Chicago rapper Mick Jenkins responds to viewers' comments from his epic "P's & Q's" video. He discusses how they made the video, his hip hop lookalike ILoveMakonnen, and the other "P's & Q's" by UK artist Kano.

Watch Mick Jenkins - "P's & Q's" (Official Music Video) here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GigIohlYqEI

Watch The People vs. Migos here: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-yIRQkd5vM

Watch The People vs. Stormzy here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp9vZ1JAMkE

Watch the rest of The People Vs series here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdoAu1uCjE-gCx35WW17_PE1D7u-m6Emh

Sunday night saw the 2015 Soul Train Awards grace televisions everywhere, and Erykah Badu—fresh off the Friday release of her new But You Caint Use My Phone mixtape—was the evening's host. Blessing the stage with her regal presence and an outfit that guns for Pharrell's title as the winner of Noisey's Top One Big Hat of the Year Award, Badu's opening monologue about the distinction between soul and hip-hop contained playful disses at André 3000 and Young Thug, and a level of shade thrown at Iggy Azalea that was so immense it could have plummeted the entire world into temporary darkness.

In keeping with with the theme of her album, which plays on human inter-connectivity through telephone devices, Badu answers her phone and says: "Who is this? Iggy Azalea! Yeah, hey. Oh no no you can come! Cuz what you doin' is definitely not rap." Cue the thunderous applause of an audience who straight up laughed their asses off on camera without even trying to conceal it to feign democratic status like they would on the BRITs. Even Jidenna, Mr. actual Classic Man, just stood there wearing a warm smile like someone he loved just announced a pregnancy.

Until a few hours ago rinsing Iggy Azalea, hip-hop's easiest target, was considered a cheap shot—one that should have been taken in 2014 and before Azealia Banks ended it all with "Igloo Australia," but Badu just gifted us with such a truly beautiful moment that now we have to reconsider. This is the Year of Our Lord 2015, and somehow dragging Iggy Azalea is still funny. Well, maybe only if its Badu cracking the jokes.

Watch below and read our interview with Erykah Badu here.

Via Instagram

It's pretty hard to get excited over new music that only lasts 30 seconds and is recorded in poor quality, but if you're going to get your headphone cable in a twist over anything then it may as well be this snippet of a new track from Skepta. The track, which is called "Gang" and was played in a club over the weekend, reportedly features production from Toddla T. In it, there's a line about the omnipresent iPhone software update, which probably makes this the first grime track to tackle bug fixes and multi-tasking firmware features. Have a listen below. 

Watch our Skepta documentary:

Montreal's Naadei has been experiencing a slow burn through progress, working with a number of artists in France and the U.S., as well as touring Africa and Europe with Wyclef Jean. But after months of helping others, Naadei decided to be a little selfish as she packed her bags and flew to Miami to work on her first solo project in isolation. The finished EP is titled I'm Fine, and acts as a celebration of loneliness, despite the fact that it's filled with guest features from Montreal OGs P-Thugg and High Klassified, as well as from trap godfather 2Chainz.

"Everybody on this project is someone I was excited and starstruck to work with," said Naadei over e-mail when asked about the lineup on this project. "Most of us like to keep our bodycount low when it comes to collaborations so I'm always thankful when an artist shares their time and talent with me. Also all of them are my friends and I know where they live, so they couldn't really say no."

Slava Pastuk is the Editor of Noisey Canada. Follow him on Twitter.

All photos by Visually Tasteful

It’s easy to let your imagination run wild with all of the potential activities tucked into the forests surrounding Kahnawake, a Mohawk reservation 20 minutes outside of Montreal’s core. The roads around the reservation are blank, and the few people who sit outside are smoking their cigarette watching the cars go by. A wild german shepherd shadows me and my photographer as we make our way to the K103 headquarters, which makes it hard to think about anything other than the big dog. There’s little incentive for city folk to come out here other than to gamble or buy wholesale cigarettes, unless you’re looking to talk to the only man in the province playing consistent hip-hop on FM radio.

Don Smooth is a radio DJ for 103.7, Kahnawake’s community radio station. Aside from being a juror for the Juno awards and organizing open mic events in Montreal, Smooth runs a segment called The Vault, where he plays urban music from 10 to midnight, Monday through Thursday. This is a flaccid radio representation of the genre compared to other major cities, but Smooth’s segment is a sanctuary for a Montreal hip-hop community whose other FM options broadcast once a week, if that. For a city whose concert ticket sales reflect a clear demand for the genre, this is highly suspect.

“When I first started going to hip-hop concerts in Montreal they were in school cafeterias. Erik B and Rakim, EPMD… they performed in cafeterias or wherever there was a stage,” Smooth reflects. “Since then it’s grown tremendously. Everybody comes here—the big mainstream guys, and the independent guys.”

Attendance topped 38,000 when Eminem came to Montreal’s Osheaga music festival in 2011, setting a new record at the time that crushed Coldplay’s numbers. This year Kendrick Lamar pulled in over 45,000 people to the festival. Underground acts like Death Grips and Run the Jewels perform in respectable venues to sold out crowds. Montreal likes rap music, so what’s with the lack of rap radio?

There are a few things to consider here: For one, there's no room on the FM dial for a new frequency. Opening up a slot is feasible, but it would require some reformatting amid current incumbents. Way before that ball could get rolling, the suits who own the radio stations would need to see how they could profit from broadcasting rap several hours a day, which Smooth thinks is an issue. “They still feel that hip-hop is niche and that it caters to a small group of people. I totally disagree with that. Hip-hop hasn’t been niche for maybe 20 years.”

If the city’s rap community pulled its resources together and made a focused effort to get a station off the ground, that could be a step in the right direction. That said, consumers have virtually all their needs met by the internet. The absence of a united movement toward a radio station isn’t a major shock in a time when people go online and listen to anything they want at their leisure. Smooth’s hip-hop segment on K103 used to run from 6PM until midnight, but according to the station’s program director, weak ratings forced them to trim the segment to a tight two hours.

Smooth suggests that radio is still entirely relevant despite the internet. “It’s like comparing Youtube and being on television. Even though Youtube will have billions of people watching, it still carries more weight when you’re on TV. Same thing with radio.”

Having a solid presence of rap music on the FM dial wouldn’t merely be a vehicle for instant gratification—it would be a long term investment in Montreal’s hip-hop scene. If hip-hop was a click away at the office or at work, people who would never think to seek it out themselves could be attending concerts a year later. They might even crawl into a hole in the wall to check out some of Montreal’s indie rappers, who would be the real beneficiaries of a bigger rap presence on radio.

Full Course is a Montreal rapper whose career spring-boarded significantly after being featured on The Vault. Smooth stumbled upon one of Full Course’s songs on a mixtape featuring other Montreal artists, mixed the song himself, and put it in rotation. “I played the song for a good year, but now he’s known around Montreal. He goes and performs this song and people in the audience are rapping and singing along with him.”

Kardinal Offishal opened the gates for Canadian rappers in 2008 when he teamed up with Akon on “Dangerous.” Since then Toronto’s sent out Drake, who’s essentially only two or three tiers away from being a world leader. Then there’s The Weeknd, who’s steadily making his way up to Drake’s level. But we have yet to see an urban musician break internationally out of Canada’s second largest city. No one’s come even close. Is that because Montreal doesn’t have the radio foundation necessary for an upcoming artist to grow in the city, or is a native superstar necessary to even get the conversation of rap radio started? What comes first, the rapper or the radio?

“With the internet, you can reach a global level much quicker,” Smooth says. “But if you’re an artist, you have to have your city behind you before you can get other cities to embrace you.”

Over the weekend, Ratking's Wiki dropped off a quick, tart solo joint called "Hate Is Earned" with a grimy beat from Black Milk, but he's already back today for another. "Livin' with My Moms" features Nasty Nigel of the Queens collective World's Fair. The duo are performing a show at Santos Party Haus in Manhattan when Wiki's spider sense goes off, and we find out a mysterious villain has hatched a plot to kidnap moms and raise dutch prices. Unspeakable. Wiki and Nigel fly to the rescue, and Nigel maybe hits a dab flying over central park. The song's hype, and the video's charming. Watch "Livin' with My Moms" below.

Craig is somewhere sippin' iced tea and lemonade. Follow him on Twitter.

Photo courtesy of Mommy Long Legs

It is eleven o’clock on a Friday night on Pine Street in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, and the block is bustling with young people coming in and out of clubs and bars. A group of drunken twenty-somethings congregate around a selfie stick. They giggle and point their red, sweaty, smiling faces towards the camera. A woman passes by, wobbling in four-inch heels while she hangs loosely on her boyfriend’s arm. Around the corner a polo-clad, drunk frat bro dejectedly hangs his head in an alleyway and vomits up the hash browns he recently ate at the overpriced diner nearby. His friend, sporting a backwards Seahawks hat, yells out indiscernible profanities at a woman walking by in a miniskirt, whose sequins shine in the dimly lit street. 

Amidst the vodka-saturated dude apocalypse, there is hope. Around the corner from this mess lies the Cockpit, a queer DIY music and arts venue. It is a magical space, soaked in mystical Technicolor lights and decorated with a mannequin decked out in bondage gear. The space even has a large loft and swing. It is colorful, ludicrous, otherworldly, and unquestionably queer. In spite of the flourishing presence of the Cockpit, in the past two years, attacks on LGBTQ-identifying people have skyrocketed in the historically LGBTQ neighborhood.

The Capitol Hill neighborhood has changed extraordinarily in the last few years. Once the core of Seattle’s queer community and epicenter of the arts scene, it is now home to numerous towering cookie-cutter condos, bro-centric bars, and twenty-dollar green smoothies. Surprisingly, in the midst of this evolving neighborhood gentrification, some of Seattle’s music and arts scene continues to grow, especially feminist music, art and activism. Over the past couple of years, as groups like indie-pop heartthrobs Death Cab for Cutie and the bearded Fleet Foxes have mostly disbanded, the members of Seattle’s most-renowned alternative bands have shifted from primarily sad-white-dudes-in-flannel to women in outspokenly feminist bands. Within the last year, scene veterans Tacocat and Chastity Belt have been gaining national attention, while newer bands like Mombutt, La Luz, and Mommy Long Legs have emerged.

These bands and their implicitly feminist-constructed lyrics subvert the normalcies in alternative music’s history by addressing important issues like gentrification, street harassment, and sex positivity. Bree McKenna, bassist in Tacocat and Childbirth, has “never felt more proud and happy to be in the arts scene in Seattle.” She says that feminism is “a topic in my music because it is an important part of my life experiences. Experiencing sexism, homophobia and discrimination has affected many elements in my daily world, which I end up examining in my music.” She says, “having suffered through a lot of that in my formative years makes me extra happy that underrepresented voices are screaming as loud as they can.”

While explicitly feminist issues are being addressed within the Seattle music scene, other issues and identities are not ignored. Bailey Skye, a member of the band Mombutt, elaborates: “I feel like the scene tries really hard to outwardly express their inclusivity but end up tokenizing one or a few artists of color for their image, rather than trying to dismantle the real issues at hand. Spaces sort of subconsciously perpetuate marginalization by only booking and supporting white friends and colleagues who create typically ‘good’ work but lack making a statement from never having been oppressed.”

Mombutt member Elena Kuran echoes these statements, and adds additional advice for young people of marginalized identities who want to become involved in Seattle’s music and arts scene. She says, “I am surrounded by privilege in everyday life, and I am a member in a scene that’s supposed to be an escape from it, but it perpetuates it. This is an unfair truth and it won’t change unless we are actively addressing it. As a mixed Japanese girl involved in the music and arts scene, this is something I remind myself of often.” She gives advice to “anyone considering getting involved in the music and arts scene, especially those of marginalized identities” and urges them to “form bands with friends who share similar experiences with you, make zines about issues that matter to you and support local artists by going to shows and buying their merch.” Most importantly, she says, “don’t water yourself down for anyone.”

Mombutt

Although the musicians are not even twenty years old, Mombutt’s music carries a simplistic sophistication. On “r u cirrus” Kuran’s airy voice floats above poppy drum patterns and sparse guitar. “need me” is a standout. Angelic “oohs and ahhs” are paired with angry screams on "need me"—“You tell me you need me / You don’t need me!” Short and simple, their songs are nonetheless captivating and convey a sarcastic smartness that belies the band members’ ages.

Mommy Long Legs

Mommy Long Legs puts on a gruesome and sparkly show; live, they play with their faces drenched in glitter and black lipstick. On the standout track "Weird Girls" from their EP Assholes, Mommy Long Legs snarls, “Don’t wanna be another Ashley / Don’t wanna count my fucking calories /  Don’t wanna worry about my body ‘cause dickheads will like me.” Their music, filled with shrieks and crunchy chords, is angry and farcical, yet undeniably feminist.

Tacocat

Tacocat gained national attention with the release of their album NVM on Hardly Art. Filled with sweet pop punk melodies, NVM has catchy songs about catcalling, annoying anarchist roommates, the dreaded #8 Seattle Metro bus, and period-themed surf rock. Their 2010 release Shame Spiral is filled with punk pleasing standouts like UTI" (“bathwater sex, contraception, I think I got a urinary tract infection!”), "Peeps" (an ode to the marshmallow mess of a candy), and "Leotard" (concerning a special chastity method). Tacocat is recommended listening for a pop punk fix and a sugary rush.
 

Chastity Belt

Chastity Belt—consisting of Julia Shapiro, Lydia Lund, Annie Truscott, and Gretchen Grimm—formed at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. After the release of their critically acclaimed 2015 album Time To Go Home, they received national attention and a spot in the New Yorker (which resulted in my middle-aged non-punk aunt asking if I knew who they were). One of Time To Go Home's standout tracks is "Cool Slut," pro-slut anthem, and although many of these songs still retain Chastity Belt’s signature off-the-wall humor, they carry a new sophistication and sadness. Nonetheless, for laughs and addictively catchy songs, check out Chastity Belt oldies "Giant (Vagina)" and "Pussy Weed Beer."
 

THEEsatisfaction

THEEsatisfaction is galaxy-surfing, the hip-hop cosmic superpower of your dreams. Consisting of Stas Irons and Cat Harris-White, their signature spaced-out beats are Seattle staples. They address themes such as queer identities, racism and colonialism in many of their tracks. Together, they started Black Weirdo parties with the goal of honoring and building bonds in the black community. Seek out their EP EarTHEE released on Sub Pop in 2015 for your fix of transformative extraterrestrial synths.

Childbirth

Childbirth is the quintessential Seattle feminist punk supergroup. Consisting of Julia Shapiro (Chastity Belt), Stacy Peck (Pony Time) and Bree McKenna (Tacocat), their songs are relatable and unabashedly feminist. Their most recent release, Women’s Rights (out now on Suicide Squeeze), has addictive pop punk anthems about gentrification and mansplaining.
 

Gifted Gab

Part of Seattle’s Moor Gang, Gifted Gab has been a prominent figure in Seattle’s rap scene since she was fresh out of high school, ruling the typically male-dominated scene. Gab’s 2014 brutally honest release Girl Rap is catchy, upbeat rap featuring Northwest staple Nacho Picasso, and her rhymes are smart, impeccably crafted, and unquestionably catchy.

Lisa Prank

Lisa Prank creates bubble-gum bedroom pop punk. Her music is reminiscent of sentimental diary entries, sparkly gel pens, and plastic barrettes, and at her live shows, she covers timeworn favorites like Blink-182’s "Dammit." For a rose-tinted yet angsty transport to adolescence, check out Lisa Prank’s Crush on the World.
 

NighTraiN

2014’s Mating Call is very feminist, and purely punk. The album's best track is "Girl Band," wherein lead singer Rachael Ferguson sings, “We are a girl band / Don’t get it twisted / We’re gonna wear you out.”  With sex-positive, bass-heavy anthems like Bathwater and Reply, NighTraiN’s funk-fueled punk is perfect for a lewd and disorderly dance party.

La Luz

La Luz makes sun-soaked, hypnotic surf-rock that shines like a beacon out of rain-drenched Seattle. Their haunting EP Weirdo Shrine is based on Seattle-bred cartoonist Charles Burns’ graphic novel Black Hole. Filled with winding, reverb-heavy guitar riffs and ghostly harmonies, La Luz will transport the listener to a dark and dreary Pacific Northwest beach.

Photo by Photic Photographic

Man, the West Coast gets all the best tours. It's probably really irritating to see someone from New York City whining about the amount of shows we get (true, it's a lot) but there's a certain wild, weird quality to the shows that crawl up and down the Left Coast, particularly in its Northwestern quadrant. My latest reason to rue my decision to stay out East comes courtesy of Aerial Ruin, who will be spreading a delicate veil of acoustic folk up and down the coast come December.

Fresh off a European tour with Galacian forest folk troubadours Sange de Muerdago, Aerial Ruin (aka Erik Moggridge) recently released Ash of Your Cares, a soothing acoustic folk album that often sounds like sun-dappled blend of Agalloch, Nechochwen, and Pink Floyd. It's currently available digitally and on CD from Moggridge himself, with a limited edition tour cassette out on Belief Mower.

If you're lucky enough to reside on the correct side of the country, be sure to catch Aerial Ruin on tour this December with a bunch of amazing bands like Wrekmeister Harmonies, Nest, Jessica Way, frequent Aerial Ruin collaborators Bell Witch, and more.

Photo courtesy of Stearica

For an instrumental post-rock band, it is on stage—when the fourth wall between musician and listener has been wrecked—that they do the best. Even though we could write plenty of words (we've done it here) on the radness of Italian trio Stearica, and on how their album, Fertile, released in April on Monotreme Records, is as full of layers and meanings as history's own storied Fertile Crescent, it is in their live performances that Stearica radiates its power to the maximum.

That's why the video below—which was recorded at Monolith Studio, and edited by Niagara's Gabriele Ottino at Superbudda Studio—is particularly suitable to describe the real impact that the music of this band can have on the listener. Check out this live video for "Halite," and if you have not already done so, listen to their album Fertile here. You can buy it here, too, but it's way more important that you press play, and take a dip in the river of sounds that these guys summon live.

This article originally appeared on Noisey Italy.

A Head Full of Dreams cover

First 'Ye told Jay he did a song with Coldplay, next thing we knew Jay had a song with Coldplay, and—what do you know—now Bey has a song with Coldplay. The Knowles-Carters and Chris Martin are long time friends, of course, and Coldplay are no strangers to pop collaborations, having made songs with the likes of Rihanna and Avicii, so all of this makes perfect sense. And Chris Martin recently told USA Today that Beyoncé alone made the album "90 percent better."

So now we have "Hymn for the Weekend," which is a sort of languorous party and love song rolled into one. Obviously it sounds dope because Beyoncé always sounds incredible. Chris Martin has a nice voice, too. He sings "I'm feeling drunk and high / so high," proving, as we've all long suspected, that Coldplay and weed is a great combination.

The song premiered on Annie Mac's BBC radio show, along with an interview with Guy from Coldplay, who explained that the song was originally more of a straightforward party song and described Beyoncé's recording process as "unbelievably professional—I think she was in and out in five minutes." Beyoncé being superhuman? Who would have guessed. Anyway, light one up for Chris Martin, and listen in below. Coldplay's new album, A Head Full of Stars, is out on Friday.

Follow Kyle Kramer on Twitter.

Image: Angela Owens 

If the music of the Exploding Hearts, Royal Headache or the bands associated with Mark Ryan puts a smile on your dial then there’s a strong chance you are going to dig Laika’s Orbit. 

The New England band - who are spread across Boston, Providence, and Amherst – have an upcoming debut album No Matter What it Takes that combines 70s power pop, sticky hooks and songs about relationships that have fallen sour.

Sadly there are no songs about Soviet space dogs.

Listen to the track “When Are You Gonna Come Back?” and read a chat we had with the band’s vocalist and lead Flying V guitarist Shane Dupuy.

Noisey: There’s been some discussion in how to describe your sound. Power pop or garage.
Shane Dupuy: I couldn't care less what people call us. We are certainly very into both.

What would a potential partner think of you after listening to the record and listening to the lyrics?
This is something I think about often. In the past I've altered lyrics to make them less specific so as not to hurt people's feelings. But I've stopped doing that. My lyrics are often about more than one person. Some of the songs that might seem about romantic relationships are just about friends or other people in my life. Ultimately, I'm trying to write good songs, not merely share my feelings. Sometimes this stuff has to be explained to people, but I think for the most part it's understood. Also, I think everyone likes the idea of songs being written about them, which helps! Besides, I usually wait until after a relationship is over before I write about it. 

I like the line in “Teenagers Need to Fall Down” that goes "you ain't got nothing until you've been on the ground". At the risk of sounding like Groundskeeper Willie do you think more kids need to taste dirt before they taste success? 
That song is for my youngest sister Caroline and also for my close friend Cecelia Halle from the great Boston hardcore bands Leather Daddy, Firewalker, Wet Wired, and Rash Tongue. It seems rare that people succeed without failing many times first. And I actually think failure is a much more useful experience -- not just in the motivational sense -- but because it leads to outcomes we never could have expected. I don't think there's much for my generation to inherit besides failure anyway, at this point. So we might as well turn it into something catchy.  

Listening to your music I’m reminded of Mark Ryan from Marked Men, Radioactivity etc. You are obviously across him.
Are there people out there who haven't heard the Marked Men? We played with Radioactivity a few months ago and our bassist Kenzie somehow forgot her bass at our practice space so we spent a solid twenty minutes running around like chickens without our heads cut off trying to find it. It all made for a very stressful beginning to the set and I don't think we played very well. But after, I bought a record from Radioactivity and Mark said, "Nice set". I didn't want to play any shows again for a while after that. 

Pre-order 'No Matter What it Takes' now from Total Negativity Records. 

Catch the band on the West Coast early next year:
Jan 4 - Seattle
Jan 5 - Vancouver
Jan 6 - Olympia
Jan 7 - Portland
Jan 8 - Oakland
Jan 9 - San Francisco
Jan 10 - LA
Jan 11 - San Jose

It takes a special kind of masochist to willingly submit themselves to the 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special. An amazingly coked out Carrie Fisher is the only thing that redeems an otherwise achingly slow slog though sloppy physical comedy, woeful musical interludes, and thorough ethnographic investigations into Wookie Life Day. It is so bad that it's beyond even ironic viewing; it actually hurts. If you absolutely must have your seasonal Star Wars fix this year however, there is another hope.

Released a couple of years later (you'd think they'd have learned their lesson), was Christmas in the Stars; a Star Wars Christmas album that rivals even the disco remixes in cheese factor.

Packed full of hits like "What Can You Get A Wookie For Christmas (When He Already Has A Comb)", the album secretly features the writing talents of Tony Award winning Broadway composer Maury Yeston and the first professional recording of a scrappy teenager named John Bongiovi (who four years later would be on the cusp of superstardom under the name John Bon Jovi).

C-3PO and R2-D2 take centre stage for the record, which clumsily weaves a narrative in which 3PO must teach R2 all about the magic of Christmas (C-3PO's voice actor Anthony Daniels even made the trip across from London to record his parts). These two are definitely the highlight of the album, which also features a team of toy making droids and a cameo by the jolly S. Claus (not Santa but his alien son, apparently).

It's cheesy, over the top, and gaudy as hell, but I'll take a song that rhymes “cookie” with “Wookie” over Life Day any day.

Last week we posted news that King Krule would be releasing new music soon. Well, put the tea down and remove all breakables from the desk, because today we know all the details.

As reported earlier by DIY, King Krule will be releasing a new record called A New Place 2 Drown under his own name Archy Marshall on December 10th. It's going to be twelve tracks of brand new music, clocking in at 37 minutes long. And, according to his publisher Topsafe, this will be accompanied with a book and a short film, essentially making the release a "multi-displinary volume of work".

The whole thing has been created with Archy's brother, Jack (who was involved with the artwork for Krule's last album) and Will Robson Scott. With this, and a debut solo album from Ratking's Wiki due next week featuring Micachu, Skepta and Lee Bannon, it's going to make all of our end of year album lists look stupid huh? Oh well. You can find more info on the Topsafe website here. Tracklist below:

It's been thirteen years since Glassjaw released their last full-length record, Worship and Tribute and today they've put out the first song from their not yet titled third album. "New White Extremity" shows the frenetic pace the band is known for, using strange effects and sounds to augment their brand of hardcore, and showing what they've been working at since their 2011 EP, Coloring Book. 

Fetty Wap has had a hell of a year. Catapulted from local fame to performing to 60,000 people with Taylor Swift off the strength of "Trap Queen" alone, Zoo Gang has gone worldwide. Containing at least half a dozen songs as infectious as the unstoppable hood romance anthem that put him on the map, Fetty's self-titled debut entered at number one on the Billboard 200, making it the first debut studio effort from a hip-hop artist to top the chart in over two years. Last night he dropped a 5-track EP to say thanks to all his fans. It's called "For My Fans" and features 3 freestyles, 2 original cuts, and infinite vibes. Listen below.

Watch our episode of Noisey Raps with Fetty Wap and Zoo Gang here, where we chat about the New Jersey stars' rise to fame and play the excellent game "how much money you think Fetty Wap carries around."

It starts—like all the best things do—with the crackle of a needle reading a record and a line that totally crushes: "Meet me at the moment it was equal / And those weekends when love seemed so simple." Dang.

Meet JONES, a 25-year-old London-based singer who's been keeping some cool company working with XL’s resident producer Rodaidh McDonald and Ninja Tune's Raffertie, among others. Above is the premiere of the video for current single "Hoops." Visually stark and slow moving, but still rich like classic Sade, as JONES' delves deeper into herself for emotional truth she finds her reflection continuously refracted and reflected again and again. Sometimes no matter how much you love you just can't bend that person to you. Musically, this tune will find favor with fans of Jessie Ware—a gently propulsive R&B-pop tune that builds from pensive guitars to a devastating chorus, souped up with divine strings. We die for those stuttered pauses in the second verse. 

"I'm beyond excited to share the 'Hoops' video," said JONES. "It was great working with Davis Silis. I had to perform the song at half speed which was extremely slow, which made it feel eerie and strange." 

All photos courtesy of Bim Ditson

A photo of a guy with a mohawk and leather jacket sprawled out on top of 15 cases of PBR showed up on my Facebook feed the other day, but that wasn’t what was weird. It was the caption, which read: Bim Ditson for Mayor of Portland.

I know Bim Ditson as the scraggy, tree-tall drummer of And And And—a wailing garage group that’s been a Portland mainstay for over eight years. I also know him as the founder of Rigsketball—a basketball tournament that pits different local bands against each other in abandoned parking lots across the city, or wherever Bim can back up his beat up cargo van with the hoop attached to its rear. I know the 25-year-old has sold his handmade chainmaille jewelry at Portland’s Saturday Market for over 15 years, and that his parents let him pick his own name once he could speak. I also know how Portland this all sounds, but still, running for mayor just seemed a little too far out of his weirdo wheelhouse.

“You might think the campaign is a joke,” wrote Tony Prato, a local music booking agent who started the Bim Ditson for Mayor of Portland Facebook group back in October. “But guess what? People like jokes, and they'll engage with jokes. Now let's get serious.”

The joke part: Tony started the Facebook group because he and Bim are friends and he kind of wanted to fuck with him, and so he filled it out with photos that portrayed Bim’s charmingly offbeat world. One of him holding a beer in front of his handmade sky glider, a screenshot of a text conversation they had where Bim appointed Charlie Humara (of the experimental Portland project, Grapefruit), God Loon Loon (an obscure podcast reference) and “some books I never finished” as his mayoral staff.

But, Bim says for the 48 hours after the group was created, he was inundated with calls and texts. “Everyone was reaching out with ideas and support—everything you could imagine, basically. It was clear from the start that it was something important. It was something to stand up and look in the eye.

So he figured, why not? He already had a cause. He wanted to make sure his friends and the rest of the creative class in Portland weren’t pushed out by developers—some of whom already had close ties in city government. “Every one of my friends is having trouble paying rent. The city has been too easy to work with development companies that then sit on the land and crush neighborhoods until they can put up the condos they want,” he explained. He went along with the joke, and the joke became a reality. Because if there’s one person who has a chance at turning the young, drunk, musician slackers of Portland into true American—voters!—maybe it’s Bim Ditson, the chainmaille-making, basketball hoop-rigging, show booking, popular drummer guy.

I called Bim a few hours before his campaign launch party—where he had to get 100 signatures or come up with $50 to get on the ballot—to see exactly how he figured he’d change Portland, or get it back to normal, or keep it weird, whatever.

Noisey: You’re running for mayor. How did this happen?
Bim Diston: Well, it sort of spurred from seeing the changes in the city. There’s a lot of growth happening, but it’s not really being fair to the communities that made Portland an attractive place, and I’m not seeing a lot happening from the city government to protect the cultural identity of Portland.

What’s key in protecting that identity?
I would say the big, sweeping idea is that we need autonomy, because we’re not like most cities in Oregon. There are a lot of processes that are not allowed in Portland because the state may not think it’s the best idea as a whole, but we need different things for our citizens.

What are your personal ties to the city?
As soon as I turned 18, I moved to Portland. I started a band right away. I instantly fell in love with the music community, and just the fact that it was a place that was big enough that you could do real stuff, and small enough that you could know people on a real level. People were doing stuff because they loved it, and that’s what got me into Portland—doing something you care about just because you care about it. Then, I started the Rigsketball tournament, which is really just that in a nutshell. Just me wanting to do something fun that’s never been done before. It’s helped me realize what Portlanders are all about. We’re really good at having fun and not feeling bad about having fun, which is something I think is really special to this city.

Why are you the right guy for the job?
Because I don’t have to answer to anybody except my community, and I don’t have any ties to development companies, or any ambition to be a career politician, so I don’t have a reason to sell our city out. I’ve always been the type of person to have the drive to backup a mentality of creativity and passion over tradition and status quo. That would be my thesis on how to do this. For me, it’s always about asking “Why not do it in this way?” And usually people will say, “Because it hasn’t been done that way,” and that’s the worst possible answer.  

Can you talk about how city developers have negatively affected the music scene in Portland?
I think a lot of people who would like to develop the city for their profits see the artistic and music communities as a threat to that. A lot of places have shut down or are very clearly not going to get their lease again because where they were once the only place that people came to on that street, they are now the sore thumb in comparison to the new stuff. We didn’t realize we were fighting a battle until most of our holdouts were gone. It seems to me if it’s not their concerted effort to force our community to the edges, it’s a hell of a coincidence.

Is this battle you talk about between old and new Portland?
I wouldn’t even put it as us versus them. I know a lot of people who get it, and they’re from all different backgrounds and dress all kinds of ways. Portlanders by and large want the best for the city, it’s just a matter of getting people in place who will listen to that. When people come to Portland, they’re pretty much forced to get it quickly, because we’re awesome and we’ll say hi, and we’re nice, and we’ll explain why we like this band or whatever else. The people who don’t get it are the people who are sitting in City Hall, who are not exposed to Portlanders.

Tell me about the launch party for your campaign. How did it go?
Well, we’re had a couple of hours where people just hung out and filled in comment cards. It’s just the first place to meet our campaign, talk with us, and see what we’re about. Then Sam Coomes [of Quasi] played—he’s one of my musical heroes and I’m really excited that he was down to play. He’s one of those lifelong Portland musician people that is just so important. After that was Wooden Indian Burial Ground, which will was amazing as well. They’re good buds and a super fun band. That’s part of it—we didn’t want it to be too serious, we just wanted it to be fun. Like, if I’m throwing a party, I’d definitely going to have a couple of awesome bands play.

What is your campaign slogan?
“It’s your Portland.”

The next morning, I saw another photo of Bim, the one above—which was taken right after he got 104 signatures.

Nikki Volpicelli is on Twitter.

This article orginally appeared on Noisey UK.

It's happened. The BBC have finally released their 'Sound of 2016' longlist for this year's award, as polled by over 140 music writers, industry fatcats, radio presenters, Twitter personalities, East London pub owners, me, you, your dad, and assorted interested parties, to determine which acts will become the music success stories of 2016.

Keane, Mika, Adele, Jessie J, Ellie Goulding, and Sam Smith have all won previous years, so you can kinda guess from their longlist who actually has a chance and who has been named out of courtesy only. So, instead of waiting for the inevitable, we decided to rank the longlist ourselves, from worst to best. Starting with the worst...

15. JACK GARRATT

Who is he?
Bearded guy who probably wore a checked neckerchief ten years ago but now looks like a gin enthusiast you accidently swiped right on on Tinder. He’s a micro-brewery advertising executive's wet dream: an asymmetrical human sample product for their audience who makes music that sounds like Mumford & Sons if Mumford & Sons were trendy and cool. 

Is he shit?
It depends how you look at it. There’s no denying Garratt has a voice that could melt butter simply by singing harmonic tones at a fridge. Last year’s release “The Love You’re Given” is a haunting track that pulls on your heartstrings in the very best way. Since then though he’s shifted his sound to appeal more to the crowd whose prime basis of music discovery is Shazaming ASOS ads. When he plays live he does that thing where you press loads of buttons on a sample pad which means he’s shit or very good. It depends what side of Ed Sheeran’s bed you lay on. Something about him also screams MENINIST, but that’s probably just us. 

Will he be bigger than Michael Kiwanuka?
Who is Michael Kiwanuka?

14. BLOSSOMS

Who are they?
A bunch of dudes from Stockport with great hair and vintage winter coats.

Are they shit?
With a bunch of influences that have been getting mined and fracked on an industrial scale ever since William Burroughs first decided to give LSD a whirl, Blossoms aren’t exactly going to send us bravely hurtling towards the uncertain future with their inoffensive brand of psychedelic rock, or as they quite seriously call it on their Facebook page: “ethereal nostalgic sonance.” They are going to support The Libertines, The Courteeners and The Coral in the next few months, and yep that all sounds about right.

Could they soundtrack the advert for an emotional Channel 4 documentary about a secret society of middle aged extreme hoarder maths genius virgins?
No, but you know who would be perfect for that…?

13. BILLIE MARTEN

Who is she?
An actual 15-year-old kid, who makes acoustic folk songs.

Is she shit?
She’s very, very young, man. Too young to be tossed into a BBC Sound Of list, a list that puts an incredible amount of pressure on someone that is already wrestling with the inevitable amount of pressure of being a goddamn teenager. She’s promising for sure, but with a Soundcloud and YouTube channel mostly full of covers, she is not one of the 15 most eye-popping music makers in Britain right now. Maybe in 2020.

Would you get a few more followers on Twitter if you posted about liking her new single?
Probably, but they'll be Burberry fans who discovered her through the Burberry Sessions and will all unfollow you anyway when you inevitably make the faux pas of uploading a profile photo of you wearing an outfit that clearly cost less than £900.

12. FRANCES

Who is she?
Past Adele come to the future to kill present Adele.

Is she shit?
VICE #blogger Joel Golby recently described her single “Let It Out” as “the kind of song you wake up early on a cold day and make a complicated soup to,” which is open to interpretation, depending on how you feel about soup.

Will she perform live on an episode of Made in Chelsea and have her music quietened as much as possible so we can hear Spencer admit to having an orgy with Jamie in a sauna in Kent to his then girlfriend on the front row?
Yes, and it will be classed as the greatest TV moment of 2016. By Alex Zane. On E4. At 2 AM on a Monday.

11. DUA LIPA

Who is she?  
19-year-old Londoner who’s been snapped up by Lana Del Rey’s manager. 

Is she shit?
Nah not really, but with these huge pop prospects it’s hard to tell what direction they’re going to go—at the moment her tracks kind of sound like Banks if she’s taken three Xanax and bumped into Cathy Dennis at a branch of Funky Pigeon, but who knows what it’ll be like after they’ve A&Red her within an inch of her life.

Will she ever have a dramatic video featuring a fairly prominent Hollywood actor?
More likely to be performing on Strictly while John Virgo pasodobles round her. 

10. WSTRN

Who are they?
West London’s answer to The Weekend, Drake, Future, and The-Dream, apparently. 

Are they shit?
Can water be a solid? It’s hard to tell. The group’s debut track “In2” is undeniably huge. Science says that lightning doesn’t strike twice, though. As a pop thing, there’s certainly a lane for them to dominate in the changing rooms of JD Sports, Kiss FM’s airwaves, and the student-night pre-drinks session. More than that though? Even if WSTRN come up with a track that’s better than “In2” it’s difficult to see them come with the heat that keeps the career-oven burning for more than a few months. 

Have they been co-signed by someone so outrageously famous that there is probably now no way they won’t become massive?
Yes, Drake likes them and dropped their track on his OVO radio show.

9. ALESSIA CARA

Who is she?
A 19 year-old singer from Toronto who recently signed to Def Jam and broke through with a bluesy koan about feeling miserable at parties.

Is she shit?
Alessia Cara’s voice sounds like a chorus of angels of the highest rank descended on earth and channeled all their spiritual benevolence into one human teenager for the purpose of belting out elegant, antisocial pop anthems. Well "Here" does, the rest of the tracks are a bit meh.

Would Taylor Swift welcome her to the stage?
Yes. That happened. Obviously, that happened. But it wasn’t like one of those times where Taylor Swift brought out someone obscure or irrelevant like the entire US women’s national soccer team or Mick Jagger, everyone knew who Alessia Cara was and they were excited about it.

8. RAT BOY

Via Instagram

Who is he?
Nineteen year-old ragamuffin from Chelmsford whose music career blossomed after he was fired from Wetherspoons and went on the dole. If you’re looking for the person on the list who has an army of sportswear clad and skateboarding teenage mercenaries then Rat Boy’s Jordan Cardy is your man. 

Is he shit?
Rat Boy directs all his music videos, produces the music, and creates the artwork, so on that basis no. He’s a one man creative agency. It’s perhaps easy for anyone over the age of 21 to cast a side-eye on Rat Boy’s output so far though, given that it takes some (all?) of its cues from Jamie T. That doesn’t necessarily mean Rat Boy is bad; it just means he’s going to have some difficulty breaking through the brick wall of a generation who have already drunk their cheap cans through his ramshackle one-man band. For the kids though—those who can’t afford higher education, are doomed to live at their parent’s house, and communicate solely through Snapchat and Emoji—he’s a bleach-blonde messiah.

Will he ever do an advert for Cortana?
Only if it meant he could buy a decade’s worth of McDonalds.

7. IZZY BIZU

Who is she?
A solo artist who sounds a bit like if Amy Winehouse had spent a year out traveling South America and walking the Inca Trail instead of, you know, heroin.

Is she shit?
No. With just the right amount of modernity to appeal to the BBC 1Xtra crowd but plenty of traditional overtones to appease your parents, her brand of feel-good soul-pop is the saving grace of a late afternoon festival slump and has the potential to reach Janelle Monae heights.

Would Lauren Laverne describe her as “ethereal”?
Probably. Give it time. Meanwhile catch the blogosphere milking the phrase “vocal acrobatics” for all its worth.

6. LOYLE CARNER

Who is he?
A young guy who makes confessional rap songs that feel a lot more comforting and blissful than their rather dark lyrical content often wants them to be.

Is he shit?
He's had the balls to turn the most bleak and personal moments in his life into sweet and soulful rap jams. If you think that’s shit then be careful not to go into the sun too much because, darling, it is clear you are made exclusively of ice.

Is he the result of a soy latte-fuelled major label brainstorm meeting?
No, but when his debut album is inevitably critically acclaimed but nowhere near the charts, a meeting like this will probably take place to breed a more mainstream palatable version of him who is willing to do sessions with Naughty Boy and be interviewed by Chris Evans on TFI Friday.

5. MABEL

Who is she?
Neneh Cherry’s daughter making rich R&B like Sade on a comedown or Jessie Ware with her hair scraped back.

Is she shit?
Far from it, there’s a richness to the production and craft of Mabel’s tracks that’s missing from a lot of the other artists on this list. “Know Me Better” sounds like it was produced in Brooklyn in 1994 and “My Boy My Town” is so lush you can imagine it on every sex playlist of 2016, even though it’s quietly underscored by the inching apart of a relationship. 

Would Lauren Laverne describe her as “majestic”?
Nah mate. Bun Lauren Laverne. Mabel’s not one of them; she’s one of us.

4. SECTION BOYZ

Who are they?
A six-person group based in South London. They’ve been doing the ting for a minute, having practiced their craft on the estates of Croydon for the last few years.

Are they shit?
They’ve already won the MOBO Award for Best Newcomer and clocked up millions of plays on some of their YouTube videos. Their sound is distinct: sitting somewhere between the headphones of London’s teenagers who shot indica on their BMX bikes and the sort of lavish trap that’ll have the club on “Lock Arrf.”

Are they the next NME cover?
Unless they feature as the stars of the next Danny Boyle-directed film, which seems unlikely, then probably not.

3. MURA MASA

Who is he? 
Another 19-year-old musical savant who will undoubtedly make your self-esteem drop with his insurmountable talent. Born in Guernsey (one of those islands in the sea between England and France), his name comes from a 16th-century Japanese swordsmith “possessed of a violent and ill-balanced mind verging on madness.”

Is he shit?
He’s the shit, actually. He’s already released an EP that brought the flute back in a big way and appeared in our tracks of the year (so far) back in summer. Once he gets his live show on point, it’s not difficult to imagine Mura Masa being one of our country’s next great artists.

Is he doing the next Bond single?
Even if Mura Masa ended up providing the theme song, all us here at Noisey sincerely hope that there will never be another James Bond film again. Unless Idris Elba is gonna act—then go right ahead!

2. NAO

Who is she? 
A super talented singer-songwriter who crafts all sorts of piercing poetry from love and sex, and all the things that lurk between those two on that particular decisions diagram. She’s worked with AK Paul, Glades, Mura Masa, and various other very cool internet beatmaker types.

Is she shit?
She’s had a Radio 1 'Hottest Record in the World' and a number one spot on Hype Machine, which are basically the bread and butter of the proverbial buzz sandwich, and it’s all deserved. Across her two EPs she’s glided through her own abstract brand of soul, pop, and R&B with the unnerving confidence of a Nao who knows exactly what Nao is going to be all about. And now she’s dropped a brand new single called “Bad Blood,” which is bold as brass balls when you consider how much one T Swift has been owning those Google search results all year.

Will she do a collab track with Rita Ora, though?
If she did, it would be the greatest thing Rita Ora’s ever done.

1. J Hus

Who is he?
A teenage MC from South London who’s combining afrobeats, hip-hop, grime and UK funky vibes to make something that doesn’t really sound like any of that.

Is he shit?
His debut mixtape The 15th Day feels the most assured British urban debut in ages, combining super smart verses with an unparalleled knack for a chorus. If you don’t believe us just look at this footage of a house party where they’re playing his hit “Dem Boy Paigon” getting so lit that the police are trying to shut it down.

Will you see him being interviewed by Bill Turnbull on BBC Breakfast?
To be honest, after he was hospitaliszd for being stabbed in the leg and then went viral for throwing up gang signs from his hospital bed, if you do see him on BBC Breakfast you better hope it’s about the music.

Ever since we first encountered Lizzo last year in a lake in Minneapolis she's continued to impress and surprise—whether making us attempt to twerk with bangers like "Batches and Cookies" or bounce off the walls before a night out with "Let Em Say." A girl whose singing voice is as strong as her flow and an artist who made her network TV debut on Letterman with a song called "Bus Passes & Happy Meals." Lizzo is slaying it.

In October last year she took part in StyleLikeU's ongoing and truly awesome project What's Underneath, where women sit on a stool and talk about their complicated and varied relationships with their body, all the while shedding one piece of clothing after another until there's nothing to hide behind. If you haven't had a look, check out all the videos—many with prominent musicians—here. This experience in turn, at least in part ended up being the basis for her song "Skin" (check the video above): "The inspiration—triggered by a painting of dark-skinned women walking along a river in the vocal booth—comes from my interview with StyleLikeU's. You can wake up and change many things about your appearance, but the inevitability of waking up in your skin is what unifies us."

It showcases another facet of Lizzo: tender, thoughtful, and capable of both lyrical classicism and penning a timeless melody. But last week, in the wake of the shooting of Minneapolis' Jamar Clark and the subsequent protests—the lyrics took on a new resonance for singer. Lizzo explains below:

"This is a summoning of bodies: all shapes, sizes and shades to unite in their pride, and wear their skin like the gift it is. 

Big GRRRL Small World LP on BGSW Records 12.11. 

What determines a good song in 2015? Does it simply have to be well written? Does it get stuck in your head? Does Drake have to sing it? Well, there’s no real answer to this question. Like all music, it’s just a feeling. When you hear a good song, you just kind of… know. So, with that in mind, we know why you’re here. You want to do a CTRL+F for your favorite tracks on this list and then argue about their respective placements. We get it. You want to have your tastes reaffirmed.

We here at Noisey feel the same way. In fact, compiling this list—after we determined our five Artists of the Year—was as close to a brawl as you can get between music writers—that is, we all voted and then sat in a conference room and talked in a civil manner over a few hours about which songs deserve placement and where. Fortunately, aside from a few scrapes and black eyes, nobody was really that hurt (except emotionally) and we’ve emerged with this list of the 50 best songs of 2015. Got a problem with it? Why don’t you call us on our… cell phone (heh).

50. Drake – "Know Yourself"

The song that would launch a thousand Facebook statuses deserves to be higher on the list, but the introduction of the reference track that inspired the song robbed it of a lot of its magic. That’s not to say that’s it’s any less fun to run through your city with your woes, just that it’s harder to live vicariously through Drake when he’s rapping vicariously through someone else. Nonetheless, “Know Yourself” is the seminal Drake song of 2015, the one that would inspire anthems to sing along to, and would be remixed by Dilly Dally to exceptional praise. It may not be the Drake song we expected, but it’s the one we deserved.
—Slava Pastuk

49. Hudson Mohawke – "RYDERZ"

Hudson Mohawke’s “RYDERZ” is not only a great single but, like many other artists this year, it marks a musical turning point for the producer. The maximalist touches of previous works Butter and Satin Panthers are still here in the form of blown out horns and regal-like strings. But the track's lean pacing and spacious construction allow the holy anointed gospel sample to breathe while leaving hints of the electro R&B flourishes that now serve as his playing field. Nevertheless, “RYDERZ” is a sound display of Mohawke’s newfound mastery of high octane bangers with soul. And one that remains a highlight as the year comes to a close.
—Jabbari Weekes

48. Disemballerina – "That Is the Head of One Who Toyed With My Honor"

Inspired by the real-life story of a woman who decapitated her rapist, "That Is the Head of One Who Toyed With My Honor" is the pinnacle of Disemballerina’s latest neoclassical chamber doom album, the revenge-themed Poison Gown. The song builds tension carefully, methodically, the rising swells of its weeping strings and fluttering chords punctuated by the steely whisk of a sharpened machete. Who’d have thought that a cello, a harp, a viola, a guitar, and a bajo quinto could sound so mortally terrifying?
—Kim Kelly

47. Torres – "Strange Hellos"

“Strange Hellos” is the crushing opener to Sprinter, the acclaimed sophomore album from Mackenzie Scott a.k.a. Torres. Produced by PJ Harvey’s drummer and producer Rob Ellis, “Strange Hellos” brings grungy hooks to a devastating folk song about a mother’s death. Torres hits a sweet spot between 90s alt-rock and folk Americana with impressive balance and precision.
—Bryn Lovitt

46. Mas YSA – "Margarita"

The universe can generally be confronted in one of two ways: You can marvel at the vastness of it and ponder its infinite possibilities, or you can ball up your fists and scream into the unanswering night sky seeking an explanation for its cruelties. This song, with those gentle pan flutes, that massive bass, that pleading exhortation to its subject—“don’t you leave us too soon”—angrily and joyously does both.
—Kyle Kramer

45. Courtney Barnett – "Pedestrian at Best"

Courtney Barnett is one of the best songwriters working today, because she is, above all, a terrific storyteller. Who else could turn an anecdote about having an asthma attack while gardening into an existential meditation? On “Pedestrian at Best,” the lead single off of her first proper LP Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit, Barnett churns her wry humor and incisive observations into full-on rage, smashing off the pressure release valve to make for a deeply satisfying fuck-off anthem that plays like a sarcastic, self-loathing update to “Positively Fourth Street.” The verses are Barnett’s unfiltered id at its best, funneling her stream-of-consciousness rambling into sharply self-aware choruses that spit her anxieties about fame and favoritism back out onto the haters. The title itself is never referenced or explained, but it’s easy to imagine the pencil-necked doofus who might’ve coined it, now rocking out to her in shame.
—Andrea Domanick

44. Whitey Morgan – "Waitin’ 'Round to Die" (Townes Van Zandt)

Every road-hardened troubadour worth their daily bread and beer keeps a Townes van Zandt cover in their pocket, but few pull it off as convincingly as Whitey Morgan does on this mournful rendition of “Waitin’ 'Round to Die.” The steel guitar weeps, the guitar trills, and Morgan’s rough-hewn, Michigan-bred drawl coats the lyrics in shades of pathos and resignation; it’s an outlaw’s lament, a travelin’ man’s torment, and a grim resolution keep on moving forward, ’cause where else are you gonna go?
—Kim Kelly

43. J Hus – "Dem Boy Paigon"

To see the impact of this record in 2015—a record that’s had no radio play, was written about absolutely nowhere when it was first released, a record that is underground in the truest sense of the word—you have to watch a video recorded by an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood watch in North London. They’re trying to warn people of a disturbance in the area, with young people appearing to have taken over an entire housing estate to turn into a party. Entirely unwittingly they filmed hundreds of kids all screaming along to “Dem Boy Paigon” every syllable of Hus’s flow amplified 1,000 times over. It’s nothing new to call out a bunch of your enemies as wastemen, but something about this record, its jerky bashment beat and Auto-Tuned hooks, made it feel entirely new and set J Hus off on a spectacular year that culminated in a spot on the BBC Sound of 2016 shortlist.
—Sam Wolfson

42. School of Seven Bells – "Open Your Eyes"

Here are two things we can agree on: it’s fucking hard to stay close with an ex, and there’s something in the fiery twist of a dying love affair that'll continue to feed the hurt party long after the fact. That elixir of fury, injustice, and tear-drenched pillow-pain is as addictive as it is bitter and “Open Your Eyes” deals in this. But this is no introspective sob story, it's more an encouraging anthem of forward propulsion—let go, move on—which singer Alejandra Deheza sings in incantatory verses backed by melodies that cascade like water. This is the first new School of Seven Bells song released since Benjamin Curtis lost his battle with T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma at the end of 2013. It’s also the first sliver of the duo’s final album, SVIIB, written and largely recorded before Curtis passed away and set for release this coming February: the final chapter in the duo’s ten-year partnership, which birthed four stunning albums and a love story that’ll make you cry. In 2016, you won’t find a record made up of more exposed emotion and candor, but until then, this tease projects positivity from the space it was written, even if its lyrics now ring bittersweet by the reality of what came to pass. Still achingly beautiful, pure and simple.
—Kim Taylor Bennett

41. Sam Russo – "Sometimes"

Anyone can be sad through a break-up. That’s easy. But it takes a true masochist to look at their life when everything’s on the up and up and say, “Sometimes I just want to hurt.” That’s Sam Russo. He made his gift for melancholy abundantly known on his severely underrated 2013 album, Storm, which chronicled a dissolving relationship. And while things have been going well for Russo since then, he’s not about to let happiness get in the way of a good song. “Sometimes,” the first track off of Storm’s follow-up, Greyhound Dreams, is about the belief that true love should hurt like hell, and ultimately learning to accept life’s good things.
—Dan Ozzi

40. Miguel – "the valley"

Miguel may as well have named “the valley,” off of this year’s underrated opus Wildheart, “Unadorn.” It’s a carnal anthem so urgent in its desire that there’s no room for subtlety, nuance, or romance. Even its steady, throbbing synth line sounds like the melody to “Adorn” turned inside out, pulsing with inevitability. Spelled-out explicitness usually feels hamfisted or trying too hard—leave something to the imagination, etc.—but Miguel’s breathy, mercurial delivery straddles the line between candor and control, making listening to it an entirely vulnerable experience, the sonic equivalent of refusing to break eye contact. That rawness, both lyrically and musically, may have cost Wildheart  its commercial success, but makes “the valley” an instant classic.
—Andrea Domanick

39. Murder by Death - “I Shot an Arrow”

With its wonky-ass opening groove, “I Shot an Arrow” does not sound like the beginning of a typical Murder by Death song, but as singer Adam Turla builds into a howl, it sure as hell ends like one. And maybe there is no such thing as a typical Murder by Death song. Over seven albums, the Indiana band is constantly challenging you to label them (gothic folk punk, mayyybe?). “I Shot an Arrow” also has the distinct honor of being the only song on this list based on an episode of The Twilight Zone.
—Dan Ozzi

38. Jack Ü – "Where Are U Now"

At the beginning of the year, no one would’ve thought Justin Bieber would redeem himself in the eyes of the public, especially a run that would start on a feature track by Skrillex and Diplo. In one swoop, the production duo collectively known as Jack Ü managed to succinctly mark the final combination of EDM and pop, as well as lay the first brick for Bieber’s return into good graces. “Where Are Ü Now” takes both Skrillex and Diplo’s high points, mixing the vocal distorting effects in Skrillex’s output and bouncing them off the dancehall drums perfected by Diplo. On top of that, Bieber shows how powerful and touching his voice has grown over the years. “Where Are Ü Now” finds its strength in being appealing and powerful to both teenagers and adults alike. Fun knows no age.
—John Hill

37. Japanese House – "Still"

There’s a moment in every doomed relationship where you’re certain it’s time to leave, except you can’t. You’re stuck. Instead of getting out, you’re too enveloped in the situation: falling asleep next to someone that’s cheated on you, broken your heart, lost it. As a result, you feel dead inside. That’s the sort of heartfelt moment that 20-year-old Amber Bain deals in. And on “Still,” she captures it with deeply moving harmonic vocals that communicate the fragility of the situation in a way like no other.
—Ryan Bassil

36. Rich Homie Quan – "Flex"

Whether he was being accused of jacking Future’s sound, being dismissed as the lesser half of his collaboration with Young Thug, or indirectly spawning one of the year’s biggest dance memes, Rich Homie Quan has rarely gotten his due as a gifted pop songwriter and original talent in his own right. “Flex (Ooh Ooh Ooh)” is his answer to the doubters, an elastic, unapologetically fun song that imagines a sunnier, funkier version of Atlanta’s increasingly well-worn trap sound and somehow makes the prospect of earning a hundred thousand dollars sound even cooler than it already was.
—Kyle Kramer

35. Grimes – "Flesh Without Blood"

The first official taster from Grimes’ hotly anticipated, three-year-in-the-making follow-up to Visions—with an entire album scrapped during that time because “it sucked”—“Flesh Without Blood” was a bold move. A celebratory kiss-off aimed at the same fickle blog-based hype culture that powered her rise, the track was, in a way, a caveat stipulated ahead of her most accessible and least personal body of work to date. One that reasserted Claire Elise Boucher’s prowess as both the pop star and the mastermind behind the scenes; a proficient multi-instrumentalist who can and will create Kelly Clarkson-style power-pop at its most accomplished.
—Emma Garland

34. Drake and Future – "Jumpman"

Who do you know that could take a single two-syllable word and turn it into a club banger? You could maybe name two artists capable, and both of them teamed up to make “Jumpman.” Far from the best song on What A Time To Be Alive (that would be “Jerseys”), it became the song that would break apart from the rest for its sheer absurdness. It inspired remixes and video games, all while promoting Drake’s partnership with Jordan brand sneakers. You have to credit Metro Boomin with creating an instrumental that’s both joyous and creepy, but the real award goes to Drake for making something that sounds like a placeholder into a song that’s taken on a life of its own.
—Slava Pastuk

33. Kacey Musgraves – "Dime Store Cowgirl"

This is the song on Pageant Material where Kacey Musgraves really hits her first stride. On an album full of songs about reflection and never really escaping your roots, “Dime Store Cowgirl” sums it all up: “You can take me out of the country / But you can't take the country out of me, no / 'Cause I'm still the girl from Golden / Had to get away so I could grow,” croons Musgraves. Coupled with some seriously heavy steel guitar, this song is bound to make you reconcile with the person you used to be.    
—Annalise Domenighini

32. Car Seat Headrest – "Something Soon"

A trend that everybody loves to mention when they talk about music in the year 2015 is that guitars are dead. Bye bye, six strings. Kids prefer the ol’ computer to make music now versus the Fender Strat. That may be true to a certain extent, but holy Christ is it not in others. Car Seat Headrest—from a dude in Seattle named Will Toledo—is an example of the latter, and “Something Soon” is his best work to date, which is saying something considering Toledo has been recording and releasing hundreds of songs on the internet for the last five years, with only recently getting signed to Matador for his latest release, Teens of Style. His music is charmingly introspective; the kind that forces you to stare at the sky and think about why staring at the sky is so therapeutic.  
—Eric Sundermann

31. Bleed the Pigs – "Born of Filth"

Bleed the Pigs blessed us with multiple releases this year, but the Nashville band’s split with Thetan was the first, and arguably the most potent. “Born of Filth” is a filthy dirge, spanning gutter sludge, churning grind, ominous death, and caustic hardcore in the space of four and a half paranoid minutes. Bleed the Pigs is brilliant at any tempo, but that shuddering crawl really drives the horror home.
—Kim Kelly

30. BEA 1991 – "Filthy Believer"

You would never guess, if you just heard the first 30 seconds of this song, how it would all end up. It starts with calming, chill-out synths like you’ve just stepped into a hot yoga class and the instructor is lighting a patchouli Yankee Candle. Dutch anti-pop star BEA 1991 quietly coos “crawl under mighty refine,” sounding a bit like Lorde if she was having an enema. Then a bunch of searing rape alarms start to sound and the whole thing becomes hysterical, like an enema gone wrong. Each bit on its own sounds weird, but taken together, it’s a masterpiece. BEA’s ability to shock and confuse marks her as one of the most expressive and arty new pop prospects.
—Sam Wolfson

29. Appalachian Terror Unit – "Casualties of a Rape Culture"

The title hits hard—and then the song itself kicks in. Taken off the West Virginia militant crust quartet’s first full-length since 2008, "Casualties of a Rape Culture" surges forth atop an urgent d-beat. Vocalist Sarah spits venom and truth via spoken word condemnations of the way our fucked society silences, exploits, and abuses women, before launching into her signature raw-throated rasp to exhort change—”Sisters of the world we will never be quiet / We have a voice, we will not drown in the silence.”
—Kim Kelly

28. Lady Leshurr – "Queen's Speech 4"

“Brush your teeth!” And here endeth the lesson from Lady Leshurr, a Birmingham-based grime MC whose fourth installment of her Queen’s Speech freestyle series went viral in August with over a million views in a week. With timely nods to Rachel Dolezal, Fetty Wap, Rick Ross, and a problematic reference to Caitlyn Jenner (misnamed Bruce Jenner), “Queen’s Speech 4” gave UK hip-hop a fun, fresh do-over. In an industry that tends to be London and male-centric, Lady Leshurr came through to occupy a space she has made her own, with a boss flow, undeniable hooks, and tongue firmly wedged in her minty fresh cheek.
—Emma Garland

27. Young Thug – "Hercules"

This past year, music has seen varying grades of beef. When Young Thug went after Metro Boomin over some tweets he made, the fate of their long awaited collaboration mixtape Metro Thuggin seemed to be in jeopardy. Luckily, it didn’t last more than a week, and the duo dropped some of their best work in “Hercules” at the end of it. The song is extremely self-aware, giving a sly wink to beefs with Thug repeating Metro Boomin’s tag before dropping his own. It’s also aware of the capabilities both artists have to compose hits, and how well their talents intersect. Thugger’s vocal register bounces off of walls, following in tandem with Metro’s beat. It’s a distillment of their feats of strength this year into one track; Metro Boomin coming into the forefront as the year’s most important producer, and Young Thug putting more quality projects than ever.
—John Hill

26. Jidenna – "Classic Man"

Jidenna’s summer anthem started a bit as a catchy refrain but then full on morphed into a lifestyle. What, exactly, is a Classic Man? It’s more than a guy in a fancy suit—although that doesn’t hurt. Instead, a Classic Man is a state of mind. “All style is a form of resistance,” Jidenna told The Fader earlier this year. A Classic Man knows no gender. A Classic Man is one that’s progressive, that’s uplifting, that’s positive, that’s thoughtful, that’s challenging. Friends, find your inner Classic Man. #JidennaHive is real.
—Eric Sundermann

25. Tame Impala – "Let It Happen"

Tame Impala weren’t supposed to sound this good. Until this point, Kevin Parker’s project has been, at best, an interesting psych-rock distraction from the glut of ever disinteresting guitar music found pretty much everywhere else. So when their third album opened with “Let it Happen,” a near eight-minute tortured wail—as defiant as it is fearful—we were stopped in our tracks. A remarkable, hallucinatory exercise as comfortable in a sprawling cosmic DJ set as it is a dorm room bong sesh.
—Angus Harrison

24. Meat Wave – "Delusion Moon"

“Delusion Moon” is the perfect song to kick off an album by a band named Meat Wave. That’s exactly what it sounds like—a relentless pummeling to your ears, like waves of meat slapping you about the face, pounding you over and over on the head until you’re shaken and disoriented. It’s like going a round with Mike Tyson in his prime, with only slightly less ear-biting.
—Dan Ozzi

23. Hop Along – "Waitress"

Hop Along singer Frances Quinlan seems to have an unending bag of tricks she can draw from with her voice. She throws cracks and squeals onto a song to add inimitable character, like the hisses and pops of an old record spinning on a turntable. On “Waitress,” a song about the crushing dread of running into someone you know when you’re just trying to get by at your damn restaurant job, her trick is that she crescendos each chorus, louder and louder, decibel by decibel, until the end of the song where she is really testing the limits of what the track can handle.
—Dan Ozzi

22. DonMonique – "Pilates"

"Pilates" is not a song about how to achieve an elongated, washboard core, but rather a slinky-ass tune with an ominous boom of a beat where 21-year-old Brooklyn rapper DonMonique namechecks Kendall, Kylie, and yeah, Miley, turning their mononyms into code for drugs (Kendall’s a model, so she’s coke, Kylie frequently favored green hair—she’s pot, and Miley’s obviously molly, duh). A kind of supple, slo-mo twist on trap, “Pilates” trumpeted the arrival of a one-to-watch talent with glinting talons and baggy tracksuit tops, and a clutch of uncluttered cuts pulled together on her hefty debut EP Thirst Trap. This year, the best part of the Kardashians' ongoing insidiously pervasive stranglehold on popular culture was DonMonique’s appropriation of the clan’s youngest offspring for her own lyrical amusement and ours.
—Kim Taylor Bennett

21. Stormzy – "Know Me From"

Stormzy is great because Americans don’t understand him. He’s like Cheeky Nando’s in aural form. Merky? Peng? Bare? Wasteman? Pagan? What are these things, America is saying, all the while being unable to avoid the fact that “Know Me From” puts a lot of Stateside rappers to shame with its production, big-balled confidence, and music video—which, above all things, features Stormzy’s mother. Being British is a wonderful thing and Stormzy is the foot soldier that represents what it’s really about, which is far from the Ellie Gouldings and Ed Sheerans the country usually gets associated with.
—Ryan Bassil

20. Alex Winston - "Down Low"

Winston has the knack: The ability to mine her reserves and serve up songs that drip with emotion—revisit 2013’s “101 Vultures” for past evidence. As a buffer between her 2012 debut King Con and her forthcoming sophomore record, the Michigan-born, Brooklyn-based singer unveiled her EP, The Day I Died this summer. The title track may be the obvious peacock of the slim collection—perky like peak-era Molly Ringwald in a ra-ra skirt—but “Down Low” is the real scene-stealer. An 80s power ballad fleeced of its bombast and all the more resonant for its relative sparsity. The 28-year-old’s delivery is so breathily intimate you can hear her parting her lips, her tones gossamer fine like Kate Bush and just as effortlessly elastic in their range. It’s a breakup ballad that’ll drag you straight back to the time you felt hollowed with loss, when you shuddered with a longing so acute that in that moment you’d take back every gilded shared experience just to make the ache disappear. Jeez, Alex, thanks for memories! But truly, why pussyfoot when you can strike straight at the jugular?
—Kim Taylor Bennett

19. Speedy Ortiz – "Raising the Skate"

“Raising the Skate” is the off-kilter rock song Speedy Ortiz was born to write. The alternative stylings of the Massachusetts quartet fronted by indie’s reigning smart-aleck Sadie DuPuis comes to a head on this Frankenstein of a single. It’s a mathy declaration of power that tangles Speedy's signature angst with commanding attitude.
—Bryn Lovitt

18. Tirzah – "Make It Up"

Who wants to listen to countless pop songs about being in love or being dumped, when you can listen to the more realistic sound of Tirzah delicately berating her bae for being a useless shit? That’s the essence of “Make It Up,” her August single which had previously become a jewel of much internet obsession after Four Tet dropped a snippet on his Radio 1 show. The Micachu-produced house beat beneath is an undulating funk; murky and bubbling, like the muffled boom of a soundsystem that’s drowning slowly in some liquid deep and viscous. In essence, this is the sound of you arguing in the smoking area then turning heel and walking straight back in the club.—Joe Zadeh

17. Fetty Wap – "My Way"

Fetty Wap’s smash “My Way” is amazing because it is essentially a four-minute chorus, modulating between just two vocal lines with the switch falling into spots in the song where it feels like it shouldn’t. It’s as though the artist thinks the hook is so hot he refuses to change it up. It feels unruly, disruptive, and the same could be said for the Patterson, NJ native himself. He comes from a state not known for trap, and his rise to the top of the charts happened in the absence of the usual mainstream rap cosign ecology. His is a kingdom built wholly on the backs of limber little turns of phrase like these, melodies that mystically feel just as fresh the third time around as the three hundredth.
—Craig Jenkins

16. Father John Misty – "I Love You, Honeybear"

Josh Tillman doesn’t call his wife “honeybear.” He doesn’t call anyone that. (Why in god’s name would someone do that?) But he sings the word over and over again at the very beginning of this song to kick off the album of the same name as a way of driving home what you’re in for: a sap-heavy record about a man who is truly, obsessively in love. Of course, to avoid being written off as another straight white male singing songs on an acoustic guitar about his feelings (lame!), he buries this sentiment under several layers of irony with his Father John Misty character. But when you dig through all the self-awareness, there is a truly beautiful song about two cynics falling for each other and saying fuck the world. Plus, it includes one of the most wonderfully cadenced first lines of any album: “Mascara, blood, ash, and cum on the Rorschach sheets where we make love.”
—Dan Ozzi

15. Chris Stapleton – "Tennessee Whiskey"

It takes a clever soul to turn a pretty George Jones hit into a torchlight blues pulsing with hot longing. It takes a master to give it a vocal performance for the ages. Singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton achieved both with “Tennessee Whiskey,” the shock hit from his long overdue debut solo album Traveller. Stapleton and band give the song a slow swing it didn’t know it needed, a sparse and guttural groove that leaves the singer space to emote. And emote, he does, especially in the chorus, which is both believably sincere and gobstoppingly accomplished from a technical standpoint. Stapleton’s years of work as a Nashville hired hand show in the sharpness of his singing and playing, and with this song’s post-CMA Awards ascent to the charts, the singer finally gets to enjoy the spotlight himself.
—Craig Jenkins

14. Kanye West feat. Paul McCartney – "Only One"

Most pieces of music that artists make about their kids suck. It’s a fact that nobody like your kids as much as you do, so it stands to reason that people won’t like any music that you make about your kids either. And yet, rappers continue to try to prove that wrong. Jay Z took his shot and missed with “Glory,” and when it was announced that Kanye would be trying to break the curse, it was easy to doubt him, which is what made “Only One” such a surprising success. The song is nothing but sweet, likely because it’s as much a letter to his departed mother as it is a love letter to his new daughter. Kanye’s Auto-Tuned singing is affably bad, and the Paul McCartney addition acts more like background coloring, but the whole thing just feels sentimental. If old family footage stored on VHS tapes had a universal soundtrack, it would be the Kanye West deconstructed production that’s behind “Only One.”
—Slava Pastuk

13. JME – "Man Don't Care"

From the houseparty to the club to the playground to the backseat of the 106 to Finsbury Park, “Man Don’t Care” became UK-omnipresent the moment it dropped this summer, and if you had to pick one hit to define grime’s growth, then something that bangs hard and contains verses from both JME and Giggs is a damn fine place to start. Now, let’s take this opportunity to herald “box in the eye with the fob I use to log in to my HSBC” as the most millennial GBH threat ever put on paper.
—Joe Zadeh

12. Kendrick Lamar – "Alright"

There was one complaint sandwiched among the critical praise that arrived with Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly earlier this year. Some believed that compared to Lamar’s previous release good kid, m.A.A.d city, TPAB lacked songs (as if “King Kunta,” “i,” and “These Walls” weren’t single stand outs). As the year ends, and as “Alright” has soundtracked a civil rights movement that’s tackled police harassment, it’s curious to wonder if those same people still have the same view. “Alright” is more than the sum of its parts; it’s become something meaningful to people at large. That’s a great thing. And that’s before we’ve even got to the video. That deserves all the attention “Hotline Bling” received.
—Ryan Bassil

11. Kanye West – "All Day"

Flamethrowers! A 30-strong gang dressed in hoodies and tracksuits! Lionel Richie’s reaction! The subsequent critical response! Has there ever been a better performance at the BRIT Awards than Kanye West’s “All Day?” The track (which had been worked on for the better part of a year) stunned when it arrived, and in lieu of SWISH continues to be a talking point. Is it the sound Kanye will go for on his next record? Who knows! Whether or not it sparked bigger things is irrelevant. Because if there’s one moment this year that succeeded in galvanizing both the United States and the United Kingdom, then it’s this track.
—Ryan Bassil

10. Dilly Dally – "Desire"

There is nothing in Katie Monks’ lyrics and voice that suggests anything but complete and total possession of desire on “Desire.” Monks screams and howls throughout the song, which seems to take the listener on a slow walk toward something bigger, though we never know what that “something bigger” is.

The Alexis Krauss-meets-Courtney Love sound of this song literally burns you. “This fire, this fire, this fire, desire,” repeats Monks, over and over, until you feel like a walking zombie. All you can think about is who—or what—it is you desire and there’s no way you can stop. It lulls you into a state between dream and reality, burning with desire until there’s nothing left but to hit repeat.
—Annalise Domenighini

9. Carly Rae Jepsen – "Run Away with Me"

Is there any moment in music this year more joyous than when the saxophone kicks off Carly Rae Jepsen’s dynamite record EMOTION? Immediately, we’re presented with a sound that’s fresh, exciting, and explosive—and bubbling with personality. Because at the heart of it, that’s what makes Jepsen a very special, almost mystical artist. Her music channels something on the inside of you, one that’s built on that indefinable feeling—you know the one—that moment when you start to fall, or more accurately, feel yourself fall, for a new person. “Run Away with Me” is everything the song title is—a proclamation that we should grab that someone, kick our responsibilities off the cliff and run the other direction, holding hands and flying alongside the butterflies that’ve escaped our stomachs. “Baby, take me to that feeling,” she sings. “I’ll be your sinner, in secret, when the lights go out, run away with me.” One might point to the lyrics and call them romantically simplistic or maybe even juvenile, but Jepsen’s commitment to the fleeting moment is what makes her so captivating. For just over four minutes, she refuses to let you stop falling in love.
—Eric Sundermann

8. Bully – "I Remember"

“I Remember” is the ultimate "fuck you" anthem for everyone who has ever had their heart broken by a friend or lover. It’s personal, and it’s raw; it’s the type of song you turn on when you’re having feelings about someone who isn’t in your life anymore, and you’re mad they’ve made you feel that way.

Its ambient, maxed-out sound and the screaming vocals of Alicia Bognanno might remind you of Hole, or of riot grrrl in general, because so much of the music in 2015 seemed to sound like that, but Bully and Bognanno bring something new to the riot grrrl revival table with this song. It’s a song about being lovesick, about wanting revenge, about the strange possessiveness you feel over a person even after they’re out of your life. From the first wail of the guitar to the last of Bognanno’s yells, this song will have you punching holes in walls and yelling at the top of your lungs.
—Annalise Domenighini

7. Rihanna – "Bitch Better Have My Money"

The savviest move of Rihanna’s decade-long career was the moment she decided to step back. With the exception of 2008, Rihanna’s dropped a record every single year she’s been active, albums that, despite the close proximity of their release dates, have marked a notable progression in her evolution as an artist, each further cementing her position as a pop culture deity. That said, by the end of Unapologetic’s promotional run it was time to GTFO. We’d reached Rih-saturation point. As much as her caramel curves on Instagram were a cozy constant in our collective endless scroll (and a reminder to go the gym), last year's six-month 'gram hiatus was necessary. Missing someone is nice. Of course the irony is when you’re a star as sparkly as Ms. Fenty, the public's thirst is so utterly unquenchable, she's never really out of reach: We conjure her and the long lenses and headlines give us our fix.

This year, Rihanna orchestrated an extended session of foreplay, kicking off in January with “FourFiveSeconds,” compounded by an endless stream of fashion collaborations and the fact that she wore the most meme-able outfit to this year’s Met Ball (made up of enough fabric to reupholster a three bedroom house), and finally book-ended by “American Oxygen.” Who knows, maybe the 28-year-old will close out the year by surprise-launching her Samsung-backed eighth album, Anti, but in the meantime, her strongest stunt of 2015 was “Bitch Better Have My Money.” With its threatening fairground waltz keys and trap hi-hats, her unimpeachably confident staccato—“Brrap! Brrap! Brrap!”—and of course the divisively brilliant, blood-spattered video, “BBHMM” is a purported diss song aimed at her swindling accountant. More than that, it's a commanding, no-bones-about-it reminder that this Barbadian will continue to press buttons while we chatter incessantly about her every move, gazing up from where we sit, nestled in the palm of her hand. “Don’t act like you forgot: I call the shot-shot-shots!” Doesn’t she just.
—Kim Taylor Bennett

6. Kendrick Lamar – "The Blacker the Berry"

In January of this year, the wounds of Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner still fresh yet the flames of the Ferguson riots not yet realized, Kendrick Lamar came under fire for comments he made regarding his conviction that the starting point for stemming violence against African Americans had to be “within”—with many feeling he was in some way blaming victims of police brutality for their own fates. By February 9, he had released “The Blacker the Berry” and any questions of his true intentions were stunned silent. We eulogize most great politically charged pieces of music for their universality, their ability to behave as statements for all people during all times. “The Blacker the Berry” pits the opposite response. It seethes with personal venom and confusion. Lamar spits “You're fuckin' evil / I want you to recognize that I'm a proud monkey” as if pinning the entire weight of white hegemony up against a wall in fit of spontaneous, uncontrollable dangerous rage.

This is what makes it such a potent and lethal work. As full of hate for others as it is himself, it crucially doesn’t try to provide any answers. Instead it is the sound of untethered mourning. Generations of pain spat back in an instant.
—Angus Harrison

5. Future – "March Madness"

It’s hard to argue that this year belonged to anybody but Future. His run over the last 12 months, which gave us Monster, Beast Mode, 56 Nights, DS2, and What a Time to Be Alive, is nothing short of legendary and should firmly place him as one of the all-time great MCs. This period has delivered some of the best music of his career—and in true Future fashion, he’s been too good for his own good, creating so many hits that each failed to truly take off in a commercial way. The standout among standouts, though, is “March Madness,” the swirling, titanic smash from 56 Nights that is no doubt your favorite rapper’s favorite song. It’s not only, lyrically, one of Nayvadius’s best efforts—fearlessly addressing the political chaos that plagued our country in 2015 with a music video full of police brutality to match—but sonically, this track’s become a blueprint for Future’s sound: syrupy, monstrous, and aggressive. Put this on in the club and act like you aren’t gonna flip a table and stand on some furniture.
—Eric Sundermann

4. Skepta – "Shutdown"

It’s not known if Skepta was trolling his Canadian BFF by using the monologue from Drake’s Vine to open up the song that would become an international hit, but it’s nice to pretend. Nonetheless, it takes a special amount of talent to come out from behind Drake’s shadow, and Skepta became an unlikely candidate for breakout artist of the year thanks to this song. Sure, he had a long career prior, and had a number of hits crossover, but none did so the way that “Shutdown” did. It is now almost impossible to refer to anything Skepta has done without using that verb: if he played a show, he shut it down; if he’s brought out as a special guest, it was shut down. The infectious horns at the start of the song have become the hallmark for Skepta’s 2015, and the fact that a Grime song has achieved such global popularity is a feat that hasn’t been touched in a long time. Skepta’s ability to rap over sped up instrumentals is just one of the reasons he’s made it big this year, the other being how well he’s able to keep grime—which is generally seen as an inaccessible genre—in the mainstream. Hopefully he’ll be able to continue this onslaught throughout 2016 so that he can shut down that year as well.
—Slava Pastuk

3. Drake – "Hotline Bling"

Drake spent most of 2015 staking his claim as rap’s biggest winner, sometimes to the point that it felt like bullying. But despite his chest-thumping on If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, his surgical dismantling of Meek Mill’s career, and even his self-appointment as conductor of rap’s meme orchestra, the most convincing argument he made was an incidental one, in the form of a tossed-off Soundcloud loosie called “Hotline Bling” that became his biggest and best hit.

“Hotline Bling” was neither an instant success nor humorlessly engineered to be one—both rarities for 2015 Drake. Instead, it’s borderline goofy, with a hook that’s just unique enough of a phrase—“you used to call me on my cell phone”—to lodge itself forever in your brain and find its way into conversation during the eight million moments a day that we spend discussing our phones. It’s Drake as we like to imagine him—hapless and pining over an ex—but in it is also the full spectrum of how we see ourselves. Sometimes we’re the ones with the glasses of champagne out on the dancefloor; other times we’re the ones pettily wondering how that person who used to call us is having so much fun with people we’ve never seen before. Drake gives each equal weight. In the process, he invites everyone to the dancefloor, where that cheesy, instantly retro beat is already anticipating the moment, 20 years from now, when we’ll play this at weddings and remember our glory days of sending thirsty texts, hovering over each other’s Instagram feeds, and sharing hilarious memes. Even though the phenomenon of “Hotline Bling,” with its parodies and covers, embodies our of-the-moment culture, it is a song that will last forever.
—Kyle Kramer

2. Jamie xx feat. Young Thug & Popcaan – "I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)"

When the Oxford English Dictionary evolves to include MP3s alongside this year’s addition of the “crying-face emoji,” the Jamie xx and Young Thug and Popcaan track needs to be the immediate definition for “Good Times.” For the entirety of summer 2015, it seemed physically impossible to have a good time without hearing, or at the least thinking about the track. And for good reason too. Is there another track that sounds like “Good Times?” It’s one of a kind: splicing dancehall, Young Thug’s yelps, and Jamie xx together. It also has the unique quality every single strives for, where the riff or any number of lines—literally every other bar on his Thugga’s two-verse buffet is a quotable—has the potential to reverberate around the listener’s head for days. What that comes down to is optimism, which, really, is what’s at the track’s core—from the confidence the collaboration would even work to the result. Perhaps that’s what makes it sound like that moment in spring when everyone decides it’s nearly warm enough to leave the house in shorts. By distilling that moment into a song, Jamie xx has ensured we can return to idealistic and fun positivity whenever we put our headphones on.
—Ryan Bassil

1. Justin Bieber – "What Do You Mean?"

Justin Bieber’s embroilment in perpetual controversy has a habit of distracting from his abilities as a pop artist. But as he moves further away from the petulant mould of the manufactured child star he was originally presented in, it’s becoming increasingly irrational for the stigma of his teenage actions to outweigh his contributions to modern pop.

Bieber has delivered his fair share of mature material before now, 2012’s “Boyfriend” and the much-overlooked Journals are testament to that, but “What Do You Mean?” came with a new stamp that was distinctly his own. Searching for emotional clarity, “What Do You Mean?” has all the instantly memorable pop hooks we have come to expect from a “Bieber banger” but with an additional layer of nuanced, tropical house-inspired detail that allows it to operate on club rotation as well as being interesting enough to live on your iPod free of self-consciousness. Co-produced by Bieber himself and “Boyfriend” collaborator MdL, “What Do You Mean?” has infinite groove, a pan flute hook no less, and vocally he’s never sounded better. With an impressive display of resolve, it's perhaps his strongest bid to be taken seriously as an artist by adults, as an adult.
—Emma Garland

The Noisey Staff will defend this list forever. Argue with us on Twitter.

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