The Best Hip Hop Songs of 2014
The best hip hop songs of 2014 according to Spin, Complex, and HipHopDX. What do you think?
Best Hip Hop Songs of 2014
The year 2014 was a great year for hip hop. We saw a lot of new artists emerge and a lot of new music being released. It was hard to narrow it down to just 10 songs, but we did it. Here are the 10 best hip hop songs of 2014.
“All Me” by Drake
Drake’s “All Me” is one of the best hip hop songs of 2014. The track features 2 Chainz and Big Sean, and is a standout on Drake’s album “Nothing Was the Same.” The song’s catchy hook and verses from Drake and Big Sean make it a hip hop anthem, and the production by Mike WiLL Made-It is top notch.
“Hold On, We’re Going Home” by Drake
“Hold On, We’re Going Home” is a song by Canadian recording artist Drake, featuring the R&B group Majid Jordan. The song was produced by Nineteen85 and released on August 7, 2013, as the lead single from Drake’s third studio album Nothing Was the Same (2013). The song peaked at number four on both the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and the Canadian Hot 100 chart. Upon its release, “Hold On, We’re Going Home” was met with generally positive reviews from music critics.
In October 2014, the song was ranked at number eight on Complex’s Best Hip-Hop Songs of 2014 list. Peter Taborem for the publication wrote that “Drake brought us some great music this year but “Hold On We’re Going Home” might be his best track yet.”
“Hotline Bling” by Drake
“Hotline Bling” is a song by Canadian rapper Drake, released in October 2015. The track samples R&B singer D.R.A.M.’s “Cha Cha”, and was co-produced by Nineteen85 and CuBeatz. The song reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Drake’s highest-charting single in the United States until it was surpassed by “One Dance” in 2016. The official music video for “Hotline Bling” was directed by Director X and released in October 2015. It became popular for its use of memes and social media, particularly Vine and Twitter, which helped the song become a commercial success.
“I Don’t Fuck with You” by Big Sean
Big Sean’s “I Don’t Fuck with You” was one of the best hip hop songs of 2014. The track features an infectious hook and some great verses from Sean and West. The song is a diss track directed at Sean’s ex-girlfriend, but it’s also a great party song.
“Loyal” by Chris Brown
“Loyal” is a song by American singer Chris Brown, featuring vocals from Lil Wayne and French Montana. It was released on December 16, 2013, as the fourth single from his sixth studio album X (2014). The song was produced by DJ Mustard, Lil Wayne, Mark Pitts and Omar Cruz. “Loyal” peaked at number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100 and became Brown’s sixth top ten single of the year. Internationally, the single topped the charts in New Zealand and peaked within the top ten of the charts in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Mexico and Scotland.
“No Flex Zone” by Rae Sremmurd
“No Flex Zone” is the breakout hit single by American hip hop duo Rae Sremmurd, released on May 5, 2014 by Mike Will Made It’s EarDrummer Records and Interscope Records. The song peaked at number 36 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
“Rich Gang” by Young Thug
“Rich Gang” is a song by American hip hop recording artist Young Thug. It was released on July 16, 2014, as the lead single from the Rich Gang compilation album, Rich Gang: Tha Tour Pt. 1 (2015). The song peaked at number 100 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
“Sing for Me” by Schoolboy Q
“Sing for Me” is a song by American hip hop recording artist Schoolboy Q, taken from his major-label debut studio album Oxymoron (2014). The song was produced by Hip hop production duo Nez & Rio.
“The Worst” by Jhené Aiko
“The Worst” is a song by Jhené Aiko, released as the lead single from her debut studio album Souled Out (2014). The song peaked at number 21 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
The song was written by Aiko, along with frequent collaborators Bryan-Michael Cox and OmarionGrandberry. It was produced by Fisticuffs andGMajor7. “The Worst” is a break-up song about a former lover who has wronged her. The music video for the song, directed by Terence Nance, features Aiko in various states of emotional distress.
Upon its release, “The Worst” was met with positive reviews from music critics. Many praised the song’s production and Aiko’s vocal performance. The single was a commercial success in the United States, reaching the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming Aiko’s highest-charting single as a lead artist.
Worst Hip Hop Songs of 2014
Hip hop music has changed a lot since it first emerged in the late 1970s. Today, there is a wide variety of hip hop sub-genres, and each one has its own unique sound and style. As a result, some hip hop songs are better than others. In this article, we will be discussing the worst hip hop songs of 2014.
“Anaconda” by Nicki Minaj
“Anaconda” is a song recorded by American rapper and singer Nicki Minaj for her third studio album, The Pinkprint (2014). It was released on August 4, 2014 by Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, and Republic Records as the second single from the album. The song was produced by Polow da Don, Anonymous, and Da Internz. The song heavily samples “Baby Got Back” (1992) by Sir Mix-a-Lot. “Anaconda” peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, thereby becoming Minaj’s highest-charting single in the United States to date. It also peaked within the top ten in Australia, Canada, France, Ireland and New Zealand.
“Fancy” by Iggy Azalea
“Fancy” is a song by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea featuring British singer Charli XCX, taken from the former’s debut studio album, The New Classic (2014). It was released on 17 February 2014 and debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was classified seven times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and sold 3.6 million copies in the country as of July 2014.
“Flicka Da Wrist” by Chedda Da Connect
This song is the epitome of everything that is wrong with hip hop today. It’s basic, uninspired, and just plain ignorant. The lyrics are devoid of any real content, and the beat is generic and unimaginative. It’s just another example of how the once-proud genre of hip hop has been degraded by commercialism and a lack of creativity.
“Lil’ Wayne” by Rich Gang
“Lil’ Wayne” by Rich Gang is widely considered to be one of the worst hip hop songs of 2014. The song was met with widespread critical acclaim, with many critics calling it a “disasterpiece” and “one of the worst songs of the year”. The song was also nominated for Worst Song at the 2014 BET Hip Hop Awards, but lost to Wiz Khalifa’s “We Dem Boyz”.
“No Type” by Rae Sremmurd
“No Type” is a song recorded by American hip hop duo Rae Sremmurd. It was released on September 15, 2014, by Interscope Records as the third single from their debut studio album SremmLife (2015). The song peaked at number 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number three on the US Rap Songs chart.
“Only” by Nicki Minaj
“Only” is a song by Trinidadian-American rapper and singer Nicki Minaj, from her third studio album, The Pinkprint (2014). The song features additional vocals from American rappers Lil Wayne and Drake. “Only” was co-written by Minaj, Wayne, Polo Da Don, Thomas Wesley Pentz, Joshua Quaintance and Andrew Wansel which produced by Da Don and refer to the Christian apologetics book I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist. Musically, it is a club-ready track with influences of trap music.
Lyrically, the song is sexually explicit and talks about group sex. The song generated mixed reception from music critics upon release; some praised the lyrical content while others criticized it as being too explicit. It peaked at No. 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and at number two on both the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and the US Rap Songs chart. The accompanying music video for “Only” was directed by Hannah Lux Davis and features cameo appearances from Chris Brown, Soulja Boy Tell’em, Drake, Lil Wayne and Tyga.
“She Came to Give It to You” by Usher
Usher’s ode to giving can be found on his album “She Came to Give It To You”, which is full of continued references to Nicki Minaj. The production quality is high, but it can’t save the track from being overwhelmingly boring.
