The last month or so has had more good new music than any I can recall in a long time, so this top 10 list is stacked; I couldn’t even pick out an official #1 since there were so many good candidates. We really got a veritable cornucopia of new slaps for Thanksgiving, hopefully December is just as kind to us.

Joseph McFashion ft. FMB DZ – On Go

Detroit’s FMB DZ is starting to really blow up right now and clocks in with a late entry for one of the top songs for November 2017. Here he demonstrates why, doing some of his finest work over this SMOOOOOTH beat. I love the flow and the great lines coupled with all the Detroit-specific references…

“Oh you need a job nigga? Come and sell that cling cling. One spot 3 cell phones and they all ring, If it ain’t about no money bitch it don’t involve me. Had to change my number, weird hoes tryna stalk me, gotta keep that stick can’t let a nigga chalk me”

“Niggas really soft, FMB you fuckin with the boss, I be playing golf, down my way I be ducked off, at Asian Cornbeef tell them I need some more duck sauce, go to Au Corant ask them boys how much my Buffs cost”

Cam’ron – Lean 

One of many highlights off of Cam’ron’s new album ‘The Program’. From the original article…

“Rather than an ode to the purple, slumber-inducing concoction, ‘Lean’ is literally a rap song over a beat sampling the 1972 classic ‘Lean on Me’ by Bill Withers. I guess this should come as no surprise since Cam’ron has mastered this type of song and rapping over these types of samples more than any other artist, whether it was Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believing’, ‘Oh What a Night‘ by the Four Seasons talking about the night he got shot in D.C. and drove himself to the hospital, or improbably rapping about IBS over the all-too-short ‘Any Way You Want It’, or one of my all time favorite Cam efforts, his take on Rose Royce’s ‘I Wanna Get Next to You’

Killa is rattling off lines like he’s in the midst of a lengthy, multi-decade prime here…

“I grew up with Big L, all I knew was ebonics; jealousy, crack, greed, homicide and chronic, where niggas catch a body change their name like the Sonics. It was hot like Phoenix, I used to look up at the Lenox Ave sign, on my heart, and pledge allegiance.”

Baby Soulja ft. Lil Boosie – Dirty 

A gem from the Martorialist, which will be a strong contender for song of the year if I am ambitious enough to make such a list. From the original post here…

“This song/video by Baby Soulja out of Jacksonville goes so hard I needed to go outside and take a break after I listened to it a couple of times in a row before I watched it again because it was so intense. ‘Dirty’ had so many hard lines it was honestly hard to pick out a few to highlight but these were a few of my favorites…

“I’m from where you ain’t got a car you catch the bus. I’m from where if they try you retaliation is a must. I’m from where if you cut that heat on your mama fuss.”

“The bill due lights get cut off you lighting candles. Where you can’t trust a soul so your house gotta have cameras.

“I’m a 90s baby, we don’t care about what you did, nigga we crazy. I’m from where if you hustle you go a while without bathing. No food in the house so your breakfast the candy lady.”

“Where you and your brother wear the same shoes; neighborhood bad but y’all ain’t got enough money to move.”

FMB DZ ft. Slimmy B – Can’t Hang

Another appearance in our top 10 by FMB DZ, here he links up with Slimmy B from SOB X RBE for one of the many standout tracks off of his new Washington DZ project. Slimmy B already had a monster feature earlier this year on Nef the Pharoah’s banger Bling Blaow and beasts out again here, he’s turning into the new feature god, contributing both a verse and the chorus.

“How you a thug, hit the county and be PC’d? I’m in the coupe with 2 glocks so I’m 3 deep”.

“Used to ride the bus now there’s diamonds in my Buffs”

I like the inter-regional collaboration here.

YBN Nahmir – Rubbin Off the Paint 

With over 50 million views on Youtube, this song certainly doesn’t suffer from a lack of exposure, but Rubbing off the Paint really grew on me after the first few times.

“Most of the niggas that’s around me throwing C’s like they cripping, but they do it for the twins free Lil Corey and Lil Christian. But I’m rocking with my shooters and that’s mandatory, one up top like I’m Mozzy bitch I keep a 40.”

Cam’ron ft. Sen City – Dime after Dime 

Another addition from Cam’ron’s new album. Only Cam could pull off a remake of Cindy Lauper’s ‘Time after Time’. We also heartily welcome back Sen City, the erstwhile Dipset hook man. It’s been too long fam.

Tekashi – Gummo 

And now for a New York rap song of an entirely different nature. Does Tekashi (I refuse to call him 6ix N9ne even if he does have a face tattoo proclaiming it) look like the Keebler Elf or the Lucky Charms guy about to lead you to where all the marshmallows and M & M’s are at the end of the rainbow? Of course he does. But it doesn’t take away from the fact that this song goes hard AF. I wanted to hate it at first, then it started to grow on me, and then I didn’t fully begin to appreciate it until it came on on the radio while I was driving late one night and I turned the volume all the way up. This beat just bodyslams you and Tekashi’s aggressive flow works surprisingly well over it. I’m still waiting for other more intimidating rappers to make their own remixes of it and we’re beginning to get our first trickle of them with guys like Snap Dogg spazzing out on the track. I predict that this is going to be the next ‘The Race’ with everyone making their own version.

Side note: With over 35 million views for just this Youtube video, Gummo could end up going down as one of the most popular of 2017, for better or worse. Could we get to a point in 20 years where at weddings, some band playing old classics/favorites will play Gummo and intro it like “And now guys and gals, we take you back on a trip down memory lane, to a simpler time, with the sweet sounds of 6ix N9ne”

Cam’ron – Chop it Up 

An unprecedented third song by Cam on this month’s top 10. Cam is really on his Indian Summer grind right now. Here, ‘Chop it Up’ is almost a follow up or coda to the classic  ‘Rap City’ freestyle from over 10 years ago where Cam, Jimmy and Juelz all kill this same ‘On My Block’ beat.

“Lived by Ohio State, but never seen the Buckeyes. But I used to serve students, ask the alumni.”

Zumbee – Banana Peels 

ZUMBEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Whether fair or not, I’m usually skeptical of these Worldstar videos by rappers that I’ve never heard of, but ‘Banana Peels’ by Zumbee is a rare and welcome exception. The beat is sick and I like the lyrics/concept. (I have to admit I also like just saying the name ‘Zumbee’). We also get an all-too-rare Bradley Beal reference. He definitley has his own style and the song was different than anything else I’ve heard. I’m not sure where he’s from and don’t know much else about Big Zum.

Young Thug – Killed Before 

The strangest song from ‘Super Slimey’ and also one of the best (after maybe Group Home and 4 da Gang). I was listening to Super Slimey more at the end of last month and beginning of this month and then new albums by Cam’ron and FMB DZ stole my attention but this one warrants a spot in the top 10 since it’s for the whole month.

Thugga gets his Bob Marley vibe on here over the acoustic guitar beat and gets all philosophical, asking his foes if they’ve ever paid someone’s tuition or opened a business like him. I’m still trying to figure out what he means by saying everyone knows he’s been killed before, but like many things pertaining to Young Thug, perhaps it’s a question best left unanswered.  I love the part where Thug squawks ‘Different color diamonds I’m a peacock, spot full of birdies no tree top’ in a voice that sounds like what I’d imagine a peacock sounds like. My favorite line is “I stack them 100’s up to God’s knees, I ain’t going broke til 2070.”