Here's a quick recap of my favorite tracks of the year. Even though I limited it to one per artist it still turned out to be pretty hip hop-centric, but hopefully there are a few joints y'all haven't heard before. Some of the bigger tracks aren't available on Youtube or Soundcloud due to copyright so those ones you'll have to hunt down yourselves. 30. Tennyson - Fault Line - Electropop
29. Action Bronson - Baby Blue (feat. Chance the Rapper) - East CoastHip Hop
11. James Blake - The Sound of Silence (feat. Justin Vernon) [Cover] - Gospel
10. Drake - Hotline Bling - R&B, Pop Rap
9. Travi$ Scott - 90210- Trap Rap
8. Grimes - Realiti [Demo] - Synthpop, Electropop
7. Beach House - Space Song - Dream Pop
6. Kanye West - Only One- R&B
5. Lupe Fiasco - Mural- Hip Hop
4. Wet - Deadwater - Indie Pop, Dream Pop
3. Childish Gambino - So Into You [Cover] - R&B
During a recent appearance on Australian radio station triple j, Childish Gambino completely revamped Tamia's 1998 classic So Into You into a song of his own for their Like A Version segment. In delivering a spectacular vocal performance over jazzy live instrumentation as opposed to the original pop beat, Gambino manages to (quite successfully) stretch his wings a bit musically. The minimalist approach and live radio setting make for a very intimate atmosphere and render the cover all the more powerful and infectious.
2. Kendrick Lamar - u -West Coast Hip Hop
Releasing one of the greatest modern hip hop albums to date in March, it would be criminal to exclude Kendrick from this list. After having months to absorb his radio-friendly lead single i, Kendrick's unparalleled emotive delivery on the juxtaposing track u was that much more devastating on first listen. One can hear the deep conviction in every word he manages between the sobs, bottle clinks, and calls for room service. The song represents a low-point in the story arch of To Pimp A Butterfly as Kendrick struggles with his most excruciating fears and doubts, but artistically it is a high-point for him as he succeeds in fully pulling the listener in to this hotel room where he is pouring his heart out, first in outrage and then, during the latter half, in agony.
1. Jamie xx - Good Times (feat. Young Thug) [Demo] -Trap Rap, UK Bass
Before the phenomenal In Colour dropped earlier this year, a demo of Jamie xx's track with Young Thug, Good Times, leaked. The album version would later add Popcaan to the mix and reverse the order of the verses but only to the song's detriment. The demo version is much more succinct in showcasing Young Thug's ridiculous versatility and hilarious quote-ables over one of Jamie's greatest instrumentals. Thugga's singularly unique delivery can certainly take a while to acclimate to before being able to properly appreciate its intricacies. That being said, this is probably the best place to start as Jamie's production - including the wonderfully sampled hook - has much more pop appeal than the trap instrumentals Young Thug typically appears over. However, every other copy of the demo has been removed from the internet, so I uploaded my own copy to Vimeo for y'all to hear it.
