The year 2018 has granted us a lot of music. We’ve seen numerous albums, from newcomer debuts to veteran releases. However, with all that music released, there were some major disappointments in 2018 (especially from veterans). For example, Kanye West released “ye” to bad response. The response if anything, allowed 2018 to be the year of new artists. Take a look at Cardi B and SOPHIE, both relatively new artists released their debut album in 2018 to great success. Their albums made waves in the world of music. This was all taken up a notch with 2018 officially being the year that streaming numbers did make a difference. Streaming pulled Nicki Minaj’s Queen from the #1 spot on the Billboard 200 and let Travis Scott soar to new heights taking that slot. This year, we count down between the releases that made this year so special and pivotal in the age of streaming. Here are the 50 best albums of 2018:

15. Kali Uchis – Isolation

Label: Virgin EMI
Release date: April 6th, 2018

Last March Kali Uchis announced her debut album was coming out in April after performing one of singles on the album, After The Storm, on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. After that the anticipation for the album grew more and more. Then after what felt like ages, Uchis released Isolation. It’s an album full of emotion and no skips whatsoever. Uchis takes on the journey of heartbreak, growth, self-love, and so much more. This album was beautifully constructed and honestly excites me for the next album. – Louis Cano

14. Rico Nasty – Nasty

Label: Sugar Trap / Atlantic
Release date: June 15th, 2018

Rico Nasty has been the most authentic female rap personality to jump on the scene since Cardi B in Love & Hip-Hop. Nothing shows this more than her debut mixtape under Atlantic amply titled, Nasty. Full of rage, personality, and energy, Rico keeps everyone on their feet. Nasty highlights the best of Rico, her gritty and powerful flow, relentless style, and loud character. What makes Nasty a standout from her peers is how well done it is. It doesn’t get anymore nastier than that. – Miguel Anderson

13. Julia Holter – Aviary

Label: Domino
Release date: October 26th, 2018

Jolia Holter’s Aviary is a fantastic Art Pop record that is filled with emotive lyrics and beautiful instrumentation. Throughout the 90 minutes of music on this album, Holter presents the listener with brilliant fusions of Chamber Pop and Jazz, along with a very personal lyrics dealing with love and heartbreak. – Thejas Varma

12.  The Voidz – Virtue

Label: Cult / RCA
Release date: March 30th, 2018

If I were to reimagine The Strokes as a more bold and electronic band the result would be The Voidz. On Virtue, Julian Casablancas doesn’t settle for what The Strokes has become in recent years. He lets The Voidz becomes a more daring and encompassing project. Virtue dabbles in a broad range of alt-rock genres and experiments with effects not yet seen on a Strokes album. At this daring capacity, Virtue lives its life on the edge, and that’s what counts here. – Miguel Anderson

11. Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour

Label: MCA Nashville
Release date: March 30th, 2018

Golden Hour is an album that will make you appreciate life to the fullest extent. It’s relatable and outright beautiful. Kacey’s words make this album shine bright, especially when it’s paired with the light, delicate, and meticulously crafted instrumentation. The instrumentation, along with the raw story and emotive lyrics drive this album. Golden Hour is purely empathetic, to where she sings “Grandma cried when I pierced my nose” on “Slow Burn” to the last message of hope on the heart-wrenching piano-assisted ballad, “Rainbow.”

Some may detest this album because of the country label this album has, however Golden Hour veers past the stereotypical truck driver and misogynistic commercialized country we see at the Country Music Awards. We see Kacey insert a piece of herself into this album. Golden Hour is a pure example of how country is suppose to be done. – Miguel Anderson

10. Ariana Grande – Sweetener

Label: Republic
Release date: August 17th, 2018

In 2017, Ariana Grande was plagued with the misfortune of a bombing at her show, known as the Manchester attack. Since then, she has taken the time to develop emotionally and Sweetener was born. Here, Ariana is in a state where she is emotionally mature, reflective, and personal. By working with Pharrell, she was able to turn devastation into newfound reassurance, and it’s paid off tremendously. Ariana Grande sounds realized and refined on her most serious record to date. – Miguel Anderson

9. Denzel Curry – TA13OO

Label: Loma Vista
Release date: July 27th, 2018

Denzel Curry became the face of the bottle flip challenge with his song “Ultimate” becoming the soundtrack to it. The song was captured in almost every single video, and as a result, his skill was overlooked. Even I’m guilty of doing this; I pinned him as a “meme” rapper. When TA13OO released, it was definitely a shocker. This album sticks out as a highlight of the year because of how solid it is. Denzel Curry dabbles with the boldest and smokiest production yet. His wordplay is top-notch, and his flow doesn’t flee. At the heart of this project, is the brave experimentation. He doesn’t flee, but goes all in. Even when it’s something seen as soft, like R&B on “CASH MANIAC” or . He is confident

8. Let’s Eat Grandma – I’m All Ears

Label: Transgressive
Release date: June 29th, 2018

This year, critics praised I’m All Ears for being a step forward for synth-pop music, and while it is, they are embracing it for the wrong reason. The album embraces the fundamentals of life. Through the eyes of two teenagers, one can expect what they say to be so pure and resonant. Whether what they say be about fun or heartbreak, they keep the same message throughout: to live in the present moment. A message especially needed right now to keep us from the hectic hustle and bustle of life. – Miguel Anderson

7. Pusha T – Daytona

Label: G.O.O.D. Music / Def Jam
Release date: May 25th, 2018

Fresh out his hiatus, Pusha T proves himself still a force to be reckoned with as a solo artist and no longer just the other half of Clipse with twenty years in the game. A controversial picture of the beloved Whitney Houston’s filthy, drug infested bathroom is plastered on the cover which serves as a glance at the album’s themes: addiction, fame, luxury and loss. With Kanye West’s sonically complex production layered full with synthesized sounds paired with Pusha T’s smooth flows and haunting lyrics we’re sent down a spiral of pure organized chaos in the best way possible attesting G.O.O.D. music to be a rap powerhouse once again. – David San Miguel

6. Rosalía – El mal querer

Label: Sony Music
Release date: November 2nd, 2018

If you aren’t yet familiar with the mega talented Rosalía then you need to wake up and get into her. This year she put out her second album, El Mal Querer which was highly praised by many. It all started with the first single, Malamente. Not only is the single stupid good but so is the visual for it. If there’s anyone who is doing real different stuff right now in music, it’s Rosalía. She puts her own twist on Flamenco and executes it so well. She tells us a story throughout the album about a person who goes through this toxic relationship. Each song has a set theme whether it’s jealousy, power, control, and much more. Definitely an album worth checking out. – Louis Cano

5. Yves Tumor – Safe in the Hands of Love

Label: Warp
Release date: September 5th, 2018

Straight static and distorted echos is what Yves Tumor represents in a way. He represents what is not fully seen, heard, or ever transpired, but still compellingly chaotic. However, somehow melody and musicality still appears in the untraceable mist that Yves prefers to surround himself in. He’d rather let his audience ponder and guess in the mystery. There are traces of broken jazz, groove, alternative rock, R&B, noise, electronica, and pure ambiance on Safe in the Hands of Love, but what forms from it is something utterly mesmerizing. The way Yves manipulates those genres as paints to create his own art is masterful. Safe in the Hands of Love is that masterpiece. – Miguel Anderson

4. Tierra Whack – Whack World

Release date: May 30th, 2018

The album is 15 minutes and each song is a minute. With that said, Tierra Whack didn’t have a lot of time to encapsulate every genre. However in that time frame, she did. She was able to bottle almost every sound from every genre and keep it under a minute without doing too much. No song sounds too short, overdone, overstuffed, or rushed. She keeps everything tight and simple. A feat other artists have yet to match on a smaller projects like EPs and mini-albums. – Miguel Anderson

3. Janelle Monae – Dirty Computer

Label: Atlantic
Release date: April 27th, 2018

Liberation for marginalized people comes in the form of not only a musical record but also an (E)motion picture with Janelle Monae’s masterpiece Dirty Computer. Monae celebrates the intersections of her identity through juxtaposing futuristic visuals of an oppressive dystopian society and dazzling pop beats – creating a world that serves as a macrocosm of what it means to be a queer, dark-skinned black femme. There is no mistake of Prince’s influence on Dirty Computer’s look and sound with the upbeat rhythms, synthesizer and bad ass attitude to every song. From start to finish, Janelle Monae keeps things stimulating, innovative and socially relevant with Dirty Computer. – David San Miguel

2. Mitski – Be The Cowboy

Label: Dead Oceans
Release date: August 17th, 2018

Sometimes we shut ourselves off from our emotions. We put ourselves in a vulnerable place and resent ourselves when we do. What Mitski does on Be The Cowboy is no different, but she lives on to tell her story of loneliness. That, itself is a challenge, and to make her despair accessible is even more challenging, but she does it. While at it, she brings her most emotive instrumentation and vulnerable lyrics yet to sing about the absence of love and the consequence of refusing to accept the void. She challenges her inner-thoughts while embracing her most troubling at the same time. Beauty is shown in those juxtaposes and what is developed is a record full of beautiful self-realization. – Miguel Anderson

1. SOPHIE – OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES

Label: Transgressive / Future Classic
Release date: June 15th, 2018

SOPHIE is in the midst of recreating what an ordinary pop song should sound like. OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES executes itself to that changing landscape of sound. The album is pushing pop’s traditionally accessible sound to the extremes to the extent where sound is distorted and frayed. If anything, this innovation SOPHIE has captured on her debut, is bringing music and us, into the future. – Miguel Anderson