9 Best Rap Albums of May 2023 - Hubei Bright Sky Co.,Ltd

So much rap music comes out all the time, and especially with frequent surprise releases, it can be hard to keep track of it all. So, as a way to help keep up with all of it, here's a roundup of the 8 rap albums from May 2023 that stood out to us most. We also probably still missed or haven't spent enough time with some great May rap albums that aren't on this list. What were some of your favorites of last month? Let us know in the comments, and read on for the list (unranked, in no particular order).

billy woods & Kenny Segal - MapsBackwoodz Studioz

Between Armand Hammer and his solo career, New York rapper billy woods releases so much music that all varies from good to great, so it's not easy to pick a favorite album or an entry point, but his Kenny Segal-produced 2019 album Hiding Places is up there. So it's very exciting that billy and Kenny have once again made an entire album together, Maps, which finds their chemistry sounding even stronger. Kenny's experimental production rarely sounds like traditional hip hop, and woods' dizzying lyricism fits it perfectly. He has too many witty, ear-catching one-liners to count, and Maps has some of his most tuneful, memorable rapping in recent memory. Like Hiding Places, woods' Armand Hammer partner ELUCID appears on this album--this time on two songs--and it also features Backwoodz labelmates ShrapKnel and some bigger guests like Danny Brown, Aesop Rock, and Quelle Chris, plus hooks from Benjamin Booker and Future Islands' Samuel T. Herring. Their distinct voices help give the album a good flow (and might help rope in some new listeners), but the recognizable names are an added bonus, not a crutch. It's always woods and Kenny themselves steering the ship.

Conway the Machine - Won't He Do ItDrumwork Music Group/EMPIRE

The extremely prolific Buffalo rapper Conway the Machine has been busy building his Drumwork empire lately, with a recent collaborative album from Conway and Jae Skeese, followed by Jae Skeese's own album Abolished Uncertainties, and now Conway releases his latest solo album on the label, Won't He Do It. It doesn't stray far from the '90s New York rap revival that he's churned out across his countless other projects, but somehow, Conway still has so much to say. With guests and producers that primarily hail from Drumwork and Griselda circles, Won't He Do It doesn't rely on much outside star power, it's got songs with virtually no hooks--it keeps you hooked just because Conway's bars are so captivating.

Kaytraminé - KaytraminéCLNB LLC/Kaytranada/Venice Music

West Coast rapper Aminé and Montreal electronic musician Kaytranada have worked together multiple times over the years, and now they've made an entire album together as Kaytraminé. They've clearly got a lot of chemistry, and they really bring out the best in one another. Both of them have strong backgrounds in traditional hip hop, but neither artist is content with repeating the past or conforming to norms, so the result is a futuristic, innovative, electronic rap album that goes down smoothly but defies easy categorization. It's fitting that the first single featured Pharrell; the way Pharrell approached hip hop in the late '90s and early 2000s helped pave the way for an album like Kaytraminé to exist now. Other guest appearances include a torch-passing moment from Snoop Dogg, rock-solid verses from Freddie Gibbs and Big Sean, and some helium-voiced singing from Ghanaian-American experimental pop artist Amaarae on the Afrobeats-leaning "sossaup." Every move made on the album, from the production choices to the lyrics to the guest appearances, feels carefully considered and done in the interest of making Kaytraminé a concise, cohesive record.

Kari Faux - REAL B*TCHES DON'T DIE!drink sum wtr

Little Rock rapper/singer Kari Faux returns with her most expansive project yet. REAL B*TCHES DON'T DIE! swerves between tough rap songs and inventive pop songs, and Kari is better than ever at combining both of those things and plenty of the in-between. Primarily produced by her partner Phoelix, the album's backdrop ranges from subwoofer-rattling hip hop beats to vintage funk to serene jazz, and Kari's versatile voice is perfectly suited for an album with a scope as wide as this one. She goes up against established rappers like Big K.R.I.T., Devin the Dude, and the late Gangsta Boo, and it's clear that Kari herself is on her way to cementing her own place in the hip hop canon--if she hasn't done so already.

Monaleo - Where The Flowers Don't DieStomp Down

Houston rapper Monaleo rose to fame off the strength of undeniable singles like "Beating Down Yo Block" and "We Not Humping" (the latter of which really blew up after getting a remix with Flo Milli), and her debut project Where The Flowers Don't Die aims to show that she's no one trick pony. Right off the bat, she opens with "Sober Mind," the kind of piano-fueled rap ballad you can picture opening an early 2010s Drake record. "Beating Down Yo Block" is on there, as are recent likeminded singles "Ass Kickin" and "Ridgemont Baby," and Monaleo offers up other bangers in that ilk like "Wig Splitter" and "Return of the P." But she also leans really hard into a pop-R&B side on "Miss Understood" and "Cosmic Love," songs that suggest she's not just an in-the-pocket rapper but also a well-trained crooner. "We Not Humping" isn't on the album, but Flo Milli does show up on another song, "Goddess," a pop-rap hybrid that's somewhere in between the ballads and the bangers. It's a brief project, and it still feels more like Monaleo is testing various waters rather than making a Grand Statement. It remains exciting to see where else she goes from here.

Jay Worthy & Roc Marciano - Nothing Bigger Than The ProgramGDF/Marci/EMPIRE

Blink and you might miss a new project from the Vancouver-born, LA-based rapper Jay Worthy; that's how prolific he is. He came to prominence as a member of LNDN DRGS (his duo with producer Sean House) and formed a short-lived group with G Perico and Cardo called G-Worthy in 2016, and as a solo artist he's been unstoppable lately. Last year alone he put out three projects: one produced by DJ Muggs, one produced by Harry Fraud, and one produced by Sean House that was a collaboration with San Francisco rapper Larry June (who's been having his own great year since putting out the Alchemist-produced The Great Escape). He apparently has a project for Griselda Records in the works too. Jay's trend of teaming with great producers for an entire project continues on this year's Nothing Bigger Than The Program, which was entirely produced by New York rapper/producer Roc Marciano, one of the core architects of the boom bap revival that's swept underground rap these past few years. Nothing Bigger Than The Program fits right in with this recent wave, with ominous, cinematic production from Marci and vivid storytelling from Jay to match. Guest appearances come from Bun B, Kurupt, Ab-Soul, Kokane, A$AP Ant, Jay 305, Da$h, A$ton Matthews, and Bart Oatmeal. Every element of the album feels intentional, and Jay stands tall next to even the album's most established veterans.

IDK - F65Clue/Warner

Maryland rapper/producer IDK's latest album F65 is some of his most expansive work yet. Across 22 songs--many of which feature production from IDK himself--the backdrop ranges from vintage jazz to trap to Afrobeats to thumping dance beats, as IDK's lyricism ranges from personal introspection to police brutality. Guests include Snoop Dogg, Benny the Butcher, NLE Choppa, Saucy Santana, Fat Trel, Musiq Soulchild, and more--a diverse cast, which is fitting for an album as varied as this one.

Wiki - Papiseed Street Vol. 1self-released

Wiki is a constant force in NYC's underground rap scene, and now, less than a year after releasing his excellent Subjxct 5-produced album Cold Cuts, he returns with a surprise six-song EP (and its "Vol. 1" title suggests maybe more is coming). Four of its songs were produced by Juju Merk (including "Casa Del Sucio," which finds Wiki rapping over a loop of Future's "The Percocet & Stripper Joint"), and the other two were co-produced by Laron (fresh off helming the new Jadasea album) and Luca Beats. One of the Laron/Luca Beats tracks is with NYC rapper Niontay (fresh off releasing his debut project Dontay's Inferno on MIKE's 10k label) and one of the Juju Merk tracks is with Big Ouee and Papo2oo4 from NJ's 2oo4 crew, both of whom appeared on Cold Cuts. It's a brief release, and it doesn't sound like Wiki overthought anything, but even something quick and dirty like this shows how reliable and unstoppable Wiki is. As soon as he opens his mouth to rap, he's got command over whatever room he's in.

Kassa Overall - AnimalsWarp

Kassa Overall's third album and Warp debut is all over the place in the best way possible. It's got everything from real-deal jazz instrumentation to hard-hitting rap songs to avant-garde psychedelia to floor-shaking beats, and it's loaded with an insane cast of guests. Modern jazz greats like Theo Croker and Vijay Iyer help flesh out the instrumentation, Laura Mvula lends her powerhouse pipes, and we get uniquely great rap pairings like Danny Brown and Wiki ("Clock Ticking") and Lil B and Shabazz Palaces ("Going Up"). And those are only about half of the musicians featured. It might sound overwhelming on paper, but Kassa Overall ties up every possible knot. Animals is a journey and it's very well worth taking.

Honorable MentionsEstee Nack - Nacksaw Jim DugganJasonMartin (fka Problem) - I Owe MyselfKayCyy (with Gesaffelstein) - TW2025Killah Priest - Forest of the Happy Ever AfterRXKNephew - Summer in Miami & Drunk Nights

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