The Best Chicago Albums of 2025, From Rock to Hip-Hop to Industrial

The best Chicago albums of 2025, from rock to hip-hop to industrial

December always brings a flood of year-end music coverage, so-called “Wrapped” playlists and vast lists of the songwriters and sounds of the year. But our list aims to strike a more finite target, with our contributors from WBEZ/Chicago Sun-Times and sister station Vocalo combing through all of the local releases of the year to highlight the best in Chicago music. Green Room Newsletter You’re subscribed!Please check your inbox for your confirmat…

The 12 Best Albums of 2025

From Bad Bunny’s “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” to Lily Allen’s “West End Girl,” these are the best albums of the year, according to Bazaar editors.

The 25 Best Rap Albums of 2025

Consequence’s Annual Report rolls on with our list of the 25 Best Rap Albums of 2025, including records from Clipse, Cardi B, Danny Brown, JID, and Tyler, the Creator. Don’t miss our other year-end coverage, including the 50 Best Albums of the Year, the 25 Best Films of the Year, the 30 Best Hard Rock and Metal Albums of the Year, and the 200 Best Songs of the Year. For many hip-hop fans, Kendrick Lamar’s resounding victory over Drake last year …

The Best R&B Albums Of 2025, Ranked

Explore the best R&B albums of 2025, from The Weeknd’s ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’ to Summer Walker’s ‘Finally Over It.’ See which projects defined the year on Rap-Up.