Welcome to 2016, y'all. Did anything really change on January 1st, aside from waking up with a crippling hangover? Well, it certainly feels that way in the rap world, as some of the genre's biggest stars have made sure to come out with forceful statements that conveniently arrived in sync with the New Year.
Yeezy "jumped over Jumpman," proving that, as the father of two, his ability to shake up the game is greater than ever before. Travi$ Scott dropped two in a row, one boasting an always consistent feature from The Weeknd, and another protégé of 'Ye recapped his best year yet with a track that comes before the arrival of his fourth album, which will be the first project put out by Pusha T's GOOD Music in 2016.
Elsewhere in our Top 100, K Camp and Quavo teamed up for a melodic banger (#13), Mac Miller covered Billy Joel (#12), and for those looking for lyrical depth, check out this crazy lineup of Logic, Slug of Atmosphere, and Killer Mike.
Find our Top 10 tracks of the week (December 28 - January 3) below.
10. Chris Brown - Blood On My Hands
Chris Brown snags the 10 spot with a new track that didn't make Royalty but instead appeared on a bonus EP that he dropped off as a gift to his international fans. Those who fancy Breezy's EDM experiments will dig "Blood On My Hands."
9. Gucci Mane Feat. Post Malone, Riff Raff & Lil B - Embarrassed (Prod. by Tarentino)
While he's been locked up, Gucci's team has used his archived material to put together collabs that we would've never expected, such as this East Atlanta Santa 2 cut featuring rising star Post Malone and two of rap's premier eccentrics. GuWop recently tweeted that he'd be coming home in 2016, before his Twitter mysteriously disappeared.
Gucci Mane - Embarrassed Feat. Post Malone, Riff Raff & Lil B
T-raww lands at No. 8 with a surprise track that serves as an apology for the lengthy delay of Rawwest Nigga Alive, which will hopefully stick to its new January 15 release date.
7. Kid Ink Feat. Fetty Wap - Promise (Prod. by DJ Mustard)
This club jam from Ink's new album,
Summer in the Winter, slides down two spots from
last week to land at No. 7. Ink and Mustard are a certified pair, and "Promise" makes us think that Fetty and the L.A. producer should team up for more hits in 2016.
6. The Weeknd - Pass Dat (Remix)
Jeremih's "Pass Dat" is one of the hottest songs out right now. Due to its December release, it, like
Late Nights, didn't get too much year-end love, but The Weeknd recognized and went super falsetto on a massive remix he dropped on Christmas. Another "Pass Dat" remix is also coming -- from an even unlikelier source:
Thugger Thugger.
5. Travi$ Scott - A Team (Prod. by Allen Ritter)
La Flame ended his huge year with a bang, dropping off two new tracks, both landing in this week's Top 5. Allen Ritter laces the track with some subtle horns, which, mixed with Scott's chilled auto-tune delivery, creates a surprisingly soothing record that still has lots of turn-up potential.
4. Big Sean Feat. Pharrell & Detail - What a Year
What a year indeed. To celebrate his 2015, which included his first No. 1 album, Big Sean dropped a simmering new track. Two legends, Pharrell and Detail, combine to "hit the light switch" on the hook for a lights-out track.
3. Travi$ Scott Feat. The Weeknd - Wonderful (Prod. by Boi-1da, Mike Dean & T-Minus)
The new La Flame drop that garnered the most hype was, of course, his new collab with The Weeknd, whom Travi$ opened for on the recent Beauty Behind the Madness tour. I gotta say, both of these new tracks sound even better than much of Rodeo -- a sign that Travi$ is gonna stay living that wonderful life throughout 2016.
2. The Weeknd Feat. Future - Low Life (Prod. by Metro Boomin & Ben Billions)
After destroying the charts upon its debut, The Weeknd and Future's awesome new collab goes No. 2 in its second week. It was bested by another huge release, though it continues to do crazy numbers. We've all got a little "low life" in us, though be careful with this track lest the vice consume your whole soul.
1. Kanye West - FACTS (Prod. by Metro Boomin & Southside)
Yeezy season is in effect, and, of course, he kicked it off at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve. The new track interpolates Drake and Future's "Jumpman" to inspire Yeezy to
take shots at the brand that he feels he's "jumped over." Unlike the
sweet & tender track he dropped last NYE, "FACTS" is Kanye at his absolute cockiest, and some of his boasts might be annoying were they not (mostly) factual. Shout out to Metro Boomin and Southside, too -- their placement on the new 'Ye record is the cherry on top of an incredible 2015 for both producers.
