50 Best Tracks of 2012

50) Rihanna

     "Birthday Cake (Remix)" ft Chris Brown

• Always a head turner if you're in a club full with foxy browns. Also like to think that the repetitiveness of the word "cake" transcends into "Drake", a straight slap in the face to song feature and ex Chris Breezy.

49) King Louie

     "Val Venis"

• The title alone places this song on the list.

48) MS MR    

     "Hurricane"

• Didn't see this video till now, pretty fucking good.

47) Future

    "Turn on the Lights"

• Love how this Jar Jar Binks looking fuck gets this Babraham Lincoln in this video.

46) Chief Keef

    "I Don't Like" ft Lil Reese

• Plays out like a Halloween anthem. He doesn't like much does he?

45) Rick Ross
   "Stay Scheming" ft Drake & French Montana

• Do you stay scheming?

44) Bobby Womack

     "Please Forgive My Heart"

• If you are planning to cheat and get got, get this track.

43) Costello 

     "The Representatives" ft G.I.

• Irish Hip-Hop is often scoffed at and rightly so because until now there really hasn't been anything worthwhile or at least consistent. Costello, G.I. and the WorkinClassCrew are the real thing.

42) Joey Bada$$ 

     "Survival Tactics" ft Capital STEEZ

• Similar to Costello, Joey Bada$$ from Brooklyn pays homage to the Hip Hop renaissance, New York early to mid 1990s. Both of their music sounds from that era and they are dedicated towards true lyricism. From Dublin to Brooklyn!

41) Danny Brown

     "Grown Up"

40) Cassie

     "King of Hearts (Richard X Remix)"

39) Cloud Nothings

     "Stay Useless"

38)  Korallreven

     "Sa Sa Samoa (Elite Gymnastics Remix)"

• Many tributes for Whitney Houston after her passing, but this ecstasy/rave homage has to be the most original.

37) Nas

 "Daughters"

• This is what MC'S this age should be rapping about.

36) Kanye West 

   "Mercy" ft Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz

35) Purity Ring

     "Fineshrine"

34) Schoolboy Q
    "Hands on the Wheel" ft ASAP Rocky

33) John Talabot

     "Destiny" ft Pional

32) Earl Sweatshirt

    "Chum"

31) Grizzly Bear

    "Yet Again"

30) Meek Mill

     "Amen" ft Drake

29) Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti 

   "Only in my Dreams"

   

28) Grimes

   "Oblivion"

27) Schoolboy Q

    "There He Go"

26) Sky Ferreira

  "Everything is Embarrassing"

25) Niki and the Dove

     "Tomorrow" 

• Sweden always make the most uplifting pop songs.

24) Perfume Genius

     "Hood"

• Riding off into the sunset music.

23) ASAP Rocky

     "Goldie"

22) Le1f

     "Wut"

• This guy got lost up Hershey Highway and never found his way out.

21) Frank Ocean

     "Bad Religion"

• If he is gay, no problem...still talented. If he made it up to create a hype, love him even more. Whether you're going through the front or back door, this song can relate to anyone.

20) Jai Paul

   "Jasmine"

19) Azealia Banks

     "Jumanji"

• This song conveys Jumanji. It comes up, down, hits you from every angle. Reminds me of one of those shitty safari type roller coasters that pull and jerk at every turn.

18) Unsane

     "No Chance"

• If I were a wrestler, this would be my theme music.

17) Killer Mike

    "Big Beast"

16) Nicki Minaj

     "Beez in the Trap" ft 2 Chainz

15) Mikky Ekko

    "Pull Me Down (Ryans Hemsworth Remix)"

14) Baauer

    "Harlem Shake"

13) Killer Mike

     "Reagan"

12) Rustie

    "After Light" ft AlunaGeorge

11) M.I.A.

   "Bad Girls"

10) Kendrick Lamar

   "Swimming Pools (Drank)

• Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d. city deals thoroughly with peer pressure. Swimming Pools is the dive from a few drinks into being succumbed by alcohol. From a tipsy night to a complete blackout. Swimming Pools makes you not want to take that dive.

9) Kendrick Lamar

   "Cartoon and Cereal" ft Gunplay

8) Mister Lies

    "Cleam"

7) Solange

    "Losing You"

6) Miguel

 "Adorn"

• This song has an innocent doo-wop 50s/60s aura about it, enhanced by Miguel's ridiculous pompadour haircut. It's a giddy, puppy love song and impressive that he pulled it off in 2012 when we are all becoming a little bit too cynical.

5) El-P

 "Full Retard"

• And if you want the complete opposite of "Adorn" then El-P has the thing for you. He has no hope, complete cynic and believes in full excess just for the fuck of it. This track is brooding with a stubborn confidence, you hate everybody and know you're in the right when listening to this.

4) Japandroids

 "The House that Heaven Built"

• Fucking A!

3) Usher

 "Climax"

• RnB has been having more promising artists in the last couple of years with people like The-Dream, The Weeknd, Frank Ocean and Miguel. However, Usher has always held his own and brought out strong records. While most RnB singles are recyclable trash with no substance or originality, Usher has always separated himself from that majority. Here he teams up with Diplo to produce an excellent dubstep-esque/rhythm and blues track.

2) Jay-Z/Kanye West/Big Sean

   "Clique"

• Same formula as usual for this group. Everything has to be bigger than life, and this is. "Clique" even reigns more supreme than "Niggas in Paris" with its belching, hiccuping beat from Hit Boy. Verses are precise, nothing original, but perfectly executed. Best club track of the year.

1) Frank Ocean

  "Pyramids"

• Frank Ocean happened to bring something bigger than GOOD Music productions with his 10 minute, tempo changing sprawl that follows the story of Cleopatra. Begins in ancient Egypt, where she was feared, respected and loved. The story moves to contemporary society where she is a stripper, under control of a pimp. Yet she regains power again when she returns home to her boyfriend, who is helpless as she dances for other men. Ocean depicts the power struggle between man and woman on an epic scale with Pyramids, which helps prove that he is one of todays most essential songwriters. (video below is a shorter version)