2019: My 25 Favorite Rap Songs

2019 was another progressive year for hip hop (which unfortunately ended on a sad note, with the recent death of talented young artist Juice WRLD). Generation Now continued to give a big F-U to convention, reinventing the culture to suit their own tastes while delivering eclectic sounds that covered every possible sub-genre. I for one, was game to give it all a listen. I'm trying something different this year, creating a list of my Top Rap Songs in addition to my Top Rap Albums post (coming soon). These were the tracks that moved me. The ones I kept coming back to for one reason or another - either because they featured interesting production, banging beats or a charismatic leading man/woman who grabbed and held my attention. Some of these tracks spoke to our times and captured the ethos the American youth experience. Others...well they just sounded awesome in my car stereo. Given the volume of music released these days, it's impossible for me to even begin to determine which were the "best songs". So I'll just say these were my 25 favorites (in no particular order). Click on the titles to listen to the tracks. Enjoy.

Bad Bad Bad: Young Thug - There's no logical reason for this song to be this good. It's all wrong and all right at the same time. Frantic, off-kilter, inaccessible, and yet... oddly coherent. I hate it. Play it again.

Best On Earth: Russ & Bia - Shout out to Rihanna for the co-sign that sent this sticky, NSFW, sexy groove straight from IG to my headphones.

Big: Young M.A. – Young M.A. is an absolute beast. Peep the next-level wordplay, uncanny voice manipulation, nifty ad-libs and boundless swagger. She's elite and she knows it. 

Big Fish: Chance The Rapper (Feat Gucci Mane) – Chance may have underwhelmed with "The Big Day", but he and Gucci Mane crushed this one. 

Crowns For Kings – Benny The Butcher (Feat. Black Thought) - Nothing but heat and tough talk for you. 

Down Bad: Dreamville (Feat. J.I.D, Bas, J Cole, EarthGang & Young Nudy) - A squad of Dreamville affiliates tripling up the words and having too much fun.

Every Season: Roddy Ricch - This kid took off like a rocket in 2019. "Poppin' sh*t like hot grease" all year long.

Family And Loyalty: Gang Starr (Feat. J Cole) - Just like old times. Vintage Gang Starr with Guru sounding as vibrant as ever. 

First Off: Future (Feat. Travis Scott) - Travis always brings out the best in Future.

Follow God: Kanye West - If everybody's "Sunday Service" sounded this good, church would be lit every weekend.

Hallelujah: Godfather Of Harlem (Feat. Buddy, A$AP Ferg & Wale) - Soo, we're doing soundtracks for TV shows now? Ok, cool.

Have Mercy: YBN Cordae - Cordae made the most of his moment in the sun with "The Lost Boy". This was one of many highlights.

Hero: Pivot Gang - This winding, slow burner is in no hurry to get to any place in particular. Listen long enough however, and eventually it will burrow its way under your skin.

Highest In The Room: Travis Scott - Moods. Vibes. All the feels. The production here is so dreamy and escapist it sounds like an out-of-body experience. Travis is the highest indeed.

Last Year Being Broke: Kemba - "No lie, no joke. I know I said that sh*t a million times before." Yeah, Kemba, haven't we all.

Make Believe: Juice WRLD - "Not afraid to die, as you can see. Life isn't real. Love's make believe." Juice WRLD's pathos always sounded authentic to me. The kid had a gift for melody and expressing genuine angst. Rest easy.

Middle Child: J Cole - "I studied the greats. I'm the greatest right now". #Facts. If I were doing a list of the best verses of the year, Cole would have like 10 of them. This was his best performance in a year where he showed he is nearly peerless.

Pop Out: Polo G (Feat. Lil Tjay) - Sure, I sometimes wanted to fast forward past the sub-par bars, but "Pop Out" delivered what was, without a doubt, my favorite hook of the year. 

Prove It: Big K.R.I.T (Feat. J Cole) - Big K.R.I.T. is the very definition of comfortable in his own skin. Here is shines even while having to keep pace with another blistering J Cole feature.

Sanguine Paradise: Lil Uzi Vert - Uzi can no longer be denied his due as a certified hit maker. The song craft here sublime. I loved the pacing and delivery, the expert layering of harmonious sounds, and the rise & fall of the track's momentum.

Serena: Rapsody - Rapsody's just so nice the verbs. Bars upon bars. Puns, punchlines and double entendres for days. Every time I listen I catch something new.

Sue Me: Wale (Feat. Kelly Price) - Are you kidding me Wale? Just so clever how you took the Issa Rae "rooting for everybody black" Emmy's quote and ran with it. 

The Audacity Of Dope: Skyzoo & Pete Rock - Too much sing-songy zanny-rap out there for you? How about this 90s style banger from Skyzoo and hall of fame producer Pete Rock?

Tupac: DaBaby - Honestly, I could have chosen pretty much any song from either of DaBaby's 2 albums this year. They all sound alike, with the same contagious energy. It works for me.

Worth The Weight: Jidenna - True school hip hop mixed with dope African rhythms. A surefire recipe for head nodding. I'm here for it.