2025 is just about over, so ’tis the season to look back at the highlights and provide our 2 cents to the world of music fandom regarding the releases that make up our list of favorite albums from this year.
From Bad Bunny’s cementing himself firmly at the top of the Latin music game, to Clipse’s return as one of Hip Hop’s best duos as if time had not passed, check out our list of The Top 12 Albums of 2025.
**As is our custom, we do a Top 12 in honor of POD’s founding in 2012— and the list is in alphabetical order**
Bad Bunny – Debí Tirar Más Fotos
Bad Bunny can seemingly do no wrong musically. This is quite the feat when you take into account how much he has evolved artistically in the past 5 years, yet every project is as dope (and often better) as the previous release. The only reason this isn’t my favorite album of the year is simply because 2025 felt more like a Hip Hop year to me, but this came at an extremely close second. Leaning heavily on Reggaeton and Salsa, this album makes it easy to understand what makes him the biggest Latin artist in the world these days. From the earned bravado to the vulnerable lyrics admitting how much he misses an ex, you have so many bangers to choose from that can just as easily light up a party as they can help you sulk in your favorite personal space. Debí Tirar Más Fotos also shines from how much Benito expresses his love for Puerto Rico, its people, and its culture— including getting political to warn about the issues affecting La Isla and where things can be headed if they don’t heed this warning.
Blood Orange – Essex Honey
Chance The Rapper – Star Line
If you are regular to these pages, you understand why it’s so dope to us to see that Chano is back. Star Line sees the Chicago rapper doing a reset on his career to remind everyone he’s still an artist that deserves your attention. The album isn’t a stylistic return to “old Chance,” but it does feel like the kind of music that Rap fans broadly can enjoy, and it’s the kind of project that Chance The Rapper fans can get behind.
Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out *favorite album of the year*
There’s literally nothing I liked more than this comeback from Clipse. While there is a hint of nostalgia involved as Clipse was a major cultural part of my 20s, I won’t lie to y’all and say they were my favorites back then, their hits made them an unstoppable force if you were even remotely into Hip Hop back then so it’s easy to regard them as some of the best to ever do it. This album is further proof to support this argument TO THIS DAY.
Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist – Alfredo 2
Geese – Getting Killed
One of my favorite things about being a music blogger is how much a band that’s not exactly on your radar can have a massive impact on you with the right project. I wasn’t following Geese intently when this album dropped, and I can even admit that I wasn’t even looking out for Getting Killed to be released, yet the moment I started playing this album I knew it would wind up on this list months later. I liked Getting Killed so much that I wanted to do a deep dive on Geese’s discography, and I wasn’t aware until that process that I noticed on Apple Music that I had previously “liked” to some songs off their previous releases
Haley Williams – Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party
Japanese Breakfast – For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women)
Turnstile – Never Enough
Turnstile’s long-anticipated follow-up
Water From Your Eyes – It’s A Beautiful Place
Wednesday – Bleeds
Wet Leg – Moisturizer
