Top 20 Tracks No One Heard

A little different than the 20 best tracks list these are the ones you most likely missed, sad as it is to think you missed any great music.  A fair and oft asked question is which list do I like more.  The easy answer would be this one.  They are generally more artist more difficult tracks take Clipping’s two appearances for instance or Death Grips or Da Mafia 6ix, hardly easy listening.  Which more often than not means something that is truly great.  But I don’t think the answer is that simple and because of that I choose not to answer you perfectly valid and complicated question.  So ha, you just read that run-on sentence for nothing!

Save Yo Time Section

If you’re here to see if I caught your high school band’s LP on bandcamp and put it on my list.  I heard it, it sucked though, you guys suck, and your friends suck for telling you that you don’t suck, and you should all go back to your AP history homework so that next year you can major in art history at your shitty liberal arts school where your lead vocalist will pick up a drug habit.  The only thing worse than your Afro-funk experimental cloud rap is that you had the nerve to ask me to “Name My Price” to make me feel bad for just typing $0 even though you should be paying me to listen to this trash.  My price you say!  My price is your heads for producing this lèsè.

Only joshin’ don’t send me hate mail.

20. Jarren Benton- Cadillacs & Chevys

That instrumental though… goodness.  If ever there was a beat I wouldn’t want dating my daughter it is this one.

19. Da Mafia 6ix- Betta Pray

Grimy as hell just like the rest of 6ix Commandments DJ Paul and company have really out done themselves on this one and I love it.

18. TNGHT- Acrylics

Yes I cheated a bit with this one it’s not exactly unpopular but its not exactly popular either so… here it lies.

Well I mean TNGHT in their element is a beautiful thing to witness.  The producer duo is scary good at this and I love it.

17. Death Grips- You might…

Title: You might think he loves you for your money but I know what he really loves you for it’s your brand new leopard skin pillbox hat

Yes this is the greatest title to a song ever.  Yes, Government Plates is not Money Store or Exmilitary that’s okay though it was a perfectly good album and this stood out above all.

16. Clipping- Bullshit

A very surprisingly melodic son on a jarring LP.  I know 9 out of 10 people will not be able to stomach Clipping’s noise rap but does that really matter for you rap heads.  It’s the difference between “pulling” the girl at the bar and finding the one.  Sure you can talk to your friends about how easy the hot chick drinking the long island iced tea was but do we really care? (Secret: No nigga we don’t)  So challenge yourself give “bullshit” a listen, you’ll thank me.

^that right there in case you were wondering, that was a rant.  So I choose to leave it in tact and unfucked with *bows*.

15. TREE- White Girls

Well this is what it sounds like when Chicago has a baby with the south.  I like it.

14. Baronhawk Poitier- Green Garden (Remix)

https://soundcloud.com/djbaronhawk/greengarden

Your favorite DJ’s worse nightmare does it again.  Makes me forget there even was an original version.

13. D-Why- One Day

Best beat drop of the year goes to D-Why on this one for sure.  It’s just a really fun song the build, the climax, the recapitulation none of it disappoints.

12. Audio Push- Tis the Season

Five years ago these niggas were making jerking music.  Let that sink in for a second.  Today they rank among some of the best up and coming west coast rappers out.  Plus Joey is always on point.

11. KYLE- Raining Love

One of two love songs on this list.  Three years ago that would’ve been unheard of but KYLE a.k.a K.i.D. is just too happy to deny and the melody gets stuck in your head like no other.

10. Blu- Never Be the Same

I don’t understand why Blu still manages to fly under the radar.  Maybe he’s just a little too good?  Whatever the reason you haven’t seen the last of him.

9. World’s Fair- V.S.O.P.

That haunting keyboard in the background underneath the repeated refrain “on and on again we go on”… wooo!  These guys won’t be unheard for much longer.  The Beast Coast movement is on the come up like no other and World’s Fair is just as good as the rest.

8. Clipping- Intro

Well if you ever wanted to catch my attention it would be to put a track like this at the top of your album.  I was hooked and still am, Daveed Diggs is sick sick son of a bitch.

7. Rapsody- Dark Knight

Here you are ladies, your ambassador of hip-hop.  Now tell all your damn friends not enough people bump this lady.

6. Billy Woods- Tinseltown

Would any end of year list be complete without it’s fair share of the faceless rapper? No sire t’would not.  Here is his first appearance on the list off the highly underrated Dour Candy.

5. Armand Hammer- Willie Bosket

So criminally unbumped that the track isn’t even on youtube.  Here’s another track from Race Music go buy the album you’ll thank me.

And here is his second.  I mean if you’re not sold 15 seconds in I can’t help you I really can’t.  Mr. Woods and Elucid put together quite a number here.  The scary part is it doesn’t even stand out on their latest LP Race Music it’s just too good.

4. Ghostpoet- Cold Win

UK rappers to the god damn rescue.  Ghostpoet is smooth as hell both in flow and instrumentation.  I think this track is so quite people miss how great it really is.  Those little moments of feedback still make the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

3. Blu & Nottz- End of the World (Remix)

The original not the remix… once again, buy. the. album.  It’s great.

What can you say about this track? I don’t know I’m not smart enough to put all my feelings into words so just listen to it dammit.

2. ScienZe- The Answer

ScienZe + Lord Quest +bad day = happiness.  Trust me, when I tell this track basically saved my life I’m not exaggerating.

1. Young Fathers- Only Child

Why weren’t you listening to “Only Child” every day of your life on repeat? Hmm? Why?  I don’t know let’s fix that, like now.  The kids from Australia have embraced minimalism in a way that’s almost frustrating they take the perfection of a single moment and make it an entire piece, expanding and compounding the idea until it’s not even and idea or theory or motif anymore its, whatever the hell this track is.  Just wow.