Best Hip-Hop of 2012

Single of the Year

Best songs you heard this year, give them ALL a listen if you haven’t and if you have listen again they may just change your life.

1.  Survival Tactics- Joey Bada$$ ft. Capital STEEZ
The reason the world knows the name Joey Bada$$ and it is well worth the hype.

 

2.  I Don’t Like (Remix)-Kanye West, Pusha-T, Big Sean, Jadakiss, Chief Keef
Banger of the year dropped by some of the best in the game right now.

 

3.  Reagan-Killer Mike
The best track off (be it conspiracy laden) one of the best albums of the decade.

 

4.  Shoulda Known-Childish Gambino
This was another hard choice.  So many tracks on this mixtape: Toxic, R.I.P. (both legitimate contenders for best sample of the year), Silk Pillow, They Don’t Like Me…. just to name a few.

 

5.  Numbers-Logic
Maryland native Logic is the most slept on rapper I’ve ever seen.  Wake the fuck up people.

 

6.  Waves-Joey Bada$$
The second track off of inaugural mixtape 1999 and i promise it was released in 2012 even though it sounds like some shit straight from ’97.

 

7.  Chum- Earl Sweatshirt
Earl’s back.  And he brought his friend, Heartfelt Rap, with him.  Nice to see you two.

 

8.  The Art of Peer Pressure- Kendrick Lamar
The problem with choosing one song from GKMC is that individually the songs mean nothing GKMC is a unit.  But this is my personal favorite track I really could have put any number of songs from the album on here.

 

9.  Terrorist Threats-Ab-Soul ft. Danny Brown & Jhene Aiko
Another superb track on a superb album Ab-Soul collaborating with the great Danny Brown to bring you mutha… fuckin’… FIRE!

 

10.  Lamborghini Angels-Lupe Fiasco

Only track I really liked off of Food & Liquor II and mostly because it reminds me of The Message.  See if you hear what I’m hearing.

 

11. Honorable Mention:

1 Train- A$AP Rocky ft. Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson & Big K.R.I.T.

Collab track of the year. *hands… down*

 

12.  Honorable Mention: Gangman Style-Psy

If you don’t think this is rap. You’re wrong.

 

Best songs you didn’t hear:

Much like the Singles of the Year list but these are the top ten songs you probably didn’t hear.  I recommend you listen to each a couple times through.

1.  DCMA-Billy Woods

Listen to the whole album (History Will Absolve Me) it’ll change your life.  But if you’re REALLY in a rush listen to my favorite song of 2012.

 

2.  No Budget-The Buff Nerds

A collaboration track sporting four of the best young rappers out (I’ll let you determine which I mean).

 

3.  Bugg’n/ Easy Easy/ Goooo/ Higher Ground-TNGHT

I refuse to pick one song off TNGHT’s self titled EP so I picked all but one.

 

Ablum Download

4. Hate-K.i.D.

Damn. Is really the only way to describe this song a lot like Earl’s Chum, and a big change for West Coast phenom K.i.D.

 

5.  Get Got-Death Grips

Openning track on the most hardcore album this year and it sets the tone waaaaay the fuck up there.

 

6.  Emotionless Thoughts-Pro Era

Off of Pro Era’s first and still one of my favorite tracks from the BK MC’s.  But if you still aren’t convinced that in two years these niggas at taking over (here).

 

7.  That’s Me ft. Amadi/Right Hand (Remix) ft. Sleep, Jaybo, &T Butler-SK4MC

You didn’t hear this mixtape… why the hell not?  SK4MC’s unique style and his ability to sound like a genius and an idiot at the same time make him the most fun rapper out right now. Get Hip.

 

8.  Crocodile Tears-Billy Woods

Nothing can really be said about this song except for keep on doing your shit Billy.

 

9.  Ballad of an Asshole-D-Why

Don’t Flatter Yourself might not have been INCREDIBLE but that is only because D-Why is so great I expected something as amazing as he is.  This track was one of the few off the free album that really stood out.

 

10.  American Experience-Big Baby Gandhi

Meek Mill + Das Racist.  Nuff said.

 

11.  Honorable Mention: I Don’t Like Remix-SK4MC/Yasiin Bey

These two are on this list not because they were the 11th and 12th best tracks of 2012 but because they were the two best remixes to any song this year (minus maybe Diamonds Remix but even that for some reason still had Rihana on it).  And remixes are such a huge part of hip-hop I had to put a few on the list

 

Should’ve Blown up in 2012, but didn’t and it’s all your fucking fault:

The ten rappers (in no particular order) that worked hard and produced great music and you still didn’t give them the attention they deserved fix that.

Childish Gambino

Heems

 

Danny Brown

 

Schoolboy Q

 

Logic

 

Ab-Soul

 

Blu

 

D-Why

 

Theophilus London

 

Add-2

 

Coming for your ass in 2013

Dope ass rappers that were maybe too new or didn’t produce enough stuff to make a big splash so I don’t blame you they didn’t blow up, but let’s change that in 2013.

K.i.D

 

Mr. Man

 

 

SK4MC

 

Jay Rock

 

The Group Called HR

 

Kids These Days

 

King Los

(Finally got his ass signed forreal)

 

Also his verse on Ochocinco was the best thing any Bad Boy did this year

 

CJ Fly

 

Oddisee

 

Tabi Bonney