Within 2022, there were remarkable changes within the music industry, especially in the rap and R&B genre. As new artists became famous, new styles became more popular. Yet people always loved the original styles shown within the community, with different well-known producers, rappers, or singers. This year, the music industry had several hit albums from many different artists and producers: Drake and 21 Savage, Metro Boomin, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, and SZA. These albums that hit the charts deserve an overview, both of public and personal opinion.

Her Loss By Drake and 21 Savage

Rating: 3.5/5 

Released: November 4th

Most Popular Song: “Rich Flex”

As one of TikTok’s most popular songs, this quickly climbed up the charts because people joked about how Drake sounded during his main verse in the song. From there, more people had then streamed it across other platforms too for the joke, soon making it the most streamed song on the album to date. Although this song is the most popular, it’s not exactly due to people enjoying the song, which doesn’t exactly make it the album’s best song.

Best Song: “On BS”

With the simple repeated beats, the song was a melodic vibe and had equal splits of Drake and 21 Savage. This song perfectly executed balance without the overpowering of one another. This song also serves as an amazing hype song for a drive.

Worst Song: “Hours In Silence”

 Hours In Silence was a unique pick because at first it seemed like it was going to be my favorite song on the album. The song overall was lengthy, totaling to six minutes. However, after 2 minutes, the song switched to a monotone feel that ruined the song. Also, there was the issue of how this song was thought of as a Drake’s solo song when it was a collaboration of two great artists.

Overview: 

When Drake announced another new album, titled “Her Loss”, fans went crazy, but went crazier finding out 21 Savage would be collaborating with him on it as well. The songs on this album quickly filled up charts on all music platforms, beginning with “Rich Flex”. The album had also consisted of many controversial entendres that distracted from the musical purposes. With so much hype built from the album, it was underwhelming for many fans. One of them mainly being the lack of 21 Savage in the album. Aside from the controversies, the album was decent and had music that was worth listening to.

Heroes & Villains By Metro Boomin

Rating: 4/5 ☆

Released: December 2nd

Most Popular Song: “Creepin” ft. The Weeknd and 21 Savage

The song on this album that appealed to most listeners was “Creepin”’, featuring The Weeknd and 21 Savage. As both of these artists are very popular currently, it adds to the overwhelming amount of streams the song has over all music platforms. Additionally, the slow pace of the song differentiated it from most of the other songs on the album. Although it was stuck in my head when it first came out, it was only the portion of the song that featured The Weeknd that had gone viral that was most enjoyable. 

Best Song: “Niagara Falls” ft. Travis Scott, 21 Savage

Both artists’ parts were equal in size as the song which allowed for listeners from the two artists to be satisfied with the features. The song had also resembled the artists’ usual music style, which had mixed well together, allowing for a catchy piece. 

Worst Song: “Metro Spider” ft. Young Thug

Metro Spider lowered the ongoing positive feeling I had for this album while listening to it. Overall, the song had very bland lyrics and sound. 

Overview: 

Metro Boomin’s new album, titled “Heroes and Villains”, had excited many fans from different artists as it featured twelve different artists varying in their music styles. I feel that with this album, the songs with more than one feature had been more enjoyable because it added more depth with two different voices and styles. In the end, with these mostly enjoyable features, as well as Metro Boomin’s production, this album was a solid ⅘ as it appealed to several different audiences within the same music genre.

Me vs Myself By A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie

Rating: 3/5 ☆

Released: December 9th

Most Popular Song: “B.R.O.” ft. Roddy Rich

This song in the album was the collaboration we never knew we needed. Roddy Rich carried the song with his own style. Despite this being an A Boogie album, Rich made this song similar to one from his album with the addition of A Boogie which was an instant success.

Best Song: “Damn Homie” ft. Lil Durk

Damn Homie was one of the few songs on the album that did not disappoint fans. The collaboration with Lil Durk and A Boogie was an unexpected vibe that was instantly catchy.

Worst Song: “Water” ft. Kodak Black

Drowning is an iconic song that you probably heard at every single party. This album surprised us with a part two of the song known as Water. Though Kodak Black’s verses highlighted the strongest beat in the predecessor, the original song was better. The song had a bloated and disjointed feeling. Drowning was a powerful song that just didn’t have the same power and lacked emotion in “Water”. 

Overview: 

As a highly awaited album, it met some expectations but not all. With legendary albums like Hoodie SZN, this was not A Boogie’s best album. Despite the great features, many of the songs on the album lacked emotion and therefore, it overall felt like a generic rap album. While the beats were catchy, many of the tones were repetitive and it did not meet my expectations. 

SOS by SZA

Rating: 5/5 ☆

Released: December 9th

Most Popular Song: “Kill Bill”

As a trending song, “Kill Bill” stands at the top for its relatable lyrics across young adult audiences. The lunatic yet lucid lyrics relate to those who have been through breakups recently. As someone who isn’t a SZA fan, this song definitely had engaging beats and invited me to listen to the rest of the album.

Best Song: “Low” ft. Travis Scott

This song outlined the versatility of the album and the artist. SZA’s raps were an unexpected surprise to the album and intrigued much more fans, especially those who like the Rap genre. Travis Scott’s part is rightfully placed as it doesn’t overtake the song but highlights SZA’s parts.

Worst Song: “Smoking on My Ex Pack”

While SZA can clearly rap, other songs on her album showcase her talents better than this song. This song is far from terrible but it didn’t stand out compared to other music on the album

Overview: 

SZA’s new album was an unexpected hit appealing to many different audiences. This album was an experimental sensation as SZA explores different genres of music. SZA’s new music explored wide ranges of diversity from rap and pop, to even punk pop. The diversity of the album allows a wide range of acceptance from the audience. The album carries strong emotions based on her recent breakup creating an imbalance in emotions. Each emotion is depicted in the album, such as sadness and anger, conveying relatability amongst many people.