Go Wrong
• Don Toliver — Heaven Or Hell
• Deante’ Hitchcock — Better
• Conway the Machine — From King To A God
• 21 Savage & Metro Boomin — Savage Mode 2
• Ka — Decedents of Cain
• Big Sean — Detroit 2
• Nas — King’s Disease
• Caribou — Suddenly

If you made it to the bottom of this blog, thank you for reading; music must be a big passion for you too. I hope at the very least you found a new album or two to listen to. Cheers to the music of 2020; I hope to see you out dancing at some bar or club (or Uptown VFW) in 2021!