Complex UK’s Best Albums Of 2019

It goes without saying: it’s been a stressful and depressing year for the UK, with the country more divided than ever. But thankfully, UK music has had an incredible one. In 2019, we have seen the likes of Mahalia, Fredo and D-Block Europe hit the big time, dominating and even topping the charts. It was also a year that saw OGs and titans like Blade Brown, Kano, Klashnekoff, Skepta and James Blake all release some of the finest albums of their already stacked careers. 

There wasn’t really one particular genre that dominated above all. If anything, there were recurring themes cropping up, but generally, it was a year of eclecticism. Headie One brought drill to unimagined heights on Music X Road; Kano’s Hoodies All Summer brought grime and a choir singing “suck your mum” to Jools Holland; D-Block Europe enjoyed one of the fastest rises to the top with not one but two top 10 albums this year; and slowthai’s Nothing Great About Britain delivered a jaw-breaking soundtrack to the anger simmering away in the country.

We may be staring into the abyss of (at least) another five years of Conservative rule, but at least the music is good. After the jump, check out the albums Complex UK staff (and fam) were spinning the most this year.