Trappy new year, y’all! Here’s the list of my favorite extended plays from 2023. I didn’t really struggle with finding 10 EPs that I loved enough to put on this list. The hard part was deciding what order to put them in. Anyway, it should be noted that these aren’t the only good EPs that are worth listening to that came out last year. These are just my personal favorites. I could’ve made this a top 15 list or maybe even a top 20 list, but I just wanted to highlight the ones that really blew me away.
10. “The Drifter’s Ailment” by Iceberg Theory & LUNAR
This is the shortest project on this list. It’s only two tracks. It’s fire though. Last year I decided that Iceberg Theory is one of my favorite rappers of all time, and I could say that based on his 2020 run alone. LUNAR is one of the most prolific artists I know of, and this is definitely my favorite project that he released in 2023. The production he crafted here fits Iceberg Theory’s style perfectly, and he fucking killed his verse on the title track. I’d love to hear more work from these two in the future because they sound great together. This shit is fire. Check it out.
9. “Planet Unfaithful” by Fatboi Sharif & Roper Williams
Fatboi Sharif is becoming another one of my favorite rappers. When it comes to underground abstract lyricists, he’s pretty much that guy in my opinion. He’s certainly an acquired taste, and this is probably the least accessible project on this list, but if you get it, you get it. This is an essential listen for Fatboi Sharif fans. I mean, I’m kinda struggling to think of any projects from Fatboi Sharif that have come out since 2020 that aren’t essential listens for fans. This has some of his best songs though. Roper Williams’ production is trippy as hell in the best way possible. I love the beats on this project, and Sharif knows how to spit shit that’ll get you to think. I don’t see how any fans of Sharif could be disappointed by this unless you just don’t fuck with Roper Williams’ production for whatever reason. I personally love it though.
8. “Air Max King” by TriState
I’ve never heard a project from TriState that I didn’t like, but this is pretty easily my favorite one that he’s ever done. It’s not that his rapping wasn’t as good on other projects. I just love the beats way more on this EP than on his other releases. I wasn’t even expecting this project to blow me away as much as it did because the only producers that I was familiar with on this EP prior to listening were Praise & Oh No, but even the guys I didn’t know about before came through with really great instrumentals. TriState, who I discovered through his work with Planet Asia, has always been a killer MC, so it was awesome to hear him over this stellar production. All of the features came through with really good performances as well. This one really exceeded my expectations. It’s dope as hell. Check it out.
7. “SAMPLE BAG 2” by Pro Zay & SB11
What really makes this EP stand out in Pro Zay’s discography is the stellar production from SB11 along with the really catchy hooks. Zay is less of a “lyrical miracle” than most of the artists you may typically associate with me, but he just sounds like a monster whenever he raps, which is something I have a soft spot for. I feel like he is very slept on as a songwriter. He’s not the type of MC to just spit a quick verse over a simple loop and then dip. He actually puts efforts into song structure, which is sadly kinda rare in the underground, or at least more rare than it should be. There are only four tracks here, but they’re all really dope. Since it’s so short it might’ve gone under the radar for Pro Zay fans, but this is one of his best projects in my opinion, so be sure to check it out.
6. “It is decidedly so” by Rich Jones & goldenbeets
I think this was my first time hearing of goldenbeets, who is one of my favorite discoveries of the year as far as producers go. Rich Jones fits over their production style like a glove, and all of the features on this one did a really great job. There are four songs here, and each one is better than the last. I kinda wanna hear a whole album of Rich Jones over goldenbeets production honestly. They just mix like peanut butter and jelly. I love goldenbeets’ sunny, soulful instrumentals. This shit is fire. Don’t sleep on it. Also, if you enjoyed this one, be sure to check out Rich Jones’ Smoke Detector album with Iceberg Theory.
5. “The Loops of Life, Pt. 2” by Spaceman Jones & the Motherships
In early 2021 I wrote a review for the first entry in Spaceman Jones & the Motherships’ The Loops of Life series, and I thought it was super dope. That was my introduction to the group, and I was super impressed. However, this follow up EP is even better in my opinion. I think this shit is amazing. This is the first thing I would recommend to someone who’s trying to get into the group. MOTHER HOOD’s production on this EP is absolutely superb, and Spaceman’s writing, vocal delivery, and flow are all on point. This is some of the best Southern Hip Hop you’ll hear from 2023. It was originally a physical only release, but they released it on Bandcamp in October, so you can stream it there. I think a lot of my readers were unable to check it out at first, but now that it’s available digitally my hope is that you all will give it a listen. It’s dope as hell.
4. “The Sun Is Yellow” by Tomcantsleep & KILLVONGARD
I recently decided that KILLVONGARD is my favorite producer of 2023, and this project is a big part of why. The beats here are stunning. I didn’t know whether to consider this project an album or an EP at first. It was marketed as an album, but everyone I’ve spoken to about it considers it an extended play, and it just feels like it makes more sense to include it on this list rather than my albums list. I’d heard a few songs from Tomcantsleep in the past, and it was already clear to me that he was an ill lyricist, but this project in particular is where the quality of his songs just saw an incredible leap. I might like this EP even more now than I did when I reviewed it, and I gave it a glowing write-up. This shit is amazing. Check it out if you haven’t heard it yet.
3. “Nature of My Nature” by Sunmundi
A lot of what I said about The Sun Is Yellow also applies to this EP right here. Sunmundi is one of my favorite discoveries of 2023, and it’s mainly because of this project, although I did also enjoy the Midnight Oil album, albeit to a lesser extent. I just think the production here from shemar is magnificent, and Sunmundi’s impassioned vocal performance throughout the runtime of this EP is really captivating. There are four songs here, and they’re all phenomenal. This was also my introduction to shemar, who’s another really talented young artist whose other releases I’ve gone on to enjoy. I think this shit is amazing, and it’s certainly one of the best releases of the year. Do not sleep on it.
2. “The Big Lebowskiii: The Story of Eastside Jesus” by Teller Bank$
This project came out really early in the year, and it still holds up as one of the best projects I’ve heard from 2023. Teller Bank$ is another artist who has crept into my “favorite rappers of all time” list, and this project just solidified it. I knew he was gonna kill it on the mic, but the biggest surprise here was how amazing his production is. This is definitely one of the best produced releases of 2023 in my opinion. Just listen to the beat on Baker’s Pan. That should be enough to convince you that this dude is insanely talented. This is one of the longer projects on this list; there are seven tracks here, and all of them are fire. If you’ve enjoyed Teller Bank$’s work in the past, do not sleep on this project at all because it’s arguably his best work. It’s dope as fuck.
1. “Rapoeira” by Nejma Nefertiti & Zenati
This project is incredible. Nejma Nefertiti was one of my favorite discoveries of 2022, so I was really looking forward to whatever she would release in 2023, and this shit exceeded my expectations. I think Nejma Nefertiti is one of the best rappers alive from a technical standpoint, and the jazzy beats from Zenati were an unexpected backdrop that I really appreciated. Nejma’s got a fantastic voice for rapping, and she can rhyme her ass off. Her flow is fire too. She has it all. The features on this project are great too, especially the one from Napoleon da Legend. The crazy thing is that I think this is actually a remix project. If I’m not mistaken, Zenati took verses from previously released Nejma Nefertiti songs and reworked them over new instrumentals. The beats are fucking awesome though. This is one of the best projects of the 2020s in my opinion. I don’t have any complaints. I love this shit, and I’d love to hear more work from these two in the future. This shit is amazing. Check it out.
As always, thanks for reading. Let me know what you think of these EPs, as well as what your favorite EP of 2023 was. Overall, I think this was a much more impressive year for extended plays than 2022. I really loved all of these projects, and, like I said in the preamble, I could’ve added even more to the list. Hopefully 2024 is on par. Anyway, be sure to come back tomorrow for the list of my 20 favorite albums of 2023.
Focus Hip Hop 
What do you think?