It’s the end of 2017, which means we get to hand out our awards for the ‘best of the best’ and the ‘worst of the worst’ in music! I don’t want to say these awards are more important than the Grammy’s, but I wore a suit when I wrote this s–t! Anyway, starting December 6th, I will be giving out one award a day to a special/not so special someone that dropped something in 2017. By December 28th, not only will I be drunk, but I will also conclude the list with ‘Album of The Year’! So come join me friends as we ring in the new year by celebrating the old! 

TOP SONG I UNDERRATED

SZA – THE WEEKEND

I f–k with SZA hard, especially after she released one of the best albums this year in ‘Ctrl’! In my review for that album, I paid homage to introspective tracks like ‘Broken Clocks’ and ‘Drew Barrymore’, but failed to acknowledge one of the most vulnerable ones in ‘The Weekend’. How can I be so stupid? This track embodies a good chunk of what SZA’s musical persona is all about, and that is her being that other girl that the studs of the world treat like blue cheese on a chicken wings plate. Overall, I think this song is so important for what this Grammy nominated album wanted to accomplish, and I dropped the ball by giving it a measly 4.1 rating on my review. Sorry Ms. Zig Zag Allah!

TOP SONG I OVERRATED

FUTURE – POPPIN’ TAGS

You know what song I rated better then both ‘Draco’ and the smash hit ‘Mask Off’ from Future’s self titled album from earlier this year? ‘Poppin’ Tags!’ If you read my review for that song, I pretty much claimed that it was the best thing since sliced bread, but in actuality, it was nothing more than an off brand soggy ass hot dog bun you can find at Giant. This right here was a major fail by me. Someone slap the hell out of me, pronto!

TOP ALBUM I UNDERRATED

GUCCI MANE – MR. DAVIS

If you were a hip hop fan this year, you suffered from the same hangover I did: Too many damn shots of Gucci Mane! Gucci Mane released like seven projects this year, and when he wasn’t releasing projects, he featured on every artist you can imagine’s album. So with ‘Mr. Davis’ being his last major project of 2017, I was simply tired of the n—-a, so maybe that played a part into why I gave one of his better projects a low rating of 7.6. Looking back at it, I think there is way too many bangers on this album for it to receive such a low rating, but I just needed a break from hearing his music to understand that.

TOP ALBUM I OVERRATED

XXXTENTACION – 17

Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy this album for what it is, but to give it a 9.5/10 is a bit of a stretch. One of the things that sucks about rating albums early is that they can grow on you, but in this case, I sorta grew out of this album. Yes the rapper shows lots of talent on it, but when it’s all said and done, there isn’t enough amazing tracks for it to get the high rating I gave it. If I had a mulligan, I would probably rate it somewhere between 7.9-8.4.

WORST SONG I RATED

PLAYBOI CARTI – WE SO PROUD OF HIM

Playboi Carti had a big year in 2017, but one of his major misses this year was ‘We So Proud of Him’.

Where do I start? Is it the fact that he’s interrupting himself over and over again on the song? Or is it the fact that he’s speaking in third person throughout? Or is it the shameful fact that the title contains bad grammar? Whatever the case may be, I was pretty disappointed in the Magnolia maker for creating this.

I’ve heard thousands of good verses this year, but none quite like Kendrick’s on ‘The Heart 4’. So here’s the backstory: rumors swirled throughout the last couple of weeks of a Kendrick come back album, but for the most part, those rumors weren’t coming from him. Well he decided to confirm that the rumors of his come back was indeed true by releasing this scathing/relentless track that took aim at his foes, the critics, and of course Donald Trump. F–k an ad, this was all we needed to get amped for ‘Damn’!

Kendrick Lamar accomplished so much with this chorus, didn’t he? It put all the peers that thought they can test him in their place, while at the same time gets the club scene rowdy. If that still doesn’t convince you this is a hot ass chorus, think about this: Do you know anyone that didn’t like this hook?

There was a lot of good features this year (especially if you consider all the compilation albums that had various artists on them as features), but was there any that completely transformed a song like Swae Lee did on ‘Unforgettable?’ I ain’t tryna sound like no groupie or anything, but that dudes voice sounds heaven sent on that track! (ANNNNNNNDDDDD THERE GOES MY STREET AUDIENCE) Shout out Swae Lee for his angelic feature! (ANDDDDDD THERE GOES MY STREET CRED CARD ALSO…..I just got that muthasucka, too!)

This is a no brainer to me. Produced by Metro Boomin’, this flute heavy beat catered to both sides of our brains: One side loved the trillness of it, while the other loved the debonairness of it. When you combine both elements with Future’s reckless words, you get this big ass party full of thugs, drug abusers, and Lipton tea sippers!

LOGAN – DRIFTING APART

Let me start off by saying I am extremely thankful for all the submissions I receive from artists across the world! For everyone I hear, the more and more I’m convinced that music is in a great place. With that being said, my favorite submission this year was Logan’s ‘Drifting Apart’. On this track, Logan and Londyen Skye go back and forth about the trouble in their relationship through this beautiful duet. I love the energy of the record, and the singing/lyrics on this track is so spot on! This is a must listen.

Throughout 2017, Imani Wj Wright dropped some of the most soulful/passionate music I’ve heard to date. On ‘Envious Affection’, the Baltimore native was finally able to create a full body of work focused on those two elements, and it was absolutely enjoyable to listen to! Not only does Imani give us several great songs centered around the trials and tribulations that come with loving someone, but he also shows lots of versatility on his records too, discussing topics such as black beauty and approaching a woman the right way. When it’s all said and done, the project is one that is a major stepping stone for what i think will be a long career.

There’s several reasons to why this was my favorite song of 2017: First and foremost, I think the track has this phenomenal mixture of smooth R&B and hardcore rap to it. It’s a vintage sound that not only gave me flashbacks to music from back in the day, but it also has this playa-like feel to it that translates really well in the clubs. When you add the underdog story of Goldlink to the fact that they are DC up and comers, you get a track that is very dear to my heart.

In 2017, it’s been really hard to decipher between an album, mixtape, and an EP. Only a few Mixtapes I rated felt like actual Mixtapes, a feeling that has been diminishing the last couple of years. With that being said, Wiz Khalifa’s ‘Laugh Now Cry Later’ Mixtape actual felt like a Mixtape, and it channeled that vintage Wiz Khalifa that we’ve all come to love. While I love the raps that Wiz drops on this Mixtape, it’s the combination of Wiz’s contributions and his old buddy Sledgren’s beat making that makes this project truly special.

Calvin Harris might be the biggest genius of 2017 for getting Frank Ocean and Migos to make a song together.

From the moment I pressed play on this song I thought it was an absolute hit! It has a feel good vibe to it, some very smooth vocals by Frank, and a couple of radio friendly verses from Offset and Quavo.  When you mix all those elements together, you get this unorthodox tune that embodies the versatility that was 2017.

I feel like I do not have to go into detail onto why I think this album is the best of the year, but I’ll do it because I may forget why in 2020.

With Kendrick doing lots of storytelling in his first two albums, I feel like this album in particular had him focusing on dropping nothing but hits for 14 tracks. In addition to that, you got to hear Kendrick experiment with a few different sounds on this album too: You heard Kendrick get competitive (DNA, Humble), you heard him get radio friendly (Love, Loyalty) and you even heard him crossover a bit (XXX). It was like listening to a greatest hit album by one of the hottest rappers out today, and I was all the way here for it.

THANK YOU

I know this is not a category, but I feel it is imperative that I make it one!

I want to thank everyone that reads this site! even if’s it’s to pick at it, laugh it, or even boil yourself up because of a poorly picked top 5 that I had. You guys push me to keep living my dreams, and make me want to be better at this craft literally everyday. I am truly thankful, and wish I can tell you guys individually how much you mean to me! It was a big 2017, one that I am extremely proud of, and hope for an even bigger 2018 (assuming Kim Jong Un doesn’t attack me). I wake up every morning excited because of you guys, and will continue that for this next year. THANK YOU SO SO MUCH!

Quincy

Quincy is the creator of Ratings Game Music. He loves writing about music, taking long walks on beaches, and spaghetti that fights him back.