And so we come to it at last; the best songs of 2018.
1. Bickenhead (Cardi B):
takes a sample from Project Pat’s “Chickenhead” and runs away as the “step your pussy up” song of the year.
2. Does This Ski Mask Make Me Look Fat (Jpegmafia feat. Heno):
hailed for a while now as the leading proponent of the fusion of experimental and mainstream rap and here he makes his case breathlessly.
The surgical summer that we were promised reached its peak with this astonishing, vicious diss track. In it’s wake now is Drake's good-guy persona as well as his alleged use of ghost writers and child with a former porn star. Not even Drake's supposed inability to sport an afro got dissected. Damn.
4. Apeshit (The Carters):
The Carters are pop music. On “Apeshit,” Beyoncé and Jay-Z analyze cultural institutions that fail to include black artists. The video places black dancers and the Carters in front of white artwork in the Louvre in Paris. They call out the Grammys, which invite black artists for ratings at the ceremony but don’t reward these musicians with actual trophies. As a combined force, the Carters are an establishment of their own, one that’s capable of challenging the likes of the NFL and the Recording Academy. (ESQUIRE)
5. Animal (Caroline Rose):
as she continues to burrow down into pop/rock, Rose wisely hasn’t sacrificed lyricism that tells her sly tales. “Animal” is bloodlust sex to its core (two bodies moving in sync/ I turn it over and over/ like an animal…) but here’s the twist: it’s the sex that got away from the ex she’s still obsessing over.
6. Messy (SerpentWithFeet):
not a lot of artists working within the urban pop or R&B scene can claim to be doing something unique but even a quick listen to any track from serpentwithfeet’s (Josiah Wise) album will attest to his unique brilliance. “Messy” is fragile, tender yet almost antithetical to its intent of love. Or maybe I should say defiant in its queer look at love bordering on rejection.
7. My Contribution To This Scam (Quelle Chris & Jean Grae):
the corporate world is like a vampire sucking the life-force out of the many cogs in a wheel aka you, us, me, everyone who gets up each morning to make that money. Fine, that much is clear but Quelle and Jean expand that concept to include being American into this “scam”, the later even dishes her exclusiveness in rants lest you forget, “I gave you nine minute school girl rants/ Jill Palance/ epic Eastern manifestos…” before bitterly turning her aim to Youtubers.
8. Damn (What Must A Woman Do) (Christine and the Queens):
in the year when Cardi B told women to basically step their pussies up, Heloise Letissier took the more modest approach to tell men to step their dick game up, exasperated how little attention is paid to women getting their rocks off…even going as far as to ask if they gotta pay for some good dick.
9. Blown Up (Salad Boys):
as nervy and on edge as the subject matter of being on point every milli-second of existence.
10. Next Time/Humble Pie (The Internet):
Syd takes us on a stunning look, two-fold, of making a move to a love interest and how that can unfold, all the time giving us the best track Aaliyah never will get to record.
his contribution to the 2018 Adult Swim Singles but this glides so effortlessly that I wonder if he had second thoughts about keeping it for his next album. The heavy synths are heavenly on the ears.
12. Lo’ Hi’ (Jenny Wilson):
there’s hardly a female working in pop currently braver than Wilson. Health issues aside, she’s decided to open up about her experiences with abuse and “Lo’ Hi’” chillingly describes how she was stalked to be raped. Juxtaposed to deeply effective house beat, Wilson lays it all out bare and you dare not flinch or look away.
13. Broken Clocks (SZA):
slinky call to arms when that pesky ex just won’t let go of your name.
14. Blaxpoiltation (Noname):
a stunning rebuke turned inward towards the black community and how what we see influences how we act (‘eating Chick-Fil-A in the shadows/ that taste like hypocrite…’) and, sadly, how we’ve accepted it all. Oh, and there’s a Hillary Clinton swipe so fast that if you blink you miss it.
another driving force in the underground rap scene---“Gush” crackles like Busta Rhymes on speed X4 and throw in 90’s Bjork weirdness and you get a masterpiece.
16. Feels Like Summer (Childish Gambino):
seemingly overshadowed by “This Is America” but it’s here that Gambino has unearthed new territory in a genre that he has constantly tried to reinvent. Guess what? It’s working.
17. Lemon To A Knife Fight (The Wombats):
and they keep saying that rock is dead.
18. Leave It in My Dreams (The Voidz):
Julian Casablancas absolutely loses himself in this psychedelic pow-wow and we’re all here for it.
19. Fall (Eminem):
backed by an uncredited Bon Iver, Eminem sounds prepared to prove why he is his own GOAT, creating a new trough to the rap game.
20. Adam & The Evil (Clarence Clarity):
singing about the sins of the father while breaking in new Beck-like funk grooves.
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