Year's Best : Okayplayer's 14 Best Songs Of 2014

Photo of Schoolboy Q live in Paris shot by Mr. Mass for Okayplayer.

Okay, we know who made the album of the year but now it's time to talk Best Songs of 2014. The category "Best Songs" can mean a lot of different things: hottest single, best tracks; best vocal performance; best song-writing (as in a song that would still sound dope if somebody--maybe anybody--else sang it). Or in an even harder-to-quantify set of criteria; most timely statement on what the world is feeling at this particular moment...most eloquent articulation of our pain, our anger, our fierce joy i.e. our collective mood, even if it's a mood we didn't know we shared with others 'til that song came on the damn radio.

Truthfully, there may be rules to this shit, but they are not scientific rules. More like pirate guidelines, rules of thumb made to be broken by the next show-stealing, paradigm-changing song. A 'Best Song' can be made by the brilliant production, brilliant lyrics, its hum- or dance-ability, the singer's voice, or it might be that lucky song born on a day when the world needed to hear those exact notes to know itself better. If there's any predictable formula at all, it's that it's most often a unique combination of all of those things that combine to make a song great. And in at least a few examples from our Best Songs of 2014 list, it might take a Man of The Year (or woman) to make a Song of The Year. Without further qualification or disclaimer, may we present Okayplayer's 14 Best Songs of 2014. Run the track:

1. Schoolboy Q - "Man Of The Year."

Schoolboy Q’s “Man Of The Year” first landed toward the end of 2013 as he began to prime listeners for the release of his acclaimed Oxymoron LP. The track - a top-heavy party anthem with an equally festive video - is one that found Q pointing past the bleachers to proclaim his impending project a homerun. A departure from the sinister and sinful incantations of a Hoover Crip, the track is a bombastic slapper that repurposes the Chromatics’ dreamy robotic jam “Cherry” to create a sub-busting beast of an entrance theme - one that found Q laying claim to the throne before critics and fans truly had enough ammo to condemn or co-sign whatever he might have had up his sleeve. “Man Of The Year” is undoubtedly a dope song. But it is made better by the fact that ScHoolboy Q effectively delivered on his promise of a win with a groundbreaking project, marking the audible maturation of a new generation of west coast gangster rap. Recently-garnered Grammy nods for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “Studio” featuring BJ The Chicago Kid and Best Rap Album for ‘Oxymoron’ are just a few of the many wins he’s managed to net since the release of the project, which is as singular as his grunting, crotch-grabbing flow and brash lyrical approach. - Karas Lamb

2. Chronixx - "Here Comes Trouble." 

Yes, this video hit the web in October of 2013 and was probably on LargeUp's year-end lists for Best of 2013 (in actual fact, even at the top of 2012, LargeUp had identified Chronixx as an 'artist to watch for 2013'! They been trying to tell us about dread from early). Nevertheless as the unstoppable lead single of an album that dropped in April of this year,"Here Comes Trouble" was the anthem for 2014, so clearly Chronixx' year to hot-step out onto the international stage. And when we say 'international stage' we mean that literally, as in Chronixx and Zince Fence Redemption's triumphant show at New York's Central Park Summerstage (part of Okayplayer's 5-concert 15th-anniversary series!). Then there was Mick Jagger hanging around VIP to catch the show. And then there was the song's late night TV debut on the Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, which surely had Jamaica swelling with pride. Then there was the song's ubiquity this year on the set of every selector in Brooklyn (and anywhere else reggae music gets played). In short, even if it had already set sail, 2014 is the year Chronixx's black-star liner came in, with "Here Comes Trouble" rattling the iron-hard decks. Meanwhile two newer Chronixx tunes ("Iyah Walk" and "Capture Land") made LargeUp's list this year, and may yet do to 2015 what "Trouble" did to 2014. Talk to us in a year.

3. Diggs Duke - "The Pinnacle (Of Class And Taste)." 

Described by Diggs Duke as “the moment you realize that something is amazing”, The Pinnacle (Of Class And Taste) was, itself, the moment many people realized just how amazing Diggs Duke truly is:

The standout track first surfaced in August ahead of Duke’s acclaimed The Upper Hand & Other Grand Illusions EP when it premiered right here on Okayplayer and hit me in the heart at first listen.

The decision to eschew noise in favor of nuance on “The Pinnacle” has resulted in a subtle but undeniable funk teeming with the blush colored warmth of infatuation and all of the fragility and beauty of a heart before it’s had the chance to break. “The Pinnacle” is one of a handful of snapshots that make up the release packed with synths, great storytelling and sonic allusions to his (Diggs Duke’s) diverse musical influences.

Packing a wallop, the single married Prince’s masterful use of the Linn Drum and the raw two-step rhythm of a proper basement party with layered vocals and flutes that channel the lilting sound of Herbie Hancock’s “Watermelon Man.” Combined with the gorgeous and criminally short “Forever Love Is Tainted”; “The Pinnacle” introduced listeners to a project that would ultimately extend the winning streak for Brownswood Recordings and solidify Diggs Duke as a musical force qualified to exist and create in the same strata as those counted in the current vanguard of funk and soul. - Karas Lamb

4. Common f. Vince Staples & Jay Electronica - "Kingdom."

From the opening choir singing “Oh, yes my Lord / Help me get, get the keys to the kingdom...”  juxtaposed with his somber lyrics on attending a friend’s funeral while “listening to this church song,” it was clear this track could be a standout on Common’s 10th studio album Nobody’s Smiling. Released in May, the track heralds one of Common’s best-known gifts: the ability to spin socially aware lyrics into musical gold. An MC who has consistently carried his city with him, the Chicago-native crafted his LP -- and this song in particular --  in response to his hometown repeatedly finding itself in headlines depicting gang violence and the tragic loss of young lives caught in the crossfire. For “Kingdom,” the veteran rapper teamed up with Odd Future associate Vince Staples on a No I.D.-produced track.

After a substantial break following 2011′s The Dreamer/The Believer, “Kingdom” arrived as a formidable return with strong biblical allusions and a consistent theme of keys that builds upon itself as a proper and well-spun allegory. After (seemingly) committing a violent act, Common raps: “Thought these was the keys for me to roll a Benz / They ended up being the keys for my life to end.” Though there is no shortage of well-written and delivered self-contemplation on the track as provided by Common and Staples, we’d be remiss not to mention the remix, which featured Jay Electronica in the anchor position, reminding us (as always) why we’re more than ready for the “Mad king unforgettable / Black king on a pedestal” to drop that LP, already. For all the ways it gives shine to real issues and true lyricism, “Kingdom” reigns as a 2014 highlight. - Cali Green

5. Drake - "0-100."

Say what you want about Drake (for real, go ahead, say what you want about Drake in the comments section below). But one thing Drake-riders and Drake-haters alike can all agree on; this song is so damn good it'll make you want to punch somebody in the face. - Okayplayer

6. Espa - "Your Ghost."

Espa is a name you probably may not have even encountered unless you pressed play on her Flatbush Zombies collabo "Apartment 2F" (or if you are a regular reader of our First Look Fridays column, where she gave us her first interview back in the fall). When we were nominating our favortie songs of the year, there was no denying that, newbie or not, Espa's "Your Ghost" was a song for the ages; a SONG, capital S, O, N, and G. With a a spooky soul -get-under-your-skin melody that is best described as the strongest qualities of your favorite jams by Dido and Toni Braxton combined in one, all set in dubby frame of oceanic r&b that more closely recalls the mood of Sade's "Slave Song." If that sounds like a cocktail of '90s nostalgia, it needs to be said that there's nothing dated or nostalgic about "Your Ghost" in the pop-culture sense. But it certainly stands out within the current field of turn-down r&b (yeah we like Twigs, Tinashe, Banks, Weeknd etc. too) because in addition to a mood and tempo that's very of-the-moment, "Your Ghost" boasts timeless emotion and songwriting chops far beyond Espa's years. - Eddie STATS

7. Bilal x Adrian Younge - "Sirens II."

When "Sirens II" surfaced as the sequel to both the familiar and fiery instrumental underlying Jay Z's "Picasso Baby" and the near-closer of Adrian Younge's own spectacular Something About April LP, it was difficult imagine where else this thing could go without making it feel recycled and stripped of its charm. Hov had brought it to hell and back with his top-shelf lifestyle rhyming when by the time we got acquainted with its more minimal predecessor and had our necks pay the price. But you can always leave it to the larger-than-life vocal treatments of the one and only Bilal to take things to an entirely new level of spooked-out funkdom.

The vocal freak and Younge build a haunting B-section from the punctuating organ flecks and lurking electric keys, carving out a sonic domain where the groove can gush and ooze from its spacey soul seams, giving it a type of P-Funk swagger but in a time-warped fashion that only a Bilal/Younge composition can provide. This list might already have its contributed the score to your evening's air-blessing session in Schoolboy Q's "Man Of The Year," but if it's a heady --excuse the pun-- concoction of boom-bap and dusty, gritty funk you seek, then look no further. "Sirens II" is here to cure the jones in your bones. - Zo

8. Flying Lotus f. Kendrick Lamar - "Never Catch Me." 

Put on You're Dead! and you're hit with five minutes of chaos. Flying Lotus's fifth LP opens like a kicked hornets nest, buzzing in all directions and stinging everything, yes, to death. With the first flowing notes of "Never Catch Me" things seem to settle down, but that piano is a only a ruse. We've only just begun. Enter: Kendrick Lamar.

Over Thundercat's ricocheting rubber band bass, Kendrick serves up a brashly defiant treatise on death, bellowing "Ain't no blood pumpin' no fear / I got hope inside of my bones / This that life beyond your own life / This ain't physical for mankind," as he gets ready to give the reaper hell. Beneath it all, FlyLo builds a juggernaut track full of space-age whirrs and a satanic soul clap. Both MC and beatmaker race up a scaffolding that's crumbling just behind them, pushing higher and faster and harder until a flurry from Thundercat blasts everything to pieces. For a moment everything floats...and then everything happens all at once. Leave it to Flying Lotus to compose a snare drum march with his kick drum, a move that reasserts his weird genius and makes the track his heaviest ever. Like a heart attack coated in a thousand tiny flies the track twitches in the dirt while clicks and flickers tear it to pieces. It's the most frantic and ecstatic moment that hip-hop produced all year, only reaffirming that there's nothing, living or dead, that FlyLo can't conjure. - Scott Heins

9. Kendrick Lamar - "i."

“Tell your story to these black and brown kids in Compton,” says Kendrick Lamar’s mother via voicemail on 2012’s “Real” -- “When you do make it, give back with your words of encouragement.” It seems Kendrick took mama’s words to heart with September’s release of the buoyant, funk-based anthem “i” and its uplifting chant of “I love myself.” The Rahki-produced track, which samples The Isley Brothers '70s groove “That Lady,” seems to be (along with his untitled Colbert debut) a sign that his sophomore effort is en route and arriving quickly. For many of us, “i” is a welcome return for young King Kendrick, as the song dropped in the midst of socio-political upheaval hashtagged with #BlackLivesMatter and punctuated by die-ins, marches, and protests against police brutality. The ability to say “I love myself” even as black and brown kids are being made to feel “less than” is vitally necessary and Kendrick is among those openly and passionately leading the charge.

We saw from his remarkable 2012 debut, good kid, m.A.A.d city, that he could put forth the kind of hip-hop that pulls in both true heads and casual listeners alike, using his combination of accessible, '90s-vibe tracks and intense, storytelling lyrics. “i” seems a fitting follow-up to those messages of having faith and persevering despite one’s geography and circumstance. And while it feels a bit more radio-friendly than some would like, a close listen to the lyrics quickly reminds us that Kendrick is still a man who done been through a whole lot, wears his heart on his sleeve, and wants to keep moving. Which brings me to another request made by Mama Lamar: “put out something me and your dad can step to; you know we’re from Chicago, that’s what we do.” Indeed -- he took her words to heart on this one (as more than evidenced by Kendrick himself in the official video). So don’t mind this Chicago-native while I’m over here in my “I love myself” t-shirt, filled with hope, and steppin’ my way into 2015 with a theme song: one day at a time, the sun gon' shine. - Cali Green

10. Run The Jewels - "Blockbuster Night Part 1."

Our modern world is made through creative destruction. Buildings are razed and replaced, one social network devours another, and even beatmaking means splitting apart old songs and trashing the unwanted bits like sonic scrap metal. Run the Jewels embodies this more than any rap group today and on "Blockbuster Night (Part 1)" their methodology punishes right, left and center. From the jump Killer Mike smashes right alongside the jackhammer beat, and as he and El-P trade off verses, then lines, then bars, the track becomes a wrestling match--they're DDT-ing us in our mausoleums. There are more complex and more intelligent tracks on RTJ2, without question, but nothing busts eardrums like this one. Top of the morning--enjoy the Folgers. - Scott Heins

11. Black Milk feat Bun B - "Gold Piece."

This Black Milk banger is built out of a falsetto-soul sample that feels like a part II: the doo-wop boogaloo sequel to the legendary UGK x Outkast collabo "Int'l Player's Anthem (I Choose You)." But this vehicle for UGK's resident lyrical genius and Southern OG Bun B is an unrelenting, virtuoso tribute to what Bun and Ice T have famously referred to as "the other side of the game." The fine print, so to speak, of the hustler's contract, a guided tour of the "belly of the beast" that finds Milk at his most lyrical and Bun in fiercer form than we've heard in some years. Altogether a soundtrack far more germane to the war-time footing we all seem to have found ourselves at the close of 2014 than "standing up in church for a pimp gone respectable" anthem. And perhaps more importantly, two of rap's master-class professors expounding their respective contribution to the artform at the highest level. Unmissable. - Eddie STATS

12. Jessie Ware f. Miguel - "Kind Of...Sometimes...Maybe."

2014 was the year thatJessie Ware revealed herself to be a pop-perfect prescription to the molly&melancholy-laden void in the contemporary r&b landscape, causing many of us (including myself) to grow weary of whether this new moody musical madness could hit like the greats. But if her post-"Primetime" collabo with Miguel "Kind Of...Sometimes...Maybe" proves anything in all of it's sex-soaked balladry, it's that her breathy, at times tinny, falsetto can certainly soar with the best of them, in this case over a brilliant and waltzing, 8-bit-touched composition that churns slowly, mounting by ever-so-slight increments until Ware brins the song to a peak in the third run of the chorus with a howl that cuts through all of the callouses and shows us exactly what the UK's full-bloom r&b queen is capable of. And, frankly, it's magic. It's the tightly tuned, slightly-swung rhythmic remedy that demands inclusion on every score you'll ever put together to compliment those late-night bedroom follies from here on forth. - Zo

13. Prince f. Lianne La Havas - "Clouds." 

The second -- dare I say more conventional-- joint from Prince's Art Official Age is more than just an update on the Purple sonic scheme. Rather, "Clouds" provides layers of airy goodness for both the devout Paisley patron and the newbies all at once. There's shades of The Kid from his ...ehem...potent 1999-era grit, but smoothed out with dreamy synthscapes and the Pro-Tools perfect filter that put this thing in precisely the strato-scape the title suggests. "Clouds" is yet another reminder that even in the digital age --or P's Art Official Age-- that a song can seem so new and so old without ever staggering, without even trying to, really. And that my friends, is precisely what makes Prince's page in the funk Bible one of the most bookmarked and worn; an uncanny ability to apply whatever textures the time affords him to a proven framework that's dazzled us for nearly 40 years. And it's always so damn good. - Zo

14. D'Angelo & The Vanguard - "The Charade."

"All we wanted was a chance to talk / 'Stead we only got outlined in chalk."

Honorable Mentions: "Never" ; "Black Rock" - The Roots; "Harold's" - Freddie Gibbs; "2 On" - Tinashe feat Schoolboy Q; "It Girl" - Pharrell; "Daffodils" - Mark Ronson; "Look In The Sky"; - Electric Wire Hustle; "Cigarette Song" - Raury;"Higher" - SBTRKT x Raury; "Ain't That Easy" - D'Angelo & The Vanguard; "1000 Deaths" - D'Angelo & The Vanguard; "Sugah Daddy" - D'Angelo & The Vanguard; "Really Love" - D'Angelo & The Vanguard; "Back In The Future (Parts I&II)" - D'Angelo & The Vanguard; "Till It's Done (Tutu)" - D'Angelo & The Vanguard; "Prayer" - D'Angelo & The Vanguard; "Betray My Heart" - D'Angelo & The Vanguard; "The Door" - D'Angelo & The Vanguard; "Another Life" - D'Angelo & The Vanguard.