Best track of 2014 (Updated)

Update:

I fucked up guys, and that’s on me entirely.  I missed two tracks in my run down that should be on this list.  A product of the way I write this list though meant that I missed them even though they were without question two of this years best tracks.  I wanted to remedy  that somehow so here they are:

Young Fathers- Get Up

This one might be literally inexcusable since this was my song of the summer I think it has 40 plays or something silly on my iPod.

J. Cole- Fire Squad

I did not love 2014 FHD but I’m not sure why this wasn’t on my list.  The Iggy line alone puts it in contention.

End of Update

The first of big two lists.  This year I’m going to tell you the 75 best tracks, any tracks, anywhere, the undisputed 75 greatest tracks of the year.  Why 75?   Because I couldn’t narrow it down to 50 and I’m too lazy to make a list of 100 fucking songs–stop asking me dumb questions.

Click on titles below for tracks.

75. Childish Gambino-The Palisades ft. Christian Rich

It has been a very down year for Gambino, S T N M T N and Kauai are his two worst releases since Culdesac but even still there were some gems on the two part EP.

74. Bas- My Nigga Just Made Bail ft. J. Cole

73. KYLE.- Don’t Wanna Fall in Love

72. Statik Selektah- My Time ft. Black Dave, CJ Fly, Nyck Caution, & Josh Xantus

71. Travi$ Scott- Backyard

70. Sable- Thunder Wave

69. Mac Miller- Insomniak ft. Rick Ross

68. Lunice- Can’t Wait To

One half of TNGHT, Canadian producer Lunice dropped one of this years grimiest beats.  We need to get this guy a rapper stat, and not Future that was a travesty.

67. Lil Herb- On My Soul

66. Pharoahe Monch- Bad M.F.

65. Big K.R.I.T.- Cadillactica

64. Fredie Gibbs- Robes

63. KRNE x TastyTreat- Clouds

62. Mick Jenkins- Jazz

Jazz wasn’t even the high point of Mick Jenkins’ concept LP The Water[s] but like the rest of the release it’s well-produced and lyrically dynamic.  This single about seeking truth in lies will not be Jenkins last appearance on this list I an guarantee you that.

61. Goldlink- Hip-Hop (Interlude)

60. Travi$ Scott- Sloppy Toppy ft. Migos & Peewee Longway

59. Run the Jewels- Jeopardy

58. Logic- Never Enough

57. Ratking- So it Goes

What is it about being a 20 something in NYC that miraculously turns you into an amazing rapper?  We’ll never know.

56. Bas- Fiji Water in my Iron

55. Sable- Mt Moon

54. Mac Miller- Rain ft. Vince Staples

53. Logic- Driving Ms. Daisy ft. Childish Gambino

52. Joey Bada$$- Get Paid

51. Buckshot & P-Money- Flute ft. Joey Bada$$ & CJ Fly

Buckshot is still one of the most slept on MC’s and I don’t understand why.  Pairing up with Pro Era’s finest to give us one of the year’s best.

50. Jay Rock- Parental Advisory

49. Mick Jenkins- Comfortable

48. Murkage- Can I Live ft. Orelsan

47. clipping.- something they don’t know

46. Rapsody & Blu- Life of Pi

45. Flying Lotus- Never Catch Me

Along with being a fantastic single off of You’re Dead, Flying Lotus’s jazzy single “Never Catch Me” featuring Kendrick Lamar is one of the year’s best music videos as well.

44. Mac Miller- New Faces v2 ft. Earl Sweatshirt & Da$h

43. Childish Gambino- Sober

Gambino being weird again as per usual.  But this song is fucking fantastic.

42. Vince Staples- 45

41. The Dopplegangaz- KnowntchooTahLie

40. Tall Black Guy- Sade’s Taboo

This track is life.  Not to mention Tall Black Guy Productions might be the best name ever.

39. Rome Fortune- Tropical

38. Big K.R.I.T.- King of the South

37. Divine ScienZe- Beyond the Point

36. Goldlink- Planet Paradise

35. Sable- Feels So Good

34. Skyzoo & Torae- 4 Bar Friday

33. ZelooperZ- Plateau

This may be my absolute favorite nigga of 2014.  But what did I expect from Bruiser Brigade?  This; this is what I expected actually.  ZelooperZ absolute refusal to flow where you want him to is my favorite part of his Help LP; that and he had two Danny features.

32. Open Mike Eagle- Informations ft. Kool A.D.

31. PATH- Curtain Call

30. Majid Jordan- All I Do

29. Mac Miller- Here We Go

28. Pell- The Never

27. Mr. Flash- Domino part B

26. Wara from the NBHD- Piano Lessons

25. CyHi The Prynce- Napoleon

That instrumental doe!  CyHi is hardly prolific but he’s still one of the best lyricists out. This track off Black Hystori, puts his wit on full display, “and rap is like college/I’m working on my doctorate cuz I already mastered it.”

24. Logic- Gang Related

23. Blueprint- Silver Lining

22. Lido X Zhu- Faded (Rusty Hook Flip)

21. Logic- Under Pressure

The full version

Another video of the year candidate for a track from yet another under appreciated artist.  The fast paced title track off of Logic’s Under Pressure takes an unexpected turn at the end, making it one of the most ambitious tracks of 2014.

20. Run the Jewels- Lie, Cheat, Steal

19. Open Mike Eagle- Doug Stamper

2014’s most fun track, by far.  If you don’t think Hannibal Buress’s verse isn’t the best of the year, you’re wrong–and that’s a fact.

18. Vince Staples- Limos ft. Teyana Taylor

17. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib- High ft. Danny Brown

16. Goldlink- Fuck Being Polite

15. Cities Aviv- Head

14. Logic- I’m Gone

13. Mick Jenkins- The Water

12. Isaiah Rashad- Shot You Down ft. Jay Rock & Schoolboy Q

Recipe to make a classic: Give Jay Rock a minute and a half of Chris Calor beat.

11. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib- Harold’s

Madlib finds his best pairing since Madvillain with Mr. Gibbs.  Lo-fi and soulful is where Freddie Gibbs lives and his does incredible work on this track.

10. Joey Bada$$- Christ Conscious

Even in a quite year for the Pro Eran, Joey finds himself in one or another top ten.  I’m waiting with baited breath for the 20th of January when we finally get B4.DA.$$ but the firs single off it took the last third of the year by storm.  It doesn’t hurt that M-I-E directed one of the most visually impressive music videos of the year on top of it all.

9. clipping.-Body & Blood

The video is inappropriate for polite company n’ shit.  Audio alone below for people offended by nudity and generally “disturbing” images

Clipping. doing best what clipping. does, noise production, repetitive themes, and disturbing subject matter.  For a song about a woman luring men with sex then killing them, its surprisingly fun.

8. Murkage-Officer Parker

Originally when I had a top music videos list, before I realized I didn’t watch nearly enough music videos in 2014 this was sitting happy at number three (number two is below don’t worry).  It’s not just the video either, the single by the Manchester grime group is everything we loved about Of Mystics & Misfits, lyrically ambitious and simultaneously grimy and soulful.

7. Divine ScienZe-The Come Up ft. Fresh Daily

There isn’t much I can say about “The Come Up”, its your pretty standard hip-hop track, the difference here is the production and lyricism are bar none the best we’ve seen this year, especially Fresh Daily’s opening verse.

6. Run the Jewels- Angel Duster

Anti-religion, anti-government, and enthusiastically introspective.  The epilogue of Run the Jewels’ second LP is one of the most impressive tracks of the year.

5. Pusha T- Lunch Money

You think we’d get sick of Pusha T’s coke music, but when you’re the best at something maybe its just impossible to get sick of you. Gimme more of that good shit dope boy.  Also… worst drug dealers ever in this music video? They do much more dancing than seems like would fit well into a solid business plan.

4. Sable- Foolin’

And here we are, the second best music video of the year. It would have been number one but this shit happened.  Along with having one of the most debaucherously fun videos of the year.  The Australian electronic producer, Sable, gives of one of the most meticulously constructed beats of the year.  Just put your good headphones on and turn it up.

3. Open Mike Eagle- Qualifiers

That second verse might be the closest I get to god or a sermon in my life.

2. Rapsody- Godzilla

Jamla the fucking squad.  Let’s be very clear, the debate, discussion, query, deliberation, cogitation, dispute, all that shit about who the best female rapper is has been over.  But after Beauty and the Beast and “Godzilla” there’s no other stance.  It’s the moon landing of rap arguments, if you say anything but that it’s Rapsody you prolly own a tinfoil hat and live in your mother’s basement.  Lyrically she is one of the best MCs out Y-chromosome or not.

1. Vince Staples- Hands Up

https://soundcloud.com/james-ross-82/vince-staples-hands-up

It really couldn’t have been any other track.  The only satisfying track we got in response to the most important thing that happened to us as a people in 2014.  It’s both eerie and appropriate it came from someone who could barely drink legally and still can’t rent a car.  But we still let old white men tell everyone what’s best for them.