Image via Nef The Pharaoh/Instagram
Harley Geffner wants to know what they even do in the Met Gala.
At the end of every year, I look back and think to myself, “what an awesome year for rap.” I ponder whether it’s one of the best in recent memory. I decide that it is, and then realize I say that every year. But I mean it this year, just as I do every year, because rap is one of the greatest creations this world has known and it continues to evolve in fun and unpredictable directions. Following along is one of life’s great pleasures. I don’t have any large overarching takes on the direction of rap this year. It feels pretty fragmented with very few monocultural moments aside from Kendrick calling Drake a pedophile. It’s been moving more fragmentary for years, and I’m sure that says something about our culture and social media or algorithms or whatever, but that’s not as interesting as the rap itself.
There were a lot of great albums and songs this year, but it’s always the little moments within that latch to your brain and make them so memorable. It’s the lines you’ll randomly blurt out in traffic, or hum to yourself when waiting in line at a Ralph’s. Maybe we’ve been pushed in this direction by our green Swedish or Chinese technocrat overlords, since all anyone cares about is six seconds with a drop so someone can do a makeup transition. For the right amount of money, you can turn anything into a meme with an influencer agency. I work full-time in social media, and we work with labels to identify 5 second fragments of full albums that are most “social-friendly.” We once manufactured legitimate virality for just $20,000 of influencer fees. It’s pretty bleak, but it’s the way we’re going. It makes sense though, because as a listener, those are the moments that stick with you. There’s something lost without the proper context of the whole songs, obviously, but they are moments, nonetheless.
Here are a few of my favorite moments in rap music this year. They are ALL going to hit much better in the context of the full song, and I would recommend listening to the full songs to understand why these parts were so sticky. I am not suggesting that any of these should have blown up as trending audios or whatever, they’re just my favorite moments from another awesome year in rap music. Let’s get into it.
Nino Paid – “When I Was Young”
Nino Paid with a whole story in just a few bars: “I had three siblings growing up, so it’s crazy how they split us up / but if anybody hearing this and your name Raekwon, lil bro wassup.”
Quando Rondo – “Life Goes On”
Quando Rondo saying “Only memories that I got is his cologne on a shirt,” around 1:32 in this song. Such vivid imagery. I remember when my friend passed and I found one of his tees in my trunk, and it smelled like a mix of a king vanilla fronto leaf and his cologne. That line really struck a chord with me.
MIKE & Tony Seltzer – “2k24 Tour” (feat. Niontay)
When the beat speeds up and Niontay comes into “2K24 Tour.” The whole track makes me feel like a superhero.
Chuckyy & Skrilla – “FALLEN ANGEL”
When Skrilla gets into this “I might, I might, I might” flow at 1:28.
Skrilla – “Blahdahdahdahdah”
When Skrilla went dah dah dah dah dah, bah bah bah bah bah.
Gucci Mane
The appreciation for Gucci this year was off the charts. THIS song is an awesome flip of “Swing My Door,” and THIS by Wizz Havin was one of my favorite songs this year. I especially love when they start freestyling at the end.
RXKNephew – “Gunroe County”
The Aquatic Ambience sample in THIS song, which especially clicks when Neph says “my whole life all I wanted was family / bein’ myself they don’t understand me.”
El Cousteau – “Words2LiveBy” (feat. Earl Sweatshirt)
FREE GAZA, WE ON THE CORNER LIKE ISRAELITES
EsDeeKid & Rico Ace – “Palaces”
The best song out of the UK this year.
Benji Blue Bills – “3B Psycho Diary”
“I got blick up on every switch up in this bitch, i got switch up on every blick up in this bitch”
Benji Blue Bills – “IM RIGHT HERE”
Another Benji Blue Bills song – he really knows how to enter a track. I listened to 0:22 to 0:35 of this song over and over again.
SahBabii – “On Film”
The way SahBabii pronounces Vroom all throughout THIS song. It sounds like vyoooum. I also love when he switches up the flow at 1:49.
LayLow Lee – “Blocc Bleeder”
LayLow Lee warbling along to the sample before jumping into his verse.
03 Greedo
Greedo’s glasses and whatever that is on his head in the first few seconds of this cypher. Also very cool when Guapdad says that women bring him Chrome Hearts hoodies he forgot about around 2:12.
Greedo’s hook on “#RICHAXXHAITIAN.” Again, look at those glasses. Only he could pull those off.
When Greedo switches the flow after the bass drops in on “Bless Your Soul,” after a long wind up. This was one of the first songs post-prison that felt like he was fully back in his prime bag, in addition to “Kill Me” and “Rich On Grape Street,” last year.
MAVI – “the giver”
When Mavi said “I want you to be happy / how you happy with another guy.” It felt very human in its contradictions.
Haiti Babii
Haiti Babii. Everything he does in this cypher is incredible. The best part though is when he flips the hook and interrupts it midway through the second time he runs through it. Then when he croaks “preeeeeeegnant” in the background while rapping like Suga Free.
Trigga500k & 42 Dugg – “Last Ones Left”
When 42 Dugg slides into this song at 1:20. His voice has never sounded better than coming in after Trigga. Another thing that won’t feel as large as it does without listening to the first minute 20 of Trigga rapping.
Mudbaby Ru – “40 Mo Reasons” (feat. Siri)
A verse from Siri.
P-Lo & Kool John – “THUMB”
All the dirty lines in THIS song, especially how they use the Ooohs in the beat during the hook.
Nef The Pharaoh
The Nef The Pharaoh comeback! This cypher is incredible, but I really love when Nef reveals his bald head and says “Said I was ballin’ like I’m Baby / shaved my head, I’m really him.”
When Nef flexes that he never has lint on any of his clothes.
Mustard – “Ghetto” (feat. Young Thug & Lil Durk)
Thug’s hook on ‘Ghetto,’ but I especially loved the Divas of Compton dancing in the video. This is such a great pattern, and feels like classic Thug: “On Monday I’m ghetto, Tuesday I’m ghetto, Wednesday I’m rich, Thursday I’m ghetto, you can take my body, but my soul in the ghetto, and I’ll never settle, ‘cuz I’m out the ghetto, on Friday I’m ghetto, Saturday I’m ghetto, Sunday I’m blessed, then back to the ghetto.”
Loe Shimmy
1:43 to 2:10 in Loe Shimmy’s ‘Substance Abuse,’ especially when he flips to a quick double time flow for a bar at the 2 minute mark, then slows it back down.
No specific part of this song, I just love it all, especially the combo of his crooner voice over the bassline. Loe Shimmy had himself a year.
Hurricane Wisdom – “Giannis”
How Hurricane Wisdom’s voice comes and goes when he says “Dope fien, I need all it,” and the lines that come after.
Anthony Edwards x Bossman Dlow
This edit of Anthony Edwards with Bossman Dlow.
Mozzy – “LOST IT ALL”
“If I lost it all, would you still love me?”
Remble – “Colors” (feat. Mozzy & Stoneda5th)
The way this beat develops and adds all the different parts to it in the first 30 seconds. Of course, the rapping is good too, even though I’m not supposed to say I still like Remble.
Cypress Moreno, ASM Bopster & 03 Greedo – “DRUMLINE”
Easily my favorite beat this year, and I knew it would be the first time I heard it.
Vegyn – “The Path Less Travelled”
All the dancing in this video. Totally hypnotic.
Zehailah – “Walked Out”
The vocal filter Zehailah uses on the echo of “whole crowd rowdy” at 1:31, following it up with “walked in big, but I walked out bigger.”
Jxncy & SantanaWildin – “Slut Talk”
I have loved the last two years of LA rap forming around the sound that ASM Da Bopster popularized. THIS song is just another example.
Pa Salieu – “Belly”
When Pa Salieu walks out of a restaurant, rapping “belly belly, hit di belly, belly belly, feed di belly”
Luhh Dyl – “Penny Pinchin”
The saxophone transitioning into the rapping in this Luhh Dyl song.
