Flee Lord — Lord Talk Trilogy

Third and final chapter of the "Lord Talk Trilogy", opened by his debut studio album and continued with his fourth album. Effort number nine for Flee Lord this year. Almost half-hour of listening, ten tracks, guests like Ransom, Eto, and TF. The music is entirely provided by the underground producer godBLESSbeatz. The covers of the trilogy have always carried religious references, but this one made by Cep is extraordinary.

MC Serch — Return of the Product

After the dissolution of 3rd Bass, MC Serch releases a debut solo album in 1992. Lyrically, the Queens rapper brings good content, still keeping away from the gangsta trend, while from a musical point of view the choice falls on the light jazzy boom bap: the main producers are Wolf & Epic in the first part and T-Ray in the second one.

Reks — Straight, No Chaser

Reks' seventh studio album, released a year after his masterpiece, this one is entirely produced by his friend Statik Selektah. The guests are Easy Money, Action Bronson, Kali, JFK, Termanology, Wais P, C Sharp, Alias ​​and Slaine.

Action Bronson — Only for Dolphins

Sixth studio album for Action Bronson, two years after the last one. The production is made by Harry Fraud, Tommy Mas, Budgie, AntMan Wonder, DJ Muggs, Samiyam, The Alchemist and Daringer, while the lyrics are performed by Bronson together and a few guests, Yung Mehico, rapper who also took part in the previous album by the rapper of Albanian origin, Meyhem Lauren and his brother Hologram, both in the "Mongolia" cut.

Paris — Safe Space Invader

Ninth studio album for Paris, five years after the last one. He does everything, rhythms, lyrics, rapping, editing. Even the cover. He leaves only the scratches to DJ True Justice, and a hook to affiliate T-K.A.S.H on "Turney the Key".

Hus Kingpin — Wavo in La [mixtape]

This second 2020 Hus Kingpin mixtape takes up part of the cover of his 2017 studio album "Cocaine": six songs, about thirteen minutes total.

Navy Blue — Àdá Irin

This album had a hype for some reason when I put it on the list of hip-hop records to listen to. After months, I didn't remember what all that hype was for. After listening to it, I didn't understand it. And now, months after playing the record a few times, I have no idea.

Krizz Kaliko — Legend

Samuel William Christopher "Krizz Kaliko" Watson tries to exit his new deal with Strange Music in style by releasing his seventh and final album with the label, “Legend”. The title couldn't have been more appropriate. The cover is well made, nice work.

Murs & Dee-1 — He's the Christian, I'm the Rapper

Collaborative studio album between Murs & Dee-1. For the Los Angeles rapper it's project number twenty-one under this moniker, at this point in his career, he has a number of albums close to that of veteran KRS-One, but with far fewer classic LPs.

Curren$y & Harry Fraud — The Director's Cut

"The Director's Cut" is Currensy's fifth LP this year, the nineteenth in his career, closes the trilogy with producer Harry Fraud which began with "The Marina EP" in 2018 and continued with "The Outrunners", released less than two months.

L.L. Cool J — Walking with a Panther

LL Cool J's second album, "Bigger and Deffer" (1987), became a huge commercial success, selling over two million physical copies domestically, spending three months at number one on the R&B chart and peaking third on the pop chart. Produced entirely by DJ Pooh and LA Posse, the only member of the group available to continue working on the New York rapper's next album was Dwayne Simon, unlike Darryl Pierce and "Bobcat", the latter was considered the mastermind behind most of the Californian production team's beats, as the other two wanted to receive greater compensation for their significant contributions, being disapproved by Def Jam executives. The set was therefore entirely handled by LL Cool J himself, supported by Simon and with additional production from Bryan Philpot, Rick Rubin, and The Bomb Squad, Billy "Spaceman" Patterson on guitar, David Tobacman on keyboards, and Tony "Funky Drummer" Walls on drums. There were no guests.

38 Spesh — The 38 Laws of Powder

38 Spesh mixtape consisting of 15 short songs and 46 minutes in total. The production is made by Ready Roc, TFC Exec, Midnite, Black Metaphor, Cash, Dylan Trackz, ROTB, Lil Eto and 38 Spesh himself, while rapping is provided by Klass Murda, Kool G Rap, Green Double, Benny and Lil Eto.

U-God — Mr. Xcitement

When Priority was definitively absorbed by EMI via Capitol Records in 2004, U-God was left unlabeled and he signed with Free Agency Recordings, a minor label that releases Allfrumtha i, a unknown Californian hip-hop group that is present in this effort with Binky in production (as The Produkt, with DonDoe), Squeak Ru, and affiliates Boo Kapone and Ebony Burke in guest roles. Second studio album for U-God, which is also known under the moniker UGodz-Illa around this time: this record comes from a feud not fully clarified with The RZA, dating back to 2004, and in fact, if you exclude a 4th Disciple (Killarmy) rhythm, in these 50 minutes there's nothing of Wu-Tang. Neither on the production side, with rhythms created by DJ Homicide, Leatha Face, Mark Baiardi and the duo The Produkt, nor on the lyrical side, with practically unknown guests among which MC Eiht stands out.

38 Spesh — Speshal Blends Vol. 2

Eighth effort in 2020 for 38 Spesh, one of the busiest artists of the year, perhaps the one who dropped the most projects, more than Flee Lord. The producer releases the sequel to his instrumental series that pays homage to MF DOOM.

Reks — T.H.I.N.G.S. (The Hunger Inside Never Gets Satisfied)

LP number twelve for Reks, rapper from Lawrence, Massachusetts, for two decades in the underground circuit. The project consists of just under an hour of material divided into nineteen tracks.

Freeze Corleone — LMF

LMF, acronym for "La Menace Fantôme", is the debut studio album of Issa "Freeze Corleone" Diakhaté, a French rapper originally from Les Lilas, born to a Senegalese father and an Italian mother. The title comes from the fourth film in the "Star Wars" saga, which the boy is passionate about. The production is made almost entirely by Flem, M.O.I. is the author of a third of the rhythms, while Amine Farsi, C2s, Congo Bill, JayJay, Marlex, Nassir, Ocho, Raaash, Rayane Beats, Seezy and Tab also collaborate behind the keyboards. Freeze Corleone, who in his album identifies himself under different monikers, involves several guests: ASHE 22, Alpha Wenn, Kaki Santana, Despo Rutti, La F, Black Jack OBS, Stavo, Osirus Jack 667, Roi Heenok, Alpha 5.20 and Shone.

American Poets 2099 — Murderous Poetry 3

Eighth effort by American Poets 2099, West Coast group affiliated with the huge Killa Beez movement.

YoungBoy Never Broke Again — Top

Second studio album by Kentrell DeSean Gaulden aka YoungBoy Never Broke Again, rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. There are 42 names behind the keyboards, Lil Wayne and Snoop Dogg are the only guests.

Run-DMC — Tougher Than Leather

In the wake of the huge success of their album, the group embarked on the Raising Hell Tour and later embarked on the Together Forever Tour with the Beastie Boys. In 1988, the group formed by the legendary Run, D.M.C. & Jam Master Jay released their fourth album.

Crimeapple — If I Don't See You in Paradise

Crimeapple releases his studio album number seven, second effort of the year.

Public Enemy — Yo! Bum Rush the Show

In 1985 the hip-hop group Public Enemy is formed by Carlton "Chuck D" Ridenhour and William "Flavor Flav" Drayton in Long Island, New York. In 1979 Chuck D joins the Long Island group Spectrum City with Hank and Keith Shocklee, and the group got a slot on a local radio station in 1982 where Flavor Flav had a show. In 1984, Spectrum City releases the socio-conscious single "Lies" ("Check Out the Radio" as b-side) with the label Vanguard, the disappeared, although the group's tracks will influence the Rush Productions label groups Run-DMC and Beastie Boys.

Little Vic — Dirty Laundry: Button Man

Studio album number three for Little Vic, an unfairly ignored rapper hailing from New York's crowded new hip-hop scene.

Pounds — There Is No Mafia

In 2020, mafia rap had a big new wave, Pounds from Rochester didn't let it slip, took his surfboard and headed to ride the wave with his fourth studio album, released four years after his last solo. With appropriate title and cover, the rapper secures twelve cuts for a total of about half an hour, and several underground guests including Primo Profit, 38 Spesh and G4 Jag.

Buckwild — Music Is My Religion

The DITC historic producer is trying to tear the underground market apart with quality products, releasing his fourth studio album in 2020. He maintains a jazzy East Coast sound for his production, while the themes chosen by the MCs are similar to those of "Fully Loaded" of a month earlier: inside, among others, there are Fred da Godson, Ransom, Flee Lord, Planet Asia, Hus Kingpin, Milano, Little Vic and Smif-n-Wessun.

Run-DMC — Raising Hell

In late 1985, Run-DMC returned home after a long tour and being the only hip-hop act at Live Aid, and spent three months working on a new album in their Manhattan studios, using lyrics they had already rehearsed several times during the tour. Instead of their usual producer Larry Smith, Rick Rubin was called. Although Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin are listed in the production credits, the music was actually created exclusively by Run-DMC, with Simmons and Rubin adding some material and supervising the work.

Wais P — Chinchilla

Malcolm Byer has been on the circuit since at least 1996 as half of Da Ranjahz, Brooklyn-based hip-hop duo affiliated with Roc-A-Fella and who debuts as a guest spitting a few bars alongside Jay-Z in his "Vol. 2". Byer had debuted some month before as solo in the soundtrack of the movie "Street Is Watching", composed mainly by the Roc-A-Fella boys, participating in the final cut credited as Wais. Since 2000, his activity can be easily defined as inconstant: after trying to continue his career both with the duo and as a soloist, without success, he understands that he cannot break into rap and abandons the mic, participating in the albums of some friends until beginning of the 2010s, when, after taking part in the latest works of Ras Kass, he participates in various projects of the producer Statik Selektah and his affiliated rappers. In early 2020, almost 25 years after his debut, he comes out with his debut studio album, produced entirely by Statik.

Big Sean — Detroit 2

Big Sean's sixth studio album, three years after his last, is a follow-up to his 2012 tape. The production is mainly made by Hit-Boy, Kay Wayne, Roger Chahayed and Teddy Walton, to which are added Cool & Dre, Boi-1da, DJ Dahi, Mike Will Made It, DJ Mustard, No ID, DJ Khalil, the same Big Sean and other unknown beatmakers. Guests include Nispey Hussle, Post Malone, Ty Dolla Sign, Jhené Aiko, Dwele, Anderson Paak, Young Thug, Travis Scott, Diddy, Lil Wayne, Boldy James, 5'9" Royce, Eminem and Dom Kennedy, among the others.

L.L. Cool J — BAD: Bigger and Deffer

LL's second effort broadly reflects the canons of a full-blown sophomore jinx. This too, like many, comes after a classic and is partially affected by that. It's still fresh, but a little less than the previous one. The verdant cover features the author standing on an Audi 5000 in front of the gates of a school in Queens.

Statik Selektah & JFK — #AGE All Green Everything [mixtape]

This ShowOff Records mixtape, realized by Statik Selektah and J.F.K., is a tribute to the Celtics and is entirely a reunion between friends, with Termanology, Reks, Slaine and Kali as main guests.

DJ Khaled — Victory

Not too different from Khaled's other albums, this is also bad. Produced by others, rapping of some of the most commercial hip hop artists of the period, as usual for those who own the BEST MUZ. Also, on this lap, it's Nas who drops the best lines by building the song that stands out clearly from the rest of the album, surrounded by a soulful hook by John Legend on a decent, light and glossy boom bap jazzy. The Inkredibles have inkredibly sucked in previous DJ Khaled albums, here they bring out a less indecent rhythm than usual: Esco delivers clean and smoothness, dope, but removed "Victory", the rest of the album is completely garbage.