May 25, 2018

Universal

1xLP

In hindsight, 2018 was a fairly lackluster year for hip hop releases. But it did provide some moments to remember, and some micro-trends that future artists would be smart to be thoughtful of moving forward — most notably the Wyoming Sessions, a Kanye West-led wave of piecemeal projects from artists on his G.O.O.D. Music imprint. Kanye helmed the production on all of these projects, while the credited artists handled the vocals, making it something of a collaboration series for West. Each album clocked in around 20-25 minutes long, usually around six or seven songs, and ranged from ranged from good, to not bad, to .....

Anyway, the most realized of these was Pusha T's Daytona, a high-octane slice of coke rap brought to life by vintage Kanye production. It was a legitimate highlight of the summer, and despite the short run-time is arguably the best album of Pusha T's already decorated career. Ironically, at 21-minutes — not to mention to first release in the series — it proved that the short format could provide enough of a canvas to build out a world with its own logic, rules and motifs. It doesn't overstay its welcome either, getting in and getting out exactly when it needs to, providing just enough punch to make it memorable, without retreading or watering down its contents. It was a smash success that only made its wake all the more embarrassing.