RIFF’s best albums of 2023 include the Rolling Stones, Blink-182, Cleo Sol, Miley Cyrus, Allison Russell, Victoria Monét, Kali Uchis, Fall Out Boy, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Manchester Orchestra, Janelle Monáe, JPEGMafia with Danny Brown, Blondshell, Doja Cat, Andre 3000, Mick Jenkins, Sir Chloe, Ryuchi Sakamoto, James…

Doja Cat, “Scarlet.” The fourth album by rapper and singer Doja Cat pulls very few punches. The 27-year-old, whose name is Amal Diamini, turns up the heat with fiery aggression over pointed instrumentals. Scarlet Doja Cat RCA, Sept. 22 7/10 Get the album on Amazon Music. The album, her…

Post Malone, “Twelve Carat Toothache.” Twelve Carat Toothache by Post Malone is an appropriately titled album that seems to focus on the whiny ramblings of a wealthy singer oozing with glitz. The album, his fourth, is all style, no substance. It would be dismissive to write off the problems of someone…

The best albums of 2021 include Doja Cat, Poppy, Desperate Journalist, Demi Lovato, Garbage, James McMurtry, Deafheaven, Parquet Courts and Polo G. Best of 2021 We’re in the top 30 now! You’ve hopefully been waiting on the edge of your seat for a full week to get to this…

It’s kind of wild that Punk is only the second album from Young Thug, considering his prolific output of 19 mixtapes. The rapper had expressed a desire to embrace a significant shift in tone on the follow-up to 2019’s So Much Fun. He sought to embody what he referred to as “real rap”…

Lil Nas X performs during WiLD 94.9’s Jingle Ball at The Masonic in San Francisco on Dec. 8, 2019. The debut album by Lil Nas X, Montero, has been a long time coming.  The Atlanta rapper has transformed before audiences from the meme zeitgeist of “Old Town Road” to a…

Doja Cat has followed a rare, strictly upward trajectory career since her debut with viral single “Mooo!” and wacky “Go To Town,” off 2018 debut Amala. On her third album, she launches herself into unexplored galaxies above, creating the world of Planet Her. She channels the vibrant energy and various…

Megan Thee Stallion performs during the 2021 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on March 14, 2021. Courtesy. While the main pre-show distraction centered on snubs and the lack of diversity at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards, the tone changed with a plethora of memorable and historic moments from this…

63rd Grammy Awards, courtesy: Recording Academy. Welcome to the Olympics of music! The 63rd Grammy Awards are not the be-all, end-all of music achievement, or even an accurate representation of the most adventurous, unique music being made today, but they’re the standard barometer of commercial success. The two awards…

Lizzo performs at The Fillmore in San Francisco on Nov. 9, 2017. Daniel Lee/STAFF. SAN FRANCISCO — In an industry dominated by misogyny and the male gaze, Lizzo’s message of female empowerment and body positivity is a welcome breath of fresh air. The 29-year-old Minneapolis singer, born Melissa Jefferson, brought…