My personal favourite ten songs to be released in 2025. To give the list – slightly- more variety, I’m making it so that artists can only be included once (including features).
10 – “Prague” by EsDeeKid
This was my favourite song off of Rebel. The Wraith9 beat is ear-catching while EsDeeKid delivers one of his better hooks and another consistent verse.
9 – “Mr.Cooke” by TR Gobrazy
Starting a spectacular run of singles this year, Mr.Cooke is a gem in TR Gobrazys succinct catalogue. Produced by .nathan. and Jim Legxacy, the star of the song is the back end. The track ends with a dance remix of the already well-rapped song. TR raps deep, intimate lyrics about his life that come off in a very emotional way. I hope for a full project from him this year.
8 – “In Your Head” by YT
Released in the “#B4OI!” EP just before dropping his debut album “OI!” slightly over a month later, this song, to me, is better than anything on that album. The song on “OI!” that comes closest is “Money Walk” featuring Len; however, I still think “In Your Head” takes the cake. With that being said, I can understand why it was left off the album. It slightly misses the vibe I think YT wanted for the project. The chorus of the song is excellent, with YT delivering melodic ad-libs, making it sound significantly fuller. There are also good and funny bars, with a standout being “With a nine and she vicious pray to god and pray to Buddha”.
7 – “Ringing a bell?” by Niko B
While I didn’t like anything else in this song’s mixtape, I really like Niko B’s melodic approach to the song. I never expected Niko B to start rapping on beats like this, and even though, for the most part, I was disappointed with the tape, I think it’s always good to see artists experimenting with their sound, and we got a diamond in the rough with “Ringing a bell?”
6 – “Copycats” by Danny Brown featuring underscores
Danny Brown fits this new hyperpop beat selection so perfectly; it’s very nice to see him on top form again. His last solo album, “Quaranta”, had some very good moments but lacked the literal stardust that Danny brings to this piece of work. The vibe of this song is pure starpower, and that’s clearly what was intended by the artists. underscores delivers a more muted (in tone) hook, but it is still very grand and luxurious in a more lyrical way, which complements Danny’s unconventional voice and flow perfectly.
5 – “Shaq and Kobe” by MIKE and Tony Seltzer featuring Niontay
Both MIKE and Niontay dropped two outstanding albums each this year, so choosing this for their placement was tough. I think this song is filled to the brim with chemistry. All 3 contributing artists mix so well in the song that it sounds effortlessly perfect. The Tony Seltzer soft trap beat, which is floated over by MIKE and Niontay who trade 8 bars at a time. The song feels incredibly polished with details like Tony’s Mama Mia producer tag when mentioned, completing the track. I can only wish for a possible Pinball 3.
4 – “YouUgly” by JID featuring Westside Gunn
The intro to JID’s highly anticipated “God Does Like Ugly”. The track is hosted by Westside Gunn, with him being the first voice you hear, immediately setting the tone for the record. Gunn executes his role perfectly for JID to come in with two of the best-written verses of the year by miles. His lyrics serve as such a fitting introduction to the album; he lays out exactly where he’s coming from as he opens up with “Live from the depths of hell angel wings that have yet to flail”, insinuating he’s not even reached his peak yet. His two verses are separated by a short gospel interlude, which is interrupted by Westside Gunn again with more grandiose lyrics, setting JID up once again for what I think is his best verse ever. “Picked up the pen just to write some remarks – The wrongs, ugliest songs from the heart – Whole bunch of bars, no holds barred”. His wordplay is just leagues ahead of any other rapper at the moment. The best pure rapping performance of the year.
3 – “why u hate me” by Deathtoricky
Deathtoricky dropped so many insanely good songs, it was impossible to pick. This is the first song on “spring cleaning” and to be honest, there is not much to say about it other than it sounds incredible. The same goes for a lot of Deathtorickys music; he’s just doing something right. His production matches his flow, which matches his voice, and it always just adds up to create good noise. His lyrics also create a very positive mood, which makes his stuff even more fun to listen to.
2 – “Sun” by Jim Legxacy featuring Fimiguerrero
This song sounds like heat. The guitar-led, afrobeats-type instrumental mixed with the singing from both artists exudes warm weather and the kind of freedom that summer gives you. In Jim’s verse, his high-pitched backing vocals sound better than ever, and at the end of the song, Jim’s pitched-up voice overlaps some of Fimi’s bars, which ties the song together as they previously both gave their individual interpretations of the hook. It was nice to hear them aligned.
1 – “POP OUT” by Playboi Carti
If artists weren’t limited to one song, then all 10 of the entries on this list would be from “MUSIC”. “POP OUT” is the introduction to the album and is almost like a full evolution of the rage rap Carti premiered on “Whole lotta red”. He flows over one of the most aggressive beats he’s ever rapped on with an extremely consistent flow. He uses his voice in unconventional ways throughout all his music, but on this song, it feels more refined, even though it’s loud; his voice isn’t hidden in and amongst the distorted 808s, it’s a vital part of it. This song is the shining example of why Carti is getting so much attention at the moment. He’s one of the people who just keep pushing the sound further. There are definitely many other artists pushing at the same rate, but none of them have as big an impact as Carti yet.
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