Top tracks of the month is a new concept I’m hoping to be working on in the months coming. These articles are supposed to provide readers with the tracks I’ve enjoyed the most or listened to the most throughout the month. To make things fair (and more fun) though, I decided that I could choose only one song per album that came out in the month. To get things started, here are my top tracks from July.
Lana Del Rey – Summer Bummer feat. A$AP Rocky and Playboi Carti
One of my favorite chill tracks from July was “Summer Bummer” by Lana Del Rey, featuring the prolific duo of Rocky and Carti. This song and Lana’s new album as a whole surprised me in the way that I was not expecting Lana to try experimenting with trap production. The beat on this song, produced by Boi-1da and Jahaan Sweet, actually works well with Lana’s lush voice and moody singing, as well as Carti’s ad-libs and Rocky’s verse. Coming into the song after listening to a first Lana single with The Weeknd I was not crazy about, I was not expecting much, but the song has actually been in my rotation quite a bit through the summer so far.
Joey Bada$$ – Too Lit
Joey and Statik Selektah are probably one of the best rapper-producer combos in the game right now, and this track is one of the many that displays why. The song is one of Joey’s smoothest in recent history, and it was a great surprise when he dropped this song alongside a couple of others at the beginning of July, just months after his last album.
21 Savage – Bank Account
Now here’s one that’s been gaining hype over the last couple of weeks since its release. Over a self-produced beat, 21 Savage flows, even utilizes a little bit of auto-tune, and comes in with a strong hook; one listen will have the line “I got 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 M’s in my bank account” stuck in your head for a little while (speaking from personal experience). The song bumps in the whip and is one of 21 Savage’s best songs yet.
Meek Mill – Issues
Choosing between “Issues” and “1942 Flows” from Meek’s last album was actually a hard decision for this list, but I had to go with Issues due to the sheer amount of plays I’ve given this song. I’m scared to try reviewing this song because it might sounds like any other Meek Mill song review- it’s a really great hype song and the aggressive flow over a crazy beat is amazing. Right from the beginning I knew what I was getting into, with the introductory line “lord forgive me for my sins used to pray to get a brick”.
Vic Mensa – Heaven on Earth
Heaven on Earth is undoubtedly the highlight track from The Autobiography. In this track, Vic showcases his insane storytelling abilities, and the combo with a hook from The-Dream provides for an all-around powerful yet listenable track. Also, the fact that the song has the line “it’s like Macklemore at the Grammys, man, I just feel like you got some shit you didn’t deserve” makes it all the more better.
J.I.D – Hasta Luego
J.I.D captured my attention earlier in the year with his album The Never Story, and this song reassures to me that he can become a star in hip-hop. The flow that J.I.D employs in this song is enough to keep my head bobbing at every listen. Also, the grand instrumental is heavy yet really allows for his lyrics and flow to shine. Looking forward to what J.I.D has next.
Jay Z – Adnis
I wish I could say I listen to this song everyday, but it’s not on Spotify and was a bonus track soo….
However, the fact is, Jay Z still has it in 2017. The few times I’ve listened to this song, I’ve been amazed at how Jay Z is able to keep progressing his style and skill even decades after he started taking over the game. I’m not sure, though, why this song wasn’t included in the actual album. Anyways, great track.
Aminé – Hero
Hero, for me, was the highlight of Aminé ’s debut album, Good For You. The song actually really surprised me as it showed me Aminé ’s versatility and skill in both singing and rapping. Right from the first listen, I was reminded of Frank and got that type of vibe (sorry, Frank does have to be mentioned even in articles he doesn’t belong in). This song, as well as the album, provides some pretty good pop rap for the summer drives. Also, I now know how to say this dude’s name.
A$AP Twelvyy – Strapped
“Strapped” was the first solo Twelvyy track I had listened to, so I went into the first listen of this song with no expectations at all. Before Twelvyy’s first verse even started, though, I fell in love, as I instantly recognized the Sampha sample playing in the instrumental in the beginning and throughout the song. To make things even better though, Twelvyy goes absolutely hard over the instrumental. His style, drawing from this song, really reminds me of some ‘90’s New York rap. Going to have to check out the album coming soon.
Tyler, The Creator – November
This song might be my favorite rap song of the year from what is probably my favorite album of the year. Everything Tyler does on here is a perfect progression from what he tried doing on Cherry Bomb. A lot of people are saying that this most recent album shows that he has matured both musically and characteristically, and this song is one of the reasons why. All verses show an introspective side to Tyler and some of his best lyricism in a while, and the outro on this song and production as a whole can be used to prove that Tyler is one of the best rapper-producers in the world. All in all, July was a great month for hip-hop, and Tyler was at the center surrounded by other great projects and songs that came out.
EAR FOR THE BEAT 