From club bangers to politically charged anthems, old heads to new, g-funk to trap; hip hop has had its most dominant year in a long time, both critically and commercially. A wonderfully diverse year that showcased the extraordinary depth of the genre that everyone loves to hate, here are my ten hip hop tracks of the year:
Vince Staples - Lift Me Up
Perhaps the funniest personality in hip-hop of 2015 released the year's darkest album. Lift Me Up channels the album's themes into one brilliant song; revealing the horrors of the gang lifestyle, the hypocrisy of the white hip-hop community, and the extreme racism still plaguing black Americans.
Kendrick Lamar - The Blacker the Berry
To Pimp a Butterfly is THE album of the year, nothing else in hip-hop really came close. To pick a single song is incredibly difficult, and frankly nearly every song is deserving of a place on this list, but forced to choose only one, The Blacker the Berry just takes it. It's the most 'traditional' hip hop song on the album, stripped of the jazz, funk and soul influences that flow throughout, leaving Kendrick to do nothing but spit the hardest bars he ever has. An angry, tortured introspective piece that leaves me stunned every time.
YG - Twist My Fingaz
In 2016 g-funk will rise again, or at least we can pray that it will after YG released this callback to the beloved West Coast genre. There's little to say other than the production defines the song, and if this is indicative of the sound for his next album My Still Krazy Life then we're in for something special.
Freddie Gibbs - Fuckin up the Count
Sneaking in at the end of the year was Freddie Gibbs Shadow of a Doubt, the follow-up to his brilliant Madlib produced hit Cocaine Piñata. The album lacks the consistency of Piñata, but still has a lot of highs, and Gibbs further shows his ability to rap over any beat. Fuckin Up the Count is my favourite song off of the album, going in hard whilst leaving room for Gibbs' more personal side to seep in.
Joey Bada$$ - Paper Trail$
It's easy to forget that Joey's only 20, the NY 90s that inspires him is so prominent in his work it sounds as though he's been rapping since he came out the womb. Paper Trail$ is the best callback to this from B4.DA.$$. DJ Premier is the premier (pun intended) sound of NY 90s and he brings it back here; Joey brings the bars and Preemo the beat - if you like 90s NY it's hard not to like Joey.
Travis Scott - Antidote
Rodeo was packed full of hits, including 3500, Nightcrawler and Maria I'm Drunk. Antidote was the best one - the arrogance of Scott coming through over a hazy, drug-fuelled, haunting beat - a club banger with a melancholic twist.
Future - Peacoat
Few had a year as big as Future, 2015 seeing the rapper release a collaboration with Drake, alongside DS2 and Beastmode. A divisive figure in the mainstream, many view his auto-tuned style as simply terrible. I go back and forth, but with Peacoat Future brings the bars and varies up his flow all over a muted, soothing beat. Endlessly replayable.
Dr. Dre - Animals (ft. Anderson .Paak)
Compton wasn't quite the instant classic many hoped it would be, but it did shine the light on Anderson .Paak, and we can be very thankful for that. Animals is the most politically charged song on the album; Dre teaming up with DJ Premier for the first time to produce a song with an angry 90s core covered in a smooth 2015 gloss. It's powerful and poignant, a rarity in Dre's discography, and .Paak is the star - his continued rise in 2016 will be a joy to watch.
Kanye West - All Day
A quiet year for Kanye all told, with few headline stealing antics and a delay to SWISH meaning he was almost forgotten as music's most eclectic star. Of course, music's "last remaining rockstar" wouldn't leave 2015 without ruffling a few feathers, most notably at the BRIT awards where with a flame thrower and a group of British grime stars Kanye put on a performance that terrified old white women and TV executives alike. Straight fire, indeed.
Drake - Hotline Bling
Hip hop's biggest artist had another good year; two number 1 albums, the squashing of Meek Mill, and this song. Impossible to escape since its release, its undeniably catchy, and with the release of the uniquely hilarious and brilliant video Drake secured its status as the biggest hip hop song of the year.
Vince Staples - Lift Me Up
Perhaps the funniest personality in hip-hop of 2015 released the year's darkest album. Lift Me Up channels the album's themes into one brilliant song; revealing the horrors of the gang lifestyle, the hypocrisy of the white hip-hop community, and the extreme racism still plaguing black Americans.
Kendrick Lamar - The Blacker the Berry
To Pimp a Butterfly is THE album of the year, nothing else in hip-hop really came close. To pick a single song is incredibly difficult, and frankly nearly every song is deserving of a place on this list, but forced to choose only one, The Blacker the Berry just takes it. It's the most 'traditional' hip hop song on the album, stripped of the jazz, funk and soul influences that flow throughout, leaving Kendrick to do nothing but spit the hardest bars he ever has. An angry, tortured introspective piece that leaves me stunned every time.
YG - Twist My Fingaz
In 2016 g-funk will rise again, or at least we can pray that it will after YG released this callback to the beloved West Coast genre. There's little to say other than the production defines the song, and if this is indicative of the sound for his next album My Still Krazy Life then we're in for something special.
Freddie Gibbs - Fuckin up the Count
Sneaking in at the end of the year was Freddie Gibbs Shadow of a Doubt, the follow-up to his brilliant Madlib produced hit Cocaine Piñata. The album lacks the consistency of Piñata, but still has a lot of highs, and Gibbs further shows his ability to rap over any beat. Fuckin Up the Count is my favourite song off of the album, going in hard whilst leaving room for Gibbs' more personal side to seep in.
Joey Bada$$ - Paper Trail$
It's easy to forget that Joey's only 20, the NY 90s that inspires him is so prominent in his work it sounds as though he's been rapping since he came out the womb. Paper Trail$ is the best callback to this from B4.DA.$$. DJ Premier is the premier (pun intended) sound of NY 90s and he brings it back here; Joey brings the bars and Preemo the beat - if you like 90s NY it's hard not to like Joey.
Travis Scott - Antidote
Rodeo was packed full of hits, including 3500, Nightcrawler and Maria I'm Drunk. Antidote was the best one - the arrogance of Scott coming through over a hazy, drug-fuelled, haunting beat - a club banger with a melancholic twist.
Future - Peacoat
Few had a year as big as Future, 2015 seeing the rapper release a collaboration with Drake, alongside DS2 and Beastmode. A divisive figure in the mainstream, many view his auto-tuned style as simply terrible. I go back and forth, but with Peacoat Future brings the bars and varies up his flow all over a muted, soothing beat. Endlessly replayable.
Dr. Dre - Animals (ft. Anderson .Paak)
Compton wasn't quite the instant classic many hoped it would be, but it did shine the light on Anderson .Paak, and we can be very thankful for that. Animals is the most politically charged song on the album; Dre teaming up with DJ Premier for the first time to produce a song with an angry 90s core covered in a smooth 2015 gloss. It's powerful and poignant, a rarity in Dre's discography, and .Paak is the star - his continued rise in 2016 will be a joy to watch.
Kanye West - All Day
A quiet year for Kanye all told, with few headline stealing antics and a delay to SWISH meaning he was almost forgotten as music's most eclectic star. Of course, music's "last remaining rockstar" wouldn't leave 2015 without ruffling a few feathers, most notably at the BRIT awards where with a flame thrower and a group of British grime stars Kanye put on a performance that terrified old white women and TV executives alike. Straight fire, indeed.
Drake - Hotline Bling
Hip hop's biggest artist had another good year; two number 1 albums, the squashing of Meek Mill, and this song. Impossible to escape since its release, its undeniably catchy, and with the release of the uniquely hilarious and brilliant video Drake secured its status as the biggest hip hop song of the year.
