2018 was the year of music overload. Every Friday was new music Friday and our streaming platforms were flooded with new projects, albums and EPs. It was difficult to keep track of the new releases and at times, it felt overwhelming. It was all too easy for  projects to be forgotten amongst the constant flood of new music. Here are 5 solid  projects which you may have missed.

90s Baby, King Combs

West Coast vibes meet a heavy East Coast flow on 90s Baby. The project is underpinned by a nostalgic tone and the 20 year-old pays great homage to the era which has inspired him the most; featuring samples from the likes of Tupac, The Fugees and Nas. Respectively CYN members such as Shaw, Trey and Neek are all on the project, The mixtape also features the likes of Chris Brown and unsurprisingly his father, P Diddy. However, Diddy’s feature on this mixtape is very much superfluous.

King Combs takes this mixtape and distinctly carves out his own creative lane and avoids the usual tropes of his fellow rap counterparts. His flow echoes a young Mase reincarnated – its effortless, borderline lazy at times, but it formidably has the ability to keep you entranced and intrigued as he raps over the 12 tracks. For King Combs first full-length project, its a clear indication of his talent, versatility and all which he has to offer in the future.

53 Sundays, Ebenezer

53 Sundays is an introspective body of work by up and coming artist, Ebenezer. On this project, he grapples with his faith, relationship with God and trying to choose the right path.  It is thematically reminiscent of Chance the Rapper’s Colouring Book and Stormzy’s Gang Signs and Prayers.  It looks at the internal moral confliction which comes from knowing and wanting to do better, but still being lured onto the “bad path”. The dichotomy between his two selves is heard on Glory on which he sings “Glory, to all my niggas trapping”. 

The gospel influence is heard throughout the album with song titles such as Faith, and Blasphemy. Ebenezer somehow combines this sound with other genres; on Pass The Offering he laces a typical gospel chord progression with trap production, it’s bemusing but brilliant. Mercy is a stand out track of the album and it’s musical modulations carry a song to a peak you simply weren’t expecting. 53 Sundays is dynamic, fresh, honest and emotive. Even as we delve into the deepest crevices of his mind and he lays his feelings on a blank canvas, us listeners don’t feel like intruders. It has sound production and Ebenezer’s ability to tell stories. As a music lover, I can’t for what more he has in store.

Poison, Swiss Beatz

Swizz’s  last album was over 11 years ago and was somewhat of a flop, selling only a mere 200,000 copies in its first year.  One Man Band was similar in length to Poison, but was is less cohesive and Swizz was more dominant on that album, simultaneously and almost incorrectly playing the role of artist and producer. On Poison, Swizz takes more of a producer role, rapping much less but being sure to douse the album in his famous ad-libs. Despite the album being with littered with power house artists like Lil Wayne, Kendrick Lamar, 2 Chains and Jada Kiss, it seemingly fizzled and had little impact on both sides of the pond. The album is 10 track is tracks of pure fire, the epitome of quality over quantity. The Production was masterful, courtesy of J. Cole who excuetively produced the album. Whether you’re looking for braggadocios vibes like Stunt ft 2 Chainz, or story-telling on Cold Blooded which is as raw and vivid as Da Art of Storytelling, Poison has it all.

WSTRN, Dou3le 3Ak

The West-London trio, comprising of Haile, Louis Res and currently incarcerated member, Akelle, have a number of years under their belt as well as copious amount of hits . With the group missing its third voice, there is an evident void. But Both Haile and Louis Reis overcome this by adapting to the absence and pushing the boundaries on their musical ability on songs Round Here and Love Struck. 3AK is an emblem of their solidarity and emphasises that his spot remains unfilled till his return. Soon Home – In2lude is a candid and vulnerable explnaation for the reasons of his crimes, his worries and hopes.

Drawing inspiration from a classic 90s R&B sound, WSTRN produce Bare Wit Me, #1 and Aaliayh and 4Luv. The interludes on this project are sonically sublime and incredibly comical. They strike the perfect balancing act of being a refreshing break in between songs but being cohesion with the project. R&B is often shunned in the U.K, but on this project, WSTRN forced everyone to listen. Double 3AK is dynamic, full of vibes and beautiful penned tribute to missing member, AK. 

With Vibras, J Balvin sets Reggaton on a global and more mainstream map. With it’s infectious vibe with elements of trap, bachata and salsa – you can’t help but dance. J Balvin strikes the perfect balance between keeping his music authentic, but also catering to a less familiar global market. Hit record Mi Gente is not the only record this album has to offer; En Mi acts as a great follow up and Brill ft. ROSLIA envokes aspects of neo-soul and En Mi. The album runs seamlessly from top to bottom. Alejandro “Sky” Ramirez and Marco “Tainy” Masis, who produced most of the album, ensured that not single beat was missed. The album is evidence of how Latin music is slowly but surely breaking the glass ceilings of the mainstream world. Vibras is Spanish for “vibes”, and on this album, J Balvin gives us 14 tracks of straight vibes.