Decided to this for posterity mainly - I imagine I'll look back on this in the future and debate some of the choices!

 

I will try and elaborate as best I can on why I've chosen the songs I have and how they've linked into my life. I cannot necessarily promise something for everybody, but I hope people will still enjoy this as much as I have whittling this down to a top 100.

 

Aim to have this done by New Year. All comments are welcomed and encouraged. :)

100. Chase & Status feat. Tinie Tempah - Hitz

 

 

Chase & Status at their most urban, I couldn't get enough of this the summer of my GCSEs. Tinie Tempah does his thing here, which gives the song a strutting cockiness. Strong start to the top 100.

 

99. Kwabs - Walk

 

 

This should have been Kwabs' crossover moment. Stomping production from TMS and a big chorus lent this a certain swagger.

 

98. Nick Brewer feat. Bibi Bourelly - Talk To Me

 

 

Professor Green lite? The Crystal Waters sample in this works well to create a good Rap-House hybrid. Due to it's heavy support from commercial radio, you could argue this underperformed in the charts.

 

97. Sneakbo - Ring A Ling

 

 

An artist who has created so many bangers this decade, Sneakbo's USP was his merging of hard raps with Dancehall sounds. This was a big anthem during my Kavos holiday in 2013.

 

96. Julio Bashmore feat. Sam Dew - Holding On

 

 

Au Seve may be his defining song, but this sounded so fresh over Summer 2015 and still does now. An 80's disco vibe married to a wistful vocal. Also, Julio Bashmore hails from my native Bristol so I heard this around all the clubs!

I love talk to me, he reminds me so much of professor green :wub:

95. Busta Rhymes feat. Q-Tip, Lil Wayne & Kanye West - Thank You

 

 

Christmas 2013, my first working at Aldi. This meant my first exposure to the Michael Buble Xmas album, so I was singing this under my breath! Kanye and Weezy's contributions are somewhat iconic.

 

94. Tinashe feat. Schoolboy Q - 2 On

 

 

If I had to name a celebrity crush, it'd probably be Tinashe - almost a perfect body. :wub: This song is very sexual, with an appropriately flithy cameo from Schoolboy Q.

 

93. John Newman - Cheating

 

 

Almost forgotten these days, mostly because it is so similar to Love Me Again. Undeniably a good song still though.

 

92. Stylo G - Call Mi A Leader

 

 

As commercial as reggae gets, this is a song that's so easy to dance to. Stylo's underground anthem 'Call Mi A Yardie' gets a Bob Marley-sampled twist. First of quite a few appearances for Stylo G, one of my favourite artists of the decade.

 

91. Chocolate Puma feat. Kris Kiss, Shystie & Roya - Step Back (Get Down)

 

 

Similar to Thank You, this was the song that got me through the manic 2014 Aldi Christmas. A song that describes that feeling when you're on the dancefloor doing your thing and nobody else matters! Manages to sound so old-school, with the modern twist of the vocals from Shystie and Roya elevate the record.

90. Vic Mensa - Down On My Luck

 

 

Wavy. The video and repetition of the lyrics help create that hazy feeling when you're starting to feel drunk. Sounds almost like a Disclosure production.

 

89. Frank Ocean - Lost

 

 

Probably the most minimal song on the countdown, I cannot help but love the lyrics to this song. Cannot wait for Frank Ocean's next album if it contains tracks as good as this and Pyramids.

 

88. Jacob Banks feat. Stormzy & Wretch 32 - Move With You (Remix)

 

 

This has the punch the original lacked for me. Any ML Hammer countdown wouldn't be complete without videos from the likes of Link Up TV!

 

87. Skrillex feat. Sirah - Bangarang

 

 

God knows what genre this is, but what a massive tune. Skrillex's crowning moment for me. A song me and my mates used to 'test' each others car speakers.

 

86. Jay Z & Kanye West - N*ggas in Paris

 

 

This may seem low, but there was one song from Watch The Throne I loved even more. One of the most iconic songs from 2012, the sort that is still played at almost every club night. Huge.

85. JME feat. Giggs - Man Don't Care

 

 

Big Grime record from 2015. The sort that'd never bother the charts but became an underground anthem.

 

84. Rudimental - Never Let You Go

 

 

Not their strongest I know, but there's something about this song that keeps drawing me in. So laid-back for Drum&Bass.

 

83. Chase & Status feat. Jacob Banks - Alive

 

 

If Avicii attempted D&B, I think it'd sound quite like this. So anthemic.

 

82. Kendrick Lamar - King Kunta

 

 

One of the best rappers of the decade, no question. A song with a strong message and a funky bass line which makes for great driving music.

 

81. Nas & Damian Jr. Gong Marley - As We Enter

 

 

Two artists who made a very underrated album called Distant Relatives. This was the biggest song from that as they exchange bars before Nas drops a killer hook. Always puts a smile on my face.

80. Jus Now feat. Bunji Garlin & Stylo G - Tun Up

 

 

Pure carnival vibes on this. I don't know anybody else who likes this song, but sometimes it's nice to have a song just for yourself.

 

79. Eminem - Berzerk

 

 

This was the first 'light hearted' Eminem single in a while which was a welcome change. No doubt past his peak by 2013, this is still a hyped record. Not heard this in a while, but I have strong memories of mental house parties that this soundtracked.

 

78. Dot Rotten - Overload

 

 

Using a a sample from the famous Robert Miles song 'Children', this was Dot Rotten's biggest commercial hit back in 2012. Very introspective and the outro containing lyrics like "the masters of this system...got us in this prison". Shame he dropped off the map after this.

 

77. Vato Gonzalez feat. Foreign Beggars - Badman Riddim (Jump)

 

 

Summer song from 2011, this sounded massive to my 16 year old ears! Industrial sized banger. This was the first summer I started using the gym and the dinosaur on the rooftop fascinated me.

 

76. Fuse ODG - Million Pound Girl (Badder Than Bad)

 

 

This decade's Gimme The Light? Reggae-influenced Afrobeats from Fuse ODG, this was a surprise smash early in 2014. I love how Fuse's lyrics are positive to women and this was a dancefloor filler.

Some interesting stuff here, ML Hammer! Quite a few I'm not overly familiar with but recall being good, and others that'd be major favourites of mine too.

 

Nice to see mentions for underappreciated gems like 'Walk', 'Cheating' and 'Thank You' (I love Q-Tip's verses on that). 'N*ggas In Paris' and 'King Kunta' are also particularly awesome and refuse to get old. :music:

 

SO great to see some love for Frank Ocean's 'Lost'...that song is justtttt :wub:. Can't really describe it but some of the lyrics and the whole melancholic/nostalgic vibe of it cut deep. <3

 

Looking forward to what's to come!

Thanks for the comment Noah!

 

75. Sigma feat. Paloma Faith & Stylo G - Changing (VIP Remix)

 

 

Blows the original out of the water in my opinion! Sigma created a real festival anthem by enlisting label-mate Stylo G to drop two verses and adding some Jungle/Dancehall elements to the beat.

 

74. Chase & Status feat. Louis Mattrs - Lost & Not Found

 

 

By mid 2013, I was eagerly awaiting new Chase & Status material, having rinsed their previous album. I was slightly disappointed with this on first listen, but it quickly grew. Great breakbeat tune that was perfect for the summer I left school. Similar to the aforementioned Never Let You Go.

 

73. Rascals feat. Professor Green - Fire Blaze

 

 

All about the beat in this song. Honestly, hearing again after a few years I cannot get enough of it! The raps are fine, but pale in comparison. Takes me back to a time where a 2L bottle of cider and a park bench would be a good Friday night.

 

72. Secondcity - I Wanna Feel

 

 

Oft criticised as a 'Non-Number 1', this just screams Summer to me. I've already said that about a number of songs on the countdown, but in my opinion music sounds so much better during the warmer months! Hands up who knew Daniel Bedingfield provides vocals on this?

 

71. Natalie La Rose feat. Jeremih - Somebody

 

 

Not many female R&B songs have a male vocalist singing the chorus (one of my all-time favourites Breathe also has this). An airy, almost dream-like beat compliments the two vocalists well. Jeremih appears twice more on this countdown, who knows how high!?

70. Shy FX feat. Liam Bailey - Soon Come

 

 

Shy FX is known for his Jungle/D&B beats, but he keeps it smooth reggae here. If somebody told me this was from the 60's I would have believed them.

 

69. Storm Queen - Look Right Through (MK Remix)

 

 

When this hit radio in Autumn 2013 I kept thinking to myself that I'd heard this before. Turns out I heard it when intoxicated on the Kavos strip a few months before! This was released before the deep house became over-saturated and still sounds fresh today.

 

68. MNEK - The Rhythm

 

 

The drop in this is almost so messy it's charming. There is something oddly compelling about this song and in retrospect it is amazing this entered the UK top 40 at all. Much better than MNEK's current single.

 

67. Drake feat. Lil Wayne & Tyga - The Motto

 

 

The song that spawned the YOLO phenomenon. For that reason alone, it felt much bigger than most of the 2012 chart hits and if released now would be a guaranteed top 10. I loved the Tinie Tempah remix at the time and this reminds me of a freezing school trip to Florence in early 2012.

 

66. Wiz Khalifa - Black And Yellow

 

 

The chorus in this is so joyous and I remember this being played all around school at the time. Listening to it again now, the whole song is hook-laden and it isn't hard to see why it was a big hit. A rare song where Wiz doesn't mention his marijuana habit! House party anthem back in the day.

You've certainly got your fair share of jams here ML :music:

 

Hitz

Talk to Me :D

2 On :music:

Cheating :D

Step Back :music:

Down On My Luck :D

BANGARANG :music: :music: :wub:

Alive :music:

Berzerk :music: :wub:

Badman Riddim :D

Million Pound Girl :D

Changing :D

Lost & Not Found :wub:

I Wanna Feel :wub: :wub: :music:

Somebody :D

Look Right Through :music: :dance:

The Rhythm :D

Black And Yellow :music: :music:

Good to see you liking plenty on offer Adam!

 

65. Eminem feat. Lil Wayne - No Love

 

 

I like how this grows in intensity as the song progresses - culminating in Eminem's two minute blast. This is the sort of song to play when you want to give a middle finger to the world.

 

64. Lethal Bizzle feat. Diztortion - Fester Skank

 

 

I don't really rate Bizzle as a rapper and find his personality off putting. That said, this song was fire. Crossed over to become a huge club anthem and so addictive.

 

63. Duke Dumont - The Giver (Reprise)

 

 

Duke Dumont's rise to prominence, a by-product of the 90s house influence, has been pleasing to see. This underperformed in the charts, but it's my favourite from him. Should come with a free bottle of suncream.

 

62. Wretch 32 feat. Josh Kumra - Don't Go

 

 

In a dance-pop dominated 2011, it still amazes me that this got to #1, beating Emeli Sande and Maroon 5! Wretch is a rapper who is better when the BPM is lowered, allowing his lyrics to take centre stage. Actually about his love of music, not women.

 

61. DJ Fresh feat. Rita Ora - Hot Right Now

 

 

Drum & Bass may sound a little tired these days, but this was the first from the genre to top the chart back in 2012. With the possible exception of R.I.P., I don't think Rita Ora has been on a better song.

60. Professor Green feat. Maverick Sabre - Jungle

 

 

I love the way Maverick Sabre says the word 'Jungle' here. Draws me in every time. My mates used to tell me that I spoke like Professor Green (and Wretch 32) when I'm drunk!

 

59. J Cole feat. Miguel - Power Trip

 

 

Perfect late-night music. Miguel has about two lines in this song but takes it to another level. I sometimes find J Cole a dull rapper but the backing track and chorus allow him to shine.

 

58. Fetty Wap feat. Remy Boyz - 679

 

 

So hedonisitic and I cannot help but have a smile on my face when I hear the chorus - as I imagine Fetty must have too. 2015 has really been the year of Fetty Wap seeing as a song like this has entered the UK chart.

 

57. Sigma - Nobody To Love

 

 

I've posted the video, but the version released as a single is vastly inferior to the original bootleg. That's the version I have on my iPod and that's what features on this countdown. Charlie Wilson has a richer vocal than the single version. Sigma's biggest and most enduring hit I'd have thought.

 

56. Kid Ink feat. Chris Brown - Show Me

 

 

This was the song that started the plethora of Mustard sounding beats we've heard over the last two years. Heard this so many times on club nights, but this refuses to get old. Main Chick, Body Language, Be Real, Hotel... all good songs but less endearing versions of this.

55. Gyptian - Hold Yuh

 

 

If this was released in 2015, I think this would have been a long running #1, with songs like Cheerleader, Locked Away, Freak Of The Week & Lean On taking heavy influence from Jamaica. Even released in dance-pop dominated 2010, this picked up significant love. Filthy chorus if you listen hard enough and I still plays this when the sun comes out!

 

54. Oliver Heldens feat. Becky Hill - Gecko (Overdrive)

 

 

Something hypnotic about this beat. I suspect this will be played on Kisstory in 2022 and we'll wonder what happened to Oliver Heldens (and Becky Hill, let's be honest).

 

53. K Koke feat. Maverick Sabre - Turn Back

 

 

Back when every UK rapper released their version of Airplanes! Maverick Sabre's vocals are haunting here and the production bombastic. The problem with K Koke was all his raps are about the same things, as all his ROC Nation singles showed. This is as real as it gets.

 

52. Disclosure feat. Sam Smith - Latch

 

 

This is going down as a classic. No discussion. Might even be one now to be honest. This made stars out of both Disclosure and Sam Smith with it's spacious synths and stunning vocals. Works as well in the club as it does on the radio.

 

51. Tinie Tempah feat. Jess Glynne - Not Letting Go

 

 

This is just a summer triumph. Tinie's 2013 album 'Demonstration' didn't connect with a lot of people who criticised the American sound and lack of anthems such as Written In The Stars and Pass Out (still to come). This was such a return to form and Jess Glynne sounds better here than any of her solo singles. The London based video scored major points with me and this grew on me so much this year.

50. iLL Blu feat. James Morrison - Lonely People

 

 

On the face of it, this is a forgettable house record but trust me - this is a real earworm. Laid back house accompined by some subtle trumpets and a yearning chorus from James Morrison, this was largely overlooked at the time.

 

49. Professor Green feat. Ruth Anne - Remedy

 

 

Released back when my love for Pro Green was at its peak. Remember seeing an interview of his on BBC Breakfast at the time with the presenter who appears at the end of this video! Club tune which I found impossibly cool at 17.

 

48. Skepta feat. JME - That's Not Me

 

 

German Whip may be seen as the flag-bearer for the Grime resurgence, but this was the song most loved by the streets. Makes no apologies about being straight-up Grime. Video famously won a MOBO Award despite only costing £80!

 

47. Disclosure feat. AlunaGeorge - White Noise

 

 

This came in the middle of three great singles that made Disclosure household names; Latch, this and You & Me. This was always my favourite because it sounded the coolest to my ears and really went off on a night out.

 

46. Show N Prove feat. Takura - Zimma Frame

 

 

This was on repeat for days at a time back in the Summer of 2013. Almost impossible to resist, I challenge anybody not to be moving to this record! Love the ragga and Jungle influence coupled with breakbeat and Hip Hop vibes. The old guy in the video is a legend too.

Fester Skank - Pretty catchy from Bizzles :D glad this had a fairly good chart run!

The Giver - Didn't like this at first but I got into it. It's still a long way from his previous 3.

Don't Go - The guy in your sig Wretch 32! :D it's good but I prefer other things he's done e.g. Unorthodox and Tractor.

Hot Right Now - :music: DJ Fresh! One of my favourites from him. So catchy. Wish he went back to more of his Nextlevelism style :(

679 - I prefer this to Trap King. Very good track. Glad I ended up liking his voice after a few listens :D

Nobody To Love - :wub: :music: bloody love this! One of my favourite songs of that year and it's just brilliant! The original Kanye song though :/

Show Me - :music: great track! Kid Ink's others kind of sound like weaker copies of this for me though.

Not Letting Go - Great to see Jess and Tinie get another #1! :cheer:

Latch - It's ok but Disclosure have done better for me.

Remedy - :music: Great example of a Pro Green track! Shame this didn't peak higher in the chart.

Turn Back - This flopped in the chart didn't it? :( My fave of what I've heard of him is Lay Down Your Weapons.

Gecko - Oliver Heldens :music: great to see this tune here.

White Noise - :music: :wub: definitely my favourite Disclosure track! Catchy as hell. They've not really come close to this for me with their other songs unfortunately.

some cool tunes in here! Especially loving the two Disclosure tunes and Gecko (without checking that would probably be in my top 5 of the decade so far)

 

I'm usually a big house fan but 'Lonely People' didn't cut it for me. Probably because I find Morrison's voice dull. Great to see another big fan of 'The Giver (Reprise)' though, that was seriously underrated in the charts and on buzzjack.

Fester Skank - Pretty catchy from Bizzles :D glad this had a fairly good chart run!

The Giver - Didn't like this at first but I got into it. It's still a long way from his previous 3.

Don't Go - The guy in your sig Wretch 32! :D it's good but I prefer other things he's done e.g. Unorthodox and Tractor.

Hot Right Now - :music: DJ Fresh! One of my favourites from him. So catchy. Wish he went back to more of his Nextlevelism style :(

679 - I prefer this to Trap King. Very good track. Glad I ended up liking his voice after a few listens :D

Nobody To Love - :wub: :music: bloody love this! One of my favourite songs of that year and it's just brilliant! The original Kanye song though :/

Show Me - :music: great track! Kid Ink's others kind of sound like weaker copies of this for me though.

Not Letting Go - Great to see Jess and Tinie get another #1! :cheer:

Latch - It's ok but Disclosure have done better for me.

Remedy - :music: Great example of a Pro Green track! Shame this didn't peak higher in the chart.

Turn Back - This flopped in the chart didn't it? :( My fave of what I've heard of him is Lay Down Your Weapons.

Gecko - Oliver Heldens :music: great to see this tune here.

White Noise - :music: :wub: definitely my favourite Disclosure track! Catchy as hell. They've not really come close to this for me with their other songs unfortunately.

 

Hey Adam, thanks for the comprehensive comment. Good to see you liking plenty so far and I have a feeling you'll be liking a fair amount of what's to come!

 

some cool tunes in here! Especially loving the two Disclosure tunes and Gecko (without checking that would probably be in my top 5 of the decade so far)

 

I'm usually a big house fan but 'Lonely People' didn't cut it for me. Probably because I find Morrison's voice dull. Great to see another big fan of 'The Giver (Reprise)' though, that was seriously underrated in the charts and on buzzjack.

 

Hey Dan, great to see you comment here! Had a feeling you'd approve of the love for Latch, White Noise, Gecko and The Giver (Reprise's). Can also see why you'd find Lonely People dull, even so I love that too.

 

Fair amount of dance songs still left to come, so stick around. :)

45. Justin Timberlake - Mirrors

 

 

Biggest song from his 2013 comeback. The first era of music I really remember was around 2002/03 when Timberlake made great songs like Cry Me A River, Like I Love You and Rock Your Body which I still listen too! Mirrors sounds like a classic, with Timbaland production of course.

 

44. Sway - Level Up

 

 

This slightly undersells Sway's ability as a rapper, but I really loved this back in 2012. Good dubstep production from Flux Pavilion and this always reminds me of a slightly riotous West Ham away day at my local team Bristol City!

 

43. Rudimental feat. John Newman - Feel The Love

 

 

Seem to remember this came out of nowhere to be one of the Summer anthems of 2012. A real smash hit that everybody seemed to love. I couldn't have been the only one who thought John Newman was black when they first heard this.

 

42. A$AP Rocky feat. 2 Chainz, Drake & Kendrick Lamar - F*ckin' Problems

 

 

This is a whole load of fun! Another song which I've seen described as 'Drake featuring Drake', this went off in the clubs and I still hear it fairly regularly to this day.

 

41. Naughty Boy feat. Sam Smith - La La La

 

 

Another song that I feel is going to age well. A great mix of R&B, Soul, Breakbeat and Garage contributed to one of the biggest Pop songs of 2013, a massive hit over the Summer that year. Charming video too.

Ah, this is getting very good! Love Power Trip, 679, Show Me, and Remedy, all my favorite songs from the respective artists. Did you lurk around Buzzjack at all before you joined? I think you would've liked to be posting here back when Feel The Love was released, definitely a big chart moment when it went to #1! That was one of my favorite iTunes threads on Buzzjack actually.

 

Also checking back further and I also love Black & Yellow :wub: Been waiting for new stuff from Wiz and really hoping it's more like this and less like See You Again. Looking forward to the rest!