By: Michael Sewell

Last year overall was a disastrous year for many people around the world; COVID-19 struck and affected most of us in some way. Many musicians and artists had to scale back their work and delay album and song releases for the future. However, there were still many great albums covering many different genres in music that were released in 2020.

Here are my five favorites that came out, including some honorable mentions:

"The Goat" by Polo G, "Pray 4 Love" by Rod Wave and "Savage Mode 2" by 21 Savage were some hard hitting new age rap albums that really stood out to me and carried a variety of memorable melodic songs that I still listen to today.

"Man on the Moon 3" by Kid Cudi and "Circles" by Mac Miller were two albums that were on a more emotional level, as they both provided mellow and melodic music that hits a different type of mood. These albums gave me a great listening experience, but did not quite make my top five albums of the year.

5. "Limbo" by rapper Amine. Some standout tracks included "Woodlawn", "Pressure in My Palms", "Fetus", and "Shimmy". The album as a whole flows together very well and only has a couple of songs I did not really care for. Most of the tracks show Amine using a unique flow and showing off great wordplay and using his unique voice to carry along a melody. Amine is very good at switching between being a serious lyrical rapper to becoming a light hearted melodic rapper throughout the tracklist. The couple of tracks that did not satisfy me are what kept this album from being higher, but it is definitely one of the highlights from 2020 in terms of music.

4. Former YouTube comedian and now singer-songwriter, Joji, with his album "Nectar". Joji first caught my attention as a seriously talented artist with his 2018 album "BALLADS 1". The follow up to it in 2020, Nectar., impressed me even more. Standout tracks included "Ew", "Like You Do", "Gimme Love", "777", and "Mr. Hollywood". Joji blends some tear jerking emotion filled songs with some more upbeat ones to create a very interesting album. I go back to this album very much because of the raw emotion that is expressed throughout and the next level of talent Joji presents in this new masterpiece. I look forward to see how he can bring his music to the next level next time out.

3. One of the most hyped up albums of the year takes the bronze in my ranking. New age rapper Lil Uzi Vert finally dropped the long awaited "Eternal Atake" and it definitely lived up to the expectations. Led by big tracks such as "Baby Pluto", "Bigger Than Life", "Venetia", "P2", and "That Way", "Eternal Atake" was the biggest thing in the world upon release. Trap and melodic rapping and singing is delivered perfectly by Lil Uzi and he gives us a wide list of hard hitting memorable tracks that will be remembered for a very long time. It is rare to see such a hyped up album meet everyone's expectations but Uzi very much delivered with this one.

2. Coming in at my number two spot is a very strong album that would be number one, if not for an absolutely perfect album above it. Jhene Aiko's "Chilombo" takes my second spot of top five albums of 2020 and is very well deserving of it. Jhene shows off her beautiful voice with songs such as "Triggered", "Lotus", "Speak", "Lightning and Thunder", and "Pray For You". Jhene's voice is one of a kind and one of the best around in my opinion. This along with her emotion and songs of love and desire make for a very strong album and a ton of replay ability when the mood is right.

1. Finally, none other than "After Hours" by The Weeknd. The Weeknd has always been one of my top artists and has never failed to satisfy me. Songs such as "Scared to Live", "Blinding Lights", "Faith", "Save Your Tears", and "After Hours" lead the way but in reality, I enjoyed every single song on this album. It is the definition of perfection as The Weeknd leads with great vocals and beats while telling a story throughout the album and bringing us into his story. I love this album very much and can only hope we get the same quality of music in 2021.

Best Albums Curated in 2020