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)
- Young Nudy & Playboi Carti – Kid Cudi/Pissy Pamper
- Billy Woods – Red Dust
- Maxo Kream – Meet Again
- Polo G – A King’s Nightmare
- Mavi – Self Love
- Quelle Chris – Obamacare
- Maxo – In My Penny’s
- Mozzy – I’ll Never Tell Em Shit
- Sada Baby – Back End
- Young M.A. – Stubborn Ass
- Denzel Curry – Ricky
- Lil Nas X – Old Town Road
- Roddy Ricch – War Baby
- Lil Tjay – Hold On
- Tsu Surf – At My Mother’s House
- Navy Blue – Higher Self
- J Hus – Daily Duppy Freestyle
- Lil Keed – Oh My God
- Goonew – What It Was
- Obijuan & Philanthrope – Soul Blue
- Queen Key – Evil
- Future – Baptiize
- Skepta – Bullet From A Gun
- Drake – Omertà
- Qari & Greenslime – What I Want
- Lil Darkie – Jack Daniels
- Conradfrmdaaves – Vintage & Adventurous
- Mustard – Baguettes In The Face ft. Nav, Carti & A Boogie
- Medhane – Routine
- Huskii & Chillinit – A Thousand Enemies
- Little Simz – 101FM
- Saint Jhn – Trap ft. Lil Baby
- Nipsey Hussle – Racks in the Middle ft. Roddy Ricch
- Slim Set – Warrang ft. Shady Nasty
- Fly Anakin & Big Kahuna O.G. – Big Uzi Vert
- G Herbo – Scratchy & Itchy
- NoCap – Ghetto Angels
- Dallas Woods – Chapter One
- Baby Smoove – Tings
- Tierra Whack – Gloria
- J Stone – Real Shit ft. YFN Lucci & Mozzy
- MIKE – Scarred Lungs, Vol. 1 & 2
- Lil Gotit – Drop The Top ft. Lil Keed
- Little Brother – The Feel
- Black Sand – Galaxy Eyes
- Youngn Lipz – Silent
- Wiki – Grim ft. Lil Ugly Mane & Denzel Curry
- ONEFOUR – In The Beginning
- James Blake – Where’s The Catch ft. Andre 3000
- Kari Faux – LATCH KEY
- Jackboy – Bipolar
- NLE Choppa – Shotta Flow
- Doja Cat – Tia Tamera ft. Rico Nasty
- 03 Greedo – Disco Shit ft. Freddie Gibbs
- ZelooperZ – Easter Sunday 97 ft. Earl Sweatshirt
- Rico Nasty – Hatin’
- Young Thug & Gunna – Hot
- Lil Tecca – Ransom
- Lil Uzi Vert – Sanguine Paradise
- Melvoni – No Man’s Land
- Earl Sweatshirt – EAST
- DaBaby – Suge
- Baby Keem – ORANGE SODA
- Young Mal & Pierre Bourne – Action ft. Lil Gotit
- Kevin Gates – Icebox
- Lor Choc – Vibe
- Dreamville – Down Bad ft. Young Nudy
- NBA Youngboy – Slime Belief
- Benny The Butcher – Sunday School ft. 38 Spesh & Jadakiss
- Megan Thee Stallion – Realer
- Freddie Gibbs – Crime Pays
- ShooterGang Kony – Charlie
- Griselda – Scotties
- Hamza – Inside Out
- Bhad Bhabie – Lotta Dem
Honorable Mention: Bbymutha, City Girls, Tyler, Jayaire Woods, Mach-Hommy, Sauce Walka, Deem Spencer, Pop Smoke, Jadakiss & 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:
- Slim Set – Warrang ft. Shady Nasty
- Huskii & Chillinit – A Thousand Enemies
- Dallas Woods – Chapter One
- Youngn Lipz – Silent
- ONEFOUR – In The Beginning
- Hamza – Inside Out
- Kaiit – Miss Shiney
- Triple One – Jitter ft. Raj Mahal
- Sampha The Great – Final Form
- T Breezy – Origami
- Jess B – So Low ft. Paige
(I didn’t hear that much but listening to much more these days)
Brodie’s Top Songs:
- Maxo Kream – Meet Again
- Lucki – More Than Ever
- Saint Jhn – Trap ft. Lil Baby
- Maxo – In My Penny’s
- Denzel Curry – Ricky
- Kari Faux – LATCH KEY
- Dreamville – Down Bad ft. Young Nudy
- Future – Never Stop
- Polo G – Battle Cry
- James Blake – Where’s The Catch ft. Andre 3000
Bonus Content
Best album covers
Best KD Designz album covers
