2024 was one of the biggest years in music history, with a multitude of albums being released by top artists. After going through many of them, here are the top 14 which truly represent 2024.
14. “WE DON’T TRUST YOU”
“We Don’t Trust You” is Future and Metro Boomin’s first collaborative album, but not their first collaboration. The two artists previously collaborated on songs like “Mask Off” and “Jumpman.” This album features artists The Weeknd, Travis Scott, Playboi Carti, Kendrick Lamar and Rick Ross. Future and Metro Boomin are nominated for one Grammy Award for this album.
13. “Cowboy Carter”
“Cowboy Carter” is the followup to Beyoncé’s 2022 album, “Renaissance,” and it isn’t just a sequel. “Cowboy Carter” is a story of love and identity, with tributes to Southern music found across the entire album. With 27 tracks and features from artists Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kenendy, Reyna Roberts, Rumi Carter, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Linda Martell, Shaboozey, Willie Jones, Miley Cyrus and Post Malone, this album contains covers and originals that anyone can enjoy. Beyoncé is nominated for 11 Grammy Awards for this album.
12. “The Great American Bar Scene”
Zach Bryan’s folk-country style stays consistent in his fifth studio album, “The Great American Bar Scene.” The album features artists Noeline Hofmann, John Moreland, John Mayer, Bruce Springsteen and Watchhouse. Bryan keeps his sad-cowboy lyricism from his past albums, writing about people from his past and experiences which changed him. Songs such as “Pink Skies” and “28” were hits on TikTok, garnering over 336,000 and 242,000 views to each audio.
11. “Charm”
“Charm” is Clairo’s third studio album. This album’s indie-meets-jazz genre is unique, and the instrumentals are phenomenal. This is easily Clairo’s best work, and I would love to see what is in store for her in the future. Her most popular track on her featureless album, “Juna,” stays true to her soft-rock style, which is a big reason for its popularity among her fanbase on social media. The song has 1.2 million posts on Tiktok alone. Clairo is nominated for one Grammy Award for this album.
10. “American Dream”
“American Dream” was released in early 2024 and is one of 21 Savage’s best albums. His songs “redrum” and “prove it” were both popular on social media, with each of them having over 220,000 posts on TikTok. This album features artists Doja Cat, Young Thug, Metro Boomin, Lil Durk, Travis Scott, Summer Walker, Brent Faiyaz, Burna Boy, Tommy Newport, Mikky Ekko and Mariah the Scientist. Each sample on this album was used beautifully, especially the TikTok-famous song “redrum.”
9. “Short n’ Sweet”
“Short n’ Sweet” is Sabrina Carpenter’s most popular album, and rightfully so. Her compelling production and writing easily propelled her to the Billboard 100 list, with three of her songs landing in the top 10. The vibrance of the album easily makes it an album we won’t forget, Carpenter was nominated for six Grammy Awards for this album.
8. “Bright Future”
“Bright Future,” an underdog album in this list, is created with Adrianne Lenker’s signature somber style staying prevalent throughout the album. Lenker re-recorded her band Big Thief’s song,“Vampire Empire,” on acoustic guitar. Lenker’s guitar, which is played in almost every track, is a staple in every one of her albums. Lenker is nominated for one Grammy Award for this album.
7. “GNX”
“GNX” is Kendrick Lamar’s sixth album, with new, vibrant lyrics and production as opposed to the powerful lyrics that he is known for. However, this does not mean that there aren’t any thought-provoking tracks on the album, with “reincarnated” showing his reincarnation as multiple musicians in the past, until he reached his present life as Kendrick Lamar. This album features artists SZA, Dody6, Lefty Gunplay, Sensei, Siete7x, Roddy Ricch, AzChike, Hitta J3, YoungThreat and Peysoh.
6. “Bando Stone and the New World”
“Bando Stone and the New World” is an example of an album that doesn’t fit into one single genre. On one track, Childish Gambino is a rock artist, but on the next track, Gambino is now a punk singer. This album features artists Amaarae, Flo Milli, Jorja Smith, Ludwig Gӧransson, Kamasi Washington, Yeat, Fousheé and Khruangbin. His 10th track, “Can You Feel Me” includes an adorable feature from his nine year old son, Legend. Gambino is nominated for one award for his album.
5. “The Secret of Us (Deluxe)”
“The Secret of Us (Deluxe)” shows Gracie Abrams heartbroken after a breakup. Her highest streamed song off of the main album, “I Love You, I’m Sorry” displays her yearning for her ex-significant other who she treated badly during the relationship. The deluxe version of her album included the song “That’s So True” which was an instant hit on social media, having over 450,000 posts to the audio on TikTok. Abrams is nominated for one Grammy Award for her album.
4. “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT”
“Hit Me Hard and Soft” keeps Billie Eilish’s dreamy yet rockish feel that is in each of her previous albums. Each one of the 10 songs in this album are a solid hit, making it onto Billboard’s top 100 list and blowing up on TikTok. Eilish is nominated for six Grammy Awards for this album.
3. “brat”
It’s not often that an album starts a worldwide trend that lasts a whole summer. Charli XCX’s newest hyper-pop album, “brat,” was a worldwide sensation sparking TikTok trends and dances. In today’s ever-moving social media landscape, something this widespread is of extreme rarity. This acclaim was well deserved too, with Charli XCX’s electric production resonating with people from continent to continent. Charli XCX is nominated for nine Grammy Awards for this album.
2. “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT”
“THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT” shows Taylor Swift in a vulnerable light, yearning and heartbroken. This album is light on featured artists, including Post Malone and Florence + The Machine on tracks “Fortnight” and “Florida!!, respectively. Tracks like “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” and “loml” are the highlights of this album and show Swift’s ability to write emotional, deep lyrics, which almost anybody can relate to. Swift is nominated for five Grammy Awards for this album.
1. “Chromakopia”
“Chromakopia” makes a good case for Tyler, The Creator’s best album. This album blends multiple genres, like Pop, RnB and Rap, which makes for a very colorful album. This is evident in the album’s name “Chromakopia”, with “chroma”, meaning color and “kopia” being a latin suffix for abundance. Daniel Caesar, Teezo Touchdown, Childish Gambino, GloRilla, Sexyy Red, Lil Wayne, LaToiya Williams, ScHoolboy Q, Santigold, Lola Young and Doechii are all featured on this album, making it an ensemble of talent.