Standard intro: Each year, in a (mostly) vain to stay up to date with the music world, I put together an end-of-year CD set, and give them out to some close friends as Christmas/Hanukkah presents (you can see my 2009 and 2010 and 2011 write-ups here). I try to wait until I hand all of them out, but that didn't happen this year, and if I didn't write this up now it just wasn't going to happen.
As a reminder, on the Aboveground mix I use the Billboard Hot 100 as a guide (I said Top 100 last year, which was inaccurate) -- the idea being to try to capture what was popular this past year. The Underground mix is decidedly the opposite, it's just a bunch of rap songs that weren't "popular" that I want to make sure to never forget. The only other rule is that the song had to be released commercially during 2012 (though I relax that rule for international songs that may have been released internationally prior to 2012 but not in the US until this year -- I can't be everywhere, people).
With that, let's get to the 2012 mixes. If you want to listen along, I made Spotify playlists, and stashed them at the bottom. Though I don't think the Underground one is going to play properly, since a bunch of the songs weren't actually on Spotify (also, one song got added twice somehow). That's how you know they're really underground.
Aboveground Mix
1. Frank Ocean -- Thinkin' Bout You: Right off the bat, we have a compromise. I definitely liked "Pyramids" more, but not only did it not chart in the top 100, but more importantly it's nine minutes long, and since I like to squeeze as many songs out of my 80 minutes, I don't like including really long songs. This is actually probably my third-favorite cut off the album -- I got slightly addicted to "Forrest Gump" as well. That's not a knock on this song, which I also love, it's just such a great album.
2. Fun. -- Some Nights: I think these guys may rise and fall quickly, but I really liked this album. I would have gone with "We Are Young," but it was actually released in 2011.
3. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis -- Thrift Shop f/ Wanz: Imagine my surprise when I started doing my research and I found out that this song actually charted! I fully expected this to be a cut on the underground mix. The video is as amazing as the song. Though since I bought it on Amazon I can't load it onto my iPod. Apple is a bunch of haterz.
4. The Lumineers -- Ho Hey: These guys probably have a shorter shelf life than Fun., but I like songs with chants in them. Sue me.
5. Miguel -- Adorn: Probably the best love song of the year. And the beat is just sick.
6. Kendrick Lamar -- Swimming Pools (Drank): It's the shorter version without the skit at the end if you're scoring at home, but it doesn't really matter. It also gave me faith in humanity that this song charted. I was hoping it would, but didn't expect it. This album is on the short list for best album of the millenium (or is it the Newmanium?).
7. Of Monsters And Men -- Little Talks: Another crazy video. I fully blame FanGraphs' Mike Newman for inadvertently persuading me into liking this song/band. There was like a good two weeks where he wouldn't shut up about them.
8. Nas -- Daughters: Ah, growing up. Can't believe Nas' baby mom didn't like this song. There's just no pleasing some people. This song didn't actually chart, but it freakin' should have. What's wrong with you people? Also, it was nominated for a Grammy. (Wait, did I just justify a rap song by saying it was justified for a Grammy? I think I need a shower that felt so dirty. Moving on.)
9. Gotye -- Somebody That I Used To Know f/ Kimbra: I love it when non hip-hop acts use the "featuring" thing in their songs. I feel like that doesn't happen enough. I feel like it's usually a "duet," or "with" or something similar.
10. DJ Khaled / Kanye West -- Cold: For some reason this is billed as a DJ Khaled song, even though he seems to have little do with it. I could have gone with "Clique" here, but Big Sean needs to stop calling himself B.I.G. I'm protesting him until he does. I could have gone with "Mercy," but the hook gets annoying REALQUICK. I could have gone with "New God Flow," but it was long, and I feel like the version that charted probably wasn't the version that included Ghostface, so it just didn't feel right to include it. But moreover, I love that Kanye and Kim Kardashian are all hugged up now, and that he felt the need to slap Kris Humphries on this track. Also, that New York DJ's are digging on Humphries as well. Good times.
11. Taylor Swift -- We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together: Taylor Swift songs always go after Kanye songs. It's just the right thing to do. And, I know some people don't care for her, but she writes her own stuff, which is a big plus, and she dumped a Kennedy. What more do you want?
12. Imagine Dragons -- It's Time: More white people. This is what I get for swearing off Rick Ross, Rihanna and Nicki Minaj for the year. Mariah Carey's "Triumphant" would probably here, but again, no Rick Ross. Sick of that dude. Just go away. Rihanna and Nicki are just on time out though. They'll be back, probably.
13. A$AP Rocky -- F****n' Problems f/ Drake, Kendrick Lamar & 2 Chainz: Also surprised that THIS one charted! Can't wait for his album to drop. Trying to not download the bootleg, that's how pumped I am for it. If that makes sense (it probably doesn't). Also, I love that they don't let 2 Chainz actually rap on this. "Yeah, uh, you can do the hook? Or part of the hook, how about that?" He's the very, very poor man's Busta Rhymes. At least Busta used to get his own verse.
14. Carly Rae Jepsen -- Call Me Maybe: You know you like it.
15. Psy -- Gangnam Style: See #14. I should really live blog the video at some point. It's all gold, Jerry, pure gold!
16. Meek Mill -- Amen f/ Drake: I have to say, I'm not all that impressed by Meek Mill, but I dug this one. Still, Drake murders him on it. In fact, as much as I like A$AP, Drake pretty much murdered him on that "F****n' Problems" as well.
17. Mumford & Sons -- I Will Wait: I sort of wanted to hate this song, since I heard way too much about this band on Twitter this year. But I didn't hate it, so I felt compelled to include it.
18. Bruno Mars -- Locked Out Of Heaven: I was going to include a Bruno Mars song last year, but it had been released in the prior year, so it got the ax. Also, he was on the Bad Meets Evil cut, but still. Situation rectified now. That this is also a Mark Ronson track was the icing on the cake.
19. T.I. -- Sorry f/ Andre 3000: So, I cheated a little on the Billboard Hot 100 thing here also. This wasn't released as a single until after Thanksgiving, and I assumed it would chart, but it apparently hasn't yet. Still, it should, and the fact that Andre 3000 finally comes clean about/admits to the mistakes that led to him and Big Boi -- which is probably a lot more important to me than it is to you -- put it over the top.
20. Adele -- Skyfall: I get kind of tired of people fawning all over her, but damned if she isn't good. Now all I have to do is go see the movie.
Underground Mix
1. Schoolboy Q -- Hands On The Wheel f/ A$AP Rocky: A killer song with an absolutely infectious beat that I was happy to see wasn't overlooked on end-of-year lists. I feel like albums that come out in January run the risk of being overlooked at the end of the year, but maybe that's just the cynic in me.
2. Joey Bada$$ -- Survival Tactics f/ Capital STEEZ: This kid's mixtape, "1999" -- and I say kid because he's like 18, 19 -- was just tremendous from start to finish. He has a whole Pro Era crew. Expect to see them on these lists in future years, although unfortunately, not the gentleman who guested on this track -- Capital STEEZ -- since he apparently committed suicide on Christmas Eve.
3. Angel Haze -- Cleanin' Out My Closet: I could have gone with "This Is Me," or "Werkin Girls" or one of the other tracks off of "Reservation," but "Cleanin' Out My Closet" is probably the most important track of the year. Just an absolutely gut-wrenching record.
4. Main Attrakionz -- Cloud Life: A nice palette cleanser. The "aww man, RIP to 2Pac" cracks me up EVERY TIME. Were they so high that they just realize that he died? Did they suddenly have a spiritual moment where they thought 'damn, how could we NOT shout him out?' Did they think of doing it after watching the 2Pac hologram? Or was it just a spur of the moment thing? I need to know why 2Pac was shouted out in this song more than 15 years after he died. (Also, shout out to Matt Dennewitz from Pitchfork. That dude is alright. Buy his albums.)
5. Big Boi -- Mama Told Me f/ Little Dragon: Probably this mix's weak link. Probably should have gone with "Sixty-Seven Turbo Jet" from Curren$y & Harry Fraud here, but I kind of liked it that Big Boi stuck it to Little Dragon's label for refusing to allow her to appear on the track. And also that it's a better version of an actually released song.
6. Talib Kweli -- Push Thru f/ Curren$y & Kendrick Lamar: Automatic entry from Talib Kweli is automatically entered. Although K. dot kind of crushed him on it. It's OK though, Talib is still putting in work, and you gotta love that.
7. Action Bronson -- Thug Love Story 2012: This song is all over the place, and complete nonsense in a jovial way. Kind of like a Ghostface track. I know, I know, tired comp. But it's true.
8. Aesop Rock -- Zero Dark Thirty: It took me a long time to get what was being said on "Wu-Tang Forever" because I would just kind of zone out to the beats. This song is very similar to that.
9. El-P -- Oh Hail No f/ Mr. Motherf*****g Exquire & Danny Brown: "I like the part where you cried, I liked nothing else."
10. Odd Future -- Rella: It's amazing to think that this group of guys is responsible for spawning Frank Ocean's career. I mean, I'd like to think that Frank would have broken through without them, but it probably would have taken a lot longer, if it happened at all. Methinks there's more than meets the eye with Odd Future. Can't wait to see what's next.
11. Sean Price -- Bar-barian: In one of my FanGraphs chats this year, one commenter kept asserting that Sean Price was/is the best rapper of all time, and got really angry with me when I laughed off the comment -- mainly because it's a laughable comment. But that stuck in my head, and I ended up checking out the album. So, here's to you, anonymous chat commenter.
12. Blu & Exile -- Growing Pains f/ Johaz & Fashawn: You absolutely did have to be Bo Jackson! Still bitter that you couldn't throw to Bo, and had to throw to Marcus Allen instead. F Marcus Allen.
13. Clyde Carson -- Slow Down f/ The Team: This Bay-area rap crew never would have been on my radar were it not for the fact that this was apparently Pablo Sandoval's walk-up song this year. So here's to the intersection of baseball and hip-hop!
14. Killer Mike -- Big Beast f/ Bun B, T.I. & Trouble: Never been all that into Killer Mike before, but "R.A.P. Music" was phenomenal. Almost went with the title track, or "Reagan" here, but I decided there weren't enough posse cuts on the mix yet (that's a joke, there's plenty).
15. M.I.A. -- Bad Girls (N.A.R.S. Remix) f/ Missy Elliott & Azealia Banks: I probably could have stayed simple and just went with the original version, but her accent is just weird when she is straight rapping (like in the last verse) instead of sing-songy rapping. Also, I couldn't find an Azealia Banks cut from this year that was worthy, so sneaking her in on this remix was a nice compromise. Plus, Missy back from the dead! Azealia and Missy may actually be kindred spirits.
16. Kanye West -- White Dress: All KimYe all the time! I'm slightly amazed that this song didn't chart, or that people really didn't make a bigger deal out of it. There's still time, I guess. It might be one of his best songs, which is saying something.
17. Earl Sweatshirt -- Chum: This dude is deep.
18. Captain Murphy -- The Killing Joke: More clever Batman references in hip-hop please.
19. Freddie Gibbs -- Shame f/ BJ The Chicago Kid: You would think that I would have heard a song cleverly dedicated to one-night stands before, but I don't think that I have. Let me rephrase that. I'm sure I have, but none were as memorable as this song, which is just marvelous.
20. Danny Brown -- Grown Up: Danny Brown's version of "Juicy."
21. Wu-Block -- Crack Spot Stories f/ Raekwon & Jadakiss: "Fiends at the door, I'm too lazy to let them in, turkey sandwich, barbecue chips, ESPN." Sounds just like me ... except for the dope fiends at the door part ...
BONUS CHRISTMAS TRACK. R. Kelly -- A Love Letter Christmas: I don't follow the current year thing for this last track, because it's too hard to find good Christmas music. But leave it to R. Kelly to create the Christmas remix. Maybe someday he'll even find his snow girl.
Spotify playlists: