My Top 10 Bangers of 2018

I love lists. Lists are a great way to present ideas or thoughts in a quick, easy way for readers to digest. So I thought “Why not kick things off with just that? A list.” So here you go, my top 10 bangers of 2018.

I set a few rules as I was putting this list together: it has to be a song I had on repeat when it first came out, should be upbeat and pumping you up, ideally it has a (good) music video. Oh, and obviously it needs to be from 2018. All songs below are listed in no particular order but definitely are my most played songs of last year...

Drake - Nonstop

Many were waiting for Drake’s “Scorpion” album to see how he would use the music to address the beef with the G.O.O.D. Music folks. I wasn’t anticipating the project at all after the very disappointing “Views” and somewhat bloated “More Life” playlist. Little did I know the 2-disc project would land on my year end list (Yes, I still cop hard copies). This here “Nonstop” was a highlight and still is in heavy rotation. From the hard hitting production courtesy of Tay Keith to the bragadocious rhymes by Drake, this song is just as much club friendly as a street heater. Definitely a banger, and you’ve got to love the “I get 2 million a pop and that’s standard for me/Like I went blind dog you gotta hand it to me (gotta give me that sh*t dog)” line.

Yukmouth - High Siden & Sliden (feat. Goldie Gold, Yogi Calhoon & T-Nutty)

You can’t go wrong with DJ Fresh behind the boards and Yukmouth’s flows. This ode to the northern Cali way of living goes hard and will make you go crazy. I was looking forward to hearing T-Nutty’s legendary flows on this when I first heard the beat, but Yogi Calhoon owned it I think, despite the weird name and being completely unknown to me. Blast this in your car at high volume.

A$AP Rocky - Praise the Lord (Da Shine) (feat. Skepta)

A$AP hadn’t put an album out in about three years and when he came back with the very experimental and trippy “Testing”, many disregarded his return. I personally loved the album. Okay it does take some time to get into, but once you’re in, you’re stuck. Tracks like “Buck Shots” or “Hun43rd” will have that effect on you. The somewhat more accessible, yet still trippy “Praise the Lord” (especially when you know it was put together while on acids) will get your energy levels pumping and the way A$AP and his UK grime partner rap is so infectious. That’s a party starter in my books.

Nipsey Hussle - Status Symbol 3 (feat. Buddy)

Nipsey had the best rap album of 2018. Back to back great songs, many of those banging and all together making a very cohesive project. You don’t hear that often anymore. Forget the Grammys and Cardi B’s “Invasion of Privacy”. Go get “Victory Lap”, you won’t regret it. This one right here should convince you anyway. This is probably the cut I played the most last year, and the album came out I think in February.

Migos - Stir Fry

I had no idea who the Migos were before they started beefing with Joe Budden. I mean I knew they existed but could care less until the beef with the Slaughterhouse member and former “Everyday Struggle” co-host started. I checked out “Culture II” and I’ve got to say sitting through 2 discs worth of their music is quite painful. That does not take away the fact that the album had a few gems, including this Pharrell produced “Stir Fry" which also received a funny video treatment.

Eminem - Fall

Eminem has been the target of Hip Hop media as of late, mainly for crossing over and selling out when he had too many pop features on his "Revival" album, and for focusing on technique over substance. I would argue Eminem was a strong contender for "comeback of the year" in 2018, dropping his surprise "Kamikaze" album at the top of the Summer and bringing it back to his roots. He still was under fire after this album, maybe because most of the album was addressing his critics. Controversial as ever, Eminem had one of best records last year I think, with "Fall".

Jamo Gang - Welcome to the Golden Era

"Since when them street n**gas became emo?/I grew up off that Dr Dre and Premo" Welcome to the golden era. As soon as I heard the opening bars I knew this track was for me. The whole Jamo Gang project was a great highlight for anyone who like Hip Hop in its purest form, just bars and vintage beats like this one. I've always liked Ras Kass' music but have become even more of a fan as of late with projects like "Blasphemy" with Apollo Brown or "Intellectual Property". Put him with El Gant and J57 and you get a dope EP and this song was a highlight.

Husalah - Protect Your Soul

Husalah back with the bangers. This is the only album I literally waited until the clock hit midnight on my phone to download off iTunes. It was also his first project in about 10 years and "H" didn't disappoint. This song produced by L-Finguz came out a while before the album, but when the video finally hit the internet, this meant the album was just around the corner. From the dope mob beat to the melancholic/crazy freestyle-like lines and to the Sade interpolation singing, this is Husalah at his best.

Cypress Hill - Crazy

I sort of stopped checking for Cyrpress Hill's music after the "Stoned Raiders" album. No particular reason. I guess I just got into other crews, artists for a while and completely forgot about them. It wasn't until early last year when I picked up the "Rise Up" album on sale that I started listening to them again. And then, the news came out that they had a new album coming late 2018 produced all the way by DJ Muggs, and I was hearing in interviews they were bringing it back to the sound they had on "Temples of Boom". "Elephants On Acid" was overlooked when it came out, mostly because it was released on the same day as Lil' Wayne's long-awaited "Carter V". It is a great album and you should check it out. This song "Crazy" is very representative of the sound throughout the album I'd say and the chorus, the beat, just stay in your head.

Daz Dillinger - Hard Life (feat. The Twinz)

So many double albums came out last year. It goes without saying that a lot of that has to do with pushing your streaming numbers. The end result is not always good with too much music hurting the cohesiveness of the projects. Daz Dillinger came back at the beginning of 2018 with a double pop off featuring 30 songs (ouch) and managed, I think, to escape the double album curse. "Dazamataz" had top notch production from the beginning to the end and Daz surrounded himself with so many guests, it helped bring variety. I usually don't like albums with too many features, but as Daz is one of these rappers with a flow I find hard to listen to for too long, in that case it helped the album. On "Hard Life", he really brought it back to the golden years of G Funk and with The Twinz as guests, you can't go wrong.