Hip-hop music’s explosive beats, intelligent lyrics, & dynamic personalities continue to attract listeners worldwide. As 2023 draws to a close, fans have had the opportunity to listen to a number of the finest hip-hop tunes. According to numerous hip hop news, this year has seen the release of rap songs that have made ripples in the industry.

• Central Cee / Dave: Sprinter

The animating question at the heart of this song is: How many women can you squeeze in a minibus? Both Dave & Central Cee have tackled heavier issues, but “Sprinter” reminds his fans that a good time doesn’t have to be profound. The silver-tongued London MCs riff on being paid and getting females to the gentle strum of Spanish guitar; the lyrics are sharp, the rizz flawless. “Sprinter” topped the UK charts for ten weeks, making it the country’s longest-running number-one UK rap hit ever. The fact that it appears to be shrugged off adds to its domination.

• Ice Spice / Nicki Minaj: Princess Diana Remix

Nicki Minaj contributed to Ice Spice’s “Princess Diana” in April. It was the first time the two had worked together on a song. The original “Princess Diana” is taken from the Bronx rapper’s January EP Like..?

• Kendrick Lamar / Baby Keem: The Hillbillies

It’s great to see Kendrick enjoying a good time again. On “The Hillbillies,” the rapper & his cousin Baby Keem duel for the greatest one-liners over bright Jersey club percussion & a Bon Iver sample. Their natural connection is insane and captivating, similar to seeing two All-Stars score style points rather than attempting to win the game.

• Lil Wayne: Kant Nobody

Lil Wayne’s “Kant Nobody” is a hard-hitting rap song that emanates confidence and tenacity. The lyrics, which were released in February 2023, give a vivid picture of the rapper’s life on his journey as he deals with the highs & lows of his voyage.

• Drake: 8 am in Charlotte

Drake can be one of the top bar-for-bar rappers on the globe when he stops sounding like an annoying White Lotus character, sing-whining over botched luxury trips and the women who have allegedly done him dirty. “8am in Charlotte” follows in the footsteps of his previous head-down timestamp tunes, delivering tart punchlines over dinner party boom-bap. He’s a not-so-secret assassin, flinging subliminals at YoungBoy & Kanye while hinting at having career-ending tapes of his adversaries to unleash at any time. Most notably, he hosts an amateur European history podcast, in which he drops the names of defunct nations in his quest for quotables. He genuinely ought to be stunned by his dingbat genius this time.

• Ice Spice: Deli

Your deli is a sacred place in New York: the community, the convenience, the Salsalito turkey sandwiches. So, Ice Spice standing up for herself is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate that, despite her meteoric rise to pop stardom (and membership in Taylor Swift’s inner circle), she’s still a Bronx kid through and through. With a vocal intensity and booming ad-libs that hearken back to her drill roots, supported by a rumbling, Jersey-club-influenced beat from her producer RiotUSA, Ice Spice swings in the opposite direction of bubblegum singles like: –

• Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2
• Barbie World

This is just the tip of the iceberg, and hip hop news junkies can attest to it. Therefore, if you enjoy listening to hip-hop hits, it’s time to go online and check what you might have missed listening to this year (2023).