Monthly Report: March 2024 Singles
1. BigXthaPlug - "MMHMM"
Tennessee's Bandplay has been one of my favorite southern rap producers of the last few years for his work with Young Dolph and Key Glock. And it's cool to see him branch out with more artists from other areas, I love the way he flipped the Whispers sample on the breakout hit by Dallas rapper BigXthaPlug. Here's the 2024 singles Spotify playlist I add songs to every month.
2. Key Glock - "Let's Go"
Key Glock has been on a trajectory of making bigger and better solo music since Dolph died, happy to see him thriving even without his mentor. There's been some great "Let's Go" memes out there.
https://twitter.com/RapAllStars/status/1750550213905768918
3. 21 Savage - "Redrum"
Using the backwards version of the word "murder" from The Shining is a brilliant workaround for making a radio song about killing people. I kind of hate the part at the end where someone is reciting a few of Jack Nicholson's lines from the movie, though -- it's actually Usher, as confirmed by 21 Savage's manager, though, which is hilarious.
4. Pearl Jam - "Dark Matter"
After more than 30 years, I still get a little twinge of the excitement I felt as a kid when Pearl Jam released the first single from a new album. Very often they've subverted expectations with lead singles that are slower (or faster) than their biggest hits, but "Dark Matter" is a little closer to their comfort zone, it reminds me a bit of the more aggressive songs on Vs with some of the gnarlier guitar tones Mike McCready has favored in recent decades. I'm not surprised to see that it's the band's first #1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart since "Given To Fly."
5. Twice - "I Got You"
I always feel like I'm more into K-pop in theory than in practice, I just think an industry so focused on the most superficial bubblegum aspects of pop music should have more bops. Now and then, though, I stumble across a song that really appeals to me, and "I Got You" unsurprisingly has American origins -- it was co-written by two members of the American boy band Why Don't We, probably originally intended for their group before they went on hiatus in 2022.
6. Mariah The Scientist - "Out Of Luck"
Mariah The Scientist has a supporting role on the terrible Tee Grizzley/Chris Brown song that's on R&B radio constantly, it's kind of sad that that's the biggest hit she's ever been a part of. I really like the KAYTRANADA-produced solo track that's been getting spins lately, though.
7. Carrie Underwood - "Out Of That Truck"
Carrie Underwood's most famous song is about bashing up her ex's truck, so I chuckle at the memory of "Before He Cheats" when I hear her sing a more bittersweet breakup song where she just tells her ex that everything about his truck is going to remind him of her.
8. Loui f/ NLE Choppa - "No Distractions"
I liked Atlanta rapper Loui's single with Saweetie, "Talkin' About," from 2-3 years ago. Then I kinda forgot he existed, but he's got another good one with a very different vibe here.
9. Miley Cyrus and Pharrell Williams - "Doctor (Work It Out)"
A few weeks ago I made a Miley Cyrus deep cuts playlist, and talked about how I much I hated her Bangerz era compared to most of her other music. So imagine my surprise that she released a Bangerz outtake as the lead single to a new album, and I actually like it, easily more than the handful of other Miley/Pharrell songs that were released a decade ago.
10. Luke Combs - "Where The Wild Things Are"
"Where The Wild Things Are" is the very good follow-up to Luke Combs's massively popular cover of "Fast Car." But it peaked at #3 on country radio, making it, weirdly, the least successful single of his career so far -- he's got sixteen #1s plus one song that peaked at #2.
The Worst Single of the Month: Kanye West & Ty Dolla Sign f/ Rich The Kid and Playboi Carti - "Carnival"
Before "Carnival" hit #1 on the Hot 100 last week, it'd been sixteen years since Kanye's last solo #1, twelve years since his last feature on a #1, and almost three years since his last production credit on a #1. Obviously he's done a lot to hasten his commercial decline, including being a horrible person aligned with all sorts of right wing idealogues, but there's still this passionate fanbase of Kanye believers, and they finally got him with a song that's repulsive on several levels. Rich The Kid, an Atlanta D-lister who hadn't been relevant since 2018, delivers a generic swag rap hook that's turned into a soccer chant by actual Italian soccer hooligans, Playboi Carti tries another "cool new voice" that circles back around to being just a Lil Yachty impression, and Kanye drops a bunch of embarrassing reactionary cancel culture bars, ending with some divorced dad grievances about his kids being in a school that is somehow more "fake" than Donda Academy. It sounds like Yeezus: Midlife Crisis Edition.
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on Monday, March 18, 2024 at 10:06 AM.
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