2025 is a year in music where everything was special if you’re from Columbus, Ohio.

J-awls, Turnstile’s Franz Lyons, Blueprint, Solar Funeral’s Dennis Berendts, Matt Miner,  Rope and Rashaan Roland Kirk all represented Columbus, plush. For various reasons Columbus isn’t in a Yankees vs. Clippers pyramid scheme anymore. With that said, New York and Columbus were still the focal points with splash of LA and Virginia in my list.

The funny thing about sailin' the bus. I rock my headphones. I’m in a Ohio State of Mind. To be honest, I don’t know wtf is playing from commercial radio. Online, I found out Hip Hop hasn’t created a lot of Top 40 hits in 2025. People were wondering if Hip Hop was obsolete. I find that funny because Hip Hop is thriving in culture. I play a large number of rappers who rock arenas, stadiums and music centers live and direct from BSA Hip Hop 7 PM wcrsfm.org Thusdays, my laptop, my phone, and record player.

I’m still in tune with things. Kendrick Lamar still dominates all platforms. Kendrick Lamar’s Luther is probably one of the biggest commercial radio songs in 2025. Kendrick’s Luther’s “Better Days are coming” message sold 6 million records. Kendrick’s GNX was released in 2024. I know why white supremacy is pissed. Kendrick toured stadiums in 2025 after wearing Jesse Owens cleats at the Super Bowl.

I have fun at shows. Leading Hip Hop touring in 2025 were Tyler, The Creator, Kendrick Lamar, Run the Jewels, Rhymesayers and Mass Appeal Records.

Mass Appeal Records Legend Has It delivered favorite everything about music in 2025. The NYC Hip Hop label released albums by Slick Rick, Raekwon, Ghostface, Big L, Mobb Deep, De La Soul, and DJ Premier x Nas.

De La Soul released Cabin in the Sky which is Long Island New York’s De La Soul’s best record since Stakes Is High. De La Soul’s Dove died in 2023. Dove’s lyrics were stitched in with Pos D Nous and Maceo over several legendary producers. Premo, Pete Rock and other productions showed De La Soul still got it baby-boy. DJ Premier stripped down his style into drums, scratches and sounds where Cabin In The Sky almost sounded like a live mix.

Dove rapped from Don’t Push Me -

The President Is Black And a Lot Of Things Changed
That S On My Chest Is No Longer An S
It’s An N…Nwords are Running This Mess
If I Don’t Say It Than Who Will.
You Won’t See Obama On The 5 Dollar Bill
I’m Still Pissed Off About Emmett Till
Nas + DJ Premier - Light Years

We all know Nas is the James Joyce of rap. DJ Premier is one of the reasons I understand art. We wondered if Preem would reduce Light Years in a bear minimum like Cabin in The Sky. Or if would Nas and Premier fuck with the off beaten path and play like Damaja and Come Clean.

During Light Years, Nas and DJ Preem discuss Pause Tapes, and Writers. Later friends have you laughing at baseheads trying to sell you some broken amps without really understanding sounds of music or history of culture.

DJ Premier’s Light Years production is Yacht Rock with scratched Hip Hop quotable with a beat as nuanced at Come Clean. FYI: DJ Premier produced Jeru the Damaja’s 1995 song Come Clean which is one of Preem’s most loved beats.

In a June 20, 2024 Columbus Free Press interview, RJD2 explained Come Clean’s Water Drops sounds are Preem finessing “a soft mallet striking a wooden tone bar in a Marimba. Instead of it just going ding, there is a delay on it that goes durrring.”

During Light Years, I’m think Yacht Rock. Primo even samples Billy Joel. DId Nas and Preem create Album of the Year? December 12, 2025 released words past the deadline.

Earlier, Mass Appeal brought us unreleased verses from several deceased legends besides Dove.

Big L died in 1999. Mass Appeal released Harlem’s Finest Return of the King which I think is the Harlem’s second best record after 1995 Big L’s Lifestyles of the Poor and Dangerous.

Big L’s lyrics sound like Big L lyrics. Big L rapped from U Ain’t Gotta Chance which also features Nas.

On my spare time, I like to roll dice

Not for petty change. Play for G’s and better

You won’t be rich as me and if your whole crew put your cheese together.

Big L’s Harlem’s Finest Mass Appeal album brought a cross section of Big L’s various eras and style. 1992 DITC finesse, 1995’s Children of The Corn and 1998 Big L are all present.

Big K was killed Feb 15, 1999 while in negotiations with Roc A Fella.

Big L’s Harlem’s Finest is my second favorite Big L album after 1995’s Lifestyle of the Poor and Dangerous. I think 92 Rock N Will Harlem’s Finest from late 90’s jiggy overload.

Hip Hop:

The living rapper’s songs were formidable from other Legend Has It releases.

Ghostface’s Supreme Clientele 2 single, Rap Kingpin chopped Rakim’s Microphone Fiend with a Starks’ Mighty Healthy Supreme Clientele 1 seasoning.

The Legend Has It album series did accidentally stumble as Trump’s economic decisions and white supremacist revenge campaign worsened everyone’s lives.

Wu Tang Clan’s Raekwon’s Emperor New Clothes was an ironically zeitgeist name with a poetically poorly timed video for the song 600 School, Raekwon’s AI video with a Cybertruck seemed archaic as DOGE fired people for working while Black. Trump defunded HBCU’s for continuing literacy for black people. The entire Emperor’s New Clothes was a banger. Raekwon’s video just looked immediately outdated.

600 School is dope. Raekwon isn’t a bad person. He thought he was winning a war in dystopia in an environmentally friendly electric car. Rae wasn’t aware Trump and Musk would create an agency just so he could fire black people.

Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA told y’all in 1995, Protect Your Neck while referencing “increase in black unemployment.”

Mobb Deep spoke for New York City in 2025 with Prodigy’s post-humous lyrics during Infinite.

Prodigy:

Nothing You Saying is Making Sense To Me
I Can’t Comprehend. You Not Talking Money.
Real Nword. The Only Language I Speak.
They Gonna Die hungry.
I’m Crafty. Real Foxy.
My Reptilian Brain Will Have You Curled Up…

Nas and Mass Appeal had hosted Yankee Stadium during the 50 Year of Hip Hop celebration. Nas stood with Kool Herc, New York City Governor Kathy Hochul, and Chuck Schumer in 2023.

Slick Rick’s Victory was Mass Appeal’s Legend Has It inaugural offering. Slick Rick had similar stumble as Raekwon during Landlord. Slick Rick’s Landlord wasn’t a Porn Hub Trump-Cuomo property sex blow job for rent grope. Slick Rock just discussed owning places people rent. Landlord was dope in execution but again unfortunately timed during Mamdini’s affordability campaign. Still Slick Rick’s Victory didn’t disappoint. Problem – Rick The Ruler wrote a song from a perspective of a landlord which wasn’t 2025’s anthem.

Wu-Tang, Run The Jewels and the Lox starred in a Mamdani commercial about affordability which starts with DSA Jamal Bowmen invited Mamdani into concert. Mamdani said New York City could be affordable if the quality of life for people in high crime areas like Brownsville improves. DSA culture creates an improved living condition in DSA’s culture during human interaction. Progression occurs if people believe improvements are possible. Trump and Cuomo’s dishonesty and predator leadership is bad for human culture.

Big L 1995 album was called Lifestyles of the Poor and Dangerous for a reason. Rudy Guilani was mayor of New York City in 1995. Historic racism and economic exploitation by the government is why Big L was raised in a  Lifestyle of the Poor and Dangerous.

Even if lyricism explores negatives of language and experience. Hip Hop has also existed for each one-teach one improvement. Rudy Guilani was mayor during New York Cities most violent rap eras.

Hip Hop is a culture.

Mobb Deep’s Infinite featured Clipse whose Let God Sort Em Out album featured Tyler, the Creator and Kendrick Lamar.

Hip Hop Albums of The Year

De La Soul - Cabin in the Sky
Atmosphere - Jestures
Earl Sweatshirt - Live Life Love
Armand Hammer x  the Alchemist - Mercy
Mobb Deep - Infinite
Big L - Harlem’s Finest Return of the King
Ghostface - Rap Kingpin
Slick Rick - Victory
Raekwon - Emperor’s New Clothes
Nas + DJ Premier - Light Years
Billy Woods - Golliwog
Clipse - Kill Em All And Let God Sort Me
Cypress Hill w the London Symphony Orchestra
Aesop Rock - Black Hole Superette
Fly Anakin - Forever Dream
Lord Sko - Piff
Redman - Muddy Waters 2
Murs - Love and Rockets 3:16
KRS-1 - Global Awareness
Eric Sermon - Dynamic Duos

Local

Paimon Gates - Advanced Satanic Witchcraft

Paimon Gates is a metal Columbus complete scorcher. Paimon’s Rope created a wall of sound where drums dominate Witchcraft’s frame with an alpha quality.  Drums are the only thing that doesn’t sound like an orgasm of ghouls during Advanced Satanic witchcraft. Rope careens black metal vocals with lyrical scowls which are completely intelligible. Vocals are a layer of insertion that makes the wall of sound minimal with drums once vocal are removed.  I couldn’t tell you the songs’ names unless I look at the track list. Paimon Gates, Faydark and other national releases prove Rope as Columbus, Ohio’s most prolific artist  in 2025.

Other formidable Columbus musics:

Faydark - Lost Empires
J-Rawls - Talib Kweli w Black Thought, De La Soul, Jungle Bros and Busta Rhymes - Native Sons
El Michels Affair w Rashaan Roland Kirk - Take My Hand
Faydark - Lost Empires
Blueprint - Vessel
Third Pyramid Band

Rock N Roll

Sharp Pins - Balloon Balloon Balloon

Calvin Johnson’s K-Records released Chicago’s Sharp Pins third record which sounded like the Beatles and Jefferson Airplane made a Unknown Mortal Orchestra record for Captured Tracks.

Runners Up

Turnstile - Never Enough
Hayley Williams - Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party
Daniel Johnston - In The 20th Century
Earth - The Legendary Lost Tapes
Horsegirl - Pronounced On And On
Mavis Staples - Sad And Beautiful World

Rest in Beats

Assata Shakur and D’Angelo died in the fall of 2025. I bumped D’Angelo’s Black Messiah while reading Assata Shakur’s autobiography. Sylvester Stewart Roy Ayers / RIP Cocoa Tea. OZZY….

Shows of the Year

Turnstile @ Kemba September 23, 2025

Legion of Doom/Embassy alumnus Franz Lyons returned into Columbus with Turnstile and sold-out Kemba Live. DIY essences worked with an organic explosion of ambient breaks and thrash metal with anthemed hooks in an outdoor almost festival setting. Kids moshed while Turnstile’s new woman of the axe Meg Mills’ fretwork glistened. Turnstile’s singer Brenden Yates yelled “Free Palestine” in Columbus, Ohio.

Runners Up

Wu Tang Clan Run The Jewels Nationwide July 9, 2025\
Devo 50 Years of Devolution June 20, 2025
Dank Daze of Summer - Cypress Hill/Atmosphere/Pharcyde/Lupe Fiasco August 20, 2025
Andrew J Brady Music Center Cincinnati, Ohio.
Sinkane @ Natalies July 30, 2025
Accessory Cafe Bourbon Street February  4, 2025
Mavis Staples Jazz + Rib Fest July 20, 2025

Avante Jazzercise Album of the Year

El Michels Affair - 24 HR Sports

Rashaan Roland Kirk and Clairo featured from Leon Michel’s almost exploration into MF Doom’s Special Herbs and Spices as a process of understanding music composition.

Runners-up

Adrian Young w Carlos Defen
Samantha Schmiitz w Adrian Younge
Lady Wray - Cover Girl
Freh Khodja - Ken Andi habibi
Black Thought w Brian Jackson - The Revolution Won’t Be Televised
Oneohtrix Point Never - Tranquilizer
Thundercat - Children of the Baked Potato