NPR Best of 2018
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NPR's 50 Best Albums of 2018

The year-end lists keep rolling in and here’s one of the most anticipated and most diverse ones: NPR’s 50 Best Albums of 2018. As usual, the list spans tons of genres, including indie rock, folk, pop, hip hop, classical, jazz, punk, metal, reggaeton, country, and more. They’ve got a lot of this year’s usual suspects (Mitski, Janelle Monae, Kacey Musgraves, Noname, Cardi B, Rosalía, Low, Kamasi Washington, Ariana Grande, Saba, Travis Scott, and more) as well as some stuff you probably haven’t heard yet. Their list is always worth checking out, and you can see the top 50 below and read their commentary on each pick here.

NPR’s 50 Best Albums of 2018
50. The Carters – Everything Is Love
49. Snail Mail – Lush
48. J.I.D – DiCaprio 2
47. 700 Bliss – Spa 700
46. Balún – Prisma Tropical
45. Vikingur Ólafsson – Johann Sebastian Bach
44. Alice Bag – Blueprint
43. Thou – Magus
42. Myra Melford’s Snowy Egret – The Other Side Of Air
41. The Beths – Future Me Hates Me
40. The HIRS Collective – Friends. Lovers. Favorites.
39. Ammar 808 – Maghreb United
38. Ambrose Akinmusire – Origami Harvest
37. Boston Symphony Orchestra & Andris Nelsons – Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 11
36. Vince Staples – FM!
35. Travis Scott – Astroworld
34. J Balvin – Vibras
33. Colin Self – Siblings
32. Ólafur Arnalds – re:member
31. Orquesta Akokán – Orquesta Akokán
30. Makaya McCraven – Universal Beings
29. Leikeli47 – Acrylic
28. John Prine – The Tree Of Forgiveness
27. Christian Tetzlaff – Bartok: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2
26. Saba – Care for Me
25. Khruangbin – Con Todo El Mundo
24. serpentwithfeet – soil
23. Mary Gauthier – Rifles & Rosary Beads
22. Ariana Grande – Sweetener
21. Christine And The Queens – Chris
20. Jeremy Dutcher – Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa
19. Brandi Carlile – By The Way, I Forgive You
18. Kamasi Washington – Heaven And Earth
17. Low – Double Negative
16. Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How You Really Feel
15. Magos Herrera & Brooklyn Rider – Dreamers
14. Superorganism – Superorganism
13. Pistol Annies – Interstate Gospel
12. boygenius – boygenius
11. Hop Along – Bark Your Head Off, Dog
10. Tierra Whack – Whack World
9. Kali Uchis – Isolation
8. Rosalía – El Mal Querer
7. Robyn – Honey
6. Cardi B – Invasion of Privacy
5. Noname – Room 25
4. Lucy Dacus – Historian
3. Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour
2. Mitski – Be the Cowboy
1. Janelle Monáe – Dirty Computer