Top 10 Artists of 2016
List week in ya area. This time around I’m focusing on the top hip hop/r&b artists of the past year. Enjoy and thank you for being here!
10) Young Thug
Notable Feats: JEFFERY, Slime Season 3, ‘Pick Up the Phone,’ ‘Offended,’ ‘Guwop Home,’ ‘Minnesota Remix,’ ‘Mixtape,’ I’m Up, ‘Who’
9) Kaytranada
Notable Feats: 99.9%, 0.001%, ‘Cranes in the Sky (Solange Remix),’ ‘Kiss it Better (Rihanna Remix),’ ‘Only Girl,’ ‘Communicate,’ ‘Light Weight,’ ‘Fall in Love,’ ‘All Night,’ ‘Lavendar,’ ‘Aurora Borealis,’ ‘Gravity,’ ‘Dressed 2 Kill’
8) Curren$y
Notable Feats: The Carrollton Heist, The Legend of Harvard Blue, Bourbon Street Secrets, The Owners Manual, Andretti 9/30, Revolver (and the short film), Stoned on Ocean, Andretti 10/30, Weed & Instrumentals 1 & 2
7) Kendrick Lamar
Notable Feats: untitled unmastered, ‘No More Parties in L.A.,’ ‘Freedom,’ ‘God is Fair, Sexy, Nasty,’ ‘Conrad Tokyo,’ ‘Wat’s Wrong,’ ‘THat Part Black Hippy Remix,’ ‘Holy Key,’ ‘The New Cupid,’ ‘Really Doe,’ ‘Sidewalks,’ ‘Goosebumps,’ ‘Ain’t That Funkin Kinda Hard on You?’
6) Smoke DZA
Notable Feats: Don’t Smoke Rock, He Has Risen, Don’t Pass Trump the Blunt, ‘Ringside 4,’ ‘Get it Right,’ ‘Trust the Shooter,’ ‘CottonMouth,’ ‘Mr. Fuji’
5) Metro Boomin
Notable Feats: Savage Mode, The Life of Pablo, ‘Forever Young,’ EVOL, ‘Dope Dealer,’ ‘Bad and Boujee,’ ‘What’s Understood,’ ‘Ronda (Winners),’ ‘Hercules,’ Purple Reign, ‘You Was Right,’ ‘Bounce Back,’ Woptober, ‘Who,’ ‘Six Feet Under,’ ‘Up’
4) Frank Ocean
Notable Feats: Blonde, Endless, ‘Boys Dont Cry’ magazine, ‘Wolves/Frank’s Track,’ duping Universal Music
3) Gucci Mane
Notable Feats: Everybody’s Looking, ‘Champions,’ ‘Forever Black America Again,’ ‘Lockjaw Remix,’ The Return of East Atlanta Santa, ‘Good Drank,’ Woptober, Free Bricks 2K16, ‘Black Beatles,’ ‘Floyd Mayweather,’ ‘Work For It’
2) Anderson .Paak
Notable Feats: Malibu, Yes Lawd!, ‘GLOWED UP,’ ‘Dapper,’ ‘Blank Face,’ ‘Responsibilities,’ ‘Dang!,’ ‘Money on Me,’ ‘OooWee,’ ‘Movin Backwards,’ ‘It G Ma Remix (Josh Pan Opus),’ ‘Put it Down,’ ‘Mission Road,’ ‘No Slaves,’ ‘Blessings Reprise’
1) Donald Glover
Notable Feats: Atlanta, ‘“Awaken My Love!”,‘ landing (haha pun) the role of young Lando Calrissian, ‘No Hookahs‘
Honorable Mention
Westside Gunn
Q-Tip (RIP Phife – shouts to the whole Tribe)
ScHoolboy Q
Travis Scott
Beyoncé
Danny Brown
Chance the Rapper
Kanye West
The Weeknd
D.R.A.M.
Run the Jewels
Cousin Stizz
Blu
Noname
Knxwledge
Solange
Isaiah Rashad
Elzhi
Mike Dean
J. Cole
Cardo
Royce da 5’9″
Zaytoven
Quavo
Lil Yachty
Mike Will Made It
Dave East
Southside
Kid Cudi
Lil Uzi Vert
Drake
Lloyd Banks
Rae Sremmurd
images via Young Thug, Thom Browne Eyewear, Kaytranada, Liam MacRae, Curren$y, Mario Anzuoni, Reuters, Smoke DZA, Metro Boomin, Frank Ocean, Gucci Mane, Jonathan Mannion, Anderson Paak, Erika Rich, American-Statesman, Ibra Ake & Donald Glover