As 2017 comes to a close, the O’Colly Entertainment staff looked back at the best rap songs released throughout the year, narrowed them down to the top 15 and rated them in order of societal impact and how great they actually are.
(Warning, literally all of the songs mentioned in this list have explicit lyrics, but they’re dope so you should still listen to them. Words are just words.)
15. Bank Account – 21 Savage
The only song that really blew up off 21 Savage’s sophomore album, “ISSA,” Bank Account was an instant hit. It’s also easy to sing along to because the chorus is just counting numbers.
14. Roll in Peace – Kodak Black ft. Xxxtentacion
The song from Kodak Black’s 27-song album “Project Baby 2: All Grown Up” instantly went mainstream after it was released when he got out of jail.
13. Butterfly Effect – Travis Scott
The Houston rapper strategically dropped “Butterfly Effect” in late May, so it became the anthem of summer 2017.
12. Met Gala – Gucci Mane ft. Offset
Anytime “Guwop” hops on a track with anyone from Migos, it’s pretty much guaranteed to blow up.
11. RAF – A$AP Mob ft. A$AP Rocky, Playboi Carti, Quavo, Lil Uzi Vert & Frank Ocean
A$AP Mob basically pulled a bunch of rappers currently on top of the game together to create one of the best tracks of the year.
10. I Get The Bag – Gucci Mane ft. Migos
Remember what I said earlier about Gucci Mane and Migos?
9. DNA. – Kendrick Lamar
The song from Lamar’s hit album “DAMN.” is super easy to sing along to, and it’s catchy as hell.
8. Magnolia – Playboi Carti
Playboi Carti’s much-anticipated debut album lived up to the hype, with it’s biggest track “Magnolia” captivating the rap scene in early 2017.
Fun Fact: The famous opening lyric is the tag for the song’s producer, Pi’erre Bourne. The line is sampled from an episode of ’90s sitcom, “The Jamie Foxx Show.”
7. Relationship – Young Thug ft. Future
The Atlanta rap juggernauts joined together for a track on Young Thug’s album “BEAUTIFUL THUGGER GIRLS” to make one of the biggest bangers of 2017.
6. No Complaints – Metro Boomin ft. Offset & Drake
The single from super-producer Metro Boomin became an instant hit due to the fact that Metro Boomin, Offset and Drake brought together people who like good music and Drake fans.
5. Rockstar – Post Malone ft. 21 Savage
The melodic rhythym of Post Malone joined together with the trap flow of 21 Savage was the perfect foundation for a mainstream hit that everybody loves.
4. Mask Off – Future
Future seems to have one big single that dominates every year. “Mask Off” was that single this year.
3. HUMBLE. – Kendrick Lamar
“HUMBLE.” is probably the biggest song of Kendrick Lamar’s career. It is a scientific fact that if you play it in a public setting, everyone in the vicinity will yell along to “My left stroke just went viral.”
2. Bad and Boujee – Migos ft. Lil Uzi Vert
The combination of Migos, Lil Uzi Vert and Metro Boomin on a track is unbeatable. This song captivated pop culture in a colossal way. Go ahead, walk up to a random stranger at the mall and tell them “rain drop.” They should know the appropriate response.
1. XO Tour Llif3 – Lil Uzi Vert
I will forever remember the day XO Tour Llif3 was blessed upon us by Lil Uzi Vert. Literally everyone was listening to it. Although it’s vastly different from other hit rap songs, it’s basically perfect in it’s own way. It was easily the best rap song of the year, and one of the best rap songs of all-time. It’s an instant classic.
entertainment.ed@ocolly.com