My favorite 40 songs of 2018

Happy 2019, ya filthy animals!

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

16. DaniLeigh 'Lil BeBe'
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.

I Love You, Taylor Swift

(aka 'The blog I thought I would never write')

01.26.14
While attempting to enjoy the soulless entertainment of the Grammys, I realized something... something that I may have been feeling for a while but was never quite able to put into words: I hate Taylor Swift.

The Imagine Dragons are in the middle of an epic performance of their smash hit, 'Radioactive', which featured an out-of-his-mind Kendrick Lamar. The energy in the building is oozing out of the screen. Naturally, the producers cut to a shot of Taylor Swift dancing off-beat. I become angry. Up to this point, I had tolerated a lot of her shenanigans, but this was the final straw. I declared my dislike for her in my live blog. I ran her name through the mud whenever she came up in conversation. Soon, it became something everyone knew about me. Actually, it was a PART of me. When discussing me, you had to mention my long-running TV show, my obsession with the Mets, and that I hate Taylor Swift. And you know what? I was PROUD of that. Wore it like a muthafuckin' badge of honor. Captain of the Taylor Swift hate club. That's me.

08.31.14
Every Sunday, I wake up and watch the VH1 Top 20 Countdown. Why? Because I love torture, apparently. It's not too bad... it keeps me in tune with what's going on musically in pop culture. It's my weekend tradition. This particular day, though, my world would be flipped upside down. Forever.

There's a new video on the countdown this week, and guess who it's by? That's right, my arch-rival Taylor Swift. 'Shake It Off'... great. Her pattern of dropping a new album just as her previous one is losing steam is predictable and annoying. Like, can I get one Taylor-free year in this bitch? Whatever. I'll just mean mug through this video and as soon as it ends, I'll give it the tongue-lashing it so rightfully deserves.

Except... I loved it. The song was catchy, the video was funny... it was beautiful. A work of art. My mean mug turned into a smile. My hate disappeared. Butterflies burst out of my stomach. I knew at that moment that I would never be the same again.



But how the hell did this happen? How could she have fooled me all these years? I was so used to her pestering me with her whiny tunes and subpar personality that it completely took me off-guard when she returned with a bang, this time full of charisma and charm. Taylor 2.0 was here, and I was a FAN. 'Shake It Off' instantly became one of my favorite songs, a mainstay on my iPod. The video was in heavy rotation in my household... so much that I wouldn't doubt that I made up about half of her 600 million views on YouTube. Taylor Swift's fan club didn't just get a new member, they got themselves a president.



10.27.14
I don't like modern day music. I used to listen to 100's of albums a year. Now, I'm lucky to get to double digits. It's rare for me to not only listen to an album but anticipate it's release. However, that's what I found myself doing for '1989'. I had been shaking it off for two months now and I was eager to know if the love was real. Secretly, I was hoping I hated the album so I could move on like everything was some giant fluke and return to my sour ways. Except one thing happened.

The album was fuckin' incredible.

I was blown away. Practically every track sounded like a hit. The melodies were infectious. Her accent was adorable. I didn't know what to do with myself. Here I am, a grown man, sitting in front of my laptop, nodding my head to 'Blank Space' like it's classic Biggie. Without a doubt, '1989' was the best album of the year. In any genre. Shit, it's one of the best albums I've heard in a long time. I love Michael Jackson to death and know that no one will ever come close to matching his legacy, but in my heart, '1989' was a modern-day 'Thriller'.

Taylor was in complete promo mode for the remainder of the year... and I couldn't have been happier. My mom fed my obsession, DV-R-ing every Taylor appearance she caught on TV. I posted so many Taylor-related comments on my social media accounts that I lost track. It was complete Taylor-mania.

A funny thing happened along the way, though. Just as I was coming to terms with this new love for Taylor, a new feeling reared it's ugly head. A feeling of... lust. Lust, you say? Really? Taylor is not my prototypical cup of tea. She's tall and lanky, awkward, with very lil trace of a curve on her bony frame. But I didn't care. I wanted nothing more than to climb that pale tree and make sweet love to her. Taylor wasn't just my woman crush Wednesday, she was my woman crush everyday. (#wce) You can have Beyoncé... keep Kate Upton... gimme some Taylor and gimme a whole lot of her.

02.17.15
The year has changed, my feelings have not. Still a huge fan of Taylor Swift. Still listening to '1989'. Still want to have her baby. Seeing her on Jimmy Fallon recently re-affirmed everything. She is all I have ever wanted, and more.



Do I remember who I used to be? Honestly, no. The person I was a year ago seems like a stranger. To be honest, I don't wish to imagine a world where I did not love this woman. So now, when you're discussing me, do me a favor. I know you'll mention my long-running TV show and you'll touch on my obsession with the Mets, but don't forget the most important detail of all... that I love Taylor Swift.

My favorite 30 songs of 2014

...and here's the BIG ONE!

Hmm... you don't look excited :-/

While you build up some energy, I'll say this: As the new year approaches and everyone prepares their resolutions that won't last until February, I salivate at the chance to display my favorite songs to the entire universe. Or my mom. Whatever. I love making this list. I love sharing this list. I love reading it more times than I'm willing to admit after it's done. I just love it.

A refresher for those who haven't read this post before... this is a list of my favorite songs of the past year. See that word there? Favorite? That's the key word right thurr (#chingy). My favorite songs are not always the best songs. Shit, I would argue they hardly ever are. But I am an equal opportunity song selector, so along with your usual high-quality jams, you'll get some guilty pleasures that would make even the most confident man blush. I put careful consideration into this list, tracking the songs I frequently play on my iPod and jotting them down throughout the year. Once December dwindles down, I start finalizing the list and prepare it to get presented to the public.

And the time has come to unveil the magic.

An added note, which is sad, actually... When I first started this list, it was a top 50. Then last year I slimmed it down to 40 because I wanted to write more about each entry. Well, that and music sucks now. Guess what happened to music in 2014? It sucked more than the year before. This is a far too familiar trend that has happened for at least the past ten years. So with much disgust, I say that this year, I shrunk the list even more, down to my favorite 30 songs. And I'll be honest, even that was a challenge. I don't care who you are in the industry, whether you're a platinum-selling artist, a CEO at a giant label or a damn intern sending out e-mail blasts to a bunch of local fucktards... I hate you all. Do better, or this sacred list will become a top 5 next year.

Ok no more nonsense... here is my favorite songs of 2014! Enjoy!

30. Echosmith 'Cool Kids'
I love when artists make songs about me & my friends

29. Romeo Santos feat. Drake 'Odio'
The moment you realize a Canadian rapper speaks better Spanish than your Latino ass

28. Taylor Swift 'Welcome To New York'
Welcome to New York? No, welcome to my heart, you beautiful, blonde beast

27. Sheppard 'Geronimo'
Can you feel my love? Bombs away in this bitch!

26. Sia 'Chandelier'
Who knew a song about alcoholism would make me wanna drink a brewski and start interpretive dancing?

25. Drake 'Trophies'
I do listen to rap occasionally

24. Coldplay 'A Sky Full Of Stars'
The only way I'm ever listening to Chris Martin is over a funky dance beat

23. Kid Cudi 'Satellite Flight'
Would've been higher except I saw him in concert and he didn't do an encore. Not cool, Cudi

22. Shakira feat. Carlinhos Brown 'La La La'
21. Aloe Blacc & David Correy 'The World Is Ours'
My world cup-themed treadmill anthems

20. Ed Sheeran 'Sing'
And they say gingers can't get funky

19. Tove Lo 'Habits'
I shazamed this song while in a bar in Feb. Welcome to the party six months later, sleepyheads

18. Taylor Swift 'New Romance'
It might be a new romance but it's a real romance. I love you, Taylor Swift

17. Alicia Keys feat. Kendrick Lamar 'It's On Again'
The best part about 'The Amazing Spider Man 2'

16. E-40 feat. T-Pain, Kid Ink & B.o.B 'Red Cup'
Most of the time I like intelligent rap. The other times I like shit like 'booty big enough to put a red cup on it'

15. Fabolous feat. Ryan Leslie 'Lay Down'
'The Soul Tape 3' was the mixtape of the year. I only heard about 3 but still

14. Tinashe feat. Schoolboy Q '2 On'
Added this just so I could say MUSTARD ON THE BEAT, HOE

13. Paramore 'Ain't It Fun'
The song that finally got me to stop crying to my mama

12. Kendrick Lamar 'I'
A rap song with a positive message? *gasp* THIS is what we need in 2015

11. Hozier 'Take Me To Church'
As someone who has not visited a holy house in quite some time, I can appreciate the title

10. Michael Jackson 'Love Never Felt So Good'
My favorite artist of all-time... Michael Jackson. I feel confident that that answer will remain the same until the day that I die. After MJ died years ago, I thought I was done being delighted by new MJ material. While I still have the classic MJ jams on repeat, this gem is just another to add to my enormous collection. Love never felt so good, and MJ never sounded so great. RIP to the king.

9. B.o.B 'Coastline'
When I'm naming my favorite hip-hop artists, I never mention B.o.B. And maybe he's not one of them. But every year, he always ends up on my favorite songs list. There's an honesty in his music... a truth that is absent in a lot of current rap. 'Maybe I'm blind by human desire or human design.' I mean, WHOA. You're not getting that type of insight in a Young Thug song.

8. Eminem feat. Sia 'Guts Over Fear'
I know Eminem has been a monster on the mic for over 15 years, mainstream-wise. But it took his most recent compilation, and more specifically this song, to make me realize he is easily a top 5 all-time MC. Yes, he's done his share of underdog anthems but that doesn't take away from the awesomeness of this one. Plus it's the perfect hook for Sia's emo ass. Bravo, man.

7. Fitz & The Tantrums 'The Walker'
Saw these guys open for Bruno Mars in 2013 (have I mentioned how delightful that concert was?) and knew they would eventually break out. Well, they did, and in a big way. 'Oh! Here we go! Feel it in my soul!' EFF YEAH. Sometimes it's that simple, folks.

6.  J. Cole 'Love Yourz'
You would be a fool if you didn't consider J. Cole one of rap's biggest talents. For years, he has shown glimpses of why he deserved to be considered in such high regard. However, he was lacking that one album that people could point to as indisputable evidence. Finally, he delivered. Not only was '2014 Forest Hills Drive' easily his best project, but it was also the genre's finest offering of the year. His simple message on this track... to love and appreciate what you have... is simple, yet escapes many of us. The reminder is appreciated.

5. Clean Bandit feat. Jess Glynne 'Rather Be'
Every time I'm catching a Mets game at Citi Field on a warm summer night, sipping on a delicious, cold brewski, I think to myself... why isn't there a song that sums up how I am feeling right now? How, out of any place in the entire world, I would rather be right here in this perfect paradise? I think you can guess what I'll be listening to on the 7 train next season.

4. Maroon 5 'Lost Stars'
My favorite movie of the year starred Adam Levine. Yes, that's something I thought I'd never say. But 'Begin Again' was that SHIT. Indie singer/songwriter tunes with my hometown as it's backdrop? Highly recommend it. This song was the crown jewel of a spectacular soundtrack. 'Are we all lost stars trying to light up the dark?' Sing it, you lil bearded divo.

3. Taylor Swift 'Shake It Off'
2014 will always be remembered as the year I fell in love with Taylor Swift. As recently as a few months ago, I couldn't stand her. I hated the way she dropped an album every year, only to whine about some bitch boy who broke her heart. But this new Taylor? That's bae. My favorite song off my favorite album of the year, which also doubles as my favorite video of the year. The trifecta. And you deserve it, boo.

2. Katy Perry feat. Juicy J 'Dark Horse'
Just to make 2014 any stranger... if you would've asked me 12 months ago which entertainers I hated the most, Taylor Swift and Katy Perry would've comfortably been in my top 5. And now they both have songs in my top 3. I remember the disappointment I felt when I shazamed this and saw that it was Katy Perry. I felt abused. But I can't lie, addictive song. Plus one of my proudest achievements of 2014 was memorizing Juicy J's verse. You win for now, Perry.

1. Pharrell Williams 'Happy'
If you know me, you know there's no other choice. And I don't care if you're sick of it. I've heard it several thousand times myself and guess what? I WANT MORE. Isn't good music supposed to make you feel... good? When people say music sucks now, what they really mean is there's no feeling. You know what I like feeling? Muthafuckin' happy. Thank you, Pharrell, for proving that you could still have a massive hit without having a negative impact on society. Now lose the giant hat and let's focus on having an equally happy 2015.

Until next year, I bid you adieu. Let's just hope I have enough good songs to choose from.