It's the halfway point of 2016, a perfect time to take stock of the best entertainment offerings of the half-year. Check out our picks for the best albums of the year below — and since "The top 16 of 2016" is exactly 50% premature, we chose the Top 8.
Also check out our lists of the best television episodes, movies, games, beauty momentsand digital entertainment trends that have happened in the first half of 2016.
The wait for the third album mixtape from Chance the Rapper has been a long and arduous one, coming three years after he first hooked mainstream rap fans with his brilliant sophomore mixtape Acid Rap. There were Frank Ocean levels of hype in the leadup to its release, as the Chicago rapper had been hailed as Kanye West's most promising protege. And Coloring Booklives up to it all.
Beautifully exultant, intricately crafted and downright happy, Chance's third mixtape is nothing short of a masterpiece, showcasing his ever-changing flow, his contagious smile and his ability to get a who's-who of names all in one place.
The album is so damn good that it may make history, too. The Grammys recently announced that they're switching up the rules this year to allow streaming-only albums like Coloring Bookto qualify for an award. You could call it a coincidence, but really, it's a blessing.
Indie rocker Mitski Miyawaki's fourth full-length album pulls you in so many different directions emotionally that it can be a little dizzying.
"Happy came to visit me/ he bought cookies on the way," she sings on the deceptive bleak album opener "Happy." And from there, happiness comes and goes throughout Puberty 2, an album that rides the rollercoaster of your 20s with abandon.
While Puberty 2is undoubtedly emotional, it's far from an emo album, blending indie rock with raucous punk ("My Body's Made of Crushed Little Scars"), psych and occasionally throwing in a little bit of sax ("Happy"). It's the kind of album that understands what you're feeling without making you feel worse, sort of like a best friend.
3. Beyonce, Lemonade
To call Beyonce's Lemonadejust an album is to sell it criminally short.Lemonade, rather, was an event, a worldwide phenomenon that commanded the attention of just about everyone, even those who didn't necessarily want to see it.
And given the pomp and circumstance surrounding its release -- beginning with the surprise release of "Formation" ahead of the Super Bowl and ending with the visual album's hourlong premiere on HBO -- Lemonade could have easily been a disappointment.
But, instead, Lemonadeis undoubtedly Beyonce's fiercest, most artistically provocative, most rock and roll album to date. It's a kissoff, a reckoning and baptism all in one. It's a visual album rich with provocative political statements and metaphor, and a haven of sorts for black women.
Gospel ("Freedom"), rock ("Don't Hurt Yourself") and, yes, country ("Daddy Lessons") all exist in one place, yet it all feels at home. That also means that Lemonadeis a good listen no matter what mood you're in -- whether you're breaking up and burning his shit to the ground, hooking up with your ex or starting a new relationship. It goes down smooth in any situation.
4. Anderson .Paak, Malibu
Dr. Dre protege Anderson .Paak first broke through the mainstream after featuring prominently on Dre's 2015 album Compton, and quickly had fans whispering, "who's that?" A few months later, he released Malibu, and it quickly gave them an answer.
Blending elements of jazz, R&B and rap, Malibuis a decadent treat of an album. .Paak is a gifted lyricist without taking himself to seriously -- on "Come Down," for example, he uses the phrase "cool beans" without batting an eye. It's that balance that makes Malibu not only a smart listen, but a fun one, too.
Love him or hate him, Kanye West is a musical genius, and The Life of Pabloproved that.
While The Life of Pablo may go down in musical history first and foremost for changing the way artists release albums -- even months after its release, Kanye was still making tweaks to Pablo -- his seventh studio album is also home to some of his most beautiful work to date.
More of a gospel album than a rap album, Pablo shows Kanye doing what Kanye does best, bringing together an orchestra of artists at the flick of his wrist, and featuring some of his best sampling work so far ("Famous"). No matter which Kanye you prefer -- angry, shouting YeezusKanye, melancholy 808s Kanye or the "old Kanye" --Pablois so there's song that will please just about everyone, including those who hate people who only like the old Kanye.
“My album is for everyone told they’re not black enough, too black, too queer, not queer the right way … it’s a clapback,” Devonté Hynes told Entertainment Weeklyof Freetown Sound, his third album as Blood Orange. Indeed, Freetown Sound is a dense, dark, commanding project.
It begins with "By Ourselves," an ode to black women featuring spoken word, and while it gets more upbeat from there, its themes don't become any less pointed as Hynes contemplates life as an outsider in America. Freetown Soundis sure to make you dance, sure, but it will also make you think.
7. Rihanna, Anti
Rihanna's Antiis far from perfect, and that's precisely what makes Anti a perfect Rihanna project. It's her eighth album -- the long-awaited followup to 2012's Unapologetic-- but it sounds like a something of a debut, the first record where it sounds like Rihanna was steering the ship.
Rihanna has become a poster child for living your best life, our reigning queen of not giving a f*ck, and Anti makes it clear that persona isn't crafted by a team of publicists. It's just Rihanna. There's plenty of the joint-smoking, middle-finger-giving Rih-Rih to go around on Anti, but between all that, there's also moments of genuine, arresting emotion.
Montreal's Louis Kevin Celestin has generated a cult following on SoundCloud over the past few years, but he's just now released a full-length album with 99.9%, where he showcases a species of dance music that blends elements of R&B, soul and funk.
99.9%is music for dancing with your eyes closed, under the influence of whatever poison your choose. It's feel-good summer music but it has the crisp, fresh feeling of a fall morning, and with a band of A-list guests like Anderson .Paak, Vic Mensa and Craig David -- Craig David! -- it's a party that keeps raging on.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
TopicsMusic
(责任编辑：探索)