1. HoodRich Pablo Juan & Brodinski – “The Matrix” (Brodinski)
good robot music
2. Bandhunta Izzy – “Sauce Walk” (Nasa Got DatHeat)
each line a hook (1:57-2:01) you can build a career off that
3. 03 Greedo – “Safety” feat. Ralfy the Plug (BeatBoy & Ron-RonTheProducer)
better than the freestyle confessional
4. WiFiGawd – “Hood Bitch” (Johnny Caravaggio)
hood trance
5. Ronny J – “824” (Ronny J)
I understand the Ronny J rapping slander but I would rather have this song than the last Ski Mask album
6. JPEGMAFIA – “Does This Ski Mask Make Me Look Fat?” feat. Heno (JPEGMAFIA)
trap wails got a new life (ex. A — this, ex. B — "😱")
7. Skooly – “Dirty Dawg “Insane”” (Buddah Bless)
when you have a wail as good as Skooly/Lucci the temptation to always rap that way is a reasonable one but this is the best Skooly song of 2018 primarily because he makes us wait
8. Migos – “CC” feat. Gucci Mane (DJ Durel & Quavo)
shrug
9. Kevin Kazi – “Boomerang” (Alecto)
I mean I love Travis Scott karaoke
10. lil4 & whyfye – “who you are” (elevated)
this feels like it's also karaoke but I can't figure out who so I guess that means this is just plain great?
11. YFN Lucci – “650 Luc” (Bobby Kritical)
ep > album
12. T.Y.E – “Mary Kay Pontiac”
he said "I don't give a fuck if it's PayPal, Cash App"!
13. YTO3 – “Running Thru O3” (Cash Cobain)
this slides
14. Red Note – “Janet” (Ellie Cope)
this song really has everything and that's all I can really get myself to write about it. I would listen to several albums of this and would financially support an entire career of this.
15. Octavian – “Party Here” (JGBRM)
I saw this in a Twitter video that was like a minute long and although I preferred it in that format, there's a lot of star here.
16. BIGBABYGUCCI – “Crime” (BLVC SVND)
this should've been a hit
17. Brian Fresco – “Tatted On Me” (Swim Team)
there's an excellent argument that Brian Fresco and KAMI and Joey Purp are operating on a higher level than Vic Mensa ever was, because as far as I'm concerned you gotta call "Down on My Luck" the absolute peak and man fell off an unfortunate cliff after and songs like this are definitely close to that peak
18. Sweet Trip – “Dsco” (Sweet Trip)
perfect song on perfect album
19. Lil Xan – “Xanarchy” (Bobby Johnson)
THIS SHOULD'VE BEEN A HIT
20. Jon Waltz – “Backstreets” (Eric Lynch)
still not convinced this isn't a radio hit from when I was in middle school
21. Kendrick Lamar & SOB X RBE – “Paramedic” feat. Zacari (Cubeatz, DJ Dahi & Sounwave)
kendrick into slimmy at the start of this song is unbeatable
22. OMB Peezy & Sherwood Marty – “Crash Out” feat. Sherwood Flame (Drum Dummie)
I don't know if I'm fully sold on Sherwood Marty as a talent but sometimes he clicks, like on this song featuring Young Thug, and I believe it
23. Payroll Giovanni & Cardo – “5’s and 6’s” (Cardo)
The first warm day in Cambridge I listened to this album through four times and didn't stop smiling.
24. Mozzy - "Interlude" feat. Phora & Terrace Martin (Daniel Cruz, Dave-O & Terrace Martin)
I hope there is more Mozzy this year
25. Blac Youngsta - "Strength" (Rasta Papi)
trance
26. Ohgeesy & Master Kato - "Codeine Bryant" (Taz Taylor)
cult class
27. sixpress - "in the now" (sixpress)
as many have said before me, this is buried deep inside the Earl shadow, but that is a problem for 2019 and not 2018
28. Trippie Redd - "Make a Wish"
this might be a Diplo song or something idk but I exclusively plan on listening to this in altered leaked form
29. Vic Spencer & Sonnyjim - "Hex Hawking" feat. Ironside Hex (Sonnyjim)
earlier this year, I took a 2AM overnight from Boston to New York to interview Maxo Kream and I spent two hours wandering Hell's Kitchen and as the sun rose I made sure to play this on repeat so now this song feels like waking up. I think it would make a good alarm clock but I'm scared I won't like it anymore.
30. Roc Marciano - "Bohemian Grove" feat. Knowledge the Pirate
return to form
31. Fishmans - "頼りない天使" (Fishmans)
japanese
32. Black Milk - "But I Can Be" feat. Ab (Black Milk)
in my mind, Black Milk exclusively records songs by performing them to an audience with a live band and miking the whole gig up
33. Dabrye - "Pretty" feat. Jonwayne (Dabrye)
this is full-stop unbelievable.
34. Everything is Recorded - "Be My Friend" feat. Infinite (Richard Russell)
I have a playlist called "nightwalk" which I listen to when I walk around at night this is the first song on it
35. A.A.L (Against All Logic) - "Cityfade" (Nicolas Jaar)
if I used this in a movie I would probably use it as background music to a planet imploding as a spaceship of people flies away forlornly
36. Kodak Black - "When Vultures Cry" (Helluva & Kodak Black)
everything Kodak has done for the last six months has been absolute gold (Project Baby 2 is top 20 album last year and the reloaded is even better) but this one is how you know he's blacked out and locked in
37. Slimmy B - "God" (AnT)
I think we all kind of lock into songs by gangsta rappers that show chinks in the armor but this isn't quite that it's better
38. Cozz - "Bout It" feat. Garren (Meez)
Cozz would be a better Logic
39. KB Devaughn - "Playin'" feat. Boogie & Dana Williams (Dezzie Gee)
I would pay lots of money to have a Boogie verse on this
40. vartikar - "plenty - site" (vartikar)
floats.