Feature

Top 10 Verses of 2015

10 years ago

We’re more than halfway through what has been a good year for music across all genres. Hip hop fans have been particularly spoilt with quality albums and mixtapes so far. There have been a lot of great solo verses this year and choosing 10 out of these wasn’t easy. Each artist below has gone the extra mile to bring something different to their usual content and this is why they made the cut. So, without further ado (and in no particular order) these are the top 10 verses of the year so far.

1. Paradise (extended verse) – Big Sean:

The original version is one of the four songs Sean dropped to warm up his fans for his third album (Dark Sky Paradise). It had 2 good verses but what Sean did with the album version is the definition of taking a song to the next level. He lets his fans know how hard he has been working, rapped using his unique flow and clever wordplay and delivered a solid third verse.

“I hit the booth booth and I just went super saiyan” perfectly describes what he did with this verse. He had the chance to show how much his rapping skills have improved on this album and definitely proved it on this verse.

https://play.spotify.com/track/2lKRa8BRR5bZkSoQBE3yh9
Album: Dark Sky Paradise

2. U Mad (3rd verse) – Vic Mensa

2015 will go down as Vic’s real breakout year. This is already one of the year’s smash hits and has helped to propel his hype and career. His debut on RocNation (Traffic) is now one of the most anticipated albums of the year. This verse saw him follow Kanye’s verse with a great finish to the song (minus the Ray Rice line). This verse is braggadocios, brash and loud, “ain’t my fault you ain’t the man, made a plan man it was planned”. It’s one of his hottest verses.

https://play.spotify.com/track/6rOLiOF1wIqFa9f0G4jOhX
(Single: U Mad)

3. M’s (Lil Wayne’s verse) – A$AP Rocky ft Lil Wayne

The best thing about this verse was the nostalgic way Lil Wayne rapped over the beat. From the autotune to the punchlines and the jokes “kill you and your dog then go put on a shirt that say PETA for life”. He still found time to update us on his situation with Cash Money, “I love my YM, ain’t no more CM”. He instantly made the song better with his sing song flow and now has people anticipating his next project again (due soon).

https://play.spotify.com/track/29ZSk6XmWPx3DX69xBb7Yi
(Album: At Long Last A$AP)

4. War (3rd verse) – King Los:

A song that reflects what is going on in America at the moment (even though it was written back in December). Almost prophetic in some ways, this third verse shows King Los’ potential as a serious artist; real lyrics, metaphors, raps in double time and has an important message to end it all. Even the opening line “it’s a war going on” shows the type of content King Los wants to bring to the forefront. Its sharp ending, “so when it’s *gunshots* this cold world won’t feel a thing” makes the listener reflect on the whole song. Overall, it is definitely one of the best releases of the year so far.

https://play.spotify.com/track/5mntCkPHksHtxpR9tTrxuz
(Album: God, Money, War)

5. Ratchet Commandments (3rd verse) – Tink:
A newcomer or a rapper who is finally getting noticed, either way Tink is definitely one to watch out for in 2015. This verse wrapped up this song nicely. Fresh, current and unbiased, Tink addresses issues relating to young people today proving how different she is to her peers (male or female). She sounds mature, fearless and mature beyond her years, bringing up the flaws of young men and women in society.

Although she only addressed males with a few bars, it was enough to balance her argument “n***gas ratchet too just in another way, you fake fathers never held your daughters, never had a conversation…”. It’s one of the best verses of the year thus far because she is not afraid to tell people her age to do better.

https://play.spotify.com/track/0M4KUBbCImDbHGbkY3dW99
(Single: Ratchet Commandments)

6. Curry Chicken (3rd verse) – Joey Badass

This song brings the whole album together (and it isn’t even the last track). A reflection of his life at the young of 20 years old, with a strong ode to his mother’s ‘Curry Chicken’. There is a strong sense of family and togetherness displayed through both verses. He raps about both parents with a reverence that is missing in hiphop at the moment. This verse stands out because he sounds confident, has an excellent flow and defines the album title B4.DA.$$. Lines such as “and to my papa my word is my bond, when you held me in your arms, did you know along that a star was born…” underlines the importance of family to him. He knew he was going to be successful and never forgot his family in the process.

https://play.spotify.com/track/2SdPJiHruzkUl1vpY3siCU
(Album: B4.DA.$$)

7. Smuckers (2nd verse) – Tyler The Creator ft Kanye West & Lil Wayne:

All artists delivered on this song making it a standout on the album. However, there are a few reasons why Kanye had the best verse. Similar to Lil Wayne, Kanye delivered a nostalgic verse, he was playful and real in equal parts, “’cause Nike gave a lot of n**gas cheques but I’m the only n**ga to ever check Nike?”. This is definitely one of his best guest verses of the year so far (if not the best), mainly because he sounds like a combination of his previous eras from start to finish. He sounded confident “I made a million mistakes but I’m successful in spite of ’em’ and self aware, “they say I’m crazy but that’s the best thing going for me”, this is the Kanye his long-time fans appreciate.

https://play.spotify.com/track/078C2jXg7XsMgW78Gfx1JA
(Album: Cherry Bomb)

8. Prisoners 1&2 (Verse 3 of Prisoners 1) – Lupe Fiasco:
It was difficult to pick a verse within this song to add to the list, even the chorus is great. This third verse has vivid descriptions of prison/prisoners, the beat sounds like a movie soundtrack, and the words sounds like Lupe is narrating a book you can’t stop reading. He ups the ante with every bar which allows you to put yourself in the prisoner’s shoes by the end of the song.
It sends out several messages about the flaws of prison systems around the world, “scared thugs going crazy in a caged box…that’s how it is in a police state, when your life is just a number and a release date”.

https://play.spotify.com/track/1dx9EdvyNujagtQzgNPPFC
(Album: Tetsuo & Youth)

9. How Much A Dollar Cost (Verse 3) – Kendrick Lamar:

It’s impossible to pick one verse from Kendrick’s stellar verses but this one stands out for quite a few reasons. Melancholic in tone, this verse shows his growth from his mixtapes to this album. The topics touched on throughout the song are extremely relatable; the struggles with religion, money, kindness, sharing, sins, etc.

Bringing the story he told in this song to a close, the most memorable lines in this verse displays just how much it differs from any other song out this year, “he looked and me and said know the truth it will set your free… the nerve of Nazareth, and I’ll tell you how much a dollar cost, the price of having a spot in heaven, embrace your loss, I am God”.

It will definitely go down as one of the memorable verses on the album and this year because of Kendrick’s unique way of making songs that touch the audience. Smart choice finishing it up with a Ron Isley feature that continued this verse’s narrative and gave it a solid finish, “turn this page, help me change, to right my wrong”.

https://play.spotify.com/track/3BNjuJBicYBzcgos3TPlOx
(Album: To Pimp A Butterfly)

10: 6PM In New York – Drake:

So far this year, we haven’t had a song from any other rapper that came out guns blazing ready to ‘fire shots’ at multiple people at the same time. Very unlike Drake to sound this angry on a track “I wanna prove that I’m number one over all these n**gas”.

Reminiscent of Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Control’ verse two years ago, this freestyle featured some of his best lines of his career and ended the album on the high note that it needed. Also important to note that in some parts of the song, he sounded like the Drake from his mixtape days.

https://play.spotify.com/track/0KPUIYMqfLBvpRCwZ9hpFs
(Album: If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late)

Honourable Mentions:

Baby Blue (Verse 3) – Action Bronson ft Chance the Rapper.

100 (Verse 2) – The Game ft Drake.

3500 (Verse 1) – Travis Scott ft Future & 2 Chainz.

Faucet (Verse 2) – Earl Sweatshirt.

Everyday (Verse 2) – A$AP Rocky ft Rod Stewart, Miguel & Mark Ronson.