Slim’s Pickings 2022 Pt. 1

For those of you unaware, I recently published a list of my top 10 favourite hip hop and RnB albums in The Wire Magazine, as part of their end of year review issue. It was a tough list to compile because 2022 contained a multitude of stellar releases, many of which deserved further praise.
Guilt quickly set in after I’d submitted the list to my editor, not because I felt like I’d made a mistake with any of my choices, but because I wish I had been given the time and space to write about the bevy of other favourites that had been in rotation over the last 12 months. So now I’m going to attempt to summarise those remaining projects and give them the shine they deserve. But first my original list and the accompanying blurb, for those of you who missed it the first time round. I should also mention that I fucked up with the Little Simz pick. I had it in my head that SIMBI came out in early 2022, but in fact it was late 2021. I blame my own sketchy-at-best memory and the fact that her MOBO win came so late in the year. Anyway…

Defcee & BoatHouse ft. Meyhem Lauren & Metasota: Dunk Contest Remix

As with many of the year’s earlier releases, this blog didn’t show enough love to the superb collaboration between Defcee and BoatHouse. That will not be the case this time round though, as the duo unleash the Import Edition of For All Debts Public and Private. The full project is due for release early next month and will feature all the original material, as well as some undoubtedly essential bonuses, like an Indelible Remix of Cash featuring the one and only, Breeze Brewin, and this fully loaded remix of Dunk Contest. Joining Defcee on the mic are Meyhem Lauren and Metasota, who keep the baller references coming apace, while BoatHouse’s incisive production provides the perfect backdrop. Pre-orders for the Import Edition are available now over on Bandcamp, with the release date set for 8 November.