PR. FLY'S TOP SONGS OF 2024

Pr. Fly's Top 25 Songs Of 2024

2024 has been a very, very strong year for music. As the year progressed, the albums that have been dropping only get better and better. Whereas 2023 had some pretty high highs but overall had a lot of projects I was fairly disappointed with, 2024 was packed to the brim with songs and cultural moments I feel like I'll look back on fondly. So, as the year ends, I wanted to take some time and talk about my favorite songs that helped define a year whose influences I feel will stick with me for a good chunk of the rest of my life.

Honorable Mentions

First of all, I'd like to get some songs out the way that I loved but left out, either because I liked them but not enough to put them on this list, or I love them but I want to keep my list to one-per-album to prevent the top spots being completely overtaken by my favorite albums of the year.

Peace -- Ab-Soul/Lupe Fiasco/Punch/Doeburger
BIRDS OF A FEATHER -- Billie Eilish
Good Luck, Babe! -- Chappell Roan
Dadvocate -- Childish Gambino
DENIAL IS A RIVER -- Doechii 
NISSAN ALTIMA -- Doechii
HARDSTONE NATIONAL ANTHEM -- Don Toliver
Red Leather -- Future/Metro Boomin/J. Cole
We Still Don't Trust You - Future/Metro Boomin/The Weeknd
Blues -- Geordie Greep
RAINDROPS CAST IN LEAD -- Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Pi - J. Cole/Ab-Soul/Daylyt
Port Antonio -- J. Cole
euphoria - Kendrick Lamar
luther -- Kendrick Lamar/SZA
meet the grahams -- Kendrick Lamar
reincarnated -- Kendrick Lamar
APT. -- Rose/Bruno Mars
St. Chroma -- Tyler, The Creator
Sticky -- Tyler, The Creator
Sleep Blvd. -- Xiu Xiu

Please understand that, just because they're not on the list doesn't mean I hate them. There is a very real world where songs like Sticky, Reincarnated and Hardstone National Anthem were on the list, and they initially were when I was making the list, but this is just how I feel as of writing this. I'm sure my feelings on these projects will change as I relisten to these songs more and more.

#25: either on or off the drugs -- JPEGMAFIA

JPEGMAFIA is a funny little fellow and my relationship with his music can only be described as that, funny. While I loved a lot of his projects when I was younger, he started losing me with Scaring The Hoes, a project a lot of people love but I personally found rather disappointing given what him and Danny Brown are capable of. Sure, STH had some high points with Burfict and Kingdom Hearts Key, but my disdain for the album as a whole made me look back at his other projects with a more critical lens, judging his mediocre-at-best writing that I previously had no issues with. Going into I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU, I was expecting another overhyped, run-of-the-mill project by JPEGMAFIA. While I was initially feeling like my suspicions were correct with it having some pretty bad writing and only a couple above-average songs, my tune quickly changed as soon as this song came on. Whereas the rest of the album was blown out and scratchy sounding, as a good chunk of his previous works are, "either on or off the drugs" genuinely blew me away with just how GOOD it sounded. I don't think I've ever heard a song by this man that made me feel what I first felt hearing this song. The slow, soulful sample (that, yes while derived from AI, still goes hard and is used in an interesting enough way that I can forgive its usage) and powerful guitars backing one of my favorite Peggy verses of all time. It was this really sweet, less abrasive rapping that this song, and the other songs after it, had that made me reassess my disdain for Peggy. Someone like him is always changing his stylings in some way or another, and I'm not guaranteed to love everything he makes, and that's okay. This song feels almost like a love letter to his own works and what he's gone through to get here. He reminisces about his previous albums and I genuinely felt proud of him for making it from a weirdo with weird beats to someone who has managed to cultivate an entire community around his (and his peers) music. The more I listened, the more I began to appreciate this album as a whole, with it becoming my favorite Peggy album since AMHAC. Shit like that is inspiring, and this song I feel is an anthem that captures that emotion the best out of any of his songs, both off this album and his career as a whole.

#24: BLUE SKY -- Kid Cudi

When it comes to Kid Cudi, a lot of what I said about JPEGMAFIA and my anticipation for this album were inversed. I grew up loving his music, but rather than having an album I hated that made me look at his catalogue critically, I went into INSANO with high hopes!!! The album did not live up to those high hopes, nor did it's sequel. Sorry, lol. A lot of these first few top songs of the year entries are gonna sound kind of negative, and it's became they're standout songs on projects I was shaky on and that's that. I get kinder, I promise. That being said, BLUE SKY is a genuinely beautiful song and one that almost reminds me of his older works. But rather than being moodier with subjects of drug abuse and depression like said older works, this takes that melodic sound and pushes a bright message of optimism in spite of what you may go through. I can say, personally, that this year has not always been so kind to me, and a message like this really resonated with me as I went through the motions early on in the year. Maybe things really do get better, and even if that means making a project or two that don't hold up, I can live with that. Because this song to me sounds like 'I am who I am and even if flawed or not what you want, that's beautiful', which I suppose is something all of us ought to hear, no?

#23: Dreamin' -- Common (Prod. Pete Rock)

Two things can be true at once. Common is a bald motherfucker and I want to smack his big bald shiny head and watch it jiggle and reverberate, and this song is probably my favorite album opener of the year. This song, if nothing else, is EXACTLY why I love Common and find projects like Be and Like Water For Chocolate to be some of the best albums of the 00's. Sure, he's had his fumbled projects in the past, but if the Vol. 1 in "The Auditorium Vol. 1" implies we're getting more Pete Rock produced Common in the future, we might be witnessing a renaissance for everyone's favorite silly bald fuck that got me suspended from Twitter for a week because I made a post publicly announcing my reasonable request to smack it & watch it jiggle & watch the light that shines off his bald head refract off his rippling bald head. Dreamin' has some of Common's best rapping in a while, his timeless and silky flow floating upon an instrumental that only elevates this absolute masterpiece of a song the way Common's hairline elevated past this plane of existence when he first went bald back when dinosaurs roamed the earth.

#22: DO IT -- Ty Dolla $ign ft. YG, Nipsey Hussle (sample) and some other guy idfk

I'm sorry. I really am. Look. I'm really sorry. I promise you that I don't think Vultures 1 is that good. We all have our guilty pleasures. I'm so sorry. fuck. sorry. please don't hurt me

#21: I Heard Whales (I Think) -- Mount Eerie

Night Palace is an album that's hard for me to listen to for all the right reasons. It's discordant, sprawling, has all these different little moments that really sell the package. The project taps into this really unique emotion that I don't feel super often, so I only listen to it in small chunks, late at night when the mood's right. While I think a lot of songs off Night Palace could've made it on this list, something about I Heard Whales is emblematic of what I love so much about this project as a whole. It's not much; a few strummed notes, Phil Elverum's iconic soft-spoken singing, and vocalization that takes you to a whole other place. Then, it breaks into static, the sound of a heavy rain scratching against Phil's recording equipment with the faintest, angelic sounds of something greater breaking through the cacophony of a storm. As the storm subsides, we get a moment to hear the distant whales before Phil returns. This time, his singing is backed by heavy, powerful drumming and guitars that make his ponderings come across as impassioned as one can get. This soft, lonely feeling that swells into something beautiful is on another level and the fact that the entire album as on par with this is why it's one of my favorite albums of the year. The only thing keeping it from being higher on the album is that I feel like I haven't had enough time to have it resonate with me as much as I think it could, so I could easily see this shooting way higher up on the list as I will continue to listen to this song.

#20: Magnum Opus -- ANGRY BLACKMEN ft. Abbie from Mars

As far as hip hop goes, I was kind of underwhelmed by a lot of projects before WDTY dropped and fucked everything up. Sure, Vultures 1 and INSANO had a spoonful of fun songs and ScHoolboy Q dropped a phenomenal project, but overall things like the Yeat project left me underwhelmed and horseshit like Big Foot (ft. a bit too much coke) and Facts (ft. Ben Shapiro) was still being pumped out. This disappointment did not last long after I first heard The Legend of ABM by Angry Blackmen. A local rap duo I first interacted with when they reposted some of my posts on Twitter, these two dudes I had never heard of prior to this year dropped a project I love more than some of the biggest names in hip hop. Fun, aggressive rapping over catchy industrial beats that makes you feel like you're in a sweaty underground concert with each and every listen are what The Legend of ABM is all about, and I can forgive its few shortcomings as the growing paints of a fairly obscure underground act. Still, it had far more hits than misses and the closer track, Magnum Opus, is emblematic of why I think these guys have a very long and strong career ahead of them. The pair cool things down and lay down extremely personal bars that only get further emphasized by Abbie from Mars' singing and the spaced out, synth-heavy beat. Sure, it's not perfect, but it's vulnerable and shows that what may seem like dudes just going hard on crunchy beats is actually capable of some really expressive, emotional tracks. I really anticipate what the pair do next, we've spoken on Twitter and I want to re-emphasize that I hope only the best for Brian and Quentin.

#19: Common Loon -- Xiu Xiu

13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips (what a title, lol) kind of flew under my radar. I love Xiu Xiu's music, but really wasn't sure what to expect as the only album of theirs I really listen to a ton would be Girl With Basket Of Fruit. Would I be getting more haunting, crazy instrumentals or something more accessible like Fabulous Muscles? Turns out, a little bit of both!!! This album has it all; scary, poppy, sad, happy, psycho, groupie COCAINE CRAZY and everything else you'd want out of Xiu Xiu this far into their musical ventures. Common Loon, in particular, taps into this manic yet enchanting sound that's too unique to not have it up here. I don't get that feeling of just letting go and being freakishly euphoric from any other song this year. The music video reflects the feeling perfectly; a blend of muddy paint, sexual imagery, commercialism, someone dressed up as Smurfette in lingerie buying an ice cream cone, it has it all. Common Loon combined glitz with filth as it cracks cultural norms in two with no care in the world about silly concepts like boundaries or filters. 

#18: hey now -- Kendrick Lamar ft. Dody6

REALLY, PR. FLY? OVER REINCARNATED? OVER LUTHER? WHAT ABOUT WACCED OUT MURALS AND THE HEART PART 6??? HOW DARE YOU YOU FUCKING CHUD FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU-alright alright lemme explain lol
I love GNX, while it's probably my least favorite Kendrick Lamar album overall, I understand that it's not what I would normally look for in a Kendrick album. He states from the jump that this isn't for lyrical freaks who want crazy wordplay and double entendres and I will admit that he certainly was right. The storytelling on the project goes in some really amazing places, yet there's something about hey now that makes me feel like it's the highlight of the album. This is Kendrick's catchiest song, bar none, argue with a wall, argue with my balls, argue at the mall, I do not CARE. You could give me hit after hit after hit and I'll still be murmuring about aliens holding hands and doing that little breathy sound that comprises the beat while I'm on the train or studying. The flows on this thing are fucking NUTS. He slides on that goddamn beat like it's a ride at a water park and I am all about it. Just when you think it's already a good song, this short midget motherfucker stops everything, screams out "IM WAY TOO IMPORTAAAANT" and takes this song to a WHOLE OTHER LEVEL. That chorus is genuinely one of my favorite parts of music this year and, frankly, I get why all those aliens want to see him do his dance. Dody6 absolutely on the beat too, his energy perfectly compliments Kendrick's and him finishing the song with "tell 'em Dody did that" is a really cute setup for the title track. Never have I ever been this proud to be 5'5.

#17: Trae The Truth In Ibiza -- J. Cole ft. Trae The Truth (uncredited)

REALLY, PR. FLY? OVER GNX? YEAH OKAY TYPICAL J. COLE STAN BOT WELCOME BACK LL47 FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU ok i promise thats the last time i do that bit
Cole's had a real fun year, no? Dropping some of his best and worst tracks ever has made a lot of the discourse around him rife and controversial, even as the year closes. This is not me justifying a lot of the silly shit he did this year, I do not understand why he added Those Bars to Pi (iykyk) and I do not understand releasing his worst feature verse ever on Grippy right after a lot of people were feeling like he wimped out of the big Kendrick v. Drake. Thankfully, this track that is the post-7MD-deletion closer of Might Delete Later makes me feel a lil bit more empathetic for him. I love Might Delete Later! It's a hot take because a lot of people associate it with the beef but relistening to it after all the dust settled (for everyone except Drake, who is currently suing Kendrick & UMG for hurting his fee fees or whatever) gives me a newfound appreciation for the project. It's admittedly his 2nd worst imho LOL but for what it's worth, it's a nice little content drop delivered at the worst possible time. On Trae The Truth In Ibiza, Cole's verses explain his headspace as he's set to drop his big final album. Even with all the flaws he admits to having, his work ethic and hunger for the crown remains all the same. Some consider it pointless because "how can you want the crown if you don't insert yourself into something that didn't really involve you", but I personally find it endearing. This might be the hottest take on this list, so I get disagreeing entirely, but something about his blend of honesty and love for the craft makes me more hopeful for Cole's future than others around me are.

#16: La Noche -- Navy Blue

SAGE ELSESSER, aka Navy Blue, is an underrated ass rapper. Similarly, Memoirs In Armour is an underrated ass album. This whole thing is some of the realest raps this decade in my eyes, so you better start tapping in if you haven't already. Navy Blue is actually the most recent artist on the list, with his debut album being the only debut album on this whole list that came out this decade (unless you wanna count someone later on who was in a band but had a solo debut this year). La Noche is one of the freshest sounding rap songs I've heard this year, with an delicate piano beat, great singing on the chorus that speaks nothing but the truth and an outro that ties the entire album together with it's themes revolving around the fragility of life and taking comfort in the ones closest to you. How can you not weep?

#15: IV. Something Is Happening And I May Not Fully Understand But I'm Happy To Stand For The Understanding (Awakening) -- Andre 3000, with RedHot.org

Pr. Fly fact #27: I am a straight cisgender dude who grew up in a community that wasn't super progressive. It took me a lot, and I mean a lot of time to really understand a lot of struggles the LGBTQ+ community faces on the day-to-day. Hell, even nowadays I will admit there's a lot of learning and understanding I still have to do. It can be hard to put myself in the shoes of people who I don't have a lot in common with, and some part of that notion I feel is expressed through SIHAIMNFUBIHTSFTU, or Awakening as I'll call it for the rest of this little excerpt. While most know him for his rapping as one half of Outkast, Andre 3K is not afraid to break outside whatever people expect of him. After his "debut" solo project (choosing to ignore The Love Below) New Blue Sun, everyone's favorite flute-wielding ATLien has stated his desires to be free and do what he pleases as inspirations come to him naturally, and to my primitive caveman mind it's this element of his character that made his addition to RedHot.org's compilation album TRANSA perfect. As America is set to be ran by transphobic weasels, now is the right time to fight for my trans friends and their right to express themselves however the hell they want. I don't always have to perfectly understand it, but what's important is that we fight for the marginalized and persecuted, a struggle which Andre encapsulates in his nearly 30 minute long musical piece. Realistically, a lot of songs on TRANSA could have gone here, as the whole project is a compilation that highlights trans and nonbinary voices and is definitely worth checking out (Young Lion by Sade is another personal favorite), but I relate to Andre's perspective on the matter personally as someone who is ultimately still has a long way to go with regards to the subject of protecting trans rights. I may not have the weaponry to physically fight for the freedom of my friends, nor do I have the flutes and strings to express my allyship the way Andre does on Awakening, but I got a mind to reach out and hands for my loved ones to hold onto. I understand that what I write here might come off wrong to some, and I'm fine with that, so long as I learn and continue to push myself along the path of righteousness.

#14: Young Drunk Driver -- Kirin J. Callinan ft. Hubert Lenoir

This one is just me being biased towards Kirin J Callinan's work on Genesis Owusu's album Smiling With No Teeth, if I'm being honest. It's a really fun, bouncy song with these off-kilter vocals that always gets me in a good mood! While most know Kirin for Big Enough off Bravado (if we're being serious, they probably only know the part where the old guy screams and not even the song itself), this cut off If I Could Sing really gives me these sweet, nostalgic vibes of people living while they're young. While Kirin himself is pushing 40, Young Drunk Driver serves as an anthem that some souls remain blazing, still finding new wonderful things about the world and the people around them even as they grow into old age.

#13: Endsong -- The Cure

Did you know that The Cure has been making music for 45 years now? New question, did you know that Songs Of A Lost World is, like, one of their best albums? 45 fucking years in? Yeah, consider me surprised when I finally listened to this project earlier this week and had my mind utterly blown. While the album as a whole is pretty great, this 10 minute monster of a track brings the listener to crushing, desolate lows and righteous highs that genuinely shocked me when I first heard it. Endsong is the only name that could possibly suit this sprawling work of art that has Robert Smith express his longing for his lost loved ones. Grief oozes out of this thing as not a single word or guitar note goes to waste as he puts his very heart and soul into this song. If Robert joins his loved ones before we get another project (or they willingly choose to end it here), then I find it hard to believe that there could ever be a better finale for one of the most legendary bands to ever do it.

#12: Little Homies -- Vince Staples

We are now over halfway through with the list! As of this point on, I don't think I have a single complaint with any songs, we're getting into the really good shit. I almost feel kind of bad for not listening to Dark Times earlier. Vince is one of those dudes whose work I've always respected at a distance; interested enough in his work to listen to amazing songs like Yeah Right, never enough to stay up at midnight in anticipation for a new drop. This might change though, as Dark Times was an absolutely fantastic listen from front to back. This project is dark, moody, introspective and almost feels like Vince giving the listener advice for when they get to where he's at in life. This holds true on Little Homies, as Vince literally gives advice with regards to how to make it. The chorus, while nothing amazingly lyrical, is my favorite part of the song. Something about saying "life hard but I go harder" is why I love the album as much as I do; it doesn't act like life is all sunshine and rainbows, but it doesn't self-deprecate and treat the situation as though it's utterly hopeless. As Vince says, you gotta keep your head up -- things get better.

#11: Like That -- Future with Metro Boomin ft. Kendrick Lamar

Don't fucking lie to yourself. You would have to either be stupid, lame or delusional to not have this as one of your favorite songs of the year. I don't make the rules. You have to like this song, as of right now. This song, along with what it (and FPS, let's be fair) did, was one of the most explosive catalysts in hip hop history. I said earlier that I didn't really start feeling a lot of albums prior to We Don't Trust You, and it's because of this album and especially this song that I really got excited for what the rest of this year had to offer. Like That has it all, amazing Future verses, Metro's best beats/samplework ever, and a Kendrick Lamar verse that was gutted Drake and proved why he deserved the crown more than Drake ever did, as Kendrick would drop quality song after quality song, driving that knife deeper into Drake's heart as most of Drake's work after this song ranged from "pretty good" to "utterly trash". He didn't even redeem himself the way J. Cole did by working with Tems, releasing old mixtapes and dropping Port Antonio. As of writing this, he's popping ass on stream with Twitch rejects and trying to beat around a bush that has been torched for months now. If there was any way to humiliate someone who's had it coming for a loooooong time, this is how you do it. Take notes, and prove that you're a problem next time you think of putting yourself up against living legend Kendrick Lamar.

#10: Human Sacrifice -- Childish Gambino

Top 10! So, earlier I said that I would only do one song per album, and Donald Glover kind of cheated. He dropped two projects this year, with the first one being a remaster of 3.15.20, Atavista. I personally loved 3.15.20 despite its faults, and was admittedly kind of excited to see what Atavista had to offer. Did the album as a whole live up to expectations? Kinda. Some tracks I really enjoyed got butchered, some got improved, and in the midst of it all we got this son of a bitch track that Gambino has been teasing for damn near 6 years now. This thing is surprisingly complex, shifting tunes, instrumentals and features out with an extended outro with plenty of chants and singing that make the name "Human Sacrifice" incredibly fitting. While Atavista has its downgrades from 3.15.20, this song that features some of his best singing performances almost makes me want to overlook those flaws. I've had months to chew on this project and, without fail, that beat drop for the chorus is an almost religious experience for me. Given that Atavista is technically his last "regular" album, this song on the back half of the project sets up the closer of the project perfectly.

#9: Holy, Holy -- Geordie Greep

"Stay woke, Geordie's Greeping" -Childish Gambino

Black Midi's gotta be one of my favorite acts ever, and many people, myself included, were a bit cautious to see how founding member Geordie Greep's solo work would fare after the band's unfortunate breakup. Thankfully, while he's certainly got room for growth, Geordie Greep's The New Sound is putting up an absolute fight as one of the best projects to come out this year with its lead single Holy, Holy serving as a perfect illustration to Geordie's incredibly creative mind. Everything from the heavy, banging brass to his swanky guitar strums that are reminiscent of Steely Dan's earlier works make this a standout track that deserves its spot this high up on the list. In particular, I adore how Geordie's writing from Black Midi translates perfectly onto this song. Him setting up a scene where he comes across as a charismatic ladies man that seduces a clueless lady, only to break it down in the second half and reveal that he is nothing more than a rich loser that has to convince a prostitute with money to inflate his ego is the type of storytelling that I love when it comes to songs. When you combine my favorite flavor of whimsical meta storytelling with my favorite flavor of jazzy, pompous music, I'd be a sucker not to fall in love with whatever you've got cooking.

#8: Blueslides -- ScHoolboy Q

Pianos and dope raps go together like peanut butter and jelly, blackjack and hookers, peas and carrots, and ScHoolboy Q and dropping amazing ass music. BLUE LIPS in particular was a highly anticipated album for me, personally, as Q did a fantastic job hyping it up with one of the best rollouts of the decade. No bullshit, no mess, just a fantastic job from start to finish. While it's got its fair share of uppity, bouncy bangers like Yeern 101 and THank god 4 me, my favorite song has to be Blueslides. You really wouldn't expect someone as explosive as ScHoolboy Q to get on something so jazzy given a lot of his best songs are these crazy trap bangers, but man am I glad he did, because this shit is something else. His crazy cool attitude is ever-present despite how calm this song is, utilizing ad-libs and clever pauses to inject this track with so much life. Every time I listen to it I find something new and interesting about Blueslides. The subtle commemoration for the late great Mac Miller, saying Ye's name without saying Ye's name, the soft ocean waves on the outro; Q really gave this thing his all and made one of my favorite hip hop songs of the year. If you listened to the track and liked it, listen to it again! Give it another listen after that! And another! And another! Keep going 'til you get sick of it, which you won't, so another!!!

#7: True Holy Water -- Ka

A dark gloomy day. Overcast skies; the clouds dark enough to ruin even the most optimistic man's day, not dark enough to honor me with rain. That's what it was like as I listened to True Holy Water on the drive to the record store on the day Ka Brownsville passed. It was a professor's birthday the day after, one whom I'm close friends with, and I wanted to give him something nice. As the track ended and The Thief Next To Jesus started back up again, I drove down the road as night approached. While the road ahead was dark, I knew where I was going, and I knew that I would feel better once I get what I want and get to give back to someone who has given a lot to me. I don't know death, for it's only taken the one's close to me and never had the courage to stand in front me, but I can only hope that Ka felt something similar as he looked death in the eye. He has never been afraid to confront his own mortality, but something about this song in particular feels the most hard-hitting amidst a catalogue of songs that should hit far harder without him. The screeching cries that back this song dance with angelic singing croons as Ka lays down his final verses. While he's gone, there are countless rappers he inspired who will continue to inspire and so on and so forth. In a strange sense, the notion of Ka Brownsville, who he was, and what he wanted for the people around him will never die. If nobody else, I know he has a place in my heart and mind as one of the greatest lyricists to ever do it and an inspiration to all those who had the honor to meet such an amazing man in person.

#6: 6:16 In L.A. -- Kendrick Lamar

One of my favorite songs of all time is Dumb It Down by Lupe Fiasco. Before you get mad that I'm bringing up Lupe in a section about Kendrick, lemme explain. That track features some of the best rapping of all time, with Lupe swapping perspectives, rhyme schemes, imagery and everything in between to make a sprawling testament to the power of rap music and why lyricism has the power to amaze just as production or catchiness does. With that being said, I find this track to be Kendrick's Dumb It Down. Yes, he has actually remixed that song in his early years, but this to me represents what DID represents to Lupe; this random ass diss track that nobody ever talks about is one of the most sprawling, elaborate, intricately written rap songs of all time. While many consider this as nothing more than a prelude to meet the grahams, I actually find this as a better diss than meet the grahams, at least on a written front. Nothing is wasted, everything has meanings (down to the time at which he released this track), every piston is firing; working together to dissect who Drake is. It serves as a warning and a goddamn prayer that Drake does not reach below the belt in the name of "pushing the red button" and, as Dumb It Down did 17 years before it, shows why Kendrick Lamar is a man whose strong foundation will never allow him to falter when it comes to making timeless music and inspiring generations after him as he was inspired by generations before him.

#5: Russian Roulette -- Porter Robinson

Porter Robinson is a strange artist, I feel like a lot of people associate him with Goodbye To A World, but he's gone through so much evolution since his most well-known work, and SMILE! :D is proof of that. Porter breaks out into an album all about nostalgia and living in the digital age, and this song in particular delves into the nature of that second half extremely well. Being the longest song on the album, this song has highs, lows, everything in between, and breaks down a lot of what it's like living in 2024 extremely well, speaking as someone whose life has been defined by the internet. I was there back when this whole thing wasn't so prevalent, when people were less depressed. And as an optimist, I understand the exact emotions Porter Robinson feels on this track all the time. A lot of people around me are depressed! Cringing at anything weird is second nature at this point, so many find happiness only through the misery of others. Hell, I was like that at one point, but sometimes it helps to just embrace the weirdness of it all and just start loving things instead of hating all the time. As is bluntly stated, these clichés are what make us human, so don't be afraid to live a little.

#4: Lithonia -- Childish Gambino

While I mentioned earlier that Atavista is technically his last studio album, Bando Stone and The New World is the last album he's gonna drop on Spotify as far as most people are concerned. Serving as a soundtrack to a (potential) upcoming movie, we got the first taste of what's to come with the lead single Lithonia. While the album itself would be too varied in sound for Lithonia to accurately represent, I'd be a liar if I didn't think this was one of his best songs, only rivaled by the likes of Redbone and Final Church (which I didn't include because it was mostly unchanged from 3.15.20). An anthemic pop rock, the type that'd blow the roof off a stadium, is the last thing I think anyone would've ever expect from him, yet he executes it without fail. The powerful guitars burst the song into action, with Glover's emboldened screams repeating the phrase "nobody gives a fuck". It's a bit of a contrast with the rest of the list with how self-deprecating the notion is, but I personally find it kind of freeing. I'm confronted with the fact that a lot of what I say, feel and express ultimately isn't of that much importance to people around me regularly, and I take that as an opportunity to only express myself further. Amidst glossy, gorgeous guitars, Glover's free to do what he wants to do, as this is the lead single to his final album. What he does from here? Nobody gives a fuck, he has been granted the type of agency many would die for. 

#3: Bigfoot -- Lupe Fiasco

Who woulda thought one of the best and worst songs of the year would be named Bigfoot? Yes, while a lot of people consider Palaces or the title track to be Samurai's strongest song, I personally find Bigfoot to be one of Lupe Fiasco's best tracks, rivaling even his most showstopping works of art like the Mural trilogy and WAV Files. This shit is so beautiful and is everything I love about rap music. Its ability to inspire, educate and tell stories. Bigfoot is a song, to me, about living life and facing your fears. Throughout the concept of a resurrected battle-rapping Amy Winehouse, Lupe expresses fears of being vulnerable, putting yourself out there, saying and doing what you want when you want. Sometimes you really do wanna shut yourself off from the rest of the world in fear of being considered goofy or lame; it's a message I think a lot of people can relate to even if it's from a concept album as zany as Samurai. With that though, it was a particularly otherworldly experience hearing this work of art live. Lupe Fiasco, this far into his career, is still more than capable of amazing a warehouse full of people and continues to solidify himself as one of the most legendary emcees of all time this far into his career.

#2: Doves -- Armand Hammer ft. Benjamin Booker

While yes, We Buy Diabetic Test Strips technically came out last year, Doves was released officially on streaming this year, and is one of my favorite songs of all time. It combines droning, Benjamin's heavenly singing that's as soft and fragile as a pillow, and billy woods breaking down the fragility of life in one of the most heartbreakingly emotional verses I have ever heard in my life. This is more than just one of the best rap songs of the year, this is one of the best rap songs of all time. You only got so much time left on this planet, and at any moment you could die. At any moment, your loved ones could die. At a moment, one of my loved ones did die this year. Nothing in life is guaranteed, so as is a running theme for a lot of songs I loved this year, do not waste a single goddamn moment with the people you hold closest to you. Cherish them and every second you spend with them. It's all I can ask of you as someone whose presence to many remains solely as a Twitter shitposter and Lupe Fiasco dickrider. If nothing else I write gets through to anyone, it's this notion. Family, friends, the communities we manage to build, all of this stuff has value because it's so short. Appreciate the highs and appreciate the lows with them, because you never know who you have 'til all that's left of them is old texts and a .png on an obituary. Much like doves, we're fragile, we're weak, we can go at any moment, yet we're all so, so beautiful.

#1: BABYS IN A THUNDERCLOUD -- Godspeed You! Black Emperor

no paragraph i could ever write about this song or this album would do anyone any justice. changed my life 
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