Many of us can agree 2025 has already brought a surplus of great projects from a wide range of artists, both new and experienced. That being said, many of us can also agree that some albums pushed out this year can range from mediocre to dumpster fire. This list will organize the top 5 worst albums of 2025 so far, starting with the least worst and making our way down to the most trash album of this year, based on my opinion and some public discussions. Note that music taste is subjective; everyone has their own taste, and this is just my opinion. I hope everyone appreciates that I poisoned my Spotify wrapped for this.
5. Lil Wayne – Tha Carter VI
The 5th place spot for the worst album of this year belongs to Tha Carter VI by Lil Wayne, which was released on June 6th, 2025. This album has some pretty decent highs but also some pretty laughable lows. Seriously, what was the vision behind “Island Holiday”? The production is terrible, and I don’t like the use of the sample. Another song that was laughably bad was “Peanuts 2 N Elephant,” which to my surprise, credits Lin-Manuel Miranda as a producer and composer. How did the same guy who wrote Hamilton manage to contribute to the composition of this? That being said, there’s a handful of songs on this album that have some solid production and decent rapping, which gives it a little redemption. Still, the majority of the songs on this album have some mediocre and distasteful lyrics and beats I would consider sub-par. However, I thought it was still an entertaining listen, in the way that some songs were so bad they were comical.
4. Ed Sheeran – Play
The 4th place spot for the worst album of this year belongs to Play by Ed Sheeran, which was released on September 12th, 2025. I mean, what can you really expect going into an Ed Sheeran album? My expectations for this album were that it would just be pretty basic, and that’s exactly how it was. The majority of this album was just plain simple when it came to the lyrics and instrumentation, and Ed’s never really been known for having an exceptional voice. However, I did find it quite amusing to hear him rap on the opening track, “Opening.” It wasn’t good rapping, but it made me remember that this guy was actually British. Other than that, it’s just another boring pop album that we’ve seen continue to come from Ed Sheeran over the past decade. I don’t see myself coming back to this album at all anytime soon.
3. Will Smith – Based on a True Story
The 3rd place spot for the worst album of this year belongs to Based on a True Story by Will Smith, which was released on March 28th, 2025. I’m not really sure what Will Smith was trying to accomplish releasing this album after not creating music for 20 years, but this album just wasn’t it. The flow on these songs aren’t enjoyable, and the beats are mediocre. The overall attitude of this album is pretty confusing, as well; it’s like it’s trying to be positive and inspiring but also conveying that Will Smith is this edgy outcast. I think this album was ineffective if it was meant to express his inner emotions. The rhymes seem childish to me, and the writing just overall isn’t really that good.
2. Benson Boone – American Heart
The 2nd place spot for the worst albums of this year belongs to American Heart by Benson Boone, which was released on June 20th, 2025 and contains “hits” like “Mystical Magical” and “Sorry I’m here for someone else.” First of all, what is with this album cover? It’s like it’s about to introduce you to a soulful, Americana vibe. Instead, you’re presented with TikTok-friendly, generic, pop music. Don’t get me wrong, Benson Boone has a great voice that I think can be used in a variety of genres, but the songwriting of these tracks just lack anything that can possibly explore Benson Boone’s “artistic” side, which was his intention. I think the biggest thing that can be improved on this album would be the lyrics, as I find they can be really random at times. The backing tracks aren’t anything to write home about and sound like every other pop composition that has made the charts. It gets to a point where there’s an over-saturation of pop music being produced with beats that are too similar.
1. Morgan Wallen – I’m The Problem
The 1st place spot for the worst album of this year belongs to I’m The Problem by Morgan Wallen, which was released on May 16th, 2025. Boy, this album was tough for me to get through. Mind you, I might be a little biased because I find country music like this extremely boring, but I still have a couple country artists who I enjoy from time to time. Morgan Wallen is not one of them. To put it straight, I find his voice grating and unlistenable, and there just isn’t anything that stands out to me from this album. The only song that I find listenable is “What I Want”, which features Tate McRae, who made the song a little more fun. Overall, this album was immensely mediocre, and the run time made me want to go insane.
In general, while I think we can all agree that music is subjective, these albums, though they may have come from artists who have created some hits in the past or at least have the potential to, just missed the mark when it came to being either memorable or pleasant. I still believe that, thus far, 2025 has been a good year for plenty of other artists, which makes up for the few misses here and there.
Sources:
The 25 Worst Albums of 2025. (n.d.). Album of The Year. Retrieved September 24, 2025, from
https://www.albumoftheyear.org/ratings/worst/2025/
Benson Boone. (2025). American Heart [Album]. Night Street and Warner Records.
Ed Sheeran. (2025). Play. [Album]. Gingerbread Man Records, Atlantic Records.
Lil Wayne. (2025). Tha Carter VI [Album]. Young Money Entertainment, Republic Records.
Morgan Wallen. (2025). I’m the Problem. [Album]. Big Loud Records.
Will Smith. (2025). Based on a True Story. [Album]. Slang Recordings.
