The queers love a good bop and 2018 had a number of them that’ll forever find their way on a DJ's playlist. Tre’vell Anderson, Rose Dommu and Glenn Garner bring you the albums and artists that kept us moving.
Janelle Monae somehow managed to make the album of the spring...and summer...and fall...and winter. An instantly iconic pop album full of bops and bangers about queer love. — Rose Dommu
Kacey Musgraves came for all the pop girls trying to have stripped-back country eras with a flawless album that fused her Texas roots with a ‘70s disco sensibility, turning her into a gay icon overnight. We came, we saw, we stan. — Rose Dommu
Troye Sivan truly killed it with his sophomore album. And he managed to bring “bops bout bottoming” into the mainstream. — Glenn Garner
No one has had a better year than Cardi B, the Bronx-born rapper that’s got Nicki Minaj shooketh. Her debut album, punctuated by certified hits “Bodak Yellow” and “I Like It,” catapulted the IG fave to the top of the charts and my playlists. — Tre’vell Anderson
Beyoncé is the greatest rapper alive and her duet album with Jay-Z is all the proof I need. — Tre’vell Anderson
After literal years of anticipation, Robyn’s Body Talk follow-up was worth the wait. A sexy, slow-burning ode to '90s house, Honey is undeniably sweet. — Rose Dommu
Sometimes when you have a collective of musicians, their varying visions and sounds can come into conflict. But The Internet got it right with their latest album. With Syd as lead, they’re appropriately captivating when one needs an escape from the trials of the world. — Tre’vell Anderson
An interrogation of the lived experiences of Black bodies, Blood Orange’s Negro Swan centers the anxieties of queer people of color. Aided by author-activist-queen Janet Mock, he manages to create an project that is at once reflective and aspirational. — Tre’vell Anderson
Betty Who has steadily been releasing bops throughout 2018, leading up to her latest album, Betty, Pt. 1. It further solidifies her status as a rising gay icon. — Glenn Garner
The devil works hard, but the pots and pans in SOPHIE’s kitchen work harder. The OUT100 Artist of the Year proved herself as the future of pop on her hauntingly beautiful solo debut. — Rose Dommu
