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voodoochili · 1 year

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My 100 Favorite Songs of 2022

It's that time of year again, when everyone else has shared their year-end list and I come in and correct everyone's bullshit! I kid, I kid, I don't claim to know or appreciate music better than anyone else, but I'm proud of the list I put together.

This year, I found it hard to narrow my list down to just 100, and even harder to definitely rank them. 2022 was a deep, deep year, full of great songs, but not too many songs that towered above the rest. This is the streaming conundrum–there's a billion songs out there and so many of them are good.

More than ever, I put an emphasis on discovery, moving from sound to sound in a relentless search for songs that would hold my attention. The following are the songs that made me laugh, cry, or just made my jaw drop.

Check HERE for the Spotify playlist and don't forget to scroll all the way down for my full Top 100 list.

Happy listening all, hope you find something you love as much as I do!

THE SONGS

25. Rema - “Calm Down”: “Calm Down” hits like a warm bath, its gently loping guitar and militaristic snare combining to make a soundscape perfectly-suited for YouTube 10-hour mixes. Rema does what he does best, melting into the mix with chant-like melodies and a new flow for every verse. By the time producers Andrevibez and London layer in swelling organs and sumptuous strings, “Calm Down” mesmerizes the listener to the point where they won’t even mind if the DJ is playing the wrong version and Selena Gomez shows up.

24. Yahritza & Su Esencia - “Soy El Unico”: Over the past few years, I’ve grown very fond of corridos and regional Mexican music–the singers are charismatic and those acoustic guitarists can shred. I don’t speak fluent Spanish, though, so I know that whenever I listen to these story-driven ballads, there’s a lot I’m not getting. But there is no misunderstanding Yahritza Martinez in “Soy El Único,” her achingly raw tone radiating the kind of all-encompassing heartbreak that you can only feel when you’re 15 (or 13, which is apparently how old she was when she wrote the song). Backed by her brothers on guitar and bass, she delivers one of the best vocal performances of the year, dousing you in every ounce of her anger and despair.

23. Asian Doll - “Get Jumped” ft. Bandmanrill: I’m gonna be real and say that I did not expect Dallas native Asian Doll to be the first southern rapper to hop on the club rap wave, but it’s a mode that suits her nicely–she’s always been able to rap with the dexterity required for the uptempo style. On “Get Jumped,” Asian goes blow-for-blow with the “godfather” of club rap, Newark’s Bandmanrill, over Bankroll Got It’s sped-up and souped-up sample of David Ruffin’s “I Miss You.” For his part, the Bandman delivers one of his best verses of the year, mixing his uber-confident stick talk with a pathos that reflects the heartbreak of the sample. Asian more than holds her own, returning his volleys with head-spinning speed and exacting precision.

22. Kendrick Lamar - “Rich Spirit”: He’s an ambassador for Compton and the longtime face of L.A.’s most prominent rap label, but Kendrick Lamar never really concerned himself with the prevailing sounds of his home city’s rap scene. Though we’ll never hear 2014-era Kendrick rip apart a DJ Mustard beat, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers highlight “Rich Spirit” feels like Kendrick’s attempt to make an anthem for the L.A. underground–more specifically, his own version of “Impatient Freestyle,” the modern classic by Drakeo The Ruler. Producers Sounwave, Frano, and DJ Dahi (I’m comfortable crediting him for the ghostly vocal samples that affirmatively answer Kendrick’s pronouncements) craft an immersive soundscape that feels appropriately spiritual*, while retaining that West Coast bounce, allowing space for Kendrick to preach about holistic living (regular fasting, abstention from social media) and credibly compare himself to deities major and minor. *and not dissimilar to the "Impatient" beat Mike WiLL Made It originally made for Jeremih

21. Luh Tyler - “Back Flippin”: This is the most recent song on the list, released on December 14th. I originally had another song by Luh Tyler, the Tallahassee teenager and future megastar, in this slot: ”I Gotta Slide,” a 98-second burst of effortless shit talk and sly wordplay. While “I Gotta Slide” is a sketch, the Xair-produced “Back Flippin” expands upon everything that Tyler does well. It walks the fine line between stupid and clever with aplomb, Tyler’s croaking delivery and signature upward-inflecting flow selling every punchline (and nearly every line is a punchline). Recalling in equal measure the lackadaisical stoner wisdom of Devin The Dude, the conversational sing-song of Kodak Black, and the indefatigable brashness of a young Nef The Pharaoh, Luh Tyler is already a distinct and extremely promising voice in the rap game. As great as it is, “Back Flippin’” feels a lot less like a career peak than the start of the climb.

20. Joony - “DRIFTING IN TOKYO”: One day, a cultural scholar smarter than me will have to investigate the impact made by the third Fast & Furious film. The movie certainly made an impression on 20-year-old Maryland rapper Joony. To his credit, the “Drifting In Tokyo” instrumental–an easygoing UK garage throwback with supremely chill Rhodes licks and crackling DnB drums, crafted by producer Davy’s archive–evokes the neon-lit nights and seemingly frictionless rides through the Japanese metropolis that Justin Lin captured so memorably in that movie. The cinematic backdrop leaves plenty of space for Joony’s mellow melodies, his plaintive deadpan dripping with paranoia and resignation: “I can't do this shit no more/But I don't wanna die alone.”

19. Babyface Ray - “Me, Wife & Kids”: Babyface Ray rhymes with a world-weary wisdom; the soft-spoken, authoritative croak of a man who’s seen everything. A euphoric soul-sampler (from Detroit’s Pooh Beatz), “Me Wife & Kids” gives a wistful lift to Ray’s hustle-hard witticisms, the Detroit native determined to escape the liminal space between his hardscrabble past and bright future. Ray’s third verse is one of the coldest of the year, methodically and economically laying out the life or death stakes of the rap game and the trap game (“Twenty-five years, brodie still in the game/I told him put the bag down, he say that's how he get paid/He tryna find his way out, you know that shit like a maze”) and exuding the confidence necessary to succeed: “Nah, I ain't trap, I'm just movin' off survival/Tryna figure out how to sell the church Bibles.”

18. Lay Bankz - “In My Bag”: I didn’t realize it was possible to make a slow jam at 150 bpm, but Philly native Lay Bankz sure showed me. The song starts like so many R&B ballads, with sensitive acoustic guitar arpeggios, establishing a tender and confident milieu. Quickly, the song erupts, with an insistent Philly club-style beat powering forward at warp speed, accelerating like a heartbeat fluttering in the presence of a new crush. Lay Bankz doesn’t push herself to keep up with the tempo, but stays calm, layering harmonies as her languid vocal floats above the fray. “In My Bag” is a banger, yes, but more significantly, Lay’s strong sense of structure and facility with sugar-coated melodies expands our conceptions about what East Coast club music can or should sound like, paving a path for the style to make further inroads to the mainstream.

17. Iayze - “556 (Green Tip)”: “556 (Green Tip)” is perhaps the most whimsical song ever written about a deadly weapon. Producer KeyWaza serves up an entrancingly dinky instrumental for the Fort Worth 18-year-old (name pronounced “Jace”) to sink his teeth into. Iayze holds court, slithering between the pootering synths with a stop-starting flow. None of this should work, but it does–it’s a trick that Iayze seems to know that he’s playing: “I just shot a foul ball, it's good because I made the rules.”

16. Black Sherif - “Kwaku The Traveller”: Ghana’s Black Sherif is part rapper, part griot, breaking out in Accra's fertile drill scene with his one-of-a-kind microphone presence. Blessed with a minimal, yet ominous beat (from producer Joker nharnah), the confessional “Kwaku The Traveller” is the best showcase of his unhinged charisma to date*. The first verse thrives on Sherif’s unconventional relationship with rhythm, his motor-mouthed patter paying no attention to beats or bar lines. In the second verse, he hammers home his theme, switching between English and Twi as he compares the always-on-the-move lifestyle of an artist to that of a nomadic hitchhiker on a journey to nowhere. *The “Kwaku The Traveller” experience is incomplete without watching the video

15. Carly Rae Jepsen - “The Loneliest Time” ft. Rufus Wainwright: Carly Rae’s bubblegum era never quite spoke to me; too much sugar sometimes tastes like medicine. “The Loneliest Time” got me, though, cutting CRJ’s saccharine tendencies with a dollop of Rufus Wainwright’s natural melancholy and delivering an anthem that stands with the best of ABBA. Simultaneously campy and tasteful (this is another song where the experience is incomplete without the video), “The Loneliest Time” sounds like a showtune from a musical that doesn’t exist, augmenting the theatrical vibe with the steady 4/4 beat and cinematic strings of the disco era and the pounding pianos of Motown. Both singers stretch their dramatic muscles, hamming up the delivery of key lines (“I’m coming BACK for you, baby!”) without undermining the song’s emotional core. It’s hard not to get swept up in the feeling, especially as the song winds down: the two singers finish harmonizing and the strings play them off into the moonlit night.

14. Friendship - “Hank”*: “Hank” is a song about resisting the void, about absorbing the knowledge of the impermanence of life and unrelentingly soldiering on. Over friendly fingerpicking and a propulsive kick-snare, lead singer Dan Wriggins hammers down with his appealingly flat baritone, painting life as a rusty old machine that you might need to oil or sand, but hey, as long as it’s running today, it might run forever. Fans of David Berman, Lambchop, or Bill Callahan might find something to love here.

*The music video for "Hank" was directed by Joe Pera, so if you dig his whole deal, I'd highly recommend "Hank" and its home album Love The Stranger.

13. Hitkidd & GloRilla - “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)”: Celebratory, confrontational, carefree. GloRilla hits like a bulldozer, Hitkidd’s beat gassing her up with a plonking piano melody. Every line is memorable. What more can I say? B-A-N-G-E-R.

12. Shabason & Krgovich - “I’m Dancing”: Canadian multi-instrumentalist Joseph Shabason first gained recognition for his work on Destroyer’s Kaputt, which used the sonic language of yacht rock to explore the listlessness of modern life. On At Scaramouche, his new album with regular collaborator Nicholas Krgovich, he works with a similar template–sumptuous electric keys, shuffling percussion, chirruping woodwinds–to explore life’s simple pleasures. The mellifluous “I’m Dancing” is a supremely laid back rocker, a slow build that unfolds from a slight giggle to a full belly laugh over the course of five-and-a-half minutes. By the end of the song, as the horns answer the synths and the backbeat grows ever more prominent, Krgovich’s voice drifts into the slipstream, floating away on a pillow of sweet contentment. Call it schooner rock.

11. Asake - “Peace Be Unto You (PBUY)”: Asake makes joyful, crowd-moving music, taking elements of Naija pop and South African amapiano to create a style that’s as inspirational as it is danceable. “Peace Be Unto You (PBUY)” is a perfect summary of his whole deal, starting with a long shaker-and-snare intro that builds and builds until it transforms into one of his trademark choruses: a full-bloom blast of gang vocals, enthusiastic whistles, and pogo-ing 808s. Perfecting a mode that everyone in Africa is trying to catch in a bottle, “PBUY” is an enthusiastic celebration of the communal expression of joy through music, the gang vocals hitting like a full-force gospel choir while the sinuous violin adds a hint of melancholy.

10. Bad Bunny - “Andrea” ft. Buscabulla: Bad Bunny’s opus Un Verano Sin Ti is a rare beast–a streaming era colossus of an album where practically every song is a highlight. There were times that I turned to the beat-shifting “Titi Mi Preguntó” or the scorching “El Apagón” or “Ojitos Lindos,” the sadboy beach anthem, but the song that that impressed me most was “Andrea.” Nestled towards the end of the 23-track runtime, “Andrea” is a masterpiece of downbeat dembow, the insistent riddim transforming amidst the echoing synths and the angelic vocal from Buscabulla’s Raquel Berrios. Over the course of nearly six minutes, El Conejo and Ms. Berrios combine to tell the story of a woman defiantly asserting her independence, judgmental onlookers be damned.

9. Veeze - “let it fly”: Veeze rhymes like he’s in the process of waking from a particularly unrestful night’s sleep, delivering boasts with a guttural monotone in sentences that seem to emerge from a place of half-dreamed logic before trailing off like ellipses. On “Let It Fly,” Veeze proves that his somnambulant style works even better when you speed up the tempo, as he goes in over an aqueous, bass-heavy, Flint-style backing track from Michigan’s own Tye Beats. The Detroit native makes the most of his two minute runtime, perfecting the art of nonchalant flexing (“I hate the strip club, I'm too rich, I don't belong in there”) and piercing his enemies with barbs that dig deeper the more you think about them (“Trappin' ain't for you, boy, you need to get a job”).

8. Nia Archives - “18 & Over”: Nia Archives synthesizes decades’ worth of dance music from across the globe into a kinetic bouillabaisse–listen to her music for more than a minute and you’ll find fully-formed chunks of jungle, samba, R&B, even dubstep. A highlight from her Forbidden Feelingz EP, “18 & Over” is an addictive sonic collage, melding together seemingly disparate elements into a stew that exceeds the sum of its parts. She layers a reggae bassline atop a fast and furious DnB breakbeat, creating a mind-blowing groove that blossoms into a thrilling dubstep throwback before returning to its roots. Graceful, toe-tapping virtuosity.

7. Arctic Monkeys - “There’d Better Be a Mirrorball”: Alex Turner’s transformation from Paul Weller to Jimmy Webb was a sudden and controversial change, one that angered some longtime fans and many of those who hopped on in 2013 with AM (probably the most successful capital R Rock album of the 2010s). It’s unreasonable to expect anyone to make the same kind of music forever, and I love the new Arctic Monkeys, who’ve become an outfit willing and able to fit any stretch of Turner’s songwriting imagination. “There’d Better Be a Mirrorball” is exquisite, an impeccably-arranged picture of a deteriorating love and the last steps taken to save it. Dropping his louche lounge lizard character that dominated the 2019 album Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino on “Mirrorball” and the rest of the recent album The Car, Turner is almost painfully sincere, his voice straining to reach the notes necessary to get his point across. Luckily, the strings are there to help him along, harkening back to a golden era of pop grandeur, when Webb and Glen Campbell made symphonies out of songs.

6. Big Thief - “Spud Infinity”: Life, the universe, and the potato. A cosmic hoedown exploring the eternal questions of our existence, filtered through the lens of the ugliest of our miraculous crops, “Spud Infinity” feels like it’s beamed in from a dimension more peaceful and harmonious than ours. Frontwoman Adrienne Lenker’s sharp pen and playful demeanor elevates the song from stoner silliness to a poignant and good-natured gawking at the absurdity of our everyday lives: “Kiss your body up and down, other than your elbows/'Cause as for your elbows, they're on their own/Wandering like a rolling stone/Rubbing up against the edges of experience." The late John Prine would be proud.

5. Sha EK - “Who You Touch” ft. Mel Glizzy: Bronx drill bruiser Sha EK has a visceral, full-bodied roar that feels like the rap equivalent of that one Spongebob meme. He does not make background music. He’s the rap game Derrick Henry, with the ability to combine that overwhelming power with a finesse that allows him to tip-toe atop lightning fast club beats. He’s at his peak on “Who You Touch,” a high-energy sample-drill masterpiece, jumping out of the speakers and commanding the track like a sergeant. There are multiple versions of “Who You Touch” floating around, including one with Bandmanrill, but the version that made it to streaming pales in comparison to the original*, with its manipulated vox and fluttering guitar painting Sha and Mel as avenging angels who don’t even need to drop their harps before messing you up.

*I sadly haven't been able to find a high-quality reupload anywhere :/

4. The Beths - “Silence Is Golden”: I knew that The Beths had serious chops, and songwriting talent to match, but hot damn did I never expect them to produce something as punishing and exhilarating as “Silence Is Golden.” It combines the spritely melodies of their indie pop forefathers with a backing track furious enough to impress the heaviest of post-hardcore freakazoids (Refused, in particular, would be proud). As always with The Beths, this sound and fury signifies something–they are masters at crafting songs that perfectly suit the subject matter. The squalling noise of the instrumental (“a siren screaming” and “a jet plane engine”) mirrors the narrator’s futile search for a moment’s peace, and though she finds it at the end, I tend to turn on “Silence Is Golden” when I want to embrace the ruckus. The shape of pop to come.

3. Koffee - “Pull Up”: Koffee x Jae5 is an indefatigable combination, his tasteful organ swells and airy vocal samples a perfect match for her ebullient melodies. “Pull Up” was an instant classic–nothing too fancy, just the year’s best chorus augmented with a tasteful bit of sax. It’s an instant mood booster, a party anthem that makes anyone who sings it feel like they’re 100 feet tall.

2. Duke Deuce - “JUST SAY THAT” ft. GloRilla: No artist brought me more joy in 2022 than Duke Deuce, who supplemented two albums worth of head-slamming Memphis music with his hysterical “Gangsta Walk Wednesdays.” “JUST SAY THAT” was his crowning achievement, a gleefully ridiculous and obnoxiously bombastic banger. Metro Boomin and Allen Ritter build a speaker-annihilating monster out of Addinsell’s “Warsaw Concerto,” and both rappers take turns going as dumb as they can. GloRilla leads off with one of the best guest verses of the year, furiously steamrolling chumps through gritted teeth. Duke holds serve, raising the energy level with his signature ad libs. “WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUCK” indeed.

1. Ka - “Ascension”: Brownsville rhymer Ka earns deserved praise for his evocative pen and gravelly gravitas, but he deserves equal praise as a producer. “Ascension” is a work of art: strings thrum like sand falling through an hourglass, distorted voices interject like a choir of the damned, and spiky guitar licks emerge out of the aether. The meditative repetition of the instrumental recalls the best of Philip Glass–call him Ka-yaannisqatsi. The 50-year-rapper does justice to his mesmerizing instrumental, digging deep into his past, analyzing the core memories molded him as a man. His astounding second verse methodically lays out Ka’s struggles to escape generational trauma, a titanic task made more difficult by the mounting tragedies suffered during his upbringing. Ka’s emergence from hell to become one of the voices of his generation is a miracle, and his words are well worth considering, his moral compass pointing true north as he offers sage advice for anyone trying to follow in his footsteps: “If you a deep person, keep searching, amass facts/I believe they call him father, cause you supposed to get past that/If never won, run every one like it's the last lap/Handing ends to family and friends, never expecting that cash back.”

Hope you enjoyed the blurbs, here's the playlist and the rest of the list.

26. Cash Cobain & Chow Lee - “JHoliday” (Prod. by Cash Cobain) 27. Gunna - “flooded” (Prod. by Young Twix) 28. Bad Boy Chiller Crew - “Always Be My Baby Boy” ft. Becce J 29. Skeng - “London” (Prod. by Droptop Records & DiTruth Records) 30. Ice Spice - “Munch (Feelin U)” (Prod. by RIOTUSA) 31. Panda Bear & Sonic Boom - “Edge Of The Edge” 32. Melody’s Echo Chamber - “Alma” 33. Fireboy DML - “Timoti” (Prod. by Kel P) 34. Zahsossa & DSturdy - ”Shake Dhat” (Prod. by DJ Crazy 215) 35. Rosalía - “DESPECHA” 36. Dehd - “Bad Love” 37. TEXAS BOYS - “Awready” 38. Earl Sweatshirt - “Fire In The Hole” (Prod. by Black Noi$e) 39. Residente - “This Is Not America” ft. Ibeyi 40. Yaya Bey - “Alright” 41. PGF Nuk - “Waddup” ft. Polo G (Prod. by Fatman Beatzzz) 42. Makaya McCraven - “So Ubuji” 43. Natanael Cano & Codiciado - “De A De Veras” 44. Alex G - “Runner” 45. Mediopicky - “Ají Titi” ft. Diego Raposo 46. Sault - “Angel” 47. Tony Shhnow - “Show U” (Prod. by GeeohhS) 48. Ari Lennox - “Hoodie” (Prod. by Elite) 49. Toro Y Moi - “Magazine” 50. Wizkid - “Money & Love” 51. Beyoncé - “CHURCH GIRL” (Prod. by No ID, et. al) 52. Cloakroom - “Doubts” 53. Brent Faiyaz - “LOOSE CHANGE” (Prod. by Beat Butcha, No ID, Raphael Saddiq) 54. Octo Octa - “Stars & Water” 55. Burna Boy - “Last Last” (Prod. by Ruuben, MD$, Off & Out & Chopstix) 56. George Riley - “Jealousy” (Prod. by Vegyn) 57. Real Lies - “Your Guiding Hand” 58. Kabza De Small - “Eningi” ft. Njelic, Simmy & Mhaw Keys 59. MJ Lenderman - “Hangover Game” 60. Mr Twin Sister - “Resort” 61. RealYungPhil - “Everything We Need” (Prod. by EvilGiane) 62. Hikaru Utada - “Somewhere Near Marseilles” 63. Cold Mega - “LIGHT IN THE SKY” 64. 03 Greedo - “Pourin” ft. BlueBucksClan (Prod. by Mike Free) 65. Fievel Is Glauque - “The River” 66. Rob49 - “Vulture Island” (Prod. by B.loadin) 67. SG Goodman - “When You Say It” 68. Ralfy The Plug - “Dynamic Duo” ft. Drakeo The Ruler (Prod. by ThankYouFizzle) 69. Sideshow - “SALT KILLS SNAILS” (Prod. by BEATSBYSAV) 70. Zion & Lennox - “Brisa” ft. Danny Ocean (Prod. by Jimmix & Manybeats) 71. Sudan Archives - “Freakalizer” 72. Fred Again… - “Faisal (London Bridge Station” (Piano Version) 73. SleazyWorld Go - “Sleazy Flow” ft. Lil Baby (Prod. by Rage Santana) 74. Jenn Carter - “Joker” (Prod. by YoungMadz) 75. Megan Thee Stallion - “Plan B” (Prod. by Hitmaka, et. al) 76. Junglepussy - “Foreign Exchange” (Prod. by Bohemia Lynch) 77. Sessa - “Canção de Cura” 78. The Afghan Whigs - “Jyja” 79. CEO Trayle - “Alter Ego 2” (Prod. by OG Parker, et. al) 80. Hitkidd & Enchanting - “Kater To Me” (Prod. by Hitkidd) 81. Special Interest - “LA Blues” 82. Charli XCX - “Twice” 83. Dazy - “On My Way” 84. Alvvays - “Pomeranian Spinster” 85. Ade - “Opposites” 86. Pheelz - “Finesse” ft. BNXN (Prod. by Michkel) 87. Stromae - “L’enfer” 88. Metro Boomin - “Metro Spider” ft. Young Thug (Prod. by Metro Boomin) 89. Quelle Chris - “Alive Ain’t Always Living” (Prod. by Quelle Chris & Chris Keys) 90. Tears For Fears - “Rivers Of Mercy” 91. RXK Nephew - “Saoirse Ronan” 92. Wiki & Subject 5 - “Silent Meeting” ft. DJ Lucas (Prod. by Subject 5) 93. Chief Keef - “Chief So” (Prod. by Young Malcolm) 94. Stacks - “Above Ground” 95. Baby Stone Gorillas - “Keep Goin’” (Prod. by Gotdamnitdupri) 96. Stoneda5th ft. R3DaChilliman - “Beat The Odds” (Prod. by Reconboy & Bzbands) 97. Pi’erre Bourne - “Love Drill” 98. Rauw Alejandro - “No Me Sueltes” 99. Romeo - “Halfway Out The Door” 100. Yeat - “Rich Minion” (Prod. by Lotto)

#duke deuce #koffee #sha ek #bandmanrill #the beths #big thief #arctic monkeys #nia archives #veeze #bad bunny #asake #glorilla #carly rae jepsen #babyface ray #black sherif #kendrick lamar #rema #Spotify

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