We'll continue our countdown today with songs #15 through #11.
#15: Danny Brown - Monopoly
"Monopoly" sounds genuinely like Danny Brown, born poor and raised in Detroit, generally deals with dangerous shit. The beats are strong, sullen, and dirty, with Brown noting that he's been through a lot to get where he is. But in reality, "Monopoly" is nothing more than a take to shit on his opponents, and if there's any doubt of it, he goes to length to emphasize that he'll "literally" shit on their mixtapes. It's the perfect blend of what makes XXX so great; deceivingly intelligent rhymes split between Brown's desire to be understandably weird.
Danny Brown - Monopoly by Bears and Bullets
#14: Smith Westerns - All Die Young
The centerpiece to Smith Westerns' sophomore release Dye It Blonde, "All Die Young" takes the lighter, lo-fuzz surf-rock aura of the group's first work and blows it up in front of multi-layered keyboards and Max Kakacek's slow-tuning guitar solos to the "everyone join together" climactic finale. But more so than what it is, "All Die Young" is the sound of a band actually getting their heads together and figuring out what's great instead of what is just good.
#13: Fucked Up - Queen of Hearts
"Queen of Hearts" is your true introduction to Fucked Up's long-winded tail of David, the protagonist in David Comes to Life. But rather than space out an all-too long story to fit every finite detail of David's exploits, the group had enough sense to try their hand at hardcore story telling, I.E., lead-singer Pink Eyes still gets to spit his throat-scathing wails behind messy, sonic guitars. But the story doesn't necessarily wrap up the listener, as it shouldn't. It's Fucked Up's perfected method that still comes through on top.
#12: Freddie Gibbs and Madlib - Thuggin'
Freddie Gibbs and Madlib joining up is just a good idea. It had to be said. The eponymous track from the collaborative duo's Thuggin' EP, features Madlib's well-renown super-rich sampled beats and Gibbs' best work of the year (that includes a lot of cameos along the way). A lot of the songs on these lists have well-detailed reasoning behind their unreal quality, but when it comes to "Thuggin'," there isn't much more to say than just, goddamn, listen to how good this is. It might be a cop-out, but man if it isn't correct.
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Thuggin' by Rappcats
#11: FIDLAR - Wake Bake Skate
Pot doesn't need an anthem. It's had enough artists striving to bow to the temple of getting high and hanging out since the 50s, but we have to admit that there's something stupidly endearing about it. FIDLAR's "Wake Bake Skate," an ode to being broke, lazy, and smoking, doesn't strive to collect the ever-growing range of metaphor's of contemporary American laziness, but knows how to make it seem a lot more fun, despite the depressing reality of what they're saying.
We'll continue our countdown tomorrow with songs #10 - #6 ...
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