Clocked In’s Top 20 Songs of 2020
We listed the albums, now it’s time to rank the best songs of 2020
There’s been enough said about how awful this year has been, we just can’t keep dwelling on those things anymore really. It’s time we take a look at the songs which carried us through all of those hard times, the ones that just needed to be released this year. Despite the overall lack of music being recorded and released this year we had quite a slew of great tracks that were uplifting or just straight bangers in their own right. So it’s time we rank some of our favorite tracks that came out in the year 2020.
20. RMR: “Rascal”
2020 was just a weird year, there was many a weird thing going on all throughout it and this song just seemed a fitting beginning to the madness. Released on February 26th, just a couple weeks before America faced its first major lockdown, this track made everyone laugh with its ironic depiction of RMR and his crew over a country rap ballad brandishing AK’s and bulletproof vests. Within a week it was stuck in our heads and blew up all over the internet, taking the “words not matching the music video” meme to a whole new level. This song and its feel good sound but negative lyrical musings has been there for us since the beginning and I think that earns it a spot despite RMR’s disappointing album.
19. Fuming Mouth: “Master of Extremity”
Take the heaviest band you’ve heard in your life and spit in their faces because Boston’s Fuming Mouth disembowels every one of them. The bands sound contains the heaviness and technical prowess of death metal but also borrows some elements from beatdown, so you know there’s plenty of hurt bodies and feelings in the pit. It makes for some of the most tortured and heaviest music that’s been released by a Boston band in recent memory and this song is a highlight of that. The brutality is amplified through the tormented vocals which remind one of a victim being dragged to hell. This band deserves everyone’s attention.
18. Barfight Champs: “Outside Of The Law”
A local favorite of mine that was released back in March. Lead singer of Scars of Deceit Frankie Chairs and company released this as the single to their album of the same name and the title track is definitely a standout. Forgoing the heavier sounds of his other project, this song comes in with a more classic hardcore punk sound. There’s ample opportunity for gang vocals in this track with the chorus “It’s only a crime if you get caught, don’t rat on your friends and never talk to cops” being an unforgettable line and just a great energy emitted from the song. Maybe you have to be from the area but I think this song can appeal to a world of punks and hardcore kids.
17. Sunami: “Fed’s Watchin’”
Sunami is Cali’s response to the beatdown scene that’s been popular over on the East Coast and taken the hardcore world by storm. This band delivers on the chunky ass riffs common in the genre and lyrics which focus primarily on street crime and form their own level of heaviness and ignorance in the process. The band is so irresponsible that you can’t help but enjoy the heaviness. Beyond the seemingly boneheaded nature of it the band displays a great skill at musical composition, it may get filtered out through the riffage but if this doesn’t make you want to break some shit then you must have no pulse.
16. R.A. The Rugged Man, Brand Nubian, M.O.P., Ice-T, Vinnie Paz, Chino XL, Chris Rivers & Onyx: “The Slayers Club”
There was either going to be a lot of good bars on this song or a second coming of “Death to Mumble Rap” when bringing together all these old heads. Thankfully the former is what we got as R.A. The Rugged Man’s multi-feature song off his third album makes for some of the most cutting raps from everyone featured on the track. From Ice-T delivering some of his most revitalized raps, a rare treat from Ice as he’s mostly done music with Body Count the last decade, all the way to Onyx’s Fredro Starr and Sticky Fingaz. There’s not a single bad verse on this massive track and that’s refreshing in an age of big name, little rap features.
15. Blood From The Soul: “Calcified Youth”
Shane Embury reviving Blood From the Soul was one of the best projects of 2020 and this song was what drove me back in. There’s more of a melodic approach to it rather than the speedy attack of the grindcore he’s put out in Napalm Death. It’s Jacob Bannon’s approach to vocals that impressed me particularly, he keeps his tortured screams and refines them to this melodic nature. It’s really a step forward for these two as it steps away from both their bands sounds better than any side project they’ve done.
14. Buju Banton: “Blessed”
After 10 years we finally received a new Buju Banton album and while some songs were hit or miss this one stands as one of the best anthems he’s done in a decade. His voice has never sounded stronger than it does on the “Tell dem seh we bless/ Tell dem we bless, tell dem we bless, tell dem we bless” sung throughout the chorus. This is one of the songs that really made Buju’s return triumphant because here he sounds like he’s breaking down the walls that held him.
13. Lady Leshurr: “Quarantine Speech”
It was a big surprise to hear from Lady Leshurr this year after she supposedly was taking a break. It seems the quarantine really inspired her because this song perfectly describes the attitudes everyone’s gone through in lockdown this year. Her style and antics found on her Queen Speech singles never get tired because she makes use of her skills in so many ways on each track and here she shows us that they’ve gotten even better in 2020 than they were when we last heard from her.
12. Converge: “I Won’t Let You Go”
Converge on a game soundtrack? I had to see it for myself and I came out quite impressed. It really does sound like the band transported themselves into a Cyberpunk universe and made a kickass tune without surrendering their own identity in the process. It seems like Converge never run out of ways to extend their artistry and here they’ve chased the highest point as they’ve never been featured on a popular video game but on this soundtrack they fit in amazingly. Also this track features some of Ben Koller’s best drumming, he’s never lost his skill but something about his work on this song stick out the most and prove he’s one of the best in the business right now.
11. Bad Bunny: “Soliá”
There were many great tracks that came off of Bad Bunny’s insanely mature sophomore outing but this one grabbed my ears the most. It’s peaceful and spacy while maintaining that reggaton vibe and displays superb storytelling from the latin trap star. The lyrics tell about a love denial story and Bad Bunny’s wordplay shows a large improvement over his debuts style. If there’s one thing this album showed it was Bunny’s growth and this track in particular reflected that growth.
10. KennyHoopla: “plastic door//”
After the faster rebellious nature of the title track in comes the more mellow “plastic doors//” on KennyHoopla’s EP and the track is the perfect comedown from the blasting post-punk of the former. It almost creates a narrative between them as the songs story tells of a boy running away from the authorities and meeting hermit who sees a lot of himself in the kid. The dark nature of the lyrics is contrasted by the alt. rock/ shoegazey vibe of the guitars which makes for one of the most beautiful songs off of Kenny’s debut. Kenny’s voice oozes with style and skill and proved to me that he can fit himself into any genre which he’s continued to do.
9. Rough Francis: “Deathwire”
Skate punk never sounded so thick and stylish but for Rough Francis it came with ease. The VT garage rock/ protopunk sounding sons of Detroit’s Death carry their fathers early punk sound into a whole new abrasive and angry stratosphere while never fully giving in to just pure anger. The restraint allows a clear message and all around fun nature to blast out of the speakers as the band flexes their skills across the breakneck tempo’s here. Rough Francis could have a breakout single with this one and they deserve it because this album and particular song brings a beefier, but not too beefy, sound to old school punk rock.
8. Rina Sawayama: “STFU”
This song is a demonstration in a pop artist ability to actually blend styles, challenge their skills and bring a new heaviness into mainstream music. Rina Sawayama’s album Sawayama contained a lot of songs that live outside of the typical pop sound and yet she shows that these styles are capable of appealing to much more than just the heavy music crowd. There’s such anger on this track that doesn’t fall into the corniness commonly found in the nu-metal genre it tackles. This song feels like it should’ve been released 20 years ago in order to give the genre some redeeming quality but it still expresses an anger that is relevant in 2020, tackling racism and many other social topic through a clear lens.
7. Body Count: “Point The Finger”
Body Count really blew me away with quite a few tracks on their new album as they go in a much heavier direction than even their past albums. This track in particular with it’s lyrics being (once again) a biting critique of police brutality which the band does better than anyone in heavy music. The stories woven into the lyrics display the best mix of rap metal Ice-T has actually attempted with Body Count as he’s usually avoided the trappings of the genre. Riley Gale’s feature on this track also cannot be undersold because his voice towers over as he trades lines with Ice in the chorus. Another amazing look at our societies ills by Ice-T and the gang.
6. Koffee: “Lockdown”
Jamaican reggae star Koffee has been breaking down barriers in the genre for the last year and continuing her success even into the quarantine by making songs taht still reflect the times. Carrying on with her compelling worldview into the song that also talks about love during this time brings about a feeling of enduring positivity in a severely dark time. Maybe it’s the vibe of the islands but Koffee’s social commentary is still being told with both eyes open and focused on being able to react to the world around her.
5. JPEGMAFIA: “BALD!”
Hip hop is a label that JPEGMAFIA seems to want to break down the walls of every single year and with his singles that have been released he’s been blurring the lines further with the addition of industrial music into his raps. This track has to be his best release in the year without a doubt as he keeps his own style while delving fully into the electronic nature of it, it sounds like a 90s style rave song that he’s rapping over. JPEG is able to take these styles and make it sound like his own and that’s the mark of a damn good artist.
4. Run The Jewels, Pharrell Williams & Zack de la Rocha: “JU$T”
RTJ4 brought some of the years most incendiary and this track is one that nobody could ever top. The lyrics take a hard stance against racism and colonialism in the most “in-your face” way and it’s perfect. The chorus “Look at all these slave masters posin’ on yo dollars” will stick with you forever and make you look at our society more closely. Pharrell Williams’ feature on this song is definitely some of his best work in years and reaffirms his status as an artist who tackles serious topics and of course the raps of Zack de la Rocha are comparable to his Rage Against the Machine work, possibly even better.
3. Power Trip: “Executioners Tax (Live)”
Power Trip’s Executioner’s Tax came out on their crushing sophomore album Nightmare Logic came out three years ago but the track being performed live before me still sits in my mind. There’s nothing more I can say about the track because we already know how great it and the album both are. This live album displays the bands insane power when they played live and Riley Gale’s commitment and charisma as a frontman with his towering voice over the punishing guitars. I may have added this track because it’s up for a Grammy and I’d like to see Power Trip win because they in no doubt have earned that but it’s also because this track live is just an improvement on the album version.
2. Thundercat: “Dragonball Durag”
Probably my favorite song and video made all year. Thundercat’s always made perfectly strange, funky anthems for the modern audience but this one has to be his most fun. It’s his most danceable track off this album (I’m sure someone will try to prove me wrong but this is my magazine) and the amount of bass is just to much to deny. I’ll most likely be singing “babygirl do you like me in my durag” for years… and I don’t even wear durags.
1. Public Enemy, NaS, Rapsody, Black Thought, Jahi, YG & ?uestlove: “Fight The Power: Remix 2020”
One of the most important protest songs being remixed this year with the amount of protests their were in the wake of the murder of George Floyd was impressively timely. Adding the amount of talent PE did with this track just made it all the more important as each featured artist delivers some very biting and necessary statements on the current social climate of the world. The addition of YG and NaS in particular was PE’s best decision as they showed they could work with the modern generation and that is what makes this track so important to this year, it showed the anthems of 30 years ago still speak to our generation.
