Complex UK’s Best Songs Of 2016

All in all, 2016 has been a dreadful year.

We've lost a lot of heroes—Ali, Prince, Bowie, Cohen—and somehow, global politics has gotten even worse as we skip gleefully towards the apocalypse. As ever, the world of music has proved a perfect escape from all of this. We've had newcomers and icons alike putting out career-defining songs and albums, and British MCs like Skepta, Kano and Giggs found their global influence increase even more. So you could just imagine how much of a task this year's selection process was.

Quite a few tracks from the Konnichiwa and Made In The Manor LPs could have made their way onto this list—in fact, just about everyone in the grime scene has come out with something hard this year. Similarly, UK rap and R&B are in better shape than ever—​Jorja Smith's "Blue Lights" and Giggs' "Whippin' Excursion" are undeniable proof of this—and a lot of artists pooled their resources on some truly unforgettable collabs to do the wild and unexpected. The year of 2016 may have been garbage for literally everything else, but at least we got some amazing music out of it.

See also: 2016: A Year In Iconic Music Photography

See also: 2016: Complex UK's Highlights From The World Of Music Journalism

Call it a guilty pleasure... It's cheesy and we know it! —Joseph 'JP' Patterson

Ghetts might not have any big rapper co-signs to his name—but he will always have his legend. The past 12 months have seen the rowdy spitter own two of the biggest grime tracks in recent memory: "One Take" and "You Dun Know Already". With Rude Kid on the buttons, last year's "One Take" became the riddim of choice for emcees (Stormzy, Jammer, Chip) to freestyle over, which only benefitted G-H in the long-run. Meanwhile, "You Dun Know Already", produced by Sir Spyro—a grime legend in his own right—gives a nod to the seminal sound and stars of UK garage, whilst still retaining that gritty grime energy. Already a classic? You dun know already. —Joseph 'JP' Patterson

C Biz has finesse. His unique flow (which Drake is alleged to have borrowed on the track "Grammys") and charisma is like a gravitational field pulling any kind of instrumental towards it, and "Money March" serves as his 2016 magnum opus. A raucous beat is met by the most confident bars, as he recounts his long journey to the money, while flexing with some of the biggest wads of cash ever seen in a vid. The man from South Kilburn should be a lot bigger than he is, but a banger like this goes a long way to shaking the UK rap scene. Don't sleep. —Yemi Abiade

Two of the UK's most exciting new talents colliding on a beat that samples Ruff Sqwad classic "Pied Piper"? Put a tick in every box for this one. On "Thiago Silva", Streatham youngster Dave and West LDN's AJ Tracey go back and forth with undeniable chemistry over sounds by 169 and Prince Rapid. They leave absolutely no room for anything except for the hard bars they're spitting, with memorable lines aplenty (I've got love for brandy like Ray J). It doesn't just whet the appetite for more from the duo, but also displays the scene's new gen perfectly. —Yemi Abiade

J Hus is in his own lane, creating a niche for himself with his Afrobeat-infused brand of UK rap. No one is really touching him and, in a year where he has earned more and more recognition, he dropped possibly his best hit yet with the MOBO-nominated "Friendly". Produced by J5, it contains a bounce that could light any club up, as Mr. Ugly spews out quotables for days, labelling himself an Ugly man making sexy money, who likes his Fanta without ice. The 20-year-old is only going to get bigger, but he confirmed his stardom in 2016. —Yemi Abiade

In assessing the popularity of Stormzy today, it's not far-fetched to assume he could probably drop a collection of snoring sounds and chart somewhere in the region of the mid-20s. Thankfully, this isn't quite on the agenda as Stormzy has continued to drop relentlessly hard-hitting grime singles ever since the hype began. Produced by the impressively consistent Sir Spyro, "Scary" isn't radio or club-friendly, but from an unsigned artist who shows no indication of treading a traditional path, it's precisely what we wanted. —Tobi Oke

Armed with an arresting, soulful vocal, teenage singer Jorja Smith seemingly emerged out of nowhere this year, propelled by "Blue Lights"—her stunning debut single. Boasting a killer sample of Dizzee Rascal's "Sirens" (Raskit, himself, now a confessed Jorja fan), there's emotive themes and depth to the song that attest to incisive songwriting abilities way beyond her years. 2016 has seen the birth of a star destined to be around for a very long time to come. —Tobi Oke

In the sphere of British soul/R&B—with a particular focus on female vocalists—the sound has never been in better condition. A whole host of names have shone this year, all adding experimental elements to their natural talent, and among them is Mabel McVey. Mabel's summertime single, "Thinking Of You", explored emotions of missing and reminiscing, travelling between the genre boundaries of '80s pop and '90s R&B. Whilst we didn't quite get the LP we were expecting from Mabel this year, she's made a lane for herself to operate within for the one ahead. —Tobi Oke

Back in March, Kano dropped an album and re-outlined his status as one of the UK's greatest rhymers. Struggling at times to tread the lines between grime and rap sounds, he finally found a comfortable middle-ground on Made In The Manor, epitomised by the album's standout "3 Wheel-Ups". Fittingly featuring road rap king Giggs, and grime godfather Wiley on the album version, it's a triumphant statement of Kano's OG status. Following on from our No. 1 track of 2015, "Man Don't Care" with Jme, Giggs is again afforded the room to deliver a show-stealing verse for an epic grime banger. —Tobi Oke

If there's anything (positive) that 2016 will be remembered for, it's the huge number of unforgettable releases. Though James Blake has been tapped up to lend his talents to everyone from Bey to Trim, he somehow found the time to record and release The Colour In Anything. Few artists could have released an album so close to the release of LEMONADE and not get lost in the shadows. But Blake and his album are different. LP highlight "Radio Silence" naturally became a favourite, with James' trademark haunting vocals in place and an audible maturation in both sound and songwriting. Very few releases this year will strike the core of your being with the potency that the words I don't know how you feel do. —James Keith

Sir Spyro's had a pretty good run of late, knocking out big bangers with big-name emcees. "Side By Side" with Big H, Prez T and Bossman Birdie was a fan favourite when it came out. But then, in October, Sir Spyro smashed it out the park when he brought Teddy Bruckshot, Lady Chann and Killa P into the studio to record "Topper Top". Raw, heavy, dirty and angry—it's the perfect grime-meets-dancehall banger for the end of a truly crappy year. And also, extra points if you've figured out Teddy Bruckshot's secret identity. —James Keith

In the lengthy build up to Konnichiwa's release, we heard a sizable portion of the album, including "It Ain't Safe", "That's Not Me", "Shutdown" and "Ladies Hit Squad". Like most of those tracks, a lot of the LP was collaboration-heavy. "Man", however, was a solo Skepta job that saw him handle both bars and production. "Man" isn't just a grime banger—it's a love letter to grime's DIY origins, expressed most potently with the VHS-like visuals and no-nonsense, ignore-the-hype bars. Skepta has no time for the superficial trappings of fame, he just wants to make bangers with the crew and the gang. —James Keith

The surprise hit of the year saw Tottenham rapper Abra Cadabra's "Robbery" remixed with fresh bars from Krept & Konan, and placed in the upper-echelons of UK rap. Exhibiting the benefits of utilising the various platforms available to unsigned rappers today, legend has it that Abra's BlackBox freestyle helped the track and its unmistakable hook catch the attention of the south London rap duo. Picking up a MOBO and Rated Award in the following months, it's fair to assume that life took a drastic turn for Abz this year. —Tobi Oke

A modern-day "Talking Da Hardest", impact-wise. And you can quote me on that! —Joseph 'JP' Patterson

There's a real untrained quality to Ray BLK's voice. In a similar vein to Mary J. Blige, there's perfection in the imperfections; the croaks and the not-quite-there acrobatics are special and something that's becoming more and more celebrated with each single that she drops. "My Hood" sees Miss BLK tag-team with fellow South Londoner—grime star Stormzy—to wax about everything from Morley's chicken to the dangers of street life; add to that a melancholic production, and you're left with a warm, no-place-like-home feeling deep down in the gut. —Joseph 'JP' Patterson

Whether or not "U Were Always Pt. 2" appears on Wiley's GodFather​ LP remains to be seen. Honestly, we'd still be happy if this stayed as a one-off. The original "U Were Always" (which sampled SWV's '96-released tune, "Fine Time") was an old Roll Deep cut steeped in grime history, not least because it featured Wiley, Tinchy Stryder and Dizzee Rascal all together on one track. The strength of "U Were Always Pt. 2" isn't nostalgic value; it's that it revisits a huge piece of grime's past whilst casting its eye on the future by involving arguably grime's biggest name and farthest reaching export, with a relatively unknown MC by the name of Belly. Pure reload material. —James Keith

After taking a brief hiatus, Sampha returned with a message on his social media: "I've had a lot to process these past couple of years, as we all do. And it's hard to articulate sometimes. I wanted to say thank you to all the people who've shown me so much love and support." That was quickly followed by "Saint Pablo"—a Kanye collab for The Life Of Pablo album. This was obviously hugely exciting in itself, but then he dropped "Timmy's Prayer", a rousing combination of warm, velvety electronics, mature songwriting and Sampha's disarming vocals. To be completely honest, it's an absolute gem! —James Keith

One of the year's biggest British albums was undoubtedly Giggs' Landlord. While a lot of people remain divided on the overall quality of the album, there's no doubting "Whippin' Excursion" absolutely belongs on the list of his greatest ever bangers. And, like all true hits, it spawned its share of memes and parodies and has already earned classic status in certain circles. Even more than the Afrobeat-soaked "Lock Doh" with Donae'O, "Whippin' Excursion" got blasted out of more soundsystems, car stereos and crappy iPhone speakers than any other tune this year. If, however, you'd like your answer in video form, please watch the clip below. —James Keith