Best Scraps 2018.

Declaring my favourite song of the year isn’t usually this easy but what Saba did on ‘PROM / KING’ is some of the best song-writing I’ve ever heard. On an album shrouded in grief, this is the climax where Saba tells the story of how a particular prom night brought him and his distant cousin closer, and follows the friendship that bloomed after that night. Saba manages to tell a story that’s grand in scope but captures moments and people in such intimate detail. It never goes the obvious route and never leans on cliches.

Me and cuz stay down the street, living different lives
Every day he on the bus, me, I get a ride
I gave him 30 on the porch, he never went inside
He tells me, “Thank you,” then he walked back home with a smile
He tryna hide it but I see his dimple
I’m thinkin’, “Damn, that transaction was simple”

The beat starts slow with a suitably gloomy piano riff but builds in intensity and switches up altogether to stay jazzy and interesting for the full seven minutes. The song is clearly melancholic, yet his cousin’s death is left implicit even at the climax of the song, which captures the shock and panic one feels right after and right before learning of a friend’s death.

Saba is such a well-rounded rapper. He’s a masterful storyteller and clever lyricist who comfortably switches between rappity-rapping and more melodic rapping, always with a dope flow either way. He’s also a passionate vocal performer who always has good beats, many of which are self-produced. To top it all off, he’s one of the best live performers out. This song is one of the best rap songs ever made and Care For Me was the best rap album of 2018.

Other people also made songs. Valee squeaked and whispered his way to domination, Earl dropped his opus, and Jayaire Woods wailed emotionally and it sounded great. Gunna & Lil Baby invented the guitar and Sahbabii achieved musical nirvana. BbyMutha & the City Girls bulldozed the patriarchy and made the rubble pay their rent. Don Toliver swallowed Travis Scott whole. The General Kevin Gates appeared to have also eaten someone upon getting out of prison but what had grown even greater was his Rank. Phonte released one of the best grown-man rap albums ever. West-Coast titan – and one of the most talented rappers alive – Drakeo The Ruler spent most of the year in a jail cell, where he remains to this day fighting a murder charge for which he was already acquitted, all because vindictive prosecutors and detectives are trying to use racist gang enhancement laws and music videos & lyrics as evidence to put him away for life. Hip-hop has a tragically unique number of these stories annually. 
RIP Jimmy Wopo, co-creator of one of the pre-eminent bangers of our time.

So without further yap-yap, here come the scrap-scraps:

    1. Saba – PROM/KING
    2. Valee & Jeremih – Womp Womp
    3. Don Toliver – CAN’T SAY ft. Travis Scott
    4. Earl Sweatshirt – The Mint ft. Navy Blue
    5. Kevin Gates – Change Lanes
    6. Bbymutha – Genesis/Triangles
    7. Gunna & Lil Baby – Drip Too Hard
    8. Jayaire Woods – Feel
    9. El Hitta – Aww Yea
    10. Mozzy – Do It For Dooterz
    11. City Girls – Period (We Live)
    12. Sahbabii – Tall
    13. The Alchemist & Earl Sweatshirt – E. Coli
    14. Drakeo The Ruler – Musty Freestyle
    15. Lor Choc – Speechless (Hurt So Bad)
    16. Phonte – Cry No More
    17. Jay Critch – Smutty (Intro)
    18. Young Thug – Icey
    19. Z Money – Bitcoin
    20. Gunna – Sold Out Dates ft. Lil Baby
    21. Huskii – Body The Booth
    22. Smino – Klink 
    23. Sada Baby & Drego – Bloxk Party
    24. Roc Marciano – Saks Fifth
    25. Polo G – Finer Things
    26. YNW Melly – Mama Cry
    27. Kodak Black – Transgression
    28. Que Almighty – Plucker
    29. Playboi Carti – R.I.P.
    30. Sauce Walka – Family
    31. Flipp Dinero – Leave Me Alone
    32. Maxo Kream – Roaches
    33. Starlito – Crying in the Car
    34. BlocBoy JB – Look Alive ft. Drake
    35. Swae Lee – Offshore ft. Young Thug
    36. CalBoy – Envy Me
    37. Saint Jhn – I Heard You Got Too Litt Last Night
    38. Bhad Bhabie – Affiliated ft. Asian Doll
    39. Noname – Part Of Me
    40. Tierra Whack – Hungry Hippo
    41. Blueface – Dead Locs Pt 2
    42. Anderson .Paak – Bubblin
    43. Wiki – Elixir
    44. Meek Mill – Championships
    45. Lil Keed – Nameless
    46. The Alchemist & Conway – Mac 10 Wounds
    47. Matt Ox – Jetlag ft. Chief Keef
    48. Azaelia Banks – Anna Wintour
    49. Stan Lane – Want Some More ft. Lor Choc & Kodie Shane
    50. Tokyo Jetz – No Problem
    51. 03 Greedo & Mozzy – Free Greedo
    52. DJ Taye – Trippin’
    53. J.I.D. – 151 Rum
    54. Armand Hammer – Root Farm
    55. Sylvan LaCue – Best Me
    56. Black Milk – Laugh Now Cry Later
    57. Grim Dave – Grim
    58. Avantdale Bowling Club – F(r)iends
    59. Sheck Wes – Mo Bamba
    60. Future – Georgia ft. Young Thug
    61. Freddie Gibbs – Death Row ft. 03 Greedo
    62. Rich Homie Quan – Reflecting
    63. Killa Kherk Cobain – Kush Groove
    64. Triple One – Tarlo
    65. Cuban Doll – Bankrupt
    66. Benny The Butcher – any song off Tana Talk 3
    67. G Herbo Who Run It (Remix) ft. Lil Uzi Vert
    68. 70th Street Carlos – Wake Me Up
    69. Metro Boomin – Don’t Come Out The House ft. 21 Savage
    70. Kur – No Shine ft. PnB Rock
    71. Rae Sremmurd – Powerglide
    72. Jay Rock – King’s Dead ft. Kendrick Lamar & Future
    73. Roddy Rich – Die Young
    74. Mavi – One Foot
    75. Drake – Nice For What
    76. Latasha – Glo Up
    77. Lil Berete – Time Flies
    78. Tyga – Taste ft. Offset
    79. Chance The Rapper – The Man Who Has Everything
    80. DaBoii – Today
    81. Payroll Giovanni & Cardo – BLYUG Outro
    82. Lil Durk – Neighbourhood Hero
    83. Rico Nasty – Countin Up
    84. SOB X RBE – Carpoolin’
    85. Hoodrich Pablo Juan – Money
    86. NBA Youngboy – Drawing Symbols
    87. Pusha T – The Story of Adidon
    88. Lil Uzi Vert – New Patek
    89. Chief Keef – Black Proud
    90. Aminé – DR WHOEVER
    91. DaBaby – Up The Street
    92. Rico Pressley – Betty Boop ft. Swae Lee
    93. P-Lo – Same Squad
    94. Peezy – Letter 2 Soda
    95. Milo – mythbuilding exercise no. 9
    96. Woemane – Whole Lot ft. Kur
    97. Vince Staples – Feels Like Summer
    98. Joey Purp – March 12th
    99. Cardi B – I Like It ft. J Balvin & Bad Bunny
    100. Shoreline Mafia – Bands

The best albums were:

The best EPs were:

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