Top Ten Best Popular Songs of 2018
Because I like to counteract every action I make until everything is a dull, boring neutral, here are some thoughts about some songs I actually did like that came out this year.
10. Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin's "I Like It"
The sample here is electric, and Cardi B's personality carries what is an admittedly overstuffed song--overstuffed in the right way, however, and better for how it stands out from all the boring shit released this year than for how good it actually is.
9. Offset and Metro Boomin - "Ric Flair Drip"
Just a jam all throughout, "Ric Flair Drip" is such a curious song because it contains all the normal trap stuff, but with one significant difference being the idea of Ric Flair being referenced in 2018. But it works because Offset is just so committed to the idea of it, and the silliness just makes this stand out as a unique song, especially in today's sound landscape. Also, just as a former wrestling fan, I'm just glad for the reference, haha.
8. Gucci Mane, Bruno Mars and Kodak Black - "Wake Up In The Sky"
Slick, silly, and just cool in the most tacky ways, it's just a weird combination of rappers and Bruno Mars that shouldn't work because of how tacky and silly the whole enterprise is. But through production work that melds Bruno Mars' best '90s R&B groove since his last one with quirky trap beats, and we have something special here: a mix of R&B and trap that jams hard.
7. Ella Mai - "Boo'd Up"
A great modernization of 90s R&B with great vocals from Ella Mai and a chorus that easily gets stuck in your head.
6. Migos - "Stir Fry"
The beat is propulsive, something you could dance to in a year where you could barely dance to most "party" songs released on the radio. From the dogs howling, to the electric whistles, it's just lovely to listen to. The lyrics aren't bad, too, and it's possibly the best song released by Migos ever, just on the Pharrell beat alone.
5. Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa - "One Kiss"
Calvin Harris has been trying to meld disco beats with a modern sense of production for the past few albums, and his collaboration with Dua Lipa proves that Dua Lipa is a star in the making, and that Calvin Harris' melding of disco and EDM works.
4. Drake - "Nice For What"
Just for the Lauryn Hill sample, this song earns a spot on this list, but holy shit, Drake making a song about female empowerment and actually meaning it is one of the biggest surprises of the year. Just an all-around great song, with maybe a little bit of condescension that comes from being Drake, but it's easy to brush off when the beat is this good.
3. Bruno Mars and Cardi B - "Finesse"
This is what sold Cardi B to me. Only a personality like hers could mold into a groovy kind of cool like Bruno Mars has been doing, and get away with it. And the song itself is R&B perfection, from the production work to Bruno Mars' vocals. It's not "Uptown Funk," but not every song Bruno Mars releases has to be. They just have to be groovy enough to be cool.
2. Taylor Swift - "Delicate"
In the past few years, Taylor Swift has lost a lot of her original luster as a singer-songwriter because of public controversies about her image that just about threatened to destroy her completely. But "Delicate" reminds us that, no, her skill in details for songwriting are still there, and it still kills when she wants to. This is Taylor Swift at her most vulnerable since "Style," and the most heartfelt since her Speak Now album.
1. Ariana Grande - "No Tears Left To Cry"
Such a creative atom bomb of a song, it sounds like nothing ever made before. Nearly seamless in its transitions and engaging in a high idea of pushing through tragedy, it's "thank u, next" but less sloppy in its words. Everything feels deliberate: the music, the lyrics, and every vocal yelp that Ariana gives. Truly a great song, and possibly the best of the year.
Honorable Mentions:
Ariana Grande - "God is a Woman"
N*E*R*D and Rihanna - "Lemon"
Drake - "In My Feelings
Carly Rae Jepsen - "Party For One"
Ariana Grande - "breathin"
Ariana Grande - "thank u, next"
10. Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin's "I Like It"
The sample here is electric, and Cardi B's personality carries what is an admittedly overstuffed song--overstuffed in the right way, however, and better for how it stands out from all the boring shit released this year than for how good it actually is.
9. Offset and Metro Boomin - "Ric Flair Drip"
Just a jam all throughout, "Ric Flair Drip" is such a curious song because it contains all the normal trap stuff, but with one significant difference being the idea of Ric Flair being referenced in 2018. But it works because Offset is just so committed to the idea of it, and the silliness just makes this stand out as a unique song, especially in today's sound landscape. Also, just as a former wrestling fan, I'm just glad for the reference, haha.
8. Gucci Mane, Bruno Mars and Kodak Black - "Wake Up In The Sky"
Slick, silly, and just cool in the most tacky ways, it's just a weird combination of rappers and Bruno Mars that shouldn't work because of how tacky and silly the whole enterprise is. But through production work that melds Bruno Mars' best '90s R&B groove since his last one with quirky trap beats, and we have something special here: a mix of R&B and trap that jams hard.
7. Ella Mai - "Boo'd Up"
A great modernization of 90s R&B with great vocals from Ella Mai and a chorus that easily gets stuck in your head.
6. Migos - "Stir Fry"
The beat is propulsive, something you could dance to in a year where you could barely dance to most "party" songs released on the radio. From the dogs howling, to the electric whistles, it's just lovely to listen to. The lyrics aren't bad, too, and it's possibly the best song released by Migos ever, just on the Pharrell beat alone.
5. Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa - "One Kiss"
Calvin Harris has been trying to meld disco beats with a modern sense of production for the past few albums, and his collaboration with Dua Lipa proves that Dua Lipa is a star in the making, and that Calvin Harris' melding of disco and EDM works.
4. Drake - "Nice For What"
Just for the Lauryn Hill sample, this song earns a spot on this list, but holy shit, Drake making a song about female empowerment and actually meaning it is one of the biggest surprises of the year. Just an all-around great song, with maybe a little bit of condescension that comes from being Drake, but it's easy to brush off when the beat is this good.
3. Bruno Mars and Cardi B - "Finesse"
This is what sold Cardi B to me. Only a personality like hers could mold into a groovy kind of cool like Bruno Mars has been doing, and get away with it. And the song itself is R&B perfection, from the production work to Bruno Mars' vocals. It's not "Uptown Funk," but not every song Bruno Mars releases has to be. They just have to be groovy enough to be cool.
2. Taylor Swift - "Delicate"
In the past few years, Taylor Swift has lost a lot of her original luster as a singer-songwriter because of public controversies about her image that just about threatened to destroy her completely. But "Delicate" reminds us that, no, her skill in details for songwriting are still there, and it still kills when she wants to. This is Taylor Swift at her most vulnerable since "Style," and the most heartfelt since her Speak Now album.
1. Ariana Grande - "No Tears Left To Cry"
Such a creative atom bomb of a song, it sounds like nothing ever made before. Nearly seamless in its transitions and engaging in a high idea of pushing through tragedy, it's "thank u, next" but less sloppy in its words. Everything feels deliberate: the music, the lyrics, and every vocal yelp that Ariana gives. Truly a great song, and possibly the best of the year.
Honorable Mentions:
Ariana Grande - "God is a Woman"
N*E*R*D and Rihanna - "Lemon"
Drake - "In My Feelings
Carly Rae Jepsen - "Party For One"
Ariana Grande - "breathin"
Ariana Grande - "thank u, next"
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