Great American Scrapbook Convention Arlington Tx 2017

101. Bhad Bhabie, "Hi Bich"

100. G Perico, "Keep Ballin"

99. Bbymutha, "Rules"

98. BROCKHAMPTON, "Star"

97. Mal Devisa, "You Are My Sunshine"

2017 started in a dark place for Massachusetts musician Deja Carr, when she was forced to pull a raft of tour dates due to an undisclosed illness. Radio silence followed until July, when "You Are My Sunshine" dropped out of nowhere. The soulful tribute to her mother was both a reminder of her undeniable talent — most people can't sing or rap this well, never mind both — as well as a relieving message that things were getting better. — David Renshaw

96. SOPHIE, "It's Okay to Cry"

95. Kesha, "Hunt You Down"

In a year where most men deserved to die, Kesha treated us to a barn-burning banger about why yet another one of them might have to go. "Hunt You Down" is ultimately a song about fidelity and what should happen when you wrong a woman in control. Her delivery of the spunky lyrics is so spot-on. Country-fried Kesha was one of the year's best surprises. — Myles Tanzer

94. Jlin, "Black Origami"

93. Demi Lovato, "Daddy Issues"

This song is so good it made me like Demi Lovato. "Daddy Issues" is about the surprising positives you can pull out of your greatest foibles. It also happens to spotlight some of the most dramatic programmed drums I've ever heard in my life. It's a showstopper worthy of Lovato's intense vocal abilities, and it feels like a completely honest statement from the singer. Listening to it will trick you into making bad decisions and feeling really good about it. — Myles Tanzer

92. MUNA, "I Know A Place"

91. Moses Sumney, "Quarrel"

90. Actress, "Dancing in the Smoke"

Is a dance floor a site or a mindset? Actress knows it's both and more. On "Dancing in the Smoke," from this year's AZD album, he harnesses the transformative power of the club and relocates it to a cosmic realm. An android-like voice repeats "The future, the future," synths are wielded like laser beams, and an apprehensive layer of bass descends like a red velvet curtain. Close your eyes and join us. — Ruth Saxelby

89. Margo Price, "Weakness"

88. A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, "Drowning"

When A Boogie's "Drowning" first surfaced on Twitter in February, racking up close to 6,000 retweets, it was clear that the Highbridge hitmaker had another massive record under his iced-out sleeves. The instantly recognizable Erik Satie piano sample, a frankly unnecessary feature from Atlantic labelmate and accused assaulter, Kodak Black, and an irresistible sing-a-long chorus, all contributed to the track's platinum status in early August. It's the Bronx streaming star's third, and counting, plaque of its kind. — Ali Suliman

87. Chris Jeday f. Ozuna, Arcángel, & J Balvin, "Ahora Dice"

86. Weaves f. Tanya Tagaq, "Scream"

Weaves fucking rules, and that's a fact. On "Scream," the pop-rock quartet got legendary indigenous throat-singer Tanya Tagaq to wail about what it's like to be a woman in this shitty world. All percussion and passion and reverb and lines like "I'm a child of commercials and body language and floating drones," the collaborative track truly sounds like nothing else. They sang it together at the Polaris award ceremony this year. Is there a sicker way to get your message out there? I can't think of one. — Leah Mandel

85. Quay Dash, "Decline Him"

84. SahBabii f. T3, "Marsupial Superstars"

83. Mike WiLL Made-It f. Chief Keef & Rae Sremmurd, "Come Down"

"Come Down" sounds like the soundtrack for that uplifting moment at the conclusion of a young adventurer's epic quest, when, mission accomplished, they head home victorious. Aptly placed toward the end of Mike WiLL Made-It's Ransom 2, the cut features awesome, aspirational verses from Rae Sremmurd's Jxmmi and Swae Lee — but the real standout is Chief Keef. On the chorus, he assuredly sings his whole heart out about knowing exactly what he's about at this point in his life — a high he doesn't want to come down from. It's a somewhat under-the-radar marker of what was a monumental bounce-back year for the young star. — Nazuk Kochhar

82. Dua Lipa, "New Rules"

81. Young Dolph, "100 Shots"

No rapper in 2017 has returned from the brink as dramatically or as frequently as Young Dolph. Released after the first of two shootings he'd survive this year, Dolph's triumph on "100 Shots" is the ultimate validation of his predictive hustler instincts. He's a super-soldier emerging from the fog of a war he could have lost — and since DJ Squeeky's beat doesn't drop until just after the song's halfway point, Dolph's knowledge has the punch of a beloved general who still hasn't cleaned the blood from his sword. By the time he raps "How the fuck you miss a whole hundred shots?" in that distinct peaking bark, Dolph has answered his own question. — Jordan Darville

80. Yves Tumor, "My Nose My Lips Your Head Shape"

A few hours after I heard "My Nose My Lips Your Head Shape" for the first time, I saw Yves Tumor perform in a Montreal church. It was a 30-minute blitzkrieg of harsh noise, the opposite of the song I heard earlier that day, but with both pieces, I felt Tumor casting invisible lines into me in the hopes of ensnaring an authentic response. "Head Shape" was the biggest catch. It is raw 21st-century intimacy blessed with Tumor's loop alchemy, here a catacombs choral lit in wedding night afterglow. It's what love sounds like. — Jordan Darville

79. Ibeyi, "Away Away"

78. Teengirl Fantasy, "Telepaths"

The burning smiley face on a beach that covers Teengirl Fantasy's album 8AM is basically how I've felt all year. The sublimely percussive "Telepaths," about as soothing a drum track as you'll find, is how I've felt in rare moments of peace. — Duncan Cooper

77. Lil Baby, "My Dawg"

2017 was the first year in recent memory when Atlanta started to feel a little less like the epicenter of rap, as SoundCloud's viral young stars from every nook and cranny of the country rose to the forefront of the genre. But Quality Control's latest protege, Zone 4 rapper Lil Baby, emerged as one of the city's newest hopes with his breakout hit "My Dawg," taken from his Harder Than Hard mixtape. Though he only started rapping this year, the 21-year-old's delivery feels natural and the song's chorus is uplifting every time. — Ben Dandridge-Lemco

76. Syd, "Know"

75. Mount Kimbie f. Micachu, "Marilyn"

I don't know if it's her scruffy, soulful voice, her just-woke-up delivery, or the nasal London edge of her accent, but I hang off Mica Levi's every word. In recent years she's made the leap to film scoring, which makes this feature on Mount Kimbie's "Marilyn" all the more special. For their part, the U.K. band demonstrates the journey they've been on, steering away from the club textures of their early work, instead finding a home in the abundant possibilities of percussive dialogue. — Ruth Saxelby

74. Arca, "Reverie"

73. Lil Durk, "Make It Out"

The name of Lil Durk's clique "Only The Family" conjures a protective forcefield of loyalty, and "Make It Out" is the sound of that barrier being shattered. The best song in a revitalized 2017 for the rapper, "Make It Out" pumps poisonous betrayal through Durk's untouchable melodies and a rich narrative reflecting on the life he's shared with his traitor, and storm clouds now bearing over him. But there's no trace of self-pity, as the code remains the same: "I never asked you for anything, just your honesty" Durk sings on the hook, aching for reconciliation. — Jordan Darville

72. Steve Lacy, "Dark Red"

71. Fever Ray, "To The Moon and Back"

After the release of her second album, Plunge, Karin Dreijer opened up about her new LGBTQ life since leaving The Knife. But that shift was already front and center to her huge comeback single, "To The Moon And Back," which offers deliciously enticing possibilities for queer living (piss play optional), alongside a thwacking electro-pop beat that wakes you up as if someone's stuck a cattle prod where the sun doesn't shine. — Owen Myers

70. Kehlani, "Undercover"

69. Waxahatchee, "Brass Beam"

Out in the Storm, Katie Crutchfield's excellent fourth full-length as Waxahatchee, tells the nonlinear story of a romance gone wrong. The record's best song, "Brass Beam," is an earnest account of her ex-lover's suffocating narcissism. Listening, you might be tempted to send the lyrics to all your friends, or at least the ones with toxic boyfriends. "I got lost in your rendition of reality," Crutchfield remembers, her Alabama twang more audible than usual. Luckily for her — and for fans of urgent, alt-country breakup jams everywhere — she found her way out. — Patrick D. McDermott

68. Bedouine, "Solitary Daughter"

67. Klein, "Cry Theme"

66. Charly Bliss, "Percolator"

65. Chief Keef, "Can You Be My Friend"

Like many of Chief Keef's best songs, "Can You Be My Friend" started out as just a snippet. In a video on his Instagram from August 2016, the Chicago rapper compulsively readjusts his fur hat and sings along passionately to the dancehall track. Keef sounds just as comfortable over the swing of the bassline as he did on his pioneering drill sounds, asking, "Baby, will you take me for who I am?" before letting off his most tranquil "bang bang." This year, the Chicago rapper showed a renewed desire to share music with his fans and "Can You Be My Friend" was a hopeful sign that he's having fun in the studio again. — Ben Dandridge-Lemco

64. Superorganism, "Something For Your M.I.N.D."

63. DeJ Loaf, "No Fear"

A good pop song has the ability to transport you to another moment in time, and on "No Fear," DeJ effortlessly returns us to our wide-eyed and unafraid first forays into love. That grueling butterflies-in-stomach sensation comes back with a vengeance as DeJ's distinct high-octave timbre pierces through a familiar-feeling bounce, on lines like "Who would've thought we wouldn't be married by now / We been true lovers since high school" and "none of the gossip, nothing can stop us." It's a carefree and infectious bop that gently throws us back. — Ali Suliman

62. Japanese Breakfast, "Road Head"

61. Maleek Berry, "Been Calling"

60. Wiki f. Evy Jane, "Pandora's Box"

At his album release show at Rough Trade, Wiki explained to a crowd of young New York City kids what exactly he means when he says he "ate Pandora's box." I don't remember precisely what he said, but the gist was that it widened up his world, in good and bad and inexplicable ways — just like in the myth. On the song, he's referring specifically to a woman he dated for a minute. It's hyper-personal and scrapbook-like, but if you've ever had one of those exhausting, mind-swirling relationships, you'll find ways to relate to its beauty and its pain. — Leah Mandel

59. Yhung T.O, "Blame Em"

58. Oneohtrix Point Never f. Iggy Pop, "The Pure and the Damned"

57. Yung Lean, "Red Bottom Sky"

56. Kranium f. Ty Dolla $ign & WizKid, "Can't Believe"

55. Future, "Mask Off"

Beyond its instant internet appeal, "Mask Off" was a clear example of Future's biggest strength: creating slaps that hint at deeper traumas, substituting feeling for apathy. The Metro Boomin-produced song samples Tommy Butler's "Prison Song" from the original Selma musical and the beat's somber flute line reminds the listener that Future's numbing "Molly, Percocet" chant is less glorification that it is escapism. — Ben Dandridge-Lemco

54. Charli XCX, "Boys"

53. Davido, "If"

The words "I love you" can be heartwarming, but when Davido sings them over and over on "If," they sound true and unbreakable. That endearing repetition is what can shift the mood in the club, or serve as the perfect wedding soundtrack. His voice cruises over the Tekno production, so it's hard not to bend your back, glide your feet, and celebrate real love. — Lakin Starling

52. Laurel Halo, "Jelly"

If Laurel Halo's "Jelly" had a color, it would be bright, acidic yellow. It's the most fun, hedonistic piece of music the techno experimentalist has produced, but it teeters on a knife edge between joy and uncomfortable intensity. With vocal assistance from Lafawndah and Klein, the often miserable lyrics represent an anxious, self-flagellating inner dialogue. But the rolling percussion, splashes of piano, and unfurling electronics pull the track in unpredictable directions, as if to undermine that message with a grin: Stop taking yourself so seriously! — Aimee Cliff

51. Julia Michaels, "Issues"

50. Daniel Caesar f. Kali Uchis, "Get You"

49. Lil B, "Wasup JoJo"

"Wasup JoJo" appears midway through what I like to think of as the first of three sections that comprise Black Ken, a mixtape seven years in the making. "Wasup JoJo" is the standout of the first section, in which the Berkeley rapper channels Too $hort, and other '80s rap influences, over his own zany production. Lil B has been maligned by "real hip-hop" heads for years, but the song's based boom-bap feel, and statements like "I own my own masters, so I'm a real rapper," feel like his reclamation of his rightful place in the genre's canon. — Ben Dandridge-Lemco

48. Camila Cabello f. Young Thug, "Havana"

47. King Krule, "Dum Surfer"

Sometimes it feels like King Krule is happiest when he's sad as shit. Case in point: the sobbing guitar solo and ominous vocals on "Dum Surfer," where chronicling a drunken mess of a night winds up sounding way more buoyant, and relatable, than it should. — Rawiya Kameir

46. OMB Peezy, "When I Was Down"

45. Lor Choc, "Fast Life"

44. JAY-Z, "4:44"

Seldom does a moment come that forces men to evaluate themselves, their shitty behavior, and their beneficial position within society's gendered hierarchy. On the powerfully vulnerable and self-reflective title-track of his 13th album, JAY-Z laments on a decade of his own infidelity, abuse, and shortcomings within his marriage to the queen of the world. Hopefully heterosexual male listeners everywhere finally realized that what women have been saying this whole time is indeed true: men are trash, and we need to do better. — Ali Suliman

43. Lorde, "Green Light"

42. DJ Khaled f. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller, "Wild Thoughts"

Just when we thought Rihanna would be taking the summer off, she came through like a rainstorm in a June heatwave and gifted us "Wild Thoughts." Floating over a sample from Santana's "Maria, Maria" like a dragonfly, she gave us a verse and chorus about desire so powerful — who among us didn't have that hook stuck in our heads for days? — that even an extra-boring verse from Bryson Tiller couldn't stop its shine. — Myles Tanzer

41. Smooky MarGielaa, "Stay 100"

40. Tyler, The Creator, "911 / Mr.Lonely"

For a kid from the 'burbs who'd drive to get anywhere, and use those me-time moments to reflect, Tyler's "911/Mr. Lonely" clicked like my seatbelt buckle. It starts out sounding and feeling like a chill, introspective cruise, then slowly, surprisingly, double-times into a frantic, pedal-to-the-metal existential freakout. The Flower Boy cut is filled to the brim with pals and zappy two-bar zingers ("Treat me like direct deposit / Check in on me sometime") alike, and features the year's most underrated adlib, for which we have Frank Ocean to thank: "Chirp chirrrrrrp, chirp CHIRRRRRRP." — Nazuk Kochhar

39. Sheer Mag, "Pure Desire"

38. Bad Bunny, "Soy Peor"

Bad Bunny is a new kind of rapper from Puerto Rico. He's melded influences from homegrown reggaetoneros and Travis $cott-type-beat artists alike to create a dark, soul-shaking sound, best heard on his breakout hit, "Soy Peor." Over super-sparse production, booming bass, and extra-low, rumbly chords, he raps in his deep and pained voice about forsaking true love, and how he's now a worse person because of a former special someone. It's one of the best fuck-it-all anthems of the year. — Nazuk Kochhar

37. Calvin Harris f. Frank Ocean & Migos, "Slide"

It sucks that we had to wait until 2017 to get a disco song about buying Picassos and smoking weed before gay sex, but I'm glad "Slide" is finally here. Calvin Harris managed to pull off three impressive tricks: he turned Migos into disco divas, somehow got Frank Ocean to make a radio-friendly song, and made a '70s-inspired pop track that sounds completely new. — Myles Tanzer

36. Stormzy, "Big For Your Boots"

35. J Balvin f. Beyonce & Willy William, "Mi Gente (remix)"

In a year filled with discussion about the crossover potential of Latinx music, J Balvin's "Mi Gente," an undeniable, dancefloor-ready remix of Willy William's "Voodoo Song," made it to No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. And then came a surprise bilingual remix featuring Beyoncé, released to benefit hurricane and earthquake relief. When they go despacito, we movemos la cabeza. — Rawiya Kameir

34. YBN Nahmir, "Rubbin Off the Paint"

33. YoungBoy NBA, "No Smoke"

32. Sorority Noise, "A Portrait Of"

On "A Portrait Of," Cameron Boucher sings about trying to be a good person in the face of tragedy, about how hard it is to stay positive when you're not even sure you want to stay alive. The result is a pop-punk singalong with life-and-death stakes, capped off by a stream-of-consciousness rant that highlights Boucher's preternatural gift for writing songs that inspire and devastate in equal measure. — Patrick D. McDermott

31. Jorja Smith X Preditah, "On My Mind"

30. Playboi Carti, "Magnolia"

Whenever I heard "Magnolia" in a public setting over the past year, Carti's stream of consciousness flow and Pi'erre Bourne's buoyant beat seemed to lift a huge weight off the room. The title is a reference to New Orleans's famed housing projects and the uptempo bass hits match bounce music's unbridled energy; the track feels like crashing a party and being the most turnt person there. "Magnolia" signaled the rise of both Carti and Pi'erre and gave me a carefree goal to aspire to: "I'm riding in a Mozzy / This ain't even my Mozzy." — Ben Dandridge-Lemco

29. Miley Cyrus, "Malibu"

28. Goldlink f. Brent Faiyaz & Shy Glizzy, "Crew"

Though Goldlink and Shy Glizzy shine with witty verses, burgeoning R&B singer Brent Faiyaz cements the squad anthem with his '90s-recalling timbre: "You came out of hiding girl/ Don't act like I'm your man / You just a fan, you don't hold rank." The infectious bop might be a little petty, but that's because it's satisfying to see someone who slept on you arrive with their tardy slip to fawn over you and your friends while y'all level up. — Lakin Starling

27. Shawn Wasabi f. Hollis, "Otter Pop"

26. Kendrick Lamar, "HUMBLE."

Kendrick Lamar is always self-assured but he reaches a new level of authority as he takes the reigns and sons his rivals on this taunting track. Known for both his composure and confidence, he matches Mike WiLL Made-It's boisterous beat with a clear message for any competition who may have gotten besides themselves. The song's force is cutting, but its instructions are simple: "Bitch sit down / Be humble." — Lakin Starling

25. Mhysa, "Bb"

24. Kelela, "LMK"

The electrifying R&B on Kelela's debut album Take Me Apart tells the story of two relationships: the first sparks and flares with quick intensity, before coming to a rocky end, making way for a new and wiser partnership. "LMK" is the lightning strike that breaks the record open in the middle. With bass-rich production from Jam City, it's Kelela's moment of singledom, as heated and flirtatious as her all-time best work. "It ain't that deep, either way," she shrugs. "No one's trying to settle down."

Across her catalog, Kelela is a master of heartbreak and relationship conflict, as well as songs that are simply about getting blazed. But on "LMK" she proves her finest mode is sexual ownership and agency. With this song, she joined the canon of great R&B songs about hooking up, and by "topping from the bottom," made an empowering anthem for women everywhere who want to do the same. — Aimee Cliff

23. Tove Lo, "Disco Tits"

22. Sampha, "(No One Knows Me) Like the Piano"

21. Drake, "Blem"

Using social media chatter as a litmus test, this year it seemed like the era of Peak Drake was finally coming to a Stone Island-outfitted end. Many felt fatigued by his ubiquity, his is-it-or-isn't-it-vampiric energy, his cheeky Instagram captions, the questionable tiny tattoos he keeps adding to his constellation of bad ink. All empires must fall, and, having held on longer than many of his peers, maybe the time had come for the Boy.

And yet it is a fact that More Life, the full-length "playlist" Drake released in March, was full of bangers. Among them was "Blem." The song, on which he sings in a Caribbean lilt, distills the past couple of years of his career into one shimmering, T-Minus-produced stoner anthem. Depending on who you ask, "Blem" is either evidence of Drake's business-minded cultural appropriation or an earnest reflection of the immigrant-shaped culture of his hometown. Either way, it's classic Drake: bare unshakeable melodies and emotional unavailability masquerading as vulnerability.

At a time when astute political commentary feels like social currency, Drake's vague emoting, no matter how catchy, may prove enough to keep him around but not necessarily at the top. And he may be savvy enough to know that: late in the year, he announced that he's planning to pivot to video. I wish him Godspeed. — Rawiya Kameir

20. Lil Peep, "The Brightside"

19. Girlpool, "It Gets More Blue"

18. Ryuichi Sakamoto, "Zure"

Sound can manipulate space and time. Or at least, that is the hope: some artists wish to immortalize themselves; others, to document a feeling that they can barely see the outline of. Ryuichi Sakamoto is a master of the latter, a composer of sonic realms that hold a thousand nameless notions and desires. This past May, Sakamoto released his first solo studio album in eight years. Titled async, it in part processes the revered Japanese artist's recovery from throat cancer, an experience that left him reflecting on the nature of time and mortality. Nowhere does he make that clearer than on "Zure," which is named after the English rendering of the Japanese word for "gap" or "slippage."

A slow-to-stationary ambient track, "Zure" builds a palpable tension from just a few sonic elements: a 2-chord synth wash; a metronomic, beep-like piano note; and what sounds like occasional dispatches from a cosmic fax machine. It's a strange zone, akin to a space-time waiting room, that prods at parts of the soul that I'm not ready to reckon with just yet — but I know "Zure" will be waiting for me when I am. — Ruth Saxelby

17. Julien Baker, "Turn Out The Lights"

16. Lana Del Rey, "Love"

15. Perfume Genius, "Slip Away"

14. Selena Gomez, "Bad Liar"

13. Paramore, "Hard Times"

12. Meek Mill f. Young Thug, "We Ball"

11. (Sandy) Alex G, "Powerful Man"

10. Yaeji, "Raingurl"

9. Ozuna, "Se Preparó"

8. Creek Boyz, "With My Team"

7. SZA, "Love Galore"

6. Cardi B, "Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)"

5. Frank Ocean, "Chanel"

4. J Hus, "Did You See"

3. Lil Uzi Vert, "XO Tour LIif3"

2. Phoebe Bridgers, "Funeral"

1. Tay-K, "The Race"

Great American Scrapbook Convention Arlington Tx 2017

Source: https://www.thefader.com/2017/12/03/best-songs-2017-apple-music-spotify-playlist

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