15 Essential Trap Songs
The best songs in a genre equally as derided as it is lauded.
The prevailing genre of music in the last couple of years has been, with no doubt in my mind, trap. The genre of hip-hop is characterized by skittering hi-hats, heavy bass, and often simplistic lyricism. Best exemplified by hits such as "Black Beatles", "Bad and Boujee", "Mo Bamba", "Sad!", "Gucci Gang", and "Bodak Yellow", the genre is often as critically derided as it is commercially lauded. Detractors see it as a bastardization of the good name of classic hip-hop, while proponents see it as an exciting, fresh take on a genre that was in danger of growing stale. Whatever side of the fence you're on, I hope this list will be agreeable.
1. Playboi Carti - "YUNGXANHOE"
After coming up with the A$AP Mob under the name $ir Cartier, the artist now known as Playboi Carti dropped "YUNGXANHOE", his debut single, in 2014. Despite other songs that position Carti as one of the greatest talents in the SoundCloud rap scene ("Fetti", "Broke Boi", "Magnolia", "R.I.P."), "YUNGXANHOE" is arguably his best work. The beat is ice-cold, sampling the iconic PlayStation 2 start-up noise, and Carti's verses are desolate, despondent, and lethargic.
2. Travis Scott feat. Future & 2 Chainz - "3500"
It took Scott quite a bit of time to find his own ground and break out of the shadow of mentor and future in-law Kanye West. Owl Pharoah and Days Before Rodeo are both fine projects, the latter especially, but they both felt too jumbled, lacking any clear artistic vision. Scott finally found this artistic vision on Rodeo, his magnum opus and one of the best albums of the decade. The album is incredibly progressive for a trap record, incorporating elements from rock, psychedelia, metal, R&B, and dream pop, and "3500" is one of the record's best tracks. Scott's rapping is fantastic, and the production is among the best I've ever heard in trap.
3. 21 Savage, Offset, & Metro Boomin feat. Travis Scott - "Ghostface Killers"
Only a year after its release, Without Warning has already become my favorite Halloween album of all time. The album was released on Halloween 2017, and it fits the holiday perfectly. Metro Boomin's production is minimalistic, eerie, and heavily indebted to horrorcore and scores to horror films; Offset's rapping is nimble and his flows are incredible; and 21 Savage's deadpan, monotone delivery fits the mood of the album brilliantly. "Ghostface Killers" opens the album and it sets the tone and pace for the rest of the album with ease.
4. Waka Flocka Flame - "Hard in da Paint"
"Hard in da Paint" showcased a sea change in the world of hardcore hip-hop. Hardcore and gangsta rap had both fallen out of favor in pop culture due to the decisive sales victory of Kanye's optimistic, poppy Graduation over 50 Cent's Curtis, people were getting sick of the east and west coast styles of rap that had been popular for so long. Waka Flocka Flame, raised in Georgia, produced Flockaveli, one of the first smash hit trap albums, in 2010. "Hard in da Paint" was the album's lead single, and it's the album's mission statement. It's urgent, anthemic, hard-hitting, and the beat absolutely rocks. Hardcore hip hop was finally being won by the South.
5. OG Maco - "U Guessed It"
"U Guessed It" is quite possibly the strangest song to ever crack the charts. OG Maco isn't doing much in the way of actually rapping, his delivery is akin to the mutterings and shrieks of an insane person, and the beat is so minimal it's barely even there, consisting of little more than a piano loop and some hard-hitting bass. But that bass, combined with the animalistic fervor of Maco's delivery, makes this one of the most energetic and intriguing songs in recent memory.
6. CupcakKe - "Cartoons"
As fantastically funny as the tracks from CupcakKe's first few projects are, Ephorize saw the rapper massively step up her game. CupcakKe's entire style is built off pairing hilariously lewd lyrics with hard-hitting, experimental beats, and while that style is certainly still prominent on Ephorize, the production and CupcakKe's rapping are both massively improved. "Cartoons" is the record's best track, name-dropping as many cartoon characters as possible while managing to sneak in some gut-bustingly hilarious lines.
7. A$AP Ferg feat. A$AP Rocky - "Shabba"
Ferg was one of only a couple A$AP Mob members that went full stop into trap territory upong going solo, and his debut Trap Lord is one of the unquestionable classics of the genre. Ferg is an incredibly charismatic MC, and this is best shows on "Shabba", the album's lead single. The production is cinematic and hard-hitting, the hook is infectious, and Ferg and Rocky both turn in fantastic verses.
8. Chief Keef - "I Don't Like"
If Waka Flocka Flame proposed trap as the next big thing in rap music, Chief Keef cemented that idea. Chief Keef was a pioneer of a genre known as "drill", characterized by monotonous, autotuned rapping and brutally minimalistic production. "I Don't Like" was Keef's breakout track, and it made him an incredibly polarizing figure in hip-hop music, but no one can deny the influence the track has had on modern hip-hop. The lyrics are alarmingly direct, and the beat is brilliantly simplistic.
9. DJ Burn One & Gucci Mane - "Swing My Door"
One thing I will miss about the era of streaming is the internet mixtape era of the mid-to-late 2000's. While mixtapes are still prevalent, the title just signifies a non-cohesive album. Back in the noughties, mixtapes could allow rappers and producers to go absolutely wild. They were free, so they could use whatever samples and beats they wanted without any repurcussions. We Got It 4 Cheap Vol. 2, Da Drought 3, Midwestgangstaboxframecadillacmuzik, all absolute classics. DJ Burn One & Gucci Mane's Chicken Talk stands tall among all these mixtapes. "Swing My Door" is my favorite track on the album. Gucci is an undeniable presence on the mic, and the production is absolutely incredible, offering some of the best bass known to mankind.
10. Rustie feat. Danny Brown - "Attak"
The EDM genre also known as "trap" took hip-hop influence from the hip-hop genre of the same name. Also characterized by skittering hi-hats and bass-heavy production, the EDM genre took things a step further by taking influence from brostep and moombahton, among other genres. The EDM genre rarely features rapping, so trap producer Rustie's collab with experimental hip hop veteran Danny Brown is especially interesting. The beat is classic EDM trap, and Brown's verses are incredibly energetic, perfectly meshing with the beat.
11. J.I.D. - "EdEddnEddy"
A hip-hop criticism of trap is that it's not lyrical enough, that the rappers in the genre are relying entirely too much on the production. I'm not going to deny the truth behind that statement, because production definitely is the driving factor behind a lot of great trap songs, but rappers like J.I.D. prove just how lyrical the genre can get. "EdEddnEddy" is the breakout track from J.I.D.'s The Never Story, and his bars are incredible. His flow is fantastic, and his lyrics are insightful. The beat is great as well, taking influence from the old guard of hip-hop by using the same sample as A Tribe Called Quest's "Scenario".
12. Young Thug & Travis Scott feat. Quavo - "Pick Up the Phone"
Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight may be Scott's weakest project, but JEFFERY is Young Thug's best, and this song is by far the best track on both albums. Scott and Thug work together fantastically well, Scott's laid-back drawl acting as a perfect contrast to Thug's outlandish, cartoonish vocals. Quavo turns in one of his best verses as well, and the immersive, aquatic beat is something to behold.
13. Denzel Curry - "Gook"
Curry is yet another fantastically lyrical rapper in the genre. His flow and breath control are both unparalleled, and his proficiency at lyricism doesn't make him any less aggressive and fun to listen to than any other trap rapper. My favorite Curry songs ("Black Balloons", "Sirens", "Zeltron 6 Billion") stray away from the trap sound, but "Gook", from 2016's Imperial, is an absolute favorite of mine. Curry's flow is ridiculous, and the skittering, glitchy beat fits it perfectly.
14. Lil Uzi Vert - "XO Tour Llif3"
"XO Tour Llif3" is the perfect song to describe the current generation of rap. Lyrics about popping pills and losing your mind on Xanax, melodic rapping, a psychedelic trap beat, and a charismatic, if sometimes grating, rapper. Individually these components are nothing together, but put them together and you have a fantastic, genre defining song.
15. Future - "Codeine Crazy"
"Codeine Crazy" set fort yet another wave in trap music. Gone were the hip-hop lyrics of Chief Keef and Gucci Mane, Future's melodic drawl speaks untold truths about addiction, depression, and general despondence. His flow is better than ever here, the beat is stunning, the hip-hop song never once loses momentum. It's one of the best songs of the entire decade.
