This feature highlights a hand-picked selection of some of the bigger tracks of the week. We have chosen a few of the tracks that landed within our top 10 most played, focusing on those that stood out, and left room for discussion.
Once again, this particular feature is cataloguing the most POPULAR songs on the site, for some of the more overlooked tracks, check out Underrated Audio.
This edition of Top Tracks features Common, Juicy J, Future and more. Take a look at the list in the gallery above, and feel free to let us know your own favorite tracks in the comments.
Future- Rockstar (Feat. Nicki Minaj)
George Michael's "Careless Whisper" has been sampled before, but Future's interpolation of the immortal sax riff as a hook is definitely something new. The fact that it's supported by a guitar-led DJ Clue beat helps Future fully embody the Hendrix persona he's been playing on for the last couple of years (though if we're being real, the second half of Honest was full-on Future Collins).
As weirdly controversial as Kanye West's claim of being a rockstar was (mainly disputed by out-of-touch rockists, to be fair), he had a point, one that Future supports here with his charismatic and energy-driven performance. Nicki comes through in more poised form, supplying some blistering punchlines to compliment future's manic vocal performance.
Wale- The Followers
Wale had a pretty eventful week, which started with Meek calling him out on his supposed lack of support for Dreams Worth More Than Money. The rapper then decided to make a positive out of a negative, taking advantage of the hype around the "beef" to release a brand new cut.
"The Followers" sounds like it may be coming straight off Wale's upcoming project, The Album About Nothing, not only because it contains a Seinfeld sample about halfway through, but because what we're hearing is definitely Wale is album-mode. The craft put into his writing here is the sign of someone readying something big.
Kid Ink- Main Chick (Feat. Tyga, French Montana, Yo Gotti, Lil Bibby, & Chris Brown)
The "Main Chick" remix starts off with the usual suspects, with Kid Ink, Tyga, and French Montana doing what they do best. Things get really interesting however, when Yo Gotti and Lil Bibby show up. Neither rapper is expected on a Mustard-led crew track, which makes their performances ever more impressive.
Gotti brings his signature rasp out for the occasion, drawing quite a contrast to the more nasal-driven voices of the three previous rappers. Bibby then takes things down to his spit-take-inspiring bass voice, proving that on top of having what seems to be the best publicist in the game, he's as versatile as he is technically skilled.
Juicy J- 0 To 100
Earlier this week, you may have thought hyou had no use for another "0 To 100" remix, but then Juicy J came through and dropped easily one of the most essential thus far, if not the best overall.
The jerkiness of the beat fits Juicy's Memphis flows perfectly, with the rapper finding no need to stick to Drake's blueprint as plenty of other rappers have. Thus he delivers an alternate take on the instrumental, rather than a trace-over, which everything you can ask of a freestyle.
Common- Diamonds (Feat. Big Sean)
GOOD Music is a fairly varied roster, carrying both semi-conscious OGs (Mos Def, Q-Tip), and fresh young guns (CyHi, Big Sean). While Common has parted with the label, he lay decidedly within the former category, though unlike his underproducing peers at the label, Com was looking to release music at a steady pace.
His upcoming release, Nobody's Smiling, sees him paired with plenty of young'ns, primarily from Chicago's vibrant but troubled music scene, but "Diamonds" sees him paired off with an unlikely GOOD artist. While Big Sean is not of the closest resemblance to Common on the label's roster, they do share one thing-- an affinity for No I.D. production. As expected, the Chicago veteran will be handling the entirety of Nobody's Smiling's production, and on "Diamonds" each show their experience over I.D.'s wispy instrumental.
Common excels in the narrative department, where Sean supplies a memorable hook, somewhere Com sometimes needs assistance. Sean then delivers a positively Drake-ian closing verse, lifting his immortal "0 To 100" flow to great effect.
