Not Like Us,” - Kendrick Lamar: A very recent track by one of the best rappers of all time, Mr. Kendrick Lamar. One of his four diss track responses to Drake, in their current feud, and I genuinely feel like this track was the nail in Drake’s coffin. He brought attention to Drake’s inappropriate interactions with underage girls, like that time he kissed a teenager and after he learned of her age, he said some very weird stuff that I’m not gonna repeat. “Certified Lover Boy, certified pedophiles. WOP WOP WOP WOP WOP dot, fuck him up!” Another strength of this track, besides Kendrick Lamar’s insane rapid fire rhymes, is this banger of a beat produced by Mustard. Tons of memorable lyrics, and that beat will make you wanna dance anytime you hear it.
“Midnight City,” - M83: A memorable electronic track from French synth pop band, M83, which actually was their breakout hit, as they had been around since 1999, but it took till 2011 for them to have a mainstream success. To any musicians or aspiring musicians that are reading this, don’t give up on your dreams. It may take time before you get mainstream success, just keep going at it, and start off small. Back to the track, the synth riffs are beautiful, and that saxophone solo at the end is a great closer to the track.
“Gives You Hell,” - All-American Rejects: A song I remember from when I was a kid, this track played all the time on the radio. It’s a guilty pleasure of mine, and that organ riff still lingers in my mind. The hook of this track is an earworm as well, it’s a total breakup anthem, but from a guy’s perspective, so it’s a relatable track for me, even though I feel bad for enjoying this track.
“Smooth Criminal,” - Alien Ant Farm: Another guilty pleasure of mine from when I was a kid, that I actually rediscovered in an Uber ride in Las Vegas. My driver was a big metalhead so we talked about music and the Sick New World festival. Lovely experience. I love the heavy guitar riffs, vocally it’s not anything special, but I like the distorted remix of a classic Michael Jackson song, it’s an interesting change and adds something new.
“Brain Power,” - Noma: A great workout track, with heavy synth bass drops and a fast heart-pumping drum rhythm, plus that vocal effect on the chorus is wild. I rediscovered this track a few days ago, and it’s another great song stuck in my head.