Slay’s “Top 10 of 2018” mainly consists of stuff we’ve been bumping in the office, car, gigs, in and out of our venues, and streaming on Spotify.
Here they are in no particular order;
Anderson .Paak – 6 Summers
Right when the bass-line hits you know this one’s gonna be funky in the best hip hop way possible, the first half of the song is produced by Mell Henderson who was featured last week on our Slay Spotlight. .Paak kicks it off declaring, “Trump’s got a love child and I hope that b*tch is buckwild, I hope she sip Mezcal, I hope she kiss señoritas and black gals, I hope her momma’s El Salv, I hope her poppa stick around, yeah” It only gets more wild musically after that as J. Pounds comes in with production on the second half. The transition bassline slides in as smooth as any from a Tribe song. Def a fav of the year! – ES
Travis Scott – Sicko Mode
Kinda feeling the whole Astroworld vibe, it had a great consisten vibey feel to the entire LP something that seems like a rarity these days with single minded artists. Sicko Mode plays almost like a medley and when you click ‘Show Credits’ on Spotify you can see why, with its writing credits which include 30 people. Every section of this song is lit and the feel of it all, immediately transports you into the VIP section of your favorite club. – ES
Ric Wilson – Sinner (ft. Kweku Collins, Nick Kosma, & RaneRaps)
This is an indie cut from Ric Wilson which features RaneRaps rhymin over the smooth beat moments after Nick Kosma sets the song off with a rich and classic falsetto that makes it hard to believe that it’s not a sample. This track is so infectious the only thing that could hit the vibes after is jumpin back and forth between D’angelo and Funkadelic. – ES
Mac Miller – What’s The Use
This song finds Mac Miller exactly in the place he was meant to be, a funky bass-line served up by the best, Thundercat. This song almost cost Dennis from Slay $500 cuz he was so into it he was about to buy a bass! Pomo kills it on the production and lays the bed for Miller to bring his Latyrx style voice rap-singing that fit so perfectly, just leaves us wondering what would have come next, because it’s hard to imagine a better album than this one! Rest in Bliss, Mac! – ES
Childish Gambino – Feels Like Summer
“Feels Like Summer” was one on 2 Childish Gambino’s EP “Summer Pack”. From the first listen, it felt like a warm summer day, with the perfect breeze hitting you in the face at the perfect time. If this had been just an instrumental, it would have been satisfying based on the feeling he was able to capture within the instrumentation. When I was able to get past the feeling the music gave me finally, the lyrics were equally satisfying. The lyrics seemed to touch on current events affecting the world, including climate change, the pollution of the air, the destruction of the forest, and the rapid increase in the population of the world. Gambino found a way to make something as disastrous as these issues could be sound like a breath of fresh air. However you decide to listen to this song, is up to you. For me, this was on heavy rotation this year for me when I just wanted to drive and zone out. Either way, this was a great song from a great artist. – DM
Thirdstory – Still in Love
Good god. Throw it all the way back to Motown with this especially soulful cut from Thirdstory. Harmonies on harmonies, in all the right places. While the original version is mesmerizing and powerful in its own right, the acoustic version with the incredible Eryn Allen Kane gives such a nod to the old school that it’s easy to forget we just hit 2019. The rendition celebrates the sort of vocal acrobatics and harmonies we don’t really get much of in contemporary music. Throw all those beautiful vocals on top of a masterfully executed piano arrangement and you’ve got one a disgustingly addictive tangle of sonic sublimity. – NB
Belle Jewel & Sirken – How I (h2the & REV-ENG Remix)
Spotify put this song in a few of its Fresh Finds playlists and we could see why. Belle Jewel’s ethereal and retro-inspired vocal style, are perfectly wrapped in the instrumental re-work at the hands of h2the and REV-ENG. The music blends soul, dream-pop, and hip-hop into a vibe all its own. This was definitely on repeat till when it came out. – ES
Leon Bridges – Bad Bad News
Leon caught our attention with ‘Coming Home’ but his follow up, ‘Good Thing’ found him really coming into his own. The stand out track and one that we can’t stop listening to is ‘Bad Bad News’, the music has a retro acid jazz/trip hop feel to it with vibey Grant Green and Wes Montgomery guitar feels. When he sings, ‘They tell me I was born to lose, but I made a good good thing out of bad bad news.’ you believe him and just want all the good good things that he has yet to record to come sooner. – ES
Sir – D’evils
It seems like every time DK The Punisher and SiR get together you are guaranteed some great music. From the moment the song starts with the hard-hitting kick and snare, followed by the crazy reggae vocal sample, D’evils has all the ingredients to make this a standout track. The smooth style and vocals from Sir complimented the record perfectly. Whether you are out rolling around the town or just at the house cooling out, this song has the perfect vibes to help you zone out. – DM
Celine Dion – Ashes
Maybe it’s just me, or maybe it’s the music video…but this song is epic. Ryan Reynolds wanted a timeless anthem, and who better to do that than the Titan(ic) herself. Celine Dion let loose that canon in her throat and blasted off a massive, beautifully produced, gem like no one else can. Seriously, it was a little too good. In the words of Deadpool, “That was amazing! We have to do it again….it’s too good. You’re at like an 11. This isn’t Titanic, we need to get you down to like a 5…5 1/2.” – NB