According to Spotify I listened to 21,982 minutes (that’s 366 hours or 15 days!) of music which included 31 different genres, my most popular being Oz Hip Hop, followed by Reggae and Oz Rock. The artists that I listened to the most were Peter Tosh, Aurora, The Doors, Benee and Baker Boy and my most listened to songs on Spotify were ‘Cure For Me’ by Aurora, followed by ‘Groovy’ by Barkaa, then ‘Reggaemylitis’ by Peter Tosh, ‘Riders on the Storm’ by the Doors and ‘I Can’t Breathe’ by Dobby (featuring Barkaa).
However, this only accounts for maybe 20-25% of my music appreciation during the year as I often listen to my iPod which contains 100’s of my CDs and 1,000’s of songs. I still listen to CD’s occasionally too (especially those who haven’t found their way onto the iPod). As far as the radio is concerned, I listened to Triple J a lot less this year than previous years. Unfortunately, when I have tuned in to the J’s this year it has felt like listening to commercial radio at times. I have also found some of the presenters hard to listen too as well, apart from Dave Woodhead, he’s cool. But my time listening to the J’s has fluctuated up and down over the last 15-20 years depending on the presenters and type of music played so next year may be different, who knows!?
Anyway, be that as it may, similar to previous years I have set some rules for myself for choosing my Top 10 songs for the Hottest 100, namely I will only choose one song from any one artist or album. This is always a challenging task especially when all the new albums I have loved this year are full of bangers and I could choose a top ten from any one of them.
Some of my favourite artists have missed the cut this year. Seth Sentry released his album ‘Super Cool Tree House’ in June but most of the songs are from a series of YouTube songs he did during 2020. These songs are cool, especially ‘I’m Not Sad’, ‘Titan’, ‘Denial’, ‘Wing Dings’ and ‘Gatorade Bong’, but they were the soundtrack to much of 2020 and I haven’t included them in my top 10. ‘Castlevania’ is on the album and was first released in 2021, and while it’s a good enough song, its probably my least favourite on the album so unfortunately I couldn’t find room for Seth this year.
Billie Eilish released an album ‘Happier Than Ever’ in 2021 and while it is also a great album, I couldn’t find a spot for any of her tracks in my top 10. I couldn’t find room for songs from B Wise’s new album ‘jamie’ or Birdz new album ‘Legacy’ either.
Other songs that I considered for my top ten included Lisa Mitchell’s ‘Zombie’, Rapaport’s ‘Rain Clouds’ and Briggs’ ‘Shadows feat. Troy Cassar-Daley’.
Anyways, enough about those that didn’t make the cut, without further ado, here are my top 10 songs for the Hottest 100 of 2021.
- Aurora – Cure For Me
Aurora has become one of my favourite artists and she has released a plethora of music this year. In February she released five compilation EP’s: ‘For the Humans Who Take Long Walks in the Forest’, ‘Music for the Free Spirits’, ‘Stories’, ‘For the Metal People’, and ‘Music for the Fellow Witches Out There’ which contain many previously released tracks. In March she released several different versions of her song ‘Runaway’ and in July she released ‘Cure For Me’ as the second single for her upcoming album. In October she released a third single from the album called ‘Giving In To The Love’. The first single from the album, ‘Exist for Love’, was released in 2020 and made my top ten last year.
Aurora also featured on the Sub Urban song called ‘Paramour’ which was released in November and she also released a song called ‘Midas Touch’ which features on a TV series called ‘Hanna’.
However, my favourite track from Aurora for 2021 was ‘Cure For Me’ and has been a regular in my playlists since its release in July, in fact it was a contender for my number one song for the year. It is a dance song with a much more upbeat sound than her previous releases, but it has an important message. Aurora has described the songs inspiration as “It is inspired in the vibe, the having no shame in being who you are and being really proud and free in who you are. It’s very inspired by the gay community and also drag queens because I just find them so inspiring in so many ways!”
She also said this about the song, “Sometimes I feel like the whole world Is trying to convince you something is wrong with you. And sadly often people believe this to be true. It is very frightening how easy it is for someone to convince you that you are wrong. Or that you are overly emotional, too strange, and not good enough. And I think it’s about time we shut those voices out. Because in no way should anyone convince you that you are not worthy because of the way you look, act, your faith, or the way you are born to love. We should be allowed to be human. And we don’t need a cure for it.”
I have really enjoyed listening to this song during 2021 and it is a great opening track to kick off my top 10.
I am looking forward to listening to Aurora’s new album, ‘The Gods We Can Touch’ which is to be released on 21 January 2022. I’m sure it will contain contenders for my top ten for the 2022 Hottest 100.
- Benee – Doesn’t Matter
Benee released ‘Doesn’t Matter’ in October 2021 and is the first new material she has released since her debut album ‘Hey u x’ last year. ‘Doesn’t Matter’ is an honest, beautifully vulnerable and mellow ballad about her struggles with mental health.
Benee said this about the track, “This year has been very difficult for me and many other people, and I’ve had times that I’ve really felt my lowest. I wrote “Doesn’t Matter” during one of these periods when I felt truly overwhelmed, anxious, and stuck. I was diagnosed with OCD, which actually helped me understand myself better. This song ponders on what it would be like to feel truly carefree and how much easier life would be. Sometimes, it’s hard for people who don’t suffer from anxiety or depression to really understand what it’s like for us. People telling you not to worry or saying “It doesn’t matter” don’t understand that it’s not that simple. Having had help to learn how to deal with my own anxiety and depression, I want others to know that there is a way through.”
Benee is planning to release an EP early in 2022 and I can’t wait to hear what else she has been creating.
- Jimblah + Marlon + BLKMPIRE – Lean on Me
I couldn’t leave Jimblah out of my top 10. He teamed up with Marlon and BLKMPIRE to produce this track which is a response to the systemic racism in our society. As stated by Jimblah, “Every time I walk out the house, I have to fight to show my value to society, that I can contribute, that I have what it takes, that its not me personally, but rather a system that has stacked the odds up against my favour, and yet somehow I still manage the ability to shine in a way all of those who ridicule us could never truly understand.
The issue is that I can bring something transformative to this Country, but it struggles to want to see that capacity in Blak Men, for it just wants servitude.”
This song was written for all Indigenous peoples, but in particularly indigenous men, as Jimblah also said, “I see you, what you go through, I acknowledge your reality, I won’t ever try to deny you of that. I accept your truth, no matter how hard it is for the rest to confront, and most of all – I’m here to stand with you, in solidarity, as we commit to doing better by ourselves so we may do better by our Community.”
- JK-47 – Healing
I first heard JK-47 last year and selected ‘The Recipe’ from his debut album ‘Made For This’ in my top 10 last year. I love the following quote by JK-47 about his music, “I want to make music that my son can listen to and be proud of, that won’t lead him astray. I want to write the type of music he can show his friends and learn from, grow with. Not just my son but everyone who listens to my music; I want to help them grow and have a positive effect on their lives.”
Anyway, JK-47 released a single this year called ‘Healing’ and I couldn’t leave it out of my top 10. Its just another one of those raw, honest and reflective Oz hip hop songs that inspire me.
He also did ‘Rappertag #03’ for season 2 of Rapper Tag which 360 started off in July this year. To be honest I haven’t enjoyed many of the rapper tags in this season, but some of the early ones were good, such as this one by JK-47, which I very nearly selected for my top 10 but the toss of the coin between these two tracks fell on ‘Healing’.
This track, as well as the previous track by Jimblah, indicate the healing that is required in our society because of the systemic racism within it.
- L-Fresh the Lion – Ek Parivar
This track highlights the plight of farmers and the people of Punjab in response to recent legislation in India. This legislation has resulted in mass protests, particularly in the states of Punjab and Haryana. The legislation has been described by many as discriminatory, placing the interests of capitalists and corporations above those of everyday farmers and has been rejected by over 30 farmers unions across Punjab.
As usual L’s lyrics hit the mark, from the opening verse of the song …
Look into my eyes tell me what do you see
I run straight toward the fire to the belly of the beast
Ain’t afraid of the odds, never scared of defeat
From a lineage of people who’d rather die that retreat
And this verse that seems to capture a theme for people across the world …
The people in their struggle in their hour of need
The rich lining their pockets while the rest of us bleed
This is a warning sound to the oppressive and corrupt
Your time is up the people have had enough
L-Fresh the Lion is one of my all-time favourite artists and I couldn’t leave him out of my top 10. He also released another single this year called ‘Remember’, check it out.
- Spinifex Gum – No Longer There
I first fell in love with Spinifex Gum when I saw them perform at Womad in 2019. They released an album this year, ‘Live at Sydney Opera House’ which I thoroughly recommend, they put on a great performance. However, all the songs on the album had been released prior to 2021. Luckily, in November, to coincide with the Climate Change Summit (COP26), they released a new single, ‘No Longer There’, to call on the Australian government to take further climate action.
As stated in their Facebook post upon the release of this song, “No Longer There is an ode to our love of country. It’s a call to act now, to work together and reverse the effects of climate change before it’s too late. If you’re a choir, school or community group, head to our website and download the materials to make your own version of the song. Be a voice for change.”
We should all be inspired to be voices for change and I am so grateful for this inspirational song.
The arrangement and backing track for this song can be found on this link to the Spinifex Gum website if you are interested in performing this song.
- Tones and I – Cloudy Day
Tones and I released her debut album, ‘Welcome the Madhouse’ in July this year and it contains many great songs that could all have made my top 10. My favourite tracks from the album include ‘Lonely’, ‘Fly Away’, ‘Cloudy Day’, ‘Won’t Sleep’ and ‘Westside Lobby’.
I contemplated selecting each of these songs but in the end landed on ‘Cloudy Day’ for my top 10 as it’s an uplifting song and contains the following verses.
Am I living?
Oh, what a funny thing to say
But there’s alive, and then there’s living
Am I living for today? Hmm
And I’m getting older
With every memory I make
Now that I’m older, with these moments
Will I live with them or just throw them away, away?
- Bliss n Eso – Good People (feat Kasey Chambers)
Bliss n Eso released their 7th album, ‘The Sun’ in August this year. I love the energy, lyrics and beats that Bliss n Eso have consistently put out since they emerged with their debut album, ‘Flowers in the Pavement’ back in 2004. Their latest album contains several bangers, including ‘On One feat. Dizzee Rascal & Kings’, ‘Daddy’s Caddy, ‘Lighthouse feat Jake Isaac’ and ‘Tell The World That I’m Coming’. Actually, I need to make special mention of that track, ‘Tell The World That I’m Coming’ as it was very close to making my top 10 and would have had I allowed more than one song from an album. It’s a typical Bliss n Eso hype up motivational song that inspires me.
But I have landed on ‘Good People (feat Kasey Chambers)’ as my favourite track from this album and it was also a contender for my number 1 song for the year. The song touches on the challenges we may face in life and how we all need good people around us to overcome these challenges. This song makes me feel good to be alive as it inspires me to be grateful for the friends and family who are part of my life.
- Baker Boy – Headphones
Finally … Baker Boy released his debut album, ‘Gela’ this year. I’ve been looking forward to listening to his first album ever since I saw him perform at the Enmore Theatre back in 2018. He has released many singles since then, but no album, until now.
I love every track on the album and there are few contenders for my number 1 song for the year, let alone for the top 10. I was close to selecting ‘Survive’ as my favourite track, it is a defiant anthem and probably his most overtly political track which not only expresses his frustration and anger but also stays true to his positive message, ‘Somewhere Deep’ was also in the mix and is a song that decries climate change and mining practices and ‘Ain’t Nobody Like You’ was also a contender, it includes the message that we are all unique and we just got to be who we are and not care what others think. The album also contains several songs that were released in previous years, including Move’, ‘Meditjin’ and ‘Cool As Hell’ which made my top 10 for the 2019 Hottest 100.
However, I ended up selecting ‘Headphones’, it’s a song about our current lifestyle and the need for us find something better than how we are living at present. I love the opening verse which goes …
Do we live to work or work to live
Got me thinking what my purpose is
But them bills don’t stop
And to stay on top
U gotta rock up daily to these circuses
When money is the motive
We chasin that promotion
Everybody cause commotion
Cause we all gotta eat
It takes some time to realize that this 9 to 5
Ain’t nothing more than a screen and a seat
But when its knock off
Im outta there like rocket
Best believe I got a whole lot of spring in my step
And all the stress I leave at the desk
Bump my headphones loud just to clear my head
I know i’m not the only one
That’s feels like the only one
Or my company owes me 1
Cause over time this over time
It takes its toll we pay the price
It was hard not to give Baker Boy my number one song for the year as I just love his album, ‘Gela’ is my favourite album from 2021, and he has become one of my all-time favourite artists in recent years. This is evident as he has already had my number 1 songs in 2017 (with ‘Marryuna’) as well as 2018 (with ‘Mr La Di Da Di’) and has had 6 songs in my past 5 top 10’s so I’ve already given him heaps of love in the Hottest 100.
Be that as it may, during the course of 2021 I have discovered another amazing artist, Barkaa, whose songs have been on high rotation all year and her single, ‘King Brown’ deserves the mantle as my number 1 song for 2021.
- Barkaa – King Brown
I first started listening to Barkaa early this year, actually it was during my walks to and from the Adelaide Writers Festival in March when I first listened to her songs such as ‘Our Lives Matter’, ‘Groovy’, ‘For My Tittas’, ‘22 CLAN’(which she performs with Mackridge) and ‘I Can’t Breathe’ (by DOBBY and featuring Barkaa) and they have been a regular feature in my headphones ever since.
The above songs were released in 2020 however ‘Groovy’ was released in December 2020 so is eligible for this Hottest 100 and could easily have been my number 1 for the year. But I have chosen ‘King Brown’ as my number 1 song for 2021. Barkaa said this about the song; “‘King Brown’ is just a f*ck you to my ex basically, it’s cheeky, it’s comical and it’s fun… I guess with ‘King Brown’ I wanted to show that side of me. This is a track for my sisters to keep their head up too, to feel good again and to put their middle fingers up at those who don’t deserve us.”
I also totally recommend you get your ears around Barkaa’s new EP, ‘Blak Matriarchy’, which was released on 3 December this year so most of the songs are not eligible for this year’s Hottest 100, but they will be next year. I am sure that at least one of the songs, such as the title track ‘Blak Matriarchy’, or ‘Godz’, ‘Bow Down’ or ‘Come Back’ will feature in my top 10 next year.
Barkaa’s story is one that inspires me and if you wish to learn more about her story here is a Link to an article by Declan Byrne that I found on the ABC’s website.
I said a few years back that I thought Baker Boy was an important artist for the coming decade and I now think the same about Barkaa. I am looking forward to what these amazing artists produce in the coming years and I am sooooo looking forward to seeing both Barkaa and Baker Boy (as well as L-Fresh the Lion, Paul Kelly, Cat Empire and A.B.Original) perform at WOMADelaide in March 2022.
All the best to you and thank you for reading this blog.
So … what are your top 10 songs from 2021?
2021 Hottest 100 Top Ten (in order)
- Barkaa – King Brown
- Baker Boy – Headphones
- Bliss n Eso – Good People (feat Kasey Chambers)
- Tones and I – Cloudy Day
- Spinifex Gum – No Longer There
- L-Fresh the Lion – Ek Parivar
- JK-47 – Healing
- Jimblah x Marlon x BLKMPIRE – Lean on Me
- Benee – Doesn’t Matter
- Aurora – Cure for Me
Here are some of my previous top tens …
2020 Hottest 100 Top Ten (in order)
- L-Fresh the Lion – Peace & Light
- Jimblah – What’s Going On (Triple J Like a Version)
- Tuka – January 1st
- Jimmy Nice – Janet’s Son
- JK-47 – The Recipe
- Benee – Happen to Me
- Aurora – Exist for Love
- Okenyo – Solo
- Baker Boy & Dallas Woods – Better Days (feat Sampa the Great)
- Public Enemy – Fight the Power: Remix 2020 (feat Nas, Rapsody, Back Thought, Jahi & Quest Love)
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 (Number 1 for the Year)
- Bliss n Eso – Moments
- Jimblah – My Island Home
2016 Hottest 100 Top Ten
- AB Original – January 26 (Number 1 for the year)
- 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 (Number 1 for the year)
- Chance Waters – Break of Dawn
- L-Fresh the Lion – Get Mine