BACK TO HELL WE GO
50. Babyfather - teddy boi freestyle / bluey viutton [Prod. evilgiane]
I swear to god if we don't get another Babyfather album next year, I will take that UK hoverboard on that album cover and chase after Mr. Blunt myself. Also the evilgiane collab being only 90 seconds?????? Don't piss me off. Still incredible though.
49. Jitus - karma (snippet version)
"I wish I had some commas, I wish had some commas, I wish I had some commas, so I could give it to my mama"
Great poppy BH tune from one of the greatest to ever do it, WS da Igrejinha, among others, as they take LaRoux out on a ride throughout the streets of BeloriHills. Super simple and barebones, however it just could not leave my head this year. Funny that the official music video for it only like 3k views, whilst the unofficial uploads have millions - Shows how funk is a different beast unlike anything else. Shameless plug that I will be doing another big funk list soon after this so stay tuned!
The technicality and skill of young rappers gets crazier by the day - Star Bandz blew me away upon discovering her. You can tell she's from Chicago (Southside to be exact), as that Herb influence can be seen, however with her young energy, it's just so much more raw and frantic - Pair it up with this twinkly-ass beat, where it feels like mini pianos are riverdancing on top of you, you have a masterclass of everything good about Chicago rap.
2 of Jersey's greatest still giving us club tunes 50 years ahead of us all. I feel like I've yapped y'all's head off about this genre and sect of producers so much, you just know what to expect at this point. However there's been an influx of young producers this year trying to emulate this style, and no matter what, it never comes close to the OGs. 7th dimension ass music. Also FUCK Eric Sparrow.
Also, an Oliver Francis mention in 2024 is genuine insanity lol
I'll preface this by saying that I wasn't really a big head in these spheres back in the day, however I knew a lot of big screamo fans over the years back on Tumblr, and this is exactly some shit I would see some of those folks reblog during their 7th breakdown of the month. Las Vegas's Febuary is a 4 piece band who feel like they just got back from playing a show at my 4th cousin's friend's basement back in 2009, as they really bring back that feeling of house shows crammed up to the front door where folks are wearing the skinniest pants this side of the Mississippi. Music-wise, they are just so incredibly raw and crushing, as their debut self-titled from this year is some of the best music I've heard from this genre in quite some time. "Dance Tune For Abigail" is everything I love about this band - Emotive, guttural screams on top of these twinkly guitars shedding gallons of tears from each string. The climax where everything starts crumbling while this avalanche of a tremelo guitar just rips through the entire number makes me feel like I'm falling off of a cliff with no care in the world. You have to see these folks play it live too - Bringing the feeling back for all you 31 year olds. (Big shout out to LA-based videographer hotstuff productions who does some of the best work documenting these scenes - Highly recommend checking out all the work on their YT channel)
At the beginning of the year, my favorite account on Twitter blephin posted this Tiktok of someone looking for mutuals who listen to this list of artists and upon first glance, I'm sure the average person here would think they were having a stroke with some of these names, however with my nosy ass, I found out that a majority of them are from the South African underground scene, which is obviously not something the average filthy American would be aware of. And man, are we missing out. The one thing that I've gathered from their scene is that they love huge ass moody clouds of sound to accompany the alien autotuned voices from the multiple notable artists making this a region to look at.
The one who defines this country's underground is without a doubt Johannesburg's BrotherKupa - They're practically the Carti for teens all over South Africa, as Kupa has that same rockstar bravado that makes everyone froth from the mouth at their every move. Except, it's the fact that this kid actually fucking releases music to back that up that makes him a much better artist - Kupa's rapping over gqom, Belo Horizonte funk, doom metal rage, the list goes on and on, and he has this ghastly pull that gets you Die Lit flipping at your next chance. While I believe listening to Teen Revolution is the best intro to him, tracks like "regardless" is the real good shit in this discography. The beat from their scene's best Newtankmerc feels like a heavy noxious rain suffocating you, while Kupa is talking through those Dollar Tree vocal filter microphones, but in the sickest way possible - He feels like hovering over it all in a super futuristic spaceship ready to vaporize a whole ass town, and then that 2nd half kicks in where it turns into something that would be on Sacred Bones records or some shit. It turns even colder and more brooding while this crunchy drum machine sounds it's being played inside of a haunted house. Like seriously, there isn't much stuff in the underground over here in the states that has this much doom and gloom - Get in the know.
One of the best Sexy Drill songs in my opinion, however all I can think about with this song is the tweet about how it sounds like she was slamming the fuck out of the washing machine in the studio. I can't unhear that anymore, however I need her to demolish an actual Cash Cobain beat because there's some real magic to be made there.
He's playing the shit out of that flute man lmao
More evil 808s from hell shit - This time we have evil minion himself pintscored (I'm sorry, his music is very good, but I cannot shake off his minion remixes when hearing him), and Yung Kirk, a rapper with some of the most lo-fi, BandLab-adjacent vocals I've heard from anyone, however he uses it to his advantage, as he's one of the rawest rappers tackling these apocalyptic beats. Team them up with one of the best producers to pop up this year, makkgin, and you have a tune that sounds like they're throwing petrol bombs inside of a synth jazz club where there's somehow two shows going on at once - Like seriously, amongst the muddiness, it feels like there's 3 beats going on at the same time here. I feel like I'm losing my mind playing this but I cannot get enough.
With how truly fucked this world is, nothing really surprises me anymore - Not even "That one YouTuber kid went to Brazil because he played FIFA a few times and is the hardest gringo funk artist in the world." Like you can't even get me to make a face telling me that shit. With YouTubers, I feel there's this ceiling of creativity and genuineness that these soulless creators have, because it's never about the love of the making art or any shit like that - Just evil money or some other cursed thing. But with Speed, from seeing him twerk over Mcvertt beats, to making crude songs over Dariacore, to now getting tapped in with popular Brazilian funk artists like DJ Blakes and Kevin O Chris, I feel like this kid genuinely loves this music stuff - Stupid lyrics or not.
Back in March, right off of his epiphany of a Brazil trip, the Ohioian dropped a 6 track mini-album entitled Trip 2 Brazil and honestly, this shit is so good. It relies heavily on the shock factor of both Speed's braindead lyrics and most especially the bombastic nature that is São Paulo funk mandelão, as Speed using that head-rattling style in somehow a weirdly tasteful way. The standout of that album is easily "Seven" where it's just this revolving Paulista sushi bar, as you are getting a complete rundown how São Paulo operates - Different automotivo styles, ritmado, and even the scary tinnitus shit that get us gringos clapping like seals. All that madness on top of Speed saying bullshit (both in English and Portuguese) like "Yeah I like to suck Ronaldo's...., " and despite it all, it's mind-numbingly good. I know that a few of those producers that he's working with are like gringo TikTok producers (is that even a thing.. how sad lmao), however you can tell DJ Luan PJ had a huge play on this tune, as the quality difference between this and the other tunes is pretty staggering. Hope this really wasn't a one-off, because that 700mg of caffeine energy that Speed has all the time is perfect for funk.
2014 forever man....
36. glosuka - fuck ur life [Prod. Chaosysl]
SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN STAN!!
glosuka really made one of the craziest earworms of the year with "fuck ur lyfe" where it sounds like he's floating and breakdancing over a cramped Project X party crowd. Houston's ChaosYSL plays a huge part in that as this beat feels like I'm flatlining while I'm trying to jerk for this death cult's recruitment video - There's these 3 stages of destruction with these 808s, as the slow gradual build to them being almost too overbearing is so subtle but effective. glosuka raps like the coolest junior in high school with stuff like "Pull up to the party and I'm like where | 20 bitches playing with my hair" and "I don't wanna party where the teens at," and it got my old ass with my hands in the air like it's a LMFAO set.
EsDeeKid might be the hardest scouser ever to live - Fuck the Beatles. The UK Underground has been one of the best scenes in 2024, where new folks were coming out the woodwork showcasing some of the freshest shit out. "Palaces" sounds like a group of lads in tracksuits hanging out in a mid 90s Memphis graveyard - Despite its "jerkiness," it has that UK-bass-like drive holding it down, however there's still this tinge of sinisterness creeping behind it all, as everything feels so smokey and dissociatin here. Don't sleep on Rico Ace though - "Got pushed to the side | Make you feel like Vikkstar" is one of my favorite lines from anybody this year. Just infectious music.
CHAPOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Houston's Mel V Chapo is like the Juggernaut in music form. From the moment you press play on one of their songs, she already left a whole ass Mel V Chapo-sized hole in your living room, as she running through everything like a possessed bull. Thankfully their songs are like so short, because if this was anything over 100 seconds, I'm pretty sure my ears will start melting. Like what she said at the beginning, Crashout Music.
33. T Bone - Stevie Wonder [Prod. Michigan Meech]
The hardest rapper in Michigan right now, I swear to god. Thanks to Shittyboy legend Babytron, we get to see what Eeyore would be doing if he really fucked with the Detroit Lions, and it's a really beautiful thing. T Bone's voice is just slathered in melatonin, as if he's doing this on downers, and it works so well with those precise Michigan beats (Milwaukee stuff too!) because he's really floating on this shit. Incredible, laugh-out-loud wordplay too. "Stand tall with the Glock 21 like I'm Tim Duncan | Me and my bitch London finna take a flight to London." I can't even count how many times I randomly spurted out "Chop sound like Thunder..... *Raspberry noise*" this year, even at work lmao. For some weird reason, he nuked his YouTube channel with all of his videos, so I have scraping at the bit trying to find his stuff, because it's one of 2024's underrated highlights.
Realest rapper on planet earth today. "You let me sleep on the couch, I ain't wanna go home | brodie, how could I ever forget?" and "High school, I used to always wear the same shoes and clean 'em and act like they new" are lines that have stuck with me all year. One of the DMV's best rising stars right now.
More UK insanity and this time, we have Southeast London's SINN6R - All I can think about this song other than "holy fucking shit," is how this could fit perfectly on an episode of Skins. Fits that crazy party vibe so well, but if everybody was robots. Just ridiculous.
Chicago's Chuckyy sounds like he's living off an eternal supply of Sudafed laced with caffeine - He has such a nasally voice, devoid of emotion most of the time, despite rapping with so much fast fervor; Chuckyy sounds like he doesn't have any time of your bullshit. A lot of the stuff he raps on leans between either stuff that accompanies the saddest scene in a Gears of War game or the complete and utter end of the world. "Bumblebee" sounds like he's a Chicago gargoyle flying across buildings, viewing the fire and brimstone beneath him. Incredibly haunting and a perfect soundtrack to his constantly crumbling world.
WHAT THE FUCK Y'ALL KNOW ABOUT 64 ZOO LANE YOU UNCULTURED SWINE - THANK YOU HOUSTON LEGEND TENKAY AND IRISH ICON S1NINJA.
27. tisakorean, Mighty Bay, Three! - Whiteboy Wasted [Prod. tisakorean]
I don't know how Tisa and gang managed to encapsulate the pure aesthetic of the East Texas State College Frat Bruhs, but I feel like I'm back on campus at SFA looking at their ridiculous fits, however if you told me this was a song from a Dallas dance group in 2009, I would totally believe you because this would be blaring at my 8th grade dance while I got on a super gaudy polo shirt. Tisa is for real like those historical Youtubers who like live the gimmick of their era, like that one dude who lives like it's the 1700s, however he's eternally stuck in 2008 and won't get out of there anytime soon. Best in the world.
marked is the darkest look at South London alchemist Klein yet, as they have switched from their usual glitchy sound collage hodgepodge of R&B and various surreal motifs to straight up industrial drone noise metal. Nobody's seriously doing it like them. Klein's guitar pivot is like Rebirth era Lil Wayne, however the moment Klein starts playing on stage, everyone in the audience is immediately cursed and dies. "Blow The Whistle" feels like a giant behemoth monster chasing after me - The bellowing, rumbly demon that surrounds this song is bone chilling, and the moment those accursed drums starts kicking in, it's like you've been put under a Quan-Chi-ass spell to go towards your doom. As the song progresses, that monster is getting closer and closer until they catch you and grind you up into a fine powder. Incredibly desolate.
24. jackzebra - 认真你就输了 [Prod. kindenthe3rd]
Chengdu's jackzebra might honestly be the one to save us from all this hell in the world - Upon my discovery with him with 2023's Jack1888 Mixtape, I felt like I stumbled upon an angel from the Bible - Through this sludge of autotune crooning that I'm sure native speakers could barely decipher, it felt like I was lifted by their wings and given guidance on the rights and wrongs in life; There's something strangely therapeutic about listening to jackzebra. I feel so free of the burdens in life whilst a 22 year old Chinese kid is rapping real shit over some of the most beautiful beats ever created by man. "认真你就输了 (If you serious you lose)" is jack talking about losing his entire shit over this opulent chandelier of a beat that feels like a coronation of a king. Beautiful strings blanketed over 2010 pop music and basslines that feel like a century ahead of anything else in the arrangement, while our troubled king is slurring through angrily (你瞅什么瞅我心情不好你先离我远一点好不好我要杀人了我要大爆发了我要去坐牢了 - What are you looking at? I'm in a bad mood. Please stay away from me. I'm going to kill someone. I'm going to explode. I'm going to go to jail.). Regardless of the reckless intent, it makes you feel something; Something so above and beyond anything else in underground music at the moment.
23. J.P - Bad Bitty [Prod. J.P & P tha Producer]
HEYYYYY HUUUUUUU BOWWWWWWWWWW
Can you believe that this came out in 2024
Listening to Absolute Elsewhere for the first time was one of my favorite moments of the year - One of the few albums in recent memory that made me geek throughout like a little schoolgirl. The Colorado outfit transport you on this cosmic journey through space and time and riffs and your 3-times-removed uncle's Prog Rock record collection. While those classic callbacks and beautiful synthy scapes are some of the best reasons why this is one of the best Death Metal albums in recent memory, it's the merciless glimpses into alien hell like "The Message [Tablet I]" that make Blood Incantation one of the best bands in the universe today. They do not hold back here either - Like what gives them the right to do this space alien slam metal shit??? The moment I heard those chugs at 3:15, I literally yelled at the wall I was facing "THERE'S SERIOUSLY NO FUCKING WAY," and it was from then on, I was flung into hyperspace. The way the riff speeds up and the band gets more chaotic, blast beats raining down upon the whole galaxy, feels like a lazer gatling gun vaporizing you to nothing. Then you realize there's still 17 more minutes of the song left so you have to pick up your own smithereens to experience one of the greatest sides in metal history.
Oklahoma's Peeling Flesh is a band almost too good to be true - Like what do you mean you're a slam metal band influenced by DJ Screw and Memphis rap? How the fuck are y'all not corny? These guys are insane. Record scratches to rattle your brain, double bass pedals that hit like Apache helicopters on any sound system, deep 90s Memphis rap cuts from hell - They honestly have it all and "Perc 3000" is the perfect encapsulation of all of those batshit insane qualities. Their playing is so tight too; That drummer is a machine with that beautiful trash can snare. Just stupid fun music that I still cannot stop playing.
Earlier I mentioned myspacemark and this legion of kids bringing 2013 rap back, and here, this is the team captain of the collective, diegointhedark. Full disclosure, I for real thought these dudes were just Russian, however they are making some of the most interesting underground rap in NorCal at the moment. I've said it again and again, but Imogen Heap samples feel like cheating however god damn, it's just so irresistibly good.
But as for the song, Diego is like an angelic cherub who watched too many Ecco2k videos in 240p, as I am consistently just brought to that era hearing this kid's music. So nostalgic, yet it still feels so 2024. Perfect homage done here, however for blowing-up factor, I really feel diego has that potential as it's such a fresh approach to an older sound. Lastly,
18. MGNA CRRRTA - CONTAGIOUS
New York electropop duo MGNA CRRRTA is like if you took 2000s Newgrounds music and Techno Kitty Adventure and showed them all of the original Gossip Girl while on copious amount of acid. There's so much hazy griminess to their party-filled sound, it's like you're looking at these girls in a mirage where they're both serving 2000s Ashley Tisdale realness. Their vocals are barely decipherable however they just put you in a trance, as if you're staring endlessly at a light show in the club drooling like a toddler. Do not sleep on Ginger's production, as she has been a big part to the pure insanity of their sound. Making some of the best electro-adjacent sounds I've seen from anybody today. Sure more folks will be hearing about these girls come 2025.
Vietnam is another country that has another deep pool just flooding with insane talent: Chó Phú Quôc, Pilgrim Raid, Rắn Cạp Đuôi, however the one that has stuck me ever since discovering them has been Aprxel aka Vũ Hà Anh aka Diva S, an alt-R&B goddess from Hanoi who is making some of the best shit in the genre today (A lot of these folks come from the collective Mona Evie, which many more should be aware of). It really feels like a combination of the futuristic nature of shit in the early 10s and then also the classic, pristine sound of R&B from the late 90s and early 00s that we love so much, and then you bring in Aprxel's sultry, incredible vocals on top of it... It's practically unfair how good she is. While she dabbles with more experimental things, her lead single for her recent release Love Ampule, "Cuba," is a much more conventional R&B tune, however there's that homage to the early 00s that I was talking about where I feel like I'm trapped inside of a Vietnamese UPN show intro song. It's so freeing - One of my favorite tunes to blare while I'm driving the backroads with all the windows down.
New York's Bloody! is a nasty motherfucker man lmao - Give a few minutes of your time to dig through their music and what you can gather is that this dude lives in the darkest sewers in the city, as Bloody!'s music is some of the grimiest, vulgar evil spells out of anyone in the current underground. Team him up with one of the greatest to ever do it, Florida legend KRXXK, and you get this giant orb of dark energy that rips the skin off your bones if you get too close to it. "Call My Plug" feels like I'm being slowly buried alive by these two; Especially with those echoey, intoxicating vocals, it's like I can feel myself slowly drifting away while the pile of bones they're throwing on me crushes me on some Giles Corey shit. KRXXK is someone who I herald endlessly, however like, who the fuck else can make beats like this?? Just vats of acid and every corrosive material being thrown on a DAW and you get one of the greatest producers this generation. Pure evil.
Do y'all remember back when MTV reality shows used to show what song was playing during certain scenes? rada's "payme" is exactly the type of shit I would've discovered back in the day during a Jersey Shore scene where the cast are having another wild club night out. It's so bubbly and early 2010s, I want to go get a pair of 3D glasses at the theaters and pop out the lenses to relive the glory days. However, above all the endless fun in this tune, producer Endeavor makes this feel like you're army crawling all over this haze of a dancefloor, full of hypnotized party-goers dancing like it's the end of the world. rada's whispery, but firm delivery ("If you want that new shit | Gotta pay me for it") has you at her doorstep with a comically large bag of money ready for more. Someone you should look out for in 2025.
The hardest folks in New York right now is Brooklyn's Troopers, a group of dudes bringing back that 2017 early NY drill sound, but if it was shot through a particle accelerator. They gravitate towards some of the most insane beats in the city, and it really has made waves. Nunnie Da III is easily my favorite member - The moment I saw that he had those wolverine-ass sideburns, I knew he was different. However they all sound like they're primed for World War III - So much frantic energy that they all trade in their songs. Both songs here show how hot this shit was in the city this year. Bouta hitstick my granny.
Alright, so take the best bite-sized surreal Dean Blunt moments, mix it with some hard classic road rap, and then give it all a 10 week course on 2013 cloud rap, you get London's Saviour fakemink, a 19 year old artist who looks like they can carry the UK underground all by themself. "Truffle" is so dreamy, as if you're floating through a k-hole while mink is quipping quotables from this throne - "I'm the best 'ting ever like a motherfuckin' cinnamon roll" and "I'm ahead of this game like I read the patch notes | But the way that I do it, man they think I hack though......" The fucking future man.
Orlando, Florida goblin child anarchy is the most insane 15 year old band kid in the world right now, and as a former band kid, that is saying ALOT. I discovered them a couple of years ago when they were practically a fetus, making some of the most world-ending shit on any side of SoundCloud - They had a xaviersobased feature at fucking 11 years old for christ sake lmfao. As they've grown, the insanity is only expanding, as they continue to prove me right by calling him the chosen one a couple of years ago. anarchy's music is so earth-moving and massive, which is such a contrast to his endlessly hilarious personality - He's like a demigod jester of destruction floating over entire hurricane ready to wreck havoc and goofy shit anywhere he shows up. "superbowl" ain't got shit to do with CTE or foosball, however he got the remix god dj ess to conjure up a mystic spirit bomb to tell my 29 year old ass how trash I am while he's dressed up like a Saints Row character. Ain't no better music than that.
8. Pablo Skywalkin - Why you aint call / Ball on me
The revitalization of Detroit rapper Pablo Skywalkin this year should be studied for a millennia - 10 years ago, he was showing his raucous personality over tight Detroit beats, and as time went on, he was just becoming another dude. Fast forward to today, it seems like he got bit by the same bug Lil B got bit by, as he's turned into this post-based lowend Midwest god, making him one of the best characters in hip hop today. From freestyles inside of the Barnes and Nobles, to inspirational TikToks and ridiculous dance moves, Pablo easily wins the Most Improved Player of the Year award practically unanimously, as this rebirth has been genius. "Why you aint call" and "Ball on me" are the yin and yang of his genius - The former, a small little Milwaukee ditty that shows Pablo's absurdity, lamenting about the loss of a girl through their phone inside of a Walmart. And then "Ball on me," he's like for real rapping on here, where he spends the last minute of the song losing his entire mind with no beat playing. It's ecstatic, and a lot of that is attributed to his hype man in his videos, Trill, as his energy could convince me I could do anything. Music should always be this fun.
Crank Valhalla with 2 of the best in the DMV - Their versatility and ability to rap over some of the most insane things in rap today makes them shine so bright in a region full of sheen. Especially the more electronic-centered beats, it feels like I'm listening to new age Main Attraktionz when these two link up. "Guitar Hero" is like a Guitar Hero 3 era boss battle where Jaeychino and Jodyboof are using all of their convoluted powerups to make you fail within seconds. There's this warm rush that crashes over you like waves within this beat and it makes me feel like I'm floating just a few centimeters off the ground, just gliding through it all. It has all that great, early 10s cloud rap goodness, but if you gave it football pads with spikes on them. It's about time the DMV gets some proper respect from here on out.
OOOUAAAAAAAAAAAAaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaHHHHHHHHHHHHAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAaaaaAaaaaaaAAAAhhhHH
Genuinely the epitome of pluggnb - There's no way anyone can touch the heights wokeups has achieved this year. Both songs here may seem over-the-top to some, however that's just because you're boring lol. This is beautiful music. The autotune yelling feels like he's yelling from the heavens, beaming with glory where slowly his word transforms the world into a much better place. So incredibly inventive - It feels like we'll be looking at wokeups over the next couple of years when we see weirder and most embellished singing like this. As what he says on "hansen," "I've innovating this shit for a damn year." Put respect on his name.
America (Death to it for sure tho) and Dubstep - The two together could drive the average Briton mad to the point where I'm sure someone over there has a blunderbuss pointed at the screen right now, however as someone who got to experience that craze as a teenager, I've really grown to love the strain of 'dubstep' that has been conjured here over the years. No, I'm not talking about fucking Bassnectar, but moreso, the way dubstep on this side of the pond has taken a much more maximalist, in-your-face approach, rather than the slightly moodier and deeper feel that originated in the UK (I love both don't get me wrong lol). Like seriously, kids don't understand the pure befuddlement of hearing something like "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" or "X Rated" at the time because especially for me, music wasn't as readily available and if you want to wait 10 minutes to listen to a song on Youtube, you might be lucky, so this was alien even to me!
However a decade and a half later, dubstep here still feels like it hasn't properly progressed to that next frontier where it needs to be - It feels like it's been in this eternal prison of being watered down to fratbro brostep or low IQ music by the average big head music person, however I really do think there's so much promise to dubstep and a lot of it is thanks to one person. Funnily enough, I've known about Huntington Beach's Syzy since the fabled dariacore days of 2021 (Sorry Miss Jane Remover You Can Send The AC-130 If You Want I'm Cool With It Tbh), as their side-account syzy2 was one of the scene's best projects overall. Despite that, Syzy is a dubstep producer through and through, and they really do seem like the next chosen one, as their debut album The weight of the world feels like that next frontier that I previously mentioned that was sorely needed in the genre. Hearing that album gave me the same shocking feeling being a kid and seeing a PS3 game being revealed for the 1st time in the mid 2000s after being exposed to PS2 pixely 360p messes my whole life before - There's so much fidelity and depth in Syzy's sound design, it really is a whole new world to the average listener.
"Take My Energy" is seriously one of the most emotional things I have heard in a very long time. These synths that seem like they have the weight of the world (...... hehehehehe) just envelop you all over like a 7 million dollar blanket with a sense of comfort and serenity that has never been reached with a sound this LARGE - Incredibly euphoric and goosebump-inducing to the point where you scared and gotta call a doctor. Syzy's really the future though - One of the handful of people who really get me excited for music in the future.
Where do I even start with this kid - Pimiento Bueno's (now São Paulo-based) d.silvestre has flipped the ecosystem of funk upside its head like an asteroid threatening all of humanity. His corrosive, bombastic sound has made him a rising star in these circles for the past couple of years. I've been following his every move like a crazed stan, because THERE'S NO ONE ELSE DOING THIS SHIT RIGHT NOW. I could honestly just put all of his output this year as an entry, because it's THAT prolific, however I can save that for a different time. What you need to know though is that this kid is making veteran producers all over the world look like baby shit, as he's taking every insane thing about funk bruxaria and turning it up until the knob falls off the fucking machine. These two tracks here showcase that, as you get the best of both worlds.
"TAKA FOGO..." uses that bombastic low-end that gets gringos clapping like seals and throws it onto the set of the Blair Witch Project. It's like d.silvestre is casting a spell inside of your ears and all you can do is wait for your doom. Dry-Spongebob-At-Sandy's-House-Ass Beat. And then "BEAT MATEMÁTICO" has enough high-pitched tuin noises, I'm sure you're seeing the great loló god in the sky halfway through. The two songs are different in their styles, however their goal is the still the same: Destroy Everything Around You. Despite their sound being so angry and in-your-face, d.silvestre is such a character and an absolute saint - It's hard not to root for their success. All I'm hoping is that we get this motherfucker in the states come 2025, as we need some folks to be vaporized lmao.
"I made this shit on BandLab inna basement" is what exclaims Georgia's Lazer Dim 700 at the beginning of the year on the KRXXK war hymn "SPEED RACIN." Fast forward a few months, this 23 year old has become one of the biggest stars in underground rap - It's a trajectory that still baffles me to this day and it's something I'll be yapping about when I'm old as shit and got hearing aids on while surfing SoundCloud in 2075 (website will be the same too). What made Lazer so popular was his ability to just be himself - No embellishing or extra things to his persona. Just a dude who loves to rap and have fun on crazy shit.
While he is still making nothing but heat, mingling with other underground stars, and still staying true, it's that initial rise that made him so great. From the early lo-fi days with stuff like DISASTER, you could tell he had something special. He takes all these Atlanta motifs and mix it all into a sludge and you end up with Mister Lazer himself. As time went on, he just kept getting better and better.
Hearing the snippet for "Injoyable" the first time lit a fire inside of my old ass - I kept running around telling everybody "YEAH HE'S THE CHOSEN ONE" while they all looking at me weird, however this energy is still unmatched from just about anyone in rap today. Add in Spongebob 808s that could rattle any Honda Civic to their might with Lazer leading his legion of Plaqueboymax-addicted-fanboy minions to attack, you have 76 seconds of a Mad Max attack from hell. While I don't think he'll ever go back to that strictly raw lo-fi sound, I hope that folks can realize that you don't need to fanciest, most high tech vocal presets to strive. Just be your true self and the rest will pan out. 2024's MVP for sure. 2025 will sure to be an even bigger year for Lazer as well. FAWKKKK.
Now this is a number one entry that I unironically never thought would ever be possible. After almost a decade of silence, we finally got something from one of the greatest producers in history of our time, Glasgowian legend Rustie. And what we got was.... not that much in quantity, however in terms of size of the sounds, it's like Rustie is taking that epic wall-of-noise feeling from 2015's EVENIFUDONTBELIEVE and somehow elevating it even further. There's no drums, no crazy doohickeys or sounds that'll catch you offguard, no dancey numbers with AlunaGeorge - What Rustie gave us are these ginormous waves of bassy synths that are just crashing through everything in its way. Like if Rustie has been meditating in the mountains for 10 years and this is what he has seen. When this was first announced, I seriously thought someone was fucking with me, and then next thing you know, we had a whole ass new Rustie tune and I then became crazy for days - Like this is D'Angelo Black Messiah My Bloody Valentine MBV levels of surprise insanity.
I've seen many folks that were disappointed by these releases, however I'm not sure if they were listening to this on some bullshit Airpods or what, because on speakers, I feel like I'm genuinely holding on for dear life whilst Rustie is just blasting away like spaceship leaving the atmosphere. It's breathtaking, and make you feel like everything is frozen in time. While time passed and I was still playing the shit out of these songs from time to time, I got this message from someone that I will choose to censor for privacy sake:
Y'all, when I say that I did this, I'm fucking serious
It had me up for days, during a time where I was really contemplating my entire being and purpose for doing these dumb lists and going out of my way to make these ridiculously long guides for y'all. It made it all worth it with a simple message like this. I'm not saying that you, the average reader, don't make me feel fulfilled by reading - It makes my life. However, knowing that my love for music and how that can spread all the way out to where some of the greatest to ever do it are mustering up the ability to make wonderful music again. It will never fail to break my noggin. However, if we don't get a single Rustie tune ever again after this, I'll be perfectly fine. These tunes feel like a short message from him letting us know that he's okay and above all else, that's what I want for him. Bless Rustie and bless you all for all sharing this love of music with me.
Welp
Another insane list done and dusted - What a year this was. Every time I make these lists, the one constant thought I have is "How long can I keep doing this shit???" and honestly, this particular list being out is a miracle in itself. I'll try to keep doing this as long as I got ears that work, so this will be a ritual for as long as I got internet. Again, I appreciate you all for sticking with me for this long and actually going through all this bullshit - You're just as crazy as me.
However, I appreciate y'all so much and hope you have a wonderful 2025!
Till next time....