As 2014 comes to a close, it’s time to reflect on a stellar musical year. To do so, we’ve rounded up the top 50 songs of the year. In developing this list we weighed each track against the following criteria: overall song quality, impact and popularity, and support (blogs, charts, DJs, etc.). We have been counting down 10 tracks per day and today we bring you the final ten.
10. Schoolboy Q – The Purge / Rapfix Cypher (20syl Remix)
This song represents why we live in the best time ever for music. LA based rapper Schoolboy Q comes through MTV’s Rapfix to drop an accapella freestyle. French producer 20syl takes that freestyle and builds one of the illest hip hop songs of the year. A soulful sample combined with vocals chops and tweaks come together so perfectly you’d think Q laid down the verse in the stu. Paying homage to the verses origins, the track even includes samples from Rapfix host Sway, “Schoolboy Q, man I ain’t gone never tell you not to rap again!” It’s pretty amazing that one of the best rap songs of the year wasn’t even an official release. To add to the fact, this came out in February and still gets daily hits on our site.
9. ILovemakonenn ft Drake – Tuesday
In 2014, Drake’s Midas touch was in full effect. After adding a verse to the relatively unknown Atlanta artist’s track (originally titled ‘Going Up on a Tuesday’) ILoveMakonnen quickly became a well known name in the game. Overnight, ‘Tuesday’ became a hit in the clubs and on the radio. On September 1st Makonnen tweeted this to announce that he had been signed to Drake’s OVO Sound label. This track undoubtedly made the 25-year-olds career but also changed the way we perceive Tuesday, forever.
8. Party Favor – Bap U
This was one of the most highly anticipated party anthems of the year. After premiering the track at EDC, Party Favor kept it under wraps (unreleased) for the entire summer. Getting play from every big DJ out there (Diplo, DJ Snake, TWRK, Flosstradamus), he had fans salivating for its release. Finally in September, he dropped the track as a free download. In a year where high energy twerk anthems are a dime dozen this one stands above them all.
7. Blasterjaxx – Mystica (LOUDPVCK Remix)
Festival trap/twerk might be the most over saturated genre of 2014. But early in the year, when trap lords LOUDPVCK decided to put a festival ready spin on Jackal’s ‘Mystica,’ this wasn’t the case. The opening build is progressive and grand, setting the stage for a massive brain rattling drop. It’s the type of tune that gets dropped in a DJ’s set and you don’t even turn up for first 2 minutes; you just stand there in awe. This track got played on every main stage for the first half of the year and what makes it even more dope is that the track is distinctly LOUDPVCK. With gun clicks, “brrrrrrrrat!” and “Loudpvck” samples this track perfectly balances what the sound of the future would be with the duo’s og style.
6. Gents and Jawns x Mayhem and Antiserum – Where You Been
Coming off the turn up anthem of the year, the aptly titled ‘Turn Up’, Gents and Jawns had expectations high coming into 2014. Hooking up with bass music vets Mayhem and Antiserum they proved that four heads are better than two and together they delivered the most epic trap heater of the year. The massive orchestral build creates an intensity that is enthralling. It’s almost two minutes of build-up before we are met with a 2 Chainz sample “I been gettin’ money where the fuck you been” and ear drums are obliterated. Epic is a term that’s become devalued from overuse but this track is truly epic.
5. Baauer – One Touch
Long after the explosion of ‘Harlem Shake,’ Baauer returns to the scene with ß, an explosive EP containing one of the catchiest jams of the year, ‘One Touch,’ featuring Rae Sremmurd and Alunageorge. Smooth pop vocals contrast sharply with the barely pubescent highs and lows of Rae Sremmurd, creating a juxtaposition of styles that is irresistible. ‘I will make you a sunset view,’ sings Aluna Francis in the hook, seductively, entrancing the listener with her sultry voice. Continuing the seduction in the verse, Rae Sremmurd come up with a Dragon Ball Z reference and threaten to “beat the pussy up and leave the girl on crutches.” Totally opposite ideas of seduction, but it’s this back and forth between the serious and comedic / the beautiful and the grimey, that makes Baauer’s professional production really stand out and makes ‘One Touch’ a jam with replay value.
4. Grandtheft x Keys N’ Krates – Keep It 100
Keep it 100, easily one of the biggest anthem tracks from 2014, is number 5 on our top 50 list and its presence is undeniable. Grandtheft and the trio that makes up Keys N’ Krates all hail from our hometown, Toronto. The track starts off with some heavy horns and while they set the melody that continues through every build sequence the vocals come in. You might be too busy turning up to this to actually catch every word in the bars aside from “keep it 100” but the lyrics really set the tone for the rest of the day that will make you feel some type of way. And that type is that you really don’t give a fuck. Together, Grandtheft and Keys N’ Krates drop one of the best party anthems of the year. The switch up at the drop on first listen is stupid dope and it never loses its value after multiple plays. Keep it 100 comes in at number 5 and that’s real.
3. Logic – Gang Related
From the outset you’re drawn in as stretched vocals samples conjure images of a ghost trapped in the beat. Layering the percussion with iconic KRS-One samples gives a feeling of stray bullets riddling the scene. The canvas is set for Logic to prove why he is one of the best in the game. Rapping from two perspectives the lyricist paints vivid pictures and sprinkles sharp wordplay throughout. “Selling crack to my own pops, pushing this weight on my own block, if I sell a brick I can buy a house, if they find the key they might lock me up.” What makes this even more impressive is the Maryland emcee’s incredible flow. Not only does he ride the beat perfectly, but the way he delivers the bars actually enhances the vibe with the final bars unloading as if they were dispersed from a semi-automatic weapon. Forget about 2014, you’d be hard pressed to find a track that is this cinematic and flat out impressive in the past 5 years.
2. ZHU – Faded
For those who are not familiar with the legend of ZHU, here’s a quick primer. With a clear vision in early 2014, the LA based producer/singer removed all of his previous work from the web in an effort to wipe out his prior existence. From there, he managed to get his ‘Moves Like Ms. Jackson’ cover and original ‘Superfriends’ to be picked up by some of the biggest blogs online, all without anyone even knowing his name. The sheer quality of the music, unique Weeknd meets Disclosure sound and elements of mystery set the internet on fire. It didn’t take long before the anonymity was forgone but by then the legend was born and everyone was buzzing about ZHU. As ZHU’s identity became widely known he released a teaser for ‘Faded’ the song that would go on to absolutely dominate the year. The quality of this song is undeniable. The sultry vocals and deep house basslines compliment one and other perfectly. It’s the type of song that sounds great even the hundred and first time you’ve listened to it. Add to the fact that it received an absurd amount of support via remixes, from the official EP with big names like ODESZA, Lido and AMTRAC to the multitude of unofficial remixes. This was the most reworked song of 2014 hands down. As a result it was nearly impossible to not hear some version of this in your favourite DJ’s set, and it was just as hard to resist singing along and enjoying every minute of it.
1. Drake – 0 to 100
“This is nothin’ for the radio, but they’ll still play it though, cause it’s that new Drizzy Drake, that’s just the way it go.” The lyrics from ‘Tuscan Leather’ perfectly describe the 2014 anthem ‘0 to 100’. Quite possibly Drake’s most “street” song to date, the track features no hook and more expletives than your average Chief Keef album cut. With a gritty RZA-esq beat this is about as unfriendly to radio as a Drake song can be. Despite all those facts this was easily the biggest song of the year. For a quarter of the year it was impossible to turn on the radio and not hear this almost immediately. With remixes from Grandtheft, Codes and a handful of other producers this found its way into every DJ set regardless of the genre, from trap to deep house and everything in between. The production is on point and Drake goes in dropping a ton of quotables while stuntin’ at levels typically reserved for king Hov.“Fuck all that rap-to-pay-your-bill shit, I’m on some Raptors-pay-my-bills shit” & “Yeah, I mean you already wrote for us, Damn, nigga, what’s one more quote for us?” It may not be the deepest subject matter but that’s not what this track is about. Though ‘0 to 100’ got all the play it’s unfair not to mention ‘The Catch Up’ the second half of the initial release. As the hard hitting vibe gives way to a more laidback sound, Drizzy’s delivery and air change completely as the rapper becomes more reflective looking at his career. Getting at haters, outlining his grand visions and essentially dropping the OVO schedule for 2015, listeners bumped this with strong attention. Even the closing of this song is phenomenal as the track rides out to a looped James Blake sample, amplifying the feel. Drake proved his dominance in 2014 turning a SoundCloud freebie into the biggest anthem of 2014.
We hope you enjoyed the list! Let us know your favourite inclusions and sound off if you think we missed anything. Check the rest of the Top 50 below and be sure to share it with your friends.
