20. Fetty Wap – “Trap Queen”
Album: Fetty Wap
Ever since he hit the stage with Kanye West in New York and performed his, relatively unknown at the time, record for the packed crowd, Fetty Wap has been a household name in music. ‘Trap Queen’ has had enormous success, and it’s been embraced by pop radio despite being a song about selling drugs. The “Bonnie and Clyde” record of the new generation of rap, ‘Trap Queen’ tells a catchy tale of Fetty and his bae taking over the drug game. How big is this record? No lie, I was at a radio show headlined by Demi Lovato, full of teenage girls, and when the DJ played ‘Trap Queen’, the entire arena sang along. – Dan Garcia
19. Drake – “Back To Back”
Album: ‘Back To Back’ (Single)
It was a diss record released via Soundcloud, how much impact could it really have, right? Wrong. Not only did Drake’s Meek Mill diss, ‘Back To Back’, arguably ruin Meek Mill’s career and make Nicki Minaj’s BF the laughing stock of rap, but it easily won Drake the beef between himself and the MMG rapper. Oh, and let’s not forget, it got nominated for a Grammy! How many rap diss tracks before it were nominated for a Grammy? None! That’s just how big this diss record was, and the lyrics are fire. “Is that a world tour or your girl’s tour?”, get em’ Drake! – Dan Garcia
18. Rihanna x Kanye West x Paul McCartney – “FourFiveSeconds”
Album: ‘FourFiveSeconds’ (Single)
When rumors circulated that Kanye West, Rihanna and Paul McCartney had a song together, a lot of people were excited and scratching their heads at the same time. How would the record sound? Will it actually release? Wait, the guy from The Beatles? But when ‘FourFiveSeconds’ finally dropped, all questions were answered. A beautiful recording with a relatable yet aggressive message, ‘FourFiveSeconds’ is the perfect record to capture Kanye and Rihanna’s forward and tell-it-all attitudes, while also capturing their talents as artists. We don’t know if this song will be on Rihanna or Kanye’s forthcoming records, but either way, the song was one of the best of 2015. – Dan Garcia
17. Vince Staples – “Norf Norf”
Album: Summertime ’06
Vince Staples undeniably dropped one of the years best records. Summertime ’06 was for the most part, everything we wanted to be in a double album offering, featuring dark, minimal and sinister production helmed by the likes of No I.D. and DJ Dahi, among others. But the standout from this record is one of the most minimal and the most stripped down records, with a piercing siren like sound that rings as soon as you press play developing with hi-hat skips and pounding 808s, while Vince finds his relentless pocket in the middle of the beat. There was a time Vince was known for monotone flows and lifeless deliveries—in fact, listen to anything he put out before this year and you’re likely to find those. ‘Norf Norf’ though, is Vince’s most panicked, schizophrenic, and screeching delivery yet, sporting a sense of supreme confidence of his surroundings and his vivid environment unlike ever before. – Vikash Dass
16. Alabama Shakes – “Don’t Wanna Fight”
Album: Sound & Color
The blues is alive. ‘Don’t Wanna Fight’ brings out all the best parts of their album, Sound And Color, Brittany Howard’s kick-ass power vocals, deep, rolling electric-guitar patterns and relational awareness. The chorus even flashed of an old-school Michael Jackson vocalization which is astonishing. It’s been awhile since a relationship in distress has been so soothing to the ears. – Evan Vogel
The Early Registration 