Another twelve months, another incredible year of music releases. Like last year and the year before, I found it nearly impossible to narrow this list down to 50. So many albums made steady rotations but didn’t make the cut for this list. I’m sure I’m missing an album or two, and I’m sure there are two dozen 2024 projects I won’t discover until 2025. It is what it is. Like last year, I didn’t include any write-ups or outside links but this list is a fine mixture of hip-hop, instrumental beat tapes, R&B, phonk, lofi, folk, jazz, and much more.
There were also a LOT of strong projects I helped out with behind the scenes this year. I wanted to include many of them in my top 50, but didn’t include any of them, because if you include one, you have to include them all, so if I helped out with one of your releases this calendar year, know that I’m grateful, and probably listening to your music as I type this. You know who you are.
DMVU
Kingfisher Blue
Jack Davies
the nighttime, the wind, the crocodile (with the Bush Chooks)
Orange Moon Glow
thook
The Great Migration of Memory
ROADMAP TO THE SUN (EP)
Kent Loon
Swamp Water
Baraka
Mirage
Hoodlum
Brown in America
Orchid Mantis / blue noon
i only remember the good parts
blue noon
La Cantina
A Cinematographic Journey
Skipping School (w/ Specetateur)
Fractales (w/ Mog)
Desert Stroll (EP) (w/ Boztown)
Seek Some Quiet Place (EP)
CRIMEAPPLE
El León (w/ Preservation)
Los Pollos Hermanos (w/ DJ Muggs & RLX)
This, is Not That (w/ Apollo Brown)
TUCIBI (w/ Michaelangelo)
Bazuko (w/ Big Ghost Ltd)
LETHIMCOOK
Mike & Tony Seltzer
Pinball
Obijuan
FLDSZN
Pinky Ring Parliament (w Rahiem Supreme)
APOXALYPSO (w/ dylantheinfamous)
ESG, Vol. 3
CA$H4GOLD (w/ YUNGMORPHEUS)
Blockhead
Mortality is Lit
Music by Cavelight (20 Year Anniversary Edition)
Luminous Rubble
Medasin
Sounds
Kitsune Kawai (Sara Kawai & Solomon Fox)
MORI
40 Winks
Dad's Demos (1973-1977)
Joe Nora
Puzzle Face
Parasol
Degiheugi
Degiheugi Orchestra
Baby Rose & BADBADNOTGOOD
Slow Burn
Denzel Curry
King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2
Blackboxx
Momentary Bliss (EP)
The First Time I Seen the Ocean
Jonah Yano
Jonah Yano & The Heavy Loop
Ancestral Elephants
Home in a Tree (EP)
Iberian Nights
Warm Currents (EP)
SHOLTO
Letting Go of Forever
DJ Muggs
Death Valley (Original Motion Picture Score)
ROC STAR (w/ Mooch)
The Eternal Now (w/ Raz Fresco)
Monday Night
Thank You, Preciate It (w/ GRIMM Doza)
Stillness (EP) (w/ sleeping with shoes on)
Rebuilding (EP) (w/ juston?)
Michaelangelo
No Face, No Case
RealLifeXperience (w/ RLX)
SLVG & Yavomag
GHOST TOWN (EP)
William Crooks & ache
YOUTH GROUP
Futurewave
McFly
BUSHMAN BODEGA (w/ Daniel Son)
Stone Temple Pyrex (w/ Estee Nack)
The O'My's
Trust The Stars
additional mentions (in alphabetical order)
Alexander Spit
Waking up and Choosing Violence (w/ YUNGMORPHEUS)
Vignettes, Vol. 4
BALTHVS
Harvest
Dave Guy
Ruby
Dirty Art Club
b sides
For Heavens Sake (EP) (w/ Zodiac Lovers & King Caiman)
Anhedonia II b/w Ecstasy Cowgirl (w/ Duster)
Feverkin
Beach to Myself (EP)
Signals (EP) (w/ Laura Wolf)
Eternal Ascent (OST)
Huey Briss
Better in Person
Ka
The Thief Next to Jesus
Kill Emil
Deja Vu
Lex Amor
Forward Ever
Linkrust
Drop a Verse to This, Vol. 2
Sueño Sureño
Michael Kiwanuka
Small Changes
Nickelus F
MMCHT
The Offline
Les cigales
Ol' Burger Beats
74: Out of Time
Welcome 2 Norway
Pale Jay
Low End Love Songs
Rome Streetz & Daringer
Hatton Garden Holdup
Smokey Joe & The Kid
Instrumentals, Vol. 1
Instrumentals, Vol. 2
Instrumentals, Vol. 3
Spectacular Diagnostics
If You Feel Like a Lost Soul
Appetites
GUCCIGARETTE
Lost Issue, Vol. 1
Devil's Harvest 2 (w/ Tenngage)
Burial Ground
Burial Ground 2
Creepshow (w/ Tuple)
Usual Suspects (w/ Windsmoke)
Burial Ground 3
Thandii
Dream With You
Come As You
Thee Sacred Souls
Got a Story to Tell
Have you made it this far and still need more recommendations? Then be sure to check out my favorite music releases from the past handful of years. Thanks for checking out my list(s).
2016: https://www.neonpajamas.com/blog/best-albums-2016
2017: https://www.neonpajamas.com/blog/2017-albums
2018: https://www.neonpajamas.com/blog/albums-2018
2019: https://www.neonpajamas.com/blog/best-albums-2019
2020: https://www.neonpajamas.com/blog/favorite-music-2020
2021: https://www.neonpajamas.com/blog/favorite-music-2021
![[TITLE] written while listening to Zushi by Dean Blunt](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/580fa9f7e58c62cb7501937b/1665847727162-7ZB4MQGXPPQSXY3GSJX1/zushi.jpeg)
