1.
No Luck
3d Na'Tee
Southern
Southern
Hip-Hop
Self-Released
*Best Song
*Best American Release
*Best Female Artist Release
*Best Urban
*Best Hip-Hop
*Best Female Rapper
*Best Non-Single
*Best Indie Release
My pick for 'Best Song Of 2016' is a hard-driving rap about the female artist's molasses-slow travail through the American music industry. Frank, personal, & uncompromising.
*Best Song
*Best American Release
*Best Female Artist Release
*Best Urban
*Best Hip-Hop
*Best Female Rapper
*Best Non-Single
*Best Indie Release
My pick for 'Best Song Of 2016' is a hard-driving rap about the female artist's molasses-slow travail through the American music industry. Frank, personal, & uncompromising.
2.
Come Down Is Real
Belly
Hip-Hop
Canadian
Canadian
Roc Nation
*Best New Artist
*Best Commercial Single
*Best Male Artist Release
*Best Male Rapper
*Best Drug Song
*Best Dark Song
Atmospheric, dark hip-hop song from this Roc Nation artist. Drugs, man.
*Best New Artist
*Best Commercial Single
*Best Male Artist Release
*Best Male Rapper
*Best Drug Song
*Best Dark Song
Atmospheric, dark hip-hop song from this Roc Nation artist. Drugs, man.
3.
Ballin'
Bibi Bourelli
Hip-Hop
European
European
Def Jam (Vivendi)
*Song Of The Zeitgeist
This song captures the zeitgeist of lowered expectations in middle-class life that us 'millenials' are facing. Bibi Bourelli represents perfectly the young people's fortune, & with biting sarcasm.
*Song Of The Zeitgeist
This song captures the zeitgeist of lowered expectations in middle-class life that us 'millenials' are facing. Bibi Bourelli represents perfectly the young people's fortune, & with biting sarcasm.
4.
Work
Rihanna & Drake
Dancehall
Roc Nation
*Best Popular Song
*Best Lead Single
*Best Guilty Pleasure
*Best Sung
*Best Duet
*Best Caribbean
*Best Commercial Success
*Best R&B/Hip-Hop Collaboration
The question of whether or not Rihanna was actually singing 'real' words or not in this West Indian-influenced jam just adds to the ludicrous appeal of this lead single. Roc Nation famously gave away nearly 2 million copies of the single & that, along with radio play, made it one of the most commercially successful songs of the year. An absolute jam to wild out to.*Best Popular Song
*Best Lead Single
*Best Guilty Pleasure
*Best Sung
*Best Duet
*Best Caribbean
*Best Commercial Success
*Best R&B/Hip-Hop Collaboration
5.
JIMI
Willow
R&B
Chill N B
Unreleased
*Best Unreleased
*Best R&B
Mysterious, talented, & spiritual, Willow continues to evolve. Her current positioning is a far-cry from her sensational major-label debut "Whip My Hair". Willow continues to release musick on the border between avant-garde and pop, mostly on soundcloud.
*Best Unreleased
*Best R&B
Mysterious, talented, & spiritual, Willow continues to evolve. Her current positioning is a far-cry from her sensational major-label debut "Whip My Hair". Willow continues to release musick on the border between avant-garde and pop, mostly on soundcloud.
rEaR vIeW
ZAYN
R&B
RCA (Sony)
*Best Male Artist
*Best Heartthrob (ZAYN)
*Best Major Label Release
RCA missed a huge opportunity in not presenting a 'rear view' of Zayn on this single cover. A sly R&B jam pierced by the melodic, beautiful yet masculine voice of the boy-bander.
Anna Nicole
Margaret Cho
Pop
Rock N Roll
Clownery Records
*Best Traditional Rock N Roll
Margaret Cho's beautiful homage to Anna Nicole Smith, her friend, is touching. A great piece of all-american Rock N Roll
Love Myself (Riddler Remix)
Hailee Steinfeld
Dance
House
Republic (Vivendi)
*Best Remix
*Best Remixer (Riddler)
*Best Dance Song
The absolutely stunning Hailee Steinfeld, both an accomplished actress & singer, gave us one of the great self-empowerment anthems of the year! Riddler adds the perfect jammin' beats behind.
9. Don't Be So Hard On Yourself (Syn Cole Remix)
Jess Glynn
Dance
Deep House
Atlantic UK (Warner Brothers)
Another wonderful remix of a self-empowerment anthem. Jess Glynn is a British artist with flaming locks. Syn Cole transforms this pop jam into a Deep House cut.
10.
Dopemang
Kiiara & Ashley All Day
R&B
EFFESS (Warner Brothers)
Stealth R&B drug jam by Kiiara & Ashley All Day rounds out my top-10. Totally bonkers & self-destructive lyrically, "Dopemang" is filled out instrumentally by electronic flourishes and skittering 'dope' R&B beats.
Sleep Like A Baby
K. Michelle
R&B
Atlantic (Warner Brothers)
As usual, K. Michelle illuminates this song with her amazing, soaring voice. Perhaps the only high-light to her "More Issues Than Vogue" album that was supposed to have been re-released by the end of this year. A searing, painful tale of 'sleeping with the enemy'.
Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is (Ellington House Remix)
Office Girls
Dance
House
Self-Released
*Best Non-American Release
*Best Group
*Best Rare Song
*Best Sex Work Song
The mysteriously-named "Office Girls" (None of them are wearing 'office attire' as you can see) hail from Britain. Ellington converts it to a sublime house jam, traditional & piano-laden, while still keeping pop appeal. Basically a 'sugar baby' anthem.
13.
Oooh (Bimbo Jones Remix)
Lela
Dance
House
BAM Records
*Best Teen Pop
Lela, another new artist, is probably from somewhere in Europe. Well-known professional remixer Bimbo Jones converts her teen pop confection into a house jam.
14.
Famous
Rico Love
R&B
Unreleased
Rico Love has produced something truly beautiful. "Famous" is a compellingly-composed tale of a man in love with a woman, already shooting into the stratosphere (above himself). It is so easy to get swept up into this song but then it ends, & you realize that this is the classic narrative of a man who wants to hold a woman back. Tale as old as time. But it rarely is told so sublimely.
Came From Nothing
Belly
Hip-Hop
Canadian
Roc Nation
Another amazing & dark song by Roc Nation artist Belly. Drugs, man.
Cold Water (Afrojack Remix)
Major Lazer & Justin Bieber
Pop
Pop Dance
Mad Decent (Vivendi)
Afrojack's remix of this pop hit is surprisingly short, but also sweet. Justin Bieber supplies beautifully cute vocals, as usual. A little bit of Trap flavour in the mix.
17.
Can't Sleep Alone
Sevn Thomas & Nyne
R&B
ChillNB
Self-Released
*Best Ballad
Intriguing mystery woman Nyne sings on Sevn Thomas' production. Another dark, dank, ChillNB jam that signals the on-going golden age of pendulous R&B with themes of depression, drug use, & personal desolation.
18.
Spent All My Money On Rick Owens Cargo Pants
Blackbear & Mod Sun
Hip-Hop
Western
Unreleased
A dark, rolling hip-hop jam by rapper Blackbear. not released commercially, but to be found on Urban music websites.
19.
Bad Intentions
Niykee Heaton & Migos
R&B
ChillNB
Capitol (Vivendi)
Beyond-sexy Niykee Heaton teams up with Migos for her 'bedroom tour playlist'. More dark R&B masterpieces.
20.
The Great Divide (Crash Cove Remix)
Rebecca Black
Pop
Pop Dance
Self-Released
*Best Pop Dance
Rebecca Black has had a triumphant year. After many attempts to move beyond "Friday" this might be the one that has truly stuck. The remix, video, & social-media activity could pave the way to future success for the young popstar.
My Kind (Craig Vanity Vs. Carlo Peralto Remix)
Hilary Duff
Pop
Dance Pop
Unreleased
Hilary Duff was divorced this year, and released a handful of sunny pop singles. The only one that really 'landed' for me was an unreleased mashup Craig Vanity put over Carlo Peralto's one release. Fits perfectly.
22.
Not Above Love
Alunageorge
Pop
Island (Vivendi)
While just the woman appears on promotional materials, Alunageorge is actually a duo. Her male musical partner composes the songs and instrumentals. This song, an early single from their 2016 album, is hard-hitting and has a distinct 'British' feel, which reflects their geographic origin.
Greyhounds
De La Soul & Usher
Hip-Hop
New York
Self-Released
Classic Hip-Hop group De La Soul partners with leading pop-R&B major Usher to narrate a touching, dark story of young girls lost to the blinding lights of fame (or the promise of fame.)
Weight Of The World
Audra The Rapper & Siarishawn
Hip-Hop
New York
Anti-Love Songs (BKLYN Combine)
Audra The Rapper is one of several artists who emerged this year not from the traditional label system, but from arts collectives who put forward musick on their own, without distribution from majors and indies. Audra the rapper is a meticulously lyrical troubadour in the modern vane.
ADORE
Vanjess
R&B
ChillNB
Self-Released
Looking at the above, you would be excused in thinking that "ADORE" is a kiddy record sung by sweet, shallow-voiced little girls. Not at all. The young Vanjess sing deeply and sensually, as women. Part of the ChillNB golden age for sure
26.
If I Were Sorry (Shahaf Moran Remix)
Frans
Pop
Dance Pop
Unreleased
This unreleased Shahaf Moran remix of Sweden's Eurovision 2016 entry is to be found on Dirrtyremixes and other websites. The song placed fifth in Europe's Pop Competition. A Pop Dance banger
27.
Niggas
Kamaiyah
Hip-Hop
Western
Self-Released
Oakland rapper Kamaiyah is one of the true success stories of the year. A new artist who has emerged to release one of the noted debut albums, was brought to the attention of the public via two rather idiotic singles as the female duet partner to rappers YG & E-40 (both rather clownish and un-serious in their own right). Kamaiyah has a playful, hyphy flow that is very identifiably western in character. She is just the latest in a clear lineage of fun, frank, and sexually agent female rappers that crested in the 90's & has prospered, more or less, ever since.
28.
What Happens
The Lox & J-Doe
Hip-Hop
New York
Self-Released
*Best Use Of Harpsichord
"What Happens" is representative of the other main thrust in black musick in 2016-- politically charged, direct responses to institutional racism and the slaughtering of blacks by police forces in the United States. This is one of many songs like this released in 2016, and is certainly one of the most eloquent. But Jadakiss & co. do not hold back, they don't mince words, & this is an explicit statement of the black person in the United States who feels like they are under siege. And who would have thought that a harpsichord would prove to be the main instrument accompanying such a statement?
29.
Needed Me
Rihanna
Pop
Westbury Road (Roc Nation)
Stupid, but really fun. This could describe pretty much any of Rihanna's smash singles. "Needed Me" followed "Work" and preceded "Kiss It Better". While it is clearer what the popstar is trying to say on this track, it is still pretty much a guilty-pleasure banger. There is certainly something to be said for those legendary 'song-writing camps' where producers are paid millions to craft the pop gems that end up on Rihanna's albums. They are not 'great' songs in any recognized literary sense, but as far as Pop goes, they are gems. 
30.
wRoNg
ZAYN & Kehlani
R&B
RCA (Sony)
ZAYN's simmering duet with R&B singer Kehlani is sexy & provocative. A tale of the kind of casual sexual relationships that are common in today's young. Both realize they are emotionally unavailable, and are articulate & mature enough to express that (a situation that unfortunately happens less often in real-life.)
31. PILLOWTALK
ZAYN
Pop
RCA (Sony)
*Best Sex Song
This was ZAYN's huge breakout pop hit after leaving boy-band One Direction. Incredibly sexy, it is surprisingly difficult for a pop song. But ZAYN's star-power and sex appeal certainly lubricated his ascent into the airwaves.
32.
Sayonara (Speaker Of The House Remix)
Rebecca & Fiona
Dance
Deep House
RCA (Sony)
The last single from Rebecca & Fiona's album seemed to be the most notable. Sayonara, from the RCA duo, was transformed into a luminous pop dance song by remixer Speaker Of The House. Shares with the ChillNB & Politically-charged hip-hop a nihlism that is present in probably 75% of these songs. 
33.
Maria
3d Natee
Hip-Hop
Southern
Self-Released
The shocking "Maria" has surely elicited tears. It is, by-far the best musical narrative of this year. Natee weaves a tale of poverty, nuevo-riches, abandoned children, jealousy, ghetto riches, & suicide. Again, shares a dark nihilistic streak found in much of 2016 musick below the surface.
34.
Enemiez (Remix)
Keke Palmer & Rich Homie Quan
R&B
Island (Vivendi)
It would no longer be appropriate to call Keke Palmer a 'Disney' artist. With Enemiez (originally a Jeremih duet, they throw him on everything) & a low-key album, she strikes off in her own direction, as an above-average R&B diva. Interesting notes about this remix are the uneven number of bars in Rich Homie Quan's rap and the use of a popular phrase ('Keep your friends close & your enemies closer) as the base for a pop song. It is a strategy not as common these days as it was at the birth of recorded pop musick.
35.
El Barrio
eden xo
Pop
MDDN
eden xo is a white girl who narrates being 'whipped' by a cholo. It is a tale of lust, of wild abandon, of a 'good' girl making the wrong choices and going down a 'naughty' path, one ,she sings, she may never return from.
36.
Playing For You
Joe Hertz & Bassette
R&B
Juicebox
Joe Hertz is a producer who created a jazzy, soulful R&B jam with singer Bassette. It is one of the strongest, more traditional R&B/soul songs that has not been part of the newer tendencies in the genre.
37.
No Mercy
Kiya Lacey
R&B
Self-Released
Kiya Lacey, an R&B singer who is decidedly a cutester (look it up), sings a surprisingly dark jam (But this shouldn't surprise you for 2016) about coming to grips with the dark in her being.
38.
I Prayed For This
Jermaine Dupri, Da Brat, & Dondria
Hip-Hop
Southern
Unreleased
Jermaine Dupri & Da Brat collaborated for a whole album of duets, but on this very special single (though it remains unreleased so technically not), they bring in exquisite R&B diva Dondria, who has been below-the-radar for about 6 years. She returns from having a minor R&B hit "You're The One" to collaborate with these two legends and it all comes out sounding all right. JD & Da Brat give the stories of their rise-to-fame in tandem, which shows their flow skills are prime.
39.
Sensitive
5th Harmony
Pop
Unreleased
Girl group 5th Harmony hit it big this year once-again with the radio favourite "Work From Home". A few months later, "Sensitive" ended up on the internet. But it wasn't on the tracklist to their album, & remains unreleased commercially. It is a shame, because the song is exquisite and relatively down-scale, unadorned song that lets them all demonstrate their talents.
40.
Perfect Stranger (Bump & Flex)
Jonas Blue & JC Coop
Dance
2-Step Garage
Garage has made something of a come back in the last two-to-three years, mostly in it's more-straightforward 'house' version, but 2-step also preservers. In fact, since it's c.2000 hey-day, there has been a tiny, but constant stream of 2-step releases, despite the fact that the genre stopped producing UK successes in 2008/9. Here is the latest in 2-step, & the original version has even been known to illumin a bar or two here in the states.
41.
Ride Of Your Life
Tinashe
R&B
RCA (Sony)
*Best Buzz Single
Buzz single that sort-of ended up going nowhere. Prime Tinashe, though much inferior to her mixtape material.
42.
I'm Sorry
Joyner Lucas
Hip-Hop
Northeast
Dead Silence
Breath-taking narrative of mental illness and the aftermath of suicide.
43.
Snooze
Snow Tha Product
Hip-Hop
Western
Unreleased
*Best Interlude
Short interlude that demonstrates the lyrical and flow-skill of Snow Tha Product. Addictive.
44.
Killing Me Softly (Venessamichaels x MOONz Redo)
Venessamichaels & MOONz
Pop
Dance Pop
Self-Released
*Best Remake
Modish 're-do' of the sublime pop ballad. Break features the sound of sqeaking. Avant-garde(?)
45.
Blended Family
Alicia Keys & A$ap Rocky
Pop
RCA (Sony)
Lead single from Key's latest album. Beautiful, touching pop song marred by a disturbing A$ap Rocky rent-a-rapper verse where he says slept with his god-sister.
46.
Errors
K.I.D.
Rock
Self-Released
*Best Pop-Rock
Among the most accessible pop songs that deal frankly with mental illness.
47.
I Might Go Lesbian (Klubjumpers Remix)
Manika & Tyga
Dance
House
*Best Queer Song
Immaculate Manika teams with Tyga to make the un-PC statement of the year-- that she 'might go lesbian' because she is 'so sick of men'. We can all relate.
48.
Solid Ground (Riddler Remix)
Kourtney Kelly
Dance
House
Another dance diva, talented Kourtney Kelly is vocodered & remixed by top DJ Riddler. Called 'Chinese Porn musick' by my roommate.
49.
Sound Of Silence (7th Heaven Remix)
Dami Im
Dance
House
Sony Australia (RCA)
Dami Im is remixed by master dance outfit 7th Heavent to produce a mix that is....well, heavenly. Solid pop song in it's own right, but truly meant for the remix treatment.
50.
My City
Yo Gotti & K. Michelle
Hip-Hop
Alternative Hip-Hop
Epic (Sony)
*Best Alternative Hip-Hop
Touching, slow collaboration between the singer & rapper. K. Michelle's vocal skills are on full display.
51.
Dope Dick
Rick Ross
Hip-Hop
Southern
Def Jam (Vivendi)
Spokesman for American hip-hop decadence (& former Drug Enforcement Agent) Rick Ro$$ brags about his penis in this track from his latest LP.
52.
Why You Always Hatin'?
YG , Kamaiyah, & Drake
Hip-Hop
Western
Def Jam (Vivendi)
*Best Introduction To An Artist (Kamaiyah)
One of two songs that propelled artist-of-the-year Kamaiyah to mainstream success. Being a feature on a Drake song is the equivalent of 'miracle gro' for a career. Kamaiyah easily steals the show with the, um, 'basic' hook. Still a banga. Addictive.
53.
Hatefuck
Cruel Youth
Pop
Disgrace
Immaculate, laconic. Shares many of the traits of the dark ChillNB songs of 2016, but this is not in that tradition, instead being a pop, more acoustic-driven song. Very millenial, but 'a tale as old as time', as they say.
54.
Might Not Be Ok
Kenneth Whallum & Big K.R.I.T.
Hip-Hop
Southern
Self-Released
An expression of severe doubt about the future. Another black artists worried about their life, & the live's of their children.
55.
The Great Divide
Rebecca Black
Pop
Acoustic Pop
Self-Released
Acoustic/original version of Rebecca Black's come-back single. On the path to respectability. I wish her the best, because she truly has been one of the most abused artists in pop of the new century.
56.
Jello
The Pack
Hip-Hop
Western
Unreleased
*Best Lyric
"At the club I shake my ass/At the party I shake my ass/At the function I shake my ass, I shake my ass, I shake my ass" What more needs to be said. Unreleased. Shocking.
57.
All Day
Cierra Ramirez
R&B
Tribeca Music Group
*Best Production
Perhaps the hottest instrumental of all year. This song (sans Dolla Sign) is an absolute jam. Cierra Ramirez is the third post-Disney artist appearing on this year's list, after Hilary Duff & Keke Palmer.
58.
Petty
E-40 & Kamaiyah
Hip-Hop
Western
Self-Released
Cemented Kamaiyah's prominence as the female hook-girl of the year. Strong song, as far as E-40 goes. Could have been the plausible theme song of campaign 2016.
59.
Crown
Torae & 3d Natee
Hip-Hop
New York
Internal Affairs
*Best Rapping Skills (3d Natee)
An absolute banger of 'conscious' Hip-Hop vintage. 3d Natee, though being the feature, is clearly the strongest part of this song, though Torae skills are nothing to laugh at.
60.
Crocodile Tears
Kryder
House
Progressive House
Axtone (Armada)
*Best Progressive House
*Best Dance Label (Armada)
Strongest of the abetting wave of Prog house. From Armada, one of the label's with the strongest 2016s.
61.
When You Love Someone (Acoustic)
James TW
Pop
Acoustic Pop
Island (Vivendi)
*Best Acoustic Song
Another emotional one. Very earnest statement. Just try to get through a first listen without crying!
62.
Soul Eyes
Terrence Blanchard & Kandace Springs
Jazz
Vocal Jazz
Blue Note (Vivendi)
*Best Jazz
The only vocal Jazz song to appear on this list (more my own narrow perspective than the merit of Jazz itself), Terrence Blanchard provides a luminous background for Kandace Springs' goddess-like voice.
63.
This Bitter Land
Erykah Badu & Nas
Hip-Hop
Alternative Hip-Hop
Mass Appeal
Another in the long line of depressed dirges. The most eloquent musical statement of the year?
64.
Home Alone
Ansel Elgort
Pop
Electropop
Island (Vivendi)
*Best Random Release
Who knew Ansel Elgort made musick? Well, it's not bad. Not bad at all. Just enough creativity to make this 'indie' or on the slight avant-garde of Electropop.
65.
Hard Girls
KT Tunstall
Pop
Jaydone (Vivendi)
Mel C co-stars in KT Tunstall's video about affect.
66.
Freaky Freaks
Kamaiyah
Hip-Hop
Western
Self-Released
Kamaiyah (pictured with her 'brick phone', which she references several times in her album), combines one cup Adina Howard & one cup Lady in this banga.
67.
Pretty Vacant
Bayside
Rock
Hopeless (Warner Brothers)
Hopeless band Bayside are 'pretty vacant'. Those words describe many of the other, trans-genre expressions of musicality in 2016. 
68.
pick up the phone
Young Thug, Travis Scott, & Quavo
Hip-Hop
SouthernEpic (Sony)
*Best Crap-Hop
Two high-hype rappers Young Thug & Travis Scott team with some entity named Quavo to produce one of the hottest 'crap-hop' jams of 2016. Still bangin' it after months. Content is practically nill, but, of course, that is not what matters
69.
Wild Things
Alessia Cara
Pop
Def Jam (Vivendi)
Wünderkind Alessia Cara's debut album continues to give after 2015's "Here". Literary lyrics, solid pop production, & a unique quality that illuminates Cara's work.
70.
Stand
Trey Songz
Pop
Atlantic (Warner Brothers Records)
Sexpot R&B throb Trey Songz is a bit more under-the-radar these days. "Stand" is one of many 'conscious' soundtrack songs this year. Will stand the test of time, though immediately it is not one of the more 'exciting' releases of the moment.
71.
ALIEN
DIE ANTWOORD
Darkwave
Zef
*Best Darkwave
*Best African
Die Antwoord's new album created much 'hemming & hawwing'. The much-hyped duo released some unconscionably bad musick this year ('Wings On My Penis', anyone?), but ALIEN is one of their more cogent, atmospheric Darkwave statements from the "Mount Ninji & The Nice Time Kid"
72.
Where Do We Begin
Alicia Keys
R&B
RCA (Sony)
Alicia Keys follows in the footsteps of Keyshia Cole. Her lesbian song. Atmospheric and loose.
73,
#MCM
Gabrielle Ross & Jeremih
R&B
BeYOUtiful
A fun, but rather 'throwaway' R&B jam. A send-off to Instagram culture.
74.
Holy War
Alicia Keys
Pop
RCA (Sony)
"If war was holy, & sex was obscene". Another from Alicia Key's new album. Features soaring vocal talent.
75.
250 AM
Caleborate
Hip-Hop
Western
EMPIRE
One wonders if Caleborate meant to name himself 'Collaborate', but I digress.
76.
Catching Plays
Destructo, Wax Motif, Pusha T, & Starrah
Dance
Bassline Garage
HITS HARD
Bassline Garage somehow is still around, & requires 4 different artists to execute this banga. Non-understandable lyrics, but a total party jam. Will get people dancing.
77.
One By One (Christian POW's Tech House Remix)
Glovibes & Luciana
Dance
Tech House
Next Step Records
*Best Tech House
Tech House remix with dance legend Luciana. Catchy whistling melody with heavy-tech.
78.
Astronomia
Vicetone & Tony Igy
Dance
House
disco:wax (Sony)
*Best Fully Instrumental
Fairly solid melody in a laser-light instrumental.
79.
DARKLING
DIE ANTWOORD
Darkwave
Zef
Another of the acceptable DIE ANTWOORD releases from "Mount Ninji". Features Afrikaans lyrics.
80.
Come Back
Kamaiyah
Hip Hop
Western
Self-Released
We end with yet another Kamiyah song. She earns her title "Female Artist Of The Year" with her 'Hyphy' style including this statement against a fuckboy perpetrating.
