2016... What a Year!

If you or someone you know is a celebrity, then you know that 2016 was a trying year. We lost so many great musicians from Prince to Maurice White (Earth, Wind and Fire) to George Michael (Everything She Wants was/is my jam!!!) . We also lost a host of actors/actresses, journalists, athletes and politicians. 2016 was basically the Game of Thrones of life-- wasn't nobody safe.

But if you kept your ear to the (musical) streets, 2016 was also an awesome music year. We gained so many gems that ranged in topics and gave us life! Let's talk about 5 of this year's greatest albums:

1. Beyoncé, LEMONADE

King Bey had us all confused when we tuned into the HBO special on April 23rd. Was this a breakup album? What the f$%^ had Jay-Z done? On the first listen, some of us were like, "Nah, Bey. I'm not riding with this one." People were up in arms. My FB timeline was oozing of people who were upset, who hated the album and just weren't feeling this raw, hurt, crazy, powerful Beyoncé. However, I was here for ALL OF IT! I thought she killed this album. She explored the complications of relationships, being black, and being a (powerful) woman. I was left ready to get in formation. And the Formation Tour was all I could imagine and more. And it didn't stop there. Because there were so many parallels between Lemonade and the black woman experience, writer Candice Benbow developed the #LemonadeSyllabus. Well done, Bey, well done.

Favorite tracks: Hold Up, Sorry, Love Drought

2. Solange, A Seat At The Table

Fast forward to September 2016. Tensions were (and still are) sky high In America, and we had seen yet another black man slain at the hand of white police officers. Backlash against the #blacklivesmatter movement, spawned the creation of #bluelivesmatter. This only magnified just how far we were away from a post-racial America. A Seat At the Table couldn't have had better timing. A celebration of blackness, journeying through the emotions that many Black Americans go through on a daily basis. This album conveyed the exhaustion that so many of us were feeling, and at the same time exemplified how we rise-- through music, dance, and art. I was left feeling proud, excited and confident after hearing this gem.

Favorite Tracks: Cranes in the Sky, Don't Touch My Hair, F.U.B.U

3. Kaytranada, 99.9%

Not many people know about this genius. I first heard of Kaytranada when listening to The Internet's Ego Death (another amazing album). After hearing his production skills on Girl, I realized I had to find out more. 99.9% is pure gold. This is a range of art, giving you some R&B, House, Electronic and all that in between. I loved everything about this album from beginning to end. If you like Anderson .Paak, Gold Link, or Disclosure, you will LOVE this album.

Favorite tracks: Glowed Up (feat. Anderson .Paak), Leave Me Alone (feat. Shay Lia), You're the One (feat. Syd)...seriously I love them all!

4. Bruno Mars, 24K Magic

Y'all. Seriously. Like for real. This album...was FIRE!!!! I've always had a thing for Bruno Mars. I have bought every one of his albums, but I only liked a handful of songs on each. Still, I'd still support him because in some strange way he reminds me of a young Michael Jackson. Then he drops this?!?! I wasn't ready. In this recent era of trap soul, I think all of us 80s/90s babies were feeling nostalgic about the time when R&B was the ish. When we had greats like New Edition, Jpdeci, Guy, SWV, Xscape, and TLC just to name a few. 24K Magic gave us all the feels. From the new jack hits to the sexy ballads, I felt like I was reliving 90s R&B greatness all over again. I haven't taken this joint off of repeat yet.

Favorite tracks: Perm, That's What I Like, Calling All My Lovelies

5. Zo!, Skybreak

If you know me, you know I LOVE me all things having to do with The Foreign Exchange. Zo! is definitely no exception. I found out about Zo! in 2010 when he debuted his first album with The Foreign Exchange entitled, SunStorm. It was love at first listen. Since then he's come out with ManMade (another banger) and most recently, Skybreak. His music is classified as R&B, but it's definitely got some components of jazz and soft rock. I love that he uses real instruments as well. Every time I listen to one of his albums, I feel like I have gone on a trip to a tropical island where there's a soft breeze, and whispering waves. It just takes me away and puts me at ease. Can't get any better than that.

Favorite Tracks: Wishing You Well (feat. Carmen Rodgers), Lifelines (feat. Dornik), Steal My Joy (feat. Tamisha Waden)

And there you have it! Five of my favorite albums of 2016! This list is by no means definitive. There are so many other awesome albums that dropped this year.

Honorable Mentions:

Awaken My Love! by Childish Gambino

4 Your Eyez Only by J. Cole

Malibu by Anderson . Paak

We are KING by KING

Everything's Beautiful by Miles Davis and Robert Glasper

ArtScience by The Robert Glasper Experiment

What were your favorite albums of 2016? Sound off in the comments!!!