10. Danny Brown-Grown Up
Over a classic jazz-rap beat, Danny Brown approaches the
track halfway between his normal crazed yelp and his straight up approach from
the last third of XXX. It’s a great
look for Brown after a year in which he dropped a half dozen phenomenal
singles. Without completely discarding what make him unique, the restraint of
“Grown Up” makes it arguably his best track.
09. 2 Chainz-No Lie (Feat. Drake)
Another rapper who has had a great couple years, 2012 has
seen 2 Chainz cement his status as one of only a few rappers that jumps on any
track and immediately makes it better. A 2 Chainz track in name only, “No Lie”
is an amazing Drake track bookended by verses from the artist formerly known as
Tity Boi.
08. Ground Up-Hold Me Down
Having seen other artists approach a similar minimal,
spiritual beat, “Hold Me Down” is better than anything off Bronson’s disappointing
Rare Chandeliers. His deft flows
don’t overpower the quiet beat but work around it perfectly.
One of the most melodic bangers of the year, the beauty of
“Amen” lies in an astonishing beat and a strange cast of characters. Jeremiah
doesn’t sing a traditional hook, but his smooth voice pops up in the background
under the vocals, adding another level to this masterfully produced track.
Drake helps bridge the gap between power and grace, dropping the kind of verse
we’ve gotten used to.
06 Kendrick Lamar-Backseat Freestyle
“Cartoon & Cereal” almost made this list, but I ended up
revising good kid, m.A.A.D. city’s
centerpiece much too often. The lyrical virtuosity on display is amazingly
impressive. By the end of the chest-puffing track, Kendrick has attacked
Hit-Boy’s beast of a beat full-on and managed to scream himself hoarse without
loosing his melodic flow.
05 Juicy J-Bandz Make Her Dance (Feat. Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz)
Just when Juicy J was about to join the club of musicians
that couldn’t parlay group success into individual success (not to mention the
club of former reality star wash-ups.) Juicy dropped so low that he signed with
Wiz Khalifa, but then a funny thing happened. “Bandz” dropped, and overnight
everyone forgot that Juicy J was nearly a punch line. As for the song, it
maintains enough of Three 6 Mafia’s grimy-ness without sacrificing its status
as a strip club anthem. The features don’t really matter (2 Chainz adds a
little swag to the track while a bored sounding Wayne adds nothing) because
this is firmly Juicy’s track, and the hopefully the stating point of Juicy’s
comeback.
04 G.O.O.D. Music-Mercy (Kanye West, Pusha T, Medium Sean, 2 Chainz)
Mercy (along with “H.A.M. last year”) was the track that proves
that Kanye can still create street singles that simultaneously bump out of
every car on the road. For all the artistic achievements of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Watch the Throne, Kanye has produced
surprisingly few bangers in the last few years.
“Mercy” marks the first appearance of 2 Chainz since he signed to
G.O.O.D. Music, a combo that was initially a head scratcher, but in hindsight
only makes too much sense. Mr. Chainz and Pusha provide a hardness to the
track, Medium Sean drops a few one liners, and Kanye does what he does best,
produce an amazing beat and supply an underrated verse.
03 Killer Mike-Big Beast (Feat. Bun B, T.I., Trouble)
The level of respect for Killer Mike has always outpaced his
actual output. After releasing a number of excellent socially conscious songs
and good but not great mixtapes over his long career, content finally catches
up to Mike’s underground reputation on R.A.P.
Music. Fully produced by El-P, at times the album tries to hard to be an
epic defining statement, but “Big Beast” is a jolt of intensity with Killer
Mike and guests absolutely bringing it over a crazed El-P production. “Big
Beast” doesn’t let up, and is 4 minutes of bottled intensity and a clinic on
how to rap.
02 Chief Keef-Love Sosa
Apparently Chief Keef’s depiction of violence is
controversial. Painted as an all-to-real symbol of the gang infested murder
capital of the United States, “Love Sosa” settles it. Keef is all about love.
His best track on his current hot streak (besting “3Hunna,” “I Don’t Like,” and
“Bang Bang”) is a banger that totally encapsulates the legend of Keef. Why the
controversy? He just wants the ladies to “love Sosa.”
01 Rich Kids-My Life (Feat. Waka Flocka Flame)
Everything about “My Life” is epic. Triumphant. Celestial. Blaring
trumpets, strings, a banging beat, plenty of Waka yelling “FLEX!!!!!!!!” I
can’t claim to know much about Rich Kidz. But they don’t care. They know who
they are. They are swagged out. An untouchable slice of boasting, rapped from
the top of a platinum mountain.
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