The 25 Best Songs of 2011

From rap to rock and everything in between, these are the tunes we had stuck on repeat this year.

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One day music heads will look back at 2011 with a sense of amazement. The whole world is changing in profound ways, and popular music is no exception.

Whether 2012 will bring an actual Mayan-style apocalypse or just a profound shift in consciousness is not clear at this moment. What is certain is that we are now witnessing a radical transformation of not just the music industry but also the musical soundscape around us. Superstars and veterans are making some of the best work of their careers while hungry upstarts shred regional and genre barriers as they attack the game from all sorts of unexpected angles.

It's getting harder and harder to make sense of it all, but don't worry—that's why Complex is here. We do this for our culture, and for our own sanity. Hey, we all need some new tunes to get us through the night. And so—after more than the usual amount of link-swapping, discussion, and debate—we proudly present the best songs of this crazy year.

Written by Insanul Ahmed (@Incilin), Ernest Baker (@newbornrodeo), Brendan Frederick (@BFred), Rob Kenner (@boomshots), Jacob Moore (@PigsAndPlans), Nick Schonberger (@NSchon), and Damien Scott (@ThisIsDScott)

25. Ace Hood f/ Rick Ross & Lil Wayne 'Hustle Hard (Remix)"

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After three albums' worth of hustling, Ace Hood finally got the undeniable smash hit that he's been working towards his whole career. That's the good news. The bad news is that he got murdered on his own remix. Not that Ace didn't go hard, but when you're being upstaged by YMCMB's own Ricky Rozay and Weezy F. Baby, there isn't much for a young rapper to do but say "thank you" and get back to hustlin'. It's true that closed mouths don't get fed, but it's not polite to eat with your mouth open either.

24. Lykke Li "Get Some"

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We've always known Lykke Li is a badass. The Swedish songstress covers hip-hop songs with megaphones, dances like she doesn't give a fuck, and conveys an ever-present edge that sets her apart from the flock of other pop singers with big hooks and sexy voices. On "Get Some," from her sophomore release, Wounded Rhymes, that edge is sharper than ever. With pounding drums, menacing lyrics, and an unflinching delivery, this is her baddest-ass song to date.

23. Kid Cudi "No One Believes Me"

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One of the things we like most about Kid Cudi is that he's never at an artistic standstill. While so many of his peers find a hot sound and stick with it, Cudi's always scrapping the formula and chopping his way through a new path all his own. Instead of seeking out another "Day 'N' Night" to dominate radio stations, Cudder made this dark, mischievous theme song to the horror movie Fright Night. It's not really for the clubs or the radio, but it's proof that trying out new things can pay off, and it peels away another layer to one of the most versatile artists in the game. Believe that.

22. Wiz Khalifa f/ Juicy J "Errrday"

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While not the first cat you think of for inventive bars, Oscar-winning Memphis rap legend Juicy J can still surprise with his winning witticisms, and on "Errrday" he takes the gold with a nifty nod to Kobe Bryant (who, sadly, may not be Juicy J's neighbor much longer). That quotable—part of Juicy's somewhat unexpected but no less triumphant resurgence this year—lifts what might have been a run-of-the-mill joint to year's-most-memorable status. Let's face it, the song illustrates many of 2011's prevailing themes—in beat structure, lyrical content, and young x old collaboration. Inspired by the Triple Six legend, Wiz digs deep in his stash of rhymes, making us want to hear this one "Errrday."

21. Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire "Huzzah"

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The Big Apple rap resurgence owes a great deal to heavy doses of nostalgia. But in the hands of Brooklyn's Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire, the notion of throwback is presented in terms that are equal parts catchy, crazy, and creative. Aside from its gloriously grotesque video, the triumph of "Huzzah" stems from its unapologetic approach and oddly concise aesthetic, given its multitude of obvious influences. (Pulling in LES legend Necro doesn't hurt either.) Ultimately, eXquire's banger gives that classic, blunted NYC underground sound a proper contemporary retrofit. 

20. Dom "Things Change"

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It's become increasingly difficult to find straightforward, quality rock music, but for the second year in a row this Massachusetts collective delivered the goods with their brilliant lo-fi laptop jams. What separates Dom from every other band cranking out distorted records on a budget is their knack for infectious melodies. Even though "Things Change" is significantly less pop-infused than last year's Sun Bronzed Greek Gods standout "Living In America," it's supported by a killer riff and bass line that kept the relatively simple chorus stuck on repeat in our brains. (This free Internet single is better than anything on the band's formal release from 2011, the Family Of Love EP, and it's a shame that it wasn't included.) Dom's calling card is adding a fuzzy glitz to isolation and heartbreak, and "Things Change" has all of that. Clocking in at just under three minutes, the song never wears out its welcome, even as it delves into nostalgia over a lost relationship. As soon as lyrics like, "It feels like a week ago, though it's been such a long time" start to trigger too much contemplation, the whole thing is over—as it should be.

19. Rick Ross f/ Drake "Made Men"

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This stuntastic duet provided our first tantalizing glimpse of Ross's highly anticipated God Forgives, I Don't. Abusing a beat by young producer 2Tall, Drake and Ross may look like an odd couple at first glance. Once's fat and bearded, one slim and smooth. One calls his Mercedes S65 Rihanna, one calls his girl Rihanna (because she really is Rihanna—get it?) But ever since they joined forces on "Aston Martin Music" and later on "Lord Knows," we can't get enough of this rap Oscar Madison and Felix Unger. So what's up with that mixtape gentlemen?

18. Mac Miller "Donald Trump"

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Fact: Two negatives make a positive. Case in point: Mr. Miller, he of the grating, monotone voice and somewhat empty bars, name-drops America's most annoying old white guy and creates a hit of baffling magnitude. (The best part of the video, for us, was that brief glimpse of Statik Selectah dancing.) Said certified-gold single goes on to push the Pittsburgh kid from blog buzz to mainstream acclaim, setting the plate nicely for the release of Blue Slide Park, the first indie album to debut atop Billboard's albums chart since The Dogg Pound in 1995. "Hopefully, I'll be at the top soon" Mac raps on this one—talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy.

17. Wale f/ TCB "Bait"

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Folarin is an ambitious dude who never stops putting in that "work work work." Throughout his up-and-down career, we've noticed a trend: Wale has rarely missed with a DMV-centered track. Check the back catalog: "Uptown Roamers" solidified the local legend and "Nike Boots" propelled his voice to national consciousness. "Bait" brings go-go band TCB into the Maybach Music fist-pump fold to pay homage to "urea" talent, and succeeds as a tour-de-force of homegrown slang. Who said you can't "make it big with go-go"?

16. Future "Tony Montana"

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There's one every year: A menacing celebration of the trap life and all the anxiety and ostentation that comes with a hustler's success. Thug motivation, if you will. For most of 2011 ours came courtesy of Future, who enlisted Lex Luger to provide an ominous dungeon-dweller of a beat. Future proceeded to tell the world how his life is analogous to that of Oliver Stone and Brian De Palma's most famous creation. The lyrics—the ones you can decipher, anyway—are appropriately over-the-top and ridiculous ("Champagne spilling, crab cakes everywhere!"). And none of that matters when that steamroller chorus hits and you can't do anything but throw on a screwface and try not to spill your drink.

15. Danny Brown "Die Like A Rockstar"

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Other rappers just wanna party like a rock star, but Danny Brown is not like other rappers. This standout from his brilliant XXX mixtape finds the unhinged Detroit MC pushing his self-destructive tendencies to the limit, spazzing out over sleazy, off-key synth chords and submarine sonar sounds that sound downright demonic. Danny likens himself to a laundry list of deceased musicians and Hollywood bad boys, and you can't help but fear for his life when his already urgent squawk goes over the edge on certain lines ("Bitch I'm Frankie Lymom! Heath Ledger! Hyped up in the Jacuzzi, doin' that Jim Belushi!"). Rarely has any rapper's wild-eyed intensity sounded so palpable. We get the feeling that this is just the tip of the iceberg for Fool's Gold Records' star in the making.

14. The Drums "Money"

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For one of the most hyped-up indie bands out, Brooklyn's The Drums have made something undeniably timeless with "Money." The lyrics read like the sort of brooding love song you'd expect to hear from Morrissey or Robert Smith. But lines like "You hit me yesterday because I made you cry, so before I die let me do something nice" take on a new tone when combined with the song's restless bass and high-strung, panicky chorus. "Money" is a sweet little track that's catchy enough stay popping up in our heads long after 2011 is over—and we're OK with that.

13. Kendrick Lamar "ADHD"

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With eight doobies to the face, 12 bottles in a case and two pills and a half, Compton-born MC Kendrick Lamar has crafted a kind of Cali rap anthem for the '80s babies of the world.

There's no shortage of anthems on Section.80—the catchy horns and breathless bars on "Rigamortis" are impossible to deny and "Hiiipower" remains a blogger's favorite—but "A.D.H.D." is a standout because it captures the mood of today's lonely, drugged-out youth who seem more interested in Bay Area Kush and Purple Label tags than anything else.

When K Dot rhymes, "You know why we crack babies? Because we was born in the '80s. That ADHD crazy," his analysis is both devastating and spot-on.

12. The Weeknd "House Of Balloons / Glass Table Girls"

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Ethiopia is the cradle of humanity, a place where civilizations are born. The Weeknd's Abel Tesfaye did his Ethiopian ancestry proud when he emerged from Toronto this year to cast a sort of musical spell with a trifecta of avant-gardge R&B mixtapes—House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence—that staked out a whole new sonic terrain. It all starts with this extended two-song suite, a glimpse into a "happy house" where everybody has "fun, fun, fun" until it gets hard to breathe. When that happens, just crack open a window and surrender to the joys of anonymous drugs and recreational sex. (Or was it vice versa?) Either way, oblivion hasn't been this much fun since Oasis dropped that "Champagne Supernova" joint.

11. Chris Brown f/ Busta Rhymes & Lil Wayne "Look At Me Now"

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And now for some pop shit. Or was it? Diplo, Afro Jack and Free School crafted a beat so indestructibly futuristic that it became damn-near inescapable. "Look At Me Now" has pretty much stayed in heavy rotation from the moment it debuted on 106 & Park this past February 1—and see if it doesn't shuts shit down at your New Year's Eve party tomorrow. Not only did the song bring Busta back to post-"Scenario" levels of ferocity and allow Weezy an opportunity to go dumb like the Three Stooges. It also launched Karmin's career and even gave Justin Bieber a chance to prove he could spit too. Plus it afforded Chris Brown an opportunity to tell haters to say hi to his dick. Leggo!

10. Lana Del Rey "Video Games"

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For all the conversation surrounding Lana's past persona and her aesthetic decisions, it's worth remembering why she got our attention in the first place: "Video Games" is an incredible record. Those grandiose strings and marching-band breakbeats set a shimmering but stripped-down backdrop for the song's most indelible quality, Lana's voice. Capturing a full range of emotions from lust to neglect, her vocals make "Video Games" much more than a narrative about an ex who spent too much time on Xbox. Even though the actual lyrics don't delve far beyond the surface exchanges between Lana and this unnamed guy, the way she delivers lines like, "He holds me in his big arms, drunk and I am seeing stars" makes them feel like a voyeuristic glance into the raw complexities of a doomed relationship. If you listen to "Video Games" and claim that you're not moved, you're lying. Plain and simple.

9. Kreayshawn "Gucci Gucci"

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On one level, "Gucci Gucci" was the rap equivalent of Rebecca Black's "Friday"—except that Miss Black did not have the swag pumping out her ovaries. "Gucci Gucci" infects both body and mind with almost frightening power. Thanks to this ditty, and Youtube, Kreayshawn dove out of the Bay, landing on a large corporate check (and the cover of Complex). She's laughing. We're still scratching our heads and wondering why we keep saying "basic bitches." 

8. Tyler, The Creator "Yonkers"

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Sure, his aimless LP was a let-down, but there's no denying the lasting power of "Yonkers," the song that took the Odd Future movement national. Tyler's stone-faced tribute to the grimy East Coast rap aesthetic is undoubtedly the most ominous record of the year, a haunting, minimal mission statement for his fuck-everything mantra. The song's rumbling bass line provides a perfect backdrop for Wolf Haley's crystal-clear baritone, spewing suicidal thoughts while seething about bloggers and pop-rap poster boys ("I'll crash that fuckin' airplane that that faggot nigga B.o.B. is in/And stab Bruno Mars in his goddamn esophagus"). It's worth noting that Tyler managed to release the music video before the song leaked, making it hard to hear without picturing the brilliant, surrealist imagery (bug eating, vomit, a noose) that perfectly complemented the song. Even if Odd Future never lives up to their promise, there's no denying that this was a perfect hip-hop moment.

7. Drake "Marvin's Room"

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Asking Drake if it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all would be a moot question. This twilight-tinged theater dropped onto us out of the blue this past Spring, finds OVO's captain channeling sober thoughts through drunken words as he places a late-night phone call to an old flame. Even more remarkable than the song's extreme emotional nakedness is its meticulous sonic construction. Over an open but weighty beat by 40, Drake hides his brashness within a sing-song plea—"Fuck that nigga that you love so bad"—before seemingly coming to his senses for a few bars, aiming his laser-like focus inward for a little self-analysis. But the fact that he can pinpoint exactly why he wants the girl who has obviously moved on doesn't stop her from calling her anyway. Though it fell right in Drake's creative wheelhouse, the song sounded fresh and new. "Marvin's Room" proved to be a sign of things to come. The same structure would be used elsewhere on Take Care, where you'll find that in Houstatlantavegas, loving and losing is all a part of the game. 

6. A$AP Rocky "Peso"

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After he piqued the internet's interest with "Purple Swag," A$AP Rocky's critics tried to write him off as a one-trick hipster gimmick drowning in a sea of H-Town idolatry. Luckily Harlem's three-million-dollar man had "Peso" up his sleeve, an undeniable paper chase anthem that secured his status as the new darling of NYC rap. Over a spooky, chopped-and-screwed S.O.S.-Band break, A$AP nonchalantly announces his arrival with the year's most effective opening line: "I be that pretty motherfucker/Harlem's what I'm reppin'." His nimble flow is an irreverent departure for New York hip-hop, more focused on projecting his brazen attitude than constructing clever punchlines, but there's no mistaking his flashy, drug-funded confidence as anything but Uptown to the core. It's been so long since the Big Apple had a sound of its own—who says A$AP's creative concoction can't be the future?

5. Meek Mill f/ Rick Ross "Ima Boss"

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Meek Mill was the breakout star nobody saw coming this year. On this song, the hands-down highlight of Maybach Music's excellent Self-Made Vol. 1 album, the Philly spitter who brought "Tupac Back" summed up his approach to the game: "same old attitude but I'm on that new shit." And that new shit is hitting real hard right now. With a big assist from Ricky Rozay—who's in O.G. mode on this song, obsessing about the price of his coffin and looking his killer in the eyes—"Ima Boss" makes a credible argument that one day Meek shall inherit the earth.

4. Frank Ocean "Thinking About You"

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Don't you hate when a great songwriter gives you a amazing song, and then decides it's so amazing that they sing it themself anyway? Such was the unhappy fate of Roc Nation singer Bridget Kelly, whose impressive EP Every Girl featured this impossibly beautiful love song by Frank Ocean. But before her EP dropped, Ocean leaked his own take on "Thinking About Forever" and—sorry Bridget, but there's just something about the way Ocean sings it. Maybe it's that personal of a song, the sort of thing that's best sung by the person who wrote it. Or maybe it's the way Ocean's voice explores those awkward spaces in a new relationship, making the eternal lover's questions sound new and urgent. Whatever it is, Frank Ocean's "Thinking About Forever" is one of those songs that will never get old.

3. M83 "Midnight City"

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A hit of this magnitude was a long time coming for the French visionary Anthony Gonzalez, the man behind M83. 2005's Before The Dawn Heals Us spawned singles that let us know he was capable of making anthems. Then 2008's Saturdays = Youth saw Gonzalez's '80s shoegaze obsession soaring to new heights. Records from that LP popped up everywhere from Miley Cyrus movies to video game commercials. But to the average music listener, 2011 will be considered the year that M83 officially broke through. Between How To Make It In America, the sports series 24/7, and that Victoria's Secret commercial, there seemed to be a competition over who could make best use of the "Midnight City" license this year. Gonzalez uses his altered vocals as the lifeline of the song, and once the rest of the production kicks in, it never lets up. Though unabashed about its influences—witness the big Hall & Oates-esque saxophone solo—"Midnight City" still stands on its own as a wholly original record whose epic arrangements are sure to influence other ambitious producers years down the line.

2. DJ Khaled f/ Drake, Rick Ross & Lil Wayne "I'm On One"

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Like DJ Khaled's previous bangers, "I'm On One" looks like a paint-by-numbers hit on paper. Featuring three of the most important rappers currently making music, the song needed only to be made for it to find success. But it was much more than that. Starting with a beat by Toronto-based producers T-Minus, Nikhil S, and 40 that brimmed with frenetic energy before bottoming out, the three heavyweights came through and crushed the buildings. Ross did his usual tortured view-from-the-top bit with the right amount of heft, while Weezy did his detached amusement thing. But it was Drake who made the song his own. Between the two-tier chorus sprinkled with Bay Area slang and the opening verse that served as a warning shot to any competitors, "I'm On One" did even more for Drizzy than his album's official first single.

1. Jay-Z & Kanye West "Niggas In Paris"

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The first time we heard Jay and Ye attack that chirpy minimalist Hit-Boy beat it was clear that we were hearing the future. And sure enough, this was the song that balled so hard it had the whole world goin' gorillas in 2011. Because as thrilling as "Otis" was the first thousand times you heard it, "Ninjas In Paris"—as we like to call it around here—was the record on which The Throne truly lived up to its awesome potential. Don't let them get in their zone.

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