Following a momentous year in music in 2021, artists in 2022 responded by delivering one of the most notable years in recent music history 

The first five months of 2022, which were previously covered on the Camasonian, started the year off strong, including year-defining releases such as Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti and Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers (MM&TBS) by Kendrick Lamar in May. 

Un Verano Sin Ti debuted at the top of the Billboard 200, becoming the second all-Spanish album to do so. The album received critical acclaim to accompany its commercial success. 

“I liked the Bad Bunny album because it is very diverse,” said junior José Cuadros. 

Despite a mixed response upon its initial release, appreciation for MM&TBS deepened as the year progressed. 

“I think Kendrick Lamar has even further proven why he is still deserving of praise and recognition,” said junior Garrett Maul. “Kendrick is sharing life with an audience that can relate, which enriches the album’s quality beyond comparison,” Maul said. 

 The first half of the year closed with releases such as 070 Shake’s You Can’t Kill Me as well as excellent rap releases such as More Black Superheroes by Westside Boogie, Lupe Fiasco’s Drill Music in Zion, and Logic’s Vinyl Days, which was released on the same day as Drake’s ambitious Honestly, Nevermind. 

“Honestly, Nevermind had no skips…it was my favorite album he dropped this year,” said junior Deeyanah Rahim. “I really liked how he tried new stuff. Lots of people hated on it at first but I think it grew on them,” Rahim added.

July kicked off with Brent Faiyaz’s Wasteland, alongside major releases such as Steve Lacy’s Gemini Rights, boosted by the chart-topping single “Bad Habit.” 

Lizzo’s Special and Beyoncé’s Renaissance, also released in July, are among the nominees for the 2023 Grammy Album of the Year award. 

Notable rap albums such as JID’s The Forever Story and Cheat Codes by Black Thought and Dangermouse were released in August, followed by Freddie Gibbs’ $oul $old $eparately in September. 

 October’s most notable release was Taylor Swift’s Midnights, which set a Spotify record for single-day streams. In November, the collaboration between Drake and 21 Savage, Her Loss, was released, the same day as Joji’s Smithereens. 

“[Smithereens] was well constructed and although some of his older songs on his previous albums were better as standalones, this album as a whole was better than any of his previous work,” said junior John Staddon.

On November 11, Nas and Hit-Boy released their collaborative King’s Disease 3, on which Nas demonstrates his growth 28 years after the release of his debut album.

Early into December, Metro Boomin released Heroes & Villains, which debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 to widespread acclaim. Sophomores Daniel Higgins and Carter Baude both stated Heroes & Villains as their favorite album of 2022. 

The last major release of 2022 was SOS by SZA, coming back from a five-year hiatus just like former fellow TDE artist Kendrick Lamar with MM&TBS and current TDE artist Ab-Soul with Herbert, six years following his last release, Do What Thou Wilt. 

“SOS by SZA had all good songs, there wasn’t a miss,” said senior Caroline Wolwowicz. Wolwowicz and fellow senior Caitlyn Schmidt both listed SOS as their favorite of the year. 

Apart from Little Simz’s No Thank You, SOS marked the last notable release of 2022, closing off one of the most significant years in recent music history.