This was a grower for me. Upon my first few listens of Blonde, I quickly decided I did not like "Self Control" as the intro was annoying. However, a few days after the album dropped, I listened to it with fresh ears and fell in love with it. It truly is one of the highlights of Blonde, and of his career.
Solange, once again, proved she is THAT bitch. I have always been a fan of her music, and have been anticipating a new album since True was released a few years ago. She did not disappoint with "Don't Touch My Hair", which features Sampha. It has a catchy, low-key hook which sticks with you after just one listen. It doesn't hurt that the video is absolutely stunning and flawless.
Are we really surprised one of the highlights from the Holy Bible is ranked so high? It is THE baby making jam of 2016. I was extremely shocked that such an overhyped song was able to live up to my expectations. The demo was absolute garbage in my opinion, but as usual, Rihanna's beautiful voice was able to transform this from forgettable pop/R&B album track to a sultry, breathtaking power ballad.
Donald Glover really blew me away with "Redbone". Now, I've always loved his music and stanned for Because The Internet and Kauai, but I was not expecting a song like this. First, his voice is what I can only describe as the lovechild of Prince and Macy Gray. The actual song itself sounds like it would fit comfortably on an Outkast album. I love that he did something completely different than he's ever done before, and even experimented with a different singing voice. The result is perfection.
This was truly one of my best finds of 2016. I had a specific song type in mind when I was browsing newly released indie songs. As soon as I heard "I Just Wanna Be Somebody Else", it was love at first listen. It quickly dominated my Last.FM charts and received frequent plays throughout the spring and summer. It is the highest ranking song by a new artist (for me, at least) in my countdown.