Another wonderful and weird year in rap music. The song that brought me the most joy was a leaked track that was so popular it tricked the charts into thinking it was real, hitting #1 on the Spotify Viral 50 chart. It still hasn’t seen an official release and was consumed almost as much in memes as it was in unofficial Soundcloud links. It starts with a hypnotic synth sample and a signature Pierre Bourne drum pattern, which make it sound like Young Nudy’s dancing up the technicolour stairway to heaven as he bounces along the beat for a few minutes, taunting the cops and the opps, before Carti steals the show as a depraved auto-tune demon baby. I can’t really explain the effect this song has on the mind and limbs but it is one of a kind. The meme does a pretty good job.

There was an abundance of boundary-pushing, beautifully sincere and lyrically virtuosic music coming out of the underground from the likes of Mavi, Maxo, Medhane, MIKE and more. The more mainstream rap game is in a kind of post-revolution state where the vocal and melodic innovations of Chief Keef, Young Thug, Future etc. are being used, tweaked and pushed by a younger generation of artists to varying levels of success, but done best by guys like Polo G, Carti, Roddy Ricch, Lil Tjay and Lil Keed. These innovations have also been stripped for parts and watered down enough by lesser artists to be widely accessible, meaning you’ll be made to hear a lot of the boring stuff. But there is always beauty in the scraps. It will never change. There was the continued renaissance of Aussie rap (though it still has ways to go), a golden period for women in rap, a heap of reliable favourites still releasing gems and interesting new talent sprouting from all corners of America/Earth. I’ll write about all these folks in due time. There was also a bunch of stuff, such as UK & NY Drill, that I haven’t really been paying attention to but is probably significant.

Anyway here it is, the best rap songs of 2019:

(one song limit per artist, order doesn’t really matter towards the end/ever. playlist links at the bottom)

  1. Young Nudy & Playboi Carti – Kid Cudi/Pissy Pamper
  2. Billy Woods – Red Dust
  3. Maxo Kream – Meet Again
  4. Polo G – A King’s Nightmare
  5. Mavi – Self Love
  6. Quelle Chris – Obamacare
  7. Maxo – In My Penny’s
  8. Mozzy – I’ll Never Tell Em Shit
  9. Sada Baby – Back End
  10. Young M.A. – Stubborn Ass
  11. Denzel Curry – Ricky
  12. Lil Nas X – Old Town Road
  13. Roddy Ricch – War Baby
  14. Lil Tjay – Hold On
  15. Tsu Surf – At My Mother’s House
  16. Navy Blue – Higher Self
  17. J Hus – Daily Duppy Freestyle
  18. Lil Keed – Oh My God
  19. Goonew – What It Was
  20. Obijuan & Philanthrope – Soul Blue
  21. Queen Key – Evil
  22. Future – Baptiize
  23. Skepta – Bullet From A Gun
  24. Drake – Omertà 
  25. Qari & Greenslime – What I Want
  26. Lil Darkie – Jack Daniels
  27. Conradfrmdaaves – Vintage & Adventurous
  28. Mustard – Baguettes In The Face ft. Nav, Carti & A Boogie
  29. Medhane – Routine
  30. Huskii & Chillinit – A Thousand Enemies
  31. Little Simz – 101FM
  32. Saint Jhn – Trap ft. Lil Baby
  33. Nipsey Hussle – Racks in the Middle ft. Roddy Ricch
  34. Slim Set – Warrang ft. Shady Nasty
  35. Fly Anakin & Big Kahuna O.G. – Big Uzi Vert
  36. G Herbo – Scratchy & Itchy
  37. NoCap – Ghetto Angels
  38. Dallas Woods – Chapter One
  39. Baby Smoove – Tings
  40. Tierra Whack – Gloria
  41. J Stone – Real Shit ft. YFN Lucci & Mozzy
  42. MIKE – Scarred Lungs, Vol. 1 & 2
  43. Lil Gotit – Drop The Top ft. Lil Keed
  44. Little Brother – The Feel
  45. Black Sand – Galaxy Eyes
  46. Youngn Lipz – Silent
  47. Wiki – Grim ft. Lil Ugly Mane & Denzel Curry
  48. ONEFOUR – In The Beginning
  49. James Blake – Where’s The Catch ft. Andre 3000
  50. Kari Faux – LATCH KEY
  51. Jackboy – Bipolar
  52. NLE Choppa – Shotta Flow
  53. Doja Cat – Tia Tamera ft. Rico Nasty
  54. 03 Greedo – Disco Shit ft. Freddie Gibbs
  55. ZelooperZ – Easter Sunday 97 ft. Earl Sweatshirt
  56. Rico Nasty – Hatin’
  57. Young Thug & Gunna – Hot
  58. Lil Tecca – Ransom
  59. Lil Uzi Vert – Sanguine Paradise
  60. Melvoni – No Man’s Land
  61. Earl Sweatshirt – EAST
  62. DaBaby – Suge
  63. Baby Keem – ORANGE SODA
  64. Young Mal & Pierre Bourne – Action ft. Lil Gotit
  65. Kevin Gates – Icebox
  66. Lor Choc – Vibe
  67. Dreamville – Down Bad ft. Young Nudy
  68. NBA Youngboy – Slime Belief
  69. Benny The Butcher – Sunday School ft. 38 Spesh & Jadakiss
  70. Megan Thee Stallion – Realer
  71. Freddie Gibbs – Crime Pays
  72. ShooterGang Kony – Charlie
  73. Griselda – Scotties
  74. Hamza – Inside Out
  75. Bhad Bhabie – Lotta Dem

Honorable Mention: BbymuthaCity GirlsTylerJayaire WoodsMach-HommySauce WalkaDeem SpencerPop SmokeJadakiss & Rod Wave.

The best albums were by Mavi, Billy Woods & Polo G. The next best albums were by Roddy Ricch, Maxo, Tsu Surf, Wiki, Medhane & Queen Key.

Best of Oz 2019:

  1. Slim Set – Warrang ft. Shady Nasty
  2. Huskii & Chillinit – A Thousand Enemies
  3. Dallas Woods – Chapter One
  4. Youngn Lipz – Silent
  5. ONEFOUR – In The Beginning
  6. Hamza – Inside Out
  7. Kaiit – Miss Shiney
  8. Triple One – Jitter ft. Raj Mahal
  9. Sampha The Great – Final Form
  10. T Breezy – Origami
  11. Jess B – So Low ft. Paige

(I didn’t hear that much but listening to much more these days)

Brodie’s Top Songs:

  1. Maxo Kream – Meet Again
  2. Lucki – More Than Ever
  3. Saint Jhn – Trap ft. Lil Baby
  4. Maxo – In My Penny’s
  5. Denzel Curry – Ricky
  6. Kari Faux – LATCH KEY
  7. Dreamville – Down Bad ft. Young Nudy
  8. Future – Never Stop
  9. Polo G – Battle Cry
  10. James Blake – Where’s The Catch ft. Andre 3000

Bonus Content

Best album covers
Best KD Designz album covers

 

Leave a Reply