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, âwhat an awesome year for rap.â I ponder whether itâs 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 lifeâs great pleasures. I donât 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. Itâs been moving more fragmentary for years, and Iâm sure that says something about our culture and social media or algorithms or whatever, but thatâs not as interesting as the rap itself.
There were a lot of great albums and songs this year, but itâs always the little moments within that latch to your brain and make them so memorable. Itâs the lines youâll randomly blurt out in traffic, or hum to yourself when waiting in line at a Ralphâs. Maybe weâve 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 âsocial-friendly.â We once manufactured legitimate virality for just $20,000 of influencer fees. Itâs pretty bleak, but itâs the way weâre going. It makes sense though, because as a listener, those are the moments that stick with you. Thereâs 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, theyâre just my favorite moments from another awesome year in rap music. Letâs get into it.
Nino Paid with a whole story in just a few bars: âI had three siblings growing up, so itâs crazy how they split us up / but if anybody hearing this and your name Raekwon, lil bro wassup.â
Quando Rondo saying âOnly memories that I got is his cologne on a shirt,â 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.
When the beat speeds up and Niontay comes into â2K24 Tour.â The whole track makes me feel like a superhero.
When Skrilla gets into this âI might, I might, I mightâ flow at 1:28.
When Skrilla went dah dah dah dah dah, bah bah bah bah bah.
The appreciation for Gucci this year was off the charts. THIS song is an awesome flip of âSwing My Door,â and THIS by Wizz Havin was one of my favorite songs this year. I especially love when they start freestyling at the end.
The Aquatic Ambience sample in THIS song, which especially clicks when Neph says âmy whole life all I wanted was family / beinâ myself they donât understand me.â
FREE GAZA, WE ON THE CORNER LIKE ISRAELITES
The best song out of the UK this year.
âI got blick up on every switch up in this bitch, i got switch up on every blick up in this bitchâ
Another Benji Blue Bills song â he really knows how to enter a track. I listened to 0:22 to 0:35 of this song over and over again.
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 warbling along to the sample before jumping into his verse.
Greedoâs 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.
Greedoâs hook on â#RICHAXXHAITIAN.â Again, look at those glasses. Only he could pull those off.
When Greedo switches the flow after the bass drops in on âBless Your Soul,â 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 âKill Meâ and âRich On Grape Street,â last year.
When Mavi said âI want you to be happy / how you happy with another guy.â It felt very human in its contradictions.
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 âpreeeeeeegnantâ in the background while rapping like Suga Free.
When 42 Dugg slides into this song at 1:20. His voice has never sounded better than coming in after Trigga. Another thing that wonât feel as large as it does without listening to the first minute 20 of Trigga rapping.
A verse from Siri.
All the dirty lines in THIS song, especially how they use the Ooohs in the beat during the hook.
The Nef The Pharaoh comeback! This cypher is incredible, but I really love when Nef reveals his bald head and says âSaid I was ballinâ like Iâm Baby / shaved my head, Iâm really him.â
When Nef flexes that he never has lint on any of his clothes.
Thugâs hook on âGhetto,â but I especially loved the Divas of Compton dancing in the video. This is such a great pattern, and feels like classic Thug: âOn Monday Iâm ghetto, Tuesday Iâm ghetto, Wednesday Iâm rich, Thursday Iâm ghetto, you can take my body, but my soul in the ghetto, and Iâll never settle, âcuz Iâm out the ghetto, on Friday Iâm ghetto, Saturday Iâm ghetto, Sunday Iâm blessed, then back to the ghetto.â
1:43 to 2:10 in Loe Shimmyâs âSubstance Abuse,â 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.
How Hurricane Wisdomâs voice comes and goes when he says âDope fien, I need all it,â and the lines that come after.
This edit of Anthony Edwards with Bossman Dlow.
âIf I lost it all, would you still love me?â
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 Iâm not supposed to say I still like Remble.
Easily my favorite beat this year, and I knew it would be the first time I heard it.
All the dancing in this video. Totally hypnotic.
The vocal filter Zehailah uses on the echo of âwhole crowd rowdyâ at 1:31, following it up with âwalked in big, but I walked out bigger.â
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.
When Pa Salieu walks out of a restaurant, rapping âbelly belly, hit di belly, belly belly, feed di bellyâ
The saxophone transitioning into the rapping in this Luhh Dyl song.
We rely on your support to keep POW alive. Please take a second to donate on Patreon!
