1. Popcaan, "Unruly Prayer"
OVO is claiming Popcaan heavy these days, with good reason: it's been a while since there's been a dancehall voice that feels bigger and broader than the at-times singular purview of the genre. The Hayfield, JA native shouts out his squad from deep in the bush, over a subdued riddim that lands somewhere between dancehall and roots. Lighters up.—Matthew Trammell
2. Chi Ching Ching f. Popcaan, "Nah Go Home"
Chi Ching Ching’s "Nah Go Home" should be considered an early contender for Song of the Summer. It’s bouncy synths, coupled with Popcaan’s petulant chants to kick it all night, capture the gleeful listlessness of party hopping on warm summer nights. It can also serve as a mantra come sunrise when you drag your red-eyed crew to the nearest diner for a bacon, egg and cheese and some hair of the dog remedy.—Deidre Dyer
3. WE55, “Microwave”
On "Microwave," new Def Jam-signee WE55 renders a vivid depiction of a dark hustle—Black spots on it because I newspaper dried this shit/ Smokers goin’ be mad, once they hit nigga they won’t say shit—that lingers long after the song's Atlanta trunk rattle-West Coast haze hybrid fades to silence.—Zara Golden
4. Madd Again!, "Duggu"
The gruff hook of this infectious debut single from Manchester's Madd Again! was the result of a random freestyle by one of the crew's MCs, Killa Benz. "I didn't even know I was gonna say that," he told The FADER on Friday. One listen to this pure fire tune that draws on both Jamaican dancehall and UK club music's rawness should provide the answer: it's so visceral, you just wanna say duggu, duggu too.—Ruth Saxelby
5. Young Greatness, “Moolah”
Rapper Young Greatness betrays his Quality Control affiliation when he dabbles in Migos-style rapid-fire flow on "Moolah," the latest single off his long-gestating DJ Drama-hosted mixtape I Tried To Tell'em. But what really gets me is the song's unexpected air of sentimentality—the sweet sincerity in his voice when he sings the sticky hook (all my life I hustle just to get that moolah), the almost whispered adlibs, and the piano-laced production by the great Jazze Pha.—Zara Golden
6. Boosie Badazz f. Keyshia Cole & J. Cole, "Black Heaven"
Boosie Badazz is back with his first album in five years, a full-on phoenix-rising-from-the-ashes type rebirth. One of the first cuts from the record is "Black Heaven," an opus featuring Keyshia Cole and J. Cole that imagines an afterlife for us, by us. In keeping with tradition, Boosie shouts out Black icons, big and small, and metaphorically pours some out for 'em. Welcome back, Badazz.—Rawiya Kamier
7. Shamir, "Call It Off"
Nu-disco angel Shamir is beyond ready to "Call It Off" on the season's danciest breakup tune. Don't forget to give him a ring on his new relationship advice hotline if you're currently trying to click on someone who keeps calling back. —Matthew Trammell
8. E40, "Choices"
This is pretty much rap history. I want to see this entire song written out as a multiple choice quiz that you have to take at the door of the club after you show your ID and before you check your name on the guest-list. Beyond the binary brilliance of the song's theme, E-40 drops the most concise criticism of George Lucas' cash cow I've ever heard: Star Wars? Nope. Yoda? Yep.—Matthew Trammell
