Best Rap Songs of 2022
By Philippe Martin 24/12/2022
It’s finally time to embrace all the amazing singles that soundtracked our lives in 2022. Great artists like A$AP Rocky and SiR have created some of their best songs in a long time. Some rising stars like IDK and Zach Zoya released incredible songs that have the ability to widen their audience going into the new year.
With that being said, here is the list of the best songs of the year. We have taken one single per month, highlighting the 12 best tracks that deserve your attention. Also, be sure to also check out the top albums of 2022. Enjoy!
- January: Benny the Butcher & J. Cole – Johnny P’s Caddy
- February: YG, J. Cole & Money Bagg Yo - Scared Money
- March: Joey Bada$$ - Head High
- April: IDK - Taco
- May: A$AP Rocky - D.M.B.
- June: Pharrell Williams - Cash In Cash Out (Feat. 21 Savage & Tyler, The Creator)
- July: SiR - Life Is Good (feat. Scribz Riley)
- August: DJ Khaled - GOD DID (Feat. Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, JAY-Z & John Legend)
- September: Che Noir - Wash The Dishes (Feat. Benny The Butcher)
- October: Robert Glasper - Therapy Pt. 2 (Feat. Mac Miller)
- December: A$AP Rocky - Shittin’ Me
Benny the Butcher & J. Cole - Johnny P's Caddy
Released 28/01/2022
The Butcher is back and looking for the respect he deserves. The Buffalo artist was ready to deliver his highly anticipated « Tana Talk 4 » album with this first single featuring J. Cole. Both MCs are at the top of their game with Benny delivering bars about his legacy and Cole putting rappers on the spot for being fake. The latter issue is nothing new in the rap world, but the Dreamville leader makes it fresh by saying that the made-up violent personas portrayed in rap music are what is keeping them from becoming something greater. Produced by The Alchemist, the beat is smooth and dramatic. Overall, this is a great single from the Tana Talk 4 album and it sets the bar high for what is to come in 2023.
YG, J. Cole & Money Bagg Yo - Scared Money
Released 04/02/2022
YG is back in his true form with this heavy banger featuring two of rap’s biggest stars: J. Cole and Moneybagg Yo. The beat from producer Gibbo is minimalistic but deadly. The piano is straight out of a west coast horror movie and the bass sounds like it was taken from a Trapaholics sound pack from 2013. It’s the first collaboration between YG and J. Cole, marking a great union of attitude and delivery with everybody boasting about their luxurious lifestyles. For the last verse, we find Moneybagg Yo’s flow fitting perfectly on a kind of trap beat he would have chosen anyway for his own work. This is going on the BANGERS 2022 playlist.
Joey Bada$$ - Head High
Released 03/03/2022
This single by Joey Bada$$ is simply beautiful. He rhymes flawlessly on the Statik Selektah produced beat full of background harmonies, smooth bells and dramatic strings. The music is incredible, but it’s his performance and content that steals the show. The Brooklyn native raps about the difficulties of losing loved ones and the place of black people in modern times, where they are persecuted by governments and their own people in the violent streets. The second verse details the first time he met XXXTentacion and how this would transform into a friendship. It’s vulnerable and it feels good to see a rapper showing a sensitive side of his personality while reflecting on those who touched his life.
IDK - Taco
Released 08/04/2022
“Taco” is great on every turn with all the elements of a distinguished art piece mixed together. It starts with the beautiful cover art, but when the song begins to play, it’s the Kaytranada-produced beat that gets the traction going with a signature heavy kick before IDK arrives with a slick delivery and amazing punchlines. The Montreal producer creates a beat with a catchy rhythm to let the Maryland emcee shine flawlessly as he always does. IDK delivers intelligent bars and funny lines about his talent and the lack of it among his peers in the rap world.
A$AP Rocky - D.M.B.
Released 05/05/2022
Released in the middle of a media storm concerning his legal problems and his newborn baby with Rihanna, the timing couldn’t be better for Rocky to return musically. With all eyes on him, the A$AP Mob leader sounds fresh and ready for greatness as he creates something truly unique. It starts off with a classic hip-hop vibe with 808s, samples, braggadocios lyrics, and a hook about his love for his baby mama. It then evolves into a musical mix that not many artists can pull off, as he sings over a smooth alternative beat with beautiful harmonies.
Pharrell Williams - Cash In Cash Out (feat. 21 Savage & Tyler, The Creator)
Released 10/06/2022
This is a straight banger from an artist that has nothing left to prove when it comes to quality production. Pharrell Williams recruits 21 Savage and Tyler, The Creator for this energetic track that balances simple, low-key bars from 21 and a complex “in your face” attitude from Tyler.
SiR - Life Is Good (feat. Scribz Riley)
Released 08/07/2022
TDE continues to release quality music with this single by California’s own, SiR. The song is a catchy ballad about good living and the feeling you have when everything turns out great in your life. With its sweet guitar loop and the atmospheric background vocals, the beat shines through the simpleness of the musical arrangements. As usual, SiR seems at ease with his verses and the straightforward hook that stayed in your head the whole summer.
DJ Khaled - GOD DID (feat. Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, JAY-Z & John Legend)
Released 26/08/2022
The Miami producer, beatmaker, entrepreneur, and social media personality is back to close the summer with one of his best albums in years. The title song of the project “GOD DID” features his very frequent collaborators Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, John Legend, and JAY-Z. The latter is in rare form as he delivers a 4-minute verse full of wisdom and cultural references. The instrumental sounds grandiose, setting the stage for the rap veterans to reflect and remind everybody why they manage to stay relevant after so many years.
Che Noir - Wash the Dishes (feat. Benny the Butcher)
Released 23/09/2022
The Buffalo artist Che Noir is not getting the attention she rightfully deserves. She crafts incredible and classic-sounding hip-hop records, with “Wash the Dishes” being a prime example of the efficient output she can do behind the boards or in the booth. Frequent collaborator Benny the Butcher makes a solid guest appearance here with a home-run verse that could easily steal the show, but it’s Che that shines the brightest with her cold bars and calm delivery.
Robert Glasper - Therapy pt. 2 (feat. Mac Miller)
Released 10/10/2022
Part of the side B of his new album “Black Radio III”, the talented artist from Houston, Robert Glasper, releases an excellent posthumous collaboration with Mac Miller. As a spiritual successor to the 2014 track “Therapy”, which was released as part of the “Faces” project by Mac, this song works well because it showcases clever and complex bars from the Pittsburg artist on a smooth jazzy production by Glasper. This mix is a pure nostalgic dose of music that recalls the very prolific artistic run Mac had with “Watching Movie With The Sound Off” and “Faces”.
Zach Zoya - Birthday Sex
Released 04/11/2022
Part of a single pack with “Come By Here”, this RnB song by Zach Zoya is intoxicating. The beat is moody as hell, with the 808s and the kicks mixing together beautifully. The Montreal native’s vocal performance is modern and slick, keeping things simple lyrically but delivering on the melodic side. “Birthday Sex” proves once again that he has what it takes to make waves outside Canada.
A$AP Rocky - Shittin’ Me
Released 02/12/2022
Released as part of the soundtrack for the new Need For Speed game, “Shittin’ Me” sees A$AP Rocky stepping into his comfort zone as he raps aggressively over a grimy and hard-hitting beat. Aside from the excellent song “D.M.B”, it was a dry year for the Rocky fans. This new single before the year-end is very welcomed and a good sign that more music may be on its way in 2023.