When the world seemed like it was melting (not literally, but that too), we had music.
2016 was an electrifying year for new tunes. We got two surprise albums from Frank Ocean, a spiritual and groundbreaking collection of anthems from Chance the Rapper, and consistent pop excellence from Ariana Grande, Rihanna, Beyoncé, and much more all made a tumultuous year a little more bearable.
In a feat that at times seemed impossible due to the sheer amount of wonderful music made this year, Mashablerounded up the top 11 tunes put out in 2016. Enjoy, and don't @ us.
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Credit: rae sremmurd/youtubeThe mannequin challenge might have been what launched this song into the American conscious during the last few months of 2016, but brash hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd has been hustling for years. The duo enlisted Atlanta's own Gucci Mane for one of his first post-jail hits on "Black Beatles." The brothers still exude youthfulness, now with an edge. It's a relatively mellow party anthem that still manages to get anyone hype when the first verse begins and the drums kick in. They're the rockstars of Generation-Z (see 'No Flex Zone' and 'No Type' for further evidence) and this ubiquitous banger proves it.
Credit: calvin harris/youtube"This Is What You Came For" was the early summer anthem everyone needed this year. Rihanna supplies the perfect amount of cool on a hot track by Calvin Harris. It's not much in terms of deep lyrics (shoutout to songwriter Nils Sjöberg aka Taylor Swift) or moving vocals, but it's an undeniably catchy song that manages to wedge itself in that nook of your brain that can't let things go. Harris, pop music's well-oiled machine, delivers per usual.
Credit: Does. Real. Ass. Music /youtubeThe infectious bubblegum beat was the perfect canvas for 2016’s breakout stars: D.R.A.M. and Lil Yatchy. It's a single that came out of nowhere for D.R.A.M., who released his debut studio album this year. Lil Yatchy's easily digestible verse adds a dash of subdued energy to D.R.A.M.'s rambunctious lyrics throughout.
What makes this track really pop, however, is that you can practically hear D.R.A.M.'s smile beaming from start to finish — and it's beckoning you to smile along with him, a reflex almost impossible to deny (especially if you've seen that hysterically adorable album cover).
Credit: mitski/youtubeOn "Your Best American Girl," Mitski's unrelenting rawness continuously lets listeners have a peek at what's going on in her heart. It's a pure declaration of defied expectations and the heartbreaking story of love that couldn't quite surpass cultural differences. The track, which starts off gently and ends with soaring vocals, is vulnerable but does not leave room for sympathy. Rather, she charges into the distorted void continuing to grow, move and live.
Credit: ariana grande/youtubeThe pop princess entered 2016 with every intention to seize the throne and, with her album Dangerous Woman, she provides a compelling case. Grande's title track shows off her vocal chops in a remarkable manner, elevating her among the ranks of superstar with each high note. "Nothing to prove and I'm bulletproof and / know what I'm doing," might be a line directed to a lover in the song, but it also encompasses everything Grande has been working for this year. "Dangerous Woman"is a sultry anthem that exudes power and grace, with a side of electrifying guitar riffs.
Credit: childish gambino vevo/youtubeChildish Gambino took us all on an unexpected trip back to the 1970s with his genre-bending album Awaken, My Love! — a wild dispatch from his bass-heavy work of the past. In a move that surprised many, the album is full of funk and vocals pitched both high and low — and "Redbone," the second single dropped by Gambino, is the epitome of the project. It's gentle, with funk overtones weaved into a piercing falsetto that finds him singing about paranoia and fear. And while he was clearly inspired by black art of the past, Gambino manages to make it all sound fresh and exciting.
Credit: solange knowles/youtube"Cranes in the Sky" is a song that details Solange Knowles' own process of dealing with a changing relationship. For many, the song came at the perfect time — helping to sort through what it means to try to protect oneself in the midst of dealing with the struggles of being black in America. "I tried to drink it away... I tried to change it with my hair... I tried to dance it away," she croons — trying every which way to make things better. While the song doesn't actually tell us what to do to ease any sort pain, its gentle tone itself is a tool to make it all go "away, away, away" — for at least a glorious four minutes and 10 seconds. She has healing powers, basically.
Credit: chance the rapper/youtubeWe might have been inundated with challenges this year, but probably the biggest and most unspoken one is trying to stand still while listening to Chance the Rapper's boastful and euphoric single "No Problem." The independent rapper coaxed Lil Wayne out of pseudo retirement and called upon 2 Chainz to piece together 2016's most energetic song with the word "diarrhea" in it.
The track's vigor proves to be contagious to fans (which, if you haven't heard, includes the Obama family), and it's essentially the thesis of Chance's story as a musician. With one line, he chronicles his overcoming of major labels and naysayers who have tried to stand in the way — all who have clearly failed by the sheer pervasiveness of the track.
"If one more label try to stop me, there's gonna be some dreadhead n*ggas in the lobby," he raps with the confidence and ferocity of a 23-year-old kid from the South Side of Chicago. And while he and his team might have changed the game entirely with a handful of Grammy nominations, it's safe to say that there is probably a whole lot more Chance will be surprising us with in the coming years.
Credit: Debodo productions/vimeoWe waited and waited and waited. We were confused and let down over the past four years — then BAM. The elusive Frank Ocean rocket-launched two albums, Blondeand Endless, and the visuals for the lead single "Nikes" into the night sky. The millions of fans who had sworn they were over him, and those who had remained loyal, got more than they could have asked for.
"Nikes" proved to be different than much of the singer's previous work, as were the two releases, but the same vulnerable heart that pulsed through "Channel Orange" and "Nostalgia, Ultra" still shined throughout the track, despite the high-pitched and unrecognizable voice that wails throughout. The song tackles themes of love and materialism while also paying tribute to Pimp C, A$AP Yams, and Trayvon Martin ("That n*gga looks just like me"). It's a poignant and yearning track that deserves a million plays and a million more conversations.
Credit: snl/streamablesIt's been said many times at this point, but yes, 2016 has been quite the year for Kanye West. But before the tour cancellations and controversial political statements, there was "Ultralight Beam" — the lead track on The Life of Pablothat condensed the fervor of a spirit-shaking church sermon into one tune. The track opens with the fierce voice of a girl praising at the top of her little lungs. Kirk Franklin, Kelly Price, The Dream and an amazing choir all have their remarkable moments on the song. Chance the Rapper also comes through, delivering what will go down as a pivotal verse in his career. But it's 'Ye's first lines that are the most important. "Deliver us serenity / Deliver us peace / Deliver us loving / We know we need it," he says. On "Ultralight Beam," Kanye forces us all to dig deep and search for our respective understanding of what our own Ultralight Beams look like.
Credit: beyonce/youtubeWith just a few verses and a simple shoutout to Red Lobster, Beyoncé showed us all that she really does have the power to stop the world, and it's proven over and over again every time "Formation" is played.
From her throne, she gave the world the track and an accompanying video (featuring Blue Ivy!) out of nowhere on a cold Saturday, turned around and surprised us with a Black Panther and Michael Jackson-inspired performance on Super Bowl Sunday and then announced a world tour. All on the back of a song that is under five minutes. And it worked. The world stopped. It takes a special song to cause the range of reactions that "Formation" brought out of folks this year. When it wasn't being lauded as an essential anthem for black folks everywhere, it was in the middle of the constant conversations about appropriation (ahem, Amy Schumer). It even sparked a Beyoncé boycott, something she of course monetized. Your fave could never.
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