Kazi's Top Tracks of 2025
Link to playlist 20. Isaiah Falls, SiR - BROWN SUGAH Link The death of Rhythm and Blues has been greatly exaggerated. This track from Isaiah Falls and SiR drips with sex appeal, longing, and just the right amount of Melancholy. Fall’s production shines on the track, and comes together
20. Isaiah Falls, SiR - BROWN SUGAH
The death of Rhythm and Blues has been greatly exaggerated. This track from Isaiah Falls and SiR drips with sex appeal, longing, and just the right amount of Melancholy. Fall’s production shines on the track, and comes together with SiR’s (as usual) excellent vocals to produce a very sexy, very fun love song.
19. Masego - Unhinged
Masego is one of the most underrated artists doing it today. Unhinged makes you move and shake while also still remaining downright funky and soulful, and the latter part of the song transitions into this incredible futuristic beat... you really just have to hear it. Absolutely worth a slot and I look forward to Masego’s next projects.
18. JID - VCRs (feat. Vince Staples)
JID’s God Don’t like Ugly was one of the best projects in a year chock-full of excellent rap albums. Always the lyrical standout, VCRs is arguably one of the most lyrically dense rap tracks of the entire year, punchline after punchline, entendre on top of the one previous, JID never fails to impress with his mastery of the English language, and has an impeccable flow. Vince staples builds on that lyrical presence with his unique ability to paint a picture of his struggles with violence in the past and how he trades that tragedy for money in the present (a key theme with much of his art).
17. Florence + The Machine - One of the Greats
This band has been making hits for years, but this song is a standout off their recent project, Everybody Screams (which might be the best rock album of 2025). Allegedly sung in one take, this 6 minute plus performance showcases not only Florence Welch’s unique vocal depth, but also the entire band and their attention to meaning within their lyrics. This song is about the bands general creative process and consistent musical reformation along with a personal exploration of Florence's mental health and struggles with creating new art, touring, and the pressures of fame. It is very powerful, and very good.
16. Andy Mineo - "I Swear, This Is Not an André 3000 Diss Song"
I think this song rates highly because I really feel it on a personal level. As someone who has loved hip-hop and rap music since they were young, Andre 3000 has been a huge part of my life, and reconciling his later career (or lack thereof within the hip-hop space) is something I have spent more time than I reasonably should have. The same is clearly true for Andy Mineo, and this track about reconciling the feelings he has about Andre 3000 and how they connect to how he feels about himself and self-identifies is probably something I should be in therapy for, but instead of going I will just listen to this song.
15. Back to the Go - Chance the Rapper (ft. Vic Mensa)
Star Line was a true return to form for Chance the Rapper after a decade of trash music (including Coloring Book), and Back to the Go is the best track on an album full of very good tracks. A song about losing love (or more specifically Chane’s own divorce), the song is Chance stripping himself down and exploring what it means to truly have to start from square one in all facets of life, getting back to his roots, and his old friends. Speaking of old friends, Vic Mensa pops out of nowhere to feature and deliver a verse reminiscent of his work on his old projects and Chance’s own Acid Rap. I would love for Chance to maintain this level of quality moving forwards, and remain true to the style and lyrical content which made him who he is today.
14. Yujen - Classic 2 Seater
Canadian rappers not named Drake are still fire! Yujen hails from Ontario, and this is the first track I have heard of him. Laid back production, simple flows, and fun lyrics are all you really need in order to build the skeleton of a good song, and the execution on the basic concept is almost flawless.
13. Joji - PIXELATED KISSES
On the opposite end, Joji has a new project out in 2026, and this was the lead single, released in late 2025, overproduced, jam packed with noise, and ridiculously dense, Joji still manages to cut through the noise he makes to deliver a short, punchy, but very strong opener to his new album, with all the melancholy you would expect from Filthy Frank himself.
12. Mick Jenkins & EMIL Feat. ENNY - Words I Should've said
At this point, Mick Jenkins is showing up on all my top song lists. In his annual visit to the top 20, Mick turns in an excellent performance alongside British artist Enny, exploring a relationship between a man who lives in the moment, and a woman who lives with the understanding that actions have consequences. No resolution, no real catharsis, this song reflects a lot of modern day relationships and how sometimes differences can’t be reconciled and you should sometimes... just move on.
11. Duckwrth - Hurricane J.I.M.
I love it when hip-hop artists branch out, and while Duckwrth has always been eclectic, this outright rock jam is an absolute banger. Definitely my favorite rock song of the year, he mixes in occasional hip-hop stylings and lyrical prowess, but ultimately, this is a head-banging aggressive track for all the homies to mosh to.
10. Clipse, Tyler, The Creator, Pusha T, Malice - P.O.V.
Clipse’s album Let God Sort em Out is another contender for album of the year, and while consistent throughout, I had to choose a track to go in their slot on this list, and this song really felt like a standout on a project full of them for me. Clipse and Malice are as smooth as ever, but Tyler the Creator’s punchy delivery and aggression provide a refreshing change of pace. The production is catchy and heavily bass driven in the best type of way. Nothing quite makes me reminisce about drugs I never dealt and the homies I didn’t lose and money I ain’t got like the Clipse.
9. Victory Lap - Fred Again ft. Skepta, PlaqueBoyMax, Denzel Curry, That Mexican OT, D Double E, LYNY, and Hanumankind
This song is a mess in the most beautiful sense. Originally a freestyle session on a livestream from superproducer Fred Again and his personal friend Skepta, the project evolved over the course of the year, culminating in its fifth iteration with all of these names attached. While I usually shy away from electronic music, the Rico Nasty sample just goes so stupid hard, and is amplified by what I can only assume is an 808 filtered through Gross beats in Pro Tools. The lyrics are also top notch for a standard braggadocious rap track from all participants, and the flows are impeccable, alongside the beat switches for each different performer. DLC done right.
8. Brittany Howard - Pale, Pale Moon (shoutout Jayme Lawson)
Ryan Coogler’s movie (and subsequent soundtrack) Sinners was a bit of a phenomenon in early 2025, and a lot of songs from that movie could have made this list, with particular attention to “I Lied to You” and “Travelin” by lead actor and vocalist Miles Caton. But Alabama Shakes frontman Brittany Howard has always had one of the most unique and identifiably powerful vocals in the game, and while Jayme Lawson’s performance (which is actually in the movie) is excellent, the original is just a little different, and just the slightest bit better. This song is full of passion, wild, and animalistic in a way which speaks to the soul. But you should watch the entire movie.
7. Kehlani - Folded
This song has had people in a chokehold for like six months, and I don’t blame them at all. It's a beautiful song about what it means to leave someone, and the pain that comes along with realizing that not only did you need to move on, but you are better off for it, despite how easy it would have been to stay.
6. RAYE - WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!
This song is much less about layered meanings and lyrical genius, and much more about its bombastic production, and ridiculous vocal performance. I cannot emphasize how insanely difficult it is to do what Raye is doing with her voice on this track (try singing it), and how technical of a performance this is, especially considering that it is also very good live. The degree of difficulty on this song makes the listener really wonder how she even came up with the more taxing parts of the track, and on top of all of that, it is an absolute earworm, and extremely fun.
5. AaronNya - Reagan’s Trap House
I don’t know much about this artist other than that he has been making music for a while, but this song is definitely one of my favorites of last year... likely due in large part to my political beliefs. But this is my list and not yours, so live with it. The production on this track is exactly the type of hip-hop beat I like, and the lyrics, while straightforward, are hard-hitting, and this is a clear passion and anger driving the entire song.
4. McKinley Dixon - Recitatif (feat. Teller Bank$)
McKinley Dixon’s album Magic, Alive! was the first time I have heard of him, and what a way to be introduced to an artist. A concept album about children dealing with the death of a friend, recitatif serves as a reference to both the poetry of Toni Morrison, and what some would call the origins of rap music, the concept of operatic recitative, usually narrative performance in opera often consisting of dialogue asides pushing the plot forwards. This song serves as a bridge between the more spiritual elements of the album and the parts of the album grounded in the reality of mourning and grief. Please consider checking out the project as a whole.
3. AJ Tracey - Crush (feat. Jorja Smith)
This was my favorite fun song of the year. The production is reminiscent of No I.D., AJ Tracey provides punchy bars with plenty of interesting rhyme schemes alongside memorable punchlines, as does Jorja Smith on her own rap verse while also providing lovely singing on the chorus. This song isn’t particularly deep, or necessarily the most technical, but it's very fun, has some very memorable spots, and closes with some amazing vocals from Smith.
2. Backxwash - Black Lazarus
This song exists on the other side of the complexity spectrum (I can’t even really figure out the time signature). This entire project is also excellent (and my favorite one of the year, check out Only Dust Remains), but the opening track is this Brazilian-inspired industrial horrorcore amalgamation which reminds me of Death Grips, and the song focuses on what it means to be depressed and the potential for self-harm, while walking the listener through Backxwash’s darkest thoughts and desires. A brutal, forward facing, and chest-baring track to open up an album which only gets deeper and darker as it moves forward.
1. Bad Bunny - DtMF
Man, I barely speak any Spanish, but even I speak enough Spanish to hear this shit banging three rooms over. This song is amazing, this album (also named DtMF) is amazing, and while I’m not the biggest Bad Bunny fan overall, it would be completely irresponsible of me to say that this song is not one of the most emotionally evocative of the year, exploring the entire spectrum between sad and happy, passionate, and deeply personal while also being something anyone can understand. We all should remember to take more photos.
-Kazi Baker
Comments ()