As I’ve said in some of my posts before, music is something that I’m very passionate about. But I don’t just enjoy playing it.
I tried to rank them best I could, even though I don’t necessarily like one more than another. Also before I get started, these aren’t the only artists I enjoy listening to, this is just what I came up with when I was trying to narrow them down to five.
Because I mostly listen to rap, this list is going to be somewhat biased, but I’ve managed to put in a couple artists that I love from other genres.
Here’s the list of my top five favourite artists:
5. Childish Gambino
At number five I’ve put rapper and actor Childish Gambino (Donald Glover). Glover is an amazing artist, and his song Redbone (released December 2, 2016 on his third album ‘Awaken, My Love!’) is still on the charts several months after its release as a single on November 17, 2016. He’s also a comedian, director/ producer, and as shown in this performance of ‘Redbone’ he did on Jimmy Fallon he can sing high, unlike most rappers who can’t even sing.
4. Of Monsters and Men
Icelandic Indie band ‘Of Monsters and Men’ are definitely some of my favourite artists. Not only do I love listening to their music, I also love performing it. They started off just wanting to write, the end goal being to have a complete album. Their debut album ‘My Head Is an Animal’ then went on to be extremely successful, reaching the number one spot in Australia, Ireland, and Iceland, and reaching number six spot on the charts in the U.S. You might say it’s beginner’s luck, but their second album ‘Beneath the Skin’ debuted at number 3 on the U.S. charts on 27 June, 2015 after its release on 8 June in Iceland (9 June internationally). So yeah, you could say they reached their goal. Here's their song 'Mountain Sound'.
3. Chance the Rapper
Born Chancelor Johnathan Bennett, Chance the Rapper brought something to rap no one else had. I love the way he mixes gospel and rap in parts of his music in such a way that you can’t help but love. He started getting some recognition with the release of his second mixtape, ‘Acid Rap’ in 2013, then going on in 2016 to win three Grammy’s for his third release, ‘Coloring Book’. He’s gone on to collaborate with some of the biggest names not just in rap, but in other genres too, with Justin Bieber being one example. He’s also collabed with rappers such as Future, Kanye West, Childish Gambino and many more. Here’s a performance of his song ‘Blessings’ from his latest album, ‘Coloring Book’.
2. Mumford and Sons
One thing I love about Marcus Mumford is that he puts everything into his music. He gives 100%, whether it’s when writing or performing. The band’s debut album in 2009, ‘Sigh No More’ reached number 2 on the U.K. and U.S. charts. Their next two albums, Babel (2012) and Wilder Mind (2015) both reached number one on the U.K and U.S. charts. They’ve been awarded six overall Grammy’s, and in 2016 went on to make one of my favourite albums of theirs, Johannesburg, featuring Baaba Maal, The Very Best and Beatenberg. It’s more of a mini album as it’s only got five songs, but what makes this album so great for me is the first song on it, ‘There Will Be Time’. Here’s a video of them performing it live:
1. Kendrick Lamar
Arguably the best rapper in the game right now, Kendrick Lamar Duckworth was born in Compton, California on June 17, 1987. What I love about Kendrick is his raw talent and ability to storytell in his lyrics so well. For me a perfect example of this is shown in his track ‘Duckworth’ from ‘DAMN.’ that was released earlier this year in April. Personally I love the album. The way the first track sets it up, and then the storytelling in the different verses show it’s something that won’t be forgotten anytime soon. His third album ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’ drew on funk, soul, free jazz and spoken word, and debuted on top of the charts all across the U.S. and U.K.
Kendrick is overall a super talented artist and because of his this (and the fact that his music is fricken dope) he’s number one on my list. Here’s a video of him performing his song ‘Alright’ live from ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’.
Are you a fan of any of these artists? Who would be on your top 5 list?
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