Top 10 song releases - january 2022
By Philippe Martin 18/02/2022
Here are the 10 best songs of the first month of 2022. There is a mix of singles released for upcoming albums and some standout tracks from the best albums of January. Let me know in the comments what you think about these and if any other singles deserved to make this list.
- Benny the Butcher & J. Cole - Johnny P's Caddy
- Big K.R.I.T. - So Cool
- The Game & Kanye West - Eazy
- Joey Bada$$ - THE R3VENGE
- Rich Brian - Sunny
- The Weeknd - Less Than Zero
- Isaac Zale - Somebody Dies
- Gucci Mane & Lil Durk - Rumors
- Earl Sweatshirt & Armand Hammer - Tabula Rasa
- Cordae & Stevie Wonder - Champagne Glasses (feat. Freddie Gibbs)
Benny the Butcher & J. Cole - Johnny P's Caddy
The Butcher is back and looking for the respect he deserves. The Buffalo artist seems ready to deliver his highly anticipated « Tana Talk 4 » album with this first single featuring J. Cole. Both MCs are at the top of their game with Benny delivering bars about his legacy and Cole putting rappers on the spot for being fake. The latter issue is nothing new in the rap world, but the Dreamville leader makes it fresh by saying that the made-up violent personas portrayed in rap music are what is keeping them from becoming something greater. Produced by The Alchemist, the beat is smooth and dramatic. Overall, this is a great single for the upcoming TT4 album and it sets the bar high for what is to come in the following weeks.
Released 28/01/2022
Big K.R.I.T. - So Cool
It’s Big K.R.I.T. season. And it looks like it will be a good one. « So Cool » is the first single of his upcoming album « Digital Roses Don’t Die » which is scheduled to be released on February 18th. The track is melodic with 2 quick verses and catchy hooks that remind me of the online mixtape era when Big K.R.I.T. was releasing studio-quality music for free on Datpiff. Most of these tapes have been brought to the streaming services last year, so if you’re just discovering the Louisiana artist, it’s a great time to revisit these gems. If this single is representative of what we can expect of the album, it is sure to be in the best releases of February.
Released 21/01/2022
The Game & Kanye West - Eazy
Here’s a great example of a hip-hop track that gets more attention for some Kanye lyrics than for its hidden quality behind the petty drama. The production is amazing with Hit-Boy, Mike Dean, Dj Premier, Ye, Wack 100 and DONTMINDIFIDUKE all getting credits on the song. With this kind of talent, The Game is sure to get a lot of rightfully deserved attention. He is one of the best rappers of the last 20 years and he keeps on proving it with a powerful vocal delivery and great rhymes about the cost of gangbanging. Then comes in Kanye ready to steal the show for the next 2 minutes of the track. It’s great to see him rap his ass off after his 2021 « Donda » album, but it’s a shame that most of the conversation around this single is about his hate for his ex’s new lover.
Released 16/01/2022
Joey Bada$$ - THE R3VENGE
The wait has been very long for a new Joey Bada$$ album, but we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel. « THE R3VENGE » arrives as the first single of his upcoming and untitled third studio album which should arrive sometime in 2022. Without an official release date yet, this Power Pleasant produced single serves as a warning that the New York rapper is back in great shape, ready to grab the attention of the mainstream music industry. His raps about his place in hip-hop and how his success will speak for itself, in the long run, are laid out confidently. With a lone packed verse and a couple of choruses, the track is all about that high energy and braggadocios attitude.
Released 14/01/2022
Rich Brian - Sunny
The 88rising artist is beginning 2022 with an excellent EP titled « Brightside » that contains 4 songs, with « Sunny » closing the project beautifully. It’s the most low-key song of the selection and one of the best for the simple reason that it screams authenticity. We can feel Brian giving us a glimpse inside his life without any sugarcoating or fireworks. Simply him being straightforward with how he feels in this crazy world. The smooth piano loop and the laid-back drums set the stage for him to flow flawlessly with his rhymes. His talent keeps on shining and it’s great to see him continuing to carve his place in the hip-hop scene.
Released 20/01/2022
The Weeknd - Less Than Zero
The last song of his album « Dawn FM » (if we don’t count the spoken outro by Jim Carrey) is one of the best in The Weeknd’s catalogue. On the surface, the song seems very happy with the music taking us on a joy ride full of acoustic guitars and spacey synths. The chorus is contagious and the melody is simply beautiful. On the other hand, the lyrics showcase Abel’s darkest side with lines about guilt and a broken relationship. It represents a complex duality that the Canadian singer is all about, in an epic finale to a great concept album. If you’ve enjoyed this song, be sure to check out the best of the month album release list on the link here.
Released 07/01/2022
Isaac Zale - Somebody Dies
The Vancouver artist is gearing up to have a great year with a new single and a new album in late January. The song features rappers Blu and Mick Jenkins. They both drop quick verses that compliment Isaac Zales’s flow and they fit right in the universe created by the artist formerly known as Zac Flewids. The beat is hard hitting with a guitar loop and simple drums. The chorus finds him warning anybody that threatens his loved ones with heavy effects on his voice to amplify the emotional output. His verse at the end of the song is executed easily to match the quality of his featured peers.
Released 21/01/2022
Gucci Mane & Lil Durk - Rumors
This song is so easy is that it could not be bad. Lil Durk takes most of the place on a song he’s featured, showing how little Gucci Mane has to prove at this point. It’s a straight up banger meant to pump you up and maybe even commit a crime. Both artists spend much of their rhymes threatening their respective nameless haters. It’s just great ! Frequent Gucci collaborator Tay Keith handles production with a beat featuring menacing horns and a 2012 sounding rap synth. It’s nothing original but it fits Lil Durk’s universe and Gucci Mane’s flow very well.
Released 25/01/2022
Earl Sweatshirt & Armand Hammer - Tabula Rasa
This song is beautiful and alive. It contains complex verses and a smooth beat that propels Earl Sweatshirt and Armand Hammer (duo E L U C I D & billy woods) on a very high level of artistic execution. They all deliver bars full of wisdom, pain and cleverness. The sample of a Billy Paul song loops with a melancholic piano loop, all accompanied by laid back drums. This is one of the gems you can find on the new album « SICK! », that Earl released in January. Be sure to check out the best of the month album release list on the link here.
Released 14/01/2022
Cordae & Stevie Wonder - Champagne Glasses (feat. Freddie Gibbs)
The clash between old school hip-hop and modern rap feels perfectly balanced on this collaboration between the newcomer rapper Cordae and the established MC Freddie Gibbs. You add a Stevie Wonder feature and a beat produced by Kid Culture and it amounts to a very good song about celebrating success after difficult times. Off the album « From A Birds Eye View » that Cordae dropped on January 14th, this is a stand out cut that shines by its lyricism and song structure. It builds slowly but surely with Cordae rapping with a laid back attitude on the first verse. Then comes in Freddie with his aggressive bars and the beat gets darker with a heavy 808 bass. It closes out beautifully with Stevie’s harmonica and sweet violins.
Released 13/01/2022
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