With the speechless list already out, I want to close out my end of year lists with my favorite songs of 2022. Some expected artists pop-up (with unexpected songs?) and some wild cards thrown in for good measure.
So rather than wasting your time, get started below.
When Lupe Fiasco announced he would write and record an album in 24 hours, even as a huge fan of his work, I wasn't exactly expecting much. What felt like years later, we had a name 'Drill Music in Zion' (goat album name?) then a few months later a single 'AUTOBOTO'. A good track, but nothing out of the ordinary for Lupe; a song he could make in autopilot, yet still lyrically dropping gems 'What's an infrared dot to a whole dot gov?'.
What really had me excited though was finding out DMIZ would house the next in the Mural series, this time Ms. Mural was taking center stage. It does not dissapoint.
Hearing Lupe rap over some classic Soundtrakk production, while narrating the song from the perspective of a painter and his patron (as well as the painting itself?); is the kind of mind-blowing goodness I anticipate from the Chicago emcee. The are bars, on bars in this song that I could point out, but from;
Man does not become superior 'cause you connect him to a cape,
Nor does become inferior because you connect him to a ape,
we get a masterclass in subject switching (gender roles, ethics etc) while tying it into the artistic narrative of a song.
Like every Fiasco song, this one will take months to unpack, so why not join me and help me understand?
J.I.D, for years has been on the verge of achieving his final form. Clearly, incredibly talented, with easily the most interesting flow in the game, ferociously adaptable and having an innate ability to find THE pocket in any beat. The thing that was missing was always the album that would focus his potential, the ability to cohesively tell a story while standing out like the always does. In 'The Forever Story', he thankfully delivered on his years of promise. in a short, dense 12 track album.
J.I.D spent a chunks of the album doing what he was already excellent at (Surround Sound, Raydar, Lauder too) but better, as well as introducing us to sides of him that were not as obvious. I couldn't decide between Crack Sandwich, Kody Blu 31 or Sistanem for a long time as the highlight of the album, but the latter seemingly mixes what the former do fantastically but in one 6-minute track.
Produced by James Blake, Sistanem is the perfect amount dark and brooding as it is comforting and melodic. The drums are quiet, delicate and subdued, perfectly complimented by J.I.D's more graceful than usual delivery.
His sing-songy delivery of:
Back on the road, gone with the wind blows
Packin' the shows, hoes and the nymphos, platinum and gold
You know how this shit go when family's gone
You don't know what you here for, uh
is the soundbite of the song.
Blake, cleverly adds instruments as the story of the family / sisterly squables evolve (adding to the animosity) - as J.I.D experctly adds tired inflections to his voice, helping sell the ongoing turmoil being re-told.
If you have any interest in modern hip-hop I would definetly give this song and the album a listen.
It's been a long, long time since a Joey Bada$$ song hit me the way Survivors Guilt has. The death of Capital STEEZ has been hanging on Pro Era and Bada$$ for years now, never entirely being addressed (definetly not like this).
On Survivors Guilt, Bada$$ pulls back the curtain and burns it down; revealing a much more vulnerable side to him, I wasn't aware he was willing to put on record. With the final verse from Joey and the outro from Ab-Soul (especially after HERBERT) closing the song at an incredibly emotional crescendo.
This is the best Joey Bada$$ has sounded to me in years and I hope what he managed to achieve with this track, specifically on this 1999 leaning production that Rahki produced — we'll be seeing more of this Joey, more often.
London born, US based IDK has been growing on me these past few years. With tracks like Just Like Martin, Once Upon A Time and Black Sheep / White Dover; I've been seeing a much more confident artist taking form, constantly diversifying his features, production and delivery.
When I heard IDK was partnering with the incredible KAYTRANADA on an EP, I had a feeling it could be special. Spoiler alert, I was not dissapointed. KAYTRANADA wild' out on every song, creating the sort of grooves I would have just loved to see Smino over, but thankfully IDK took on the challenge and delivered such a good collection of songs, I couldn't imagine anyone else rapping over these beats so well.
Drugstore is the EPs standout; over a bouncy, ever-evolving beat IDK delivers a tour-de-force, that when the song ends you'll be pressing the replay button without even realising.
Would love to know what others think of this one.
It's been so over half a decade since the release of the timeless Freudian. Since then he's been much quieter than I had hoped, with odd loosies here and there, but thankfully 2022 delivered a song worthy of his name.
Produced by the ever-great BBNG, Daniel spends the next 3 minutes (or so) letting us in on his confession — the unstable and trying relationship of his with his bride to be.
Just how long will you stand next to me?
For we both know, it's more than a load
For you to bear / It'd break my heart, but I'd understand if you'd
Leave me for another man with a little
Less on his mind, less on his plate Less in his brain,"
The intimate nature of the lyrics is only magnified by the stripped back, acoustic production pieced together. Supposedly Please Do Not Lean is the introduction to his next album, which hopefully arrives sooner rather than later.
I was unfortunately whelmed by Saba's most recent album A Few Good Things. The fault lied with me, expecting Saba to keep his incredible streak going after the excellent CARE FOR ME; but it wasn't to be. That's not to say everything is doom and gloom with this LP providing another few outstanding tracks in the chicago born rappers repetoir.
An Interlude 'Circus' commited the cardinal sin, of a fantastic song being simply way too short. Clocking in at little over 60seconds, Circus is a beautiful, perfect for a summers day, quiet storm musical concotion, that only Saba could deliver with that unique cadance of his. I really hope eventually we get a longer version of Circus, but for now at least I can appreciate the fact I can run this track 3 times before your typical Abba song finishes.
I've always had a love / hate relationship with Freddie Gibbs. More often than not, his particular brand of modern gangsta rap rubs me the wrong way; skewing too far to the right for me to really appreciate. Yet, once every while, Gibbs delivers a song so good I can't help but pay attention; that's where Dark Hearted comes in.
Found on his latest album $oul $old $eparately, this is a level above anything Gibbs has come with i the past. Thanks to the once again ridiculous work behind the boards of James Blake, Gibbs has the dark and forebodding tapestry his carefully slick lyrics demand.
A relentless display by Gibbs, completely contrasting the moody production in the background running through his troubles moving from the streets to stardom. With the song really being tied together by Gibbs delivery; his innate ability to combine his dark lyricism with a much more accessible melodic delivery over this kind of beat results in a stand out song of 2022.
Hoping for more of this from Freddie Gibbs in 2023.
