With the last few months of 2017 upon us, it's pretty clear that despite a chaotic life costing him endless money, time and freedom, Kodak Black is still, unquestionably, a central figure in the current rap climate. Both his debut album Painting Pictures and most recent mixtape Project Baby 2 have dropped to considerable success and acclaim; his own single “Tunnel Vision” as well as his feature on A-Boogie’s “Drowning” kept him as a familiar presence on radio; and now, most recently, Cardi B's homage to him on "Bodak Yellow" has resulted in a full-fledged remix we doubt will be going away any time soon. Even so, there was never a moment where he wasn’t finding some way of keeping his name in the news for better or worse. Naturally, there are going to be a few people who ask the question “Why him?” if the hits just aren’t enough to appease their sensibilities.

The thing is, it isn’t just the hit records that do it for the thousands of Kodak’s fans who continue to support him in spite of the rapper’s wild ways. Rather, it's a deep catalog of rap that ranges topically, sonically, and still manages to entertain the listener. Whether it's meant to uplift you or drag you down to the lowest you can feel, Kodak has spent a good amount of time honing in on his craft over several mixtapes and even a few records only the most-dedicated fans know about.

Here at HotNewHipHop, we’ve got 15 of these records that might not be considered the obvious records to play for someone looking to be converted, but they all have a potency that is undeniable. Are we missing one?