Best Songs of the Month

Get ready for ZelooperZ. The Bruiser Brigade squad member and dual threat has an album (Bothic) around the corner, and "ISBD" is a taste of what's to come. Bulletproof Dolphin's apocalyptic percussion starts a mosh pit from the opening bars, and when it's combined with ZelooperZ's upper-register raps, all hell breaks loose.

The morbid/celebratory chorus will stick with you long after the song ends, but the verses are just as hard. ZelooperZ is about to drop on of 2016's toughest releases, and "ISBD" is a big reason why.—Graham Corrigan

Related: No Ceilings 9: Pictures from Last Night

Allan Kingdom's new Northern Lights album is the best kind of album—the kind that makes it really difficult to pick a favorite song. Executive produced by Plain Pat, Jonathan Kaslow, and Kingdom himself, it's solid from start to finish. On first listen, standouts include "The Ride," "Monkey See," "Fables," and the title track, but I keep coming back to "Believe." Kingdom carries himself like nobody else in hip-hop, and his confident, left-of-center style is on full display here.—Jacob Moore

Much ink (and many tears) have been spilled since David Bowie's death at age 69 earlier this week. I encourage you to read as much as you can about this true behemoth of music, fashion, and pop culture, but, as the tributes roll in, don't forget to listen to his music too.

Blackstar, his new album, released last Friday only days before his passing, is proof that Bowie's creative fires burned strong until the end. On Blackstar, Bowie introduced Donny McCaslin, saxophonist and leader of a jazz quartet, into his creative process alongside long time producer Tony Visconti, and on songs like "Tis A Pity She Was a Whore" the free jazz whirlwind and squalling sax are the perfect accompaniment to Bowie's world-weary vocals. RIP.—Constant Gardner

Related: Am I Still Too Young? R.I.P. David Bowie, 1947 - 2016

With some help from a Vine sample, producer swell. made a hypnotizing, addictive track—it's one of my favorite random SoundCloud discoveries of the year. You'd think that extending a six-second Vine into an entire song would be a reach, but there's just the right amount of variation to make "i'm sorry" absolutely captivating from start to finish.—Confusion

In 2015, Earl started to shed the weight that had been lying on his shoulders. I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside addressed his grandma's passing and the slow disintegration of Odd Future. He also gave us a stunning 10-minute track, "Solace," that took us inside his head more so than other project has thus far.

But now Earl is ready for something different. "Wind In My Sails" says as much, and it's the rapper's first track of the new year.

The first thing that jumps out is that we've heard this beat before. Earl and Alchemist put a spin on Flying Lotus and Madlib's beat for "Children of the Atom." The slower version better fits Earl's syrupy flow as he raps, "I seen God in the mirror drinking / I tee off when the spirit hit me." Earl probably won't ever be known as the happiest rapper alive, but "Sails" is proof that he's still one of the most talented.—Colton Faull

If I'm keeping it 100 with you, I wasn't that impressed with Kanye West's 2015. Aside from a fire flame performance of "All Day" at the Brit Awards that had my workplace at a standstill, nothing he dropped moved me to be like, "YES, BITCH, IT'S SWISH TIME!" Hell, scores of Internets heaped praise onto "Real Friends" while I was waiting for my real friends to show me the Kanye I'd been missing; the "Bound 2" 'Ye that I knew was around.

I guess it took Kanye's real real friends—Kendrick Lamar and Madlib—to bring the 'Ye that I'd been waiting for forward.

From the opening moments of Madlib's dusty, soul-drenched track, I knew this was heaven. I woke up on MLK Day 2016, made sure the family was tucked upstairs, and played this on my Pioneers for a good hour, just soaking in the funky loop while Kendrick and Kanye cut open a vein and bled all over the track. Kendrick's waxing poetic about escapades with bad Instagram women, while Kanye COMPLETELY BLACKS OUT about being A-list when he used to not be on a list, the ills of Mulholland Drive (is the 405 about to be lit?), and giving his thieving cousin a pat on the head and a middle finger #atthesamedamntime.

Now, I imagine SWISH might be more "Real Friends" than "No More Parties in L.A.," primarily because a) God hates me and b) you can't have too many of these perfect moments on the same album, but it's just good to hear the Kanye I missed—the "who gives a fuck" braggadocio, the inventing of new terms (turbo thots!), and the whole "backpack n***a with luxury taste buds" flavor. I've needed that College Dropout vibe from 'Ye. He's at his best when he's excelling while not caring about your feelings over crispy loops. More of this would be great, but I'm so content with the glimpse we got via this trifecta of dope artists.—khal

The music world is catching up with Keita Juma. The Bristol-born, Toronto-based musician has been doing this for a while, but it sounds like he's finally cracked a code with "F R E E L Y."

In Juma's own words, "My production and mixing has changed just from how much I’ve used the programs. Making or hearing a beat I like makes it exciting to write for. I try to steer clear of whack beats, they do nothing for me. When I was younger, I would entertain it, try to write something, now I’m like nah, I’ll make another."

"F R E E L Y" hits from the jump, led by a relentless bass synth that provides the perfect underbelly for Juma's rhymes. It's the rare danceable rap song that doesn't succumb to rote club vibes—Keita Juma has found a sweet spot within his disparate influences, and it sounds great.—Graham Corrigan

What an amazing debut. First singles can be tricky, but 18-year-old British singer Jorja Smith sounds so sure of herself on this one, and for good reason. Instead of blasting out a catchy, trendy, radio-pandering tune, Jorja delivers a powerful message with confidence and poise. Keep an ear out—if "Blue Lights" is any indication, Jorja's going to take off quickly.

“The song is the beginning of my journey, and I wanted to start from home,” Jorja told us. “Back home in Walsall is where I started writing, and this song is influenced by what I grew up around.”—Jacob Moore

When you look at A$AP Rocky today, you see a totally different man than the one who bragged and boasted on Live.Love.A$AP.. His success has provided a reassurance of where he stands in hip-hop and he has used this success to help him explore other genres.

But on “Hear Me,” Rocky returns to his roots as an artist and delivers the blend of NY and Southern charisma that he pioneered. He starts the record with the same confidence that drew the fans in on “Peso,” stating, “First of all, I would like to start by saying, I'm the motherfucking man.”

Rocky proceeds to spit the story of his new life, and you can see the growth through both the content of the verses as well as the polish on each of the records he dropped this week. Rocky usually gets away with just being cool over rap records, but with “Hear Me,” he delivers a complete song. Plus, a Pharrell hook is always great.—Eric Isom

While so much music is clearly of a time or a place, all of T.O.L.D.'s music so far exists in its own world, drawing from eras and influences with ease. Maybe it's because he moves around and collaborates so much—T.O.L.D. is from Birmingham originally, started recording this song in London with Simian Mobile Disco's Jas Shaw, and finished it in L.A.. He worked on previous song, "Lucifer's Eyes," in Iceland.

Whatever the reason, and whether you take this song to be an uplifting affirmation or a sad admission of human mortality, T.O.L.D. is on to something. He described it to us as "a kind of Nietzschean dance song," but our advice is to leave your preconceptions at the door and fly up, up and away with the epic chorus of "Return Forever."—Constant Gardner

Hinds has been playing this one live all year, and I've been waiting. Finally, their debut album is streaming in full, and it's so good to finally hear the studio version of "Fat Calmed Kiddos." Hinds' entire debut album is great, and this song features everything I love about this band: free-spirited, fun garage rock grounded by strong songwriting and powered by personality. 2015 wasn't an amazing year for rock music, but with Hinds' debut album coming out in early 2016, things are looking up.—Confusion

Read our digital cover story with Hinds here.

If Cousin Stizz isn't on your radar after the release of his fantastic Suffolk County, you're messing up. But lucky for you, the Boston rapper gave another chance to get familiar with the release of "Super Bowl."

The track finds Stizz as comfortable as ever, with his laid back flow effortlessly gliding over banging, hypnotic production. If "Super Bowl" is the precedent Stizz is setting for 2016, it's about to be his biggest year yet.—Katie K.

"Real Friends" represented a return to the sample-based, introspective Kanye so many of us love. But then Erykah Badu did what she does so well, and jacked the song right out of Kanye's hands.

"Trill Friends" is another masterful stack of vocals from Ms. Badu, with a couple of slinky verses thrown in for good measure. But the real draw is marveling at what she can do with harmonies, and the unexpected beauty that comes from hearing two or three different melodies swim around and one top of one another. Even if Badu constricts herself to remixes like this from here on out, she'll still be innovating.—Graham Corrigan

"DAMN" is grounded in strong songwriting and a catchy hook, but the Y2K production is just fucking nuts. It's an overblown sound cultivated from a perspective that only kids who grew up on the internet would really get, and while a lot of traditionalists are probably going to raise an eyebrow when they hear this one, there's no denying that it's uniquely fresh. If you're having a hard time figuring out what the future is going to sound like, just listen to the kids.—Jacob Moore

Majid Jordan is gearing up for a massive 2016. The duo is part of Drake's OVO camp, and they've been releasing singles from their next album in drips and drops over the last few months on OVO Sound Radio.

"Learn From Each Other," their latest single, is reason to stay excited. It's a smooth, slinky jam that never rises above a murmur, but that's where Majid Jordan works best. The song sneaks up on you—it's the kind of minimal dance pop that Majid has been sculpting for years, and it sounds like they've finally arrived at a stopping point.—Graham Corrigan

There's so much good music coming out of London right now, and it feels like the styles so prevalent there over the past decade—grime, modern soul, pop—are morphing in ways that you don't hear anyplace else. It's like a bubble of hyper-evolution, and it leads to music like that of Jelani Blackman, who started off making grime and developed into a more dynamic artist.

"Submarine" is a perplexing and fantastic song that incorporates the mood of a soul track, the catchiness of a pop hook, and the confrontational nature of grime. I've been listening to "Submarine" on repeat, trying to figure out exactly what it is. In the process, I've fallen in love with it.—Jacob Moore

Future is releasing music at a crazy pace, and the quality hasn't dropped one bit. His projects have (almost) no dud tracks, and multiple standouts—"Inside The Mattress," "Perkys Calling," and "Never Forget" have got the most play from Purple Reign so far, although as with the rest of his projects, new favorites will likely emerge upon further listening.

While most of my favorite Future moments ("Codeine Crazy," "Just Like Bruddas," "Blood On The Money") come when he's crooning rather than yelling, "Never Forget" is too raw and real to overlook. Future affirms his commitment to the music, but even as he's celebrating his success he reflects on his past with startling honesty—selling drugs to his dope fiend aunt, visiting his uncle in prison, and more.

And then there's this: "Just say no to drugs, hell naw I ain't listen!" All hail Future Hendrix.—Constant Gardner

After seeing Jazz Cartier perform live at No Ceilings, it's hard to hear any of his new music without imagining him rocking out on stage. The kid has tremendous energy, and "Opera" will be a perfect addition to his live set. It's cinematic, triumphant, and will undoubtedly be even more powerful when a room full of people are mobbing in unison.—Jacob Moore

Related: 20 Artists About to Blow, According to Social Media

AlunaGeorge are gearing up to release their new album this spring, and this week the duo returned with their latest single “I’m In Control,” featuring Popcaan. Before even pressing play, seeing this collaboration was enough to spark my interest.

As it opens up, “I’m In Control” sounds like a fun blend of experimental pop and R&B—similar to their previous music, and fitting for Aluna’s delicate voice. But as the rhythm approaches the hook, hints of dancehall production enters to make room for Popcaan’s guest verse.

This is a new sound for both AlunaGeorge and Popcaan. The Jamaican artist has found himself on quite a few unexpected collaborations in the past year, and he continues to prove that he can fit in just about anywhere. AlunaGeorge, on the other hand, have given us a preview of a possible new direction for their upcoming album.—Adrienne Black

Kendrick Lamar continued to play by his own rules last night by debuting another unreleased song on live television. He's rewriting the rules on how to release and exhibit music, but that's not the point of this slide.

This slide is about the song itself, and the raw, seething energy that filled Jimmy Fallon's studio earlier this month. "Untitled 2" (which, judging by the lyrics, is that "Blue Faces" song we were wondering about) could have fit snugly amongst the rest of To Pimp A Butterfly, and would have been one of the album's most ambitious songs. "Untitled 2" is a three-act play that delves deep into the familiar theme of money problems, using the blue tint of hundred-dollar bills as an entry point.

By the time Kendrick starts shouting out South Africa ("Caaaaape Town"), he's already tackled credit card debt and the fallacy of fast money, and he hasn't even kicked into high gear yet. That happens in the song's last act, when the best rapper alive removes the microphone from its stand and shows once again why no one is challenging him for the title.—Graham Corrigan

With their debut album coming out January 29 and their first headline tour getting underway on January 24, 2016 is about to be a very special year for Wet. It feels as if we've been waiting years for the trio's debut album, but the anticipation might just make the payoff that much sweeter. The music that we've heard so far from Don't You has been consistently stellar, and on "All The Ways" Wet don't alter their winning formula.

Kelly Zutrau's silken vocals (which come across brilliantly live—make sure you see Wet on tour if you can!) are the song's centerpiece, but the spare arrangements and subtle vocal layering and effects make it extra special. Thanks to Wet, 2016 is off to a good musical start.—Constant Gardner

One of the best additions to the TEKLIFE crew, IMHO, is Taso. There's something about the magic that he made with DJ Rashad and DJ Spinn; it's not like he totally reinvigorated them, but there's a certain hip-hop-drenched swagger to their collaborative tracks. This cut is taken from Taso's latest EP, Cold Heat Vol. 1 (word is he'll be dropping an EP every month in 2016), and it's actually the last DJ Rashad collaboration he's putting out. If you're into that smooth footwork vibe, with the hypnotic, head-nodding loops, this is all you really need to get lit to this weekend. Motivational music for multi-faceted people, yadig?—khal

Fellow Angelinos Cozz and Boogie have both built up undeniable momentum over the past couple of years, the former with debut album Cozz & Effect and the latter with two exceptional mixtapes. Teaming up on a track was a logical next step, and "City of God" is a great way for the two rappers to usher in 2016, stating in no unclear terms that you should wake up and pay attention.

The track, with its gently eerie beat from Meez, appears on Cozz's Nothin' Personal, a free to download album that was released earlier this week.—Constant Gardner

We're just getting into Anderson .Paak's new album Malibu, but, as expected, the melodies are on point and the production is second to none. Madlib on the beat and a BJ The Chicago Kid feature on "The Waters." Hell yeah.—Constant Gardner

Listen to Malibu in full here.

In the few months since Mick Jenkins dropped his Wave[s] EP, he’s made few but notable guest appearances on various tracks. Thankfully he decided to kick off the new year with some new music. This week he returned with not one, but two new songs for fans who have been thirsting for more music.

One of the new tracks, “$3,000 Advice” features production by THEMpeople that feels both smooth and alluring. The subtly bouncy rhythm sets the perfect tone for Mick to reveal his softer side as he makes an effort to impress a lucky young lady. Guest vocals from theMIND help to complete the more tender side of this double release—a fitting match to balance out the grittiness of its counterpart, “Grenade Theory.” Unfortunately according to Mick, there’s no full project coming just yet—this is just a little sip of what he’s been working on. But if this is a preview of what’s to come, it seems safe to say that the rest of the music will be worth the wait.—Adrienne Black