New year's is here, and thus begins the annual ritual. A few trips to the liquor store to grab the bottle. Texting and calling friends to find out where the turn-up is at. Going crazy enough to celebrate the end of one year, while trying to not screw yourself already for the next 365 days. Rinse and repeat a year later.
It all sounds sterile when laid out as such, but what makes the yearly festivities bearable is how the preceding 365 days leaves great music for the occassion. This year was no different. Big Sean bounced back from the disappointment of Hall of Fame with "IDFWU," which is still making noise on the charts. Migos' riches remained entertaining and Nicki Minaj and Beyonce's long-awaited duo was a killer. That's just a few recent drops to get your playlist started, and there are definitely more than the 10 songs (which include a few 2013 cuts) you're about to see. So without further ado, here are the Top 10 Songs To Turn Up To For New Years Eve.
What will be your anthem on NYE?
Big Sean - “I Don’t Fuck With You”
Big Sean - “I Don’t Fuck With You”
The thing that’s special about New Year’s is how it’s something of a reset button. The idea is that you can indulge in your vices for just that one day, because everything’s fresh come 1/1/20XX. Catharsis lies at the center of this sort of atmosphere, and that feeling lies at the heart of “IDFWU” — the most relatable wholehearted middle finger of the year. It’s gleeful, DJ Mustard-backed release with nary a worry of the consequence.
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O.T. Genasis - “CoCo”
The surprise hit wasn’t designed to make sense: it’s composed of barks, and turns a baking ingredient into a catchphrase. But leave the head stuff for the other 364 days. The night is about thrills, and “CoCo” thrives off that. It’s been around for a minute, but baking soda rarely felt so vital.
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Drake - “0 to 100”
What makes “0 to 100” better than “Worst Behavior” — Drake’s previous bid for club banger of the year? The former thrives off a moody, near-comic sense of entitlement; in other words, it’s Drake’s habits turned to a 100. “0 to 100” aims for ubiquity. Boi-1da’s instantly memorable beat finds Drake spanning his career and finding every reason to keep winning: from absentee father turned life lesson to Steph Curry’s jump shot. You should, too.
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Rae Sremmurd - “No Type"
Mike WiLL Made It’s bass is addicting in a jam that’s even better than “No Flex Zone.” Still charismatic, the duo summarizes what the night’s all about in two lines: “I'm just living life/ And let my momma tell it, nigga, I ain't living right.” Living right is overrated anyways.
Nicki Minaj (feat. Beyonce) - “Feeling Myself”
Last year it was, “Drunk In Love.” This year it’s “Feeling Myself,” and the momentous track on The Pinkprint is made even more notable by how Minaj turns Beyonce — the goddess, the patron of everything good — into a supporting act for her fluid witticisms. Another impressive production from Hit-Boy makes sure feminism rules the club again.
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A$AP Ferg (feat. A$AP Rocky) - “Shabba"
There isn’t a set formula to make a surefire hit. Sometimes its about charisma — an artist willing a track into greatness. Sometimes it's Vine or dumb luck. But A$AP Ferg, a slick-tongued eccentric, cracked the code over bacchanal production: eight gold rings, four gold chains, two bad bitches and one gold tooth.
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Meek Mill - “Levels"
Meek Mill was rolling with club bangers in 2012. But that stream has lessened, and “Levels” so far stands as the last Meek Mill joint to truly stick. “There’s levels to this shit,” Mlll’s taunts, willing the phrase into ubiquity with his early identifiable howl. It’s a reminder of Mill’s galvanizing strength, and now it’s a hope for more with Mill out of jail.
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Rich Gang (feat. Young Thug & Rich Homie Quan) - "Lifestyle"
New Year’s Eve brings the prevalence of one well-known American pastime: Spending money we don’t have. For some reason, we dance to people that do have that money. Rich Gang, hence the name, has plenty of it. Though the lyrics are all about unattainable wealth, what connects is how it’s ultimately about living good, from the whizzing synths to Young Thug’s indecipherable bursts. The means may be unattainable, but that end goal — living good — is a shared dream.
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YG - “Left, Right"
It’s hard to pick one turn-up song in an album that’s partially pushed by instant gratification. The big one is “My N***a,” but that was last year. “Left, Right” stands out because it covers a wider temporal scope. Over DJ Mustard’s anthemic production, YG delivers a joint that features the needed immediacy of a club banger while wearing the influences on its sleeve. Uncle Luke grins as lines like, “My dick work girl I don't need no mic check,” run on repeat.
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Migos - “Fight Night”
Migos’ cartoonish charm strikes again. The trio connects with a different producer, but the method of victory — verbal doo-dads, adlibs and energy — still remains the same regardless of how downright silly the hook is. It’s another unanimous victory for Atlanta without a single sign of faltering.