Our Favorite (Mostly Indie) Projects of 2025

Curation Team
Dec 31, 2025
6 min read

There’s always a lot of music coming out. At this point, there are over 100,000 uploads to Spotify every day, with at least 30 percent of that being hip hop or R&B. Music has continued to come out at a high clip, but something felt different this year. It feels clear that there has been a shift. Originality is starting to feel cool again. Finding new artists through human curation instead of DSP algorithms is becoming exciting again.

As we come to the close of 2025 and our one year anniversary as an independent music media publication, it felt like the perfect time to share some of the music that stood out to us from the 200 plus albums we listened to this year. This list gives a clear look into our taste level as a publication. To be clear about the criteria, it has nothing to do with virality. Most the artists on this list are well under 50k Monthly Listeners on Spotify and while you might only recognize a few names, that is a good thing. That means we are doing our job of sharing new music with you.

The common thread across these projects is individuality, originality, and attention to detail, along with a clear love for music that you can hear in the work itself. These are our favorite projects of the year. The ones that changed our mood, shifted our day when we first heard them, and stayed in rotation long after their release dates. These are projects we revisited throughout the year, bought physical copies of, and supported, many of them from independent artists without sizable marketing budgets.

10. Natia – 2WICE AS GOOD 4 HALF AS MUCH

This was one of our favorite projects of the year. From the opening moments to the final track, Natia delivered a sound rooted in the West Coast while still feeling personal and distinct.

He found a way to make the music his own, proving that regional sound can still travel. The confidence, versatility, and execution throughout the project made it clear that Natia has something special, and this release showed it clearly.

9. Young Roddy, KingiKeem, Jameel Naim X – The Company You Keep 2

This project marks the second installment of this group coming together, led by a collection of elite level lyricists operating with purpose. The production stayed soulful, giving space for thoughtful verses and clear storytelling.

This is one of those projects where you walk away feeling like you actually learned something about the artists. The writing goes deeper than surface level luxury rap, focusing on experience, growth, and reflection.

8. JasonMartin, Mike & Keys – Mafia Cafe

Mafia Cafe was one of the most time relevant projects we came across this year. JasonMartin released multiple quality projects and contributed to major records throughout the year, but this one stood out the most.

Known for making records built for parties and club systems, JasonMartin went in a different direction here. This project felt like a reflection of where he is right now, and where the world is right now. It was more focused on real life perspective than the latter. Honest, grounded, personal and full of note-worthy bars.

7. Ray Vaughn – The Good The Bad The Dollar Menu

Ray Vaughn called this a mixtape, but it came together like a fully realized body of work. The production, sequencing, and writing felt intentional, with a clear focus on storytelling throughout the project.

We learned a lot about Ray Vaughn through this release. It played like pages from a personal journal turned into polished records. It was introspective, creative, and sharp from start to finish, making it one of the strongest storytelling projects of the year.

6. Big K.R.I.T. – Dedicated to Cadalee Barritz

This album was crazy. Everything you love about Big K.R.I.T. showed up here. The energy, the soulful singing, the flows, and the self production all felt fully intact. More than anything, the project felt like a reminder of K.R.I.T.’s elite level artistry and his importance to Southern hip hop. The album sounded confident, expressive, and free, like an artist fully comfortable in who he is and what he represents.

5. Le$ – Water Under the Bridge

Le$ has dropped 15 projects in 15 months, and there were easily a handful of them that could have landed on this list. When it came time to choose, this was the one we kept coming back to. We really connected with the messaging, the samples, and the overall sonics on this project. It sounded intentional and cohesive in a way that felt natural, not forced. Water Under the Bridge captured a balance of consistency and creativity, which is why it earned its spot among our top projects of the year.

4. LaRussell, Tope – BE HOME BEFORE THE STREET LIGHTS COME ON

LaRussell is not just one of the most visible artists on the independent scene right now. He is also one of the most talented. Over the years, he has contributed to some of the strongest records the indie space has seen by focusing on storytelling, melody, and collaboration.

This project feels like the full story. While his turn up releases and high energy collaborations are important parts of his catalog, this album shows LaRussell operating in his most complete form. It captures the full range of what makes him impactful as an artist, from introspection to musicianship to leadership.

3. Dizzy Wright – Soul Searching

After dropping four projects in 2024, Dizzy Wright gave fans just one this year, and Soul Searching was a beautiful one. Deep and grounded, the album captures Dizzy’s personal growth not just as an artist navigating the music industry, but as a man evolving through life.

Dizzy has built a strong fan base over the years, and we count ourselves among them. It’s always rewarding to hear an artist reach a place where their reflections sound timeless. Soul Searching feels like Dizzy looking back, understanding his path, and turning that wisdom into music that will stick with listeners for years.

2. Niko G4 – Rose Petal Beach

Rose Petal Beach was a fall 2024 release, so technically within a Grammy year it qualifies for our 2025 list. Even with that context, it remained one of our favorite projects of the year. Every time we revisited it, the music continued to sound fresh, polished, and expensive. This is arguably the best project Niko G4 has released to date. The confidence, the sound, and the overall presentation feel fully realized. It is the kind of project that holds its value over time, which is exactly why it stayed in rotation and earned its place so high on our list.

1. Peter $un – Rent Was Due

Everything about Rent Was Due was about as perfect as it gets. Our editorial staff fell in love with the project to the point that we wrote an in depth review earlier this year. The album dropped in June, and the sunny weather paired perfectly with the relaxed sound of the music. It felt seasonal in the best way, like it arrived exactly when it was supposed to.

Every now and then a project comes out where after one listen, all original plans for the day get cancelled and you just follow wherever the music leads you. In this case, after hearing the album, someone on our team said they were convinced to drive up and down the PCH with it on repeat. If you had to place it into a category, you could call it alternative R&B, alternative rap, or maybe both. We are not sure. What we are sure about is this. We would bet money that you would love this project.