"Family Ties" | Top Albums of 2022 That Tie in Family Matters

Listen to the song that inspired the title for this post here!

"We hold our own, don't think you can move us or push us

We step to the side, that's why I call this family ties"

- Family Ties by Cam'ron feat. Nicole Wray

In the midst of an ongoing global pandemic, being on the brink of an economic recession, and Queen Naija, the world has an appetite to escape through music more than ever. Thankfully, 2022 kept listeners fed with some of the biggest names in music, like Beyonce and Kendrick Lamar, releasing albums this year and artists who doubled down to drop twice, like Drake and Babyface Ray. But, amongst all of the album ear candy to choose from, which albums were the ones that kept listeners like myself craving for more? As a music lover with great taste, I had a specific focus when it came to my music consumption this year. While it might've made more sense to put albums in rotation that help me run from the problems of the world, it was the ones the world could relate to the most that gave me a hunger for more.

One commonality in my most often played albums was each had an overarching theme that signified a special relationship. While some albums such as Vince Staples' Ramona Park Broke My Heart and Ab-Soul's HERBERT, highlight their relationships with their hometowns and its direct correlation to self-reflection, other albums like Megan Thee Stallion's Traumazine and EST Gee's I Never Felt Nun spotlight their relationships with their inner traumas. However, the albums that touched on the topic of familial upbringing held the top 2 spots for me on my 2022 list and ironically have the same artist featured on both of them.

Lil Durk's 7220 and JID's The Forever Story both speak on how the bonds we share with our families are the ones that bring everything full circle for us.

Keeping with the same elements used on his debut studio project, The Never Story, JID paints the picture of his origin story with colorful lyricism and vivid storytelling. Although The Forever Story is not listeners' first walk with JID, real name Destin Route, on his path to his purpose, this LP takes us on a whole new journey as we're introduced to a different side to Destin along with meeting the rest of The Routes. He digs deeper than the surface of the debut, however, as he evokes the emotional frustration of fighting through the world while growing up black and having less alongside detailing his personal stories of fighting with and for family.

Showing just how much his family matters, he narrates how instrumental his immediate family was in his life and how they shaped his journey in music. He pens the highs and lows of those relationships in "Crack Sandwich," "Sistanem" and "Bruddanem," which features Lil Durk. It's no coincidence JID tapped Durk for the feature. After losing his blood related brother to a violent shooting last year, Durk spilled the passion he has for riding and sliding for his loved ones in an anthem about brotherhood. Similar to JID, Durk had a lot to recall as he related his music with his relatives in his most recent album.

Durk's 7220, named after his grandmother's address, walks us through his complex path of coming up in a crime ridden community and how he copes with it in his current life. While processing his pain, he reflects on relationships with loved ones from the past in songs like "Smoking & Thinking" and "What Happened To Virgil" and looks to forward to holding the ones close to him in the future with "Difference Is" and "Love Dior Banks." With a brilliant blend of songs balancing out his villainous and vulnerability, we see how both sides of Durkio are shaped and strengthened by family. The same can be said about JID as well as he emphasizes the price of fame in the second half of his album.

JID and Lil Durk's contributions to 2022 were more than albums, they were microcosms through music on how family ties can bring us all together. Some critics might argue that these two artists are polar opposites. Between both of their raw energy, magnetizing melodies, and ability to flex their duality, they're closer than kin.

Did you take a listen to these albums in 2022? Let me know your thoughts below!