All in all, 2016 has been a dreadful year.
We've lost a lot of heroes—Ali, Prince, Bowie, Cohen—and somehow, global politics has gotten even worse as we skip gleefully towards the apocalypse. As ever, the world of music has proved a perfect escape from all of this. We've had newcomers and icons alike putting out career-defining songs and albums, and British MCs like Skepta, Kano and Giggs found their global influence increase even more. So you could just imagine how much of a task this year's selection process was.
Quite a few tracks from the Konnichiwa and Made In The Manor LPs could have made their way onto this list—in fact, just about everyone in the grime scene has come out with something hard this year. Similarly, UK rap and R&B are in better shape than ever—Jorja Smith's "Blue Lights" and Giggs' "Whippin' Excursion" are undeniable proof of this—and a lot of artists pooled their resources on some truly unforgettable collabs to do the wild and unexpected. The year of 2016 may have been garbage for literally everything else, but at least we got some amazing music out of it.
See also: 2016: A Year In Iconic Music Photography
See also: 2016: Complex UK's Highlights From The World Of Music Journalism
20. Tom Zanetti — "You Want Me" f/ Sadie Ama
18. Ghetts — "You Dun Know Already"
17. C Biz — "Money March (Amen)"
16. Dave — "Thiago Silva" f/ AJ Tracey
15. J Hus — "Friendly"
14. Stormzy — "Scary"
13. Jorja Smith — "Blue Lights"
12. Giggs — "Lock Doh" f/ Donae'O
"Lock Doh" is the new last-chance-to-draw-a-girl-in-the-club tune. Forget a slow jam.
— Joseph JP Patterson (@Jpizzledizzle) August 18, 2016
11. Mabel — "Thinking Of You"
10. Kano — "3 Wheel-Ups" f/ Giggs
9. James Blake — "Radio Silence"
8. Sir Spyro — "Topper Top" f/ Teddy Bruckshot, Lady Chann, Killa P
7. Skepta — "Man"
6. Abra Cadabra — "Robbery (Remix)" f/ Krept & Konan
5. Mist — "Karla's Back"
4. Ray BLK — "My Hood" f/ Stormzy
3. Wiley — "U Were Always Pt. 2" f/ Skepta & Belly
2. Sampha — "Timmy's Prayer"
1. Giggs — "Whippin' Excursion"
One of the year's biggest British albums was undoubtedly Giggs' Landlord. While a lot of people remain divided on the overall quality of the album, there's no doubting "Whippin' Excursion" absolutely belongs on the list of his greatest ever bangers. And, like all true hits, it spawned its share of memes and parodies and has already earned classic status in certain circles. Even more than the Afrobeat-soaked "Lock Doh" with Donae'O, "Whippin' Excursion" got blasted out of more soundsystems, car stereos and crappy iPhone speakers than any other tune this year. If, however, you'd like your answer in video form, please watch the clip below. —James Keith