Reek Osama and Eto trade bars over a Work Scorsese soundscape. Shots and bars fly sixteen at a time on, Spilled Milk. The track is short yet razor sharp. Not for the faint of art. Don’t miss!
Top 50 Songs Of 2024
Here are some of my favorites songs from 2024 in independent hip hop. Again…not cumulative. I know your tastes my vary but maybe you will see something on the list you didn’t hear and enjoy. Click the song link to be taken to a youtube offering of that track. And as always…support the artist! Off to 2025!
| Song | Artist | Note |
| #1 T.I.M.E. | K-Salaam, JdotL, Wrekonize, & Jae Skeese (ft. D.Lylez) | This is the perfect song. The production is a vibe. The lyricism is fantastic. And the hook bridges perfectly! |
| #2 Oppenheimer | Vega7 The Ronin & Ferris Blusa (prod. by Kalos Beats) | Sometimes you just need a song to slap you in the face…this my friends is that slap. This joint is tough!!! |
| #3 Act Of God | Ed OG (prod. by Tone Spliff) | Our emcee has been doing this a long time…and he still knows how to craft GREAT music. |
| #4 Dangerous | Bobby J From Rockaway & Dom Dirtee | This joint not only knocks but can easily get caught in your head. Infectious. |
| #5 The Magnum | Dan Johns (ft. Amen) | I’ve talked about this song at length. Trust me. Lyrics. Production. This is top notch. |
| #6 Fuck It | Grieves & Mouse Powell | Another anthem for when you can’t care. Exceptional musically and love the horns on this track. |
| #7 Flinch | Locksmith (ft. Ekoh) | If you are feeling like you are on the brink. Don’t give your enemies the satisfaction. Don’t Flinch. |
| #8 Spare Change | J. Lately (ft. Ian Kelly) | The guitar licks. The vibe. And the style make this song play on in your head for days on end. |
| #9 Stupid. Dumb. Illiterate. | Heems (prod. by Lapgan) | This song has so much finesse and a great sound. The production and flow of the track is remarkable. |
| #10 Two Kids | maticulous (ft. Elzhi) | The art of storytelling is not lost in hip hop. Check out this case in point from 2024. |
| #11 OHLawd | J57 (ft. H3RO) | This again is just beautiful music. I love this production , the chorus, and the lyricsm on display here. |
| #12 The Way | Spit Gemz (prod. by Nickel Plated) | Some music gives way to thought and makes you think with another light. This is that! |
| #13 Cadillac | Brother Ali | HipHop is primed to speak on social injustice and Brother Ali does that through his own story. |
| #14 Defiance | Izrell & Dead Perry | Sometimes you just need something epic…dark and epic. |
| #15 Roc Nation Brunch | Marv Won (ft. Freeway) | Great concept, and creating a fun visual through words. Inventive. |
| #16 Delusions Of Grandeur | K.A.A.N. & DJ Hoppa | This is one of the best pairings of the year and you can hear exactly why on this track! |
| #17 Raised On | Mic Bles & Level 13 (ft. ethemadassassin) | I’ve talked about THIS track at length too. But this that authentic hip hop flavor! |
| #18 Close | M-Dot (ft. Kore) | No one does that “life music” better than M-Dot. He speaks like you are in his shoes. You too are “close”. |
| #19 Crownsville | Rock & Ruste Juxx | The tandem takes you into the streets of Crownsville in the illest way possible. |
| #20 Broken Mirrors | Jae Skeese & Superior | Skeese speaks to me on this one. Wow. Music that makes you feel something is invaluable. |
| #21 My Nephew and I | Nef & Bobby J from Rockaway | This beat from Nef! One of the best, and wow, Bobby J just continues to impress. Sure shot! |
| #22 Courtleigh Chemist | Daniel Son & Finn | Here you have a producer and emcee in perfect step delivering that head nodder. |
| #23 Budda Palm | ZaZa God | “I’m Big Anubis…The Ra Royal!” This track just goes incredibly hard. |
| #24 What I’m Asking | Pro Dillinger | Is your relationship stressing you to the limits? Dillinger taps in. You know you’ve been there. |
| #25 Home | Waterr & Wavy Da Ghawd (ft. Spoda) | One of the hardest working emcees in 2024 delivered many great moments but this is among my favorites. |
| #26 Sins Of The Father | Supreme Cerebral (ft. Eloh Kush and O The Great) (prod. by Swab) | Swab laces a beautiful canvas and these emcees put it to work. One of the best posse cuts this year. |
| #27 Lunar Stroll | CG The Producer (ft. Revalation x MKDel x Lateb) | Let your mind drift as though it was on a space walk. This song will help you. Great song. |
| #28 A Different Kind Of Payne | RJ Payne & BP | Payne gets deep and personal over some eloquent BP production. Hear the inner pain. |
| #29 Lessons | Willie The Kid & VDon (ft. Eto and Rome Streetz) | Another one of the best combos in the game unleashed excellence this year. And this is among the best. |
| #30 Symbiote Suits | Daniel Son & Futurewave | Vicious. This joint is just vicious. If the phantom of the opera hit the streets, this is the epic it will tell. |
| #31 Illuminati Money | Planet Asia & 38 Spesh (ft. Klass Murda and Tristate) | Spesh and Asia win again combining all their superlatives for another banger. This beat and these lyrical skills…wow. |
| #32 Korean Kimchi | Jay Royale (ft. Vega7 The Ronin) | Jay Royale is vastly underrated. Such a talent! Here you can listen to him deliver alongside Vega7 over a really dope production. Love the vocal sample. |
| #33 LoFi | Guttr (Havoc x RJ Payne x Ras Kass) | Hip Hop supergroup put the industry back in it’s place with this one. Lyrical swordplay over some glorious production from Havoc. |
| #34 We Never Believe Anybody | Double Life (L*Roneous x Gennessee) | Two emcees with distinctly different styles that unite to do something so dope…time and time again…favorite song off this year’s project. |
| #35 Green Screen | Copywrite (prod. by Evidence) | Lyricism you are accustomed to from Copy over the years and doing so over the freshest of beats from Ev. |
| #36 The Iron I Toss | The Bad Seed (ft. MIMS x Honey Dinero x Nam Nitty) (prod. by JR Swiftz) | You want a dope posse cut? I got you. 6th Man shit! JR Swiftz laces the production as each emcee shows and proves. |
| #37 Hour After Hour | Tek & Stu Bangas | “No success without sacrifice…life without music” Tek and Stu Bangas created something memorable in 2024 |
| #38 Gucci Gambinos | Mickey Diamond (ft. Pro Dillinger) | Umbrella over everything! Diamond and Dillinger over Big Ghost…you know it’s godly. Super tough. |
| #39 Mask On, Mask Off | Maze Overlay & Swab | Best song off of a great album from 2024. Maze and Swab give you some dope hip hop that knocks. |
| #40 Born Alone, Die Alone | Snak The Ripper | You want to hear the rock bottom of unhinged? Here we go! Snak delivers the darkness in the dopest way possible. |
| #41 Esoteric | Skyzoo | I said it before and I will say it again, Skyzoo is a PROFESSIONAL emcee. You can hear that on this excellent cut! |
| #42 Los Angeles | Blu & Evidence | From their city to yours! Blu and Ev bring a piece of California to your eardrums with their superlative tradecraft. |
| #43 Master Seminar | Eyeree Beats (ft. Jay Royale, Snotty, and Supreme Cerebral) | Producers getting their due on HHD. Beautiful production with right emcees to do the job! |
| #44 OMG | Philmore Green | One of the best albums of the year also has one of the best songs. Great lyricism, production, and scratches. |
| #45 Heat Wave | Murderers Row (Outerspace x King Syze x Reef The Lost Cause) | Really looking forward to this full project. So great to hear these guys deliver such heat on the same song. |
| #46 Money On The Line | Chuck N Lock (prod. by Oppenheimer) | The tandem never fails to deliver bars that make you rewind profusely. A style unto themslves. Genius. |
| #47 So Long | Paradime | Paradime can make some great songs! This one has you reminiscing and singing that chorus alongside him. |
| #48 Listen | V-Styles | Introspective and thought provoking music that will get you to do exactly that…Listen! |
| #49 Blood In, Blood Out | Bozack Morris (ft. Asun Eastwood x Lex Tallonis) | Some songs on this list are just filthy. This song fits that category. Morris unleashes the sinister on this one! |
| #50 The Summit | Kail Problems & DJ Hoppa | Another fiya beat from DJ Hoppa lends itself to another win with Kail Problems delivering bar after dope bar. |
Single You Out: Brando Bambino – Next Hottest Thing (ft. Eto x Copywrite x Chrymnal Hymnal)
Brando Bambino has a new project dropping next week, Nocturne. And The Next Hottest Thing, is the first official single from the project. Pyramid Tapes creates a subtle yet dark and neck-snapping rhythm for our artists to drop some pretty slick lyricism with Eto and Copywrite adding their pen game to an already potent equation.
Single You Out: Werdperfect – Brimstone (ft. Eto) (prod. By Dub Sonata)
Werdperfect is not a name that I am overly familiar with but this new single, Brimstone, he is bound to raise some eardrums. And with Dub Sonata on the production you are off to a terrific start. And then you add a verse from Eto, and you are REALLY cooking. But come to find out…Werdperfect’s pen game is pretty damn good! The drums knock heavy as does the blending of wordplay and wisdom. Lot of bars that you can feel and relate to.
New album, Dog Daze, drops on April 26th.
Single You Out: Eto x Futurwave – Poetry Is Dead
This is another great collaboration of talents when Eto and Futurewave link up for the track, Poetry Is Dead. The two artists seem tailor made to work with each other. The song is just over two minutes long with the first half dipping into spoken word, a segue, and then the second half going into more of a traditional hip hop flow.
There is something very fluid and almost ethereal about this track and proves that the power of music and the word is still very much alive.
Single You Out: Wais P. & Pete Twist – Coup D’ Etat (ft. Eto)
New joint from the forthcoming album by Pete Twist, entitled Hans Gruber, and I can’t wait to get my hands on that project. For those that don’t know the name, Twist has been crafting bangers for a while most notably in his partnership with Born Unique. I love his body of work, and I am glad he has something dropping with his name on it.
This song with Wais P and Eto, is another example of Twist’s exceptional skill as a producer. It has that dark and ominous feel with the guitar strings giving it that extra touch. And the emcees use their talents almost as a menacing whisper over the track. Really love this song.
Double A.B. – Black Ice (ft. Eto) (Video)
So, I have been a Double A.B. fan for a while, since he was doing work with producer Dub Sonata. I think he’s incredibly talented as an emcees. Well, he’s been on hiatus from making music (at least known to me) for a few years, but he has resurfaced with a new album, Demons, that demonstrates that incredible talent to make dope art remains.
On Black Ice, he joins Eto on site in Rochester, showing that he can continue to spit that slick shit. He has a commanding voice and when paired with Eto’s distinctive verbals, you have a definite winner. Make sure you cop the album!
38 Spesh x Eto – Flour City 2 (Video)
I’ve played this song so much already this year, well before it got the video treatment. It’s simply a great track but two very talented and prolific artists in 38 Spesh and Eto. And I keep telling people to stop sleeping on Spesh’s work behind the boards but you don’t here me though. The dude is a pure master at his craft. You can peep this joint on his project, Six Shots, which is out now!
Single You Out: King David – The Go Around (ft. Eto)
So I haven’t heard too many people talking about this joint, but in my mind it’s a must listen to. Eto’s name has been ringing for years, but this production from King David needs to get some due. This is a great track, with Eto’s raspy, yet intricate flows, appearing on this guitar laced heat.
This track can or will be found on King David’s project, Diamond in My Crown, which I can’t find too much about right now, but will put out my feelers.
DJ Muggs & Eto – Holy Wine (Video)
Muggs and Eto linking up proves to instantly be an ill combination. Muggs is lacing up something that can best be described as sinister, with this latest production, and only made more so with the visuals. Eto, meanwhile, is making an early push for busiest emcee in the business. He is bringing a gritty fire to this track.
Hells Roof is the forthcoming album, and this has all the trappings of something great.
Hip Hop Dependency 