Favourite Music of 2025

The year is drawing to a close and it’s time to look back at some of the great music that came out in 2025. I’ll be splitting my list into a local Winnipeg category and then an everywhere else category, although there’s a couple Canadian releases on there too. Typically these sorts of lists are 'top albums of the year’ but since the way music is released has changed, I am including everything from singles to EPs to full-length albums in the same list. And while I certainly don’t listen exclusively to hip-hop, most of the newer releases I listen to are, and so this list is all hip-hop. Also, since I’m trying to avoid using Spotify whenever possible due to moral and ethical reasons, I will be linking to these albums/songs on Bandcamp wherever possible, and failing that the artist’s direct website or via YouTube.

Each list is presented in alphabetical order by artist.

Winnipeg Hip-Hop Releases

Ali Wan Kenobi & Mace Win Dill “Ali Wan Kenobi Meets Mace Win Dill” [Album]

A collab years in the making, producer Ali Wan Kenobi and rapper Mace Win Dill (aka Dill the Giant) finally teamed up earlier this year for this tape. With most songs here clocking in under two minutes, including a number under a minute, this album is mostly a collection of snippets, but don’t let the length fool you, there are dope bars in here. Ali does a terrific job of letting the brief songs flow into one another, making it feel like one extended track instead of 15 short ones.
Favourite Track: “TDOT Express”

Andrew O “May Baby” [Album]

The debut solo project from Lytics rapper Andrew O is deeply personal, telling his story of being born premature, a misdiagnosed heart condition later in life, and the healing he’s gone through since. The jazzy, laid back grooves of the music set the stage beautifully for Andrew’s poignant stories about his struggles and triumphs. Listening to “My Life” makes you feel like you know Andrew, gifting the listener an unprecedented look into a person’s soul. Album of the year.
Favourite Track: “My Life”

Anthony OKS “Make Way” [Album]

Another dope release from one of the Lytics, Anthony OKS’s latest offering showcases his versatility, switching between rapping, singing, and chill spoken word type delivery, sometimes all in one song (“Isolation”). Produced mainly by Anthony’s longtime collaborate Paalsh, the vibes on this album are impeccable, perfect for an introspective walk on a crisp fall morning.
Favourite Track: “Perpetuity”

Hoopaloop “Writing With Precision” ft. Kairo, Andre Jeanson, Postwar, Ruiz [Single]

Gotta love a classic style posse cut. This single and video dropped early in the year and it was one I went back to often. I’m a big fan of Hoopaloop basing the beat around the educational sample of how to write with precision.

Kitz Willman “A Moon On The Verge of Everything You Wanted” [Album]

Weird Prairie rap has a long history [read my book if you want to learn a bit of that history] so it’s good to see that tradition continuing in the person of Kitz Willman. Producing all the beats and with no features, “A Moon on the Verge” is truly a singular effort from the Saskatchewan-to-Winnipeg transplant. Keep Winnipeg weird.
Favourite Track: “Can’t Sleep”

Len Bowen “If You Don’t See Me, You Saw Me” [EP]

Len Bowen, Winnipeg’s hardest working rapper, returns after 2023’s “NTHN4GRNTD” with a stellar 8-song EP again released through BLK SUN SND. Produced largely by Toronto-based beatmaker extraordinaire Junia-T, “If You Don’t See Me” is Len at peak form. With features from Odario, Dijah SB and JRDN, the EP showcases both the heartfelt side (“Angels”) and the lyricist side (“Forward”) of a rapper that celebrated the 30th year anniversary of his first album in 2025.
Favourite Track: “Angels” ft. Dijah SB and TSLavv

Osani “Social Currency” [Album]

I already did a full profile of Osani for the release of this album, so check out that piece here if you want to read my thoughts on the album.
Favourite track: “Americas” ft. CJ the Grey

Yy “Dues and Dont’s” [Album]

It’s fitting that a rapper like Yy, heavily influenced by the West Coast underground tongue twisting hip-hop of Project Blowed and Freestyle Fellowship, would finally have a track with Myka9 of Freestyle Fellowship. “Dues and Don’ts” is full of Yy’s rhyming experiments, as he plays around with weird time signatures and double and triple entrendres in his wordplay, backed up by solid production by bigmcenroe and cuts by DJ Hunnicutt. Also, always love a good posse cut (listed below).
Favourite Track: “Bunch of Different Crews” ft. Fenom, Gully, Brendan Grey aka Giant #3

Outside of Winnipeg

Brother Ali “Satisfied Soul” [Album]

In part because it came out early in the year and in part because it’s so damn good this is probably the album I listened to the most this year. Brother Ali’s lyrics paint such a vivid picture and the beats, all produced by ANT, fit his style perfectly. In an age where so many so-called rappers have as much depth as a puddle, it’s important to pay attention to artists like Brother Ali with the depth of the Mariana Trench.
Favourite Track: “Ocean of Rage”

Buck 65 “Keep Moving” [Album]

Consisting of 31 tracks, this is a certifiable epic. A Canadian hip-hop pioneer, Buck 65 has some great albums under his belt (“Square”, “Vertex” et al) but “Keep Moving” shows that he’s still got it, and he may even be getting better as the years go on, a la Bob Dylan “Time Out Of Mind.” Buck shows off his chops both as a producer, making all the beats here, and as a rapper, frequently rapping like his life depends on it.
Favourite Track: “Linoleum”

Clipse “Let God Sort ‘Em Out” [Album]

To quote LL, don’t call it a comeback. But, yeesh, Clipse show they can still be the heaviest of hitters. Listening to Clipse I’d expect to hear some top-quality wordplay about cocaine, and that’s here (“F.I.C.O.”), but I wouldn’t have expected them to deliver such heartfelt tracks (“The Birds Don’t Sing”). The album was well-deservedly nominated for the album of the year Grammy, and while history may not be on their side, it’d have my vote.
Favourite Track: “So Be It”

Crimeapple “Hanzai” [Album]

Sometimes I’m shocked that Crimeapple isn’t bigger in the underground rap world, but I know that those who are familiar know he’s top tier, and “Hanzai” is no exception. If you’re already on the wave, I’m not telling you anything new, but if you’re looking for some of the dopest bars out there right now, look no further. Personally, I love the sprinkling of Spanish in Crimeapple’s raps, staying true to his Colombian roots.
Favourite Track: “Tippytoes”

Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist “Alfredo 2” [Album]

It’s a given that Gangsta Gibbs is going to rap his ass off, and when it’s The Alchemist on the beat — game over. Following up 2020’s “Alfredo,” the sequel delivers like every rap fan knew it would; there are no skips on this album. There are only a few albums that can build a world the way a good movie does and “Alfredo 2” does it better than most.
Favourite Track: “Lemon Pepper Steppers”

Ghostface Killah “Supreme Clientele 2” [Album]

Twenty-five years after Part 1, Ghost follows up his best album with an entry well worthy of the album title. With features from fellow Wu-Tang rappers GZA, Raekwon and Method Man, as well as other heavy hitters like Conway, Styles P, and MOP, alongside the requisite skits, it’s still Ghostface’s rhymes and wordplay that take center stage.
Favourite Track: “Metaphysics”

Mobb Deep “The Infinite” [Album]

When Prodigy passed away in 2018, I naturally thought we’d never again see a release from the infamous Mobb Deep, but Havoc, in partnership with The Alchemist, cooked up "The Infinite” with verses that Prodigy had recorded before his passing. I mean, it’s Mobb Deep, you know your neck is going to get sore from all the head nodding.
Favourite Track: “My Era”

Roc Marciano & DJ Premier “The Coldest Profession” [EP]

DJ Premier could work with just about anybody he wants to at this point in his career, but the fact that he chose to do a full project with Roc Marciano should prove how singular Marci is in rap today. That laid back, laconic flow that Marci delivers on just about every single joint is on full display on this eight-song EP. Roc Marci’s ease of delivery and economy of words is matched perfectly with Premier’s sample and scratch-based beatmaking.
Favourite Track: “Execution Style”

Shad “Start Anew” [Album]

Of all the rap albums I listened to this year, Shad’s new release inspired me the most. A master of wordplay and metaphor, Shad’s lyrics always have a message that makes me want to get off my ass and make the world a better place, even if it’s just my little corner of it. After banging with the single “Bars & BBQs” all summer I was excited to hear the whole album, and it did not disappoint.
Favourite Track: “Rain”

Your Old Droog “Anything Is Possible” [EP]

Very few rappers have bars like Your Old Droog, and his latest offering is no different. A quick five songs, “Anything Is Possible” is absolutely stuffed full of double entendres and wordplay gymnastics. What really sets Droog apart though is his razor sharp wit and ability to dissect the wack elements of rap culture, as best exemplified in “No More.” As someone who grew up in a classic rock household, “Vanilla Fudge” was Easter egg heaven; how many other rappers in 2025 are referencing Little Feat and Canned Heat in their bars?
Favourite Track: “Vanilla Fudge”

Honourable Mentions:

Conway the Machine “You Can’t Kill God With Bullets”

Nas & DJ Premier “Light-Years” 

Both these albums would have likely made the list but they came out late in the year while I was already writing this and therefore I just didn’t have a chance to listen them enough times all the way through to properly include them.