The 25 Best Songs of 2010 (So Far)

It's the middle of the year, so Complex is looking back at The Best of 2010 (So Far) with a series of features that highlight our favorite stuff from the world of entertainment, fashion, art, and more.


It's obvious from our list of The 25 Best Albums Of 2010 (So Far) that this year has blessed us with more than a few bangers that can be played from the intro to the bonus cuts. But we also live in a time when the iTunes charts mean just as much as the Billboard charts, so sometimes a song will get played 50 times straight just because it's that hot. We wield this annoying tendency of ours without regard for genre, artist, album, or co-signs; it's really just whatever grabs our attention. So for the last of our Best of 2010 (So Far) series, we considered all songs and freestyles released BEFORE July 2010, and came up with a diverse set of 25 that we

Thank Me Later

22-year-old Jack Tatum wasn't even born when '80s indie pop was at its peak, but the kid who performs as Wild Nothing knows the sound better than anyone in music today. After building a buzz with a stream of singles late last year, "Chinatown" dropped at the top of 2010 and the nostalgic single immediately caught our attention. The three minutes of layered vocals and hazy instrumentals almost makes crying alone over your last break-up seem cool.

Ever since we saw Belly, we haven't been able to walk into a club without envisioning ourselves walking in slow motion and glowing in the dark, while having Soul II Soul's "Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)" playing in the background like DMX and Nas in the opening scene. We're guessing Fat Joe, Jeezy, and producer Scoop Deville feel the same way, since their Soul II Soul-sampling "Slow Down" is exactly like Belly...minus the indecipherable plot, wooden dialogue, and awful acting.

Contrary to American belief, the Wu does not have a monopoly on rocking Wallabees. The classic British shoe brand has been a Jamaican staple for decades, and this year it finally got an anthem worthy of its classic style. Over the "Mad Collab" Riddim, Vybz and company bust off a proper reminder that real rude boys rock Clarks, no matter the season. Be sure to keep your toothbrush on deck.

Let's just get the Drake comparisons out of the way now: This isn't J. Cole's "Best I Ever Had." But that doesn't mean it's not the perfect song for Cole to have out right now. "Who Dat" is a front-and-center display of all of Cole's strengths; his swift flow, clever wordplay, and grand ambitions ("I was plotting this moment back when y'all was riding spinners"). It's a song that packs a punch but also lets the listener know that Young Simba has much more roar in him than he's letting out.

In a year filled with assembly-line pop-rap, we needed some good ol' aggressive content (word to 50 Cent!), and Jizzle delivered that "punch-you-in-the-face" music right on time with the first single from TM103. Drumma Boy's deconstructed club assault winds up the beat and lets it spray all over the crowd like an automatic sprinkler, clearing the way for Young's rowdy chant and Plies' straight-up screaming.

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Okay, okay, maybe Jae Millz wasn't totally buggin' when he said Vado should have been on XXL's "Freshman" cover. Son is nice. The Harlem native has already been making noise rapping with Cam'ron on records like "Ric Flair" and "Speaking In Tongues." But a solo shot with a classic hook (which sampled a Big L line from "Deadly Combination), rugged lyrics, and a third verse that credibly paid tribute to L's "Ebonics" clearly established Slime as one to watch. For anyone still sleepin', stop it five!

How I Got Over

King of the Beach

Night At The RoxburyRelapse

The Ruck/Skrag Bike/Kimbo Price/Decepticon Sean grown-man rap renaissance continues in

This Is HappeningHeroes

On this infectious, laid-back Kush & OJ standout, Wiz explains what a day in his life consists of: driving around in something that has a lot more horsepower than whatever he was driving last year, smoking lots of purp, blowing a couple Gs in the Louis Vuitton store, and ducking hoes he already fucked. Haters were left confused as to whether they should be more mad about him fucking their chick or the fact that she cooked him cheese eggs afterward. Okayyy!

After the cut scenes, the occasional 30-second cameos by Kid Cudi, and Rasta Monsta, the best thing about HBO's lackluster but still watchable How To Make It In America was definitely the theme song by this multi-talented Stones Throw artist. Or maybe we're just biased because telling stories for mere dollars is kinda the story of our lives. Speaking of which, can anyone spare some loose change?

No, it wasn't what everyone expected. It wasn't a super-uptempo, undeniably catchy Billboard monster. Basically, it wasn't "In Da Club." And some people were disappointed. But a few listens revealed a song that was still pretty fuckin' epic. Drake sounded a bit disillusioned, but determined to enjoy his whirlwind year-and-a-half rise to becoming the hottest rapper in the game. More importantly, instead of chasing trends or manufactured hooks, Drake was doing him. Who the fuck are y'all?

Waka Flocka's wonky underground hit bubbled for more than a year before reaching critical mass in early 2010, heavily assisted by this knockout all-star remix. It's rare that you can actually say Puffy rapped his ass off, but here his verse is filled with "Arab Money"-level quotables ("I don't fuck with fake hoes/All I touch is J-Los!"). Backed up by an uncharacteristically funny verse from Ross (the genesis of his "I think I'm..." fantasy from "B.M.F") and topped off by a then-incarcerated Gucci (II), this is the dumb-out posse cut of the year.

Nowadays, we almost expect bands who benefited heavily from the Internet hype machine on their debut to fall short with their follow-up. Not Crystal Castles. The Toronto natives made the best song of their (short) career instead. Ethan Kath's production has matured into something more structured than the spastic Atari blips of their debut and Alice Glass drifts into pop territory with her vocals and nails it. The tune definitely surprised us, but it's clear that in the case of "Celestica," change is good.

Rozay turns his delusions of criminal grandeur into the year's catchiest hardcore rap record, his most unstoppable song since "Hustlin'." A year ago Ross was ridiculed for pretending to be something he's not, but now he's managed to flip it into a bizarre mission statement of sorts. Over Lex Luger's highly-effective Drumma Boy impression, Ross is all bluster and balls, coked up and talking shit. Minus Styles P's superfluous verse (sorry, Ghost), this might be the perfect street record. Every line is a statement worth putting on a posterboard, even Ross's more ironic boasts ("Talkin' plenty capers, nothin's been authenticated!"). No matter who you think you are, you can't not stand on a couch when this one comes on.

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