30 songs of 2015

With 2015 winding to a close, there is an almost overwhelming amount of good music to look back upon. Chances are, your favorite artist dropped new music this year, and if they didn’t, several others popped up and took their place.

In a year in which we saw the revival of Justin Bieber, the return of Adele and the rise of rap into the mainstream, seldom did a week go by without even more new music than the week before.

Below are by no means the best 30 songs of 2015, as that would be fully impossible to sincerely accomplish, but rather the 30 most enjoyable songs of 2015, with some under-the-radar tracks as well as those you just couldn’t escape no matter how hard you tried.

“FourFiveSeconds (feat. Kanye West and Paul McCartney)” by Rihanna

If before 2015, someone were to say that Kanye West and Rihanna would be singing on a track with Macca himself, he or she would have been looked at like a crazy person. But, that’s exactly the track we got, and FourFiveSeconds, released as a surprise, took over the airwaves almost immediately.

“All Your Fault (feat. Kanye West)” by Big Sean

Following two underwhelming album releases, it is suffice to say that Big Sean needed to make his third major album count. After first taking the radio over with the ex anthem to end all ex anthems, “IDFWU,” Dark Sky Paradise released to critical as well as commercial acclaim, neither of which the Detroit rapper had fully garnered before.

One of several tracks given away by West to other artists this year, “All Your Fault” combines boastfulness with one underlying message: Big Sean is for real.

“These Walls (feat. Bilal, Anna Wise and Thundercat)” by Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar’s long-waited sophomore album To Pimp a Butterfly was arguably the most important album release of 2015. Rich with messages of hope and rising up, combined with dense production, TPAB has several options as best track of the year. “Alright” has become the song of a social movement, “King Kunta” represents the lone radio single from the 16-track masterpiece and “i” was rewarded with a Grammy. “These Walls,” however, is a near-perfect track, providing a window into a conflicted love tale as well as one of the many underlying themes of the album, Lamar’s struggle with vices around him.

“Baby Blue (feat. Chance the Rapper)” by Action Bronson

2015 looked to be the year New York rapper Action Bronson broke out, however his major label debut, Mr. Wonderful, was met with lukewarm reception. One of the lone bright spots of the album is this fun Mark Ronson-produced breakup track, which is topped off with a lyrically classic verse from Chance the Rapper.

“March Madness” by Future

If any hip hop artist owned 2015, it was clearly Atlanta-bred Future. Three strong mixtape releases, a #1 album and a Drake-assisted duo album later, Future stays winning with each new verse. Perhaps the strongest song of this nearly flawless catalog is “March Madness,” a drug-fueled frenzy of production and the rapper’s signature autotuned delivery.

“Know Yourself” by Drake

For a period in the early summer, not a weekend could go by without going on Instagram and seeing at least six friends posting pictures calling their friends their “woes.” The native-to-Toronto slang word instantly caught on with listeners, and “Know Yourself” became the first contender for Song of the Summer.

“Constantly Hating (feat. Birdman)” by Young Thug

Perhaps the weirdest artist to break out in 2015, rapper Young Thug sounds like nothing else out right now. Derivative of circa-2007 Lil Wayne, Young Thug is a self-described alien and, if you listen to his music, that is not an easily disputed claim. Thugger’s first mixtape of the year, Barter 6, was instantly controversial due to its play on Wayne’s Carter album series, however once it was released, the mixtape was met with instant praise.

“Smuckers (feat. Kanye West and Lil Wayne)” by Tyler, the Creator

Tyler, the Creator first broke onto the scene in 2010 with his dark, angsty Bastard and has since struggled to gain the legitimacy he craves. Released just two weeks after being announced earlier this year, however, Tyler’s Cherry Bomb is a step in the right direction for the young artist, as it sported features from musicians such as Roy Ayers and Charlie Wilson, among others. “Smuckers” is the strongest track off of the album, sporting lush production behind Tyler’s rough delivery, as well as featuring one of the best Lil Wayne verses of the last five years.

“Don’t Wanna Fight” by Alabama Shakes

Not often are sophomore album releases as good as their freshman counterparts, let alone even better. The Brittney Howard-led Alabama Shakes, however, are the exception, putting out one of the strongest album releases of the year. Sound & Color builds on the band’s blues rock sounds with stronger instrumentation and deeper layering of sound behind Howard’s incredible voice.

“I Know You” by Towkio

Another member of Chicago’s Save Money crew, rapper Towkio released .Wav Theory this year with help from friends like Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa, resulting in one of the better mixtapes of the year. “I Know You” is one of the project’s standout tracks, which is hard to accomplish with so many other contenders.

“Eugene” by Sufjan Stevens

His most personal release to date, Sufjan Stevens’s album Carrie & Lowell tackles the singer-songwriter’s struggles with death, life and everything in between. Named after his deceased parents, the album is manages to present its intensely heavy content in a way that is still enjoyable to listen to and easily relatable to its listeners.

“I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times) (feat. Young Thug and Popcaan)” by Jamie XX

Hands-down the most fun track of the year, “I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)” samples Jamaican house music, building a song that is a true embodiment of how summer feels.

“L$D” by A$AP Rocky

Released four years after his now-classic debut mixtape and two years after his somewhat forgettable debut album, A$AP Rocky’s At.Long.Last.A$AP feels as close to the rapper’s inner sounds as anything he’s put out. A ballad to love and acid, “L$D” features the rapper singing, which he successfully does throughout the album, showing off Rocky’s range as a musician.

“All Day (feat. Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom and Paul McCartney)” by Kanye West

Another Paul McCartney-assisted Kanye West Track, “All Day” is the ultimate turn-up anthem. West’s performance of the song at the 2015 Brit Awards featured flamethrowers, shooting sparks and a collection of dancers to visualize the song’s feel, and provided the perfect setting to showcase its true strength.

“River” by Leon Bridges

With a sound straight out of the early 1960s, 26-year old Leon Bridges essentially came out of nowhere, building a following after he performed this spring in front of packed audiences at Austin’s South by Southwest music festival. The slowest song on Coming Home, “River” showcases Bridges’s vocal strength as well as his talent as a songwriter, which signifies the young musician’s inclination to stay around for as long as his timeless sound will allow.

“Hotline Bling” by Drake

After the first time I heard “Hotline Bling,” I listened to it on repeat for almost an hour. The song instantly felt like a hit, which, despite a surprisingly slow buildup, it has become. Drake has made a lot of things cool in 2015 (turtlenecks, woes, bad-mouthing Meek Mill), but the coolest thing he has made this year is “Hotline Bling.”

“Can’t Feel My Face” by The Weeknd

Another mega talent out of Toronto, Abel Makkonen Tesfaye aka The Weeknd finally found his stardom in 2015 after five years of mixtape releases. “Can’t Feel My Face” was arguably the hottest song of the 2015 summer, and it is the one that put Tesfaye on the mainstream map, where he will presumably not leave for some time.

Your Love by Mick Jenkins

Chicago rapper Mick Jenkins has a reputation for being somewhat of a lyrical-miracle rapper rather than one making music to listen to with the windows down in the middle of July, but his EP Wave[s] released this year changed that reputation, even if only slightly. “Your Love” is an unrequited love song, featuring a simple beat and mind-melting hook that instantly gets stuck in your head.

“Antidote” / “Maria I’m Drunk (feat. Justin Bieber and Young Thug)” by Travi$ Scott

With two songs so good off of the same album, it’s nearly impossible to not include both as the best song off of Scott’s debut Rodeo. “Antidote” is a perfectly constructed party banger, while “Maria I’m Drunk” not only features a fantastic rap verse from Justin Bieber, but is a song so dark and catchy that is sounds like almost nothing before.

“Vice City (feat. Black Hippy)” by Jay Rock

Top Dawg Entertainment’s elder statesman has somewhat fallen victim to the fame of his labelmate Kendrick Lamar, and to a lesser extent Schoolboy Q, however the three reunite on “Vice City” to create one of the best hip hop songs of 2015. With nearly five minutes of menacing back-and-forths between the three California rappers, “Vice City” is also the biggest highlight from Rock’s 90059.

“Weekend (feat. Miguel)” by Mac Miller

Mac Miller has finally broken out of the white rapper stigma, and his release GO:OD am has made sure Miller be taken seriously from here on out. Almost entirely self-produced, the album only has three features from other artists, and the Pittsburgh native gets the most out of each of them, with Miguel’s assistance being the most potent of the three. “Weekend” takes listeners through a week beginning normally up through the following weekend to blow off steam, resulting in the best track off of one of 2015’s best releases.

“Jumpman” by Drake and Future

Enjoyable if overhyped, Drake and Future’s What a Time To Be Alive was created in just six days, features a stock image as its album art and unapologetically knows the strength of its creators’ popularity carries it through its low points. “Jumpan” builds on Future’s inclination towards repetition and Drake’s strength for hooks, resulting in the one of project’s biggest highlights.

“679 (feat. Monty)” by Fetty Wap

When 2015 began, New Jersey rapper Fetty Wap was nothing more than another Soundcloud rapper. However, his first hit single “Trap Queen” broke onto the airwaves and propelled the one-eyed crooner’s popularity higher than anyone would have guessed. With nearly half a dozen of the year’s strongest singles, Fetty’s “679” is the best, and surely a sign of things to come.

“Devil’s Whisper” by Raury

19-year old Atlanta native Raury is picking up where fellow ATLien Andre 3000 left off, and has gladly taken the title of the voice of his generation. Thematically, the rapper’s debut album All We Need is there to empower the youth through song, and Raury knows the influence his voice holds. Debuted on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, “Devil’s Whisper” was performed by Raury who wore a Mexico soccer jersey featuring the name “Trump” crossed out on the back, a reference to Donald Trump’s immigration stances.

“S.O.B.” by Nathanial Rateliff & The Night Sweats

Simply, “S.O.B.” is a ton of fun to listen to. Bandleader Nathanian Rateliff put together perhaps the best folk rock song of the year, backed with his band The Night Sweats, who join him on their self-titled debut from which the song comes.

“Gone” by JR JR

Originally known by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., JR JR announced their third album this year in the form of a letter to their fans that also announced the group would be dropping their old name, and would from then on be called just JR JR. The resulting album is one full of fun pop songs, varied production and one of the brightest and most enjoyable songs of 2015 in “Gone.”

“Angels (feat. Saba)” by Chance The Rapper

Chance the Rapper is doing something no other artist before him has done: achieving commercial success with zero assistance from a major label. Doing it completely independently, the 22-year old Chicago native has released the first ever completely free album on iTunes (2015’s Surf which is technically billed as being by Chance’s band, Donnie Trumpet and The Social Experiment), will appear as the first ever independent artist on Saturday Night Live, and has now headlined several major music festivals. “Angels” is an ode to Chicago, a city Chance is doing everything he can to empower.

“Streetcar” by Daniel Caesar

The third Toronto native on this list, Daniel Caesar has achieved nowhere the success of The Weeknd or Drake, however he is no less talented. His 2014 project Praise Break was one of the strongest releases of last year, and his Pilgrim’s Paradise release this year is no different. A repurposing of Kanye West’s “Streetlights,” “Streetcar” may be better than the original, a feat not easily accomplished.

“Hello (feat. Andre 3000)” by Erykah Badu

Her first release in five years, Badu’s But You Caint Use My Phone mixtape is conceptually built around Drake’s “Hotline Bling.” Badu, however, succeeds in somehow making one track into an 11-song mixtape that is as varied and unique as its creator. “Hello” features Badu’s ex, Andre 3000, who she trades verses with to create a beautiful song about the couple figuring out what their relationship is 20 years later.

“Paradise” by Jeremih

After years of clamoring by the Chicago singer’s fans and critics alike, Jeremih put out his Late Nights: The Album album at the beginning of December, giving the fans the release they had been so patiently awaiting. Late Nights does not disappoint (sans a truly forgettable J. Cole verse on the opening track, “Planes”). “Paradise” is a hangover song at its core, however it is presented on top of gorgeous strings that are as addicting as the lifestyle of the song’s singer.