Clipse - So Be It
Could pick multiple tracks off that album but I'll go with So Be It because it was also a single. I wasn't expecting much from the Clipse or Pharrell in 2025 so my shock at the track was pretty heavy. It's just a perfect track that immediately sounded classic to me. Also I loved the reactions it generated. Not even talking about the beef/Travis shyt. It felt like the hip hop world collectively came out to say oh shyt that's dope.
Earl Sweatshirt - Exhaust
Reactions to Earl have been pretty polarizing for awhile. He's leaned all the way into the niche of underground rap scenes that are constantly given different names or descriptions. Is it drumless rap? Is it loop rap? Is it "minimalist" rap? I don't care. You can hear the influence guys like billy woods and Navy Blue have had on Earl, and to me this is one of the tracks where he reaches the lyrical heights they often do. Some of my favorite lines of the year, the beat is amazing, and overall it's just the type of contemplative rap shyt I fukk with.
Freddie Gibbs & Alchemist - Ensalada
I went into the album with a lot of reservations, after years of non-music related fukkery changing my opinion and perception of Gibbs. But I gotta say he delivered on the album, and this is one of his best tracks ever. The beat is perfect. The hook is amazing. And the verses and swag are just dope.
