We have our opinions on the best releases of 2018, but rather than simply tell you our pick for #1, we thought it would be more interesting to hear what you, the readers, believe is the Best Rap Album of 2018. With that in mind, we decided to make our Best Rap Albums Of 2018 list a living breathing conversation, that would ultimately lead to you, the readers, choosing which album is the best of the year. Throughout December, we will pit albums against one another, battle style, and your votes will determine the winners.

We’ve chosen 15 albums that we think represented the best Hip-Hop of 2018. Inevitably, we left off some LPs that you believe should be included, so, we held a wildcard round (with a write-in option) where readers picked the album they feel most deserved a spot on the list.

The bracket-style competition among the final 16 albums is well underway. The Final 4 is determined. The four 2018 albums currently in the tournament are as follows (listed alphabetically):

Book Of Ryan by Royce 5’9
KOD by J. Cole
Streams Of Thought, Vol. 2: Traxploitation by Black Thought
Weather Or Not by Evidence

Notably, Cole appears on Royce’s album. Black Thought’s second project of ’18 is the only one of the four that has a single producer. In that case, it was Salaam Remi. Cole’s Dreamville/Roc Nation/Interscope effort also marks the only major label effort to reach the Final 4.

Big K.R.I.T.’s 4eva Is A Mighty Long Time Is Your Best Rap Album Of 2017. K.R.I.T. Speaks

Royce’s LP knocked off wild-card winner Mona Lisa by Apollo Brown & Joell Ortiz, before defeating Saba’s CARE FOR ME. Cole’s KOD narrowly bested Phonte’s No News Is Good News ahead of topping Mac Miller’s Swimming. Thought’s S.O.T.2. took out Masta Ace & Marco Polo’s A Breukelen Story, before bumping Jay Rock’s Redemption. Evidence scored a sizable win Black Milk’s Fever ahead of a profile upset of Pusha-T’s DAYTONA.

The competition picks back up on Wednesday, December 26, giving Hip-Hop Heads who vote plenty of time to make sure they check out all four.

Ambrosia For Heads’ Top 15 Hip-Hop Albums Of 2018 List:

Black Milk – Fever
Black Thought – Streams Of Thought, Vol. 2
Buddy – Harlan & Alondra
Evidence – Weather Or Not
J. Cole – K.O.D
Jay Rock – Redemption
Mac Miller – Swimming
Masta Ace & Marco Polo – A Breukelen Story
Nipsey Hussle – Victory Lap
Phonte – No News Is Good News
Pusha-T – DAYTONA
Royce 5’9 – Book Of Ryan
Saba – CARE FOR ME
Travis Scott – ASTROWORLD
Westside Gunn – Supreme Blientele