Full Wrap-Up Of 2018!
TOP SONG WE UNDERRATED
POST MALONE – BETTER NOW
I didn’t give “Better Now” a bad rating, but I also didn’t give it a great one when I should have. I can argue with you that this soothing Post Malone gem is one of the best pop songs this year, and definitely one of the best on beerbongs and bentleys. Me being the idiot that I am, I thought it was the fourth-worst song on the album in my review back in April. Trust me, every time I hear the song in Target, the Doctor’s office, the radio, and bathroom these days (Yes, some venues play soothing radio music in bathrooms), I am reminded of how dumb I am. Sorry guys, I dropped the ball on this one. I’ll be better in 2019!
TOP SONG WE OVERRATED
TRAVIS SCOTT & THE WEEKND – WAKE UP
Personally, I love “Wake Up” by The Weeknd and Travis Scott! While rating AstroWorld, I was sure it would end up being one of Travis’ biggest hits to-date… Boy, was I wrong.
Why doesn’t songs featuring The Weeknd get enough shine? Am I missing something?
TOP ALBUM I UNDERRATED
XXXTENTACION – ?
I am one of those people that absolutely loved XXXTENTACION’s “17” album. Though short, I felt like it pushed the envelope when it came to creativity. On his follow-up effort, “?,” I thought the Floridian regressed a bit. Maybe I was suffering from concussion-like symptoms or simply thought the music I heard on “?” was over my head at the time, cause after several additional listens, I began to think it was way better than the 6.7/10 rating I gave it on my review back in March.
TOP ALBUM I OVERRATED
MACHINE GUN KELLY – BINGE
This was a very easy choice for me…
Maybe it was the fact that I was in Vegas at the time and I had way too many Vodka shots the night before, or perhaps it was my lack of sleep; whatever the case may be, I thought BINGE was really good when I first heard it. I didn’t think Machine Gun Kelly was amazing on the EP, but I did think he stuck to a sound that was electrifying enough to keep my interest. But let’s be real, there were some major stinkers on this project.
BTW, if you want a quick laugh, read the ass-kicking I received in the comments section of the review I did on BINGE.
TOP COMMENT ON THE SITE
THEFIRSTJEDI – BOBBY TARANTINO 2
First and foremost, I want to say that I am truly thankful for literally every view, comment, like, repost, and spam that I receive on this site. You readers keep me going, and I am so honored to even have the attention of each and every one of you for even a second. With that being said, I’ve heard some good and some bad comments from you guys, and I can honestly say that I soaked each in like a sponge. One that really stood out to me was something @ThefirstJedi said:
Overnight was the biggest disappointment on this album. I love the beat, but that second verse is god awful. It is straight garbage and ruins the whole song for me. “Maybe you was bullied in high school”, who is this geared to? like what?
LMAO! Nowadays, when I hear “Overnight,” I literally can’t stop laughing at that line. The reason I loved this comment is that it was so raw. Sometimes you don’t have to go far into your PHD level English to make a point, you just say how you feel and keep it moving! That’s sorta how I approach my writing. BTW, I actually f**ked with “Overnight!”
WORST SONG
LIL B – I GOT TO MANY B**CHES
This song was putrid. Matter of fact, legally, I am not obligated to call this a song. We all know Lil B trolls, but what he did here was just plain ole cruel. Not only does he f**k up the title by using the wrong ‘To’ (Should be “too’), but his singing is so bad on the song that my computer caught a virus playing this s**t. Kudos to Lil B for getting the one and only 0/5 this site has ever dished out.
WORST ALBUM
LIL XAN – TOTAL XANARCHY
Total Xanarchy featured deranged beats, raps that sounded like they were laid down while Lil Xan was recovering from an anesthesia attack, and lyrics so useless, I couldn’t help but shake my head in disgust. In my opinion, the album was the biggest mockery of music I’ve heard in a while. Do I think Xan has a spot in the hip hop game? Yes; however, if he puts out two more efforts like this piss-poor album, he may need to be sued.
MOST SLEPT ON ALBUM
NIPSEY HUSSLE – VICTORY LAP
I thought “Victory Lap” by Nipsey Hussle was a very f**king good album! It was passionate, had some excellent beats, great raps, and most importantly, served as a training manual for up-and-coming bosses on how to move in the streets once you see some success. It also had some great features from Kendrick Lamar, YG, Belly, and Buddy. For whatever reason, the album never got the credit it deserved, and still til’ this day, that s**t bothers me.
WORST VERSE
TEKASHI 6IX9INE – GET THE STRAP
Let’s call it how it is: Tekashi 6ix9ine is an awful rapper. I love his energy, but when it comes to laying down a solid verse, he is horrible. With his piss-poor feature on 50 Cent’s explosive “Get The Strap” record, I felt like the Brooklyn rapper reached rock bottom. Not only does he have trouble rhyming half the time, but lyrically, his content sounds like a four-year-old bully wrote it. Yes, I know that 6ix9ine has rapped like this in the past, but in a song that really could’ve served as a chance to prove to the world that he’s more than a troll, he decided to crash and burn.
BEST VERSE
JOYNER LUCAS – LUCKY YOU
This was a very tough one for me. Between Cole, Royce Da 5’9 and Joell Ortiz, we got some very damn good verses in hip hop in 2018. However, in my opinion, the best of the year came from a rookie — Joyner Lucas! On “Lucky You,” he gave you serious punchlines, astute wordplay, unbelievable flows, and a level of passion that was absolutely hard to ignore. I can honestly say I felt every word he delivered; especially considering the underdog persona he gives off whenever he raps.
How many people can you say they murdered Em on his own s**t?
BEST ADLIBS
KENDRICK LAMAR – WIN
Adlibs have sorta been extinct these last couple of months. It just feels like artists have been steering clear of them in 2018 (Sorta how I steered clear from 711 Juicy Big Bites this year). With that being said, I thought Kendrick Lamar’s adlibs this year were fantastic! Matter of fact, when it comes to Jay Rock’s “WIN,” one of the main reasons I f**k with the song is because of Kendrick’s outlandish blurts throughout it.
BEST HOOK
DRAKE – IN MY FEELINGS
I don’t care what anybody says, Drake’s hook on “In My Feelings” was amazing! If it didn’t get so popular, I think people would feel it more.
BEST FEATURE
TIE – NICKI MINAJ & CARDI B – MOTORSPORT
There are so many things to peel from both Nicki Minaj and Cardi B’s verses on “Motorsport:” For one, each of them was hella competitive on the song, dropping excellent punchlines and showing lots of aggression. Secondly, the verses happened to come at a time where Cardi was on the verge of blowing up. Thirdly, if you consider everything that happened after the song released, (Rumors of Quavo asking Nicki to change her verse, Cardi and Nicki’s eventual beef, Cardi’s willingness to bring up her sexcapades with her now estranged husband) what we heard now seems like some once in a lifetime type s**t. But most importantly, considering all things, I thought both ladies did a great job of strong-arming the song from the main artists (Migos).
BEST BEAT
PUSHA-T – HARD PIANO
I thought Pusha T’s whole DAYTONA album had some monumental instrumentals. The one that moved me the most was “Hard Piano.” The Rick Ross featured song contains some exquisite piano play, some serious bass that never stops making the room shake, and this galvanizing feel that practically forces you to bow down to it. When you add Pusha and Ross’ powerful words to the fray, you’ll realize that you were blessed by one of Kanye’s most impressive production efforts of all-time.
CHEESIEST SONG
JASON DERULO – GOODBYES
Jason Derulo is good for at least one cheesy record a year. This particular song features everything from horrendous crooning by featured guest Nicki Minaj, a poor pop/reggae instrumental, and lyrical content so damn corny that I couldn’t help but shake my head in disgust. “Goodbyes” isn’t necessarily bad, just way to f**king corny.
BEST INTERNATIONAL SONG
NICKY JAM & J BALVIN – X
The reggaeton genre had a really good year; so much so that I believe its influence poured into both rap and pop music throughout 2018. One of the most famous reggaeton releases this year was “X” — A slow ballad by J Balvin and Nicky Jam that features a memorable instrumental, hypnotic vibes and very solid crooning. However, what I love most about the song is that it makes you feel like you are fully engulfed in Latin culture; something that I appreciate a helluva lot more since my first trip to Mexico this past February.
BEST INDIE SONG
J$Y – STYLL
First and foremost, I want to say that I am thankful for every submission that gets sent to The Ratings Game. Being able to highlight the musicians that don’t quite get the love they deserve has become one of the aspects of this site I am most proud of. With that being said, my favorite submission this year came from J$Y. On his “Styll” single, he electrified with everything from silky smooth vocals to his appealing lyrical content. Aside from that, I loved the authentic Caribbean vibes the instrumental he sung over gave off. All in all, I legitimately believe “Styll” deserves heavy radio/club-play. If ya’ll don’t agree, I will continue bumpin’ it everywhere I go then.
BEST INDIE ALBUM
CAPRICANNO – HERENOW
This year, I mainly gravitated to music that was creative and made me think outside of the box; “HERENOW” is far away from all boxes. The short project by Capricanno had everything from deep raps, peculiar bangers, and unique crooning. The mind of Capricanno is one that clearly demands attention, and he had mines from start to finish on this EP.
SONG WE’RE AFRAID TO ADMIT WE LIKE
KANYE WEST & LIL PUMP – I LOVE IT
Even I, the guy with the IQ of a melon, thought this song required little to no brain-power to make. However, the more and more I heard it in the clubs/bars/shindigs/porno stores, the more I liked it! Yes, even with Pump’s poor singing on the hook, Kanye’s a sick-ass verse in which he talks about some perverted s**t, and the big ass suits the two artists were rocking in the accompanying video, I still found a way to play this song more than any one of Nas’ joints this year ?.
QD’S PERSONAL FAVORITE ALBUM
PUSHA-T – DAYTONA
DAYTONA was nothing short of amazing! I feel like it gave off this cinematic feel from start to finish, while also featuring everything from serious punchlines to Drake disses (Who doesn’t enjoy those two things in a song). The album was short enough to leave you wanting more but long enough to make you realize both Kanye and Pusha-T’s greatness. For this particular reason, I played this album over and over and over again this year!
QD’S PERSONAL FAVORITE SONG
KENDRICK LAMAR & SZA – ALL THE STARS
Kendrick Lamar had a pretty quiet 2018, but that didn’t stop him from dropping one of hip-hop’s most enjoyable songs this year. “All Of The Stars” is one of those uplifting/wholesome hits that made me feel all good inside; especially considering that it served as a theme song for one of the most powerful African American movies of all-time in “Black Panther.” Yes, the song is slightly cheesy at times, with Kendrick Lamar sort-of giving us some watered down verses, but at the same time, it’s one of the higher quality rap joints you will hear this year.
TOP MIXTAPE
LOGIC – BOBBY TARANTINO 2
Bobby Tarantino 2 wasn’t necessarily MY favorite mixtape, but I did think it was one of the more influential ones in 2018. It came at a time where Logic was getting major love from commercial fans, so it sort-of served as that reminder to his real fans that he can spit hard when he needs to, too. I loved the marketing behind the project, the instrumentals, and most importantly, its overall purpose of sounding like the definition of what a mixtape is supposed to be.
TOP SONG
DRAKE – GOD’S PLAN
“God’s Plan” topped the charts for a couple of weeks, has been nominated for numerous awards and ended up being the groundwork for a very successful year for Drake. Aside from that, the song features some serious quotables, and features a version of the 6 God that is everything from introspective to competitive. In my opinion, “God’s Plan” is a complete hit.
TOP ALBUM
TRAVIS SCOTT – ASTROWORLD
Most anticipated, high-seller, most cohesive body-of-work, and most experimental. As much as I want to say projects like DAYTONA and Scorpion did its thing, ASTROWORLD felt like a movement. It pushed the hip hop game forward and created a baseline for artists to follow. In a year where a lot of guys sounded similar to one another, I thought this project was very refreshing to listen to.
THANK YOU!
From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you all for the support! 2018 was a major year for us. For starters, we pretty much quintupled our views. Additionally, we’ve gotten some great feedback on our posts. The level of growth that has come in a year or so is substantial, and I can honestly say it wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for each and every one of you. With that being said, I look forward to 2019, and I promise, we will grow even more!
Quincy is the creator of Ratings Game Music. He loves writing about music, taking long walks on beaches, and spaghetti that fights him back.
