For the loyal following of Kembe X fans who have been waiting in earnest for a proper full-length project since 2013's Soundtrack II Armageddon, 2016 was a good year. In it, we got the long-teased and anticipated full-length that acted more as a collection of tried and trusted singles with well-received intermediary segues. More importantly than anything, it's new Kembe. Possessing the familiar baritone that evolves with new rhyme schemes and beat selection, each online loosie comes correct throughout on this one, proving he has the skills to craft a catchy hit. While we still may be waiting for the true proper project from the winner of Forbes 2012 'Best Mixtape', Talk Back left no Kembe X fan disappointed and undoubtedly got him a whole lot of new ones. 

- Jake Krez

This year has been liberating for Chicago in general and many of its key players. Serving as a band-leader of sorts is Closed Sessions producer oddCouple, a man that has played his part in many of our favorite artists’ success stories. Following up last year’s debut Chatterbox, oddCouple delivered the equally compelling Liberation, a 9 track EP that takes listeners on a carefully curated sonic journey using oddCouple’s complex and layered production as the backbone with features from artists who have all gone on to make the best of their 2016. I’m certain at the initial inception of his new project, oddCouple couldn’t have anticipated the amount of success some of the featured artists would experience this year, but that just goes to show how in tune the producer is with the local music community. While Joey Purp, Mick Jenkins and labelmates Kweku Collins and Jamila Woods all had monumental years following the release of their respective solo projects, oddCouple also called upon a new batch of artists like Qari, Rich Jones and Milwaukee’s Webster X, bridging the gap hot right now and who’s positioned to make a big splash in 2017. Coming in at number eight, Liberation is just what the title suggests, a expression that will release you from the confines of a traditional compilation project and introduce you to a natural and organic collaboration between some of the most talented artists the Midwest has to offer.

- Brent Butcher

I’m still not sure what TheMIND’s Summer Camp is, and that’s a beautiful thing. The ThemPeople singer surely created one of the most unexpected projects of 2016, bursting with the life, youth, and coming-of-age knowledge that the title suggests. This is legitimately psychedelic, not with easy tropes but with a journey inward, traveling the paths of his brain down a lazy river of self-observation. Don’t mistake it as self-doubt, but just honesty, and expressed is what everyone has inside them. There are vivid touches of energy everywhere; a Daft Punk-ish robot voice next to a siren’s disembodied vocals, electronic wubs so distorted they turn into rock chords, chiptune chirps descending into a wall of sub. TheMIND has created a production masterpiece, but as his name suggests, the body is nothing without the brain, and TheMIND’s voice and direction with which he leads the project is what truly sets it apart.  His rubbery voice runs through the landscape ThemPeople has helped him create, bouncing off the walls and settling into your ears. It may be the absolute dead of winter right now, but TheMIND's got the summer going strong.

- Ray Mestad

The word timeless is often thrown around when describing music, but Whitney's golden sound is brilliantly nostalgic. As I returned to the album year round it kept me cool when it was hot, warm when it was cold. The Chicago group's debut album Light Upon The Lake was a welcomed clipper ship in Chicago's 2016 sonic fleet. The band was our featured cover story in March and like us, the band group hugged critics and music fans around the World. Their sound so friendly and familiar, we at These Days often described them like "cracking a smile." The album bee-lined the group to international tours, festival dates, packed family reunion-like local shows and constant spins on record players far and wide (extra love for their limited transparent vinyl run). Although many of the album's themes relate back to a lost relationships, this one will surely be a reliable old friend "no matter where we go."

- Patrick Welby

Kweku Collins is the raw, wandering wordsmith Chicago needed this year. As the kind-eyed old soul gets ready to kick flip into his 20s, he's lassoed all the right help from his Closed Session counterparts while certifying himself as a double threat on his critically acclaimed proper LP Nat Love. Let's not forget, Kweku produced a majority of the album himself. Everybody wants to know "Who's Next?" from Chicago, and with this release Kweku secured himself as an artist that can easily carry the conversation past the go-to names we've heard year after year. The engaging honesty, personable songwriting, killer live show (and Closed Sessions rising label infrastructure, look at the streaming numbers) puts Kweku ahead of his peers in the most constructive ways possible. Chest pumping his introspection on this very musical record showcases this kid's future star power. Nat Love was a near perfect first step.

- Patrick Welby

Years in the making, 2016 saw the release of Noname’s highly anticipated opus Telefone. The debut project came in the form of a sunny, self-aware sonic snapshot of the ups and downs of life. On Telefone, Noname dances with her feelings and understandings. Holding hands with confidence, doubt, happiness and sadness, and playing a game of ring around the rosey, as the record spins Noname never locked eyes with one emotion too long before embracing the next. The album’s collaborations are as amazing as they are unnecessary. Each guest, theMIND, Cam O’Bi, Raury, Xavier Omar, Ravyn Lenae, Saba, Smino, Akenya, Joseph Chilliams, Eryn Allen Kane & Phoelix, show up with their best foot forward adding more icing on the cake. Incredible from start to finish, this one earned an all time favorite stamp from me.

- Eric Montanez

I got to be honest, the first time I pressed play on Jamila Woods’ HEAVN, there were two points - somewhere in the lines of “Lonely, Lonely” and then again on “Lately” - that struck such a chord that I teared up. What makes HEAVN so powerful is the way in which Jamila shares perspective. From the concepts I really resonate with (the pursuit of self-love, finding your place in the world) to the ones I understand I’ll never be able fully understand (blackness, womanhood), each time I revisit the album I feel honored to listen into the worldview it presents. Between songs, Woods shares stories and clips of conversations that further personalizes the themes the songs speak to. When discussing the release with Closed Sessions co-founder Michael Kolar, who also mixed and mastered the album, he explains he can't remember album that had such a perfect alignment of  message, messenger, moment & music - to which I couldn’t agree more. As Pitchfork pointed out, this album was released at a time where it was really needed. On top of that, Woods is one of the highest quality of people I’ve ever met, and with HEAVN now has the music to match.

- Eric Montanez

In a year where hope often seemed in short change, Saba offered listeners an album of measured optimism, a realistic acknowledgement of the dichotomy between life's obstacles and the constant possibility of you accomplishing what the fuck you want. The project embraced storytelling, memory, nostalgia, but with the end result of looking ahead. Knowing you can get past whatever was once in your way, taking life as a lesson on how to get where you want to go. This is a man living his own Bucket List Project in real time, and listening to his past and present, it’s impossible not to be excited for the future. Most importantly, there’s no way for Saba to accurately convey these themes without his golden touch. Saba has one of the best ears of perhaps any rapper, hell, artist, I’ve ever listened to, period. Nowhere is this is as evident as on Bucket List Project. Every corner of the project bursts with sound and vibrancy, while Saba’s variable flow fills each nook and cranny. And most importantly, the untouched lyricism; its Saba’s mind that makes him different, and we all are better off with him sharing his gift.

- Ray Mestad

While everyone featured on this list had a great 2016, Joey Purp has arguably had the most monumental. Playing a support role for years as his friends jettisoned to stardom, Joey only began his rise to notoriety alongside his Save Money cohort Kami as part of their group Leather Corduroys. Prior to the release of Season, those with their ear to the ground knew young Purple was a lyrical monster, but it wasn’t until the release of his solo effort iiiDrops that the rest of the world began to take notice. The tracklist is littered with a who’s who list of Chicago talents and features everything from radio ready singles like “Girls @” to personal and introspective songs like “Cornerstore”, it’s no wonder Joey Purp’s well rounded debut lands at number two on our list. The project has taken Joey from being a local favorite to being adored worldwide in no time flat. Garnering the attention of all the right people and catapulting Purp on a summer filled with touring and making his media rounds both here and abroad, it’s clear that iiiDrops has kicked some doors wide open for the young emcee. The bar couldn’t be set higher for Purp’s follow up, but he’s in no rush to push out any subpar product. Like iiiDrops, whatever the future holds for Joey Purp, it’s going to be the result of a carefully calculated approach.

- Brent Butcher

While some outlets may try to eschew Chance The Rapper from the top spot for this year's releases, doing so is either an attempt to be edgy or a complete ignorance of the facts. Top to bottom, Chance The Rapper delivered what is almost undeniably the year's best overall project three years removed from his last full-length solo success. Released on May 13, two weeks removed from the anniversary of 2013's Acid Rap, the project proved to be exactly what fans and critics alike had been looking forward to, offering a fresh perspective from the middle of the country, all comfortably packaged in a gospel and soul undertone. It continued to merge friends with big names as Noname and Saba popped up in the credits next to Lil Wayne, Future & 2 Chainz. While some may argue another album for the top spot, it's indisputable that Chance's Coloring Book has smashed records, opened new opportunities for a whole generation with it's inclusion in the Grammy Awards and seven nominations, and for all intents and purposes, proven to be the playbook for the next wave of artists emerging in his wake.

- Jake Krez

Air Credits

Broadcasted

Mick Jenkins

The Healing Component

Brian Fresco

Casanova

Drama

Gallows

Eryn Allen Kane

Aviary: Act II

Vic Mensa

There's Alot Going On