1. Lil Herb – Welcome To Fazoland
It may have taken a few years to complete, but Herb’s long-awaited debut, Welcome To Fazoland, was worth the wait. While many critics and fans had soured on the drill sound over the past year or so, Herb was able to take elements from the subgenre and put a unique spin on it. It was super lyrical street music — that while it dealt with some unsavory elements of the game, had an emotional element to it. It told a story. It was a window into the anger and distress Herb witnessed on a major scale everyday.
What set Herb apart from his counterparts was his ability to articulate what he was going through — putting a heart and soul on the madness he experienced. Paired with an impeccable selection of beats, and well-crafted hooks, Fazoland felt like an album that was a lifetime in the making — which it was. This easily could’ve been a retail release, and could one day be considered a classic.