Yet another list of the 25 best hip-hop songs of 2012. No Nicky cuz I’m pithy. No YE cuz he’s fay(-mous). There is a song you can’t believe isn’t on here.
1. Kendrick Lamar ft. Drake – ‘Poetic Justice’ (Scoop Deville)
There are many things about this song that are great, other than the fact that my mom loves it. Drake doesn’t sing. I haven’t loved Janet Jackson this much since JT made her nip slip. Etc.
2. Chief Keef – ‘Love Sosa’ (Young Chop)
Would have been number one if Drake hadn’t tweeted about listening to it 130x the day after it came out. Somewhere in the DR, Sammy Sosa is listening to this in a dark locker room, corking bats and plotting a return to being loved.
3. Rick Ross ft. Drake & French Montana- ‘Stay Schemin” (The Beat Bully)
The Frenchie Drawl’s crossover to the mainstream. Drake buried the tender remains of Common’s career deep enough for Gap to cancel his endorsement deal (if they hadn’t already). The realness of this song was made clear to me when a man draped entirely in fake Louie, claiming to be a realist, burped his way through the hook to a lady outside a Boston nightclub. The realest.
4. Kendrick Lamar ft. Jay Rock – ‘Money Trees’ (DJ Dahi)
I’m going to marry the girl who sings the hook, or whatever you’d call that.
5. Schoolboy Q ft. Kendrick Lamar – ‘Blessed’ (Dave Free)
“Fuck that shit, whatever you need, yo I got it./ Whether it’s money, or some weed, or puttin’ in work, fuck it then I’m ridin’.”
6. Chief Keef ft. Lil’ Reese – ‘I Don’t Like’ (Young Chop)
The video of 16-year-old Keef locking arms with a frightening ensemble of GBE babies was largely responsible for catapulting the drill scene into the national spotlight. A self-conscious Lil’ Reese refuses to go topless.
7. Future – ‘You Deserve It’ (Sonny Digital)
Who cares how many people comment on YouTube that you’re “killing” “hip-hop” when your little cousin comes home from school and tells you that you deserve it?
8. Roc Marciano – ’76’ (Roc Marciano)
Roc Marci has rap game’s most intimidating clasped hands stance and dexterous approach to syllables. Case in point: “Your fingers still penny pinched/ You make me pull the mac milly out the Fendi trench.”
9. Ab-Soul – ‘Book of Soul’ (Tommy Black)
Soul’s autobiographical ode to his late ex-girlfriend and frequent TDE collaborator, Alori Joh, is by far the most heart-rending hip-hop song of the year. Tommy Black provides Soul with an unconventionally emotive canvass.
10. Action Bronson & Riff Raff – ‘Bird on a Wire’ (Harry Fraud)
This song bridged the gap between Riff Raff’s From G’s to Gents, and Action Bronson’s “real hip-hop heads who type lyrics into the comment section of YouTube DJ Premier instrumentals” demographics to appreciate the duo strolling around LA with various accoutrements seemingly absconded from the set of Home Alone.
11. Ca$h Out – ‘Cashin’ Out’ (DJ Spinz)
Atlanta one-hit wunderkind Ca$h Out cashed out on his infectious ‘Ca$hin Out’ single, which was the lead effort off his probably-not-upcoming debut album, “Patience.” Patience is – frankly – optional when you’re cashin’ out.
11. Lil’ Reese ft. Chief Keef – ‘Traffic’ (Young Chop)
“We ain’t really with that talkin’ bitch we ’bout that action,” is how Lil’ Reese feels when he burrows his nose in Keef’s dreads.
12. Nas – ‘Daughters’ (No I.D.)
Nas feels bad when his teenage daughter fake flexes on instagram. A lot of college kids posted this on Facebook. On a less cynical note, NO I.D. drops off his best beat since ’95 or so.
13. Meek Mill – ‘Faded Too Long’ (The Weeknd & Doc McKinney)
It’s too bad that the best thing to come from Meek this year was a freestyle on a Weeknd loop. I’m excited for Meek to eventually leave behind the diluted production of “Dreams & Nightmares” and find a more soulful niche.
14. Juicy J – ‘Bandz A Make Her Dance’ (Mike Will Made It)
In one of the most heartwarming moments ever in hip-hop, rap vet Juicy J has his first urban number one hit after nearly 15 years in the game. Who would have expected that twelve long, trippy years after ‘Sippin’ on Some Sizzurp’ came out, Juicy J would still have hers to dance with in 2012?
15. Kendrick Lamar ft. Gunplay – ‘Cartoons & Cereal’ (ThC)
If I hear another KL stan who’s never sniffed coke say they don’t understand why Kendrick put Gunplay on this record, I’m gonna f****in’ snap a la Walter from The Big Lebowski. This song wouldn’t have even made the list had it not been for Play’s verse, so go eat dillz while Gunplay languishes in his Miami mansion, preparing to steal Chief Keef’s house arrest swag.
16. A$AP Rocky ft. Everybody – ‘Fuckin’ Problems’ (40)
Depressing that Rocky needed a surrogate 2 Chainz hook to get a hit record. But this still deserves the nod for being the most profane song to crack the top 40 in recent memory. It’s also awesome that Rocky grabbed Middle Duhmerica’s heart with an Aaliyah sample before Drizzy did.
17. Joey Bada$$ ft. Capital STEEZ – ‘Survival Tactics’ (Vin Skully)
This Styles of Beyond-sampling ’90s-style cut set off the rise of the Pro Era. Rest in peace to Capital STEEZ. Shouts to Creative Control.
18. Dom Kennedy – 5.0 / Conversations (THC)
This is one of very few songs you can rap to in the bouquet after 2:00AM that will actually help you get laid. “I need an interview, I’m tryna get down with you,” is top five finest ‘pull up next to a car full of girls at a parking light’ pickup lines.
19. Freddie Gibbs – ‘BFK’ (M80)
Freddie mobs around his native Eastside G.I. with an aging crew of gangsters and a desolate industrial wasteland in tow. Yet again, Gibbs shows why he’s a better rapper than pretty much everybody except Kendrick.
20. Starlito – ‘Mental Warfare’ (DJ Burn One)
This is a song to listen to as you’re speeding down the freeway, inhaling a Swisher of what Lito calls “Geetchie,” after getting fired from your job. You will probably want to give Buck’s ex-weed carrier a hug after hearing about his psychological demons.
21. A$AP Ferg – ‘Persian Wine’ (VERYRVRE)
Ferg was the undisputed MVP of “Lord$ Never Worry.” This cut could have been a major Gospel/spiritual crossover; Ferg salutes Jesus as gentle, meek, and mild.
22. Schoolboy Q ft. Ab-Soul – ‘Druggys WitH Hoes Again’ (Sounwave)
Extra Pillllllllls and that chant snare go together like Schoolboy and bucket hats.
23. A$AP Nast – ‘Black Man’ (Electro Beats)
A$AP Nast could be the best rapper in the A$AP crew. Somehow this was his only solo appearance of the year; maybe the self-proclaimed “crack-in-the-sock 90s n****” still has some sock crack left to dispense. Here’s to things getting nasty in 2k13.
24. Young Thug ft. Hellacoppa – ‘Foreign’ (C-Neil)
The auto-tuned wonder of Young Thug’s virtually incomprehensible verse (and I understand everything Chief Keef says) makes you feel all the confidence of driving foreign down 95 with a key of raw in the front trunk, minus the blue lights anxiety. Throw this on and wait for a white person to say, “Oh my god, I can’t even understand ANYthing he’s sayinggg!!”
25. The Underachievers – ‘Herb Shuttles’ (?)
Old school Aphex Twin shit mixed with a lot of psychedelic drugs and teenage angst/aggression. These guys are sonically very cohesive and look really cool smoking joints.
Honorable Mentions (Reason it didn’t make it)
A$AP Rocky- ‘Long Live A$AP’ (Beat loses all momentum when it whimpers into unreleased Bjork record hook)
The Game ft. J. Cole & JMSN – ‘Pray’ (The Game beefed with 40 Glocc in 2012.)
Rick Ross – ‘Hold Me Back’ (Didn’t feel comfortable posting video of Ross flaunting moobs. Feels tasteless.)
King Louie- ‘Val Venis’ (King Louie looks old and unthreatening in one of the most underwhelming video/song combinations of 2012.)
Joey Bada$$ – ‘Funky Ho’$’ (Lord Finesse might sue us.)
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