Now that we’re officially halfway through the year I wanted to look back and pick one album from each month that stood out to me. This article is basically a way for me to repurpose these mini-reviews in a more topical “mid-year recap” that every publication seems to be doing, but with a focus on smaller releases that have flown under the radar.

Vermont is for Lovers, and (apparently) June is for Hip-hop. At the time of writing, we now find ourselves halfway through the year, at the start of a hot summer, and emerging from an absolute barrage of new releases from some of the biggest names in music. 

If you were to take my creative essence and distill it down to its core components you’d eventually find a small group of individuals that have served as the foundation for everything I love and believe in. Within that highly-exclusive lineup, I can personally guarantee you that Kanye West would be one its primary figures.