The Top 50 Best R&B and Hip-Hop Songs Of 2023

Over the next few days I'll be counting down my 50 favourite R&B and Hip-Hop songs of the past year! And I MEAN 2023 only, that means there won't be any songs from 'SOS' or 'Heroes & Villains' :( Expect to see chart smashes and artists that you have never heard of!

And we start with......

 

50. J Hus - It's Crazy

 

 

2023 saw the return of the Godfather of afroswing music J Hus. He returned with 'It's Crazy', a horrorcore influenced drill song that featured the legendary line 'Murder gives me a boner' which is unsurprising as Hus has previously admitted that he 'would be a genius if I didn't think with my penis'. The song served as the lead single to his 3rd studio album 'Beautiful and Brutal Yard' and it peaked at #15 on the UK charts. However, Its success would be eclipsed by the sophomore single to the album 'Who Told You' which was significantly worse than 'It's Crazy' and would easily fit on a worst songs of 2023 list.

 

49. Doja Cat - Demons

 

 

2023 was an interesting year for Doja Cat which saw her go from dressing up as Karl Lagerfeld's cat Choupette at the met gala to dressing up as a demon for the highly controversial video for the follow-up single to her global #1 hit 'Paint The Town Red'. Unlike that single, 'Demons' has a much harder aesthetic. The song features some fantastically aggressive production from D.A. Got That Dope (who has produced several hits in the past including Eminem's 'Godzilla' and Kodak Black's 'ZEZE') and some manic flows from Doja. 'Demons' didn't get the success of 'Paint The Town Red' but I can easily say that it is superior in comparison in my opinion.

 

48. Nines - Daily Duppy

 

 

Nines was supposedly meant to release his final album in the Spring of 2023. He did release an album that Spring titled 'Crop Circle 2' but he simply couldn't help himself from releasing another album in the Autumn. The album, predictably called 'Crop Circle 3' found itself in the unusual situation of having a GRM Daily 'Daily Duppy' as its lead single. The 'Daily Duppy' turned out to be excellent, becoming the best one that has charted in the UK in my opinion. It also became the 'Daily Duppy' that has the highest chart peak in the UK. Laced with various cultural references (including Crash Bandicoot and Free Willy) and a Loose Ends sample, there is no denying that this song pops off.

 

47. Headie One & K-Trap - PARK CHINOIS

 

 

Headie One looked set to drop his sophomore album in 2023. He kicked off the year by releasing his most successful single in a few years titled 'Martin's Sofa'. A sofa that funnily enough, I've sat on as Headie brought it with him as part of his set for his tour dates this Summer. The hype seemed to lead to something else.... Instead he released a solid collaborative album with rising drill star K-Trap. The highlight of the album for me is the 2nd single 'PARK CHINOIS' which also turns out to be the most streamed song off of the album. The hook from K-Trap is insanely catchy and both artists deliver fantastic verses.

 

46. JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown - SCARING THE HOES

 

 

One of my hottest takes this year was certainly JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown's hilariously titled collaborative album 'SCARING THE HOES' being among my favourite albums of the year. This album is the polar opposite of what BuzzJack wants to hear :lol: An instant highlight for me from the album was the title track which is pure mania but oddly sounds like euphoria to my perverted ears. The duo have another track from the album coming up in the countdown but this one will certainly stick with me for a while.

Great to see 'Demons' making the cut! It seems to be quite marmite on here but I loved the distorted direction from her and the video is ART *.*

'It's Crazy' would probably be top if I made a similar list and is challenging for being my favourite song Hus has ever released. It's a shame the album ended up falling way below my expectations though. He needs to get back with JAE5.

 

Nines's 'Daily Duppy' was fun but nowhere near my favourite in the series. Nice to see one of them make the top 20 officially though. 'PARK CHINOIS' was definitely the strongest of the charting songs from that mixtape.

 

I did give 'SCARING THE HOES' a spin when it was first released but it didn't make much of an impact on me. I can't really remember anything about it.

 

I wasn't a fan of 'Demons' though unfortunately. The flow in the verses are quite fun but the chorus doesn't work at all for me.

 

I'm very interested to see what else is to come! :D

45. Lyrical Lemonade, Jack Harlow & Dave - Stop Giving Me Advice



Lyrical Lemonade have been around for years. Most notably they make music videos for various hip-hop artists and have made many iconic videos in the past (several Juice WRLD videos including 'Lucid Dreams' and his Eminem collab 'Godzilla'). In 2023 they decided to dip their toes into releasing music under their name. They have released four singles so far with an exact 50:50 ratio of banger:mess currently. Their 4th release saw them return to form thanks to stellar production, the (rare) talent of Jack Harlow and a fantastic verse from across the Atlantic ocean, courtesy of Dave.

44. Travis Scott - MODERN JAM (feat. Teezo Touchdown)



After 5 years, Travis Scott finally released the follow-up to his 2018 album 'Astroworld' aptly titled 'Utopia'. Listening to this album for the first time was one of the best musical experiences I have ever had in my life, the production value can not be beaten by any other album that was released in 2023. One of the countless highlights from the album was 'MODERN JAM' which features obvious influence from Kanye West's 'Yeezus' and melodramatic singing from rising star Teezo Touchdown who also had a fantastic 2023. This song marked a very different sound for Travis. A lot of people who listen to Travis worried prior to the release of 'Utopia' that the album would just sound like something he had done in the past but this song amongst many others proves that worry to be pointless.

43. Drake - Rich Baby Daddy (feat. Sexxy Red & SZA)



As per most Drake albums there are: Highs, lows & pure filler. 'For All The Dogs' was no different. It did have its fair share of highs though. 'Rich Baby Daddy' was one of those highs, featuring a raunchy hook from a Sexxy Red (certainly another breakout star of 2023) and a very melodic verse from SZA who also gave us another Drake collaboration in 2023 called 'Slime You Out'.

42. Tems - Me & U



2023 also blessed us with the return of Tems. 'Me & U' marked her first solo and original material in over two years since her acclaimed EP 'If Orange Was A Place'. Quite simply, 'Me & U' is a vibe. The song features a lush guitar loop and typical afrobeats percussion. Tems also shows off her vocal range on the song with a fantastic display. The song was successful for Tems and marked her 1st UK top 40 single as a lead/solo artist.

41. JID - Van Goph (feat. Lil Yachty)



JID spent most of 2023 touring and teasing. The touring part was supporting his 2022 album 'The Forever Story' (the best album of 2022 imo) on a global tour and playing at countless festivals. The teasing part was down to him teasing two different projects: The follow-up album to 'The Forever Story' titled 'Forever & A Day' and his upcoming collaborative album with G.O.A.T. hip-hop producer Metro Boomin. Instead two completely different things happened. Firstly, 'Surround Sound' from 'The Forever Story' began to chart in many countries in late Autumn due to it becoming involved with a popular TikTok challenge. Secondly, he dropped an EP with two new tracks which happened to both be Lil Yachty collaborations. The highlight of these two was 'Van Goph' for me. The song is manic and sees excellent quickly delivered back-to-back verses from JID & Yachty.

40. The Kid LAROI - Sorry



I'm rarely impressed by a Kid LAROI song but the intro to his highly anticipated debut album was different. The first part of the song sees LAROI struggling and questioning his fame over a chipmunk soul beat. Then, the beat switch comes... The song quickly turns to LAROI bragging about his fame and how many weeks he has had in the Billboard top 10, how he can buy expenisve clothes etc... The outro is also brilliant. This song stood out compared to the other generally mid songs on 'The First Time'.

39. Teezo Touchdown - Sweet (feat. Fousheé)



As I've previously mentioned, Teezo Touchdown was a breakout star of 2023. He quickly rose to prominence thanks to Travis Scott, after being featured on 'MODERN JAM' from 'Utopia' (#44 in this list) and Travis also took him on his US & Canada arena tour as a support act. The highlight of his debut album was 'Sweet' for me. The track provides a chilled out vibe and some beautiful, smooth vocals from Fousheé.

38. Lil Yachty & J. Cole - The Secret Recipe



This wasn't a collaboration that I expected to see at all. Somehow J. Cole found his way onto this song and with Yachty developed it into a memorable song. The song is bars, bars and more bars spat over a lush 70s soul sample that Yachty & Cole are perfectly suited to. This was yet another fantastic entry for both artists' 2023 which turned out to be an incredible year for both of them.

37. Drake - Tried Our Best



'Tried Our Best' is possibly one of the most underrated songs that Drake has released in recent years. It was warmly embraced by critics (Billboard listing it as the 2nd best song off of 'For All The Dogs') and by fans who claimed it to be one of Drake's best songs in years. This sadly didn't translate to commercial success. The song is a beautiful and surprisingly touching R&B song about Drake struggling within a romantic relationship (which is nothing new for Drake tbh). The song also features recognisable backing vocals from Ty Dolla $ign who had less of a successful 2023 (most notably promoting new material with Kanye West that has so far flopped badly compared to the former's usual chart standards).

36. Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar - The Hillbillies



The cousins showed up again! 'Family Ties' and 'Range Brothers' were both excellent collaborations between these two and 'The Hillbillies' is no different. Their chemistry on the song is really obvious, they just build on each other's energy and strengths. This song has also turned out to be the supposed intro to their newly formed supergroup of the same name who made an excellent concert debut by headlining the 2023 edition of Tyler, The Creator's Camp Flog Gnaw festival.

I really ought to use this thread to quickly catch up with some of the highlights of the year that I've not got around to listening to! (which is going to be most of the songs that didn't chart in the UK oops - 'SCARING THE HOES' is definitely one of the albums I most need to get around to listening to from the year, not a hot take at all to rate that highly, it is one of the most acclaimed albums of the year! At least in terminally online circles anyway :lol:)

 

Out of the songs I do know I definitely approve of most of these picks so far! #50-47 were all my favourite of their respective artists' charting songs of the year, 'PARK CHINOIS' and 'It's Crazy' probably my 2 favourite drill hits of the year unless I am forgetting something obvious, and Nines' Daily Duppy is I think the best I've heard to date from both Nines and the series. 'Stop Giving Me Advice' is a good tune too, slightly carried by Dave but Jack gave a good verse this time too, and 'Rich Baby Daddy' was a highlight of the Drake album just for its trashy fun factor, if you ignore the last minute of it :kink: I didn't really get into 'Tried Our Best' unfortunately, I have seen plenty of praise for it but I didn't find it to stand out from any of the other R&B songs on the album personally. 'MODERN JAM' also isn't one of my faves from 'UTOPIA' despite the obvious 'Yeezus' vibes but I trust there will be more songs to come from that album that I'll get behind more!

 

I think I might have heard 'Van Gogh' a few years back as it's one that leaked a while before its official release but I don't remember it too well so will need to give it another listen! Also definitely need to get around to hearing 'The Hillbillies' as Kendrick and Keem are always great together (hoping the Camp Flog Gnaw booking is a teaser to them making a full project together rather than just a one off).

35. Sampha - Spirit 2.0



A lot had happened since Sampha released his debut album in 2017. Covid, four different PMs in the UK and Ed Sheeran losing his crown as the world's biggest artist. 6 years was worth the wait considering how brilliant Sampha's sophomore album is. The lead single 'Spirit 2.0' stood out to me as the best of an excellent bunch of tracks. The production is stunning and we all know how good of a vocalist Sampha is. As long as we get an album that is as good as or better than 'Lahai', I really don't mind waiting another 6 years.

34. RAYE - Oscar Winning Tears



You can't define RAYE. RAYE uniquely mixed genres on her sensational debut album 'My 21st Century Blues' and there were great results. RAYE kicked off 2023 scoring her first UK #1 single with the independently released, global hit 'Escapism.' which is easily my favourite #1 single in years and possibly off all time. That song may well have topped this list had it been done last year. The first full song on her debut album sees her delving into abusive relationships of the past, a topic often not talked about in mainstream music. This is a perfect opener to a fantastic album, this won't be the last of RAYE in this list as well (spoilers)...

33. 2 Chainz & Lil Wayne - Long Story Short



Both 2 Chainz & Lil Wayne's recent material hasn't been great. I would go as far to say that some of Wayne's material this decade has been awful ('Kat Food' :cheeseblock:). I wasn't overjoyed when I heard that 2 Chainz & Lil Wayne were getting ready to release a follow-up to 'Collegrove', especially as it's lead single 'Presha' was exceptionaly MOR. When I first saw that a 2nd single 'Long Story Short' had been released, I nearly wasn't bothered to listen to it. I'm so glad I did. This song is the diamond in the dirt of 'Welcome 2 Collegrove'. Both artists bounce off of each other's energy and the soulful production is excellent. Here's hoping that either artist can ever release a song as good as this again.

32. Janelle Monáe - Float (feat. Sean Kuti & Egypt 80)



Another artist to return with a new album after a few years away was the beloved Janelle Monáe. She kicked off the Summer by releasing her new album 'The Age Of Pleasure'. Unfortunately it's quality did not translate into commercial success as it didn't even make the UK top 40 albums chart :( The first single she returned with was 'Float' which shows off Monáe's various abilities. She floats on the beat when she's singing and shows her rapping talents off as well in the verses. The song also has horns playing throughout it which helps layer up the production, provided by Sean Kuti and his band Egypt 80.

31. Kwengface, Overmono & Joy Orbison - Freedom 2



Is this cheating? Well, the orginal is certainly a hip-hop (garage/drill) song so I guess this counts. Kwengface was one of the most illusive UK rappers... Until 'Freedom' was released! 'Freedom' marked a point where Kwengface's personality was, well, freed :lol: Most notably Kwengface had worn a mask in every public appearance, music video and concert up until the release of 'Freedom' where he threw away the mask and revealed his identity. My preferred version of the song was the Overmono & Joy Orbison remix titled 'Freedom 2' which turns it into more of an electronic record but puts the bars at the front and center of the song. Collaborations like this aren't usually seen in the world of UK rap but the results of this one was spectacular.

'Oscar Winning Tears.' was a strong (proper) opening track for RAYE's album, definitely channelling Amy Winehouse on that one. Love 'Float' as well and definitely a fitting title for the song. I've not heard 'Spirit 2.0' properly yet but I did love the follow-up 'Only' after hearing it on Radio 1 a couple of times!

Time to do some replies!

 

Great to see 'Demons' making the cut! It seems to be quite marmite on here but I loved the distorted direction from her and the video is ART *.*

 

'Demons' is such an underrated song from 'Scarlet'! Agreed that the video is also fantastic (probs the video of the year), well done Christian Breslauer :clap:

 

'It's Crazy' would probably be top if I made a similar list and is challenging for being my favourite song Hus has ever released. It's a shame the album ended up falling way below my expectations though. He needs to get back with JAE5.

 

'It's Crazy' is also possibly my favourite work from Hus (I have forgotten what many of his songs sound like tbh :lol: Will have to do a relisten to his discography sometime). I do quite like most of his JAE5 collabs iirc (namely 'Play Play', 'Must Be' and 'Did You See')

 

I really ought to use this thread to quickly catch up with some of the highlights of the year that I've not got around to listening to! (which is going to be most of the songs that didn't chart in the UK oops - 'SCARING THE HOES' is definitely one of the albums I most need to get around to listening to from the year, not a hot take at all to rate that highly, it is one of the most acclaimed albums of the year! At least in terminally online circles anyway :lol:)

 

Out of the songs I do know I definitely approve of most of these picks so far! #50-47 were all my favourite of their respective artists' charting songs of the year, 'PARK CHINOIS' and 'It's Crazy' probably my 2 favourite drill hits of the year unless I am forgetting something obvious, and Nines' Daily Duppy is I think the best I've heard to date from both Nines and the series. 'Stop Giving Me Advice' is a good tune too, slightly carried by Dave but Jack gave a good verse this time too, and 'Rich Baby Daddy' was a highlight of the Drake album just for its trashy fun factor, if you ignore the last minute of it :kink: I didn't really get into 'Tried Our Best' unfortunately, I have seen plenty of praise for it but I didn't find it to stand out from any of the other R&B songs on the album personally. 'MODERN JAM' also isn't one of my faves from 'UTOPIA' despite the obvious 'Yeezus' vibes but I trust there will be more songs to come from that album that I'll get behind more!

 

I think I might have heard 'Van Gogh' a few years back as it's one that leaked a while before its official release but I don't remember it too well so will need to give it another listen! Also definitely need to get around to hearing 'The Hillbillies' as Kendrick and Keem are always great together (hoping the Camp Flog Gnaw booking is a teaser to them making a full project together rather than just a one off).

 

'SCARING THE HOES' is a serious must-listen. You can't miss out on listening to an album with titles like 'Steppa Pig' and 'Jack Harlow Combo Meal' :lol: There will be another song coming from that album in a bit (spoilers).

 

There will be a few more songs from 'UTOPIA' coming up that may be more to your taste methinks. And (disclaimer) none of them will feature The Weeknd despite me being a stan.

 

I'm really looking forward to JID's upcoming projects although I fear that the success of 'Surround Sound' may delay the releases slightly as he might want to focus on pushing that instead of new material.

 

'Oscar Winning Tears.' was a strong (proper) opening track for RAYE's album, definitely channelling Amy Winehouse on that one. Love 'Float' as well and definitely a fitting title for the song. I've not heard 'Spirit 2.0' properly yet but I did love the follow-up 'Only' after hearing it on Radio 1 a couple of times!

 

'Only' was another song that was very close to making the list. 'Dancing Circles' and 'Suspended' were relatively close as well.

 

 

 

Keep the responses coming!!!

30. Lil Uzi Vert - Suicide Doors



When compared to Uzi's past music, 'Suicide Doors' is wild. Lil Uzi Vert usually doesn't dip their toe into rap-rock but I'm glad that they did. Like many songs of their 3rd studio album 'Pink Tape', 'Suicide Doors' is an experiment for Uzi. 'Pink Tape' pushed Uzi's limits and there was some seriously crazy music on that album (let's not forget 'The End' :lol:). 'Pink Tape' was also another commercial success, it featured several hits (including 'Just Wanna Rock' and the awful Eiffel 65 sampling Nicki Minaj collaboration 'Endless Fashion') and secured another #1 on the Billboard 200 for Uzi.

29. 070 Shake - Natural Habitat (feat. Ken Carson)



070 Shake set herself up for a fantastic year all the way back in January. In that month she was reaping the rewards of her vital role in RAYE's megahit 'Escapism'. She then released two new singles in the later stages of the year: 'Black Dress' and the exceptional 'Natural Habitat' which features rising rager Ken Carson. I was wary of what this song would sound like after seeing that Carson was involved with it, I recently listened to his full catalogue and there was maybe one or two songs that I liked out of all of them (at least over 60 songs that I listened to) :lol: This song has two main parts: An stunning ethereal intro from 070 Shake that then quickly descends into rap-rock chaos. There is a lot of hype for 070 Shake's next album (hopefully it'll be released in 2024).

28. Nicki Minaj - Let Me Calm Down (feat. J. Cole)



How has this song not been one of the most popular tracks on 'Pink Friday 2'? This song is easily my favourite from Nicki Minaj's latest album. On the song she pushes her vocal abilities showing off her impressive range and her well-known rapping talent. J. Cole also delivers yet another exceptionally mature verse, he has certainly reached his imperial phase creatively.

27. Jorja Smith - Little Things



Jorja Smith returned with her sophomore album in 2023. The album had a lot of potential, she went 4/4 with the singles imo. Unfortunately it just sounds a bit mid to me as a whole project :( But as I said there were some killer singles! Mainly 'Little Things' which was also a massive commercial success. This fast-paced R&B track is the perfect song of the Summer to me however it needed something else to start charting so highly (annoyingly it peaked at #11). A mashup with Crystal Waters' 'Gypsy Woman' went viral on TikTok shortly after the release of the original which was then officially released. It was quite disappointing to see that version overtake the original in popularity as the original is superior.

26. Dave & Central Cee - Trojan Horse



Why did this tune flop? Probably because it was released on a Monday tbf. Had it been released on a Friday I could have seen this song being a potential top 5 or even top 3 single easily. 'Trojan Horse' is the 1st song on Dave & Central Cee's collaborative EP 'Split Decision' which samples a song from the soundtrack of the Japnese Animé series 'Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood'. The production is exquisite on this song with the sample being used perfectly and the percussion & 808s fitting the aesthetic as well. The song also features plenty of references to various celebrities including Vinicius Jr., Dave Chappelle and SZA. It is understandable why 'Sprinter' was more successful than this song. 'Trojan Horse' doesn't have a chorus, instead it has seven verses in a row. 'Sprinter' was the weakest song on the EP in my opinion and this song (and the others) deserved 'Sprinter's success and more.

'The Secret Recipe' and 'Van Gogh' are both promising releases from Lil Yachty. I think he holds his own well against JID on VG but he gets washed by Cole on the other track. Cole's feature is absolutely insane using the same rhyme scheme for the whole verse.

 

'The Hillbillies' is the most fun I've ever heard Kendrick have on a song :lol; I've seen some mixed responses to it online but I wouldn't be against seeing more in that vein from him.

 

Little Things was such a great single from Jorja. I loved her debut album and paired with this track, it gave me very high expectations that the album just didn't live up to.

 

The 'Split Decision' EP was pretty solid, I'd probably rank 'Trojan Horse' 3rd out of the 4 tracks.

25. Bad Bunny - MONACO



Bad Bunny had a huge bar set ahead of him when he announced his 5th studio album. His last album was not only a major critical success, but also a gargantuan commercial success. In just over a year the album titled 'Un Verano Sin Ti (English for 'A Summer Without You') became the most streamed album of all-time on Spotify. To date it has amassed over 15 Billion streams. Instead of playing it safe for his next album, he went for a risk. The lead single 'WHERE SHE GOES' was a Jersey Club song, a very different genre compared to the typical Reggaeton sound on 'Un Verano Sin Ti'. However, It was the 3rd single that would stand out. 'MONACO' is another song where the sample-work is excellent. The song is a trap influenced banger which sees Benito flexing about his riches and his stance in the world due to his fame. Bad Bunny has certainly been on a roll for his last two albums, here's hoping his next will be as good or even better.

24. SZA - Kill Bill (feat. Doja Cat)



I know I said no songs from 'SOS' would feature, I wasn't wrong as this version isn't on the tracklist :kink: 'Kill Bill' was already an excellent song from SZA which proved to be her biggest hit to date (peaking at #3 on the UK charts and #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 thanks to this remix) but this remix pushes the song slightly further in quality. The song came at a time where Doja Cat was posting very, shall we say, eccentric things on twitter :lol: There was a lot of uncertainty of how her new music would sound because of this. But instead she delivered a very mature opening verse on the song which revolves around Doja seeing her ex with his new girlfriend. The girlfriend then sees Doja and pulls out a knife on her, Doja retaliates by shooting her... Pretty dark stuff tbh.

23. Ice Spice & Nicki Minaj - Princess Diana



Ice Spice was an overnight sensations who grabbed her virality by both hands and has refused to let it go. Ice Spice broke out in 2022 with her drill bop 'Munch' and followed it up with an EP in early 2023. One of the songs on that EP was 'Princess Diana' where she compares herself to the late princess in terms of her popularity. The song felt like it was missing something, it was, a Nicki Minaj verse. A few months later a remix with Nicki on it was released and what a banger it is! Nicki's verse is well-crafted and even when she repeats the chorus late in the song it sounds good! However, this wouldn't be their most successful collaboration of 2023. Instead, it would be the inferior 'Barbie World' which samples Aqua's legendary 'Barbie Girl' and it also featured on the soundtrack of the blockbuster movie 'Barbie'. That song is still a bit of a bop. I hope they have some more collaborations up their sleeve.

22. Kenny Mason - Dracula



This deserved so much more. Commercially and in BJSC! This absolute banger from Kenny Mason appallingly DNQed when sent by Abeltesfayeton (me) :o The production on this cut from the underrated Atlanta rapper is watertight and his flows on the track are only comparable to the likes of JID and Kendrick Lamar. He has some serious potential. Watch out for Kenny Mason, he might just be hip-hop's next big thing.

21. Tyler, The Creator - DOGTOOTH



Tyler, The Creator looked set to release his 7th studio album in 2023. He even brought back his legendary Camp Flog Gnaw festival for 2023. But did he release a new album? No. Before this year he had an exact record of releasing a new album every two years ever since he dropped 'Goblin' in 2011. He did release a project though, even if it wasn't an album. In March he released an extended version of his beloved 2021 album 'Call Me If You Get Lost' titled 'The Estate Sale', a pretty inventive name for a deluxe edition. This collection of scrapped songs from the original album turned out to be as good and some even better than the tracks on the original album. One of the many highlights was 'DOGTOOTH' which is a classic Tyler track that serves as a tribute to his life and the things he indulges in. The song was also a hit upon release, becoming another UK top 40 hit for him. However, this wouldn't be his most successful song of 2023 (something 6 years old would lol).

Was a real shame 'Suicide Doors' didn't become one of the UK chart hits from Uzi's album, an insane banger (and we stan an Arca production credit). 'Little Things' is probably my favourite ever song from Jorja (strictly the original, the Gypsy Woman mashup spoils it a bit for me oops) and 'Trojan Horse' a banger too although I'd rate it behind 'UK Rap' from the Dave/Cench EP.

 

'DOGTOOTH' and 'DRACULA' both major tunes (the latter being robbed in BJSC etc.), I haven't really gone back to the Doja remix of 'Kill Bill' but she did bring a strong verse and the original song is great. I actually really don't like Nicki's verse on the 'Princess Diana' remix at all oops but the original song is probably my favourite Ice Spice track to date, a proper earworm.

 

Not heard it yet but 070 Shake and Ken Carson is really quite a weird collab!

20. Beyoncé - AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM (feat. Kendrick Lamar)



RENAISSANCE HAS ART. RENAISSANCE WAS ART. RENAISSANCE IS ART. That was my really artsy way of saying that I really liked Beyonce's blockbuster 2022 album 'Renaissance' :lol: One of the original highlights from the album was 'AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM' which is a powerful tribute to Beyoncé's love of her lifestyle - sex and partying. Kendrick only elevates the song's quality with his quickly delivered verse about pretty much the same topics. The production is also really creative on this song which also contributes to the song's excellence. LONG LIVE THE RENAISSANCE.

19. McKinley Dixon - Run, Run, Run



McKinley Dixon is a powerful voice for the highly underexposed genre of jazz-rap. He released a fantastic album eccentrically called 'Beloved, Paradise, Jazz!' back in June and one of the singles was easily one of the best songs of 2023. The single is titled 'Run, Run, Run' and the lyrics focus on McKinley reflecting on his life and his very smart observations on the world. McKinley is another superstar in the making, possibly (but hopefully not) just critically.

18. Megan Thee Stallion - Cobra



Megan Thee Stallion is an exceptionaly strong person. She has been through some really hard stuff in the past few years (mainly that Tory Lanez incident and how nasty some fellow musicians have been towards her since). On 'Cobra' Megan describe how these challenging experiences have affected her mental health and fueled depressive feelings for her. She also rightly calls out everyone close to her that wasn't there for her when she really needed their support. The relevance of the track's message and the fantastic rap-rock inspired production of the track all contribute to the excellence of this song. What Megan is trying to say most of all is that there can be severe consequences if you don't look out for each other in times of need.

17. Metro Boomin & James Blake - Hummingbird



The 'Spider Man: Into The Spider Verse' soundtrack was memorable. The album was mainly inspired by hip-hop and featured some pretty big names (Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne & Post Malone). When the sequel to the original film was announced I would imagine that topping the soundtrack to the 1st film would be one of the less important priorities. Thankfully they hired the G.O.A.T. of hip-hop producing, Metro Boomin'. Metro had just come out of an astounding 2022 thanks to the release of his sophomore album 'Heroes & Villains' (which at the time of the soundtrack's release was still reaping commercial rewards - 'Trance' had just blown up). Metro has produced for several legends which gave him the upper hand in appointing the many features (Future, JID, Coi Leray, Nas, Lil Wayne etc...). The best booking of the entire album was the incredibly talented James Blake who used his lush voice on the song 'Hummingbird'. The outcome of this song was fantastic, the production is sensational (as it always is) and James' warm vocal contrasts the trap-inspired vibe of the song perfectly.

16. Earl Sweatshirt & The Alchemist - Sirius Blac



'Voir Dire', what a consistent album. That collaborative album between the Odd Future member and the OG producer didn't have a single song that I though wasn't great. The highlight for me was 'Sirius Blac', named after the misunderstood Harry Potter character. The sample-fueled production fits my taste perfectly and Earl just sounds in his bag on this beat. Hopefully this pair have another few collaborations to come in the future...

'The Secret Recipe' and 'Van Gogh' are both promising releases from Lil Yachty. I think he holds his own well against JID on VG but he gets washed by Cole on the other track. Cole's feature is absolutely insane using the same rhyme scheme for the whole verse.

 

'The Hillbillies' is the most fun I've ever heard Kendrick have on a song :lol; I've seen some mixed responses to it online but I wouldn't be against seeing more in that vein from him.

 

Little Things was such a great single from Jorja. I loved her debut album and paired with this track, it gave me very high expectations that the album just didn't live up to.

 

The 'Split Decision' EP was pretty solid, I'd probably rank 'Trojan Horse' 3rd out of the 4 tracks.

 

Agreed that Cole's verse on 'The Secret Recipe' is absolutely incredible, we need some of this on 'The Fall Off' :D

 

I also really liked 'UK Rap' from 'Split Decision' but I did find 'Sprinter' a bit meh. 'Our 25th Birthday' is also pretty solid!

 

Was a real shame 'Suicide Doors' didn't become one of the UK chart hits from Uzi's album, an insane banger (and we stan an Arca production credit). 'Little Things' is probably my favourite ever song from Jorja (strictly the original, the Gypsy Woman mashup spoils it a bit for me oops) and 'Trojan Horse' a banger too although I'd rate it behind 'UK Rap' from the Dave/Cench EP.

 

'DOGTOOTH' and 'DRACULA' both major tunes (the latter being robbed in BJSC etc.), I haven't really gone back to the Doja remix of 'Kill Bill' but she did bring a strong verse and the original song is great. I actually really don't like Nicki's verse on the 'Princess Diana' remix at all oops but the original song is probably my favourite Ice Spice track to date, a proper earworm.

 

Not heard it yet but 070 Shake and Ken Carson is really quite a weird collab!

 

Arca has produced some absolute classics that I've been going back to more than ever right now! 'Little Things' is probably my 2nd favourite Jorja song behind 'Blue Lights' which is an all-time classic for me.

 

Ken Carson was actually really good on 'Natural Habitat' to my surprise. You should certainly check it out!

 

Thanks for putting this together. Great to see “Freedom 2” included here- they included it in Bleep's Top 100 for 2023 (generally more electronica) but I'd argue that there is increasing crossover between genres at the moment especially within electronica and hip-hop. This beat really suits Kwengface and I especially enjoyed it last year when Denzel Curry experimented with Drum and Bass on his album or that single with JPEGMAFIA and Y2K “Dirt” that was actually released as a single in 2023 I think(?) that's def a sound I'm more into personally.

 

Also really loving “Little Things” and especially “Spirit 2.0” <3

 

I sadly wasn't as in to “Kill Bill” as much as SZA's other output, “Good Days” ended up as my number 2 favourite single of 2021 tho so it was a tough hurdle to match really.

Spirit 2.0 :wub:

 

I don't listen to much R&B/Hip-Hop but Sampha's album has been a real highlight of the year for me. Like Dr B above, I too like Freedom 2 and am definitely interested in the acts that are crossing over into electronic based influences - including Sampha himself now I think about it, some of the tracks on Lahai definitely have some drum & bass vibes in the production.

15. Lil Durk - All My Life (feat. J. Cole)



I had enjoyed some songs from Lil Durk in the past but I was never particularly hyped to listen to his new songs. 'All My Life' changed that. The announcement of this song immediately caught my attention when I saw that J. Cole was involved. When I first listened to this song I loved it and instantly crowned it as Lil Durk's best song ever. The song has a fantastic choir led chorus with some ad-libs from Durk. Durk himself was very impressive on this song, his verse is fantastic. However, he is outrapped by J. Cole who delivers such a mature verse about living life while you can because realistically you could die at any moment (not a nice thought :lol:). This song stood out on 'Almost Healed', I didn't really like any of the other tracks tbh.

14. The Weeknd - Double Fantasy (feat. Future)



The Weeknd showed a lot of appreciation to John Lennon in 2023. Whilst on his incredible After Hours till Dawn Tour, Abel started to hype up his new HBO show titled 'The Idol'. The TV show got horrendous reviews (rightly so) and was cancelled mid-season :lol: However the soundtrack was a different story.... Abel released a great set of songs for the show, collaborating with the likes of Mike Dean (the synth god), JENNIE (of BLACKPINK), Madonna and Lil Baby. The first hint of John Lennon appreciation was the lead single 'Double Fantasy' named after his collaborative album with Yoko Ono. The song was the best on the soundtrack, easily beating his cover of Lennon's 'Jealous Guy' which also featured on the soundtrack. Mike Dean cracks out a great sax solo at the beginning and the synth riff is infectious. Future also performs really well on the song.


13.Drake - 8am In Charlotte



Sometimes you wonder how Drake has the ability to make songs like '8am In Charlotte' despite releasing some die-of-cringe material in the recent past (i.e. 'Way 2 Sexy', 'Girls Want Girls' etc..). Even despite those abominations he sounds like a rap genius on this song. He makes every line look easy, the song sounds like a simple lyrical exercise for the Champagne Papi. The song is filled with puns and references with the most memorable for me being 'Shania Twain, notepad, I'm makin' it line dance'. This is the best pure rap song that Drake had ever made on his own in a while. All Drake needs to do now is stay consistent.

12. JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown - Lean Beaf Patty



'Lean Beaf Patty' is the opener to 'SCARING THE HOES'. Additionally it is the most popular song from the album by quite a bit. The song is based off of a sample of Diddy's 'I Need A Girl Pt. 2' (the same song that James Hype sampled for 'Ferrari' and Ice Spice sampled on 'Gangsta Boo'). What I love so much about this song is the experimental side of it. There is a DnB/Breakbeat-ish (may have this wrong, I need to work on my genre recognition skills :lol:) drop near the end of the song that perfectly ties the two ends together. JPEGMAFIA's verse is also really enjoyable as well, it references the likes of Elon Musk, Papa John & Kanye West. Hopefully we'll see this dynamic duo release an album together again.


11. Lyrical Lemonade, Juice WRLD & Cordae - Doomsday



'Doomsday' was a Juice WRLD and Cordae song that was originally recorded in 2019. The song was never intended to be officially released, after all it's just Juice & Cordae rapping over a 'The Slim Shady LP' era Eminem. This song showcases how talented both artists are however it is the late, great Juice WRLD who shines the most. The song has classic back and forth rapping between the collaborators and they obviously had strong chemistry. I would have been exceptionally happy with this being Juice's last ever release but it wasn't lol (hopefully the standard of songs on his next posthumous LP with be up to the standard of this and 'Lace It'). The video is also a highlight as well, the deepfake of Juice WRLD works really well.

'AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM' was already one of my faves from 'RENAISSANCE' but elevated even further by a fantastic Kendrick performance (I do like him having fun sometimes as much as I love the more serious material on his own albums ofc x) :wub: shame it still didn't end up becoming a huge hit but at least a few weeks in the top 40 is better than nothing. 'Cobra' is one of my favourite songs from Megan to date (though the lyrics do make me worry about her), would be cool to see her further experment with rock sounds after this working unexpectedly well. 'Run, Run, Run' another great BJSC entry from you ofc (the triple rap qualifiers that contest *.*), I do need to pay attention to McKinley more going forward, I heard a clip of another song off the album ('Tyler Forever') recently and that sounded brilliant as well.

 

The verses on 'All My Life' are good (especially Cole's) but I was never super keen on the hook (also it's a Dr. Luke production so x). 'Double Fantasy' is definitely the best of the songs from The Idol that I've heard, I don't ever really remember how it goes oops but I do enjoy it a lot whenever it's on! I don't often find Drake's timestamp songs to be worth revisiting but '8am In Charlotte' is easily the best I've heard and one of the highlights from 'For All The Dogs', was good to see Conductor Williams getting such a mainstream production placement. 'Doomsday' is up there with the best posthumous Juice releases, the chemistry with Cordae is great indeed.