I recently was a bit bored and decided to write down my album of the year for each year going back to when I first really started thinking about music criticism, around when I started reading The Source religiously. I figure, maybe I'll post these, and it will encourage other people to take a walk down memory lane and at least share some of their albums of the year as well.
Starting with the most recent year, going back to '95, when I was 13.
And righting a wrong from 2020 that's been bugging me basically since I made that list.
2021 - Vulture Prince - by Arooj Aftab
2020 - RTJ4 - by Run the Jewels
2019 - U.F.O.F. - by Big Thief
2018 - Daytona - by Pusha T
2017 - DAMN. - by Kendrick Lamar
2016 - Puberty 2 - by Mitski
2015 - I Love You, Honeybear - by Father John Misty
2014 - Run the Jewels 2 - by Run the Jewels
2013 - Yeezus - by Kanye West
2012 - Celebration Rock by Japandroids
2011 - Father, Son, Holy Ghost - by Girls
2010 - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - by Kanye West / The Suburbs - by Arcade Fire
2009 - Hospice - by The Antlers
2008 - Dear Science - by TV On The Radio
2007 - In Rainbows - by Radiohead
2006 - Return to Cookie Mountain - TV On The Radio
2005 - Late Registration - by Kanye West
2004 - Funeral - by Arcade Fire
2003 - 8,000,000 Stories - by Soul Position
2002 - God's Son - by Nas
2001 - Stillmatic - by Nas
2000 - Stankonia - by Outkast
1999 - Things Fall Apart - by The Roots
1998 - Aquemini - by Outkast
1997 - Wu-Tang Forever - by Wu-Tang Clan
1996 - The Score - by Fugees
1995 - Liquid Swords - by Genius/GZA
I stopped there, because I wanted to list music I actually listened to and loved in the year it was made. Illmatic is the clear-cut choice for 1994, but I didn't listen to it until It Was Written was released. Similarly, I was a year late on Enter the Wu-Tang 36 Chambers, which is the best album of 1993.