2020 felt like a decade due to all of the chaos happening in the world, but the one consistency was the amount of good music that dropped. Artists have been relatively quiet to start off the new year, but there are still plenty of quality singles for fans to enjoy.
Every month, HipHopDX puts a spotlight on the tracks that stand out from the overabundance of releases throughout the year, highlighting everything from Billboard chart-friendly singles to essential album cuts. Check back at the beginning of every month for updates and check out our other lists and our playlist below, which includes all of the songs mentioned in this article and more:
- If you’re looking for a more soothing list: The Best R&B Songs of 2021 …(so far)
- If you’re looking for a more lyrical list: The Best Rap Songs of 2021 …(so far)
- Check out our list of Best Hip Hop Songs of 2020 to catch up on anything you may have missed from last year.
Editor’s note: songs from this list were released between Dec. 2, 2020 – Jan. 29, 2021.
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The Playlist
For your listening pleasure, here is HipHopDX’s Best Hip Hop Songs of 2021 … so far.
Contributing writers: Trent Clark, Kyle Eustice, Justin Ivey, Josh Svetz, Dana Scott, Brandon Caldwell, David Brake, Kenan Draughorne, Devon Jefferson & Jeremy Hecht.
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“Tequila Shots” — Kid Cudi
In many ways, Kid Cudi’s The Man On The Moon III is a full-circle moment for the Cleveland-born psychedelic MC. It’s the third and final act in the MOTM trilogy, a fitting nightcap for the story of Mr. Rager. “Tequila Shots” is a nod to where Cudi has been, and a gaze forward to where he’s heading. It’s an acknowledgement of the perpetual nature of his tortured mind, but it’s also a declaration that he’s stronger than his weak points. Dot Da Genius and Take a Daytrip assist Cudder in the creation of his micro-universe, plucking nostalgic sounds from the previous chapters of the MOTM saga. Of course, no great Kid Cudi song is complete without a good dash of humming, and the “Day ‘N’ Nite” rapper is in peak form.
“Let It Breathe” – Joey Bada$$
Pro Era rap fans were undoubtedly hungry for more music from Joey Bada$$ following the release of The Light Pack EP at the tail end of 2020. That’s precisely his temporally aware bars sound so refreshing on his visual single “Let It Breathe.” Complimented by the mid-tempo muddled boom-bap production provided by Statik Selektah, Joey’s flow meanders between multi-tiered metaphors and brain-splitting aphorisms with the cerebral ideological might of Socrates — had the Greek philosopher hailed from New York City and pushed a lime green Porsche through the city.
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“Drankin N Smokin” — Future & Lil Uzi Vert
“Sky” — Playboi Carti
After years of waiting, Whole Lotta Red, Playboi Carti’s follow-up to 2018’s classic Die Lit, finally arrived on Christmas. The reception was admittedly more mixed than was to be expected from a hotly anticipated album from one of Hip Hop’s true superstars. But whether you love it or you hate it, the project produced some true gems, including “Sky,” a synth-heavy, melody-forward anthem that has quickly outperformed its counterparts, and then went on to TikTok virality. Art Dealer’s moody masterpiece of a beat sounds like Daft Punk dipped in lean, and perfectly upholds the song’s structure, and builds drama for Carti’s cathartic chorus, easily the best hook on the entire album.
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“Top (Remix)” — Fredo Bang f. Lil Durk
“Onna Come Up” — Lil Eazzyy
Lil Eazzyy closed out 2020 with a bang and is looking towards 2021 with big goals. His debut full-length Underrated, dropped last November, led by the single “Onna Come Up.” Now in the new year, Eazzyy released the remix to his most popular single, adding fellow Chicago rapper G Herbo. The drill-inspired rapper unloads a clip of fast raps on a Hugo Buck produced beat. With Herbo’s verse added, “Onna Come Up” Lil Eazzyy is no longer on his way up rap’s hierarchy–he’s already there.
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“Overtime” — Baby Smoove
“LeBron James” – J. Stone f. Nipsey Hussle, Dom Kennedy
All Money In rapper J. Stone has consistently elevated the legacy and memory of his dear friend, West Coast legend Nipsey Hussle, since his unfortunate death in 2019. Building onto the blueprint the Nip inspired with The Definition Of Loyalty, J. Stone continued the album saga in 2020 with The Definition Of Pain. Embedded within the 18-track project is the “LeBron James” collaboration featuring Dom Kennedy and a posthumous verse from Hussle that makes us fall in love with the drive and leadership the Victory Lap rapper embodies.
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“Still Trappin” — Lil Durk f. King Von
It might be a new year, but Lil Durk picked-up right where he left off in 2020. The underdog MVP of last year, Durkio landed scores of high-profile features and released two well-received albums in Just Cause Y’all Waited 2 and The Voice. “Still Trappin,” from The Voice and its subsequent deluxe edition, features the best verse from King Von since his passing last November. Go Grizzly and Hitmaka sonically recreate the streets of O’Block with dark drums and a haunting baritone piano loop. Von and Durk had undeniably cohesive chemistry, and “Still Trappin” is a reminder of what could have been.
“Throat Baby [Remix]” — BRS Kash f. DaBaby & City Girls
“My Puppy” — KEY! & Tony Seltzer
Atlanta rapper KEY! closed out 2020 with the most cohesive album of his career, The Alpha Jerk, produced in entirety by New York’s underground bard, Tony Seltzer. KEY! raps in a JPEGMAFIA-style stream of consciousness, pumping high-intensity bars that occasionally borderline on screaming. “My Puppy,” is the standout track from an overall excellent project. Tony pairs a whining, distorted synth with rounded, booming drums as KEY! uses the production like a playground, swinging from the monkey bars, taking rides down the slide and doing flips off the swings.
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“We Know The Truth” — Drakeo The Ruler f. Icewear Vezzo, ALLBLACK
Despite the odds stacked so strongly against him, Los Angeles rapper Drakeo The Ruler continues to succeed. For years he fought a backwards conspiracy charge while being inhumanely muzzled and locked in solitary confinement. Last year, he managed to release Thank You For Using GTL. The album was recorded entirely over the phone from prison, which many have labeled the greatest rap album ever recorded from behind bars. Drakeo works at a breakneck pace, and has released both We Know The Truth (and its deluxe) and Because Y’all Asked since his release last November. “We Know The Truth” featuring Detroit’s Icewear Vezzo and burgeoning Oakland MC ALLBLACK, is a West Coast take on Midwestern Drill music.
“Nasty” — Rich The Kid f. Flo Milli, Rubi Rose
“Guard Up” — Pooh Shiesty
The Pooh Shiesty stock is skyrocketing like GameStop; the only difference is there’s no crash in sight. The latest in a series of phenomenal young artists to arise from Memphis, Shiesty slid into prominence through an onslaught of single releases, including his latest “Guard Up.” Rapping is too easy for the 20-year-old MC who takes a lackadaisical approach as he maneuvers across the TP808 produced beat, finding pockets with ease, contorting his voice to push the boundaries of the rhyme patterns. The entire rap world has their eyes on Pooh Shiesty as we approach his debut album. So far he has yet to disappoint.
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“Bad Boy” — Juice WRLD f. Young Thug
“I Am” – Yung Baby Tate & Flo Milli
OTHER FAVORITES FROM JANUARY 2021
- “Ain’t Got TIme” – Lil Wayne f. Foushee
- “Bop” – CJ
- “Dead Broke” – Lil Skies
- “Sunshine (The Light)” – Fat Joe, DJ Khaled & Amorphous
- “State of the Union” – Marlon Craft
- “Last Day In” – Kodak Black
- “6 N Da Morning” – Los & Nutty
- “Help” – Peewee Longway & Cassius Jay f. Wicced
- “Trap It Out” – Peewee Longway & Cassius Jay f. Lil Baby
- “Luka Brazy Gates Flow” – HoneyKomb Brazy
- “My Puppy” – KEY! & Tony Seltzer
- “Clinical” KEY! & Tony Seltzer
- “Big Business” – Trapland Pat
- “Risky” – Lil Moe 6Blocka
- “GodHands” – Evilbabyjoker
- “Moving Dangerous” – Kell Honcho
- “Trap Mode” – YG Teck f. Pooh Shiesty
- “Question For You” – YG Teck
- “Gnat” – Eminem
- “Oxycodone Mixture” – CEO Trayle
- “Foe Minutes Of Hell” Sada Baby
- “Walk Down Again” – Doe Boy
- “SFX Room” – Tony Shhnow
- “False Evidence Appearing Real” – Chris Crack
- “AHHHHHH PT.2” – YN Jay f. Sada Baby
- “Take Out” – Jay Critch
- “Breathe” – Navy Blue f. yasiin bey
- “Chicken N Dumplins” – Grip
- “Trapp Back” – YSN f. Foogiano
- “Off The Porch” – Key Glock
- “6 Foot 7 Foot” – 26AR & Tazzo B
- “Chosen” – Taleban Dooda f. T9ine
