From newer artists to established veterans, the year saw great releases across several different regions, styles and demographics. Here we present Rock The Bells' Top 10 Albums of 2024.

10. Muddy Waters Too - Redman

At the years end Redman dropped his long awaited sequel album, Muddy Waters Too to overwhelmingly positive reviews. The 32 song project features Method Man, Oran "Juice" Jones, Faith Evans, Kid Capri, Sheek Louch and more. Production is handled by Erick Sermon, Redman, Rockwilder, Rick Rock, Mike & Keys, and Khrysis.

Packed with skits and the seventh installment of his Soopaman Luva series, Red delivers his humorous commentary, story telling, and dope rhymes throughout the seamless project. Muddy Waters is Redman's third album, and contained the hits "Rock Da' Spot", "Whateva Man", and the K Solo assisted "It's Like That". The Muddy Waters sequel has been teased many times through out the years.

Listen here.

9. Please Don't Cry - Rapsody

Rapsody dropped one of her best projects to date with Please Don't Cry, her fourth studio album, and her first full length project in five years. The album contains features from Lil Wayne, Erykah Badu, Alex Isley, Baby Tate, Phylicia Rashad, Bibi Bourelly, Dixson, Nicole Bus, Mantro Gold, Amber Navron and Niko Brim.

"The last four years have been a beautiful, challenging, exciting, scary, journey back to self," she shared on social media. "A becoming. A reintroduction. An unveiling. An unlearning. A knowing. An unplugging. A welcome home. A reality check. A love story with the reflection in the mirror. And I love her."

Listen here.

8. WAWG - Tha Dogg Pound

Tha Dogg Pound made a strong comeback in 2024 with WAWG (We All We Got). With features from The Lady Of Rage, Snoop Dogg,Butch Cassidy, and Tha Eastsidaz, Tha Pound delivered 14 bangers to critical acclaim.

"We all we got. We Love each other," he said. "Kurupt is my brother, Snoop is my cousin, and this is all we know. We created this music, who else we gonna perform and rap with?" Daz added, "We All We Got" is also something to keep us mentally and spiritually stable to realize and not take each other for granted."

Stream here.

7. The Death Of Slim Shady - Eminem

Eminem killed off his "Slim Shady" alter ego on his 13th studio album The Death Of Slim Shady. The 19 song project is is a concept album, with songs which are intended to be experienced in the order they appear. Shortly before the album's release, Em posted to social media, "Public Service Announcement: 'The Death Of Slim Shady' is a conceptual album, therefore if you listen to the songs out of order they may not make sense. Enjoy."

Never one to shy away from disses and controversy, Em goes at Diddy several times throughout the one hour album. Christopher Reeve, Kanye West, Alec Baldwin, Nicki Minaj, and Caitlyn Jenner are also dissed on the project.

"Temporary" is a letter to Em's daughter Hailie, which is read after his death. The touching piece sees Em give her instructions on how to move on without him. "Tobey" the albums second single, which features Big Sean and BabyTron is a standout as well. "Guilty Conscience 2" sees Em go back and forth with his alter ego, Slim Shady. Production is credited to Eminem, Dr. Dre, Benny Blanco, Mr. Porter, White Gold, Fredwreck, Luis Resto, Dem Jointz, and Don Cannon.

Check out 1 Of 1 here.

6. Chromokopia - Tyler The Creator

Tyler The Creator dropped his eighth studio album, Chromokopia which he produced, wrote and arranged. With guest appearances from Doechii, Solange, GloRilla, Sexyy Red, Thundercat, and more, Chromokopia is one of 2024's most revered releases.

In an interview with Converse, Tyler shares that he appreciates the fact that fans are giving the album multiple listens. "People say that it starts to click on the third listen," he explained. "I love that because we are in a place where people listen to something once and disregard it. The fact that people are listening a second and third time is really sick."

Listen here.

5. THE FORCE - LL COOL J

Veteran MC, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and Kennedy Center Honors recipient, LL COOL J dropped, THE FORCE, which is produced entirely by Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest, with features from Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Saweetie, Busta Rhymes, Nas, Eminem, and Gambian singer Sona Jobarteh. THE FORCE is LL's first album in more than a decade, and his swords are as sharp as ever.

Following the previously released singles "Saturday Night Special", "Passion", and "Proclivities", THE FORCE (an acronym for Frequencies Of Real Creative Energies) sees LL return to his more lyrically driven earlier releases, while updating his flow, delivering a project that sounds and feels both classic and current.  "Murdergram Deux" featuring Eminem finds the duo trading lighting fast bars. The song title originates from LL's 1990 release, "Murdergram" from his classic Mama Said Knock You Out.

Stream THE FORCE on your favorite DSP.

4. Alligator Bites Never Heal - Doechii

TDE artist Doechii released the critically acclaimed Alligator Bites Never Heal . She describes the intriguing title in a IG post. "The Alligator performs a spinning maneuver known as the 'death roll' to submerge and dismember its prey underwater," she explained. "This past year I’ve grappled with what felt like a relentless death roll in my life. A dance of drowning in my own vices, battling differences with my label and a creative numbness that broke me."

Doechii joined TDE in 2022, and has released singles such as "Florida Wata", "Sunday Best", "Nissan Altima", and "Crazy". The 22 year old Florida native is a singer, actress, dancer, and rap artist who built her following via SoundCloud in 2016, and later YouTube. Doechii was listed as an Artist To Watch by Spotify in 2022. Her recent Tiny Desk concert wrapped up an incredible year for her.

Stream here.

3. Missionary - Snoop Dogg

Snoop Dogg has dropped Missionary, his highly anticipated Dr. Dre produced new album. The 16 song project features 50 Cent, Eminem, BJ The Chicago Kid, Coco Sarai, Method Man, Sting, K.A.A.N., Jelly Roll, Alus, and Jhene Aiko. Dr. Dre hasn't produced a full Snoop project since 1993's Doggystyle, Snoop's full length debut.

Snoop and Dre's reunion hits hard sonically, with Dre's signature crisp drums and orchestrated production, and Snoop's updated rhyme flow. Snoop also dropped Missionary, the short film which features a full script starring Dre and Snoop with appearances by 50 Cent, Jhene Aiko and narration by Method Man.

Stream here.

2. The Auditorium Vol. 1 - Common & Pete Rock

Veterans Common and Pete Rock united and delivered The Auditorium Vol. 1, to the delight on Boom Bap fans the world over. The previously released singles "Wise Up", "Dreamin'", "All Kind Of Ideas", and "Fortunate" were methodically released weeks before the project, causing great anticipation.

Common's inspiring lyrics, and Pete Rock's Jazz heavy beats are on full display, and songs such as "Chi-Town Do It", 'This Man", "Everything's So Grand", and "When The Sun Shines Again" all feel like the best parts of both artists, tailored for 2024. Common & Pete Rock scored one for Hip-Hop.

Listen here.

1. GNX - Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick dropped his surprise album, GNX, which features SZA, Kamasi Washington, Jack Antonoff, and more. The album dropped shortly after Lamar posted a video for the title track. GNX broke several records as "Squabble Up" debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Top 100, and four songs from the album occupied the next four spots. "TV Off", "Luther", "Wacced Out Murals", and "Hey Now" occupied the 2-5 spots respectively.

"Reincarnated" and "Man At The Garden" occupied spots eight and nine in the Top 10, giving Lamar 22 Top 10 career hits. Only The Beatles, Taylor Swift, and Drake have occupied the top 5 positions in one week, with songs from the same album. He also announced his Grand National Tour, which features SZA. Looks like 2025 is shaping up to be a big year for K Dot.

Stream here.