Best of the Month is decided by a number of different variables; voter counts from preceding posts, reader reaction ratings, gut feelings, and lots and lots of heated discussions.
Album of the Month
While there certainly may have been “better” projects to come out this month, there weren’t any more impactful than Meek Mill’s Championships. Since nearly having his career derailed thanks to his botched back and forth with Drake and legal troubles that saw him, once again, back in prison, Meek Mill has entirely turned his career around and even become a sort of folk hero and voice of the people. With this being his first album since being released, expectations were extremely high and people wanted to know how he would channel all of this newfound energy surrounding him. While not perfect, Championships definitely delivers on the hype with some of his most poignant and impactful songs and lyrics of his career while still giving us the bangers we’ve come to expect from him. He’s grown immensely as a person and as an artist and this album represents a huge level up in his career and it cements his status among rap’s elite – both past and present. Not to mention, it gave us maybe THE verse of the year from one Jay-Z.
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Video of the Month
A$AP Rocky was definitely the victim of bad timing with the release of his last album, Testing, and while it wasn’t his best effort by any measure, it certainly deserved more attention if for no other reason than some of the interesting experimentation found on the project. He hasn’t seemed to let that lack of recognition keep him down however, as he’s back with maybe his most experimental record yet. “Sundress” makes great use of a fantastic Tame Impala sample and his visual pedigree was on display once again. The hazy, ’70s-inspired aesthetics really capture the psychedelic, indie nature of the song. Not to mention, it’s great use frozen motion.
Runner-ups
Trailer of the Month
There were some massive new trailers for some very well established franchises and IPs for the month of November, but the one that struck us the most was the one for ROMA. It’s a film that’s been tearing up the film festival circuits and from it’s short two minute trailer you can tell why. It’s absolutely gorgeous and the black and white visuals really make a statement, and although the trailer is almost entirely speechless, the backing soundtrack is all it needs to set the tone. It slowly builds into a dramatic crescendo that pulls on your emotions without you really knowing why. The disparate scenes make its story impossible to piece together but its visceral imagery keeps the intrigue high. It all feels like some sort of surreal dream and we just have to see how it turns out.R
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