One good thing about my parents saving everything is that my old mixtapes are still around. Ah, memories. pic.twitter.com/MrLc6ZFD3Y
— Paul Swydan (@Swydan) December 5, 2015
Eventually, I started making them for other people. My sister, my girlfriend (now wife), my friends. More or less anyone who I was close with that wasn't super annoyed by me forcing them to listen to "my" music.
One year, it occurred to me that even though I was broke and couldn't afford to buy presents for all of the people I was close to that I could make them a mixtape. Or, by then, it was CDs, but saying "Mix CDs" has always sounded wrong to me. Now, I just say "mixes," but I still think of them as mixtapes.
That was 10 years ago now. The idea was simple, to make two mixes -- Aboveground and Underground. Popular and not popular. The idea was that people always claim that pop music is garbage, and I think that viewpoint is garbage. Maybe the radio is clogged by some clunkers, but I think there are plenty of great songs each year that become popular. To be clear, I don't consider these "the best," just my favorites. Music can't really be defined as "best" as far as I'm concerned.
I haven't written about them every year -- at some point I should go back and write about the first few just for posterity -- but if you click here you can find links for each edition since 2009. I follow a couple of basic rules.
- The strongest rule: The song had to be released during the year in question. Exception - An international song, as songs aren't always/ever released internationally and domestically at the same time.
- The mostly strong rule: The Aboveground mix is picked from the Billboard Hot 100, and the Underground mix is quite the opposite. I usually cheat a couple of songs on the Aboveground mix, but with good reason.
Because this was the 10th edition, I tried to listen to more songs than I usually do -- especially for the Underground mix.
For the Aboveground, artists considered that didn't make the cut include Ty Dolla $ign, Rae Sremmund (I don't get why they're popular), Jessie J, Future, Demi Lovato, Jeremih, Dej Loaf (next year I think), and the last song cut was Lana Del Rey's "High By The Beach." Also, no Nicki Minaj - her album came out last December.
One artist I DIDN'T listen to was Kanye. I think of Kanye albums as one of the true events in music, and I wanted to wait. When he released a few singles, I figured he was close to releasing "Swish." As summer crept in, and news leaked that he had played the whole album for people, I figured it was coming any day. Never happened. Oh well.
ABOVEGROUND MIX
1. Adele - Hello. I mean, do I need to say anything about this? It's phenomenal. You know that already.
2. Drake - Hotline Bling. I've said it before, and the video for this song really kind of rammed the point home -- Drake is A-Rod. They're both generational talents that are just so smart but yet so goofy and awkward, and easy to mock. Try to divorce the song and the video. Once you do, you'll realize this is a classic.3. Rihanna - B*tch Better Have My Money. Somewhere, ODB is smiling.
4. Natalie La Rose - Somebody f/ Jeremih. I loved this homage to Whitney. It hasn't felt stale all year.
5. Major Lazer - Lean On f/ MO & DJ Snake. Diplo the person is somewhat of a blight on society, but Diplo the artist makes good music. It's a hard thing to separate, but unlike R. Kelly, Diplo doesn't actually sing or rap, so it's a little easier to like his work product.
6. Missy Elliott - WTF f/ Pharrell Williams. Missy is back!!!! And she was smart enough to hit up Pharrell for her return instead of Timbaland, whose recently released mixtape didn't exactly get universal praise, let's say.
7. Fetty Wap - 679 f/ Monty. If I wasn't so stubborn, this would be "Trap Queen," but Trap Queen came out in 2014. And not in December, like Minaj, but in April 2014. "679" is a worthy alternative though. Fetty is the type of artist that Drake has wrought - someone who is good at rapping and singing but isn't really great at either. It goes to show just how good Drake is. Having said that, this is a pretty good song, and it definitely stays stuck in your head.
8. A$AP Rocky - Everyday f/ Rod Stewart, Miguel & Mark Ronson. When I saw this on the album's track listing, I was curious. Rod Stewart? A$AP has been pushing his boundaries, and none moreso than with this. I wonder if he showed Rod the "Purple Swag" video.
9. Jidenna - Classic Man f/ Roman GianArthur. Janelle Monae hit hard with her Wondaland crew this year, and I was overjoyed by it all. This one was bit bigger of a hit than her "Yoga," but I almost included both because they're two of my favorite songs, but I try not to put two songs from the same album on a mix.
10. Carly Rae Jepsen - All That. Jepsen had a lot of hits this year, but this song -- which was the first single off of E-Mo-Tion -- wasn't one of them. I made an exception for it though, because a) it was my favorite cut off her album, and b) it damn well should have hit the Hot 100. Shoutout to my former colleague Summer Anne Burton for never shutting up about Carly Rae Jepsen. It forced me to give her a listen. I had assumed she would end up being a one-hit wonder. NOPE!
11. Taylor Swift - Bad Blood Remix f/ Kendrick Lamar. There aren't enough event remixes these days. This was all that and more -- I think every woman singer under the age of 30 was in the video, as well as a bunch of actresses and Cindy Crawford. (After they show Crawford, Swift kind of looks at the camera as if to say "yeah that's right, I got Cindy Crawford in my video, WHAT" - it's great.) It's why we have music videos. This also doubled as the moment when your mom learned the name Kendrick Lamar, which is a good thing.
12. Ellie Goulding - On My Mind. The last song that made it over Lana Del Rey's "High By The Beach." I liked Ellie's video better. She rode a horse in hers.
13. Alessia Cara - Here. We all went to a party like this in college. Or perhaps after college.
14. Selena Gomez - Same Old Love. I think I might be the only one who liked this track best on Gomez's new album. It feels like a Justin Bieber diss, and I like that.
15. Ciara - I Bet. Speaking of diss songs, man, Future has to be some kind of moron to break up with Ciara. She has always been one of my faves. #TeamCiara over here for sure.
16. Jamie xx - I Know There's Gonna Be Good Times f/ Young Thug & Popcaan. Young Thug put out a lot of material this year, but my favorite track of his wasn't his own, but rather this DJ from across the pond. This one didn't make the Hot 100 either, presumably because Jamie xx is not an American artist? That's about the only reason I can think of.
17. The Weeknd - Can't Feel My Face. This is the song that my wife demanded be included this year -- she usually demands at least one. Not that it was a problem. The Weeknd finally let the Emo go for a song, and the results were fantastic.
18. Miguel - Coffee (F*cking) f/ Wale. I was disappointingly underwhelmed by Miguel's album, but this track was a standout. And Wale finally makes it back to the Aboveground mix -- his first time since 2010.
19. Janet Jackson - No Sleeep. Speaking of long waits, Miss Janet hasn't made the mixes since the first edition back in 2006. That's a long time. When I first saw that she recorded "No Sleeep" with and without J. Cole, I was curious. Then I listened to J. Cole's verse. It is possibly the worst guest shot I have ever heard. So Janet stands alone.
20. Dr. Dre - Animals f/ Anderson .Paak. This was the third track that wasn't a Billboard Hot 100 song. But there are a few good reasons why. One, the album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 (the chart for album sales), so I think plenty of people heard about it. Two, the cuts on the song are from DJ Premier. If you know anything about hip-hop, you know just how monumental having Dre and Primo on the same track is. Third, this album -- and this song in particular -- announced Anderson .Paak to the world. He may just be Dre's latest great find. But fourth, and most importantly, is the subject matter. After all his success, Dre is still angry, and it's hard to blame him. The emotion is raw here, and it's an eye opener.
21. Kendrick Lamar - Alright. Nevertheless, I wanted to end on a positive note. I'm fucked up, you fucked up, but if God got us then we gon' be alright. Kendrick the best.
UNDERGROUND MIX
2. Vince Staples - Lift Me Up. A song -- and album -- rich in biting commentary. This is another that belongs on the Aboveground mix. Vince Staples is fast becoming one of my favorite artists, and is a must listen.
3. Blackalicious - The Sun f/ Imani Coppola. There was a ton of comebacks this year, and this was one of them. Blackalicious hadn't put out an album since 2005, but they didn't sound rusty on "Imani Vol. 1" at all. That's pretty impressive.
4. Scarface - Steer f/ Rush Davis. Scarface came back too. Remember Scarface? If you feel like you've been listening to him your whole life, that's probably because you have. Geto Boys popped off in 1988. "Deeply Rooted" was Scarface's first album since 2008.
5. Grimes - Fresh Without Blood. I admittedly don't know a ton about Grimes, but I love this song, as well as "California." I wanted to include it here, and break up the hip-hop a little. I think it flows in pretty seamlessly.
6. Fashawn - Higher. I feel like it's not a coincidence that an album executive produced by Nas has a song about daughters. This album, "The Ecology," was fantastic, and I hard time picking the one track to use. Ultimately, this one got me.
7. Sean Price - Magic f/ Foul Monday & Royal Flush. Rest in peace, Mr. Price.
8. Sadat X - I Know This Game. I always liked Grand Puba (and sometimes Lord Jamar) better than Sadat X, but I still do like him. And this song was great -- Sadat is an old man now and letting everyone know that you never should have doubted him. The A&R story is great, as is the Biggie sample in the hook.
9. Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment - Familiar f/ King Louie & Quavo. I not only had a tough time picking out a cut from "Surf," but I also could have chosen any number of solo Chance the Rapper songs to choose for this mix. Ultimately I picked this one because I liked the blending of the different rappers here, and because this was a nice tongue-in-cheek take on the old "It's All About You" vibe.
10. Anderson .Paak & Knxwledge as NxWorries - Link Up. This won't be the last time Anderson .Paak gets on here. And Kxwledge is great, if you like hip-hop instrumentals.
11. Apollo Brown - Detonate f/ M.O.P.. "I'm El Chapo with a crack flow, you get your sh*t pushed back slow. Simple as that." Simple as that, indeed. This was another album I had a hard time picking one track from, but you can't deny the simple beauty of the Mash Out Posse.
12. Tink - Ratchet Commandments. Timbaland's new protege -- he said Aaliyah appeared to him a dream and called Tink "the one" -- takes it back to a song that was released when she was two years old. I feel old typing that.
13. Edo G. - Last Man Standing (cuts by DJ Netik). Few have been around as long as Edo G., but he has consistently turned out work, so this album wasn't really a comeback for him. He remains one of Boston's finest -- if not its finest period. Sort of depends on whether you want to claim Guru as Boston or New York.
14. GZA - The Mexican f/ Tom Morello & K.I.D.. This was GZA's first song since 2008, and it's definitely not what you would expect from GZA. But it still rocks. It would had to have been pretty bad not to be included here, to be honest.
15. KRS-One - Drugs Won. Poignant and unflinching as always in his first album in four years.
16. Malik B. & Mr. Green - Dark Streets f/ R.A. The Rugged Man & Amalie Bruun. Perhaps my favorite track of the year. If this beat doesn't have you vigorously nodding your head within five seconds, you might want to re-evaluate your whole life.
17. DonMonique - Drown. The standout on a great debut EP (that included a Danny Brown guest shot) from a promising young rapper.
18. Freddie Gibbs - F*ckin' Up The Count. Laced with "The Wire" references, this was the standout cut on Gibbs' new album. I wanted to include "Detonate," which has a harrowing Black Thought guest verse, but the beat on "Detonate" is a little too grating for repeat listens.
19. Rapper Big Pooh - Augmentation. It's a shame we don't get more Little Brother these days, but I will happily settle for Pooh and Phonte recording separately, especially when the songs are this good.
20. Apathy - Fat Kids f/ Blacastan & Merkules. Another track from a New England rapper, this one hits home, as I have let my waistline expand far more than I should have. It's funny too.
21. Capone-N-Noreaga - U.M.A.R. f/ Tragedy. CNN has always had a knack for emotional songs, as well as unlikely acronyms, and this song combines both in a story about a person that the crew wanted to honor before he passed.
22. Awreeoh - It's My Turn Now. Produced by Pharrell Williams, this song is from the three leads in the movie Dope. They're not real musicians -- at least not yet -- but you'd never know it, and this beat is fire. And if you haven't seen Dope yet, you should definitely do that soon.
23. Bonus Christmas Track. Ghostface Killah - Ghostface X-Mas. Ghost put out a couple of albums this year, so I nearly included one of those songs here in addition to this track, but ultimately I felt that this was enough. Also I get kind of exhausted by the volume from certain artists, and Ghost was one of those this year. I somehow missed this song when he put it out a few years ago. That has now been rectified. I don't get why more rappers don't put out Christmas songs. The bar is set so low.
I listened to so much stuff that didn't make the cut here. Jadakiss, Logic, Isaiah Rashad, Large Professor and Czarface were among the last cuts from the mix. Earl Sweatshirt, Diddy (!), Kirk Knight, Joey Badass (really disappointing album from him), Jazmine Sullivan, D.R.A.M., Big Grams (Big Boi's new project), Statik Selektah, Guilty Simpson, Talib Kweli & 9th Wonder, Mad & Blu & Madlib, Cannibal Ox, Ray West & Kool Keith, L'Orange & Kool Keith, Little Simz, Tate Kobang, Cakes da Killa, Raekwon, YG and eMC (worst hooks ever) were also considered. All of the extra listens definitely led to me getting the mixes out a little later this year, but it was worth it, because I am extra happy with what I included as a result.
If you want, you can listen to these mixes on Mixcloud. Embeds are below.
This is always a long post. If you made it this far, thanks for indulging me!