15 Hype Songs From 2018 to Play at Midnight on New Year’s Eve

Whether you’re making your own playlist for a party, or annoying a DJ with a last-minute request, here are 15 songs you should hear on New Year's Eve 2018.

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Image via Getty/Taylor Hill

travis scott new years taylor hill

‘Tis the season to ring in the New Year, and not a second too soon: We can’t get 2018 the fuck up outta here fast enough. Between harrowing natural disasters and a nightmare of a political year, mixed in with omnipresent misogyny and racism, this year was a challenging one, to say the least. But thankfully, bad things must come to an end.

At midnight, early Tuesday morning, our digital calendars will automatically flip to a new month, day, and year. January 1, 2019 will be upon us. But how are we ringing in this hotly anticipated year of change? What kind of energy are you, in particular, trying to bring forward? Sit with that. Think on that.

Whether you’re throwing a house party, or out at a club paying way too much money to do the same shit you do every other weekend, these are the 2018 songs that are going to reflect the way you view the year ahead. So get ’em queued up, or work up the courage to be that annoying-ass person making requests to the DJ at the last second. It’ll be worth it to make sure your 2019 anthem is in place. Focused on getting all the hoes to call your phone? Got you covered. Want nothing but wins for the next 12 months? Don’t even trip, it’s handled.

Here are 15 songs from 2018 that you should absolutely play when we leave the year in the dust on New Year’s Eve.

Lil Baby, Gunna, and Drake, “Never Recover”

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If you want your heart rate to spike, and then turn up immediately, “Never Recover” is the song for your NYE festivities. The jarring intro of this track has never sat right with me, but it seems to do the trick for most people. Plus, Drake’s verse is well worth the scare. Sprinkle in two of 2018’s MVPs and you have a hype-ass anthem about chasing the finer things in life. What more could you want in 2019?

ASAP Rocky and Skepta, “Praise the Lord (Da Shine)”

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We could all use some prayers going into another year on this sputtering Earth. But for now, let’s be thankful that we made it through the one we did.

Megan Thee Stallion and Moneybagg Yo, “Make a Bag”

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On Megan Thee Stallion’s “Make a Bag,” Moneybagg Yo is his usual braggadocious self, which is perfectly fine because #goals. But let us all be as hungry as Megan sounds on this track. She’s trying to both make a bag and make it twerk. OK! We're multitasking our way into the new year.

Cardi B, “Money”

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“Money” = secure the fucking bag, continued. Also, Cardi’s new video for this song gave it more life, word to Drake. Let’s keep this rejuvenating energy flowing.

Tyga and Offset, “Taste”

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Could you imagine being in a room full of people and hearing that iconic mating call of “ooh, ooh, ooh!” pour through the speakers? Some might call it a troll. I call it an unparalleled opportunity to turn up to a song that serves as proof of the absurdity of 2018. (I mean really: Was anybody expecting Tyga to have a hit like this?) That said, a slapper is a slapper is a slapper.

The Carters, “APES**T”

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“Have you ever seen a crowd going apeshit?” Actually, Beyoncé, have you ever seen a crowd going apeshit as the clock strikes 12, at the end of a shitty year? (Actually... yes, you probably have. My bad, queen, didn't mean any disrespect.)

Travis Scott, Juice WRLD, and Sheck Wes, “No Bystanders”

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“The party never ends!” Come on. How sick would it be to hear that at the stroke of midnight? ​​​​​​

Lil Uzi Vert, “New Patek”

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If you want a hot song that’s going to last more than 5 minutes into 2019, “New Patek” is one of very few options, and none of them come close to offering this level of body rolling opportunities. No need to complicate things. Just enjoy the spirit of Uzi.

Kodak Black, Travis Scott, and Offset, “ZEZE”

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“ZEZE” became a fun party starter the very moment a purple sweater-clad Kodak Black debuted his special dance on social media earlier this year, with the now-familiar beat playing in the background. When the song actually dropped, me, you, your mama, and your cousin (even Travis Scott during a concert) hit that hoe at least once. If you haven't tried it yet, NYE is your chance. When you hear that production, it’s go time.

Lil Baby and Gunna, “Drip Too Hard”

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Over the years, we’ve gone from simply turning our swag on to doing too much and getting lost in the sauce. Now, we’re officially dripping too hard—and that’s how we’re gonna keep it going into 2019. If you listen to this song closely enough, right as the New Year phases in, you might be able to get a That’s So Raven-type preview of the next trend to make its way to a song title. Or so I’ve heard.

Yella Beezy, “That’s on Me”

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“Yeah, you can snooze if you wanna—but not on me, baby.” That line alone makes this shit the forever anthem, as it is. But when you hear that heavy bass slam against the speakers, right as Yella Beezy’s boasts climb to a crescendo, it becomes damn near transcendent. Trust me, this one is for the awake, and the sleepers, as evidenced by the fact that it dropped in 2017 and took clean off in 2018, a la “Mo Bamba.” (More on that later.)

Sheck Wes, “Mo Bamba”

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Wait a minute, you might be asking yourself. Wasn’t “Mo Bamba” a runaway hit from 2017? You’re correct, thorough reader. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t include this song here. It was major enough to get Sheck Wes (literally) co-signed by one of the year’s most dominant artists, Travis Scott. But it really grew legs over the summer, peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early November. I’d think that makes it eligible for a 2018 turnup. Besides: Are you really trying to fight a reason to scream, “All the hoeeees!!” mere seconds into the New Year?

Travis Scott, Drake, Swae Lee, and Big Hawk, “Sicko Mode”

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Surprise! Bet you didn't see this one coming, huh? If you did, allow me to explain why you should still be giving this joint its credit. Since dropping ASTROWORLD, Travis Scott's “Sicko Mode” has been in the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 20 weeks straight. It even managed to snag the No. 1 spot from a game-changing single: Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next.” Even with just one week atop the chart, “Sicko Mode” is the biggest song of the year, without question. Yes, it's been played ad nauseam at this point, but you know you wanna hear that beat change again. And that other beat change.

Playboi Carti, “R.I.P.”

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Fuck 2018 forever. Get her outta here. Die lit.

Jay Rock, “Win”

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Jay Rock came through with a banger of a single this spring when he dropped “Win” ahead of his excellent 2018 album, Redemption. This is the song you need to hear when it feels like you just can’t take another L—and 2018 was full of them. Mood all 2019: “Win, win, win, win!”

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