Rounding off another incredible year of music, 2015 saw British musicians and their art reach the masses and affect popular culture like never before. No boundary was left uncharted as the continued dominance of future greats, as well as the emergence of new ones, heralded breakout hits, surprise smashes, and undercover personal favourites across all genres. After days of intense back and forth, we've finally settled on an order for our best songs of 2015—some of the acts who made our mid-year list have even managed to make it again. If we've missed out your favourite track, then please do let us know. Endless paragraphs of complaints are always welcome.
See also: 15 UK MCs To Look Out For in 2015
See also: 2015: Complex UK's Highlights From The World Of Music Journalism
20. Justin Bieber — "What Do You Mean?"
Taken from his fourth number one album, Purpose, Justin Bieber's chart-topping track "What Do You Mean?" was a defining moment for music in 2015. Released in August to resounding critical acclaim across a variety of influential journalistic platforms, Justin's tropical, experimental foray into a genre-less pop formulaic was a breath of fresh air and marked his maturation from an immature teen heartthrob to a serious artist setting trends in the music industry. Working with a brilliant team of writers, producers and consultants on this album, "What Do You Mean?" stands out as a brave breakaway from the bubblegum pop that bore Justin, elevating him to a level where his R&B and hip-hop contemporaries respect his talent but also fear his competition. —Milly McMahon
19. Fekky f/ Skepta — "Way Too Much"
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This time last year, Fekky was celebrated by road rap heads but not really known in mainstream circles. So when he called on his pal Skepta for a feature, even he might've been surprised by the interstellar propulsion it gave him. Now, in the wake of this collab and his Brandy & Coke mixtape, Fekky's star is on an exponential rise. Also, it's just a straight-up banger. Bu-bu-BANG! BANG! BANG! —James Keith
18. Loyle Carner — "Ain't Nothing Changed"
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Featured in our ones-to-watch list at the top of the year, if 2014 was Loyle Carner's fork-in-the-road, then 2015 was the year he went full-steam-ahead with his steady, consistent brand of relatable rap. Similarly, as a young man still finding his feet in the world today, no other line spoke to me more than "I kinda miss my student loan"—the opening gambit of his brilliant single "Ain't Nothing Changed". Loyle Carner's a real talent who is well and truly destined for greatness. —Tobi Oke
17. Hudson Mohawke — "System"
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Hudson Mohawke is another artist who's had a wicked year. Granted, every year since he started DJing has been a successful one, but 2015 was the year he was profiled as part of Red Bull's lecture series, had a documentary made about him and notched up credits on a staggering number of A-list rap albums. Oh, and he released a hit-spawning album. One of the hits from his Lantern LP was "System" and, like much of the album, it saw HudMo move away from hip-hop into more expansive territory. In this instance, it saw him draw on his love of classic techno a la Jeff Mills for a frantic, futuristic work-out. For maximum pay-off, make sure you enjoy it with its rave-inspired CG video. —James Keith
16. Wiley — "Standby"
Wiley gave us a lot to choose from this year—the #8 EP alone gave us a whole raft of tracks to consider. However, "Standby" was the winner for us with its sawtooth synths and some of Wiley's best bars to date. It's also worth mentioning that besides these releases, Richard Cowie's had a hell of a year that's seen his name literally cemented in history outside of his old Bow Boys School with The MOBOs creating a whole new category just for him. What's more is that he didn't even release an album! Seriously, only Wiley could pull that one off. —James Keith
14. Little Simz — "Dead Body"
"Do you wanna see a dead body?" Simz asks in the opening line before answering "probably not." And yet, this year Simz left a trail of rappers and MCs' corpses in her wake. This track is arguably her strongest track to date and just to make everyone else look extra bad, she followed it up with "Dead Body Parts 2 + 3" featuring Kano and Stormzy. At least give the competition a sporting chance, Simz. Jheeze! —James Keith
13. Roots Manuva — "Facety 2:11"
Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? Because the message didn't reach south London's Roots Manuva. While most of UK hip-hop's "bygone" era have dwelled in obscurity at 90BPM, Rodney Smith hasn't missed a step. In fact, he's kept ahead of the times—and it doesn't get more futuristic than "Facety 2:11", where he laces a loopy Four Tet production with witty lyricism and an effortless flow. It's good to know Roots Manuva is still out there showing the new generation that legends never die. —Jerry Gadiano
12. Faze Miyake f/ Inga Copeland — "Ice Cold"
When Faze Miyake's self-titled album dropped this year, anyone with ears that work knew there'd probably be at least a handful of decent tracks. What they might not have expected was a genre-hopping, exciting and progressive collection of club bangers, experiments and high-profile features. Everything was balanced perfectly; the bangers were still nuanced enough to be interesting; the experiments never got self-indulgent and none of the collabs had even a hint of cynicism. "Ice Cold", featuring the ever-wonderful Inga Copeland, married all three aspects of the album perfectly and, true to form, Copeland delivered one of the most arrestingly beautiful vocal turns in recent memory. —James Keith
11. NAO — "Bad Blood"
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Captivating and consistent, London's NAO impressed all-year-round and emerged to the forefront of a clustered genre landscape in 2015. With August's February 15 EP, laying warm, transfigured melodies around light R&B and electro-pop, the former jazz student truly mastered her vocal and songwriting talents to brilliant effect. "Bad Blood", NAO's official debut single, successfully retained the beauty of her intimate lyricism, adding swooning, grandiose production that bumped her from late-night selections to daytime airwaves in one fell swoop. —Tobi Oke
10. Krept & Konan — "Freak Of The Week"
From rhyming about thuggery in Gipset to winning MOBOs in their sleep, Krept & Konan have come a mighty long way. It was only two years ago that they were UK-loved mixtape kings, but today, now, they're internationally known. "Freak Of The Week"—taken from their debut LP, The Long Way Home—was essentially what broke Krept & Konan overseas, and with Jeremih on the hook and DJ Mustard on the beat, it was bound to get a global look. Dominating London (BBC Radio 1) to New York (Hot 97) airwaves, the turn-up anthem eventually hit the singles chart at No. 8. Now considered a big name in rap full-stop, the boys from Gypsy Hill done good. —Joseph 'JP' Patterson
9. Adele — "Hello"
I don't care who you are or what you're into—grime lover, trap lord or metal head—you know you were excited to watch the video for "Hello" as soon as it hit the internet. Adele is a rare kind of musician, someone who is so good, and so real, her music touches everyone. Don't act like her dulcet tones don't immediately have you catching feelings one line into each song. Plus, she feels like someone you could know, and who'd be great to go for a drink with. She's got the same London accent she had when she first got signed, she's got a silly laugh she can never hold in, she gets starstruck by Beyonce and she's bored of waiting for Frank Ocean's album (seriously Frank, how you gonna keep Adele waiting?). All that, plus she makes some real tunes.
"Hello" was a huge return. Ignore the memes, and the music itself is fantastic. Then add the chatter surrounding the video—shout-out the A1 casting for her ex-lover and the use of a burner phone—AND the Lionel Richie mashups that abounded, and there's no way this song couldn't have a spot on this list. Nuff luv for Adele x —Megan Munro
8. J Hus — "Dem Boy Paigon"
In September, months after making his mark with a slew of freestyles, controversy struck J Hus as he became embroiled in an ugly stabbing incident. Showing maturity, the east London rapper followed suit in learning the lessons of those before him, those who've made the transition from street star to bonafide musician, by continuing to lean and bop and let his music serve as response. Ironically, it was his January single—a shot at the hypothetical "pagans" that would later attempt to derail him—that sent J Hus on his way. Fusing elements of rap, grime, and Afrobeat, "Dem Boy Paigon" was refreshingly melodic, bursting with lines of wit and heaps of character. As testament to his impact, a well-deserved nomination for the BBC's Sound Of 2016 rounded the year off nicely for one of the UK's brightest new talents. —Tobi Oke
7. WSTRN — "In2"
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Quite frankly, we didn't see WSTRN coming—I mean, we weren't late or anything—the truth is: nobody did. The guys told Complex the story of three solo artists from west London who connected with a hope of having a hood-loved summertime smash. A few months down the line, they'd garnered a major label situation and "In2" became a top 5 hit-single. The most unlikely success story of the year, if they can find a follow-up that's half as infectious, it'll be clear that WSTRN are here to stay. —Tobi Oke
6. Section Boyz — "Trapping Ain't Dead"
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I had a feeling Section Boyz would kill it this year. Their humorous hood tales have taken them literally from Croydon back-streets to the album charts, picking up a MOBO for Best Newcomer and winning fans in Skepta, Drake, and Rita Ora along the way. The six-man collective's second mixtape, Don't Panic, which dropped in September, helped them score their first Top 40 (36) and the fact they released it independently makes this success story all the more compelling. The work they've put in the last 12 months has been major, but what gassed us up the most was "Trapping Ain't Dead".
A track made specifically for Alwayz Recording's Concrete Jungle, it's the club anthem that just kept keeps on giving. "Lock Arff" impacted hugely, too, and could've even been the one that tipped them over the edge. But this banger, produced by Nana Rogues, showed off each rapper more stylistically and sparked a who-had-the-best-verse debate amongst fans. Section Boyz are a big reason road rap is in the conversation again, and for that, they deserve all the praise in the world. —Joseph 'JP' Patterson
5. Kelela — "Rewind"
In 2015, Kelela—the queen of R&G—blessed us with another masterpiece in the mood-shifting Hallucinogen EP. Much like Cut 4 Me, her 2013-released debut mixtape, pitch-perfect vocals atop grime-licked production was the pocket she remained free and safe in; though it was the feel-good, Miami bass of "Rewind" that had us pressing rewind the most. "I wanted a song that would give you that feeling of barbecue, summer, getting ready to go to the club," she told Complex of the cute cut, "but still have it feel like Kelela." And long may she reign!
—Joseph 'JP' Patterson
4. Jamie xx f/ Young Thug & Popcaan — "I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)
A record that speaks on the allure of divisive oddball Young Thug, the standout single from Jamie xx's In Colour album also features reigning dancehall champ, Popcaan. Yet and still, it was the ATLien rapper who stole the show with his brand of nefarious rap, laden with non-sequitur and bountiful imagery. Sampling The Persuasions' 1971 single, "Good Times", Jamie xx attached shimmering steel pans with an electronic bounce, which resulted in this wonderful celebratory carnival anthem. —Tobi Oke
3. Stormzy — "Know Me From"
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Stormzy's rise in the grime scene has been nothing short of amazing. But with such an ascension surely comes a lot of bandwagon-jumpers, so perhaps "Know Me From" is the perfect response to those fair-weather mates? Big Mikey goes in hard over ZDOT's orchestral production and proceeds to drop bar-after-bar of one-liners and quotables that could make up a whole collection of printed tees! To put it simply: this is another gem in the south Londoner's catalogue of underground hits but also a reminder of the year grime was truly accepted in the mainstream. —Jerry Gadiano
2. Skepta — "Shutdown"
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If 2015 belonged to anyone, Skepta would have it dead-to-rights with his instaclassic "Shutdown" literally shutting down the nation. What more could you say about a track that has already been encapsulated in countless Arsenal-related Vines, viral memes, and a dope AF Live Lounge cover? Time will tell how truly influential this joint is, but for now, let's just kick back and savour the moment. —Jerry Gadiano
1. Jme f/ Giggs — "Man Don't Care"
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If there was ever a "I don't give fuck" tune for 2015, then Jme and Giggs' "Man Don't Care" takes the accolades: the bars are vicious and the production is at its menacing best, with Swifta Beater's beat evoking 16-bit MegaDrive nostalgia. Is your mum stressing you to clean up your jungle-like room? Tell her, "man don't care about all that." Maybe your shady landlord is on your case about that overdue rent? Tell him, "man don't care about all that," then proceed to "suffocate man with about two Gs." FYI: if that's what you're paying in rent, then you should probably get the hell outta there! —Jerry Gadiano
