Many of us at RMR is still looking back on the past year, compiling our ‘Best Of’ lists, and anticipating 2020’s best new music. Meanwhile, the last month of 2019 has proven incredibly fruitful with new sounds. December releases in hip-hop and R&B abound, so in the spirit of turning the page to next year, here are a few new albums to keep in the mix as 2020 looms.
December Releases – Free Nationals, Free Nationals
Retro soul funksters Free Nationals spent the last year-plus as the backing band for Anderson .Paak. As a result, .Paak has become one of the most bankable touring acts of the moment. That affiliation has seen them play the mainstage at Coachella, an opening slot for Beyonce, and crisscross the globe on .Paak’s outstanding Best Teef In the Game tour.
Subsequently, on their self-titled debut, Free Nationals tap-in to a wide network of supporters. .Paak does appear–on the breezy, bouncy “Gidget”–as does Syd, Benny Sings, T.I., and Shafiq Husayn. On “Time,” the band pays tribute to friend and frequent collaborator, the late Mac Miller. More importantly, the band steps out of .Paak’s shadow and establishes their own sound. Squelchy vocoder vocals and horn stabs mingle nicely with keyboards and rhythm guitars. Free Nationals take their hard-earned R&B credentials into new territory while staying true to their funk roots, and give us one of December’s best releases.
Apple Music | Amazon Music
December Releases – KAYTRANADA, Bubba
The Canadian producer/DJ extraordinaire has returned with his second full-length album. 2016’s 99.9% was a much-buzzed-about debut, and Bubba expands on things with a dance-able, party-friendly tracklist that is packed with collaborators.
Bubba feels like an expertly-crafted DJ set. The songs are beautifully sequenced so there are no fall-offs in terms of energy, and KAYTRANADA’s familiar drum-heavy production is a fixture. On “10%,” Kali Uchis’ vocals compliment a bongo-laden beat. Estelle pops in to sing the hook over keyboard vibes on “Oh No.” In a sign of KAYTRANADA’s ascendancy, Pharrell Williams brings his trademark falsetto to closing track “Midsection.”
Apple Music | SoundCloud
December Releases – Your Old Droog, Jewelry
2019 has already been a productive year for Your Old Droog. The Brooklyn, N.Y. rapper has two albums garnering accolades among 2019’s strongest hip-hop releases. Nevertheless, YOD added a third studio effort to the mix in mid-December, the aptly titled Jewelry. The title and tracklist is a celebration of Droog’s Ukrainian/Jewish upbringing. “I’m no longer going to diminish my heritage for your comfort,” writes Droog in the album’s press release. “We will celebrate light and life. I’m a Jew in America. This is my story.”
Cultural clarifications aside, Jewelry is a solid, hard-hitting work of New York hip-hop. The Mach-Hommy-produced album is loaded with familiar boom-bap drums, sample-laden hooks, and Droog’s raspy flows. On the other hand, there are far fewer guest spots than previous albums, leaving Droog to star as a principal lyricist. Most important, Jewelry takes its place alongside It Wasn’t Even Close and Transportation, cementing YOD’s 2019 output as the most prodigious in all of hip-hop. Accordingly, it cements this third album as one of December’s best releases.
Apple Music | SoundCloud
