50 best rap songs of 2015
2015's highlight reel stretches far and wide. Drake kicked the year off with "Know Yourself," debutant Vince Staples held the "Summertime" down and Pusha T closed the year feeling "Untouchable." Here are the 50 best rap songs of 2015, as voted on by Genius.com visitors. — Michael Heal
50. Tyler, the Creator feat. Lil Wayne & Kanye West - "Smuckers"Dreams do come true, at least for Tyler, the Creator. While the outspoken rapper had a terrible year in the media, nothing could dampen seeing idols Lil Wayne and Kanye West jump on his track. With the best opening couplet of 2015: “Richer than white people with black kids / Scarier than black people with ideas” Yeezy hopped on his Late Registration flow in arguably his best feature of 2015. Similarly, Weezy takes things back to  Tha Carter II days with two show stopping verses. Although Tyler narrowly escaped being “renegaded,” credit is due for cultivating one of the top tracks of the year. — Ben Carter
49. YG - "Twist My Fingaz"48. Bryson Tiller - "Sorry Not Sorry"47. Rae Sremmurd - "Come Get Her"46. Young Thug - "Best Friend"45. Future - "Fuck Up Some Commas"44. King Los feat. Marsha Ambrosius- "War"43. Earl Sweatshirt - "Faucet"42. Ty Dolla $ign feat. Future & Rae Sremmurd - "Blasé"41. Vic Mensa feat. Kanye West - "U Mad"40. Isaiah Rashad - "Nelly"Isaiah keeps to the winning formula with producers Chris Calor and The Antydote for his first single since 2014’s Cilvia Demo. The fluid, soothing song sees Rashad provide the personal lyrics he’s known for. The song title refers to the success of rapper Nelly: “Cause what these niggas on, is not my favorite song” — Rashad embraces individuality and encourages fans to rock out no matter what anyone thinks.. — YahwehSolomon
39. Mick Jenkins - "P's & Q's"38. Freddie Gibbs - "Careless"37. Future feat. Drake - "Where Ya At"36. Kanye West feat. Paul McCartney - "Only One"35. Travis Scott feat. Kacy Hill - "90210"34. Meek Mill feat. Tory Lanez - "Lord Knows"33. Jay Rock - "Gumbo"32. Action Bronson feat. Chance The Rapper - "Baby Blue"31. The Game feat. Drake - "100"30. Pusha T - "Untouchable"If anyone knows the key to success, it’s Pusha T. Aided by a Biggie sample, King Push flexes his lyrical prowess over a dark Timbaland instrumental. From Donald Trump references, to Birdman disses and pop-culture mentions, Pusha  vacuum packs the wordplay. When it comes to D-Boy rap, Pusha T really is "Untouchable".
— Michael Heal
29. Lupe Fiasco feat. Ayesha Jaco - "Prisoner 1 & 2"28. A$AP Rocky - "L$D"27. Mac Miller - "100 Grandkids"26. Logic feat. Big Lenbo - "Young Jesus"25. Post Malone - "White Iverson"24. Vince Staples - "Señorita"23. Drake & Future - "Jumpman"22. Big Sean feat. Drake & Kanye West - "Blessings"21. Dr. Dre feat. Marsha Ambrosius, King Mez & Kendrick Lamar - "Darkside/Gone"20. Young Thug - "Check"God forbid somebody actually started paying Young Thug in checks instead of cash—he makes the stack phone look way too cool. And while no checks show up in the video for “Check,” the rest of the aesthetic stays true to his form: junk food, left-field fashion choices (a Hooters tank-top, anyone?), and a blatant disregard for money. Thug is one of the few artists out there whose videos perfectly capture the song’s intentions, and it succeeds in complementing the turn-up anthem. Unlike other stand-out tracks of his from 2015, “Check” doesn’t see too many vocal twists or absurd lyrics, and that in itself makes for a jarring experience contrary to what’s expected. You never know what you’re going to get out of Young Thug, but you know disappointment isn’t in the cards. — Brian Duricy
19. Chance The Rapper feat. Saba - "Angels"18. A$AP Rocky feat. Mark Ronson, Rod Stewart & Miguel - "Everyday"17. Joey Bada$$ - "Paper Trail$"16. Skepta - "Shutdown"15. Vince Staples - "Norf Norf"14. Earl Sweatshirt - "Grief"13. Kanye West feat. Paul McCartney, Theophilus London & Allan Kingdom - "All Day"12. Drake - "Back To Back"11. Kendrick Lamar - "The Blacker The Berry"10. Jay Rock feat. Black Hippy - "Vice City"Posse cuts remain the domain of the true hip hop head and Jay Rock’s "Vice City" is no exception. Black Hippy houses four of the most lyrical and musically talented rappers in the game, including one who sits atop the rap totem pole. And yet, it was Schoolboy Q who came through with the W. While the crew uses the same flow throughout, Groovy Q adds his own spin, throwing shade at himself, while tempering the verse with some braggadocio. The unique flow that Kendrick introduces on the hook immediately grabs attention, and any track that mentions "cheese eggs" gets an iron clad stamp of approval. — Ben Carter
9. Lupe Fiasco - "Mural"As the title suggests, “Mural” is a sonic painting. Just hearing the opening keys is enough to provoke a dramatic escape. Lupe doesn't so much invite you into his mind as forcibly drop you there. Entranced by the cadence of repeating piano chords, we're at his mercy. The strain of conscious thought oscillates wildly between existential musings, Freudian slips into childhood, and religious opinion pieces. “Mural” is a hip-hop wet dream of lyricism paired with technical ingenuity. — Ben Carter
8. Fetty Wap - "Trap Queen"“I’m like ‘Hey, what’s up, hello’”: Very few times has a rapper entered stardom with such welcoming first words. “Trap Queen” is the song that launched Fetty Wap into fame, something he saw coming from the moment he heard the beat. And boy, was he right. The song went on to reach the top 40 in fifteen countries, went platinum in five, and was even the most streamed song of the year on Spotify in the US. The one-eyed trapper’s catchy ode to his "trap queen" is one of the most successful songs of the year.
— MvdS
7. Future - "March Madness"The haunting piano introduces a pained Future on "March Madness," balancing social commentary with his established ethos. In a year where he made distraught euphoria a tangible feeling, was there any moment more powerful than his howling “Future Hendrix Dirty Sprite legendary!”, an acknowledgement of the destructive forces that allowed his ascent to legendary status? Though he didn’t completely leave his lane like Pusha T did on the standout “Sunshine,” the poignant lines hit hard through the desperation he expressed. Future owned 2015 through his ability to draw multiple guests and subject matters into his orbit, staking the claim for Pluto as its own planet once again. — Brian Duricy
6. Travi$ Scott - "Antidote"Initially nothing more than “vibes for the summer,” “Antidote” was created as a placeholder for Travis' highly anticipated Rodeo. However upon its immediate popularity, was added to the tracklist last minute, becoming one Travis' most notable songs. The listener is thrust into the passenger seat of Travis’ partying lifestyle the second “Antidote” starts. The rapper’s unique auto-tune infused voice allows him to deliver an infectious summer anthem still being played long after summer's end. — drxw
5. Drake - "Know Yourself"On the headline song from Drake’s surprise mixtape If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, Drizzy reminisces and reflects: “Runnin' through the six with my woes!” he raps, the lyric quickly becoming the masses favorite catch-phrase. Co-written by Quentin Miller, this would later ignite controversy (fueled by Meek Mill, among others) claiming Miller and other ghost-writers were the predominant source of Drake’s verses. Simple yet powerful production by hit-makers Boi-1da, Vinylz, and Syk Sense give the song a subtle rhythm that packs heat with every note. — Cosmos
4. Kendrick Lamar - "King Kunta"To describe the funkalious bassline of "King Kunta" as "toe tapping" would be like calling Dr. Dre "quite well off." It channels James Brown and Michael Jackson to make your body move in ways you didn't know it could.
Only a rapper at the very top of the game could hope to make a track like this. Kendrick is simultaneously furious and braggadocios. He boasts that he smells of “the powers that be,” and tears into his pseudo-competition: they’re pretending to be his friends whilst cutting him down, sneakily sharing bars, and despite their boasts of greatness, are only providing token competition. After hearing this, a track far beyond the abilities of most artists, it’s hard to disagree. — Vesuvius
3. Vince Staples - "Summertime"Produced by Clams Casino, the closing track on the first disc of Vince’s debut album Summertime ‘06 is Vince at his most vulnerable. The slowed down, gentle crooning is a drastic change from the harsh, dark style Vince has been known for. It’s honest yearning for companionship and Vince is pouring his heart out in a way we’ve never witnessed before. — YahwehSolomon
2. Drake - "Hotline Bling"
Packaged just before the deadly "Charged Up" on his OVO Sound Radio show, Drake hid a track so infectious even the most hardened pop deniers struggled to make a case against it. Drake didn't need a number 1 hit, he swept pop culture off it's feet once again with simplicity married with undeniable star power. The video was another stroke of genius, ensuring the song lived well past it's used by date via a mountain of memes and cementing Drake at the very top of the pop-rap totem pole. — Ben Carter
1. Kendrick Lamar - "Alright"
With a precise melding of gritty vocals and an infectious beat, “Alright” is an activist anthem, manifesting a critical juncture in American society. Like a maestro, Kendrick composed a song reflecting the collective psyche of a generation, fraught at once with both political unrest and a desire for reluctant hope. Although the song was inspired by his trip to Africa, the message is a universal ode of hardship and the subsequent struggle for change.
Even in its lack of particulars, Kendrick does not shy away from making the root of his lamentation clear; specifically naming the police system. While this was met with backlash from some, the song's melodic, chant-like delivery demands to be heard and not silenced, serving as a beacon to the weary; a moment of respite in a year of brutality. Despite this adversity, Kendrick conveys the human spirit as having a resilient characteristic, capable of smiling even in the midst of pain, and fighting on to see another day.
— Evelyn Blanco (Freeus)
Check out the 20 Best Rap Albums of 2015 here.