I'm here making my annual appearance. Please don't get gassed and think because I'm kicking off the year with a new post that this is gonna be some sort of consistent ritual. There is a good chance this is the only thing I write for the whole year. Yeah I know, I'm a POS.
Anyway, I thought I would return to my roots (wait... I had roots?) and post my favorite songs from the past year. This list is subjective but that doesn't mean you can't roast tf out of it. There's not much criteria here... these are simply the 40 songs I enjoyed the most in 2018. Why 40? I don't know, tbh. It just feels like a good number to cap this at. Plus I missed the past few years (which was usually my fav 30) so y'all muthafuckas have earned an extra 10 songs for your troubles.
On to the list!
40. Migos 'Stir Fry'
Hell has frozen over
39. Kanye West 'Yikes'
But I'm still 'Make Kanye 2006 Again' all day
38. Rich The Kid 'Plug Walk'
I'm not gonna pretend like this is full of lyrical content ('space coupe like E.T.?!') but the beat bangs
37. Bazzi 'Mine'
At only 2:11 long, this might pack the most punch per second for any song this year
36. Justin Timberlake 'SoulMate'
35. James Bay 'Pink Lemonade'
34. 5 Seconds of Summer 'Youngblood'
Nothing like some good ol' fashioned white pop
33. J Balvin feat. Anitta & Jeon 'Machika'
32. Nicky Jam & J Balvin 'X'
31. Maluma feat. Nego Do Borel 'Corazon'
30. Reik feat. Ozuna & Wisin 'Me Niego'
You have now reached the portion of the countdown where you're reminded that I'm Puerto Rican & Dominican
29. 6ix9ine feat. DJ SpinKing 'TATI'
As much as I don't want to, I like the kid. His energy is undeniable. Free my dude
28. Mike Will Made-It feat. A$AP Rocky, Nicki Minaj & A$AP Ferg 'Runnin''
27. Nicki Minaj 'Chun-Li'
Sure, she may have said some wild shit last year but this is classic Nicki right here (and I mean that in a good way)
26. Drake 'Mob Ties'
This is the type of energy he should've brought to the Pusha T battle
25. Clean Bandit feat. Marina & The Diamonds & Luis Fonsi 'Baby'
I admit I just heard this a few days ago but I CAN'T STOP LISTENING
24. Marc Anthony, Will Smith & Bad Bunny 'Esta Rico'
Initially, I thought this song could do without the Fresh Prince. But then I kept singing 'I think you're delicious' in my head
23. DJ Snake feat. Cardi B, Ozuna & Selena Gomez 'Taki Taki'
Sadly, this isn't Cardi B's only appearance here. Wtf is wrong with me
22. Christina Aguilera feat. Demi Lovato 'Fall In Line'
21. Clean Bandit feat. Demi Lovato 'Solo'
On a personal level, 2018 was probably a year Demi Lovato would like to forget, but she did kill it on these two bangers
20. Khalid 'Better'
Smooth soul from a dude rocking a flat top
19. Post Malone 'Better Now'
So we're just gonna ignore the fact this dude looks homeless?
18. Anderson .Paak feat. J. Cole 'Trippy'
My pick for album of the year. 'Oxnard' is worth your time
17. Ella Mai 'Boo'd Up'
I have been caught singing this shit in some of the sassiest ways possible
Dominicaaaa ahh ahh ahh
15. Bruno Mars feat. Cardi B 'Finesse (Remix)'
It pains me to say this but Cardi did enhance this song. On a related note: I don't know who I am anymore
14. J. Cole '1985'
More bars like this in 2019 por favor
13. YG feat. 2 Chainz, Big Sean & Nicki Minaj 'Big Bank'
You couldn't have picked better features to rock this beat
12. Kanye West & Lil Pump 'I Love It'
'You're such a fuckin' hoe, I love it'... yesss bring out my inner thot
11. Drake feat. Michael Jackson 'Don't Matter To Me'
Now THIS is how you do a posthumous collabo with MJ
10. Childish Gambino 'This Is America'
In under four minutes, Donald Glover takes us on a musical voyage, complete with various vibes. Like this country, the mood is uplifting & joyful at times, but also rough & sinister at others. 'This Is America' got a lot of attention due to it's graphic visuals (easily the video of the year) but the song accompanies it so beautifully.
9. Ariana Grande 'No Tears Left To Cry'
2018 was the year I finally understood the appeal to Ariana Grande, 'cause before that I was utterly confused. There is no way I'm gonna be able to hit the high notes she reaches in the hook, but that hasn't stopped me from trying. Cover your ears, pendejos.
8. Kendrick Lamar & SZA 'All The Stars'
Apparently, everything associated with 'Black Panther' was gold. Movie was a huge commercial success, and the soundtrack did phenomenal as well. The lead single set off the buzz, and with good reason. "This maybe the night that my dreams might let me know all the stars are closer." Shit had me ready to go to war for Wakanda.
7. Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper 'Shallow'
I knew this song (and movie) was gonna be a smash when I saw the trailer months before it's release. Sure enough, both did not disappoint. This is gonna be one of my go-to karaoke songs. And yes, I'll be doing Gaga's part.
6. Drake 'Nice For What'
Drake was making it impossible for me not to have him in heavy rotation. We already discussed his masterful MJ mix, but now you're just gonna sample the queen L-Boogie and expect me not to F with it? The whole world was singing 'kiki, do you love me?' last year, but quietly, this song was superior.
5. Lil Wayne 'Uproar'
There is great power in the 'Special Delivery' beat. When G. Dep rapped on it almost 20(!!) years ago, it had muthafuckas looking like they were catching seizures. Now you're gonna have a revitalized Weezy on there while Swizz Beatz hypes it up in the back? They trying to put dudes in a coma.
4. A$AP Ferg 'Harlem Anthem'
I rented 'Uncle Drew' and what stuck with me the most was the credits. Not because the movie was bad... a few cheap laughs, but entertaining overall. It's because this gem was playing over it. This is real New York rap, and that is the greatest compliment I can give anything musically.
3. Nas feat. Kanye West 'Cops Shot The Kid'
When it was announced that Nas was gonna drop a new album executive produced by Kanye, I was stoked. Seven tracks later, I was let down. You can't give the greatest MC of all-time 26 minutes for an album. FOH. It also seemed like the two lacked chemistry throughout the project. This song, however, is what I was expecting. A genius use of a Slick Rick sample to "remind 'em why Kaep kneels."
2. Jaden Smith feat. Nicky Jam 'Icon (Remix)'
After one of the many Met games I attended, there was a post-game concert featuring Busta Rhymes and a 'special guest'. That guest was Jaden Smith. That was the start of my fandom. Since then, I have been telling anyone that would listen that young Jaden is gonna be the biggest rap star on the planet one day. This song is exhibit A.
1. J. Cole 'Kevin's Heart'
I've officially entered Cole into my favorite 10 rappers of all-time. And that is a BIG deal. One of his strongest qualities is how he makes his music so relatable. 'Kevin's Heart' is no different. On some level, every guy can identify with this song... fighting that never-ending battle of temptation while in a committed relationship. "If I take this cookie now, one day I'll do the time." Choose wisely.
And there you have it! Hope you enjoyed the list. If you have ideas for future blogs, hit me up and let me know and maybe I'll be more active on here this year. Maybe.
