In a Massive Year for Hip-Hop, These Are the Songs We Had On Repeat 🔂🎧
Great rap songs come in all shapes and sizes. They can take the form of visceral street stories, or infectiously melodic pop gems, or laid back riders’ anthems, gleeful kiss-offs, and much more. Collectively earning well over 1 billion streams in 2019, our list of the best and most impactful releases of the year is an appealing sampler of all rap music has to offer. We hope you enjoy listening to these tracks as much as we enjoyed working them, and that you consider them for your Best of 2019 lists.
xoxo,
The Audible Treats Team
The Song:
Lil Tecca – “Ransom”
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Few rappers cut as unique a figure as Queens-born teenager Lil Tecca, whose bespectacled and braced visage became one of music’s most recognizable on the back of this Top 10 hit. Produced by Nick Mira, the man behind Juice WRLD’s “Lucid Dreams,” and powered by a Cole Bennett-directed video, “Ransom” packs countless memorable turns-of-phrase into a brisk two minutes. And this is just the beginning…
Calboy – “Envy Me”
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The breakout hit for this 20-year-old, Chicago-born Billboard Chartbreaker, “Envy Me” is buoyantly melodic and packed with hooks, but also tinged by the violence of Calboy’s hometown. Peaking at #31 on the Billboard Hot 100, the smash hit earned a Double Platinum certification from the RIAA and was the centerpiece of Calboy’s Wildboy EP.
Flipp Dinero – “Leave Me Alone”
press release | youtube | spotify | apple
Originally released in 2018, this Urban Radio top ten hit had a slow burn to ubiquity, buoyed by an endorsement from NFL wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. The track eventually peaked at #21 on Billboard and Flipp performed the song on national television at the BET Hip-Hop Awards and on a January episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live.
03 Greedo – “Trap House” ft. Shoreline Mafia
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Watts native 03 Greedo might have spent 2019 in a Texas prison, but he made his presence felt with the summer jam “Trap House.” Produced by Mustard and praised by Pitchfork, “Trap House” paints a peaceful picture of trap lovin’ as Greedo and Shoreline Mafia swap sincere come-ons and slick punchlines.
24kGoldn – “Valentino”
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It isn’t hard to understand why this insidiously catchy ode to self-love was a viral hit in 2019. Carried by 24kGoldn’s entrancing cadence and impassioned vocal, “Valentino” was a top-trending track on TikTok for weeks, reached the top five of Rolling Stone’s new Trending 25 chart, and earned a prominent sync in HBO’s Ballers.
E-40 – “Chase The Money” ft. Quavo, Roddy Rich, ScHoolboy Q, and A$AP Ferg
press release | youtube | spotify | apple
A mainstay on the various Top 50 rappers lists that fans shared on social media throughout the year, 40’s latest posse cut proved that he could more than hold his own with the hottest names in rap’s current generation. Produced by rising sound architect ChaseTheMoney (obviously) and with an entrancing double hook from Quavo and Roddy, the haunting, bass-heavy “Chase The Money” was the centerpiece of 40’s 28th studio album Practice Makes Paper.
Shoreline Mafia – “Wings”
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“D.A. got that dope/Geesy got that coke,” rhymes Shoreline’s OhGeesy at the start of their fan-favorite “Wings,” perfectly illustrating the chemistry between the L.A. collective and their super-producer D.A. Doman. With fluttering vocal samples and cracking percussion, “Wings” immediately took flight upon the release of Party Pack Vol. 2 EP.
Ann Marie – “Secret” ft. YK Osiris
press release | youtube | spotify | apple
Chicago’s breakout R&B starlet Ann Marie introduced herself to the world with this sultry duet, which demonstrated the 21-year-old’s quavering singing voice and uncommon command of seductive lyrics. With an assist from Columbia Records signee and 2019 XXL Freshman YK Osiris, the video racked up over 54 million views on YouTube.
Maxo Kream – “Meet Again”
press release | youtube | spotify | apple
Listed by Vulture as one of the best songs of 2019 (“Sometimes you just hear a song and can only think, Now there’s a guy who’s seen some shit”), “Meet Again” is a powerful opening salvo from Maxo’s Brandon Banks album. Foregoing the dark and futuristic production for which he’s known, “Meet Again” has a bright and nostalgic instrumental, reminiscent of fellow Houstonian Scarface’s work with Kanye West, providing a sentimental backdrop for Maxo’s reflective second-person bars about the oppressive crimi,nal justice system.
Young Dolph & Key Glock – “Water On Water On Water”
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Like many of the tracks on Dolph & Glock’s collab album Dum & Dummer, “Water On Water On Water” is packed with outrageous flexes and clever punchlines.
Dolph’s best: “Grant, Franklin, Jackson, that’s my real day ones.”
Glock’s best: “B*tch, I’m richer than your boss, I don’t know what the fuck you thought”
King Von – “Crazy Story”
press release | youtube | spotify | apple
A ferocious new talent signed to Lil Durk’s Only The Family label, King Von made a spectacular first impression with this harrowing tale of a heist gone wrong. With over 43 million views on YouTube, “Crazy Story” established King Von as one of Chicago’s most exciting rising talents.
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