From SZA to 2 Chainz, check out my favorite songs of 2017.
Being neurotically obsessed with music is my favorite past time. And while the way I care about music has always felt very unique and personal to me, there are few things I love more than hearing someone say "YES I FEEL YOU!" when I play a song.
Since I can't take over the aux cord through the Internet, I wanted to share my favorite songs from 2017 with my new Steemit friends. If this totally isn't your vibe I get it, but don't be afraid to take a listen. You might find your new favorite song!
Pretty Decent Song Favorites: 2017
Click here for the Apple Music playlist.
1. SZA's "The Weekend"
"The Weekend" is the kind of song that's so good I don't really know how to describe it. It's perfect to me. While I resonated more with the message of other songs on CTRL (my AOTY), The Weekend has to go at the top of this list because I'm 100% positive I'll be listening to it for the rest of my life.
2. LOVE. - Kendrick Lamar
"Told you that I'm on the way, I'm like an exit away..."
A perfect song.
3. Lens - Frank Ocean
I saw Frank Ocean live in 2017. Yes, really.
It felt just as unbelievable as it sounds. And yet there I was, looking right at the guy who has, or so it feels like, been singing directly to me for years.
I didn't know how much I loved "Lens" until I went back and listened to the recordings I took of that day. Such a beautiful piece of music.
4. Netflix & Dusse - Smino
I've been a verified Smino stan since last year when a friend sent me the song "Oxygen." 2017's Blkswn confirmed everything I already knew to be true: Smino is a star 15 times over.
My favorite song on the album is "Netflix & Dusse" which I also think has the best hook of the year. They're all gems, though. Thanks to Monte Booker production, the whole album sounds and feels like silk pillows and convertibles. It's perfect.
5. Personal - Kehlani
I once tweeted, "If you don't scream, 'I FUCK WITH ME HEAVY I'M ALL CHOSE UP!' in your car at 9 am you're not in my target demographic" and I stand by that.
6. Garden (Say I️t Like Dat) - SZA
The fact that another song from CTRL is this high up should surprise no one. I really love SZA. This is a perfect song that arrived in my life exactly when I needed it.
7. Signs - Drake
I don't really know what it is about this song, but one morning before my college football team's tailgate I played it and Drake said, "You can't drink all day if you don't start in the morning," and I was like, "True."
8. Herside Story - Goldlink & Hare Squead
"Crew" dominated the summer, and rightfully so. For me, though, the real gem from At What Cost was "Herside Story." Goldlink fits perfectly in the cracks of Hare Squead's hook and production.
9. Insecure - Jazmine Sullivan & Bryson Tiller
Not to get wildly personal or anything, but this song and video are both very #real.
The pacing of Bryson's first verse is what really gets me -- listening to him go from worried to mad to desperate to nonchalant will be a familiar journey for anyone who's ever loved someone passionately from a distance. Jazmine ties the whole thing together on a perfect note, making this a shoe-in for my most Snapchatted song of the year.
10. Never Call Me - Jhene Aiko
This is one of those songs that just makes you sit up straighter and feel like a boss when you listen to it. No matter who you are, I bet there's someone in your life that should have called you.
I have a particular affinity for Kurupt's voicemail at the end...
"You are the one, everyone else is just two's and three's."
11. Best Part - Daniel Caesar & H.E.R.
There's a reason people kept getting engaged to this song during Daniel Caesar's tour -- it is really stunning. The entire album Freudian is one I can't recommend highly enough.
12. OG Kush Diet - 2 Chainz
This is kind of like "Signs" in that I can't describe why I like it so much, but I was at the beach and 2 Chainz said, "Sunbathin' with a Rollie on" and I was like, "True."
13. 745 - Vince Staples
Please don't listen to this right now. Please save it, then get into your car and turn the bass all the way up and scrunch up your face because that is the only proper way to listen to it.
14. HEAT - Brockhampton
Brockhampton, collectively, were some of my favorite artists to watch in 2017. I was in high school during the peak of Odd Future, so I know the power that kind of youth-driven collective has on culture.
This song is my favorite of theirs because I can imagine being 14, hearing it at a hometown hardcore show and being totally blown away. It is exactly what I would've been looking for.
15. L.A. - Brent Faiyaz
This is just a beautiful song, and it's especially relatable if you've been feeling like your "time" is always just around the corner.
16. YAH. - Kendrick Lamar
I'll never not love Kendrick Lamar.
17. Boys - Charli XCX
The only way to describe this song is "infectious." The only way to describe this video is "OMMMFGGGGGG!!!"
18. The Way Life Goes - Lil Uzi Vert ft. Nicki Minaj
If I get to make one totally grand statement here: this is a pop-punk song. I don't care what anyone says -- this could be a NeverShoutNever song. It sounds like MySpace and I LOVE IT.
19. Don't Get Too High - Bryson Tiller
Insecurity is at the root of all Bryson Tiller songs for me, and this one is no exception. I appreciate how honest he is about his total lack of confidence when it comes to women he actually cares for. It's a nice contrast to his boastful, Trap Soul personality.
20. The Count - Maliibu Mitch
Maliibu Mitch was my favorite discovery of 2017 and I have a feeling she'll be on everyone's radar this year, as she just signed to Atlantic. Just listen to this flow and tell me she isn't a star.
Did you make it to the end?
Do you feel me? Do you radically disagree with everything I've said?
Comment below and let me know what you think, and be sure to send me song suggestions that I missed. I'm always on the hunt for new music.
- Lex