Best Rap Songs of 2013

The top rap songs of the year in terms of actual ability on display and listening value, not radio play or reviews.
The Top Ten
1 Swimming Pools (Drank) - Kendrick Lamar

Anyone who didn't vote for this has no idea what rap is.

2 Hive - Earl Sweatshirt

Earl Sweatshirt is like all the weirdness of Tyler, the Creator combined with all the wordplay and talent of Kendrick Lamar. I personally believe that Earl has a lot of untapped potential yet to tap into, which would involve him expanding his range past slow minimalist beats. But "Hive" is still an outstanding track, and "Doris" was the best album I've ever been disappointed by.

Earl sweatshirt is the best in the game. Him and Kendrick.

3 Rap God - Eminem

Most iconic one for sure, but not the BEST for me.

4 Unorthodox - Joey Bada$$
5 I Am Who Am (Killin' Time) - Mac Miller

My favorite song on this record. Simply put the Adam Sandler of hip hop

6 Control - Big Sean

Jay Electron is solid but Big Sean and Kendrick deliver flawlessly

7 The Monster - Eminem

It's still shocking to me that "Rap God" got any attention at all on an album loaded with great songs, when it's just six minutes of painful bragging that no one needs to hear. Okay, now that's out of the way. So, "The Monster" is a pretty good track. Actually it's a really good track. I was thinking it was just going to be "Love the Way You Lie" all over again, but that's not what it's like at all. This time Eminem's rapping is original and creative and Rihanna's singing isn't pitchy and aggravating. The combination is beautiful.

8 Molasses - Earl Sweatshirt
9 Poetic Justice - Kendrick Lamar
10 Shabba - A$ap Ferg
The Contenders
11 Chance the Rapper - Juice

The flow that Chance possesses is unrivaled in the rap game right now. Not only is "Juice" pleasing to the ears, but it shows off Chance's creativity and intricacy. He's clearly on his own level, even with a lot of talented rappers who are up and coming.

12 Backseat Freestyle - Kendrick Lamar

Speaking of up and coming, Kendrick might be the next big thing in the rap game. His verse in "Control" by Big Sean is solid, but just because he's calling rappers out doesn't mean it's the best thing out there. However, Kendrick is an incredibly talented rapper. "Backseat Freestyle" is proof alone that he has serious skill.

13 Oceans - Jay-Z
14 Love 2 Dislike Me - Tech N9ne

"Something Else" by Tech N9ne may very well be the most underrated album of the year, and "Love 2 Dislike Me" is an underrated track as well. The beautiful combination of Liz Suwandi's haunting soft voice, Tyler Lyon's controlled anger, and Tech N9ne's usual unbelievably intricate rhyme scheme make this the best song that no one has heard.

15 Snow Tha Product - Hola

It's so nice to hear a female rapper who isn't named Nikki Minage manage to fight her way onto the scene. Snow is the real deal. She's not just a commodity and isn't selling her body, and she's certainly not just riding the fact that she's a woman to gain fame. She has serious talent. And she can rap in two languages better than most people can rap in one!

16 Dip - Danny Brown

I've personally never tried dip, and after Danny Brown's rap about it I certainly don't want to chance that. There's a serious sense of agony behind that fast party beat and cleverly worded rhymes. Danny Brown puts a lot more emotion into his tracks than he lets the casual fan see, but it's clear that this is much darker than the typical party anthem.

17 Pre - Earl Sweatshirt
18 Crooked Smile - J Cole

Beat is catchy and bassy, catchy hook and background vocals from TLC, intricate rhymes ("paintbrush on", "face what's wrong", "makeup on"), and some of the most empowering lyrics of rap, let alone 2013 rap. Everybody oughta listen to Lost Ones by J Cole as well.

This song is relevant to so many people. Top 5 no doubt.

I think this should be in top 10. Great & influential song by Cole World himself

19 Old Friend - Hopsin

Wait, the guy who's know for dissing all those big time rappers is making real grown up tracks now? "Old Friend" is extremely emotional to anyone who's been close to someone who's overdosed, and anyone else can still feel the pain that Hopsin puts into every word of this song. Oh, and "Knock Madness" is definitely worth a listen.

20 Juice - Ces Cru

Strange Music signs some pretty good rappers. Okay, they probably have the best roster in the industry in terms of pure talent. This music Ces Cru really started to make a name for themselves in the underground rap community. "Juice" is just one of many top level tracks they put out this year. Plus you can never get enough of that Tech N9ne guy.

21 Jarren Benton - Go Off

Okay, Tech N9ne signed some good rappers, but so did Hopsin. Jarren Benton may be a product of Hopsin's success, but that certainly shouldn't discredit his ability. Not only is Jarren right on the money in "Go Off" but SwizZz is really good for someone living in Hopsin's shadow, and Hopsin is... well he's Hopsin, he's always good. And on this track he's REALLY good.

22 Phoenix - A$AP Rocky
23 The Language - Drake
24 Berzerk - Eminem
25 White Walls - Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
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