These are L.A.'s ten biggest summer jams, those ubiquitous tunes you'll be hearing all season, whether you're banging them out of your ride with friends on the way to the beach or hearing them rattle the windows of every other car around you as you do your best to exit Dodger Stadium.
And so that you can feel them along with the story, here's our Spotify playlist to go with it.
#1) KENDRICK LAMAR ~ "NOT LIKE US"
“I see dead people…”
As soon as you hear this ghoulish whisper leading into the false start of an instrumental intro, you can sense the malice coming for those who would dare disrespect L.A.’s king. In typical Kendrick Lamar fashion, this lyrical icon smoothly rips into battle, venom locked and loaded.
Spouting aggressive jabs like, “Certified boogeyman, I'm the one that up the score with 'em
Walk him down, whole time, I know he got some ho in him,” it’s clear that Kendrick is not to be played with and can hold his own on any beat.
How many times have you played it in a row?
“Wop, wop, wop, wop, wop, Dot, fuck 'em up
Wop, wop, wop, wop, wop, I'ma do my stuff
Why are you trollin' like a bitch? Ain't you tired?
Tryna strike a chord and it's probably A-Minor.”
Carrying the banner for L.A. hip-hop worldwide, this Compton local took the internet, and the rest of the world, by storm when he played 'Not Like Us' five times in a row at his Juneteenth concert at the Kia Forum two weeks ago. Ever since then, DJ Mustard’s iconic beat seems to be heard almost everywhere you go, the low-end pulsing out of every car window that passes through an L.A. avenue.
“They not like us, they not like us, they not like us
They not like us, they not like us, they not like us.”
#2) TINASHE ~ "NASTY"
Southern-born, Pasadena-raised Tinashe has been in the game for a minute, but 'Nasty' marks one of the artist’s first Billboard-charting hits. With its open, easy sound, pointedly deep bass line, and soaring summer vocals, the song has leapt and bounded across the charts as she trailblazes forward in her quest for Pop-R&B stardom.
The musician-actor has so many hits that truthfully, this song merely strikes the surface of what the multi-genre, hyphenate talent can actually bring to audiences and listeners all over, from her cascading flow to her angelic vocals.
“Is somebody gonna match my freak?
Is somebody gonna match my nasty?
I got stamina, they say I'm a athlete…”
This fun, danceable, summertime hit track has been pulling people up from their seats everywhere, as can be seen in this viral dance video.
#3) SABRINA CARPENTER ~ "ESPRESSO"
Sabrina’s chart-topping hit 'Espresso' is as catchy as can be. If you’ve heard the words, “I’m working late, cause I’m a singer,” you may already be tapped in without even knowing it. The upbeat, 1980s-esque beat lays the perfect bed for the pop star's fun, fluorescent, and emotive vocals.
As if you needed another reason to believe in the track’s summertime viability, the video’s colorful visuals offer even more alluring rationale for this hit to take the cake as “song of the summer” here in L.A.
“Now he's thinkin' 'bout me every night, oh
Is it that sweet? I guess so
Say you can't sleep, baby, I know
That's that me, espresso”
Even Ice Spice gave Sabrina’s hit song her own signature blessing in an exclusive interview with Billboard. When asked about her pick for song of the summer, Spice responded, “I don’t think we have a choice,” illuminating the catchy hold this track has on all of us right now.
#4) GLORILLA ~ "TGIF"
No stranger to the charts, it’s clear that Glorilla's run is nowhere close to being over. Last Sunday night at the BET Awards, we witnessed a beautiful ode to her friendship with hip-hop songstress Megan Thee Stallion, as well as a triumphant performance of her hit song 'Wanna Be' that the duo worked on together.
Rihanna also gave GloRilla her flowers, posting this video of her rapping the track to her husband, A$AP ROCKY. Notorious for primarily posting about her business endeavors, the internet was thrilled to see Rihanna showing love to her fellow female artist.
“It's 7 p.m. Friday (Yup),
It's ninety-five degrees (Woo).”
Has summertime ever been conveyed so perfectly with so few words?
With a danceable snap, thumping, bare bass-line, and ferociously fun braggadocio, this is an aggressive, exciting track; the type that makes you wanna stand up, if you happened to previously be sitting down. GloRilla’s bold delivery on this beat is just one of many reasons she’s budding into a huge hip-hop starlet across the industry.
#5) BILLIE EILISH ~ "BIRDS OF A FEATHER"
Billie Eilish recently put out a new album, 'HIT ME HARD AND SOFT,' showcasing a soothing new sound to her listeners and fans. This slow, comforting ballad seems to be taking the cake as a listener favorite.
The singer’s stunning vocals will be gracing the stage this winter in Los Angeles at her show at the Kia Forum. It’s clear that her music resonates with listeners through her sonic vulnerability, emotional lyrics, rawness, and authenticity.
“Birds of a feather, we should stick together, I know
I said I'd never think I wasn't better alone
Can't change the weather, might not be forever
But if it's forever, it's even better.”
#6) TYLA ~ "JUMP"
Tyla has been taking the world by storm since her hit track 'Water' went viral after being released at the end of last July, causing many to proclaim her the next superstar. Hailing from South Africa, Tyla loves her roots and makes sure that everyone knows where and what she claims.
These roots are evident and compelling in her blend of pop-afrobeats, shout-outs to JoBurg, and embrace of both a dancehall beat and Caribbean collaborator (St. Thomas’s Skillibeng) in 'Jump.'
Her unique takes and image are blowing up. As we watch her emerge victorious in her positive progress as a performer and artist, it’s clear that the only way for Tyla is jUmP.
On Sunday evening, Tyla performed the song at the BET Awards in a beautiful tribute to her home. She came away from the evening holding two BET Awards for “Best New Artist” and “Best International Artist.”
#7) CENTRAL CEE & LIL BABY ~ "BAND4BAND"
“We can go band for band, fuck that, we can go M for M
Mama got a body like Kim and 'em, mama been killin' that gym
We can go watch for watch, from chain to chain, the rings, I'm him
I done got rich, but I'm still with the shit, land in London and go to the ends.”
If you haven’t heard this quatrain, we may suspect you of lying. Taking the internet by storm, this catchy chorus from London’s Central Cee has been living rent-free in our minds.
Drill music, especially that which hails from the UK, is gaining traction and heat for its popular and funky, immersive sounds, in a way that is still “hard” and aggressive as drill music is meant to be.
#8) SAWEETIE~ "NANI"
Saweetie, hailing from The Sac, is a sweetheart of the West Coast, and her fun, vibrant, poppy tracks always emerge as danceable and enigmatic, taking the internet by storm by invigorating new dance trends, aesthetics, and themes.
Saweetie is often dismissed by the media and knocked by haters as “always sampling,” but in reality, her branding is so prominent, and her intentionality and artistry is clear as day to adoring fans, who resonate with the feminine and confident ICY GRL brand.
'NANI' is an uplifting, playful hit song for the girls staying outside in L.A.’s summertime heat, and all the girls who get it, get it.
“Ooh, got that nani, nani, nani (nani)
How she walk through swingin' that body
Yellin', "Who gon' stop me?" (Stop me)
You ain't got the time to clock me (clock-clock)”
#9) CASH COBAIN, ICE SPICE, AND BAY SWAG ~ "FISHERRR (REMIX)"
“Got a attitude, but you bad as shit, so I ain't mad at you
And you tatted too, what I got to do to be havin' you?
I play the avenue, top five Slizzy and a savage too
And your ass fat, know you eat your rice and your cabbage too.”
With a spacious, airy drone of a beat, rapid-fire vocals, and the fierce clapback of Ice Spice seen above, 'Fisherrr (Remix)' doesn’t have the most serious of lyrics, but it is seriously catchy, and a real contender for a top song of the summer.
#10) TOMMY RICHMAN ~ "MILLION DOLLAR BABY"
Late this Spring, 'MILLION DOLLAR BABY' began circulating the internet, captivating listeners and social media heads. Crossing the boundaries of genre fluidity, the track has a unique, captivating sound that feels nostalgic, with synth tones, recurring samples, and beats reminiscent of the 80’s.
Over soulful harmonies, the song somehow still maintains hip-hop’s hardcore feeling, with groove-rich pulses of a 70s dance floor and vocals that seem to have hopped into a time machine and entered a sound system of the past.
In this track, the production takes the cake, but the vocals still complement this fun and nostalgic blast from the past type of sound.
“I ain't never rep a set, baby (mm-mm), I ain't do no wrong
I could clean up good for you (mm-mm), oh, I know right from wrong
'Cause I wanna make it (mm, mm, mm), so badly
I'm a million dollar baby (mm, mm, mm), don't at me (yeah)”
