As the world begins a new year, it is important to reflect on the trends and media which have defined the year past. In the year of 2025, many hip-hop inspired albums were released, with a slew of up and coming artists making names for themselves, along with popular musicians cementing themselves at the forefront of the modern rap industry. It’s time to take a trip through 2025 in rap, highlighting a few prolific releases which defined the year.
Rewind the clock to February 14, when popular artist Drake, in collaboration with fellow artist PARTYNEXTDOOR, released an album titled “$ome $exy $ongs For You”, under Drake’s label, OVO sound. The album features a selection of 21 songs, predominantly hip-hop and contemporary R&B tracks, with some experimentations of acoustic pop and alternative rock present. The themes most prevalent throughout this album are related to love and desire, with both artists frequently discussing relationships and intimacy through their lyrics. The project received mixed reviews, receiving a 54 out of 100 on Metacritic, with the album generally credited as rather uninspired, but with enjoyable moments along the way. In terms of numerical success, the first week of its release saw around 250 thousand units sold, and the hit song, NOKIA, became the first rap song from 2025 to surpass 500 million streams. This album proved to be a solid start to the year in music, giving a handful of dance-worthy tracks for the coming year.
Fast forwarding one month to March 14, Playboi Carti’s album, “MUSIC”, released under AWGE and Interscope Records. This highly anticipated release is the Atlanta native’s third studio album, released almost five years after his previous album. “MUSIC” boasts 30 songs, with four additional songs included on the deluxe version, titled “MUSIC – SORRY 4 DA WAIT”, which was released 11 days after the initial album. Most of the tracks on the project build on the artist’s previous elements of unique vocals and aggressive tone, highlighting the energetic elements of his work which distinguish his sound from others, apparent in songs such as “POP OUT” and “OPM BABI”. Additionally, Carti explores different sides of hip-hop, with melodic songs such as “I SEEEEEE YOU BABY BOI”, and “RATHER LIE”, featuring fellow rapper The Weekend. A wide range of features are included on the LP, such as repeated appearances from fellow rappers Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar, Future, and Lil Uzi Vert. “MUSIC” received generally favorable reviews, receiving a 73 on Metacritic, and being viewed by critics as ambitious and inventive, with some issues in quality control and run time. The album achieved record-breaking success on the charts, and became the seventh most-streamed album in a single day of all time. The project has served as incredibly influential to the modern rap scene even after less than a year of being released, especially through artists such as Ken Carson and Che.
A few months later, on July 21, genre-bending musician Tyler the Creator released his ninth studio album, titled “Don’t Tap the Glass”. The album was a rather sudden and surprising release, because the artist was still touring for his past album, “Chromakopia”, which was released only seven months prior. The release consists of only 10 tracks, all produced by Tyler himself, and explores multiple genres such as hip-hop, techno and funk. Some of the highlights from this album is the catchy “Sucka Free,” a blend of hip-hop and R&B, with an experimental instrumental component, as well as “Sugar On My Tongue,” an energetic blend of hip-hop and techno. This album received generally positive reviews, with a Metacritic score of 77, with critics perceiving the project as a short and sweet collection of energetic tracks. This release gave the Californian artist his fourth consecutive #1 spot on the Billboard 200.
It is safe to say that 2025 was another monumental year in the rap industry. Many subgenres have been pushed towards the forefront of the hip-hop scene thanks to the variety of artists now releasing music. It will be exciting to see how these albums and artists further impact the genre in the coming year.