Weapons-grade 808s, luscious horns and a megastar’s early steps: the best music our writers discovered this year

Weapons-grade 808s, luscious horns and a megastar’s early steps: the best music our writers discovered this year

From a slept-on Chief Keef banger to an overlooked Taylor Swift classic and a neglected jazz Kenny, we reveal the older releases that have got us going this year

‘Splits eardrums as much as it does public opinion’ … (from left) … Chief Keef, Taylor Swift and Kenny Wheeler
‘Splits eardrums as much as it does public opinion’ … (from left) … Chief Keef, Taylor Swift and Kenny Wheeler Composite: PR, Getty

As someone generally averse to the fact that album releases never seem to slow down any more, even at the end of December, I managed to miss Chief Keef’s 4NEM when it dropped in late December last year. Known for pioneering drill before it splintered into a thousand different global subgenres, the Chicago rapper is beloved for the kind of abrasive, potty-mouthed raps that older listeners shake their fists at but which send younger listeners into a craze.

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