15 min read what's good

What's Good Year-in-Review 2023

The cover of Puma Blue's album "Holy Waters". Features a heavily grainy and distorted image of Jacob Allen.

We made it friends. 2023 is finally in the rearview, and while we're leaving behind a whole lot of bullshit, it also gave us a lot of great music. I decided to start up What's Good in honor of my college radio show, partially because it would give me a way to keep track of all the music I dug throughout the year, but also because I missed sharing music with folks outside of my friends. Doing this as a weekly drop took the pressure off of having to have something to say outside of "this shit is dope" and given how much good music we've had this year, burn out was a very real possibility.

This Year In Review edition will function much the same way, but I am going to do a teeny bit of editorializing toward the end when we come to my facsimile of AOTY. Let's lay out a few ground rules:

  • I'm gonna leave some of the heavy hitters and obvious joints out: You don't need to be pointed toward or know my opinion on the Mitski record, for example. There are plenty of other people going long on how good that album was, and I'd be a single straw on that haystack.
  • I'm gonna miss some stuff: I listened to a LOT of music and liked a LOT of it. So I won't be able to mention everything out of pure forgetfulness and real estate to talk about it. Between things I didn't feel like I gave enough time to, or if it came too late in the year for me to not consider recency bias a factor, just because it doesn't make one of the lists below doesn't mean I didn't fuck with it. (For example: My dog Brian Brown released a JAM in BBGonProfit, go cop it expeditiously.) If I included it in one of the weekly editions, it's gotten burn in my headphones, trust.
  • I don't have a category for just rap albums: Since What's Good is sort of a rap/Hip Hop focused blog, even though I cover other things, it feels a little silly to do a carve out for it. Instead, I'll be focusing in on some of my favorite moments within rap, and leave the broader categories for other genres.

And speaking of categories, they are as follows (p.s. The headers have Easter eggs):

There's some overlap or bets I hedged. For example, the Kelela record could fit in R&B/Soul or Pop, but I put it in the electronic category 'cause that's the context I enjoyed it in. You could make a case for the KNOWER record to be in jazz or rock, but I like thinking of it as a Pop record. All in all, it doesn't matter much (as genres really don't in the grand scheme), but I figured I oughta head any pedants off at the pass. And without any further rambling, let's get to it.

It's the beat, he hear it in his sleep sometimes

Whether it's a complex sampling collage, a barely tweaked loop, or composed whole cloth from instruments and sequencers, most great rap songs are anchored by a great beat. Here's some of my favorites from this year.

  • Maxo, "Free" (Devin Morrison)
  • Larry June & The Alchemist, "Éxito"
  • billy woods & Kenny Segal, "NYC Tapwater"
  • Roper Williams, "Blow My Mind"
  • JPEGMAFIA x Danny Brown, "HOE (Heaven on Earth)" (JPEGMAFIA)
  • Five Steez x Son Raw, "Simple Man"
  • AJ Suede & Steel Tipped Dove, "Cold Hue"
  • Danny Brown, "Jenn's Terrific Vacation" (Kassa Overall)
  • El Michaels Affair & Black Thought, "Grateful"
  • Smoke DZA & Flying Lotus, "Harlem World 97"
  • Open Mike Eagle, "BET's Rap City" ft. Young Zee (Illingsworth)

We wild like rockstars who smash guitars

I didn't dig into the offerings as heavily (not pun intended) this year as I normally do, but it's always important for me to have some rock on deck. What I found time for didn't disappoint.

  • Filth Is Eternal, Find Out. Standouts: "Crawl Space," "Into The Curve," "Signal Decay" Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp | Tidal | Apple | Spotify
  • Wednesday, Rat Saw God. Standouts: "Bull Believer," "Chosen To Deserve," "Turkey Vultures" Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp | Tidal | Apple | Spotify
  • Dying Wish, Symptoms of Survival. Standouts: "Symptoms of Survival," "Prey For Me," "Hell's Final Blessing" Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp | Tidal | Apple | Spotify
  • Year of the Knife, No Love Lost. Standouts: "Alice," "Last Laugh," "Return The Agony" Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp | Tidal | Apple | Spotify
  • Move, Black Radical Love. Standouts: "Double Death," "Trojan Horse," "Summer Trend" Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp | Tidal | Apple | Spotify
  • slowdive, everything is alive. Standouts: "alife," "the slab," "shanty" Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp | Tidal | Apple | Spotify
  • Witching, Incendium. Standouts: "From Beneath," "Incendium," "Damnation" Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp | Tidal | Apple | Spotify

This rap is like ziti

If anyone ever tells you that rappers don't care about bars anymore, they're lying to you. Here's some proof. (Note: All entries below are for the rapper's whole verse or the whole song. The bars excerpted are just the bits that caught me off guard initially or hit me in my chest, what have you.)

I meet all Chicago crime questions with DuSable information/There are not enough funerals in your voice to make that statement/The headlines had birthdays before they became your entertainment/When the call penetrates, you feel a sinking sensation

SKECH185, "Up To Speed" (He Left Nothing for the Swim Back)

Made moves and went left, and you went right/Niggas wanna be hot 'til they souls on ice/Long as I got the rent, you can't tell me shit/You ain't got it, put you out like Hannibal Buress/Got it all fucked up thinking I won't flourish/'Fore my family sitting starved, you'll be all malnourished.

  • Danny Brown, "Dark Sword Angel" (Quaranta)
  • RXK Nephew, "Pink Lemonade"

Just press play for god's sake. (Blockhead's The Aux)

You goof troopers just idolize YouTubers/Flower for the 'gram dog, it's nothin' new to us/Gems drop, like twin dropped, I'm too ruthless/Too many podcasters, not enough Mood Music/You in your 30s, let the algorithm hand you bait/Now you on TikTok, repostin' Andrew Tate

Forty-four years and no greys, I'm amazed/Can't believe I made the quota/Pushing dual baby strollers/Putting words down on the page/With the gaze of a crazed Ray Liotta (Blackness!)/Baking soda, I got baking soda/Rapper, Tigallo, Dunny, Scudda we takin' over/Just 'cause you don't have a drink, that don't make you sober/And just 'cause you don't write it down, that don't make you Hova/Glory, glory, the end of my story's getting closer/Temperature rising, but the world is steady getting colder/Leave me alone, ring the alarm and tell the vultures/Stay the fuck out the garden if you gon' whore the culture

Stooped in the coop, gathering eggs/Traded some to the neighbors for some fresh bread/I say I'm at peace but, it's still that same dread/It's a funny feeling like knowing your enemies is in the Feds/It's hard to live when before you were dead/Cup bitter at the bottom, I had to learn to toss the dregs

  • billy woods, "Agriculture" (Maps)

Locked outta heaven, I'm screamin' at security/Ignorance, improv, ill shit, and immaturity/At the end of time, baby it's just you and me/And I don't want nothin' but lies up in my eulogy/Say 'He punished peons for speaking blasphemy/Had the brain to lead the whole world up outta catastrophe/But he got caught in his vices, arguin' prices/With a plug that had a short temper and auto devices'

My boss put LaCroixs in the work fridge/So I'm feeling rich like when I switched off the dirt nics/Five jobs ain't doin' the job, gotta work six/'Purple Rain' playin' in my brain while I murk cigs

I cleaned up most of myself/I peeled off more dollar bills for 'em when they peeled off on the bill/Started at the bottom of the hill/Actually I started in the mid/Actually, I started in Illinois, Khoikhoi, and Tswana in the kid/Bloodstains on my fatherland/Bloodstains on my motherland/Tough clay, all of it's red/Stuck in the jeans and the fabric, and the twenty-three little strands

I made some shit, I'm gettin' real excited/I take a sip, I think I really like it/I take a sip, I maybe really hate it/We either triumphant or humiliated/My students love me 'cause I'm really patient/A lot of them was gang affiliated/They bе DM-in' me like I'm really famous/I'm like, kid, if you only knew

Cash Money Is A Army

In a landscape where the traditional major label system has lost the desire or ability to develop develop artists or the atmosphere for artists to thrive, and indie artists largely having to fend for themselves, any label with an actual identity is rare, so this category is to shout out those that still do.

This year, Backwoodz continued the juggernaut like path that they were on in 2022, with not only a host of incredible releases, but putting their stamp on a ton of features, all while being a clear part of the same ecosystem.

Huzzah, sis-boom-bah, cue the fanfare, go fetch the man of the year a goddam chair

Lots of good rap music drops all the time, but every year someone shines a little brighter than everyone else, either through sheer volume, or the undeniable quality of one piece of work. For me, the "man of the year" was andrew.

Being known as an "everyman" can be a pejorative, but andrew's relatability and work ethic led to a gang of releases that functioned as daily operation soundtracks without becoming audio wallpaper. Whether it was alongside Jesse The Tree on the modern day work song collection i'm fakin' my own death just to get some rest, or solo dolo on dedication to putting one foot in front of the other that was don't forget me, bluest., andrew did his thing this year. Can't wait to see what else he brings us in the next.

Other candidates:

  • Wiki:
  • steel tipped dove
  • AJ Suede
  • Fatboi Sharif

Is it alright if I come down there and sing to you?

Another victim of the "people don't {insert thing that artists are still doing, quite often and with verve} no more" slander, R&B, soul, and other sangin'-ass arts are still alive and well.

  • Jamila Woods, Water Made Us Standouts: "Bugs," "Practice," "Wreckage Room" Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp | Tidal | Apple | Spotify
  • Roy Rutto, Afro Johnny Bravo Standouts: "a while," "bluphoria," "lil suzy" Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp | Tidal | Apple | Spotify
  • Little Dragon & April + VISTA, Slipping Into Colour Standouts: "Nowhere Else To Go," "Rebels," "Slumber" Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp | Tidal | Apple | Spotify
  • Lance Skiiiwalker, Audiodidatic Standouts: "Friends," "Where To With You," "I Just Want" Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp | Tidal | Apple | Spotify
  • Cleo Sol, Gold Standouts: "There Will Be No Crying," "Only Love Can Wait," "Gold" Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp | Tidal | Apple | Spotify
  • Amber Navran, Knock On The Orange Door Standouts: "When Will I Learn," "Away From The Noise," "Smile" Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp | Tidal | Apple | Spotify

We got the jazz

It does what it says on the tin. Lots of great jazz, here's some of my faves.

  • Irreversible Entanglements, Protect Your Light Standouts: "Our Land Back," "root <=> branch," "Sunshine" Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp | Tidal | Apple | Spotify
  • jaimie branch, Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die (World War) Standouts: "borealis dancing," "baba louie," "take over the world" Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp | Tidal | Apple | Spotify
  • Thandi Ntuli with Carlos Niño, Rainbow Revisited Standouts: "Sunrise (in California)," "Nomayoyo (Ingoma ka Mkhulu)," "Lilanzekile" Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp | Tidal | Apple | Spotify
  • Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Les Jardins Mystiques Vol. 1 Standouts: "Ano Yo," "Eunoia," "Kairos (Kefi)" Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp | Tidal | Apple | Spotify
  • Sam Gendel, Cookup Standouts: "Anywhere ft. Meshell Ndegeocello," "In Those Jeans," "Didn't Cha Know" Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp | Tidal | Apple | Spotify
  • Yussef Dayes, Black Classical Music Standouts: "Raisins in the Sun ft. Shabaka Hutchins," "Pon di Plaza ft. Chronixx," "Tioga Pass ft. Rocco Palladino" Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp | Tidal | Apple | Spotify

It might blow up, but it won't go pop

Contrary to the quote above, these will! For the purposes of the genre convention, I'm calling pop anything that might've fit that definition at any point in popular music continuum. The Beatles were pop music. So you might get something along the lines of CRJ, but you'll also find stuff with guitars and drums.

  • Tinashe, BB/ANG3L Standouts: "Talk To Me Nice," "None Of My Business," "Tightrope" Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp | Tidal | Apple | Spotify
  • KNOWER, KNOWER FOREVER Standouts: "Real Nice Moment," "Do Hot Girls Like Chords," "Crash The Car" Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp | Tidal | Apple | Spotify
  • Pearl & The Oysters, Coast 2 Coast Standouts: "Konami," "D'ya Hear Me?," "Paraiso" Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp | Tidal | Apple | Spotify

Unless you're one of those techno, trance, and jungle ravers

Whether made for the club, or for deep contemplation, there was plenty of stuff to give your speakers or best headphones a workout this year.

  • Daedelus, Xenopocene Standouts: "Contact - Day 0," "Concerning The Conduct Of The Search," "New Dae" Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp | Tidal | Apple | Spotify
  • H31r, HeadSpace Standouts: "Reflection," "Glass Ceiling ft. SemiraTruth," "Down Down Bb ft. Quelle Chris" Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp | Tidal | Apple | Spotify
  • Sofia Kourtesis, Madres Standouts: "Vajkoczy," "How Music Makes You Feel Better" "Cecilia" Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp | Tidal | Apple | Spotify

I let my tape rock 'til my tape popped

These were some of the albums and songs that I couldn't let go of throughout the whole year. If I were willing to do a traditional AOTY list, these would be near the top.

andrew, don't forget me, bluest - Some days the victory is in looking at the hustle and grind that you put yourself through and going, "Yeah, I could do that again." So goes the story goes with don't forget me, bluest, andrew's final album of an incredibly productive year for the Philly artist. Whether it's not letting the indignity of a "bowl cut" put a stumble in your stride, finding simple pleasures (derogatory) in a trip to the doctor's office ("nine one one"), or picking yourself up off the ground after an L ("raindown/visitors (2013)"), don't forget me, bluest is a declaration that while hard times are inevitable, so are the wins, if you work for them.

sleepingdogs, fakin' my own death - Work songs in the sense that they're not really about work, but they're intended to get you through the work you're doing. Jesse the Tree and andrew share their heads with yours as they go through exhaustion, self-doubt, and other perils while still making room for a few good times and reminders that they're better than most at the raps.

billy woods & Kenny Segal, "Maps" - Home, abroad, and back again--billy and Kenny followed up their first collaboration Hiding Places with a travelogue that details the trials and triumphs of being a touring artist, all with billy's idiosyncratic eye for detail and Kenny's textured production that serves as the audio equivalent of cinéma vérité.

Danny Brown & JPEGMAFIA, Scarin' The Hoes - Imagine the Megapowers with more genuine camaraderie and less coke. Probably. I wrote about the album when it dropped and it stands.

El Michels Affair & Black Thought, Glorious Game - It turns out that for all the cries among a certain corner of rap commentariat for Black Thought to do a "normal" rap record, it took another band to give me the Black Thought solo album I always wanted. Well, technically it's Leon Michels sampling himself, but I'll plant my flag that this was the superior Black Thought project of 2023. While it doesn't have some of the more audacious feats of lyrical dexterity that he's capable of, Thought gets personal, almost intimate. Stories of his childhood in Philly, schoolboy crushes, and earnest wisdom offered from a clear-eyed veteran, all over buttery smooth soul. What more could you want?

Gabe 'Nandez, H.T. III (Deluxe) - A psychedelic journey in the form of rhyme, Gabe 'Nandez astral travels from portioning out grams and observing his Brooklyn avenue, to meetings with witches and taking stock of miracles when he sees them. The regular edition was already a sprawling affair at 10 tracks, and I've linked to the deluxe version since that was where I spent most of my time. You get extra joints, plus standout guest spots like Archibald Slim on "Air." Take a trip.

MILC & Televangel, The Fish Who Saved Portland - As a black Southerner, I'm fully aware of what it's like when the rest of the country has an inaccurate idea of where you come from. In the midst of gentrification, the aftermath of pandemic lockdowns, and battles between white supremacists and activists landing the city on national news, MILC & Televangel take on the burden of giving you a real feel for Portland from a native's eye view. MILC absolutely floats over beats that would give many other rappers fits, and letting you know you're more likely to find a pill press than co-ops on his side of town.

Wednesday, Rat Saw God - Evocative storytelling centered on life in and around the American south (North Carolina, to be exact), mixed with walls of distorted guitars (and lap steel), and riffs that wouldn't feel out of place on a country record, Rat Saw God's real magic is in how it plants you into the landscape so effectively. Karly Hartzman's pen game effortlessly places you in the overgrown lawn where you watch your neighbors get hauled off by the cops, and just as deftly gives you crystal clear snapshots of coming up from drugs while on a road trip. Short stories and shared memories set to blistering rock music is an exceptionally potent mix.

Danny Brown, Quaranta - It is 2011. Blog rap is at its height. Danny Brown has released a masterpiece with production from Quelle Chris, Paul White, and Skywlkr. All is right in the world. It is 2023. Blogs are basically dead. Danny Brown has released a masterpiece with production from Quelle Chris, Paul White, and Skywlkr. All is right in the world. The contemplative, melancholy yin to XXX's fevered yang, this album finds Danny taking a hard look himself after 10 years of a career he fought like hell to earn, and wondering if it was worth the toll. And even beyond all the introspection he can still rap his ass off.

Zilla Rocca & Jason Griff, Stacking Chips - A full steam ahead tribute to hard-knock 90s rap, and a dedication to a fallen friend in Scorsese Lorde Jones, Stacking Chips just bangs from front to back. The rapping from Zilla and company is top notch and speaks to Hip Hop heads of A Certain Age and temperament (if you've got strong feelings about both The X-Ecutioner's Saga and mixtape Jadakiss verses, there is country for you here), while the beats ring off in any system, whether car, headphone, or Hi-Fi.

Puma Blue, Holy Waters - Jacob Allen's evolution from bedroom R&B to full band accompaniment mirrors the degree of headiness Puma Blue's chosen subject matter has become over time. Relationships and intimacy are always at the center, but this time it is in the context of death. Its inevitability, the hollowness of the empty spaces it creates, and the ghosts that we conjure in the form of memories from physical traces our loved ones leave behind. All wrapped in lush production, and Jacob's beautifully fragile vocals.

And that, friends, is 2023 done and dusted. Thank you so much for rocking with me for the first year of What's Good as a blog...or whatever this is. Weekly posts for 2024 will begin next week on Friday and will probably include joints that released this week as well.

As always, make good choices.

DJ Regular

DJ Regular

Game and Music Lover. Writer. Unfortunate optimist. "Spare me the Hallmark Karl Marx."
SF Bay Area