best music, 2010 - 2019

For the last nine years of my life, I’ve compiled lists similar to these across three different WordPresses, two Tumblrs, and this site, and I read through every single one I could find (most of them at this point only living as first draft Word documents buried on my hard drive backups). The early ones in particular logged sub-twenty reads, which honestly was probably for the best given that they’re mostly messes in truth - sophomore year of high school is not a place I ever want to be again, but frankly, even the ones from last year are jagged around the edges. Mostly I think I sort of wasted my own time.

But counterpoint: there’s some music there that once throttled my entire brain, patiently seized my 2014 consciousness until I was telling people that Hoodrich Pablo Juan was going to be Future before Future was Future or that no really, 24hrs really is better than PARTYNEXTDOOR. Most of this music’s now been nearly completely erased from every crevice of my brain despite at one particular week-long junction being the only thing I could think of. I think this is what makes this my diary covered in a thin layer of pretension, which I think is what Webster’s calls Criticism.

And after all that, again?

Best Songs, 2010s

50. Action Bronson & Party Supplies - “9-24-11” (Party Supplies)
49. Lil Tecca - “Ransom” (Nick Mira & Taz Taylor)
48. Bobby Shmurda - “Hot N****” (Jahlil Beats)
47. Bankroll Fresh - “Hot Boy” (Cassius Jay)
46. Blu & Exile - “A Letter” (Exile)
45. GoldLink - “Crew” feat. Brent Faiyaz & Shy Glizzy (Teddy Walton)
44. Ty Dolla $ign - “Paranoid” feat. Joe Moses (DJ Mustard)
43. Sada Baby & Drego - “Bloxk Party” (Von Jose)
42. Lil Ugly Mane - “Throw Dem Gunz” (Lil Ugly Mane)
41. Mozzy - “Bladadah” (MMMonthabeat)
40. A.A.L (Against All Logic) - “I Never Dream” (self)
39. Beach House - “Lemon Glow” (self)
38. Solange - “Cranes in the Sky” (Raphael Saadiq & Solange)
37. Tame Impala - “Eventually” (self)
36. (Sandy) Alex G - “Memory” (self)
35. Lana Del Rey - “Venice Bitch” (Jack Antonoff & Lana Del Rey)
34. Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx - “I’ll Take Care of You” (Jamie xx)
33. Kevin Gates - “2 Phones” (Mad Max)
32. Kodak Black - “SKRT” (SkipOnDaBeat)
31. SOB X RBE - “Anti” (Maczmusik)
30. Kanye West - “New Slaves” (Daft Punk, Hudson Mohawke & Travis Scott)
29. Blood Orange - “Orlando” (self)
28. Mach-Hommy - “1080p” (August Fanon)
27. Earl Sweatshirt - “Grief” (randomblackdude)
26. Chris Brown - “Deuces (Remix)” feat. Drake, T.I., Kanye West, Fabolous, Rick Ross & André 3000 (Kevin McCall)
25. Chief Keef - “Hate Bein Sober” feat. 50 Cent & Wiz Khalifa (Young Chop)
24. Pusha T - “Numbers on the Board” (Don Cannon & Kanye West)
23. Lil Uzi Vert - “XO Tour Llif3” (TM88)
22. 03 Greedo - “Rude” (BeatBoy, JoogFTR & Ron-RonTheProducer)
21. Rich Gang - “Flava” (Dun Deal, Goose, Isaac Flame & London on da Track)
20. Fetty Wap - “Trap Queen” (Tony Fadd)
19. Shy Glizzy - “Funeral (Remix)” feat. Young Jeezy (K.E. on the Track)
18. Vampire Weekend - “Hannah Hunt” (self)
17. G Herbo - “L’s” (C-Sick)
16. Skooly - “Dope Fiend” (Ducko McFli)
15. Sufjan Stevens - “Too Much” (self)
14. Lil Peep - “Hellboy” (Smokeasac & Yung Cortex)
13. Future - “News or Somthn” (Nard & B)
12. The Weeknd - “The Morning” (Doc McKinney & Illangelo)
11. Playboi Carti - “Flatbed Freestyle” (Pi’erre Bourne)
10. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - “Deeper” (Madlib)
9. YNW Melly - “Virtual (Blue Balenciagas)” (EY3ZLOWBEATZ)
8. Kendrick Lamar - “ELEMENT.” (Bēkon, James Blake, Ricci Riera, Sounwave & Tae Beast)
7. Charli XCX - “Track 10” (A.G. Cook, Life Sim & Lil Data)
6. Frank Ocean - “Nikes” (Frank Ocean, Malay & Om’Mas Keith)
5. Young Thug & Travis Scott - “Pick Up the Phone” feat. Quavo (Allen Ritter, Frank Dukes, Maneesh, Mick Schultz, Mike Dean & Vinylz)
4. YoungBoy Never Broke Again - “No Smoke” (DJ Chose)
3. Migos - “T-Shirt” (Nard & B & XL)
2. Future - “Throw Away” (Nard & B)
1. Burial - “Come Down to Us” (Burial)

Best Albums, 2010s

50. King Krule - The OOZ
49. Tierra Whack - Whack World
48. Lil Ugly Mane - Mista Thug Isolation
47. Vince Staples - Summertime ‘06
46. Tame Impala - Currents
45. Car Seat Headrest - Twin Fantasy (Face to Face)
44. Fetty Wap - Fetty Wap
43. Jamie xx - In Colour
42. Ty Dolla $ign - Beach House 3
41. Nickelus F - STUCK
40. Action Bronson & Party Supplies - Blue Chips
39. Thundercat - Drunk
38. Lucki - Freewave 3
37. Erykah Badu - But You Caint Use My Phone
36. Chief Keef - Finally Rich
35. Danny Brown - XXX
34. The Weeknd - House of Balloons
33. Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma
32. Beach House - 7
31. G Herbo - Welcome to Fazoland
30. A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie - Artist
29. Open Mike Eagle - Dark Comedy
28. Future - DS2
27. Solange - When I Get Home
26. Rick Ross - Teflon Don
25. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
24. milo - a toothpaste suburb
23. D’Angelo & The Vanguard - Black Messiah
22. Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz
21. Mach-Hommy - HBO (Haitian Body Odor)
20. Young Thug - Beautiful Thugger Girls
19. Burial - Rival Dealer EP
18. Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City
17. Kanye West - Yeezus
16. Kodak Black - Institution
15. Isaiah Rashad - The Sun’s Tirade
14. Roc Marciano - Reloaded
13. Lil Peep- Hellboy
12. Frank Ocean - Blonde
11. Earl Sweatshirt - I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside
10. Rich Gang - Tha Tour, Part 1
9. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Piñata
8. Charli XCX - Pop 2
7. Playboi Carti - Die Lit
6. Future - Monster
5. Young Thug - Barter 6
4. Blood Orange - Negro Swan
3. Frank Ocean - Endless
2. Jai Paul - Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones) / s/t (Leak)
1. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly

Best Songs, 2019

50. YungManny - “I’m YungManny” (RomanSuko & YungManny)
49. Cam’ron - “Big Deal” (The Heatmakerz)
48. Gunna - “3 Headed Snake” feat. Young Thug (Wheezy)
47. J Hus - “Must Be” (JAE5)
46. Danny Brown - “Combat” (Q-Tip)
45. Westside Gunn - “Lakers vs. Rockets” feat. Sauce Walka (DJ Muggs)
44. Fivio Foreign - “Big Drip” (AXL Beats)
43. navy blue - “deathmask . . .” (self)
42. Playboi Carti - “Molly / Stylist” (Pi’erre Bourne)
41. MAVI - “selflove” (Nephew Hesh)
40. (Sandy) Alex G - “Southern Sky” (self)
39. JPEGMAFIA - “Jesus Forgive Me, I Am a Thot” (self)
38. Charli XCX & Christine & The Queens - “Gone” (A.G. Cook, Lotus IV & Nömak)
37. Lil Dude & Xanman - “Let Me Hold You (G-Mix)” (?)
36. Solange - “Almeda” feat. Playboi Carti (John Carroll Kirby, Pharrell & Solange)
35. Drego & Beno - “Swear to God” feat. GT & Shoreline Mafia (Cypress Moreno, Epps & Von Jose)
34. Floating Points - “Requiem for CS70 and Strings” (self)
33. Westside Gunn - “Lucha Bros” feat. Curren$y & Benny the Butcher (The Alchemist)
32. Lil Uzi Vert - “Closing It (Dip Remix)” (TisaKorean)
31. Cartier’GOD & Bladee - “#LetMeGo” (Futuristic’Ideaz)
30. Pop Smoke - “Welcome to the Party” (808Melo)
29. 03 Greedo & Kenny Beats - “Disco Shit” (Kenny Beats)
28. Earl Sweatshirt - “MTOMB” (The Alchemist)
27. Skooly - “Lil Boy Shit” (Quay Global)
26. YNW Melly - “Rolling Loud” (SaiDon)
25. Melvoni - “No Man’s Land” (?)
24. Mustard - “Ballin’” feat. Roddy Ricch (self)
23. Young Thug - “Just How It Is” (Nick Mira & Wheezy)
22. Caroline Polachek - “Door” (Caroline Polachek, Danny L. Harle & Jim-E Stack)
21. Baby Keem - “INVENTED IT” (Ambezza, Baby Keem & Keanu Beats)
20. Lil Keed - “It’s Up Freestyle” (JetsonMade)
19. Polo G - “Deep Wounds” (1040 Beats, Callari & D. Major)
18. Baby Smoove - “Need You” (Undefined)
17. trip dixon - “*NEW*FLIP*” feat. shaboozer, BLACK KRAY & Treezy Lowkey (self)
16. Shordie Shordie - “Bitchuary” (YG Beats)
15. NoCap - “Ghetto Angels” (?)
14. Tyler, the Creator - “EARFQUAKE” feat. Playboi Carti (self)
13. Sheff G - “Breesh (Intro)” (?)
12. Lana Del Rey - “Venice Bitch” (Jack Antonoff & Lana Del Rey)
11. Pi’erre Bourne - “Poof” (self)
10. Juice WRLD - “Maze” (Boi-1da, Don Mills & Jahaan Sweet)
9. FLEE - “SWISH / USE 2” feat. Brent Faiyaz (StoopidXool)
8. Vegyn - “Cowboy ALLSTAR” (self)
7. Lucki - “4 the Betta” (DJ Eway)
6. DaBaby - “Suge” (JetsonMade & Pooh Beatz)
5. Lil Uzi Vert - “Sanguine Paradise” (BRANDON FINESSIN & OOGIE MANE)
4. Quando Rondo - “In My Section” (JD on Tha Track)
3. YoungBoy Never Broke Again - “Make No Sense” (Buddah Bless)
2. Lil Tecca - “Ransom” (Nick Mira & Taz Taylor)
1. Blood Orange - “Benzo” (self)

Best Albums, 2019

50. FKA twigs - MAGDALENE
49. TisaKorean - A Guide to Being a Partying Freshman
48. Shy Glizzy - Covered N Blood
47. Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride
46. Raphael Saadiq - Jimmy Lee
45. Kevin Abstract - ARIZONA BABY
44. Quando Rondo - From the Neighborhood to the Stage
43. 100 ges - 1000 gecs
42. deem spencer - Pretty face
41. Griselda - WWCD
40. Young Nudy - Faded in the Booth
39. Curren$y & Statik Selektah - Gran Turismo
38. Future - The WIZRD
37. Lil Gotit - The Real Goat
36. Tree - WE Grown NOW.
35. Helado Negro - This is How You Smile
34. Stunna 4 Vegas - BIG 4x
33. Ecco2k - E
32. JPEGMAFIA - All My Heroes are Cornballs
31. Blood Orange - Angel’s Pulse
30. Benny the Butcher - The Plugs I Met
29. Westside Gunn - Hitler Wears Hermes 7
28. Earl Sweatshirt - FEET OF CLAY
27. Baby Keem - DIE FOR MY BITCH
26. Charli XCX - Charli
25. Roc Marciano - Marcielago
24. Key! - SO EMOTIONAL
23. Danny Brown - uknowhatimsayin¿
22. Caroline Polachek - Pang
21. Polo G - Die a Legend
20. Tree & Vic Spencer - Nothing is Something
19. Pi’erre Bourne - The Life of Pi’erre 4
18. YNW Melly - We All Shine
17. (Sandy) Alex G - House of Sugar
16. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Bandana
15. oso oso - Basking in the Glow
14. Shefff G - THE UNLUCCY LUCCY KID
13. MAVI - let the sun talk
12. woods + segal - Hiding Places
11. Flying Lotus - Flamagra
10. Young Thug - So Much Fun
9. Lil Keed - Long Live Mexico
8. Solange - When I Get Home
7. Floating Points - Crush
6. Lana Del Rey - Norman Fucking Rockwell!
5. Tyler, the Creator - IGOR
4. Lucki - Days B4 III
3. Mach-Hommy - Wap Konn Jój!
2. Baby Smoove - Purple Heart
1. Lucki - Freewave 3

Other Things I Liked

50. Every piece of DaBaby and Jabbawockeez content ever created. Feed me more
49. Sensational
48. The idea of Dominic Fike
47. Jeremiah Jae & L’Orange - The Night Took Us in Like Family
46. The end of Lil Keed and Lil Gotit’s ‘Brotherly Love” video when they start harmonizing
45. Paradise Rock Club
44. The comments section to every Noz song list
43. The first time I ever listened to 03 Greedo (for the record, I was late - “Rude”)
42. Seeing Action Bronson perform Blue Chips 2 front to back and the crowd nearly imploding for RetcH
41. Drain Gang
40. Drain Gang jokes
39. Nicolas Jaar
38. Shoreline Mafia - “Bands” (AceTheFace)
37. Hiroshi Yoshimura
36. Arguing with twelve different people about which Lil Uzi leak was the best the night “XO Tour Llif3” dropped and being very very wrong
35. MuchDank
34. Teyana Taylor having the best album from the G.O.O.D. Music run
33. Juice WRLD telling me that every meal he had in Europe was risking his life. Rest in power
32. Lil Tjay - “Leaked (Remix)” feat. Lil Wayne (Dystinkt Beats)
31. Trippie Redd - “I Kill People!” feat. Chief Keef & Tadoe (Dez Wright & OZ)
30. G Perico hair
29. Kevin Gates and YoungBoy both getting world-beating, undefeated mega-hits
28. Roy Woods for a little bit
27. Kodak Black - “Ran Up a Check” (The Featherstones)
26. Undertale soundtrack
25. That last big Hellfyre Club year - triple double in 3 quarters
24. *whispers* “3500 (For the Coat)”
23. Fetty Wap. He deserved better from us all
22. Vince Staples on R. Kelly
21. Black Milk
20. James Blake getting the Roald Dahl guy to do his album artwork. classic
19. Maybach Music Group producer tag
18. Metro Boomin producer tags but only the Young Thug ones
17. London on da Track producer tags but only the Kodak Black one
16. OOGIE MANE producer tag
15. Oddisee
14. Sherwood Marty
13. BTS
12. Stormzy - “Shut Up” (XTC) - but specifically the video and even more specifically the part where he says “rapping, innit”
11. Yaeji
10. J. Cole - “Cole Summer” (self)
9. Cousin Stizz verse on Nok from the Future - “Up North” (self)
8. Plug beats
7. The time I heard a Zac Brown Band song or something and was trying to Shazam it because I thought it was a Gunna sample
6. Yung Lean Thaiboy Digital video
5. Odd Future - “Oldie” (Tyler, the Creator) video
4. Rich Homie Quan singles
3. BROCKHAMPTON - “CANNON”(bearface, Jabari Manwa, Kevin Abstract, Kiko Merley & Romil Hemnani)
2. The privilege of being completely inundated by far more music than I could ever listen to and enjoy let alone process and contextualize
1. Smokepurpp - “Audi.” (Ronny J)

2019, point 2

Blood Orange - “Benzo” (Blood Orange)
Whatever universe this song tears a hole into mid-chorus is one that I could never survive in, but can’t stop thinking about: that five second peek into some orchestral Outside is reality-shattering. 

Lil Dude & Xanman - “Let Me Hold You (G-Mix)”
Absolutely critical art in 2019. Why does Xanman talk about a Triller for a minute in the middle of the song? Is it better for your gun to be compared to Rod Wave or Selena Gomez? Has there ever been a better placed Lion King reference in rap? I have answers to absolutely none of these questions but I do know that this is, down to the second, the precise ideal form that nostalgic art ought to take: it preserves everything pretty, it is at least 10% non-serious, and name-drops at least 5 premier ‘90s fashion houses with at least 3 in one bar. Absolutely elite stuff.

Kossisko - “Cardio”
“code switch / immigrant whips” the hardest rhyme anyone had this year who wasn’t Xanman (and Kossisko the coolest person on Euphoria this year after Hunter Schafer and Zendaya in that order)

Young Thug - “Mannequin Challenge” (J. Cole & T-Minus)
The absolute best part of Young Thug presumably shrugging and making a Normal Major Label Album is that it’s still 19 songs long and still has two Lil Duke features and a subdued meditative intro, aka, essentially a normal Thug album that happens to have a J. Cole single tagged on the back. I would pay lots to see what numbers JEFFERY might have done in So Much Fun’s place in the alternate universe where “pick up the phone” doesn’t get leaked.

A couple weeks after the absolute intoxication of seeing Young Thug at the #1 spot of the charts with Taylor Swift it is a bit clearer that So Much Fun is kinda still in that below-Barter 6 / Rich Gang and alongside the better Slime Seasons territory - kinda like the Keed album this year, there aren’t many skips, if any, but there are definitely inessential tracks, and the most unhinged thing here now has a Machine Gun Kelly feature and ultimately kinda sounds like Thug trying to be unhinged rather than him actually flying off the hook. But still man what in the absolute - this was the #1 album in the country, and Gunna is rapping over “Middle Child” x Lord of the Rings by track 4. Juice WRLD somehow sounds like God or Young Thug in 2015, whichever one you care about more. 

Jon Caramanica and Noz riffing back and forth on Thug’s career on Popcast this week is essential for all the obvious reasons, but I would posit that the key thing they both kinda wash over is how absolutely posed Thug was to get 70% of the way to mainstream pop pre-15/16 leaks. Most of the really critical tracks ended up on Slime Seasons eventually, but it’s still hard not to think about both A) how unbelievable a Hy!£UN35 with “Udiggwhatimsayin” and “Mine” and “Pacifier” and “Proud of Me” might have been but also B) how transformative it would have been for Thug’s internal feedback loop to shift from “all of my life’s work has been dissipated across kanyetothe.com” to “I rapped over a discount YG beat and it ended up brilliant”. All this to say - this is the accessible album Thug finally relented and made, but it’s very different from the accessible album that was lined up back in 16. I, for one, am thankful that the hyper non-linear path of Thug’s career has led us to “totally dude”

Skooly - “Lil Boy Shit” (Quay Global)
This song sounds like a typhoon. So fire

Baby Keem - “Invented It” (Ambezza, Baby Keem & Kenny Beats)
wince hate to say it, but a lot of the peaks on the second Keem album are 2 minute long interpolations of 10 second Kendrick clips. To be clear Lil Keed is top 5 this year and Gunna rapping over “oriental strings loop youtube search” is top 2 and it’s not 2 - so I don’t particularly have a vendetta against derivative rap music nor do I think that would be a coherent philosophy to have about music - but yes, “FRANCE FREESTYLE” and “BULLIES” are the 2 ways a Kendrick song ends up post beat switch so it’s not not getting called out. And maybe if “INVENTED IT” didn’t come in hot with the gut punch so early in the album I’d be more down on the whole affair, because it feels like the most coherent thesis statement of the Keem thing: it is also is a Kendrick riff, but just absolutely juiced up with adrenaline and thrown at 103 miles per hour all the way into orbit, which is a thing that even the most kinetic Kendrick singles post-2016 don’t really manage. “DNA” still sucks. “INVENTED IT” is a very circular and round song and just kinda rapidly spins in circles or less than a minute and a half; I love it so much

Pi’erre Bourne - “Poof” (Pi’erre Bourne)
Upset I can’t magick a purple cassette of this tape back to the ‘90s and blow out a Walkman

Triad God - “Chinese New Year” (Organ Tapes)
BandCamp comments said “this album feels like having a hallucination while walking through a Chinese parade”,,,,, BandCamp comments a better writer than I’ll ever be

Mach-Hommy - “Chiney Brush” feat. Quelle Chris
I am in Vienna alone rn and it’s 60% exhilarating and 40% an exhausting exercise of learning where exactly the finite bounds of your brain lie - flinging thought after thought into the abyss and seeing how long they take to ricochet back up, and in what form they’ve been returned to you, and in the meantime back in reality it’s museum museum castle schnitzel. Twenty-four after twenty-four with yourself means little space for inanity. In any case I am finding that this is the only music that helps unravel that mental density, wirey Mach Hommy raps that amble below cobblestone: these are semi-inebriated words coming from nowhere that only occasionally go somewhere, and that is something I can get behind

2019, point 1

navy blue - “deathmask . . .”
I listen to this song sitting in my bed every night. It is meditatively alarming, triggering muffled sirens squealing through the tunnels of my subconscious — it feels like the correct amount of urgency to seal off one day and tear open the next. It is sounds oddly composed for what I can only process as a prescript to the void, meticulously inscribed in cursive and folded into a bottle, a missive from today to yesterday in cassette. And he really really said “I cautiously approach the rather daunting sea/By nightfall I face the man I’m supposed to be” I’m so sick. 

Choker - “Petrol Bliss” (Choker)
I would argue that evoking familiarity is a tool, not an objective, but it appears that Choker feels differently and I you know, I can respect that position. Yes he sounds like damn Frank Ocean but Choker’s music is so single-mindedly dedicated to the act of transportation and diffusing a solid state of being into something transient and no longer time-locked that I sometimes forget that my vision of music is at odds with his. And so my take often ends up being that this is all somewhat aimlessly straightforward, but something about how bipolar “Petrol Bliss” is, with the way the shimmering first verse careens into the sneering opening keys that leave me alone I swear to God are sampled from some A$AP Rocky song that I swear I’d find if I spent twenty more minutes clicking around in my iTunes. Anyway I figure once the sheer emotional sway that Choker holds receives some directionality it’ll all be over because this one feels so stunningly extra wide-screen cinematic I would sift through any number of one-off EPs to try and strike gold like this again. “Petrol Bliss” feels like being enclosed in a bubble, constrained by a shimmering, refracting barrier that’ll pop on contact, or on second nine after minute three.

Solange - “Almeda” feat. Playboi Carti (John Carroll Kirby, Pharrell & Solange)
Music this confidently in reproach of ABAB structure is so important especially when it is this good and especially when Playboi Carti hits the baby talk man diamonds they really really do shine in the dark now. Pharrell breaks out the entire spectrum of Pharrell™ drum rhythms and chords how clearly in service of Solange’s broader vision they are is inspiring, and transfixing. I try and shy away from the dramatic auteur talk but it’s so hard not to here. 

min.a - “nineteen” (min.a)
I usually think of familiar things as being familiar and unfamiliar things as being unfamiliar and broadly that feels like a reasonable position, but the way “nineteen” feels so earnestly dedicated to smashing together those states of being makes me skip a beat, or several. The classic pop textbook is to locate a single emotion, snatch onto it and hold on for dear life, and then disassociate, generalize, abstract, abstract, abstract it out until it can be stenciled onto anyone and anything. The stars are the ones whose smiles you could still pick out of a lineup. “nineteen” definitely starts there, because on paper it is about being nineteen or really just any age at all and that is certainly by definition a Shared Experience, but then it enters a controlled and premeditated spiral, stuttering and scrambling itself up. The glitches in the matrix feel undeniably correct and accurate, not that it is any solace. Even the phrases and words that are most familiar are segmented and sloped (“bet-ter”? Ridiculous and piercing). Listen transcribe the lyrics and I suppose this is about being lost in time and confused and all that, but the fundamental indecisiveness woven into ever measure here elevates. I still can’t decide if this song is being shouted forward into the future or whispered backwards into the past but I guess that is the part that is most nineteen 

Lucki - “More Than Ever” (ChaseTheMoney)
I am used to hearing dark, torn up things in my rap but Freewave 3 is beyond that man. Freewave 3 sounds like what I imagine drowning sounds like because, first, it sounds as empty and hollow and bottomless as death does, and second, out of all the morbid cinematic Categories of Death I can conjure up, I imagine drowning as the only Category where bodily harm is not inflicted on you by some external party; instead, you are enveloped, swallowed. Yes I spent a lot of time learning to swim when I was a kid. “More Than Ever” is psychotically nerve-wracking, likely not the best song on what is (for my money) the best rap album of this year and maybe even last, but certainly the one that I let pound my psyche into submission the most often. The darkest things Future ever said back in 2014 felt like pure id but the darkest things Lucki says feel like all the id (and the rest of the damn psychic apparatus) were wrung out of him years ago. Emotion is not disregarded or lost or suppressed, emotion must be a fallacy,

“Intro” by XanMan is so important and so is “I’m YungManny” by YungManny and so is “3 Headed Snake” by Gunna, Young Thug & Wheezy and so is “Daddi” by Cherry Glazerr and “Closing It” by Uzi and “Squidiculous” by SahBabii and the T-Pain song with Boosie and the Quando Rondo song where he sings his throat out. Dawn Richard got top 5 career trajectories all time and “Hello Good Morning” still goes dumb. I napped on Sada Baby “Cheat Code” last year woops. James Blake incredible it’d be more incredible if he wasn’t 6’5”.

100% of 2018

good year, lots different, do it better next time

Songs
50. Trippie Redd - “I Kill People” feat. Chief Keef & Tadoe (Ozmusiqe)
49. Rucci - “Light It Up” feat. AzChike (Mike Almighty)
48. Lil Peep - “Life is Beautiful” (IIVI & Smokeasac)
47. ThouxanBanFauni - “Xenon" (MjNichols, Pharaoh Vice & Taz Taylor)
46. Jorja Smith - “Goodbyes” (Ed Thomas)
45. Quando Rondo - “Kiccin’ Shit” (EY3ZLOWBEATZ)
44. Choker - “Suzuki Peaches” (Choker & Jeff Kleinman)
43. Mach-Hommy - “Regina” (Mach-Hommy)
42. Jacquees - “Back to Me” (Nash B)
41. U.S. Girls - “Rosebud” (U.S. Girls)
40. deem spencer - “boy aint a bad boy” (Sylvan LaCue)
39. Trouble & Mike WiLL Made-It - “Real is Rare (Edgewood)/The Woods” (Mike WiLL Made-It & Pluss)
38. Trae Tha Truth - “I Can’t” feat. Lil Boosie & RaRa
37. Peso Da Mafia - “TSAY” (Ronny 808)
36. Pink Siifu - “stay sane” (navy blue)
35. YTO3 - “Running Thru O3” (Cash Cobain)
34. Trapperman Dale - “Eat Right” (Bandplay)
33. 70th Street Carlos - “Change on Me”
32. Smoke DZA - “The Hook Up” feat. Cozz & Dom Kennedy (Girl Talk)
31. Starlito - “Where I’ve Been” (Bandplay & D Holt)
30. Kilo Kish - “Elegance” (Ray Brady)
29. FLEE - “Thanksgiving/My Bitches Shoot Too” (Cash Cobain)
28. Westside Gunn & Mr. Green - “Part Deux” (Mr. Green)
27. Maine Musik - “Soulja Slim Flow 3”
26. Rod Wave - “Boom”
25. Oneohtrix Point Never - “The Station” (Oneohtrix Point Never)
24. PAYCHECK - “Bobain” (Based TJ)
23. SahBabii - “Sunny Days” feat. T3 (Dolie & Jakkies)
22. Beach House - “Lemon Glow” (Beach House)
21. Earl Sweatshirt - “The Mint” feat. navy blue (Black Noi$e)
20. Zaytoven - “Mo Reala” feat. Future (Zaytoven)
19. Sheff G - “Panic Part 3” feat. Sleepy Hallow & Fresh G (808Melo)
18. Shoreline Mafia - “Bands” (AceTheFace)
17. Key! & Kenny Beats - “Love on Ice” (Kenny Beats)
16. 03 Greedo - “Floating” (DJ on the Track)
15. Gunna & Lil Baby - “Sold Out Dates” (Ghetto Guitar & Turbo)
14. Mozzy - “Not Impressive” (Jay P Bangz)
13. A.A.L (Against All Logic) - “I Never Dream” [A.A.L (Against All Logic)]
12. JPEGMAFIA - “1539 N. Calvert” (JPEGMAFIA)
11. Skooly - “Dirty Dawg ‘Insane’” (Buddah Bless)
10. Fredo Bang - “Status” (Yung Tago)
9. Lil Tjay - “Brothers” (JDOnThatTrack)
8. Snail Mail - “Heat Wave” (Snail Mail)
7. BBY GOYARD - “run shannon run (SABONIS)” (gosuto & tyson)
6. MIKE - “Poseidon” (Siyasha)
5. dijon - “SKIN” (dijon)
4. DaBoii - “Onna Gang” (Link+Up)
3. Playboi Carti - “FlatBed Freestyle” (Pi’erre Bourne")
2. Sada Baby & Drego - “Bloxk Party” (Von Jose)
1. YNW Melly - “Virtual (Blue Balenciagas)” (EY3ZLOWBEATZ)

Albums
50. Saba - CARE FOR ME
49. Maxo Kream - Punken
48. ALLBLACK - Outcalls
47. Lil Peep - Come Over When You’re Sober, Pt. 2
46. Jean Grae & Quelle Chris - Everything’s Fine
45. Travis Scott - Astroworld
44. Foolio & Zaytoven - 6toven
43. milo - Budding Ornithologists are Weary of Tired Analogies
42. Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer
41. SahBabii - Squidtastic
40. Nostrum Grocers - Nostrum Grocers
39. Curren$y, Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist - Fetti
38. Sheck Wes - Mudboy
37. Robyn - Honey
36. MihTy - MihTy
35. Shy Glizzy - Fully Loaded
34. Kali Uchis - Isolation
33. Kids See Ghosts - Kids See Ghosts
32. Beyoncé & Jay-Z - Everything is Love
31. Metro Boomin - NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES
30. Pusha T - Daytona
29. SOPHIE - Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides
28. AzChike - My World
27. Chris Crack - Being Woke Ain’t Fun
26. Vince Staples - FM!
25. YNW Melly - I and U
24. AzChike - My World
23. sixpress - UNTITLED (part 1)
22. Tirzah - Devotion
21. Young Thug - On the Rvn EP
20. Key! & Kenny Beats - 777
19. Tierra Whack - Whack World
18. SOB X RBE - Gangin’ II
17. Curren$y & Harry Fraud - The Marina EP
16. Open Mike Eagle - What Happens When I Try to Relax
15. Snail Mail - Lush
14. Mitski - Be the Cowboy
13. Mid-Air Thief (공중도둑) - Crumbling (무너지기)
12. 03 Greedo - God Level
11. Earl Sweatshirt - Some Rap Songs
10. Roc Marciano - Behold a Dark Horse
9. Teyana Taylor - K.T.S.E.
8. Hermit & The Recluse - Orpheus vs. The Sirens
7. JPEGMAFIA - Veteran
6. Beach House - 7
5. Mozzy - Gangland Landlord
4. A.A.L. (Against All Logic) - 2012 - 2017
3. Car Seat Headrest - Twin Fantasy (Face to Face)
2. Playboi Carti - Die Lit
1. Blood Orange - Negro Swan

Other Things I Loved in 2018 That Don’t Fit Into Those Lists
50. Lil Tracy - “Like a Farmer (Remix)” feat. Lil Uzi Vert (Gren8)
49. Horrifyingly, that YBN Cordae song that Cole Bennett made the video for that they renamed like 4 times
48. Kenny Beats going supernova
47. Sherwood Marty
46. The Usher album with Zaytoven
45. The Mariah Carey album I forget what it’s called
44. G Perico - “Play Wit It” feat. Kalan.frfr & Garren
43. 1:02 - 1:13
42. Lil Gotit and Lil Keed
41. KB Devaughn
40. Tay Keith
39. Vince Ash - Do Or Die
38. Yung Manny lmaoooooo
37. My YouTube deciding in November to autoplay a Blood Orange song after literally anything I put on
36. Knxwledge remixes
35. Lil Uzi Vert dance videos on Instagram especially that long one in the parking lot where he kicks a windmill a minute and a half in
34. JayDaYoungan
33. Doja Cat lol
32. Ty Dolla $ign
31. Rap playlists on YouTube especially the 70th Street Carlos autoplay one
30. Medhane
29. ZMoney saying yeeeeuuuhhhh
28. min.a - “sage”
27. When Tierra Whack starts singing a country song on Whack World
26. Young Thug - “Sin” feat. Jaden Smith (K Rich & London on da Track)
25. The Matt Ox album especially when he raps about tridents
24. Ohgeesy
23. Lil Yachty - “Get Dripped” feat. Playboi Carti (EarlThePearll & MitchGoneMad)
22. lil4 & whyfye - 5am EP
21. Adé Hakim
20. Cozz - “Bout It” feat. GARREN (Meez)
19. Ness Nite - Watercolor Roses
18. ARTHUR
17. my roommate
16. Blueface
15. Sada Baby namedropping Lauri Markannen
14. BBY GOYARD namedropping Arvydas Sabonis
13. The Young Thug Elton John song even though it just reminds me that this should have been top 10 Billboard in 2015
12. Drake - "Blue Tint" feat. Future (!llmind, JRHITMAKERS, Supah Mario & Taz Taylor)
11. Roddy Ricch
10. Shoreline Mafia especially the “Bands” video
9. When they play Mozzy in Black Panther
8. Quando Rondo, even though all the world-beaters came in 2017
7. Twitter after Kanye does anything
6. The TMZ video of Kanye saying “feeling good all love” after running out JP Morgan
5. When DaBoii says “when I was in the cell I was beefing with time” on “Onna Gang”
4. Literally everything Gunna said in the last 365 days
3. Vince Staples - “Brand New Tyga (Interlude)” (Kenny Beats)
2. When Tyga says “and that’s no cap, like an undergrad” on “Brand New Tyga (Interlude)”
1. Sheck Wes rapping about Jayson Tatum and Kyrie Irving it’s all about how you close not how you open NBA season real long don’t sleep!!!

Things I Wrote
Nicolas Jaar // A.A.L (Against All Logic) (#2), for whom it is really just too easy
Haruki Murakami, who I don’t like
Maxo Kream, real bite
Nef the Pharaoh, the emperor
Yungeen Ace, who taught me a lot
Lil Baby, rock star
AzChike — rapper sneer

80% of 2018

New York is a cool city but what’s even cooler is how we’re logging 40 degree weather before we even get into the preteen age months (10 doesn’t count October still fall property fall is approved, good season) I’m sick. Someone asks me every year on some “weren’t you born on the East Coast?” like after twenty years, losing my gloves and re-confirming I look weird in beanies on the first cold day of the year starts being gripping fun. Only fan mail I accepting is winter coats and Roc Marciano vinyls, thanks

1. Blood Orange - “Orlando” (Blood Orange)
soup

2. SZA - “Passport”
whenever the Kevin Parker Mark Ronson song gets a proper rollout it will rule the world. But this one is more ethereal, and for an artist that wields reality like a blade, music that flutters like this is jolting. It’s very good.

3. Medhane - “Clouds” (lastnamedavid)
dusty books

4. Snail Mail - “Heat Wave” (Heat Wave)
sounds like a heat wave. Execution always earns points

5. SOB X RBE - “North Vallejo” (Melo BTB)
I’ll mourn SOB X RBE with the rest of you all but sometimes it almost seems too easy. The tension of figuring out if T.O is a Quavo or a Swae Lee is, in some sense, more gripping than watching home run after home run (which is what Gangin II is)

6. Lil Berete - “What’s Up Now” (By the Writer’s Block)
glad they maxed out the “2013” setting on the mix here

7. Gavin Turek - “WHITNEY” (Chris Hartz)
That ”boul-e-vaAAAAard” sequence is tee’d up but still, stunning

8. yens - “late nights” (yens)
like the song almost as much as the person!!!!!

9. Taphari - “Focus” feat. sixpress (MIKE)
measured

10. SahBabii - “Sunny Days” feat. T3 (Dollie & Jakkies)
Young Thug always felt like the incorrect comparison (he is, often, the incorrect comparison for the rappers whose names he is invoked alongside. The exception is probably Gunna, who has internalized every part of that delivery — Lil Baby only steps into it occasionally, but when he does it, it is full-fledged parroting). Thug would never fade back like this, and accordingly there’s no Thug song that is this sparkling and shimmering. Different rappers different music different goals but still.

11. G Perico - “Play Wit It” feat. Kalan.frfr & GARREN
The Kalan run this last 6 months close to undefeated

12. 70th Street Carlos - “Change On Me”
This is not the best 70th Street Carlos hook but it is the one that manages the momentum the best. The increased breathing room we get from turning the dial a couple notches below breakneck feels key

13. Maine Musik - “Soulja Slim Flow 3”
panoramic rap

14. Peso Da Mafia - “TSAY” (Ronny 808)
100% perfect

15. Usher & Zaytoven - “You Decide” (Zaytoven)
whatever man this is so hard

16. Drego & Beno - “Approach It” feat. Nuk (Jon Boii Beatz & Von Jose)
Drego as magnetic as anyone alive rn; this one of the best beats out of this whole Detroit run this year

17. Cash Kidd - “Zorbas” feat. DaBoii
out of all of the SOB X RBE outcomes I could’ve imagined, the one where I feel eh about a Yhung T.O project and DaBoii is the rapper of the year is not the one that I was putting my chips on

18. ZMoney - “Apart of Trappin’” (Lil Mexico Beatz)
shame that after this week ZMoney is no longer the best whisperer in rap but you win some you lose some

19. Trapperman Dale - “Eat Right” (Bandplay)
he got that Gibbs, instinctive, “he could rap on anything” dexterity; you don’t find many of those

20. Young Thug - “Sin” feat. Jaden Smith (London on da Track)
I listened to Barter 6 for the first time in years (I know) a couple weeks ago and I think, maybe, that was why this is the On the Rvn cut that I still drag around and that still drags me around. Hard not to notice a deliberate-ness (delibaracy? Websters please) in Thug’s words that wasn’t present before (“With That” still zooms) but even so — it’s one thing to deny verbal structure, like all of Thug’s newly popular children do; another thing entirely to do that in a way that suggests real purposeful abstraction, and control.

21. YBS Skola - “Life of a Shinner”
this song super excellent. You’d think that one of these dudes (YFN, YBN, YNW) could use another first word for their abbreviations though. synonyms.com and all that

22. Quando Rondo - “Kiccin’ Shit” (EYE4ZLOWBEATZ)
The comparison is so obvious (and spelled out on the tracklist of this project) it doesn’t particularly warrant mention — but even if Thug and Rich Homie Quan had never stopped making music, I think after the fifth twenty-five song 7/10 solo Quan outing it would’ve become evident what function Thug’s shrillness as a complement. Even if we’re already poking at a ceiling here, Quando is a real dynamo — don’t know if I would’ve granted Quan that.

23. Kevin Gates - “Shoulda” (Go Grizzly & Yung Lan)
Mike Caren had this one all right — I like Gates better as a hyper-regional deity, but I’m glad I don’t have to just dream about Pop Star Gates (you think they’ll ever put this out as a single?)

24. Lil TJay - “Leaked”
best 2008 top 40 hit I’ve ever heard

25. Skooly - “Dope Fiend”
he said “fresh out of pain”

26. NGeeYL - “Tales of YL”
verbal pinball honestly

27. DRETTI FRANKS - “I KNOW WASSUP PT. 2” (DRETTI FRANKS)
extremely unsober

28. Sheff G - “Panic Part 3” feat. Sleepy Hallow & Fresh G (808Melo)
after the first minute and seven seconds of this song you shouldn’t be allowed to start a verse how Fresh G does

29. Roc Marciano - “Congo” (Roc Marciano)
been redefining winter for seven years now glad I have a soundtrack to be snowed in to

30. Mozzy - “Not Impressive” (Jay P Bangz)
very impressive

31. Sheck Wes - “Kyrie” (Redda)
”go outside more” still the most inane but unassailable explanation for this man

32. Father - “Lotto” feat. Abra (meltycanon)
bridge questionable but the rest of this really top tier debaucherous

33. BROCKHAMPTON - “NEW ORLEANS” (bearface, Jabari Manwa, JOBA & Romil Hemnani)
part of the fun of the first SATURATION run (and honestly, that whole “Bet I”-”Dirt”-”Cannon” run as well) was watching people who shouldn’t be able to figure it out figure it all out. Experience sets in quick, though, and by SATURATION III it was a lot of slightly more experienced fun rappers and singers as opposed to completely unexperienced fun rappers and singers and it was suddenly fully feasible to take ownership of a minute of song-time, meaning we started getting four-minutes sequences of disparate adequacy instead of COHESION (execute me if I use this word again this year). I have my own set of takes on the dissonance and discord that’s trademark now and all that but it’s just nice to see them all living in the same song world and singing the same song’s words (“SWIM,” “FAKE”). And Dom McLennon still out for blood and that helps.

34. Lil Baby & Gunna - “Drip Too Hard’ (Turbo)
surprise

35. YGTUT - “Top of the World (White Heat)” (Ducko McFli)
this one more 5pm than 4pm but still hitting the sweet spot for me here

36. Yung Manny - “Fadeaway”
I know we’ve been perfecting the recipe for this song for the past two years but

37. Mizzie Cash - “Be Like That”
actually kind of a cool call to practically record through a cell phone

38. Kilo Kish - “Elegance” (Ray Brady)
this very FKA and all that but not everyone can lose themselves and wander through their own music like this

39. min.a - “sage”
all the right notes and 20% more, can’t lie I know I sequenced “Elegance” into this song but I tried actually listening back-to-back and I almost had a heart attack so maybe just enjoy that conceptually.

40. Mitski - “Two Slow Dancers” (Mitski & Patrick Hyland)
and good night

60% of 2018

60% is more than half of 100%, if you were wondering. If the start of this playlist scares you then skip down to The Internet everybody loves The Internet. This is the most I have ever loved music in my life I hope this helps you feel the happiness I feel.

1. RetcH - "Dubs & Losses" feat. Roc Marciano (Grimm Doza)
river-of-Styx-core

2. JayDaYoungan - "Best Friend"
it's a lot of these rappers from Louisiana chasing the ghost of "No Smoke" — beyond amazing to hear someone lock into the sphere of darkness below that

3. Lil' Baby Suplex - "Pop Star" (Deeb)
pop star!!!!

4. Yung Bans - "Word On Da Street" (MexikoDro)
this some red cover Carti level SoundCloud out-the-basement type music

5. AzSwaye - "Dead Homies" feat. Desto Dubb (JoogFTR)
Swaye in a constant state of exhale and on a rampage. also he the truth.

6. YG - "Power" feat. Ty Dolla $ign (Cito on the Beat & DJ Mustard)
I'm running a Ty Dolla $ign fanclub off the iMessage lemme know if u wanna get in

7. Euro Gotit - "Kodak Dat" feat. Gunna (Rocktee)
audio hammer

8. YNW Melly - "Virtual (Blue Balenciagas)" (EY3ZLOWBEATZ)
the song of the year. the dexterity is beyond icy. Peak Melly — this, "Legendary" — it's not a lot of rappers in this world who can click melodies into each other, exploit pockets. It's like Thug in 2014, who sounded like he couldn't utter words without them swinging into 8-bar hooks. 

9. GlokkNine - "10 Percent" (Sour K)
whatever he's beyond an excellent rapper. But I'm screaming I want ten percent of everything until my grave

10. Nef the Pharaoh & 03 Greedo - "Ball Out" feat. ALLBLACK (DTB)
my energy rest of 2018 is ALLBLACK thanking Nef and Greedo all over this EP. Nef is suddenly one of the highest octane rappers on the planet, by the way.

11. Starlito - "Where I've Been" (Bandplay & D Holt)
I refuse to write about this

12. D-Lo - "Thugged Out" feat. 03 Greedo & OMB Peezy
you think they have enough throwaways for a Greedo Peezy tape?

13. Lil Dude - "Only Option" feat. Hoodrich Pablo Juan (Spiffy Global)
I have listened to this more in the last week than I've listened to anything in any week this year. Spiffy got beat of the year off the chords

14. Lil Got It - "All Season" feat. Lil Keed (10fifty)
voice gets diced up here like it's being delivered into the damn void. Real black hole music.

15. Foolio - "Crooks" (Zaytoven)
he's tossing out these freestyle off-the-top flows at 1.5x normal speed like it's regular, growling the whole way.

16. Mozzy - "Do It for Dooterz"
Mozzy still got one of the most perfectly jagged flows in the whole world, like you dropped a piece of glass and it shattered perfectly zigged and perfectly zagged. He's pogo-sticking across this one

17. Quando Rondo - "I Remember" feat. Lil Baby (Go Grizzly & Pooh Beatz)
0:58-1:07

18. Rod Wave - "Boom"
really just one of those voices, one of those special Chance or Gates ones. Just listen to how he pounces a half second early like he can't wait.

19. LNDN DRGS - "Hop Out (Remix)" feat. Curren$y (Sean House)
Curren$y still top 10 good lord. Pilot Talk energy.

20. The Internet - "It Gets Better (With Time)" (The Internet)
the album probably lacks the sharpness and the quickness that Ego Death had but this a bag. Who taught Syd how to do the '90s R&B "sing the same line over and over to build momentum during the hook" thing that's not fair.

21. Knxweldge & Roc Marciano - "jstletmebme_" (Knxwledge)
1+1 equals 10, apparently

22. tsar of gamble - "ricochet" (tsar of gamble)
unspeakably good song, sounds like an 8pm daydream. here, for more.

23. Sen Morimoto - "People Watching" (Sen Morimoto)
the horns swell, then they zip themselves back down into a pinpoint. It's a love song, a wild cute one, intercut by asides — "I write songs everywhere I go, everywhere I land" — that segue right back into the same throughline ("she was dancing, clapping her hands").

24. ARTHUR - "Scared" (ARTHUR)
carousel music plunged underwater that explodes. Expands time, too, because no way this under two minutes.

25. 03 Greedo - "Buckhead" feat. Key!, Runway Richy, Mal & Quill & ManMan Savage (Go Grizzly & Pooh Beatz)
ok ok I know it's not the one but maybe there's more than just one! Also Greedo said "you know who I am/I'm a flu flamm" so this instant upper echelon.

26. Travis Scott - "Stop Trying to Be God" feat. Kid Cudi, James Blake & Stevie Wonder (Cubeatz, JBeatzz, Mike Dean & Travis Scott)
ok ok I'm a Travis Scott stan ok

27. Lil TJay - "GOAT"
I think to be objective — Boogie was better at this early junction of his career. But he also needed to resort to the same pejorative to even get through an eight bar verse, and TJay already lightning quick with the thunder one-liners.

28. BLACK KRAY - "AMONGST THE DEAD" (Greafer)
I listened to this for the first time today and can't stop thinking about it.

29. Future - "31 Days" (Zaytoven)
"moment of clarity" is exactly what this is like. It's a four minute version of that thing that happens in Saturday morning cartoons when everything goes black and white and fuzzed out and the main character eyes get wild big and pulse-y and their inner voice goes all echo-y, like on Pokémon. I would say "anime" but I can't claim that part of my culture I'd be living a false life.

30. Drake - "Blue Tint" feat. Future (!llmind, JRHITMAKERS, Supah Mario & Taz Taylor)
to be very clear, we are playing zero of this "if Scorpion was thirteen tracks..." game because I've been canvassing for Young Thug 2024 for the past half-decade and my Young Thug unreleased album on iTunes is now 160 songs deep. I am also playing zero of this "'Sicko Mode' is harder than anything on Scorpion" game because 1) that is the most obvious manifestation of a given person's insecurity about publicly liking a Drake album and 2) my lord did you listen to this song? It's golden

31. Steve Hauschildt - "Saccade" feat. Julianna Barwick (Steve Hauschildt)
Song makes me feel weird I like it

32. Ross from Friends - "Family Portrait" (Ross from Friends)
This song makes me feel even weirder, like real signal scrambled, I like it more

33. Roddy Ricch - "Fucc It Up" (Ice Starr)
true pinnacle of the "yeah, yuh" here

34. Teyana Taylor - "3Way" feat. Ty Dolla $ign (Kanye West, Mike Dean & Rodney Jerkins)
yes, this is the best album of the bunch. Again - Ty Dolla $ign fan club sign ups open now, by the time you all catch up to Beach House 3 being the album of 2017 sign ups will be closed.

35. BBY GOYARD - "run shannon run (SABONIS)" (gosuto & tyson)
probably the hardest thing on this list

36. Yungeen Ace - "Pain"
this is not the type of Future-on-Monster type of pain that you can zoom out of, that you can watch through the glass. This type of pain needs gloves, too sharp to handle with bare hands. It is overwhelming, and beautiful music.

37. Chief Keef - "Belieber" (K.E. on the Track)
"I remember back in '94/wait, I was born in '95 though" is, A), the funniest thing any rapper not named Vince Staples has said all year. But also this whole emotion is one I'm really here for this month — how some of the songs here ("ricochet" the prime) build domes of nostalgia over you and project memories you don't have onto the ceiling. 

38. Jorja Smith - "Goodbyes" (Ed Thomas)
I listened to this album for the first time on a long car ride, when I was moving from the city I spent my first twenty-one years in to the one that I live in now. It was a big car ride, the type of car ride that draws out a reality too heavy to process at once, the type of car ride you fall asleep for to escape reality. So I fell asleep for most of this with this album on repeat, but the type of sleep where your eyes droop but flutter open without you realize, where you're not really seeing but the images around you seep into your dreams. I had a dream where I watched this song performed as the national anthem, so from now on to me it's the national anthem and Jorja Smith is everybody's president.

39. Busdriver - "pull the sky closer" (Busdriver)
I'm not sure why but this song kinda reminds me of that Jay-Z "Forever Young" with the singer who didn't have a period after the "Mr" in his name, the one we really wanted to sing at our eighth grade graduation but the principal made us sing the original. This sounds like that one but way weirder and yes I promise I'm almost done here.

40. Kids See Ghosts - "Reborn" (Dot Da Genius, E*Vax, Kid Cudi & Plain Pat)
And this one just makes me eighth grade happy. If you had it in your cold heart to dislike this album you're in my prayers tonight.

40% of 2018

It's SoundCloud till I die.

1. Key! & Kenny Beats - "Love on Ice" (Kenny Beats)
proof that key!'s mind moves vertically while everyone else horizontal

2. deem spencer - "boy aint a bad boy" (Sylvan LaCue)
the last forty seconds of this are slow breathless and breathtaking

3. dijon - "SKIN"
YOU'RE DRESSING LIKE A SUNDAY MORNING/YOU'RE GRINNING LIKE A FRIDAY NIGHT

4. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - "Ministry of Alienation" (Unknown Mortal Orchestra)
pay-phoning in from a parallel dimension

5. MIKE - "Poseidon"
instantly one of the most stunning things MIKE has ever done. a controlled gasp.

6. Jacquees - "Back to Me" (Nash B)
this man has built a career off of cutting through murky raps (Rich Gang, Birdman) with his voice — this time it's his own falsetto he's supplanting and it's just stupid

7. Ness Nite - "Watercolor Roses" (Mike Frey & Ness Nite)
the rapping here is so much better than it should be it's almost distracting

8. Fijimacintosh - "Wintertime Nights" (Abe)
this like you dropped me into Super Mario Galaxy

9. LoLifeLane & Freshie - "How Much" (BeatPluggTwo)
money!

10. Lil Baby - "Life Goes On" feat. Gunna & Lil Uzi Vert (Quay Global)
hook of the year, verse of the year (Uzi — every second immaculate), whatever, best 4 minutes of the year, everything

11. YoungBoy Never Broke Again - "Astronaut Kid" (CashMoneyAP)
you get the feeling this is as "sold out" YoungBoy could ever get. that is good

12. KB Devaughn - "Playin" feat. Boogie & Dana Williams (Dezzie Gee)
storytelling is not supposed to come this easy: be woven so easily into the hook, the production, it is not supposed to happen this easily. a star

13. FLEE - "Thanksgiving/My Bitches Shoot Too" (Cash Cobain)
bedtime raps 2018 i've been screaming it

14. Trouble & Mike WiLL Made-It - "Krew/Time Afta Time" (Marz, Mike WiLL Made-it & Pluss)
Mike WiLL man. this one a nighttime highway

15. Vince Ash - "I-80"
this one a scarier nighttime highway. Vince coming for everything by the way.

16. Curren$y & Harry Fraud - "14 Packs" feat. Smoke DZA (Harry Fraud)
Harry Fraud writes basslines different

17. Sada Baby & Drego - "Bloxk Party" (Von Jose)
my vote for best line is the Lauri Markannen one, but also the Brock Lesnar one, but also the dance moves one, but also the David Letterman one. and also the domo arigato Mr. Roboto one.

18. Lil Yase - "Bang Bros" feat. Lil Pete
this song could be three words over and over and I would still listen to it

19. Stinc Team - "Cyber Bullies" feat. Drakeo the Ruler, ALLBLACK & Bino Rideaux (Duse)
Drakeo said "I guess I'm back" and then somersaulted. An American hero. 

20. AzChike - "Playa" (DaygoRaw)
permanent snarl etched into his voice i love it

21. ALLBLACK - "P's & Q's" (DTB)
the audacity alone to rap at this pace over a beat this frenetic deserves a medal

22. Valee - "Womp Womp" feat. Jeremih (Cassio)
song of the summer everyone know it

23. Kanye West - "All Mine" feat. Valee & Ty Dolla $ign (Francis and the Lights, Kanye West & Mike Dean)
ye, except it's the part where Ty Dolla kicks in over Valee for 23 minutes

24. A$AP Rocky - "Bad Company" feat. BlocBoy JB (Kintaro & Ricci Riera)
he's revolving-doored through every other aesthetic on the planet who'd have thought he'd end up on "boring." it's a good thing BlocBoy is the opposite.

25. Rucci - "Andalay" feat. KingRikoX & BossMann (HoodBeatz)
out of all the spirit animals Rucci could have fixated on, could he have picked a better one than a dog?

26. DJ Esco - "Chek" feat. Future (Dre Moon & Metro Boomin')
old form

27. $ilkmoney - "My Forte" (Tyler, the Creator)
absolutely nuts that $ilkmoney got Tyler into 2011 for a song

28. Don Trip - "Doernbecher" (Chefry Kitchen)
he rapped about his masseuse saying his shoulders are tense so this an autopick

29. Zaytoven - "Mo Reala" feat. Future (Zaytoven)
it's hard not to feel like songs of this caliber are effortless for these two

30. SD - "Sacrifice"
I don't know if I've ever listened to as much music by somebody I know absolutely nothing about as I have with SD. like who is this dude? he from Chicago okay but that's literally it. I don't even know what dude look like he got shadows on his face on the album cover. it's crazy

31. Gio Dee - "100K" feat. Polo $ummers (Snapz)
lmao "me and the Henny adjacent"

32. Octavian - "Little"
this song is great and all but man this guy got an all-time voice

33. Playboi Carti - "Love Hurts" feat. Travis Scott (Pi'erre Bourne & Playboi Carti)
some Blade Runner, cyberpunk (Tumblr edition), fed-through-a-3D-printer-for-mass-production vision of rockstardom. I vividly remember drawing similar lines back in time the first time I wrote about Lil Uzi Vert's "Luv Scars" and it's hard not to feel like I (and maybe Lil Uzi Vert) was wrong. that 2018 rockstars aren't about neon hair and hurling oneself off towers but, instead, wokstars, flatter and 8-bit and glassy-eyed. 

34. Saba - "PROM/KING" (daedaePIVOT, Daoud & Saba)
when the drums fall away around 2:30 this song is really something else.

35. Westside Gunn & Mr. Green - "Part Deux" (Mr. Green)
best piano loop of the year,

36. Pusha T - "Hard Piano" feat. Rick Ross (Andrew Dawson, Kanye West & Mike Dean)
second best piano loop of the year

37. Trae Tha Truth - "I Can't" feat. Boosie Badazz & RaRa
would've been a classic in 2010

38. Janelle Monáe - "Screwed" feat. Zoë Kravitz (Deep Cotton, Mr Hudson & Roman GianArthur)
the musical double entendre was invented for Janelle Monáe

39. Smoke DZA - "The Hook Up" feat. Dom Kennedy & Cozz (Girl Talk)
quietly DZA has been a top ten rapper from his city for half a decade now. Also, Dom Kennedy remembered how to rap. Also, Girl Talk should produce everything.

40. Kimbra - "Recovery" (John Congleton, Kimbra & Taylor Graves)
I probably knew every word to this song by the third time I ran it back in a row

20% of 2018

1. HoodRich Pablo Juan & Brodinski – “The Matrix” (Brodinski)

good robot music

2. Bandhunta Izzy – “Sauce Walk” (Nasa Got DatHeat)
each line a hook (1:57-2:01) you can build a career off that

3. 03 Greedo – “Safety” feat. Ralfy the Plug (BeatBoy & Ron-RonTheProducer)
better than the freestyle confessional

4. WiFiGawd – “Hood Bitch” (Johnny Caravaggio)
hood trance

5. Ronny J – “824” (Ronny J)
I understand the Ronny J rapping slander but I would rather have this song than the last Ski Mask album

6. JPEGMAFIA – “Does This Ski Mask Make Me Look Fat?” feat. Heno (JPEGMAFIA)
trap wails got a new life (ex. A — this, ex. B — "😱")

7. Skooly – “Dirty Dawg “Insane”” (Buddah Bless)
when you have a wail as good as Skooly/Lucci the temptation to always rap that way is a reasonable one but this is the best Skooly song of 2018 primarily because he makes us wait

8. Migos – “CC” feat. Gucci Mane (DJ Durel & Quavo)
shrug

9. Kevin Kazi – “Boomerang” (Alecto)
I mean I love Travis Scott karaoke

10. lil4 & whyfye – “who you are” (elevated)
this feels like it's also karaoke but I can't figure out who so I guess that means this is just plain great?

11. YFN Lucci – “650 Luc” (Bobby Kritical)
ep > album

12. T.Y.E – “Mary Kay Pontiac”
he said "I don't give a fuck if it's PayPal, Cash App"!

13. YTO3 – “Running Thru O3” (Cash Cobain)
this slides

14. Red Note – “Janet” (Ellie Cope)
this song really has everything and that's all I can really get myself to write about it. I would listen to several albums of this and would financially support an entire career of this.

15. Octavian – “Party Here” (JGBRM)
I saw this in a Twitter video that was like a minute long and although I preferred it in that format, there's a lot of star here.

16. BIGBABYGUCCI – “Crime” (BLVC SVND)
this should've been a hit

17. Brian Fresco – “Tatted On Me” (Swim Team)
there's an excellent argument that Brian Fresco and KAMI and Joey Purp are operating on a higher level than Vic Mensa ever was, because as far as I'm concerned you gotta call "Down on My Luck" the absolute peak and man fell off an unfortunate cliff after and songs like this are definitely close to that peak

18. Sweet Trip – “Dsco” (Sweet Trip)
perfect song on perfect album

19. Lil Xan – “Xanarchy” (Bobby Johnson)
THIS SHOULD'VE BEEN A HIT

20. Jon Waltz – “Backstreets” (Eric Lynch)
still not convinced this isn't a radio hit from when I was in middle school

21. Kendrick Lamar & SOB X RBE – “Paramedic” feat. Zacari (Cubeatz, DJ Dahi & Sounwave)
kendrick into slimmy at the start of this song is unbeatable

22. OMB Peezy & Sherwood Marty – “Crash Out” feat. Sherwood Flame (Drum Dummie)
I don't know if I'm fully sold on Sherwood Marty as a talent but sometimes he clicks, like on this song featuring Young Thug, and I believe it

23. Payroll Giovanni & Cardo – “5’s and 6’s” (Cardo)
The first warm day in Cambridge I listened to this album through four times and didn't stop smiling.

24. Mozzy - "Interlude" feat. Phora & Terrace Martin (Daniel Cruz, Dave-O & Terrace Martin)
I hope there is more Mozzy this year

25. Blac Youngsta - "Strength" (Rasta Papi)
trance

26. Ohgeesy & Master Kato - "Codeine Bryant" (Taz Taylor)
cult class

27. sixpress - "in the now" (sixpress)
as many have said before me, this is buried deep inside the Earl shadow, but that is a problem for 2019 and not 2018

28. Trippie Redd - "Make a Wish" 
this might be a Diplo song or something idk but I exclusively plan on listening to this in altered leaked form

29. Vic Spencer & Sonnyjim - "Hex Hawking" feat. Ironside Hex (Sonnyjim)
earlier this year, I took a 2AM overnight from Boston to New York to interview Maxo Kream and I spent two hours wandering Hell's Kitchen and as the sun rose I made sure to play this on repeat so now this song feels like waking up. I think it would make a good alarm clock but I'm scared I won't like it anymore.

30. Roc Marciano - "Bohemian Grove" feat. Knowledge the Pirate
return to form

31. Fishmans - "頼りない天使" (Fishmans)
japanese

32. Black Milk - "But I Can Be" feat. Ab (Black Milk)
in my mind, Black Milk exclusively records songs by performing them to an audience with a live band and miking the whole gig up

33. Dabrye - "Pretty" feat. Jonwayne (Dabrye)
this is full-stop unbelievable.

34. Everything is Recorded - "Be My Friend" feat. Infinite (Richard Russell)
I have a playlist called "nightwalk" which I listen to when I walk around at night this is the first song on it

35. A.A.L (Against All Logic) - "Cityfade" (Nicolas Jaar)
if I used this in a movie I would probably use it as background music to a planet imploding as a spaceship of people flies away forlornly

36. Kodak Black - "When Vultures Cry" (Helluva & Kodak Black)
everything Kodak has done for the last six months has been absolute gold (Project Baby 2 is top 20 album last year and the reloaded is even better) but this one is how you know he's blacked out and locked in

37. Slimmy B - "God" (AnT)
I think we all kind of lock into songs by gangsta rappers that show chinks in the armor but this isn't quite that it's better

38. Cozz - "Bout It" feat. Garren (Meez)
Cozz would be a better Logic

39. KB Devaughn - "Playin'" feat. Boogie & Dana Williams (Dezzie Gee)
I would pay lots of money to have a Boogie verse on this

40. vartikar - "plenty - site" (vartikar)
floats.

best music, 2017

every year since 2011 i think about not doing one of these and every year i can't think about anything else once the calendar flips to december even though it's more and more unclear who this is for (except promit, u the man u read all my writing shoutout promit day 1). i think ultimately though, this is about etching into internet stone the music (++ thoughts and smiles and frowns intertwined with it) that i lived by. first time i heard "t-shirt" outside of my room i was in boston common after the patriots stole the super bowl watching a kid milly-rock to it off a UE boom. first night i heard "chanel" i was singing bout c's on both sides with my best friends wandering through barcelona sidestreets till 4am. i can't listen to "cannon" without thinking of april. i eat existential crises for breakfast but even considering that, this year put me through the blender — i was in lecture halls, i was in an office, i was skipping school traveling across the world for six weeks, i'm still lost, it's all good though because like it does every single year, the music on this page kept me breathing. my future is both the clearest and the cloudiest it's ever been but i'm learning that means i'm thriving. ok i'm done. 

• only one song from a project on the songs list
• only one project from an artist on the albums list
• no grouping together two projects from an artist and treating them as one cause we ranking albums not artist outputs and if we were doing the latter we could start and end this list at Young Thug every year and then nobody would read things i wrote anymore.

Songs
50. Yoshii24k - "Bad Freestyle" (?)
49. Drakeo the Ruler - "Big Banc Uchies" (Bruce24k)
48. OMB Peezy - "Talk My Shit" feat. Yhung T.O (Cardo)
47. Aminé - "Heebiejeebies" feat. Kehlani (Jahaan Sweet)
46. HoodRich Pablo Juan - "We Don't Luv Em" (Danny Wolf)
45. Nef the Pharaoh - "Bling Blaow" feat. Slimmy B (The Two. Fifteens)
44. J Hus - "Common Sense" (The Compozers, JAE5 & Mark Crown)
43. Trippie Redd - "In Too Deep" (Goose the Guru & Paris the Producer)
42. Mozzy - "Sleep Walkin" (Jay P Bangz)
41. Lil Baby - "My Dawg" (Quay Global)
40. Rich Homie Quan - "Replay" (DJ Nasty, Lee Major & LWM)
39. weslee - "Bathwater" (weslee)
38. Yaeji - "Drink I'm Sippin On" (Yaeji)
37. Ty Dolla $ign - "Don't Judge Me" feat. Future & Swae Lee (30 Roc & Mike WiLL Made-It)
36. Young Clancy - "Always Have" (Young Clancy)
35. GoldLink - "Herside Story" feat. Hare Squead (Felix Joseph & Hare Squead)
34. The xx - "On Hold" (The xx)
33. Syd - "Know" (Nick Green)
32. Sampha - "(No One Knows Me) Like the Piano" (Rodaidh McDonald & Sampha)
31. Key! & Reese LaFlare - "Money Phone" feat. Offset (Bobby Kritical & Kc Da Beatmonster)
30. Mac DeMarco - "My Old Man" (Mac DeMarco)
29. Frank Ocean - "Slide On Me (Remix)" feat. Young Thug (Vegyn)
28. Kodak Black - "Misunderstood" (Skip on Da Beat)
27. Amir Obé - "Cigarettes" (NYLZ)
26. Allan Kingdom - "Don't Push Me" (Dro & SinGrinch)
25. Thundercat - "Friend Zone" (Mono/Poly)
24. Two-9 - "None of These" feat. FatKidsBrotha, Key! & Jace (CeeJ & Mitch)
23. MIKE - "Greedy" feat. Jesse Brotter (MIKE)
22. House of Pharaohs - "RYM (Run With Me)" (?)
21. 24hrs - "VSVSVS" (Nard & B)
20. Anna of the North - "Lovers" (Anna of the North)
19. King Krule - "Czech One" (Dilip Harris & King Krule)
18. SZA - "Drew Barrymore" (Carter Lang & Scum)
17. 03 Greedo - "Rude" (?)
16. 03 Greedo - "Breaking News" (?)
15. Young Thug - "Feel It" (Wheezy)
14. Eli Sostre - "New Addy" (Eli Sostre & Soriano)
13. Creek Boyz - "With My Team" (A2RBEATZ)
12. Smokepurpp - "Audi." (Ronny J)
11. Quelle Chris - "Popeye" feat. I, Ced (MNDSGN)
10. BROCKHAMPTON - "Cannon" (Bear//Face, Jabari Manwa, Kevin Abstract, Kiko & Romil)
9. Calvin Harris - "Slide" feat. Frank Ocean & Migos (Calvin Harris)
8. Future - "Hallucinating" (Dre Moon)
7. YoungBoy Never Broke Again - "No Smoke" (DJ Jealousy)
6. Lil Uzi Vert - "Luv Scars K.o 1600" (DJ Plugg)
5. Playboi Carti - "Location" (Harry Fraud) 
4. Tyler, the Creator - "911/Mr. Lonely" feat. Frank Ocean & Steve Lacy (Tyler, the Creator)
3. Kendrick Lamar - "Element" (Bēkon, James Blake, Ricci Riera, Sounwave & Tae Beast)
2. Frank Ocean - "Chanel" (Frank Ocean, Jarami & Michael Uzowuru)
1. Migos - "T-Shirt" (Nard & B & XL)

Albums
50. Calvin Harris - Funk Wav Bounce Vol. 1
49. Rich Homie Quan - Back to the Basics
48. J Hus - Common Sense
47. Lorde - Melodrama
46. Miguel - War & Leisure
45. Big K.R.I.T. - 4eva is a Mighty Long Time
44. Trippie Redd - A Love Letter to You 2
43. Jay Som - Everybody Works
42. Jonwayne - Rap Album Two
41. Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked at Me
40. Chief Keef - Thot Breaker
39. Yhung T.O - On My Momma
38. Aminé - Good for You
37. Mount Kimbie - Love What Survives
36. Young Nudy - Nudy Land
35. Medslaus - Poorboy
34. Wiki - No Mountains in Manhattan
33. Lil Uzi Vert - Luv is Rage 2
32. Daniel Caesar - Freudian
31. Kelly Lee Owens - Kelly Lee Owens
30. milo - Who Told You to Think??!!?!?!?! 
29. Billy Woods - Known Unknowns
28. Jay-Z - 4:44
27. Mozzy - 1 Up Top Ahk
26. GoldLink - At What Cost
25. Quelle Chris - Being You is Great, I Wish I Could Be You More Often
24. Vince Staples - Big Fish Theory
23. Eli Sostre - Sleep is for the Weak
22. Migos - Culture
21. 03 Greedo - Money Changes Everything
20. Open Mike Eagle - Brick Body Kids Still Daydream
19. Moses Sumney - Aromanticism
18. Cousin Stizz - One Night Only
17. Yaeji - EP1
16. Syd - Fin.
15. King Krule - The Ooz
14. Kodak Black - Project Baby 2
13. MIKE - May God Bless Your Hustle
12. YoungBoy Never Broke Again - AI YoungBoy
11. The xx - I See You
10. Thundercat - Drunk
9. Ty Dolla $ign - Beach House 3
8. Mac DeMarco - This Old Dog
7. Playboi Carti - Playboi Carti
6. BROCKHAMPTON - SATURATION
5. SZA - CTRL
4. Future - HNDRXX
3. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.
2. Young Thug - Beautiful Thugger Girls
1. Tyler, the Creator - Flower Boy

Other Things I Love That Don’t Fit Into Those Lists
20. When Young Thug said the feds got a camera in his pool 12 nasty and then says he'll order 10  rooms in your town and not sleep in any of them and says a girl so bad he wants some of her features all in the same verse on "Get Mine" (Ayo the Producer, Keyzbaby & Smash David)
19. Dominique - "Problems" (vartikar)
18. SILVER - "Darling Don't" (Chris Plante & Daniel Alvarez De Toledo)
17. YBS Skola - Only Hope 2
16. KAMI - Just Like the Movies
15. Iojii & Swarvy - Due Rent
14. Natia the God - 10K Hours
13. Mach Hommy & The Alchemist - "Brand Name" (The Alchemist)
12. TeeCee4800 - Realness Over Millions 2
11. PnB Rock - "There She Go" feat. YFN Lucci (Bizzy Genius)
10. Benny - Butcher on Steroids
9. G Perico's 2017
8. SOB x RBE's 2017, especially the part on "Bling Blaow" where Slimmy B says that his diamonds are changing colors like a gecko
7. Payroll Giovanni & Helluva - Payface
6. Moneybagg Yo & NBA YoungBoy - Fed Baby's
5. BROCKHAMPTON's 2017
4. Dom McClennon washing his whole entire collective on "Swim" (Q3 & Romil Hemnani)
3. Brent Faiyaz's hook on "Crew" (Teddy Walton)
2. Shy Glizzy's verse on "Crew" (Teddy Walton)
1. 03 Greedo's 2017

Rappers I Didn't Know Before 2017
10. Sheck Wes
9. J Hus
8. bbno$
7. Lil Baby
6. Yhung T.O
5. Drakeo the Ruler
4. Mach Hommy
3. Trippie Redd
2. MIKE
1. 03 Greedo

Things I Don't Like as Much as Everyone Else
5. $ki Mask the Slump God's 2017
i suppose it is good that $ki saw the slickest resolution to his SoundCloud distorted-mix phase but i don't think that means he had the best. give me "Where's the Blow" (or even "Life's Short") over hoarse $ki over Timbaland any day.
4. BROCKHAMPTON - "JUNKY"
Abstract snaps but he does on every song by this band so we not treating that as a real differentiator. but fundamentally i think this encapsulates a lot of what i struggle with when it comes to BROCKHAMPTON -- it feels more like an odd juxtaposition of disparate parts and personalities that's carried more by individual skill than any particular group chemistry, and when a couple of them falter in the same 4-minute-interval (Matt Champion drags here and Merlyn's flow grates) the entire song sags. it all feels something like early Odd Future -- it's great music but it's hard to not see the personalities not poking out a bit too far.
3. SoundCloud rap's 2017
i mean i guess i write this fully prepared to be eating my words in 6 months when Lil Xan ruling Billboard and BIGBABYGUCCI the new hip-hop-rockstar but it was odd to watch this scene not move as linearly as i expected it to outside of the obvious counterexample of "XO." it was odd to watch the most obvious star (XXX) not only get (rightfully) mired in horrifying allegations, but to also make music that didn't make much sense -- i feel like the mysterious-vine-sampling-singing record comes later in the artist life-cycle -- and to generally feel as if SoundCloud generation 3.0 (if 1.0 is Post Malone/Lil Uzi and 2.0 is 21) sort of hit a wall and dissipate to be replaced with a way wider sphere of artists of similar status (Lil Xan, Warhol.ss, etc.). i am not used to feeling this uneasy/off-balance w/r/t a major mainstream rap scene and the more internet hippy tweets i read the more i feel that way. i guess that sentence is another way of saying "i'm old" too, so idk how to feel bout all this. but more of this really does happen on WORLDSTARHIPHOP or Elevator's YouTube channel than i feel like it should in 2017. and maybe that really is just the logical conclusion when objectively a large slice of the pie here is personality -- and i really don't feel like this is a knock, just an acknowledgement that if 6ix9ine had a line-up instead of whatever is on his head or if YBN Nahmir looked like my little brother and shot that video with his boys on the local pick-up court than this whole scene looks upside-down.  i have this whole flowchart in my head -- Instagram likes to retweets to SoundCloud plays to Billboard appearances to Genius explanation videos to RapCaviar to Top 40 -- and okay, the whole music industry is being subverted or whatever (i don't have to listen to that speech again, especially not when shit looks like this), but are you really telling me that Lil Pump mattered that much before he hit radio? i gotta see some conceptualization of what success means for this generation of artists if it really isn't album/album equivalent sales before i buy into it blindly.
2. Cardi B - "Bodak Yellow"
Cardi B is probably the best rap star in recent memory and please believe that i'm fully present for the IG flexes and top 5 rap twitter, and every time she washes the entire Migos on a track like she did on "Motor Sport" or 21 Savage like she did on "Bartier Cardi" is just a bonus. but this song is also diet "Ooouuu" and i refuse to accept any revisionism about this being better than "No Flocking" because i can't remember the last time a song snapped me to attention re: an artist i'd never heard before like that. 
1. Vince Staples - Big Fish Theory
lazy listening to equate innovative ideas or musical combinations with quality. uk garage + rap is a cool idea and this is probably the pinnacle of that but that's all. man did this!

Things I Like More Than Everybody Else
1. "Gucci Gang," apparently.

Albums of the Year as Ranked by My Friend Nick, Who is No Longer My Roommate But is Still a Great Guy
20. Moses Sumney - Aromanticism
19. Soulwax - From Deewee
18. milo - Who Told You to Think??!!?!?!?! 
17. Jeff Tweedy - Together at Last
16. Circuit Des Yeux - Reaching for Indigo
15. Joseph Shabason - Aytche
14. Japanese Breakfast - Soft Sounds from Another Planet
13. Blanck Mass - World Eater
12. A. Savage - Thawing Dawn
11. King Krule - The Ooz
10. Laurel Halo - Dust
9. Psymon Spine - You Are Coming to My Birthday
8. Dirty Projectors - Dirty Projectors
7. Bicep - Bicep
6. Susanne Sundfør - Music for People in Trouble
5. Grizzly Bear - Painted Ruins
4. Chastity Belt - I Used to Spend So Much Time Alone
3. Mount Kimbie - Love What Survives
2. Tyler, the Creator - Flower Boy
1. Kelly Lee Owens - Kelly Lee Owens

All the Songs on Lil Pump by Lil Pump, Objectively Ranked
15. "Smoke My Dope" feat. Smokepurpp (Ronny J)
14. "Pinky Ring" feat. Smokepurpp & Rick Ross (Illa)
13. "What U Sayin'" feat. Smokepurpp (FadedBlackKid & Trapphones)
12. "Foreign" (TM88)
11. "Whitney" feat. Chief Keef (BigHeadOnTheBeat & Captain Crunch)
10. "Youngest Flexer" feat. Gucci Mane (BigHeadOnTheBeat)
9. "At the Door" (BigHeadOnTheBeat & CBMix)
8. "Boss" (Diablo)
7. "Back" feat. Lil Yachty (Mr. 2-17)
6. "Molly" (BigHeadOnTheBeat & Ronny J)
5. "Crazy" (Mr. 2-17)
4. "Flex Like Ouu" (Danny Wolf & Ronny J)
3. "D Rose" (Terrotuga)
2. "Gucci Gang" (BigHeadOnTheBeat & Gnealz)
1. "Iced Out" feat. 2 Chainz (Mr. 2-17)
we going into 2018 with no pump slander on our conscience. he said he got too much racks in his pocket that his wallet won't fold that's how i'm tryna spend my 2018.

music for 4pm

1. Allan Kingdom - "The Ride" (Allan Kingdom & Plain Pat)
the hook here timeless; you could just as easily see it camouflaged by a major lazer drop or transplanted onto a early-2000's top 40/alternative rock crossover. instead, it's on some insane spin-cycled "the reminder" by the weeknd and it's blinding

2. Young Clancy - "Always Have" (Young Clancy)
this one teeters and wobbles; it holds on just barely and then it tumbles (at 1:04) and it freezes me every time

3. Blu & Knxwledge - "DraginBreff" (Knxwledge)
as the years have passed, the signs of blu's brilliance have become fewer and more far between, indicated through the haze by the occasional resolution of fuzziness into sharpness. so this is that rare latter-stage blu song that is excellent not because of its hyper-realized abstraction, but instead from an eighty-eight second moment of clarity. "never say never to a kid with a pigment problem" still wildly poignant

4. Westside Gunn - "Rolack's" feat. Skyzoo (Camoflauge Monk)
too triumphant for 6pm and too halting for 2pm. i'm glad somebody gave westside gunn the circa-2010 formula for a 90+ on okayplayer -- we are all winners here

5. Nate Dae - "Mood Swings"
the snarl overstays its welcome over 12 songs, but stripped down to some weird inversion of bastard tyler and it's arresting

6. Lucki Eck$ - "Freewave 7" (K Swisha)
when the last time lucki made you dance?

7. Dominique - "Problems" (vartikar)
charisma is a gift (j. cole really built a career off it seven years ago while literally kicking toilet raps) and it is truly everywhere here

8. House of Pharaohs - "RWM (Run with Me)"
6. the british merlyn wood verse; 5. verse 5 (besides the part where he says "nike socks cocaine"); 4. verse 6; 3. verse 1; 2. verse 4; 1. the one where he says "jiminy cricket, i'm lucky" and then hits the carti-tier "yuh" sixteen lines in a row

9. Playboi Carti - "Let It Go" (Pi'erre Bourne)
i don't know man, the aesthetic is real powerful and the sound is so smothering that there is a person yelling intermittently as an adlib and i didn't realize until just this moment, nearly a hundred listens into this song, and that seems like the only testament anyone needs to hear about carti. also, if i ever use this defense for a song ever again somebody put my laptop into a trash compacter

10. Yung Lean - "Hunting My Own Skin" (Whitearmor & Yung Gud)
we gonna let ronny j hold up the rap scene of an entire state with a shrug and then tear down scandinavian travis scott just because yung gud the most important rap visionary since metro boomin'? i'm sick

11. Open Mike Eagle - "Legendary Iron Hood" (Exile)
12. milo - "Landscaping" feat. Elucid (Scallops Hotel)
tough to grapple with that entire 2014 generation of hellfyre club rappers (milo, busdriver, open mike eagle, nocando, etc.) rapping over objectively stronger and more nuanced production while making continuously less compelling music. maybe i just liked milo better when he kicked his dream raps over dream soundscapes. but i suppose part of the intended effect is that the heartbreak induced in these artists' music, when induced, is now backed by suitably emotionally-heartbreaking music, and what i am saying is that it is very difficult to argue with music this powerful

13. NxWorries - "Droogs" (Knxwledge)
[1:12 - 1:31]

14. SILVER - "Darling Don't" (Chris Plante & Daniel Alvarez De Toledo)
sometimes i wonder whether the musical rubric that we gravitate towards doesn't slap too strong of a multiplier on abstract lyricism, because there is absolutely nothing special about the words here but that seems so so so sufficient

15. Jay Som - "I Think You're Alright"
my college dorm last winter was in a yard (a quadrangle) separated from the rest of campus by a ten-minute walk but ten mental miles. my dorm window was on the second floor of a building that peered out over a quadrangle that stayed frozen and unmoving long after class bells began ringing. for two straight weeks, i would wake up to this song and refuse to get out of bed to this song and shower to this song and live my life to this song until it bled into my life. i found this on twitter two years ago while music was still hip-hop & everything else to me but it is still a quiet lightning bolt