2018 has been a make or break year for many artists. It was a breakthrough year for hip hop acts like Cardi B and Travis Scott while Drake and Post Malone maintained their streaming dominance. Not everyone who made headlines this year had a good year though. This list looks at the artist who owned 2018, for better or for worse.
Cardi B
It's hard to believe Cardi B did everything that she did in 2018. She released her debut album Invasion Of Privacy, gave birth to baby Kulture and clocked another two number one records in the US. On top of that, she collaborated with everyone from Jennifer Lopez to Meek Mill. She was under huge pressure to follow up Bodak Yellow and despite the intense interest in her personal life she came out on top, universally loved and praised for the thing that matters most - her music.
Post Malone
You all pretend that you really don't like Post Malone and then he drops an album that you stream on repeat. Posty's second record beerbongs & bentleys was the only record that came close to matching Drake's Scorpion. Both Rockstar and Psycho were in the top five most streamed songs on Spotify this year and you probably heard him in every club you entered. He's now on his way towards clocking another number one with Sunflower and next year he'll embark on his biggest tour of Australia yet.
Drake
Drake's reign continues every year. He clocked three number one singles in the US this year spending more than half the year on top of the charts. Scorpion was critically panned mainly because of its huge length but it broke streaming records and nabbed a Grammy nomination for Album Of The Year. This is all despite the fact that he got into unsuccessful rap beefs with Pusha T and Kanye West, PLUS we found out Drake has a secret child this year. Wild.
Ariana Grande
We all suspected that if Ariana played her cards right, 2018 could be her year but we couldn't have anticipated just how big it would be for her. She returned after a brief period of silence with no tears left to cry, a futuristic pop song that shook up the monotonous sound of pop on the radio. She then delivered the best and most successful album of her career thus far, Sweetener. Behind all that, she got engaged, broke up, plus she lost her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller. Once again, Ariana had to pick herself back up and she did that with Thank U, Next, her first number one single in the US and the fastest streamed song of all time.
Kanye West
Kanye West makes these kind of lists every year. Usually he treads a line between brilliant music and worrying public behaviour but this year it shifted. Despite a mildly successful run where he released five albums he'd produced in five weeks, it was outweighed by what he said and tweeted instead. He visited TMZ to say that slavery was a choice, publicly supported and then slightly backed away from Trump, advocated for those with mental illnesses shunning their meds and supported alleged abusers XXXTentacion and 6ix9ine. 2018 is going to be a hard one to bounce back from for Yeezy.
Kacey Musgraves
Country has always been a difficult genre to bring to the masses mainly because the subjects are so hard to relate to. This year though, Kacey Musgraves came through with a forward-thinking, personal and considered country album, Golden Hour, that found its way into the hearts of music fans everywhere. Despite very little support from the country community, she beat the boys to win the Best Album gong at the CMA Awards and has now been nominated for Album Of The Year at the Grammys.
Dua Lipa
Dua Lipa may have released her debut album last year but she continued to soar in 2018. She took over the summer overseas with Calvin Harris on One Kiss, gave us one of her finest moment on Silk City's Electricity and almost broke the internet with her BLACKPINK collab Kiss And Make Up. Meanwhile, she nabbed her first number one in the US with New Rules. A Grammy nom for Best New Artist capped off an incredible year for her.
Travis Scott
2018 was the year that Travis Scott stepped away from the Kanye West prodigy title and made his vision come to life on his own. The Astroworld universe that he created both sonically and visually was one of the most cohesive visions of the year and he's been rewarded for it. Sicko Mode is his biggest hit to date and people continue to stream the record in droves. On top of that his merch drops sell like hotcakes, as do his tour tickets. Scott is now well on his way to legend status.
Janelle Monáe
2018 was a troubling year and it brought out the worst in some people. Not Janelle though, who carried herself with grace and composure while still delivering important and striking messages. Dirty Computer, one of the year's best albums, chose to celebrate individuality in the face of resistance and its celebratory atmosphere resonated. Monáe came out as pansexual and celebrated being a "free-ass motherfucker" which is a message we need this year.
