#90: “Beamer, Benz, or Bentley” by Lloyd Banks ft. Juelz Santana
Release Date: February 9, 2010
Peak on Billboard Hot 100: #49 (May 15, 2010)
Cultural Relevance: 2/10. I still hear it now and again. Big on rap radio in its day.
As soon as you see the title, that beat just comes kicking in, doesn’t it? The former G-Unit soldier in Banks didn’t have to do much, just be passable on one of the decade’s top beats. A popping, continuous burst of luxury from producer Prime, Banks and Juelz did as the title may suggest, brag about cars and women. This makes the list from instrumental strength alone.
Follow-Up: Nothing much for Banks outside of a few mixtapes and guest verses. Not a ton for Santana either, who was most recently seen battling legal issues in late 2018.
#89: “Party On Fifth Ave” by Mac Miller
Release Date: October 28, 2011
Peak on Billboard Hot 100: #64 (November 19, 2011)
Cultural Relevance: 2/10. A byproduct of the Mac wave in 2011-12.
Back to Mac very quickly, I know. I find that in order to complete the Mac story, there needed to be three representatives. The three Mac “eras,” if you will. First being the mixtape/Blue Slide Park era, which this song is a part. Second being the further expansion into mainstream, the Watching Movies/GO:OD AM era. Finally, his final stages focused on heavy musical experimentation.
For “Party On Fifth Ave,” we take it back to the backpack era, the time where Miller just wanted to put on for his city. Every city has their “Fifth Ave” as Pittsburgh has theirs, so you can relate to wanting to be in the thick of the social part of the city. Nothing too in-depth here, just a nod to history. The rap decade looks a lot different had Blue Slide Park never blew up.
Follow-Up: The other two eras mentioned previously. Once again, RIP Mac.
#88: “Mr. Rager” by Kid Cudi
Release Date: October 25, 2010
Peak on Billboard Hot 100: #77 (November 12, 2010)
Cultural Relevance: 1/10. Charted due to inclusion on the Man on the Moon II album.
Much like how the rap decade would be different without Mac’s rise, it would look a ton different without the inclusion of Kid Cudi. Mr. Mescudi helped usher in the usage of soft-tone experimentation in hip hop sounds; making the mellow, grungy style of rap that was picked up by others such as Post Malone and the now-deceased (RIP) XXXTentacion.
“Mr. Rager” is no different, barely passing a 2/5 on the loudness scale, but maintaining intensity nonetheless. A track about a man lost in himself and the vices he clings to, Cudi uses his strong voice to walk audiences through the story of Mr. Rager, which is more or less the story of Cudi himself. The soft strength of the track is found on many of the other offerings on Man on the Moon II, including “Ghost!” and “The End.”
Follow-Up: A slight creative fall-off after the MOTMII follow-up Indicud, but Cudi has regained positive momentum following his Kids See Ghosts team-up with Kanye West. His album Entergalactic, his first solo project since 2016, is scheduled for a February release.
#87: “Walk” by Foo Fighters
Release Date: June 17, 2011
Peak on Billboard Hot 100: #83 (October 1, 2011)
Cultural Relevance: 1/10. Charted on the strength of the Wasting Light album.
A legacy pick for a band with an unquestioned legacy, Dave Grohl and company’s “stay the course” anthem about adaptation and love of life’s journey lands at #87. I have to point out that the Foos have an unquestioned legacy not only through their music, but through their attitude as rock and roll ambassadors.
Rock in 2019 is, unfortunately, in a very niche bubble. There are the proven bands that can still headline festivals, the Metallicas of the world, but barely a guitar has been seen on late night television nor popular radio in several years. The Foos are popular enough that they like to use their platform for good, including Grohl’s recent appearance on “Sesame Street” and the HBO series “Sonic Highways.”
By connecting rock with a wider audience, in my opinion, everyone wins. That’s the Foo Fighters legacy, keeping that bridge between the masses and the niche rock culture.
P.S. It still cracks me up that another track on the fantastic Wasting Light album, the “Rope” remix by Deadmau5, is used in NBC “Sunday Night Football” highlight reels eight years after its release. Cheers to that crew.
Follow-Up: Only one studio album, the underrated Sonic Highways, teamed with the HBO series of the same name. As said above, though, Grohl has stuck around as a rock ambassador.
#86: “Summer” by Calvin Harris
Release Date: March 14, 2014
Peak on Billboard Hot 100: #7 (July 19, 2014)
Cultural Relevance: 3/10. Not much besides being a summer song from a big artist.
Some songs just have that warmth, that familiarity feeling, and this one has it. Maybe it’s familiar due to the excess of EDM artists in the 2013-15 time period, but the warmth is unique. It’s like what the song says, meeting someone in the summer for the first time. The sun is nice, there’s warmth on your back, and you’re happy to be in others’ company. That energy projects onto this Harris project.
Follow-Up: A metric ton of hits for the producer, including top 100 honorable mention “Slide” with Frank Ocean and Migos. Not as big as he was when “Summer” released, but still can create some fun, including his recent Dua Lipa-assisted “One Kiss.”
#85: “Time of Our Lives” by Pitbull and Ne-Yo
Release Date: November 17, 2014
Peak on Billboard Hot 100: #9 (March 20, 2015)
Cultural Relevance: 2/10. Featured in the anti-Christmas classic Office Christmas Party. The third-worst Christmas movie ever, only behind the 2019 edition of Black Christmas and The Santa Clause 3. The Santa Clause 3 was so god-awful, not even Martin Short could save it.
I know Pitbull isn’t the first artist you think of in any best-of list, as he spent the majority of the decade making, well, the same song. Sometimes, though, a certain variation of the Pitbull party jam can work, and this one hits the celebratory tone right on the head. No, I don’t believe Pitbull or Ne-Yo have trouble paying their bills, but they come off as relatable as possible for two insanely rich guys talking about money problems.
Pitbull’s soliloquy on life at the end of the bridge is simple, yet pointed. Not a perfect track, but the actual effort put in, in comparison to the usual Pitbull fare, gets it on the list.
Follow-Up: This track was at the tail-end of the Pitbull-dominated era of 2010-14. His last song to crack the Billboard Hot 100 was the tag-team effort with Flo Rida, “Greenlight,” best known as the theme to WWE’s WrestleMania 33 in 2017.
#84: “Sweater Weather” by The Neighbourhood
Release Date: March 28, 2012
Peak on Billboard Hot 100: #14 (December 28, 2013)
Cultural Relevance: 3/10. Used in some commercials, still played on alternative radio. Sounds like a 3/10 to me.
A recipient of the cuffing season boost in popularity, The Neighbourhood scores high on the sex-anthem chart here. “Sweather Weather” is not outwardly disgusting like the majority of rap sex jams, and it takes its beats more from classic R&B than anything.
The strength of the track comes from its intimacy and carefree feel. Picture a more endearing version of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” The smooth outro ends the song on a high note, sticking the track at an even lower tempo with solid results.
Follow-Up: Not much in the way of hits, but the group is still around, including providing a song for the soundtrack of Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding.
#83: “Don’t” by Ed Sheeran
Release Date: August 24, 2014
Peak on Billboard Hot 100: #9 (November 15, 2014)
Cultural Relevance: 6/10. Sparked a feud that was hot for a hot minute.
The updated “Cry Me a River” for the pop-rap age. Even if you didn’t know of the drama between Ed Sheeran and Ellie Goulding, you can appreciate the step-by-step recall of Sheeran’s memory, going through the paces of trust gained and lost.
A ton of artists that lacked rap audience sales have tried to make their way into the hip-hop lane over the decade. Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Beyonce. All to different degrees of success. Nobody quite grasped the success like Sheeran, who eclipsed the “white boy trying to rap” critiques by putting his character and passion into it. Even if the bars aren’t the best, he keeps it melodic and on-brand for him. It doesn’t seem like something he’s doing just for sales, as Swift and Grande clearly did with “Ready For It?” and “7 Rings” respectively.
Follow-Up: Sheeran had perhaps the hottest run of the decade between 2014-17, with quality hits abound. We’ll see Ed later on.
#82: “B.M.F. (Blowin’ Money Fast) by Rick Ross ft. Styles P
Release Date: June 29, 2010
Peak on Billboard Hot 100: #60 (August 27, 2010)
Cultural Relevance: 3/10. Part of the wildly popular Teflon Don and the hype train Ross used to make Maybach Music Group into a force.
I could easily make this a double-entry with “MC Hammer,” had that charted, since it’s basically the same song. Up until a few years ago, I still confused the two. Producer (not wrestler) Lex Luger makes great beats, but putting two similar-sounding ones back-to-back on an album wasn’t the best move.
Moving past the negatives, this song just slaps you in the face with its’ swagger, thanks to a pounding chorus and the boom of The Boss’ voice. A memorable chorus, still-quoted lines (“these MFers mad that I’m icy!”) and a solid feature from Styles P all add up to a winning package. I miss this era of rap, where it was about making hard-hitting tracks over trying to appeal to pop audiences. Even newer guys and gals I enjoy, such as Megan Thee Stallion and Pop Smoke, seem to be targeting the mainstream, rather than just putting out dope stuff and letting it speak for itself.
Follow-Up: Ross was the king of letting dope stuff speak for itself this decade, making great album after great album, peaking with Rather You Than Me in 2017. His latest entry, Port of Miami 2 this past year, also brings the bangers.
#81: “Die Young” by Roddy Ricch
Release Date: November 2, 2018
Peak on Billboard Hot 100: #84 (March 28, 2019)
Cultural Relevance: 1/10. Roddy wasn’t properly launched into mainstream until the release of “Ballin’” over the summer.
Talk about a pleasant surprise in 2019. I first came across Ricch from his small role in Meek Mill’s Championships album, but was intrigued by his unique voice. I like to think of Roddy’s flow as a what-if for Young Thug. Now, many people love the flow-switches and unique voice of Thug as well, but my personal opinion is that it’s pretty annoying. It comes off like the nasally ramblings of a homeless man (and not in the charming Lil Wayne sense either). Take Thug’s uniqueness, turn it into a more coherent, cohesive package, and you have Roddy Ricch.
His 2019 was a big one, and the list reflects that. On “Die Young,” he reflects on the daily street life he had lived and the toll that takes on not only the ones you love, but yourself as well. Bonus points for giving a shout-out to DeMar DeRozan, who helped me to a fantasy basketball title last season.
Follow-Up: A monster 2019 like I said, capped off with the Excuse Me For Being Antisocial album, which is a well-balanced product, my favorites being “Roll Dice” and the Meek-assisted “Peta.”
Coming up: #80-71.