Hip-Hop Award Season 2024

Welcome to 53rd issue of Backseat Freestyle. This is my weekly hip-hop newsletter I send out every Friday(ish) focusing on one big thing that happened over the past seven days. I also include links (15-25 of them) to what I’ve been listening to, reading and watching. You can check out the archive, here, and read more about me, here. If you’re already a BF subscriber, thank you for your continued support. If you’re arriving to this issue by way of a forward, LinkedIn or social media, please subscribe below. And please share this newsletter with your circle so that they can enjoy it, too; personal referrals are my most solid path to long-term growth. With that said, let’s get into it….

Front Seat

This is what’s driving hip-hop this week….

IT’S EASY TO DEFINE 2024 as the year Kendrick Lamar knocked Drake out of favor (although Drake assisted with some ill-timed moves post the battle’s peak, most notably, for me, the livestreams he’s done with some questionable characters). That assessment is accurate, but also austere in outlook. So much more happened during the past 365 days. As hip-hop continues to grow and more generations experience the culture, the wider the offerings there are to consume. In 2023, I went deep on upstarts (What Makes A Star Today) and this past year I touched on the vets after Method Man’s Summer Jam revelation. The dichotomy of those two groups was on full display this past calendar year. I curated a weekly playlist in 2024 called Jay’s Plays, a selection of 10 important songs to check for over the course of a week, which ultimately totaled 521 songs in a master playlist. After living closely with all those songs plus many more, my realization is hip-hop is as good as it’s ever been—but not as good as it once was.

It’s artist development in real-time, at best; it’s a gristle of mid, at worst.

The sheer options we have today are staggering. A lot of the juice behind my statement is in the depth of the talent. The 25th, 30th, 50th best rapper out right now, for example, would wipe the floor with the their 25th, 30th, and 50th counterparts in years past. I’ve said that before, in public and behind closed doors. It’s a stance I truly believe in. How that talent gets applied, though, sometimes leaves a lot to be desired. There’s a constant need to feed the streamer (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.) and there’s a knack to doing that. There’s a number of rappers who have the ability to index past their floor (without reaching their ceiling) via material that seems designed to simply keep the algorithm warm. Polo G is particularly exceptional at this; Maxo Kream, Jay Worthy, IDK and Bia, just to name a few, are also skilled in this space. Some of the material greases the skids to promote an album. Some of the material is the point in and of itself. This, at times, leads to a lot of good over some great. It’s artist development in real-time, at best; it’s a gristle of mid, at worst. There’s hardly ever anything that’s trash and only a few times do things rise toward the exceptional. This is the gift and curse of having so much depth in hip-hop; how ill can rappers down the line (27th best, 43rd best) actually be? I’m all ears to find out.

Rappers are now routinely putting out albums that slot into the double digits of their discography.

On the other side of the spectrum are the greybeards, with all due respect to Fat Joe’s feelings. And they’re decidedly men, for reasons I may take up in a newsletter down the line. In 2024, we saw a score of albums from the over 40 (some over 50) set, including Common, Redman, LL Cool J, Snoop, Eminem and the aforementioned Fat Joe, just to name a few. What a time to have this many historically gifted rappers release new material. There was a time when the idea of an advanced discography was a pipe dream for hip-hop acts. Most rappers were, to quote Jay-Z “trying to live it to the limit and love it a lot.” So much so that Jay famously came into the game with the aim to drop one album and back out. Now, we’re routinely seeing rappers put out albums that slot into the double digits of their discography. The better LPs lean into the advantages an album provides (cohesion, themes) and steer clear of the disadvantages elder statesmen endure, i.e. their standing in the marketplace and the handcuffs that comes with it (singles and radio play are non-starters). Kudos to Common and Snoop; their projects stand head and shoulders above the rest. Like Jay (4:44) and Nas (with both of his Hit-Boy series) and following in the footsteps of earlier times in hip-hop, the one producer approach provides a broader canvas for these artists to use their paintbrushes on. It reminds me of Michael Jordan’s Wizards tenure. Sure, they weren’t the Bulls years, but, I remember my college roommate bought tix to see Mike play a New Year’s Eve game down in DC against the Nets in ‘01 and he saw him put up 45. There’s something to be said for experience and seeing the magic of old flash in front of you.

We’re in unpredictable times as are our artists….

At present, the reason I say hip-hop is currently not as good as it once was, has more to do with the transition we’re in. Rap has always been top heavy, carried and sustained by the superstars, from Biggie/Jay-Z/Nas to Drake/Kendrick/Cole. We’re in an unpredictable time as are our artists. Is J.Cole hanging it up soon? What type of album does Drake make next? How long can Travis Scott just rage? Is Latto ready to level up? Will Cardi ever put out her sophomore album? Is Kendrick ready to truly do all the superstar things? Is TikTok going away? Is Spotify going to stop lying about needing to put out music all the time? Is the music video going to fade into obscurity? Those are all questions for the next issue of Backseat Freestyle.

Onto a Backseat Freestyle staple, which is a nod to the Al Lindstrom year-end roundtables I used to take part in every year. Combat Jack (RIP), B.Dot, Jeff Sledge, Joe La Puma, (sometimes Charlamagne) and I would go at it until we reached a consensus on who the MVP, Rookie of the Year, Most Improved and 6th Man was from the past 12 months. That last category was always my favorite because it was open to interpretation, although my take on it was the person who was slated to level up the following 365. And the winner is….

Back Seat

Respect my mind or die from lead shower.

MVP

Kendrick Lamar (Winner)

Tyler, The Creator

GloRilla

Future

DJ Mustard & Metro Boomin

With all due respect to Kendrick Lamar, I want to take a second to acknowledge Tyler, The Creator as the most dynamic force in hip-hop right now. That Kendrick dethroned Drake in 2024 and also had the song (“Not Like Us”) and verse of the year (“Like That”), yet it wasn’t until his surprise album drop with GNX that his monumental year became undisputed is a testament to the creative genius of Tyler. The Odd Future founder’s CHROMAKOPIA continued his run of impact concept albums. It was the year’s best project and his Camp Flog Gnaw festival highlighted both his kingmaker status and his stage presence are second-to-none. That said, the last 365 days belonged to Kendrick Lamar. After years of simmering misgivings between the one-time collaborators, the Compton MC went scorched earth against the Toronto superstar in a battle that was defined by a weekend but its winning tactics were re-submitted repeatedly throughout the year. The culmination and defining imagery/moment of 2024 was K.Dot at his Juneteenth (!) The Pop Out: Ken and Friends concert where, adorned in red hat, red hoodie and red-accented Nike Shox and backed by a cohort of West Coast rappers, he got his Marshawn Lynch on and performed “Not Like Us” over and over and over and over and over again. He dished it out and also showed how it’s done. Of course, it all started with “Like That,” and Future and Metro’s twin albums (We Don’t Trust You/We Still Don’t Trust You) plus the former’s solo effort (Mixtape Pluto)cemented the pair’s strong year. Mustard not only soundtracked the record of the year, but his solo LP (Faith of a Mustard Seed) displayed his versatility and full breadth of his talents. GloRilla is a hit factory and she put forth that winning touch toward a full set (Glorious)with the same aplomb. At one point, I considered listing Drake and J.Cole as honorable mentions. Post “First Person Shooter” aftermath (tour, battle, new music), both zagged with content drops—Drake’s 100 Gigs and Cole’s Inevitable pod. Each was a unique look back on their respective careers. But to quote Kendrick: It’s not enough.

Hip-Hop Award Season 2022

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Doechii (Winner)

Bossman Dlow

Anycia

Cash Cobain

310babii

For a majority of the year, I was prepared to go with BossMan Dlow as my pick. His Edward G. Robinson nah-see flow on “Get In With Me,” “Cash Shit” and guest spots like “4AM at Coffee Zone” in addition to a standout mixtape (Mr Beat the Road) and a solid debut (Dlow Curry) primed him for a trophy presentation. He has all the hallmarks of a future star: the voice, the hair and that Dlow Curry album cover alone. However, Doechii is already a star and on her way to so much more. While I don’t think Alligator Bites Never Heal is on par with projects like GNX, Chromakopia, Glorious or 21 Savage’s American Dream, there’s not a project from the past year that flexes the protagonist’s talents as well as Alligator Bites Never Heal. Doechii ridiculously vacillates between different flows, vocal tones and personas across 19 tracks; sometimes within an individual track. She’s brilliant; I offer only one critique of her set: more discernment with the application of her ability. That said, she closed 2024 on a ridiculous run of performances, including Camp Flog Gnaw, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, NPR’s Tiny Desk and her Genius appearance alongside Issa Rae. Mic drop. Cash Cobain and Anycia anchored their rookie years with huge bangers in “Fisherrr” and “Back Outside,” respectively. 310babii’s big hit (“Soak City”) came in 2023 but he backed up his breakout with two strong projects in 2024.

Hip-Hop Award Season 2021

6th MAN

BigXthaPlug (Winner)

Yeat

Destroy Lonely/Ken Carson

Mach-Hommy

Tierra Whack

This category is always a roll of the dice. Two years ago I predicted Denzel Curry would level up in 2023, although that ascent felt like it came instead in 2024. Central Cee is sort of in his own space: not a rookie, just about there, but we’re waiting on his Columbia debut to cement things. For that reason, I didn’t include him here. Yeat’s been putting up streaming numbers like a day trader yet it took an antiquated measurement (the Billboard charts) to break him into the wider consciousness, although he still feels like he’s battling anonymity—whether by design or not. Tierra Whack put all her talents together in one big pot of an album and proved her fiercest defenders right, that the Philly rapper can hold her own against anyone. Speaking of anonymity, Mach-Hommy hasn’t dropped the bandana from his face but he’s played by his own rules long enough that now he can play the wider game the way he wants to; what Ghostface say? “Since the face been revealed, game got real.” I doubt that’s next but there’s more of something coming for him. Does anyone doubt that 2025 is going to be a huge year for the Opium crew? Playboi Cart is going to blast off soon and one of his two lieutenants (Lone or Ken) are going to launch with him. The pair keep keep their Rick Owens on the neck of the algo with a barrage of new material. Any of these choices are valid, but when I put my marker down, I’m betting on BigXthaPlug. He found his sound on a double blast of material in 2023 and continued to refine it on 2024’s Take Care. Safe to say he’s got next.

Hip-Hop Award Season 2020

MOST IMPROVED 

Kenny Mason (Winner)

38 Spesh

Saweetie

I think Saweetie gets unfairly maligned because people want her rap prowess to match her social media charisma. The dilemma is that she’s a star in this world while still a developing act as an artist. She’s getting there, though. “Is It The Way,” “My Best” and “Nani,” plus her feature on “Rock Your Hips” all made it onto my weekly playlist as one point or another during 2024. 38 Spesh is a craftsman who plies his trade, day after day and year after year. His growth is incremental; he was always dope but last year he found a new verve to serve his talent. He was fully in control of his ability and toyed with expectations with ease. Kenny Mason is another one who plies his trade. He keeps his head down and in his notebook. Mason constructs his corner of Atlanta with equal parts detail, in what he includes, and in the unsaid, by the way he pauses and uses vocal ticks to intone meaning. Listen to 9 and Angel Eyes, the two projects he released in 2024 and it’s like discovering your favorite author finding a new character to develop.

Trunk (Music)

Music, news, reads, podcasts and videos that I’m checking for this week.

Here’s a loose list of personal favorites from 2024 and things I’m looking forward to in 2025.

• The Opium Tour, for real

• “Whoop Whoop” by Meet the Whoops

• Hit-Boy’s output; I rocked big with “Crisis” by The Game, Big Hit and Dom Kennedy

• “Point Em Out” by That Mexican OT with DaBaby

• 21 Savage dropped too early in the year; “redrum” was such a banger

• “Big 1” by Kash Doll

• Play Cash Cobain has some serious heaters; “dunk contest” is my shit

• “Sunday Service” was the toughest remix of the year

• “Pull Up Ghost-Clan” by Chief Keef

• What Def Jam has in store for 2025

• “I Didn’t Go” by Joyner Lucas; him and Symba spit some real shit, but the way the production set up DMX to close…brought a tear to my eye

• SleezyWorldGo’s marble-mouth flow

• “Copy Cold” by Mach-Hommy and Black Thought

• “Shell Fish” by Ransom and Conway the Machine

• The “Wise Up” music video by Common and Pete Rock def made me cop a few more buckets

• J.Cole’s “Grippy” verse

• “Ringin” by Freeway and Jake-One deserves a listen from everybody

• “Sweet Tea” by Duke Deuce

• “Drunk Prayer” by Mavi

• JT and Jeezy’s “Okay” music vid

• Shaq’s You Can’t Stop The Reign album making it onto DSPs

• Scarlip’s bootleg 4 Shooters Only/From The Block freestyles

• A$AP Rocky’s new album

• An On The Radar performance by J.Cole

• The Friday night/early Saturday back and forth between Kendrick and Drake that featured “Family Matters,” “Meet The Grahams” and ultimately “Not Like Us”

Backseat Freestyle is written and produced by me, Jayson Rodriguez, independently for Smarty Art. If you have any comments, feedback or questions, feel free to email me: [email protected]. If you would like to discuss sponsoring an issue of the newsletter, contact: [email protected] and check out the rates, here. And follow me elsewhere:

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