From the Juggalo March to LaVar Ball, 2017 has been filled with enough iconic moments to fill a decade. With the new year only a few days away, it's time to also look back on all the music released these past 365 days to figure out what stood out and what fell flat.
Album of the Year
Japanese Breakfast - Soft Sounds From Another Planet
Lorde - Melodrama
- Nearly four years after her hit debut album Pure Heroine, the New Zealand pop star did not disappoint with this record. Melodrama builds off of the unique sound she's created while also expanding into uncharted territory. After clearly maturing over the last four years, this time around she opts for taking the listener on an emotional journey. The ingredients of honesty and emotion combine to not only create a great album but make Lorde easier to relate to. With every sound perfectly in place, the production is also made flawless. My top tracks from this album are “Sober”, “Homemade Dynamite”, “Liability”, “Writer in the Dark”, and “Perfect Places”. It has no weak tracks, which cannot be said of many 2017 albums and makes it one of the best of the year. -Jake Mappes
Tyler The Creator - Flowerboy
- If you told me that Tyler the Creator would deliver one of the best hip-hop records of the year, I would’ve asked if you were feeling okay. Tyler is not a new face on the scene, from his Odd Future days to his solo projects, but before Flowerboy, Tyler could hardly be taken as a serious artist. With his discography littered a lot of duds and only a few gems, this album finally gives us a complete project that feels like he put blood, sweat, and tears into every song. He does not compromise his sound, as he is still the Tyler of old with his aggressive, loud style. This happy medium is no easy feat, which is one of the reasons Tyler has since received a 2018 Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album. My top songs on this album are “Where This Flower Blooms”, “See You Again”, “Pothole”, “Boredom”, “911 / Mr. Lonely”, and “Glitter”. -Jake Mappes
Best Music Video
Charli XCX - Boys
Jay Z - The Story of OJ
MGMT- Little Dark Age
Most Disappointing Album
Father John Misty-Pure Comedy
Gorillaz- Humans
The Front Bottoms - Going Grey
Best Collab
Lil Yachty & Carly Rae Jepsen
Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile
21 Savage, Offset & Metro Boomin’
- In a year plagued by collab albums, this one stood out. Combining two of the most popular rappers of the year with a producer who seemingly touched every major project, it definitely did not disappoint. Let's try and keep the collab albums to a minimum in 2018 unless your name is Kanye and Jay-Z.
Best Live Performance
LCD Soundsystem
Solange
Flaming Lips
Most Underrated Album
Iglooghost - Neo Wax Bloom (Julian)
Lil Pump- Lil Pump
Charly Bliss – Guppy
Best Pop Culture Moment
Oscars Mix Up
New Lion King Cast
The Juggalo March on Washington
- This always seemed like the premise of a bad skit: rapping clowns and their fans protesting their classification as a criminal organization by the FBI. A sideshow compared to the media circus that was 2017. But underneath the black and white greasepaint and frosted tips was not a comedy, but a tragedy of Pagliaccian proportion: outcasts and misfits who found solace and belonging in music, only to be prosecuted by the federal government for the mere “crime” of enjoying an artist. Despite this, the Juggalos came together for a peaceful reaffirming of their status as “A Family, Not a Gang,” with pizza and Faygo flowing freely. Not to mention that they blew the neo-conservative “Mother of All Rallies” out of the water in both media coverage and attendance. In a way, the Juggalo represented the human essence in its many contradictions. Beauty, in their inclusiveness despite their “ugly” image; humor, which they were able to find in an otherwise sad situation; and hope, for understanding and peace despite despair. This carnival ride of emotions was a microcosm of everything bad and good about last year, truly making it the greatest pop culture moment of 2017. -Dan Lee
Best Beef
Fox News vs. Radiohead
Jake Paul vs. Everyone
Trump vs. Lavar Ball
Best Social Media
Julian Epp
Young Thug
Moonpie
- I only believe in one universal truth: there are no good brands. While this also applies to their Twitter presences, there is, occasionally, a good intern. This is someone who can cut through the brand landscape that is mostly made up of memes that took 37 hours to make with short, sweet messages that often have nothing to do with the brand at all. One of these interns is locked in an office and forced to work for Moonpie, the chocolate and marshmallow snack cake that continues to own unsuspecting consumers on their timeline. It is no coincidence that they only achieved this after dunking on the Hostess account during the eclipse earlier this year. My current theory is that some ancient, cosmic energy was channeled into the intern at that moment, turning them into the force we see now.
