Summer 2018 was jam-packed with releases, and several giants in music all seemed to grab the spotlight at some point during these hot few months. Beyonce and JAY-Z surprised the world with their collaboration album, Kanye West spearheaded a marathon of 7-track releases from G.O.O.D Music members, and Drake stole the show with his two-sided Scorpion. There are countless high-quality projects that might have gotten lost in the madness.
Here are some that definitely deserve another listen if you missed them the first time around:
Aminé, ONEPOINTFIVE
Aminé surprise-released ONEPOINTFIVE on August 15. The 14-track project came with very little notice, and the only mention of it came just hours before its release. The Portland rapper released a short skit yesterday on Twitter, where he calls the project an “EPLPMixtapeAlbum.”
TONIGHT pic.twitter.com/C2NmkqPNyH
— Aminé (@heyamine) August 14, 2018
It serves as his first project since his debut album Good For You, and includes features from Rico Nasty, Gunna, and G Herbo. Production is handled by Aminé’s frequent collaborator Pasqué, Charlie Brown, Tee-WaTT, and Aminé himself.
Buddy, Harlan & Alondra
It’s been a long time coming for Buddy, and his debut album, Harlan & Alondra, finally arrived this past July. With a co-sign from Pharrell and his newfound confidence, Buddy delivered a solid 12-track project that set the tone for the rest of his journey. The album includes features from Ty Dolla $ign, Snoop Dogg, Khalid , A$AP Ferg, and more.
Tierra Whack, Whack World
The summer started off strong as Tierra Whack released Whack World right at the end of May. It’s one of the more creative projects released in a while. Her initiative for the project was to give people a “taste of everything” because she thought it was “boring” to stick to one sound, and she did so by its unique execution. Whack World is a conceptual album made up of 15 one-minute songs, each released with a single music video that she released on Instagram.
Freddie, Gibbs Freddie
Freddie Gibbs came back with a new self-titled album Freddie on June 22, just over a year after dropping his You Only Live Twice EP. The album includes features from 03 Greedo, Cassie Jo Craig, and his daughter Irie Jane Gibbs. The project was mainly produced by Kenny Beats, Dupri and Rich Gains. The album cover, although Gibbs’ music is primarily rap, is an homage to the ’80s soul legend Teddy Pendergrass and his 1979 self-titled album Teddy.
Don Toliver, Donny Womack
With perfect timing on his side, Don Toliver delivered his new mixtape, Donny Womack, in early August. There was especially a lot of buzz around his name at the time after his stand-out feature on Travis Scott’s highly anticipated ASTROWORLD album, where he sang the hook and a verse on “CAN’T SAY.” The two rappers always put on for their Houston roots, and Donny Womack was an impressive follow up for his breakout moment.