My Top 10 for this year’s Hottest 100 contains five new artists that I have either heard for the first time this year and/or have released their debut album this year as well as some all-time favourites such as Hilltop Hoods, Horrorshow, Jimblah and Baker Boy. My previous Top 10 lists have been mainly filled with Aussie Hip Hop artists (and hence male artists) but this year there are only five Hip Hop songs and eight female artists are represented which is really cool. I recall several years ago a friend of mine admonishing me for my very male centric music collection, I think at the time the only female bands/singers I had were Nitocris and Kosheen. I am proud to say I now have a much more broad female representation in my music collection and I guess that is reflected in this year’s Top 10.
Similar to last year I have set some rules for myself, namely that I will only choose one song from any one artist or album. This is always a challenging task especially when most of the albums I loved this year are full of bangers and I could choose a top ten from any one of them.
So without any further ado, and in no particular order apart from my Number 1, here is my Top 10 for 2019 …
“Final Form” by Sampa the Great from her debut album ‘The Return’
I first saw Sampa the Great (Sampa Tembo) perform when she collaborated with Denzel Curry when they performed his song, Black Balloons as part of his Triple J ‘Like a Version’ set. However, I am a bit slow off the mark in discovering this amazing artist as Sampa has been around for some 4 or so years and released ‘The Great Mixtape’ in 2015 and her ‘Birds and the BEE9’ mixtape in 2017.
Her debut album, ‘The Return’ was released in September this year and has been on high rotation ever since. One of things I love about the CD is the lyric book which contains an explanation for the inspiration and meaning of each song and provides a greater appreciation for the journey Sampa went through in creating this album. This type of information and lyric books are why I still love purchasing CD’s.
The album is honest, raw and unapologetic and contains several contenders for my Top 10 list. She raps about black excellence, the impact of fame, the weight of expectation and the strength of women. I love her song ‘Freedom’ which is about how much we are willing to compromise with our artistic expression and contains the following lines …
Music is the business
Now I’m singing in the vehicle
Singing bout my freedom
While they planning how it’s buyable
I also love the tracks ‘Made us Better’, ‘Mwana’ and “OMG’ but have landed on ‘Final Form’ for my Top 10.
Final Form was released in June this year and was the first single released from ‘The Return’. It has a great beat and energy that gets you jumping and I love the story of the creation of the song whereby Sampa and her team found that elusive flow and energy where they just worked all night absorbed in the creative process and it was not until the next morning when she listened to the song that she realised what a dope track they had produced.
According to Sampa, ‘Final Form is about expanding yourself and calling out any negativity towards that growth process. As an artist I now recognise my in-between stage; sometimes it drops and sometimes it rises, but I love that I get to level up each second. I might even find final form tomorrow.”
“Never Felt the Rain” by Tones and I from her debut EP ‘The Kids are Coming’
Tones and I (aka Toni Watson) is another new artist who has exploded onto the scene this year with her single ‘Dance Monkey’ (released in May) reaching number 1 on the music charts in over 30 countries and has broken the record for most weeks atop the ARIA singles chart, at last count it was 21 consecutive weeks and still counting! ‘Dance Monkey’ was her second single, it followed ‘Johnny Run Away’ which was released in March. In July she released ‘Never Seen the Rain’ and in August she released her debut EP, ‘The Kids are Coming’.
I only purchased the EP this month and it arrived just in time for Christmas and has been played several times every day since. I just love her unique voice and the energy and feel of her songs. The video for Dance Monkey is also excellent.
I could have picked several tracks from the EP, especially ‘Dance Monkey’ and ‘The Kids are Coming’ which is an anthem for the current generation coming through but I have selected ‘Never seen the Rain’ for the Top 10 this year. This song is about being stuck in a cycle of mediocrity and being confined by our fear of failure so we don’t even try. This song inspires me to get off my arse and be my best self.
“Not Angry Anymore” by Thelma Plum from her debut album ‘Better in Blak’
Another debut album from an amazing Australian artist, Thelma Plum’s ‘Better in Blak’ was released in July this year and made it to number 4 on the ARIA charts. I love the honesty, charm and courageousness of her lyrics and how she has used the pain and sadness she has experienced in recent years to create such a self-assured and courageous album. No one should have to deal with the racism and misogynistic hate that Thelma has but I love the way she has on this album.
I could have chosen several tracks from this album, the title track ‘Better in Blak’ is an emotional and cathartic song in response to her detractors that overlays her honest lyrics with danceable beats. ‘Woke Blokes’ is a song that takes down the hypocrisy of online activists who talk the talk but never get around to walk the walk, they don’t actively implement ‘being woke’ in their day to day lives. This has resonance with me on a different level as I am currently reading Meta Human by Deepak Chopra which is about waking up to our consciousness. I also love ‘Made for You’ which Thelma wrote with Paul Kelly and also has Paul McCartney play guitar on.
However my favourite song is ‘Not Angry Anymore’, according to Thelma the song ‘is about healing, forgiveness and understanding that we aren’t always in control of everybody’s actions and we can only take responsibility for our own happiness – though sometimes that process can be a long and difficult one’. The lines ‘I’m not perfect, I’m still learning’ is a perfect statement for me and reminds me to be humble and to never stop learning.
A regret I have from earlier this year is we did see some of Thelma’s set at Womad but left after several songs. I can’t recall what band we were off to see instead but on reflection we should have stayed for the whole set, especially now that I love her new album and have a greater appreocation of her as an artist. Hopefully I get the opportunity to see her perform again soon.
“bad guy” by Blllie Eilish from her debut album “When we all fall asleep, where do we go”
Picking a favourite song from Billie Eilish’s debut album was probably the most difficult from all the new albums this year. Every song is a banger and I have no standouts, it is no wonder that she has broken the record for most simultaneously charting Hot 100 songs in the US by a female artist with 14 after every song on the album, excluding ‘Goodbye’ charted on the Hot 100.
It is hard to believe Billie has only just turned 18 however it is easy to believe her album debuted at Number 1 in the USA and was the best performing album in the US during 2019. Her album has been on high rotation since I purchased it earlier this year.
It was hard to pick one track from this album but I have decided to choose ‘bay guy’. It’s got a great beat that gets me going and it’s a song that pokes fun at the way we present ourselves and makes fun of the personas we make of ourselves. We shouldn’t take ourselves too seriously and in our current social media age we can exacerbate our need to create a persona that isn’t really us.
“The Seed” by Aurora from her album ‘A Different Kind of Human’
I first heard/saw Aurora perform when she did her Like a Version set earlier this year. I was immediately captivated by this quirky, unique and talented artist from Norway.
‘A Different Kind of Human’ is her second studio album following her debut album, ‘All my Demons Greeting Me as a Friend’ released in 2016. I have purchased both albums this year and I love them both.
There are many great tracks on her new album, including ‘The River’, which is about how we hold back our emotions because its seen as weak but that we should allow our emotions to show as that is what makes us human, ‘Animal’ which is about searching for love and the sensuality of nature, ‘Daydreamer’ which says people should be daydreamers and not one dimensional people with little contact with the world or their true selves, ‘Dance on the Moon’ and the title track ‘A Different Kind of Human’.
Before I end up listing all the tracks of the album, my favourite track is ‘The Seed’, which I first heard Aurora play as part of her Like a Version set. This powerful track is about the destruction of the natural world by humans and the destruction we are causing in the pursuit of money and greed.
According to Aurora, ‘It’s an environmental song, because I love mother earth and I think we’re in such an exciting time now, where people are really starting to act on her behalf … its inspired by a Native American poem and the idea that only when we lost everything we will realise that we can’t eat money. So that became the catchphrase of the whole thing.”
Now more than ever we need to heed to the need to see ourselves as a part of nature and not competing with her.
“Be Yourself’ by Hilltop Hoods from their album ‘The Great Expanse’
The Hoods released their 8th studio album this year, ‘The Great Expanse’ and in my opinion it’s one of their best, these guys just keep upping the ante for Aussie Hip Hop. If I had to pick a favourite album for 2019 then this would be it.
As for my favourite track for my Top 10 it has to be ‘Be Yourself’ which features Ecca Vandal and Nyassa. It includes some great lyrics/verses including …
Feeling good, in fact I’m feeling mighty fine
Another year, another grind, another smile line
Dead star type of light shine, why you taking up my time
If you aint of a like mind
Forget what you and who say
It’s the future that moves my mood today
I could be toothless and grey, lose my toupee
And still feel bullet proof like Luke Cage
I’ve never been concerned with a beef
Just learning to be the best version of me
They say that we can learn from defeat
Why are they looking for adversity permanently?
They’re missing the mark, still in a rut
Need a little bit of dip in their strut, living it up
The enlightened feeling of not giving a fuck
While they’re putting me down I’ve been picking it up
Don’t let no one tell you who you are, be yourself
This is a positive and uplifting song and one of the many excellent tracks on this album making it one of the best albums for 2019.
“New Normal” by Horrorshow from their album “New Normal’
Horrorshow released their 5th studio album this year, ‘New Normal’. Horrorshow have been one of my favourite bands for quite some time now and Solo and Adit haven’t disappointed with their latest release, it’s a cracker.
My favourite track is the title track, ‘New Normal’. I think this track provides the essence of this album and is a spoken word breakdown aimed at us the listeners. It has some moving lyrics including the chorus …
When the day breaks, when the night falls
When the time comes, and my names called
I’ma say grace, let the cards fall
I just hope I can say I gave my all
Or the following verse …
Be brave
Be strong
Persist
Persevere
Believe
That’s all any of us can do
Oh – and enjoy
Find the joy that you deserve inside your every day
The delicious meal you just ate
The friend that made you laugh or asked you how you are
The sun on your face
The birds chirping in the trees around you
The sights, the sounds, the ups, the downs
All of it
The next 3 songs in my top ten were not from albums.
“Buckle Up” by Okenyo
Okenyo is one of my favourite artists releasing her debut EP last year and her track 20/20 making my Top 10 last year. I was privileged to hear Okenyo talk at the Elefant in the Room show in Melbourne in November last year, her talk gave me further insight into her personality and what drives her as an artist. This year she released two singles, ‘Eyes to the Sky’ and ‘Buckle Up’. I have included ‘Buckle Up’ in my Top 10. It has a great bassline and her bold lyrics that I love. According to Okenyo, “It’s intimate, but confident and bold all at the same time. I wanted to explore the art of love by verbalising how we relate through our bodies, the tension and release. I love the freedom and elation in this song, its joy unbound.”
“Cool as Hell” by Baker Boy
Baker Boy has made my Top 10 for the last 2 years with 3 songs and this year he has three singles to choose from.
This year Baker Boy has released ‘In Control’, ‘Meditjin (feat Jess B)’ and ‘Cool as Hell’. They are all absolute bangers and I could easily have put all three into the Top 10 but it was really a toss-up between ‘Meditjin’ and ‘Cool as Hell’ as to my favourite track and at the end of the day I have chosen ‘Cool as Hell’ for the Top 10.
‘Cool as Hell’ is a great positive song that makes you feel happy and dance. Baker Boy says that ‘Cool as Hell is about letting the music take control of your body’ and I must confess I have danced around the house to it, it’s such a great track that I always feel better for listening to it.
I am still awaiting Baker Boy to release an album, it will be special when he does, I think he is one of our most important artists. He already has an amazing collection of tracks and a live show that is second to none.
‘Cool as Hell’ was very close to being my number 1 track for the year but I have decided to go with ….
“Black Life Matters” by Jimblah & Ellie May
Along with Baker Boy, I also believe Jimblah to be one of our most important artists. Jimblah and Ellie May’s song ‘Black Life Matters’ was written in just two days and was born out of the grief and sadness following the shooting of Kumanjayi Walker and contains the message that enough is enough and it is time to treat our indigenous people with the respect and dignity they deserve. I guess Jimblah says it all about the song, “Black Life Matters is in response to the constant downplaying of First nations reality, the lack of truth on the matter, the constant disingenuous narratives that are centred around ensuring Non-Indigenous Australians feel comfortable with the continued dispossession of First Nations People from our Lands, and to the reality that genocide is in full swing, yet it’s just another normal day in Australia.”
I think ‘Black Life Matters’ is one of the most important Australian songs to be released this year and this is why I have chosen it to be my Number 1.
So that’s my Top 10 for 2019. There are some amazing artists and songs that missed the cut including offerings from the likes of Adrian Eagle, G Flip, L-Fresh the Lion, Complete, Hermitude, Mambali and Seth Sentry to name a few.
2019 Hottest 100 Top Ten
- Sampa the Great – Final Form
- Tones and I- Never Felt the Rain
- Thelma Plum – Not Angry Anymore
- Billie Eilish – bad guy
- Aurora – The Seed
- Hilltop Hoods – Be Yourself
- Horrorshow – New Normal
- Okenyo – Buckle Up
- Baker Boy – Cool as Hell
- Jimblah and Ellie May – Black Life Matters (number 1 for the year)
2018 Hottest 100 Top Ten
- Paul Kelly – A Bastard Like Me
- John Butler Trio – Home
- Okenyo – 20/20
- B-Wise – The Key
- Joyride – 6am
- Rapaport – Microphone Check
- Thundamentals – I Miss You
- Omar Musa – Since Ali Died
- The Herd – Bodies
- Baker Boy – Mr La Di Da Di (Number 1 for the year)
2017 Hottest 100 Top Ten
- Thundamentals – Ignorance Is Bliss
- Thundamentals – Everyone We Know
- Seth Sentry – Play it Safe
- L-Fresh the Lion – Our World
- Horrorshow – Eat the Cake
- Joyride – Aunty Traceys Cookies
- Baker Boy – Cloud 9
- Baker Boy – Marryuna
- Bliss n Eso – Moments
- Jimblah – My Island Home
2016 Hottest 100 Top Ten
- AB Original – January 26
- B-Wise – Smile
- L-Fresh the Lion – 1 in 100,000
- L-Fresh the Lion – Takeover
- L-Fresh the Lion – Get Mine
- Horrorshow – Right Here
- Horrorshow – Push
- Omar Musa – Lak$a
- Omar Musa – Razors Edge
- Mirrah – So Right
2015 Hottest 100 Top Ten
- Jimblah – Treaty 2015
- Tuka – My Star
- Hermitude – Through the Roof
- Hermitude – The Buzz
- Horrorshow – Any Other Name
- Seth Sentry – Dumb
- Seth Sentry – Run
- Briggs – The Children Came Back
- Chance Waters – Break of Dawn
- L-Fresh the Lion – Get Mine