—Banks
Dedicate to excellence.
In time, you’ll learn this is about you.
May 1st
loneliness is not determined by the abscence of other individuals but the lack of focus and interests that keep you going.
midnight swept us off our feet
concrete walls surrendered
warm embrace to stern defeat
they viciously remembered
where’s our glory
where’s our freedom
where’s our golden past
just above not
just beyond
just outside of our grasp
birthday boy :) #london #fashion #alexanderwang #menswear #birthday #happy
—Frank Ocean
Wrote this for another website, but thought I’d share it on tumblr. Made a Soundcloud playlist with all the songs too!!
75. Janelle Monaé (feat. Erykah Badu) - Q.U.E.E.N.
74. Drake - Hold On, We’re Going Home
73. Childish Gambino - Telegraph Ave
72. James Blake (feat. Chance The Rapper) - Life Round Here (Remix)
71. Bashy (feat. Jareth) - These Are The Songs
70. CHVRCHES - The Mother We Share
69. Disclosure (feat. Aluna George) - White Noise
68. Ryan McDermott (feat. Hit-Boy) - Joy
67. Tinie Tempah (feat. John Martin) - Children Of The Sun
66. John Legend (feat. Rick Ross) - Who Do We Think We Are
65. Beyoncé (feat. Drake) - Mine
64. Jay-Z - somewhereinamerica
63. James Blake - Overgrown
62. Sam Smith, Nile Rodgers, Disclosure & Jimmy Napes - Together
61. Kanye West (feat. Chief Keef & Justin Vernon) - Hold My Liquor
60. Vampire Weekend - Step
59. Pusha T (feat. Rick Ross & Kanye West) - Hold On
58. Jai Paul - Track 5 / Genevieve
57. Danny Brown - Wonderbread
56. Volcano Choir - Comrade
55. Travi$ Scott (feat. T.I. & 2 Chainz) - Upper Echelon
54. Ellery James Roberts - Kerou’s Lament
53. Jay-Z - Picasso Baby
52. Childish Gambino - 3005
51. Kendrick Lamar (feat. Jay-Z) - Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe (Remix)
50. Sampha - Indecision (technically 2012)
49. TNGHT - Acrylics
48. HAIM - The Wire
47. Migos (feat. Drake) - Versace (Remix)
46. FKA twigs - Papi Pacify
45. Action Bronson - Contemporary Man
44. Tyler, The Creator (feat. Frank Ocean) - 48
43. Chase & Status (feat. Moko) - Count On Me
42. Death Grips - Birds
41. Miley Cyrus - Wrecking Ball
40. D'Banj (feat. Kanye West) - Scapegoat (Remix)
39. The Weeknd - Devil May Cry
38. Drake (feat. Jhene Aiko) - From Time
37. Earl Sweatshirt (feat. Frank Ocean) - Sunday
36. Ariana Grande (feat. Mac Miller) - The Way
35. ScHoolboy Q - Man Of The Year
34. Jai Paul - Track 7 / Crush
33. A$AP Rocky (feat. Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson & Big K.R.I.T.) - 1 Train
32. King Krule - Easy Easy
31. Daft Punk (feat. Pharrell Williams) - Lose Yourself To Dance
30. Kanye West - Black Skinhead
29. The Foreign Exchange - Call It Home
28. The Bullitts (feat. Yasiin Bey, Jay Electronica & Lucy Liu) - They Die By Dawn
27. Janelle Monaé (feat. Miguel) - Primetime
26. Earl Sweatshirt - Burgundy
25. Daft Punk (feat. Panda Bear) - Doing It Right
24. Burial - Come Down To Us
23. MØ (feat. Diplo) - XXX 88
22. Justin Timberlake - Mirrors
21. J. Cole (feat. Miguel) - Power Trip
20. Beyoncé - No Angel
19. Drake (feat. Jay-Z) - Pound Cake / Paris Morton Music 2
18. Chance The Rapper (feat. Nate Fox & Lili K.) - Pusha Man
17. SZA - Teen Spirit
16. Isaiah Rashad - Shot You Down
15. Beyoncé (feat. Jay-Z) - Drunk In Love
14. Banks - Waiting Game
13. Pusha T - Numbers On The Board
12. Kanye West (feat. Charlie Wilson) - Bound 2
11. Jai Paul - Track 3 / Zion Wolf
10. John Legend - All Of Me
Probably one of the most beautiful love songs ever created. John hits every note perfectly and seeing him live this year has made it even better. Goosebumps and getting laid are most certainly consequences of listening to this masterpiece.
“My head’s underwater, but I’m breathing fine. You’re crazy and I’m out of my mind.”
9. Big Sean (feat. Kendrick Lamar & Jay Electronica) - Control
Is there anything left to say about this song? Kendrick’s infamous verse was worldwide trending topic for about a week and everybody’s favorite rapper and their momma’s responded to it in one way or another (even Phil Jackson and other huge celebrities). It’s a phenomenal verse from a phenomenal rapper and Jay Electronica holds his own. This would’ve ranked even higher if Big Sean was actually able to compete.
“I’m Makaveli’s offspring, I’m the king of New York, king of the coast. One hand I juggle em both.”
“I got love for you all, but I’m tryna murder you niggas. Tryna make sure your core fans never heard of you niggas. They don’t wanna hear not one more noun or verb from you niggas.”
8. Kanye West (feat. Frank Ocean) - New Slaves
Probably the most talked about song of the year along with “Control” and “Wrecking Ball”. Kanye surprised everyone when he projected the video for this song onto more than 60 buildings (including high fashion stores like Louis Vuitton and Gucci to protest against their involvement in the “new slavery”) all over the world. That being said, the song itself is a monster too. Kanye’s second verse might as well be the best one of 2013, rebelling against the DEA, Hampton millionaires / billionaires and corporations.
“Meanwhile the DEA teamed up with the CCA, the tryna look niggas up, they tryna make new slaves. See that’s that privately owned prison, get your piece today. They probably all in the Hamptons, bragging about what they make. Fuck you and your Hampton house, I fuck your Hampton spouse, came on her Hampton blouse and in her Hampton mouth.”
7. Daft Punk (feat. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) - Get Lucky
Undoubtedly the catchiest song of the year. The return of Daft Punk has been massive and this was the song that served as the prophet of what their album would bring. Brilliant vocals from Pharrell and a song that will be attached to a lot of good summer memories.
“We’ve come too far, to give up who we are.”
6. Jai Paul - Track 2 / Str8 Outta Mumbai
After 2 years of being fed only one song, Jai Paul’s alleged debut album got leaked to the public and caused a massive uproar all over the internet. Whether it’s official or not, Str8 Outta Mumbai is an amazing song that could have easily been #1 on this list if it was mastered properly.
“I want to talk to you, but we don’t know what to say. And you don’t know what to do.”
5. Pusha T (feat. Kendrick Lamar) - Nosetalgia
What a massive song! Another absolute killer verse from Kendrick, even though his musical presence was relatively sparse this year. King Push didn’t let Kendrick destroy him on his own track and absolutely held his own, making this the perfect hip hop track.
“Zhivago tried to fight the urge like Ivan Drago. If he dies he dies. Like Doughboy to Tre. If he rides he rides. Throwing punches in his room, if he cries he cries.”
“You wanna see a dead body? Instrumentals from my mama’s christmas party”
4. James Blake - Retrograde
Probably James Blake’s most emotional and well-structured song to date. A perfect winter song, Retrograde with its destructive melancholy gives off vibes of feeling secluded and isolated while being okay with it at the same time. This song is captivating from start to finish, just phenomenal.
“You’re on your own, in a world you’ve grown. Few more years to go, don’t let the hurdle fall.”
3. Disclosure (feat. Sam Smith) - Latch (technically 2012)
One of the best dance / pop tracks in recent memory with brilliant track progression and outstanding vocals by one of the most promising new artists in the music business. If you haven’t danced to this song in a club, you clearly haven’t lived. Additionally, “Latch” might have the best sung hook of all time and this is not even an exaggeration.
“Now I’ve got you in my space, I won’t let go of you. Got you shackled in my embrace, I’m latching onto you.”
2. Autre Ne Veut - Play By Play
An absolute smash. This is quite possibly the best new discovery that I’ve made in the last three years music-wise. Play By Play shows every other pop song how it’s done in every single sound and it gets better as the track progresses. Perfectly crafted pop music that almost everybody will enjoy and that should not be slept on.
“I don’t wanna be there the night, you make me whole, you make me go, you make me harder than you.”
1. Kanye West - Blood On The Leaves
Nothing more needs to be said about this masterpiece since pretty much everybody has already explained its genius. Just having the guts to sample “Strange Fruit” by Billie Holiday / Nina Simone and mixing it up with the smashing “R U Ready” by Hudson Mohawke and Lunice speaks for itself. Outstanding song on yet another brilliant album by “the biggest rock star” on the planet.
“Now you sittin courtside, wifey on the other side, gotta keep em separated I call that apartheid. Then she said she impregnated, that’s the night your heart died, then you gotta go and tell your girl and report that. Main reason cause your pastor said you can’t abort that, now your drive say that new Benz "you can’t afford that”. All the cocaine on the table you can’t snort that. That going to that owing money that the court get. All in on that alimony, yeah yeah she got you homie. Until death will do you apart, unholy matrimony.“
—Kanye West
This has to be more popular, one of 2013’s best songs.
—Kanye West - Lost In The World
YES! #gta5 #gta #xbox #game
Amy Poehler is life
—Frank Ocean