“Call Me Maybe,” - Carly Rae Jepsen: The first song I have stuck in my head is from a genre I don’t typically gravitate towards, which is bubblegum pop. It’s just such an ear worm with an extremely catchy chorus, that will stay stuck in my head for weeks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWNaR-rxAic
“Feel Like That,” - Sublime featuring Bradley Nowell and Stick Figure: A total beachy reggae song from one of my favorite bands, Sublime, who are from my hometown of Long Beach. It’s the first new Sublime song in 28 years, which is crazy to think about. Jakob Nowell, the son of the late Sublime singer and guitarist, Bradley Nowell, sings the first two verses and the post-bridge. Bradley sings the third verse, chorus, bridge, and the outro. Hearing a both generations of the singers, singing on a song together is truly magical.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqEYOJptZOI
“Panic Attack,” - Dream Theater: A fantastically orchestrated progressive metal track, by a very underrated band, Dream Theater, this song perfectly encapsulates what extreme anxiety feels like with the tense vocals, heavily distorted guitars, crashing drums, and multiple phases of the song, musically. John Petrucci’s guitar solo is absolutely phenomenal. I first heard this song in the video game, Rockband 2, as a kid, and I became absolutely addicted to it. It’s one of the hardest songs in the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hDs6mCVAKs
“Forever,” - Drake, Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Eminem: My favorite hip hop posse cut, with three legendary rappers, which also features Drake. Eminem easily stole the show with his verse, but all four rappers do a great job with their verses, Em’s verse was so fantastic that Kanye and Lil Wayne rewrote their verses. The beat, produced by Boi-1da is pretty simple throughout most of the track with those synth horns, heavy kick drum beat (in the verses), and snares (in the chorus), but the siren and air-horn make it feel like a hard hitting competition between the artists. My favorite verse outside of Eminem’s, is probably Kanye’s. It’s classic Kanye bravado, and I really like his rhyme schemes. As for Eminem, this track came out during one of my favorite eras of his, the Relapse era, and his verse is aggressive and hard-hitting. I also like the pianos in Lil Wayne’s verse as it makes his verse stand out more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDuRoPIOBjE
“Boom,” - Royce Da 5’9: A classic old school hip-hop track from Detroit rapper, Royce Da 5’9. He’s a frequent collaborator of Eminem, as they both make up the duo, Bad Meets Evil. I think he deserves a lot more attention though, as he’s an incredibly talented lyricist. I love his flows on this track, as well as the fantastic DJ Premier-produced beat. Given that Eminem’s releasing his likely final album this year, I hope Royce is featured on it.