We discuss our most anticipated music projects for 2025, reflecting on the impact of 2025's releases including A$AP Rocky, Drake's Ice Man, J. Cole's 'The Fall Off' (again), Yasin Bey (again), The Alchemist (again), Baby Keem (again) Stove God as well as UK artists like Enny Skepta & Kano (again).

We also talk about the potential shifts in music trends for 2025.

Hon. Mentions:

1. A$AP Rocky - Don’t Be Dumb (16 January)
2. Ab-Soul - Soul Burger: The Odyssey
3. Big Sean & The Alchemist (TBA)
4. Danger Mouse & Black Thought - Cheat Codes 2
5. Denzel Curry - Strictly For The Scythe
6. Doechii (TBA)
7. Erykah Badu & The Alchemist - Abi & Alan
8. Freddie Gibbs & Kaytranada (TBA)
9. Isaiah Rashad (TBA)
10. J Hus?
11. JID & Metro Boomin - God Doesn’t Like Ugly
12. Kano?
13. Mach-Hommy & Conductor Williams (TBA)
14. Madlib & Your Old Droog - Droogie Otis
15. Pusha T & DJ Drama (TBA)
16. Roc Marciano - Criminal Jazz
17. Skepta - Fork & Knife
18. The Roots - End Game
19. Vince Staples?
20. Yasiin Bey & The Alchemist - Forensics

What We Missed 2025:

1. Nas & DJ Premier - LightYears
2. Conway the Machine - You Can’t Kill God with Bullets

The 5th annual Grey Area Awards – TGA Awards 2025 – breaking down the year’s best rap and hip-hop tracks, albums, and artists. Using our custom shortlist, we debate everything from elite lyricists and heavyweight albums to underground gems and scene-defining verses.​

Best of 2025 Playlist - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/61KqimvVFj2k6Dw5vdS76q?si=750fdbb3ffac48a5

We highlight the projects and MCs that owned 2025, unpack the producer runs that shaped the sound of the year, and show love to the new voices pushing rap forward. Expect passionate takes on flows, concepts, beat selection, and replay value, plus plenty of disagreement over who really deserves Rapper of the Year.​

From veteran greats to breakout names, we dig into how live shows, viral moments, and classic-feeling tapes influenced our ballots, and where the culture might be heading in 2026. If you care about end‑of‑year rap lists, bar-for-bar debates, and producer worship, this is the Grey Area episode you don’t want to miss.

We are back with another release recap, talking about new projects that all dropped in November. This episode we get into the new Armand Hammer & The Alchemist’s album - Mercy, Danny Brown’s experimental yet vulnerable Stardust, and Navy Blue’s meditative The Sword & The Soaring.

We also talk through ANOTHER new Boldy James tape plus Wale’s introspective, melodic Everything Is a Lot.

Rounding things out, we cover De La Soul’s bittersweet but life‑affirming Cabin in the Sky and MAVI’s focused new tape The Pilot, unpacking what each of these releases says about where hip‑hop is heading right now.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6YzvYniqyBe3hUd20p8jL5?si=00fca32199274c7f