SZA – ctrl
Not to be outdone by her aforementioned TDE counterpart was SZA who very well can be named the 2017 MVP. Tickets to her tour sold out across the country after she unleashed ctrl on the world letting everyone fall in love with her music from “Supermodel” to “20 Somethings.”

Drake – More Life
An album, a mixtape, a playlist, whatever you want to call it, Drake delivered. More Life let us know that Drake had some tricks up his sleeve before he disappeared for the second half of the year. But with hits like “Passionfruit” and “Gyalchester” running the course of the year, Drake showed he can dominate and not be as active as others.

Rapsody – Laila’s Wisdom
Roc Nation had a strong year in releases, one of the hardest came from Rapsody. Laila’s Wisdom cemented Rapsody’s reputation as being one of the best rappers out. The effort placed the North Carolina project alongside Busta Rhymes, Black Thought, and Kendrick Lamar and she never faltered in the head-to-head matchups.