Summer Jam 2018: A CHAMPION IS CROWNED!!

It's a hallowed time around here. We have our Summer Jam Champion! Every Labour Day we recount the hottest jams we've listened to for the previous seventeen weeks and name a final, definitive soundtrack to Summer. It's simultaneously a glorious crowning event as well as a somber reflection on the dreaded Autumn and Winter months to come. Before we get into 2018 let's review the previous winners, dating back to 2007:

2007: "Umbrella" by Rihanna
2008: "Bleeding in Love" by Leona Lewis
2009: "I Gotta Feeling" by Black Eyed Peas
2010: "California Gurls" by Katy Perry ft. Snoop Dogg
2011: "Park Rock Anthem" by LMFAO ft. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock
2012: "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen
2013: "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke ft. T.I. & Pharrell
2014: "Fancy" by Iggy Azalea ft. Charle XCX
2015: "Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon
2016: "Can't Stop the Feeling" by Justin Timberlake
2017: "Despacito" by Daddy Yankee, Luis Fonsi ft. Justin Bieber

That's right, we've been counting this off for 12 damn years. Well, to be fair, 2010 was the first year where we actually had an official weekly countdown. 2009 had this, which is kind of slaphazard. I first came up with this concept of following eight songs a week in 2008, a murky era of pre-Norwegian Mornin gWood. This means I'd like to push this for at least two more summers so we can have ten straight years of Weekly Countdowns.

Anyway, let's get to it. We charted a total of 60 songs over the past few months, 19 of which were decent enough to warrant some direct recognition. Let's start with the honorable mentions:

"In My Feelings" by Drake
"No Brainer" by DJ Khaled ft. Bieber, Chance the Rapper, Quavo
"SAD!" by XXXTENTACION
"The Middle" by Zedd, Grey ft. Maren Morris
"Taste" by Tyga ft. Offset
"Bed" by Nicki Minaj ft. Ariana Grande
"IDGAF" by Dua Lipa
"Sicko Mode" by Travis Scott ft. Drake, Swae Lee
"Africa" by Weezer
"Side effects" by Chainsmokers ft. Emily Warren

Going through this at the end of all things, some other songs that I feel were for whatever reason underrated or underappreciated on the Weekly rundowns included, "Delicate" by Taylor, "APESHIT" by the Carters, "God is a Woman" by Ariana, "Boo'd Up" by Ella Mai, and "Jackie Chan" by Tiesto & Dzeko ft. Preme & Post Malone. Got all that? Now let's usher in the final countdown.

#9: "Psycho" by Post Malone ft. Ty Dolla $ign



Weeks on List: 4
First Appearance: 06/18/18
Last Appearance: 08/13/18
Highest Position: #1 on 06/18/18
Average Position: 3.5

Alright, totally breaking with our eight-year tradition of counting down a Top Eight, we've got nine this year. This was a total judgment call. "Psycho" actually scored as many points as "In Your Feelings", and yeah, the latter was and still is the #1 song in the country. Still, this summer feels much more incomplete without "Psycho." It was a total judgment call and this is my blog so that's the way it'll work. Still, full transparency, if you're an "In Your Feelings" fan you got totally gypped. Anyway, "Psycho" was really old and ultimately a follow-up to Post Malone's "Rockstar" and "Congratulations" but it really solidified his status as flow champion of 2018. We mostly saw the tail end, but it kept cropping up this some and deserves some recognition.

#8: "Friends" by Marshmello & Anne Marie



Weeks on List: 4
First Appearance: 05/28/18
Last Appearance: 07/30/18
Highest Position: #1 on 06/04/18
Average Position: 2.5

Looking back I can't believe that this track only popped on the Winner's List four times. They were potent, though, with an average position of 2.5, including one week at the top. This song felt continually on the periphery, though, a fact solidified by it crawling back in late July. It's a fun song and one that sure as hell makes me think of the Friend Zone quite a bit. It's another jam that was a little old but just stuck around for a long time.

#7: "This is America" by Childish Gambino



Weeks on List: 4
First Appearance: 05/14/18
Last Appearance: 06/04/18
Highest Position: #1 on 05/14/18
Average Position: 2.25

I love that "This is America" snuck in. It debuted fierce as our very first #1 this year, then sank down a bit. It's not exactly easy casual summer radio party listening, even though every single facet of this track is amazing. Childish Gambino tried with some other direct summer tracks, but didn't quite capture this magic. Still, what a week he had back in May with this, Atlanta, and Solo (2018) all reaching their peaks. It dominated the first month of summer and surely has legacy enough to be remembered here even if it wasn't necessarily as ubiquitous in July and August.

#6: "Meant to Be" by Bebe Rexha ft. Florida Georgia Line



Weeks on List: 7
First Appearance: 05/14/18
Last Appearance: 07/30/18
Highest Position: #1 on 06/11/18
Average Position: 4.57

As you can see, this song gets the #6 spot for sheer longevity. Besides its one week at the top spot, its other six weeks were in positions seven through four, including a four-week stretch in June. It faded a bit, but came back in July and remains a surprisingly listenable crossover pop country hit. I feel like we get one of these every year. Maybe just following up "Body Like a Back Road." Anyway, this was part of a surprisingly strong contingent of songs that debuted the first week and never let up.

#5: "Nice for What" by Drake



Weeks on List: 8
First Appearance: 05/14/18
Last Appearance: 09/03/18
Highest Position: #1 on 07/16/18
Average Position: 4.25

One of only two songs to appear on both the first and last weeks of Summer, as well as making an appearance in all five months represented, "Nice for What" made a huge splash. It was a periphery song more than a dominant song for most of its run, which never actually made it more than two weeks in a row. Drake vultured some of his own success this summer with other tracks that were either bigger or smaller, but this was the cream. "THESE HO'S!" "YOUR BOY!" Line of summer, baby. The video used every badass chick who didn't appear in "Girls Like You" (and some who did) and put them all in their own element, away from centering around the male artist behind the track. It also struck me as a real Kanye-like vocal track, but Drake put it all together and produced a great song.

#4: "I Like It" by Cardi B ft. J Balvin & Bad Bunny



Weeks on List: 9
First Appearance: 06/25/18
Last Appearance: 09/03/18
Highest Position: #1 on 08/06/18
Average Position: 2.89

Now, before we get into the Top 4, I should note that this was the closest Top Four we've ever had. There were four legitimate contenders that scored over 55 points.* The closest we've ever come to that before was in 2013 when we had three but "Shut Up and Dance" somehow won. Anyway, this track had five straight weeks in June and July and never did worse than #4. Of the Top Four though, it only had one week at #1, which along with debuting later than any other song, held it back. It was a great "Despacito" heir, though, and added a fantastic Latin Summer Flair to the proceedings, as well as a true showcase for Cardi B, who although this track didn't score higher, is the only artist to have two different songs on this whole list, much less in the Top Four.

#3: "Girls Like You" by Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B



Weeks on List: 10
First Appearance: 06/04/18
Last Appearance: 09/03/18
Highest Position: #1 on 07/30/18 and 09/03/18
Average Position: 3.1

The assault by this track is amazing. I did not expect it being a contender after it stumbled a bit after its debut. It first dropped in early June at #5, popped back in a few weeks later at #7, then somehow people caught on to how great this track is and it spent eight of the final nine weeks of summer crushing the Winner's List, including a six-week streak to close it out at #1. Five weeks at either #1 or #2. It's a great hit for Maroon 5 and the second Cardi B track in this list. Of course, Cardi was featured in every other song this summer, so that's something. It's got such a good crescendo and excitement alongside its relative chillness. For the record, 59 points, just one short of the #2 spot.

#2: "No Tears Left to Cry" by Ariana Grande



Weeks on List: 11
First Appearance: 05/14/18
Last Appearance: 09/03/18
Highest Position: #1 on 05/21/18 and 07/02/18
Average Position: 3.55

Presenting your track with the most weeks on the Winner's List, the only other song besides "Nice for What" to be present on both the first and last weeks, and thus all five months of Summer. We had a little bit of quantity over quality, though, as its average position was relatively low, especially when it came back in mid-August. Surprisingly, though, if it hadn't, it would not have been much of a contender at all. Besides a five-week stretch to start the season it didn't put together much and was largely absent for the month of July. Ariana still had a great summer, though, being featured on four total tracks. For the record, 60 points and No More Beers Left to Try!

#1: "Never Be the Same" by Camila Cabello



Weeks on List: 10
First Appearance: 05/14/18
Last Appearance: 07/30/18
Highest Position: #1 on 05/28/18, 06/25/18, and 07/09/18
Average Position: 2.5

Are you ready?! THE QUEEN of Summer 2018 - Camila Cabello! Her mid-summer lead looked and proved to be insurmountable. 65 points and a spot amongst the Summer Greats like Carly Rae Jepsen and LMFAO. I think Camila will have some staying power. Now, the only mark against her is that she popped out by the end of July, but we need to remember the official Summer duration and think of the whole picture instead of recency. That last breath was barely in the #7 position, but before that she had nine...NINE straight weeks where she never dropped below #3. Only "This is America" had a higher average weekly position, but that wasn't sustained over 10 weeks (without her one run at #7 she averaged the #2 spot for nine straight weeks. That's amazing). Still, it was a very close race this year. I actually came close to adding "Never Be the Same" to the List both of the last two weeks, but felt like some other tracks were more deserving. Had I, then this race would no longer have any question.

You can check out our whole summer-long countdown here.

What do you think was the KING or QUEEN of Summer this year? Check out how off I am according to this ("One Kiss"), this ("Nice for What"), this and this ("In My Feelings"), this ("Boo'd Up") and this ("I Like It").

Is it weird that "Never Be the Same" isn't anywhere near any of these lists? I don't know what they were doing all summer, but that's how my life went. Now I'm actually really curious to hear what others think. I had commented yesterday about this streaming divide in regards to music consumption. I'm still mostly a radio guy, but is that completely out of touch? Are my worldviews that shifted from what's actually popular? If so, why can't radio get it together? Can I keep doing this through 2020?!

*For the record, our points system is pretty basic. Eight points for #1, seven for #2 and so on. The most points a track's ever gotten was "Blurred Lines" with 84 which fuckin sucks.

Summer Jam 2018 Week 17: The Finale and End of It All

Shed a tear, loyal readers. Summer is over. I can't believe it's been seventeen whole weeks already! We've recounted a lot of great jams this year. It feels as if we're in the midst of a significant paradigm shift in music distribution, though. Even compared to last year the hits seemed spread out, with terrestrial radio simply unable to catch up with the actual pulse of this great nation. I suppose this has been going on for a while, but that initial disruption of media consumption, across many media, is approaching a saturation threshold. Now let's get down one last time with some real chill jams, yo!

Hot Jam of the Week: "Kamikaze" by Eminem



I actually don't think Em's new surprise Album is all that great, tho I might need to listen to it more. But it is getting a lot of buzz and is tearing up Spotify. Amazing that anyone other than Drake or Travis Scott can do that right now. Did you know that Drake has 11 Top Ten hits in 2018 so far? How is that possible? What is with our standards right now. Saturation, baby. Saturation - the idea of what a single even is has disintegrated. In a way this is great for pro-Album supporters. Anyway, there was a lot of potential new jams, like Childish Gambino's "Feels Like Summer" got a cool animated video, LSD brought in a bunch of artists, including Sia and her muse, Maddie Ziegler (who, I don't know, is still a great expressionate dancer, but it's kind of old by now) and is kind of decent. It took me a long time to understand this wasn't some video concerning Tool Time. Now that's more like it. Also is this Eminem song from Venom (2018) somehow?

"Side Effects" by the Chainsmokers

A few years ago this would have been a really big hit, but there's been that subtle shift. We're in a Quavo and Post Malone world now. It's a tie for mumbly smokey face-tattooed rap and not much else. I dig this video, though and the song in general, especially the breakdown. The video weirdly reminds me of The Shining (1980), but like...a fun Shining. It's very telling that I dig unpopular Chainsmokers.

"No Tears Left to Cry" by Ariana Grande

Like the past few weeks, I think "God Is a Woman" or even "Natural Woman" that she sang at Aretha's funeral could have jumped in, or her new single, "Breathin" but out of all of that, this song seemed to be the one that made it through the cacophony. Again, this is a conflict - "God is a Woman" is better on Spotify but "No Tears Left to Cry" is better on the radio. I'm an old dude, I guess, I get my jams via car radio. We'll go with this and see if it boosts Ari over the edge to claim her summer crown. Also, I came up with "No Beers Left to Try" this week, which I wish I had been singing all summer.

"Nice for What" by Drake

Back around college campuses, hearing dozens of people scream out "MY MAN...DESE HO'S!" during the break is incredible. This track made a difference this summer. That's significant, baby. We should still complain about Drake getting way more hits than any sustainable human being should have, but "Nice for What" is probably at the top. Also, I haven't talked about this, but this video rivals "Girls Like You" for sheer amount of power chick cameos.

"I Like It" by Cardi B ft. J Balvin, Bad Bunny

Back again to make a final stand and push her case, this jam was still pretty potent this week, but not that dominant. I almost left it off again, but it had a pretty strong showing just about everywhere. This actually felt like more of a summer jam than it was, although its streak is no joke. We'll see how it shakes out.

"No Brainer" by DJ Khaled, Bieber sings, Chance the Rapper

Slice! It's still a significant jam, although again, not as much as a collabo like this would have peaked a few years ago. In fact, we had this a few years ago. Bieber looks like Randy Johnson. It's not a good look. With some time this could have been something, but also weirdly feels like a different time. A 2017 time.

"Jackie Chan" by Tiesto & Dzeko ft. Preme & Post Malone

Seriously, how do kids keep track of these collabo artists? Do they have Preme libraries? I'd love to understand how this works. This is a track I've had in the back of my head but largely ignored for some time now. Listening to it incidentally this week I was like, "Yeah, this actually has a really nice flow" and that's all Post Malone. I don't know what everyone else does. It's weird to me that every producer in a track is a featured artist now. This is such old man complaining. I apologize. I do like the song!

"Girls Like You" by Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B

I still think this song comes to such a great ending point before Cardi comes in. I've been touting Ariana all summer, but damn, "Girls Like You" had a run for the ages these last few weeks. It's going to be a throwdown! I am also just cresting my tolerance for this track, which is probably a good sign it's peaked. Still dig it, but need to stop listening to it in order to continue to dig it. It really is a sweet, heartfelt song. It hasn't really peaked either on Billboard or Spotify but it has in...life.

TOMORROW

"Africa" should probably be on here. Anyway, it won't make a difference. Tomorrow we tally it all up, people. It's a Labour Day tradition! Stay tuned to find out WHO is the THE Summer Jam Champion!!

Summer Jam 2018 Week 16: Bitch Ima Cow

A true tragedy has struck this nation. Only one more week of summer, baby! Also a lot of other real terrible crap. There's nothing like some chill Summer Jams to melt your troubles down to the bone and let us all remember that the real truth of existence is meaningless - awww yeah, baby! Let's get to the countdown!

Hot Jam of the Week: "Mooo!" by Doja Cat



So, "Go to Town" is probably better, but way older. I think this is satire. I...I hope this is satire. It was rough listening to this as some other folk walked in the room this week. I think it's actually literal, like not saying either that women are cows or a play on the male gaze, but just, like a real song that a playful cow might sing. This also has the worst production values of all time. It's great end of summer listening while you fire up the grill for those burgers!

"Honestly" by Gabbie Hanna

This isn't really a song I've heard anywhere, but it came across my desk, you know, where I do all my important work. This just rang to me like an old 2000s pop ballad and I really dug it. It has no Summer Jam chances and exists purely as a way for me to give Gabbie Hanna a shout out. She looks like a weird Maya Rudolph.

"Hopless Romantic" by Wiz Khalifa ft. Swae Lee

Let's add to the late summer pile of non-hits before we get into the real meat here. This crept up on my this week but it's been around for a little while now. Swae Lee owns this track and I dig the rhythm. It weirdly makes me reflect on our digital age, scrolling through our phones lying in bed before we sleep and again the first thing in the morning. Romance in 2018, people.

"Girls Like This" by Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B

So, at least one more week this comes up, but down a little lower. This is an impressive run that encapuslated nearly the entire summer. We can also start talking about this as one of Maroon 5's greatest hits ever, which is certainly impressive company to be around. (currently their third track to peak at #2, they've also had three #1's). And if I may editorialize (surely for the first time ever), it's their highest ranked song that I've actually liked, so there's that.

"Sicko Mode" by Travis Scott

Anyone follow any of the Nicki Minaj drama this week? She's apparently blaming Travis Scott, Spotify, you, me, anyone else for her album debuting at #2. I've been calling her thirsty all summer but didn't even know about this ridiculous shit. She does seem hella desperate for a piece of the Summer Jam Queen crown. She probably follows Norwegian Morning Wood. I wouldn't say that Scott has really dominated Summer, either, only because Astroworld more neatly follows the paradigm shift of Spotify whole album streams that more appeal to the young people (indeed, "Sicko Mode" is barely a single, and certainly not played on the radio). I'm curious what comes out of this and if Scott becomes a household name. Clearly his current success needs to go somewhere now.

"No Tears Left to Cry" by Ariana Grande

Yep. What do you want for me? Sweetener actually surpassed Astroworld this week, because obviously it did, and that pushed up the biggest single off her album. I still really dig it and just about anything else Ariana is doing right now. It's great. Take your crown. Or wait until next week.

"I Like It" by Cardi B ft. J Balvin

I almost left this off until I heard it three times today, and #1 according to the man most in tune with America's musical preferences, Ryan Seacrest. Anyway, I've never given this song enough credit to actually sample as well as it does, mix in Latino influences, and rise to the top. It's no slouch, and a great late run is the closest Cardi has to a genuine Summer Queen status. I'm sure this is has nothing to do with Nicki's meltdown.

"No Brainer" by Bieber, Khaled, others

Yeah, putting this in the number one spot this week was a... NO BRAINER! Totally in the minority, though, I heard #1's this week anywhere from Cardi B to Drake to Travis Scott to "Boo'd Up." "No Brainer" totally. It hit that nice stride of freshness and ubiquity where I knew it enough to get into it, but it still felt pretty new. Whatever you want to say, Bieber has found a niche here for some reason, and hearing Chance the Rapper belt out some real Chance the Rapper-sounding lines the week the trailer dropped for yes, our #1 most anticipated movie of 2018, Slice was well... a no brainer.

Next week...

I've been pretty close to placing both "Delicate" and "APESHIT" on these lists both of the last two weeks. For some reason they can't push over the edge. We've got only one more week, though, people. WHO WILL BE SUMMER JAM CHAMPION?! You've got to come back next week - some Norwegian Time, same Morning Wood place!

Summer Jam 2018 Week 15: A Good Taste

August is rounding the corner, baby and it's time for some hip-hop. There's still a weird mix in there and I have no explanation for our #1 Jam this week. We've rounded another corner in our mix, though, and the mix of songs here rounds corners like no other mix we've ever cornered. It's amazing how round these corners are.

Hot Jam of the Week: "Best Hugs" by D.R.A.M.



There were some high profile jams this week like Cardi B's "Ring" and a new Janet Jackson song that looks really sad and pathetic. So obvi "Best Hugs" wins. I actually legitimately dig this song. It's pretending to be so sweet but it's definitely DRAM trying to smash. We can get into it, though! Watermelons! Old orgies. It's a perfect summer song.

"Smile" by Lil Duval ft. Snoop Dogg, Ball Greezy

This has been around for a month or so but popped up on my radar this week. I tuned into Snoop, who seems perfectly content to hop on guest spots in random tracks like this and yet has the same smooth, carefree tones he's had for twenty-five years. Truly the Dogfather of Rap, baby. Also "Live your best life" has become a sort of Millennial catch-phrase, which this track captures nicely. So, at this point none of these new songs have any chance to really make Summer King status, and are mostly just taking up space from other more important songs. I still like this.

"Let You Be Right" by Meghan Trainor

I generally dislike Meghan Trainor, so I was surprised when I liked this jam and it was her. Actually, that happens quite a bit. She does a nice job of working a catchy flow or hook but her subjects tend to trend towards the more superficial and self-serving elements of the current feminist movement without the attitude or actions to fully endorse what she's saying. Anyway, this jam is cool. If it had more legs it could make a nice run here.

"In My Feelings" by Drake

I think "In My Feelings" has finally overtaken "God's Plan" then "Nice for What" to become the definitive Drake Summer Jam. As you can tell, it's been a hell of a summer for the Toronto Degrassi star. "Kiki do you love me" that works. Ultimately this may not work in his favor as his hits are all split up, but as an artist, he's had a ton of separate spots on this list. Cardi B may come close, if not more.

"No Tears Left to Cry" by Ariana Grande

Back from the dead! Yeah, this is going to push this jam over the edge, I know. Ariana made some rounds last week, since her album, Sweetener is finally dropping. That may have been why this jam popped up again, but I found myself still loving it. Now "Pete Davidson" needs to become a single.

"Girls Like You" by Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B

Dropping a little but still a fine presence, this has now made a pretty solid splash all things considered. By now it's had a really long presence since it debuted and really caught on, although it may just be cresting in popularity. We'll see where it lands these last few weeks to really make a case for itself.

"Taste" by Tyga ft. Offset

This track has also been around for a little bit but seemed to click this week. Maybe it just takes a few weeks for new hip hop to sink in these days. There seems to be a lot of homogeneity amongst the B-level rappers these days. Anyway, I picture this is all about cunnilingus, which makes me happy. This has popped up here and there this summer, but likely doesn't really have a case to make itself a relevant Summer Jam.

"Africa" by Weezer

So, totally novelty song here, but I heard the Weezer version of "Africa" four times in one day, and after that it just had to be #1. This is totally just Weezer co-opting a popular older song of the moment (there are lots of weird things going on culturally here), and for some reason "Africa" is a huge song right now. I mean, it's good and classic in that obscure way. Good for Toto.

Next week...

Like I said, there were new Cardi B and Janet Jackson songs this week, but they're pretty suck. It's wide open for the next two weeks for anyone to make a dent. I also narrowly left off Taylor Swift's "Delicate" which has trended along the periphery for a while. Maybe Weird Al can put out something sweet. Stay tuned, listeners!

Summer Jam 2018 Week 14: A New Big Three Takes Over

We're into mid-August now, people, and I'm feeling it. Massive ennui regarding the end of summer and the start of school. Responsibilities. Homework. Leaves changing, an air of death sweeping across the nation as we plunge into a cropless winter of endless black cold - a void to which there is no escape. So let's crank some tunes while we've still got that summer jam feeling in our heart and blood in our veins! Oh yeah!

Hot Jam of the Week: "XCTY" by Kanye



I've had a lot of new crappy Kanye as the Hot Jam this Summer, but not only is this track making a notable splash for Kanye saying he wants to bang all his sisters-in-law in the first line (I don't think it's as literal as that - well, I hope not), but it's a solid artpiece as well. Well, you can always argue one way or another, but it pushes Ye's obsession with using the human voice as a backing beat along with his Yeezy / Poopity Scoop idea of completing breaking down lyrical content. It's basically Cash Green yelling "Nigga Shit Nigga Shit" in Sorry to Bother You (2018) and people thinking it's great rap. The point is in the meta, not reality. Anyway, for a mainstream insane artist right now to be putting out this kind of song (which, by the way, fits its own title / theme of sexual ecstasy constantly and thoroughly) is kind of amazing.

"Youngblood" by 5 Seconds of Summer

I don't know too much about 5 Seconds of Summer because I'm an old man but from what I read in magazines this boy pop band is attempting to mature and make some real music. That's harder to do than it would seem - especially when crafting a more man band image rather than boy band stuff. This track does a nice job and they play instruments and shit, I don't know. Seems fine. Also summer. This jam has been kind of a thing, and more kind of a teenage girl thing right now, but good enough for this week.

"Side Effects" by the Chainsmokers ft. Emily Warren

I really like the breakdown of this track. Warren has a solid flow as well throughout the song, although I definitely sense that we won't hear much more from her. Singers on EDM tracks these days seem so interchangeable. I'm not sure anyone besides me likes this tune right now, which is weird because this is totally the kind of song that typically everyone besides me loves. That's all good.

"Psycho" by Post Malone

Post Malone basically has a standing seat at the Summer Jam Table right now. "Psycho" comes in and out, it's gone for a while, comes back on whenever it wants, it's all good. I really dig having so many bottles we can even give some to the ugly girls along with the rest of this jam's flow which is beautiful. It gets points for legs, but hasn't been fresh enough for a while now to really make a Summer Jam splash.

"No Brainer" by DJ Khalid ft. Bieber, Quavo, Chance

It took me a while to figure out that this was actually a different song than the DJ Khalid / Justin Bieber / Quavo / Chance the Rapper song "I'm the One" from last summer. Seriously, it's like the same exact crew. "No Brainer" has kind of been there for a minute, but is a relatively new debut to the Hot 100 and could make a nice splash considering how easy listening it is. Chance does the best job here, naturally, and there are some choice memorable lines. How did Bieber get in with these guys.

"I Like It" by Cardi B and J. Balvin

Before I even really noticed it, suddenly Cardi B, Maroon 5, and Drake took over a swap for the Top 3 spots instead of Ariana, Camila, and well, Drake in the beginning of the season. This is suddenly a legitimate run and we are look to have one of the closest Summer Jam races in recent memory.

"Girls Like You" by Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B

Yeah this song is blasting everywhere. Either way Cardi's having a hell of a summer. I think it has a lot to do with how fragmented everyone's music outlets are. In Summer Jams past we've had only one or two outlets and usually a pretty clear winner that everyone would bow down to. That may not really be the case anymore. Everyone's Summer Jam is different! Should I give this segment up? Probably. Need to make it through 2020, though so we can say he did 10 straight years of Summer Jam Countdowns!!

"In My Feelings" by Drake

Yeah, on to the #1. Upsetting both Cardi B tracks, I actually struggled, thinking this was "Nice for What" this week, but then realized it might actually be a better track. Or it's not and all Drake songs sound the same now. Or my old ears just hear all youth music as the same thing and I'm totally out of touch. I should probably give this up. 2020, baby!!

Next week...

Oh, who knows. Bebe Rexha? This year has been bizarre. Songs I thought would break did not. Songs I wanted to break did not...then did! I'm very excited to see how the next three weeks turn out, and if things stay the way they do, we very may well see the Summer of Maroon 5, which would be crazy. Stay tuned, folks!!

Summer Jam 2018 Week 13: Rapping

Sometimes I can't believe that I've done thirteen straight weeks of this. Then I can't believe this is my ninth straight year of this. That's like 149 Summer Jam posts! I don't even have 149 views on these pages. But it's hot, so let's do this again:

Hot Jam of the Week: "Side Effects" by the Chainsmokers ft. Emily Warren



Is it weird to be kind of nostalgic for like a 2015 song? I don't think this will be a huge "Closer" or "Paris" Chainsmoker track, but I do really like the breakdown here, and say what you will about these two EDM bros destroying music, they keep finding good new beats which is damned tough to do in a genre where everything is designed to sound the same. It's true, haters, deal with it.

"In My Feelings" by Drake

Drake cranked out a bit 8-minute crappy video this week to a track he definitely wants to land, even though most of his other jams this summer have been better. I heard "God's Plan" a ton this week, too. What's the deal here, man. How come Drake won't die? Do you even remember all that Pusha-T dram drams back in May? Who cares now. I'm kind of confounded - I don't think anyone actually listens to Drake nor critically thinks he's that great, but for some reason he's popular and well-lauded. Maybe I'm crazy. But here's Drake.

"SICKO" by Travis Scott

Real popular on that Spotify thing. This is a decent track. His whole ASTROWORLD album is doing solid and apparently is the rapper that young people like right now. He doesn't sound all that distinct, to be honest, but then again, my ears are old and faded now. I like all this 2017 music like some kind of Neanderthal.

"No Tears Left to Cry" by Ariana Grande

"God is a Woman" is doing okay but hasn't quite taken over as the NEW Ariana. I threw this on here just because it came on and dammit, I knew every single word and loved it. That's a powerful stage in the pop ballad life cycle. It's a dirty showdown for Summer Jam, and this helps. It's definitely not where it was, but it's been great. At the same time, though, why do I get the feeling that I'm the only one who thinks it's the Summer Queen forerunner?

"Nice for What" by Drake

More Drake. See above. This song is still charging pretty well and remains his most fun summer track. I don't think it can make the push it needs for true Summer Jam status, but fuck, it's trying its damndest right now! We'll see where the cards fall next month.

"FeFe" by 6ix9ine ft. Nicki Minaj, Murda Beatz

Man, what a crappy song. There is never a good reason to get a face tattoo. I mean, self-expression, whatever, but that social stigma of being a piece of shit is not dissipated yet. Nicki, I don't know...exists again. She's been around this summer, but just isn't quite having the time that fellow Young Money Drake is. Makes me think of "Bedrock." I wonder what Gudda Gudda and Lloyd are doing these days.

"Girls Like Me" by Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B

This song keeps climbing and is suddenly racking up some serious points to its name. I suppose when I was geling on it earlier in the summer it really was more fledgling and often missed the cut in any given week. Well, now that it's surging, if it can close out August there's definitely a power there to be feared! And respected. Dynamite. You know, "Nice for What" is the same exact video with more art to it.

"I Like It" by Cardi B

This is another one that's suddenly making late summer moves. #1 this week but does it feel #1? Just like everything else these days I suppose #1 is really just my #1. Everyone is off doing their own thing and consuming their own music, movies, and TV in their own ways, it's harder and harder to really judge anything as distinctively the top of the heap. That won't stop me, though, baby! Cardi B gets the top two spots this week, dammit! This is a big threat, and muddles the water for Camila and Ariana. Some brown chick is going to win Summer, that's for sure.

Next week...

We've only got four weeks left and while the aforementioned Camila and Ariana have big leads, it's far from in the bag with a few late tracks being pretty consistent. We had a lot of Hip-Hop this week, and it's far that it's soon becoming the dominant musical genre in this country. If we can get more Jay Rock and less Drake I'm cool with that.

Summer Jam 2018 Week 12: Music That Happened

This was kind of a weird week for me, folks. I didn't get out and experience the wonderful summer music of the world all that much, but something insignificant like that surely won't stop me from an authoritative countdown of the hottest jams in America this week!

Hot Jam of the Week: "Potato Salad" by A$SAP Rocky X Tyler the Creator



This song made a few waves this week and is a solid jam fueled by a chill beat laid under the harsh voice of Tyler the Creator and supreme flow of one of the best ASAPs in the game. We're at a point where no Hot Jam is really going to make a dent, but it's fun anyway.

"Never Be the Same" by Camila Cabello

Camila returns for a brief moment this week, but this song is pretty much over. This will be a nice late addition when she tallies up her possible Summer Victory come labor day. We won't totally count out this track for the rest of the year of course, but this is a nice exclamation point on her success.

"Meant to Be" by Bebe Rexha ft. Florida Georgia Line

Another long dead track that's still floating around adding to its legacy. It's still a great track and is a great hit for Bebe, but I think it'll just come short of Summer Jam Winning Status. Actually this is a weird summer - all these songs had such meat in the first three months August is looking like this weird has-been month. I'm sure something will emerge.

"Psycho" by Post Malone ft. Ty Dolla $ign

Yep, see above for the exact description of what this old song is still doing here. It's really a great track that is still charting well, but might as well be Frank Sinatra and the Big Bopper at this point. Grandma music. I do still love almost every line of this rambling, slurry jam, though, and it's definitely made a case for itself this summer.

"Delicate" by Taylor Swift

I've pretty much avoided this track this summer, but it earns its spot this week. For one it's really not that great, and Taylor seems to have burnt off any goodwill and poetically ironic musical prowess she once had. This is the worst song she's cranked out in years but actually doing decent and I've heard it quite a bit recently. Taylor won't win anything this summer, but here's a nice flash of acknowledgment.

"Friends" by Anne Marie ft. Marshmello

This is actually a better friendzone song than I've given it credit for, and after a few weeks in purgatory it's back to show that it's got some potency this summer. That's the theme for this week. Padding stats. I feel like this will definitely eventually become a 2018 trivia song, and Anne Marie will never have another hit ever.

"SAD!" by XXXTENTACION

Crawling up again and actually setting up that August run, "SAD!" comes in strong again this week. It's popular with the young people and that's what matters. Without the young people we're just a bunch of grandmas listening to Post Malone. That's no good for anyone.

"Girls Like You" by Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B

Yep - #1. I heard this jam more than any other this week and still dig it, mostly because it's had quite the slow ascent. It may be making a case for itself after all, even though I had written it off weeks ago. It's endlessly pleasant and making a nice late-season run here.

Next week...

I'm so out of it. Stay tuned and we'll do better.

Summer Jam 2018 Week 11: Drake Stuff

We've rounded the summer corner, people. We've still got quite a bit to go, but we can see the end of the bright tunnel and into the dark depths of the Months of Death. Luckily we have Drake and a bunch of other crap to keep us going. This is a bit of a transition week, but a lot of jams are holding strong:

Hot Jam of the Week: "Frozen" by Wu-Tang



This is the first uh...public Wu-Tang track launched in a while, and of course the band holds up. I really just hope some kid searches for Queen Elsa and gets this instead. It's more Method Man-driven, who remains reliably amazing and no group like the Wu laces lyrics around some of the most intelligent artists in group rap.

"Meant to Be" by Bebe Rexha ft. Florida Georgia Line

Yep this track is back. It crept up on me this week and I found myself not quite hating it tremendously. That's good enough to be an all-star track. Bebe is trying damned hard to launch herself from this big track, but nothing else has had quite the crossover chillwave appeal.

"God is a Woman" by Ariana Grande

This track isn't quite the "No Tears Left to Cry" showstopper or even the "Bed" sex-a-thon or even the "Light is Coming" brilliant track, but it IS a track that exists and is popular at the moment. Regardless of how things shake out it's clear that Ariana is having a great summer and this track does have room to climb.

"Nice for What" by Drake

Another week, another chance for "Nice for What" which actually is building a solid resume for itself. The jam has legs and continues to pop up in our lives. It's charted higher than I think its actual popularity, but it's still a pretty decent jam that's endlessly listenable. It's superb background music, people. It's had enough #1 landings to threaten a little bit and put in a good bid for King of Summer at this point.

"I Like It" by Cardi B

Same as the previous entry, "I Like It" suddenly is making a case for itself. Out of all the Cardi B tracks dropped this summer, this one has emerged as the possible contender. The spicy salsa beat paired with Cardi's latina heritage helps it out (think "Despacito") and at this point it might challenge one of those top spots if it stays consistent. It really needs to gain a few more #1 spots to get up to Ariana or Camila's lead but it's possible.

"Taste" by Tyga ft. Offset

I mentioned this track a little bit ago as a possible Hot Beat but this week it emerged as tracking pretty damn well on Billboard and Spotify. It's one of three rap songs to round out the top three this week. I'd like to think that this song is all about chomping on private parts, which I'm going to roll with. The beat is chill and matches Tyga's cadence pretty well. I don't think it can seriously threaten Summer Jam status, but it's good enough this week.

"SAD!" by XXXTENTACION

We're just going by the music here - a true artist lost. Alright, whatever, but this song is more decent than most would give it credit for. It's emerged as the key identifying XXXTENTACION song who unfortunately couldn't choose a better name before his tragic passing. It continues to gain traction and serves as a tough reminder of a voice we perhaps lost too early.

"In My Feelings" by Drake

The second Drake jam of the week - this one is much less great, but also #1 on Billboard and Spotify and for some reason the most popular song in the country. Cool. It's definitely not great but at this point I'm kind of glad he's emerged relatively unscathed from the Pusha-T beef. All it really takes is great music. Or at least popular music. Just make some popular music and that'll speak for itself. We've talked at length about this being the Summer of Ariana but this could surely be the Summer of Drake, too. 2018 sucks.

Next week...

There were some intriguing jams dropped by G-Eazy, Bebe Rexha, Becky G, and the 1975 that all almost made the cut this week. Becky G is definitely trying to make the word "zooted" happen. I don't know why. We've got six weeks left and getting to the point where any new track would really have to surge right to the top and make a huge splash to make a difference. Tracks with some previous momentum such as "I Like It" and even possibly "In My Feelings" may stand a chance, but we'll have to see. Happy Summer!

Summer Jam 2018 Week 10: All the Summer Hits Are Summer

This is it - the heart of camps, hear of July, hear of Summer! The temperature is way up and so are the skirts! Wowza yowza! It's the best time of the year and the best time for beer! There is a magic dust in the air and up everyone's nose - it's time to live life and love lufe. Let's blast more innate platitudes as we count down some summer jams. I didn't really listen to much this week, so here's a bunch of new crap that's okay:

Hot Jam of the Week: "Summertime Magic" by Childish Gambino



It was between this and "Feels Like Summer." That track is a bit more chill, but this has the thumpier beat. It gives me a big "Sober" vibe, which is totally a good thing. It's not quite the political "This is America" apex, but that can be a good thing. We need songs about good good sweet summer summer lovin' too. Gambino has built a career on underground hits that are secretly massively popular, one of these jams could take off.

"Summer on You" by PRETTYMUCH

I have never heard of PRETTYMUCH, but they are definitely filling a Jonas Brothers / One Direction boy band gap. Key word is trying, because they're definitely not that great. This song is really dumb, but it is also about Summer, and that's cool. Because it IS summer! Wowee! It's actually kind of a cute song that's maybe okay, but none of these kinds of groups have staying power.

"High Horse" by Kacey Musgraves

Kacey is kind of a country artist, but also kind of a pop artist, and also kind of popular, but this hits that summer listenability vibe pretty hard. Great great background music for like, waiting in a lobby, half-listening on a lifeguard's personal pool radio, or just riding in your mom's Hyundai. Will it last? Kacey Musgraves is an up and coming artist. I'm going to make a definitive statement in saying, "That's a hard maybe, young one."

"Body" by Loud Luxury ft. brando

Little known fact, Loud Luxury got the actual Ghost of Marlon Brando to contribute to this track. This song is almost as old as Brando himself, but is an engaging jam with a subtly sexy video that I heard once this week and could not ignore. For it is great. I will never hear this song again.

"I Like It" by Cardi B ft. Bad Bunny

Does Cardi B have cue cards when she sings? Like, does she learn English songs phonetically? I'm amazed by her articulation while rapping and singing but her ridiculous thick accent whenever she does interviews. I'm not sure this jam will surpass "Bodak Yellow" but it's getting close, and it's one of the better of her solo efforts. It's of course one of 15,000 tracks she's featured on this summer.

"Psycho" by Post Malone ft. Ty Dolla $ign

I don't know what's going on with this song - it's like it was super popular a few months ago, then is like, still popular or popular again right now? The flow is so damn good. It's an easy song to fake sing-along to while you slur the words together on some white boy sizzurp. "Got so many bottles give ugly girls a sip" is also the greatest line since "gotta eat the booty like groceries."

"Girls Like You" by Maroon 5

Continuing its climb, this track is growing more and more, and more importantly, I got angry when I caught only snippets of this jam this week. Girl power combined with supportive boy power. It's ultimately a pretty sweet song and one of Maroon 5's good ones. It's amazing to think of a more mainstream popular band in the past 15 years. Thank The Voice and Adam Levine being crazily likable.

"Nice for What" by Drake

"Nice for What" will likely end up getting some nice numbers by summer's end, because it keeps poking its head up here and there. For all Drake's bluster this summer it's telling that all it takes is the most perfectly timed beat drop and "DEEESE HO'S" in music history to take a shot at Summer Jam Kingship. It likely won't happen, but it works this week. Actually this jam is underrated as hell.

Next week...

This is the first week this summer to snub both Camila Cabello and Ariana Grande. This could certainly return. Ariana even dropped a new jam, "God is a Woman" this week. I also really liked Jay Rock's "ES Tales." I've been listening to so much Jay Rock this summer. We've still got quite a few more weeks of Summer to go, even if I think Camila has an insurmountable lead. Stay tuned, people!

Summer Jam 2018 Week 9: July Loves

We're getting into the thick of July now - and it looks like our massive swath of chill jams last week worked! The temperature's way down. Way down for those sweet summer feels. Listen, I know my method is totally flawed because I listen to terrestrial radio like some kind of caveman. I actually checked out a little bit of Spotify this week. I know, crazy, right? So much Drake on the Top 50. What is wrong with us. I'd like to start incorporating some 2018 methods of musical discovery. For now we've got a bit of a mix going on.

Hot Jam of the Week: "Boys" by Lizzo



It seems like this summer is filled with songs about boys and girls. It's as if everyone wants to bang each other. Charlie XCX's "Boys" might be the better song and sexier boy-driven video but Lizzo brings an attitude all her own plus a dynamite electric guitar breakdown. She's had a couple tracks but no real big hits as of yet. She reminds me of a Meghan Trainor who isn't trying as hard.

"SAD!" by XXXTENTACION

The death of XXXTentacion is sad in the general sense that all senseless deaths are sad, but I still have very little idea who this guy is. He definitely seems like a piece of shit, but this song is kind of hot. There has a lot of XXXTentacion attencion in the wake of his untimely death and this jam does have a nice hook to it. It's ultimately not all that great, though. This is so damn harsh. His death is sad, for sure, but that doesn't suddenly make him a great musician. It's not like we're suddenly appreciating Verne Troyer's great contributions to cinema.

"The Middle" by Zedd, Maren Morris

I have ceased to like this song, but it crept up everywhere again this week. This was probably just a chance encounter, driven by terrestrial radio too afraid to engage with popular new millennial music. I mean, it's so old. I might as well put the latest Frank Sinatra and Frankie Valley song on this list. If we're looking at a slice of America, though, we've got to include it. "The Middle" impacted peoples' lives this week. My life. Through anger.

"IDGAF" by Dua Lipa

Call this another slow burn track I guess, although my enjoyment is growing. Somehow it's still fresh to me. I suppose because I wasn't into it for a while, and now my ears are tuned in. I know, I know - what's next - a caveman banging on sticks? It's also not very popular on Spotify, but Spotify is like, all Drake and XXXTentacion. What is that about.

"Bed" by Nicki Minaj ft. Ariana Grande

I have a better name for this song - "Boobs" by Boobs ft. Boobs. Jeez boobs. Sorry, I will try to focus. This song is okay, for the record I dug "The Light is Coming" quite a bit more, but this had some increased airplay along with a new video this week. Nicki's other songs never quite took off this summer despite a big push and a lot of effort to launch them. I don't think Nicki is quite passé yet, but she's definitely not the hot new voice she used to be. So, boobs instead. Those are still pretty good.

"Girls Like You" by Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B

I finally started hearing this jam on the radio after getting really into it last month. It's not really positioned to be a dominant song of any kind, but could be a mid-range jam for a couple weeks if it keeps up its upward trajectory. Also on Spotify.

"I Like It" by Cardi B ft. Bad Bunny, J Balvin

The #1 Billboard song in the country somehow and definitely growing into a significant crossover jam, I'm curious if this becomes a definitive Cardi jam. We've got "Bodak Yellow" for sure, and I dug "Be Careful" but she's gotten more notoriety from featuring on every single song ever made in 2018 than a lot of her own stuff. And okay, I was harsh on this and Cardi a few weeks ago but it's fully grown on me. It might even challenge Ari and Camila for some Summer Queen status come September.

"Never Be the Same" by Camila Cabello

How can we list "Never Be the Same" and not "No Tears Left to Cry"?! Well, Camila continued being everywhere this week. Ariana was still kind of everywhere, but ultimately just got squeezed out. Again, this is a terrestrial radio thing. Billboard and Spotify seem to have already left this track behind. I don't buy that, though. I heard this more than anything else this week, and a few weeks like this getting ahead of Camila bodes really well for Camila's crown. I'll admit I'm getting kind of sick of this, though.

Next week...

I don't know. I'll keep listening to Spotify. I left off Ariana and Bebe this week, along with this Chaka Khan "Like Sugar" song which is funky as hell. There are still a lot of other artists vying to break in, like the Carters and Juice WRLD and Offset and Post Malone and a lot of other crappy to mid-range artists making crappy to mid-range music. Stay summered, people!

Summer Jam 2018 Week 8: Independence Week!

As the nation welcomes July with indiscriminate air explosions and holy shit temperatures, we can let the smooth salty fresh jams of eight great tracks to cool our brows and blow our minds. Yeah... This year we have the Fourth of July on a Wednesday, which basically means we are writing off this whole week. How will you stay cool? These jams:

Hot Jam of the Week: "Crush" by Tessa Violet



I actually listened to this song so much this week it feels like I discovered it years ago. The video is a hypnotic millennial exercise with a really sweet and honest exploration of those first crush feelings. SUMMER Crush feelings?! I really dig this - it could be a breakout for Violet who's been around a while but I don't totally see it becoming a dominant jam or anything.

"Hunnybee" by Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Alright, so I threw this on last week as a lark, and then for some reason kept hearing it over and over this week until I was compelled to add it again. No, this isn't really a mainstream hot track. It's a cool track. A cool track for cool cats. Yeah - no fur licking for us. We stay cool just by listening to "Hunnybee."

"Sit Next to Me" by Foster the People

This jam has popped in intermittently, and as both the only rock song I currently like (is it actually rock? Or pop? Pop rock?), along with a jam that crept into my ear again and again this week, here we are. I haven't yet put that much thought into this jam at all, but it is a cool track. If you haven't guessed, we're all about cool tracks this week.

"Yikes" by Kanye

Here is another song that's kind of weirdly positioned as either a Summer Jam track, or frankly, a commercial track at all. It's all about mental health and getting help and the cultural stigma attached to both. It's fairly open for a Kanye song, except for the fact that despite all the accusations about his ego, Kanye's actually one of the most open artists ever. I suppose that's a little ouroboros, but as the lyrics of this track strike me more and more it's a notable track to drop here.

"Bed" by Nicki Minaj ft. Ariana Grande

So, what do you do when "Chun-Li" doesn't quite hit like you wanted it to? Bring on the most popular artist of the moment and drop "The Light is Coming." Oh wait, I meant, switch who is featured on whose song and drop "Bed" instead. Nicki and Ari have partnered up a lot and their chemistry is always fantastic. This could be primed to be pretty good, although I'm not sure its catchy stickiness is really there. But is chill. This week we're

"I Like It" by Cardi B and lots

I was just reflecting on the fact that Cardi must have filmed like fourteen different video appearances before she got pregnant. In this day an age, she should have just pulled an Ali Wong and went for it, but as you can track my dealing with this song over the past few weeks I think I've finally come around. It's surging on the charts, too, because everyone loves Cardi B for some reason. She somehow sings with way better English than when she speaks.

"Never Be the Same" by Camila Cabello

We're a bit past halfway, but can we call it? It's a low down dirty drag race between Camila and Ariana this summer. We'll see who gets crowned Queen unless something really really big comes along. They do keep negating each other, so we'll see. I am kind of just reaching the crest of the wave where I don't much care about this anymore, but for now it's still being played everywhere, so dip.

"No Tears Left to Cry" by Ariana Grande

Yep. For Independence Week we have women of color in the top four spots and people of color in the Top Five. America! Blatant immigrants, too! Ariana is actually just super Italian, but are Italians white? I don't know. This isn't a productive area of discussion. Productive ariana of discussion. The song is still killing it after I keep doubting it, and it's still Ariana's world - I could have easy thrown "The Light is Coming" on here, too, which may be my fav song of hers at the moment.

Next week...

"IDGAF" was close this week. As was Taylor Swift's "Delicate," which I've kind of ignored so far this summer because it's not all that great. The Carters keep coming out with new stuff, but none of it really does anything for me. Other than that, for some reason we suddenly cared about XXXTencion because of his tragic death, which is hella sad, but I mean...didn't make his songs any better.

Note the harshest NMW comment ever - 07/02/18.

Summer Jam 2018 Week 7: It's Ariana's World

My word, folks - it's officially Summer Time! We're seven weeks in, of course, because who really wants a 10 week summer? We need all seventeen weeks of greatness pumping on all cylinders! As we approach the eve of July, the ultimate summer month, there are a handful of tracks in pretty hot contention for Ultimate Summer Jam Royalty status. We definitely wanted to mix things up a bit this week, though, so check out the nonsense we have firing away!

Hot Jam of the Week: "the light is coming" by Ariana Grande ft. Nicki Minaj



I actually really dig this track. The beat is kind of bonkers and the hook is smooth as hell. I don't see it as super radio friendly, and whenever I think "No Tears Left to Cry" is fading it's played a thousand more times and I find myself still addicted. Suffice it to say that we're all living in Ariana's world right now, and she always seems to work well with Nicki throwing down some lyrics, even if she might as well not be in this track, which moreover feels like a weird advertisement for "Chun-Li." Either way, it's hot.

"Hunnybee" by Unknown Mortal Orchestra

I wanted to go really weird and obscure this week, and this song landed on my desk for some reason. I've been digging it all week, and it's a more chill and soothing track than any garbage Demi Lovato song that came out this week, so here you go. Summer Jam / Radio play potential? That's non-existent, friend, but go grab a shandy on the porch and crank this shit. Or maybe just play it barely audibly.

"Apeshit" by the Carters

I kind of get the feeling that Jay-Z and Beyonce are trying too hard with their videos these days. I mean, we get it, you both his artistic apexes with your last two albums each detailing your sides of some huge fight and now I guess you're coming back together. But this video isn't focused enough on a song (that isn't great to start with), and all over the place in that esoteric way that Jay-Z really struck with basically all of 4:44. Anyway, it's still got some cultural cache and made a decent splash this week.

"Nice for What" by Drake

I keep underestimating this track, and like last week it was kind of an incessant background track that is growing on me more than it should. It's not really all that great of a song, not even the best Drake song (lol - that's probably still "Forever," remember that Sprite commercial. I love 2009 nostalgia), but it's kind of just around, which is cool and works as a track that just about everyone can enjoy. That, my friends, is harder than it looks to pull off.

"IDGAF" by Dua Lipa

This is a track I've ignored for the better part of summer, but I tuned into it this week. It's probably better than I've been giving it credit for and Dua Lipa is one of those great new pop voices that I can never place apart from Halsey or Maren Morris or anyone else. But there's a nice rhythm and flow here that she did really well with "New Rules" as well. You know "New Rules" is one of the Top Songs of 2018 already? To some extent this shit doesn't even matter anymore - the top tracks are whatever you wanted to listen to. But this song has some Summer potential.

"I Like It" by Cardi B ft. Bad Buny & J Balvin

Same as "IDGAF" this song did not hit me well at first, but it's grown on me. It certainly achieves that Latin summer feel, but I still hate Cardi B like 50% of the time. Yeah, this hits that mark pretty well. Sometimes her flow is just amazing, but then it switches to some off-key harsh vibes that destroy my ears. She's also like, definitely brain-damaged or insane, or just a wild chick or something. Again, this works sometimes, but I think she just needs a break - her ubiquity is overwhelming. She's like 2004 Jude Law. That's the weirdest comparison ever.

"No Tears Left to Cry" by Ariana Grande

Yep - back again. You just can't doubt this song. It's doing pretty well and one of the biggest songs we got. I keep trying to figure it out - it's half mournful, half resilient, half-Inception (2010), all ballad. Ariana definitely makes connecting with the youth zeitgeist look easy. "We way to fly to partake in all this hate we out here vibing" is an amazing line that I just figured out this week.

"Never Be the Same" by Camila Cabello

This just felt like a Camila week. I also thought this track's status was faltering, but um...I was wrong. We're at a point where we're in a definitive Camila vs. Ariana duel for the summer, BUT it's still really early. Seven weeks in, ten to go. Can they sustain? We could be in for one of the grandest of all showdowns. Now, this column is unbelievably unpopular, but you've got to stick around to see who wins this shit, right?! I....probably. Who cares. This song is close to breaching that irritating threshold for me, but not quite yet.

Next week...

Aforementioned Demi Lovato tracks, plus new Meghan Trainor, Carters, Ty Dolla $ign, Imagine Dragons, Nicki Minaj, PRETTYMUCH, and NF this week. They all faltered in the wake of our mighty Winners Countdown!! Also, Jay Rock & J. Cole "OSOM" I literally wrote up a paragraph before I kicked them out. That song's good. No room for "Meant to Be" this week, either, which could definitely come back. What are you jamming out to this summer?!

Summer Jam 2018 Week 6: Enter Ye

We've reached the apex of June! It's crazy to think about. There are a whole random slew of tracks this week, from the bright and shiny new to the old and decrepit. We're on the breach of reunion and wedding season, people. Which songs will be the soundtrack to your lives?! Read on and find out!

Hot Jam of the Week: "I'm Upset" by Drake



I've been trying to both cover this Drake / Pusha-T feud and also wanting to stay out of it. This more a song and introspective reconciliation with Drake's past than a direct attack on Pusha, but it's also a solid reminder that, yeah, our most popular current rap artist starred on Degrassi. I really just wanted to talk about this video that features Jay and Silent Bob for some reason (Kevin Smith is a huge self-admitted Degrassi fan). The world is weird.

"Girls Like You" by Maroon 5

This hasn't quite caught on yet, but it trended well on YouTube and got some fairly choice radio plays. It's also such a smooth hip zeitgeist-y girl power song. I rambled about this before, but I wish we could have had a girl group get this many girls together for the girl power song. The vagina power on display here is amazing. It might yet take a few weeks to really be a hit.

"Sit Next to Me" by Foster the People

This has been around for a minute but was played enough this week to earn a drop here. Foster the People hasn't quite hit "Pumped Up Kicks" ubiquity, but hey, any alternative rock that's not Imagine Dragons is worthwhile. It's a kind of uplifting song, but better for a chill night than a true summer rager.

"Yikes" by Kanye

You can say what you want about Kanye's mental health (if you listen to Ye, he says plenty himself) - some of these tracks feel a little inconsequential or at least not as thought out and clever as his earlier work (almost nothing is equal), but despite all that bitching, "Yikes" might be the best of the crop and holy damn this is a song for our moment right now. No real radio play, but do we even need radio play anymore? I mean, we clearly haven't for years. I still do for some reason. I really should just starting basing this list off of Spotify.

"Meant to Be" by Bebe Rexha ft. Florida Georgia Line

Perhaps not as everywhere as last week, "Meant to Be" is still going strong. Now THIS is a summer driving long highway song that's oh so joyous. I'd say it is about cresting, though, almost reaching that point where I don't totally get pumped up to listen to it. Totally done. Past the hotness threshold. NEVER TO RETURN.

"Never Be the Same" by Camila Cabello

Surging this week while Ariana dropped is the first indication that "Never Be the Same" could make the first run at legit Summer Queen status. It's very very early to call anything, having only covered a little over a third of the season, but right now she's in the lead. We'll of course see how things shake out, but I'd be okay with this.

"Nice for What" by Drake

Drake Song #2 of the week and yeah, "Nice for What" jumped up mad high this week. For some reason I heard this track excessively this week and that beat is just good enough to fill the background of whatever you might be doing with your lives at any given moment. That mid-song complete breakdown gets me every time - I always think the 107.9 DJ is stopping the song and calling out some studio jerks. But somehow it works.

"Psycho" by Post Malone

I know, I know. We might as well have "Stegosaurus" this week this song is so old. But it was somehow everywhere this week AND shot back up to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. It's a remarkably good song, but I'll be the first to admit that I have no idea how a dirtbag-looking dude like Post Malone rose to the top of 2018. I suppose it's is general down-to-earth demeanor, accessibility, solid raspy sing-songy flow and righteous chill vibes. I also really like that "Lil mama wanna have my babies" line. For some reason he makes it sound like such an adorable love story.

Next week...

The Carters. Listen, this is no "Bonnie & Clyde" by a large motion, and it's certainly also a lesser work than either of them have done together, but it could be pretty popular. We'll see. Not much more substantial new tunes this week. A little Clean Bandit / Demi Lovato. Who cares.

Summer Jam Week 5! Girls

We're in the thick of June now, people. There's a little bit of action on the Winner's List this week, with some old tracks making a brave stance and mostly a ton of pop pumping through the mighty veins of summer. Let's start off with some hip-hop:

Hot Jam of the Week: "Harlem Anthem" by A$AP Ferg



There was a lot of new rap this week, and I thought about highlighting either the new epic Eminem track ft. Everyone, but it's totally not a real commercial song, or another A$AP, this one by Rocky. Ferg and the "Harlem Anthem" spoke to me the most, though, even if it's not a Shake. It's got a fresh sun-stroked beat to without a lot of hate or pretension like anything Drake or Pusha-T is making these days.

"Sangria Wine" by Pharrell Williams x Camila Cabello

Mixing Camila's already great presence with a tried and true hit-maker like Pharrell is an auspicious affair. Camila's Latin pedigree makes anything she spits out fitting for a hazy summer night anyway, and who doesn't want to waste away these months under a spell of sangria? This hasn't quite caught on yet, but is a smooth enough jam to hit the dirt running this season.

"No Tears Left to Cry" by Ariana Grande

I almost left her off this week, but after hearing the track twice in three songs on Saturday I had to throw her back on. I do think this is somewhat on the way out, but at the same time I've finally remembered what the actual title of this jam is! It's still equal parts emotional ballad and sexy summer sex song, which is just fine for everything I'm looking for in a Jam.

"The Middle" by Zedd, Maren Morris, Grey

Here's an ancient song back from the dead this week. There's a lot of pretty fresh tracks I could have highlighted, but that felt unfair to how this jam seemed to surge. It's still an alright song, even if I definitely couldn't name Maren Morris without looking her up.

"Boo'd Up" by Ella Mai

This jam has been around for a few weeks now and finally earns a spot here. Ella Mai is a strong young voice here and it's hard to find a better case of onomatopoeia describing falling in love like this. It's got some life under it and hasn't quite hit mainstream Top 40 yet, but if it catches on it could make a nice run of things.

"Never Be the Same" by Camila Cabello

Here's another track that I thought we were kind of done with until a late week upswing. It's still half-hypnotic and altogether wonderful. I don't think this will hit "Havana" highs, but may be a better track the more I listen to it. It certainly showcases a more impressive vocal range.

"Friends" by Marshmellow & Anne Marie

I'm clearly still digging this track. I'm not sure it was always known as the Friendzone Anthem it's known as now, which has all kinds of awkward connotations, and now that I'm thinking about it, it's kind of weird that it's apparently a pro-Friendzone song. Yeah, that totally tracks, paying attention to the lyrics now. Not to get into that minefield, because Ryan Reynolds explores it better, but I can see both the ludicrous side that men and women can't be friends along with the need to accept a rejection of advances, and the difficulty that presents in anyone actually ever getting laid. The most difficult thing linguistically is framing it according to male needs, which is an issue with most of society. Good beat tho.

"Meant to Be" by Bebe Rexha ft. Florida Georgia Line

That's right! This track is #1, baby! I heard this a shitload this week and loved it every time. Suddenly I realized that's what makes a #1 song. It's old as shit, so I'm not sure how long it's got, but for now it's a pretty rad summer jam in the wake of other country crossover hits like "Body Like a Back Road" last year. I'm into it. Did this really drop last October? Aged like fine wine, baby! Bebe!

Next week...

I listened to two girls-tracks, both "Girls Like You" by Maroon 5 and the video that dropped for Rita Ora & Everyone's "Girls" but neither really got any significant cultural airplay. I really like Rita's hair in that video. She looks like a lion. I should have thrown that up there. I do get kind of annoyed with visually dissimilar videos like this where it's pretty clear that they couldn't get all four of these ladies in the same room together to shoot a fun video. It's totally thematically disparate. Anyway, that's still got potential, but if I were to throw down every song that I personally listened to this week, we'd just have Jay Rock's "Win" eight times in a row. There was a lot else this week, from Die Antwood to Julia Michaels and then another massive girl pop collabo that wasn't nearly as interesting as it should have been. Also a super weird Selena Gomez video. Keep your ears open and keep listening to the skies!!

Summer Jam 2018 Week 4: ALL HOT ALL NEW!!!

Well, it's June and if there's any moment to debut a hot Summer Jam with a cherry three-month lifespan, now's the time. Everyone in the music industry got that memo because there are a ton of new songs this week. Call me and old timer, though, because I'm still digging Camila and Ariana and the whole lot.

I also thought about featuring either some Drake or Pusha-T tracks, particularly "The Story of Adidon" this week, but that's kind of shallow to highlight an explicit diss track, right? Especially one as sinister as this, which not only co-cops Drake's new Adidas partnership, but lays down enough legit allegations of bastard porn star children to dominate Drake's new album promotion. A few weeks ago I was saying it was weird that Drake had all these hot songs out - like it doesn't feel like we're in a Drake Age, right? Then again - Pusha-T? What songs does Pusha-T have? A ton of collabos with Kanye and then work with Clipse? "Trouble on My Mind" is legit - that's...it. It's a bizarre feud. Anyway, that's what's really hot and I had to mention something.

Hot Jam of the Week: "Humility" by Gorillaz



There's actually not a better boppy summer track out there right now. Gorillaz is one of my favourite all-time bands, and it's really surprising that they're dropping what appears to be another legit wholesale album, The Now Now just one year after their last effort, Humanz. Usually there's at least five or seven years in between. Humanz had some great singles come of it, but nothing really caught on. This video has a really energetic Jack Black going for it, as well as apparently Ace from the Gang Green Gang replacing Murdoc Niccols, who is incarcerated. I'll admit I follow their music more than their incredibly intricate lore, but Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett's efforts to stick with fleshing out this virtual band over the past 17 years is damn admirable.

"WIN" by Jay Rock

I really hope this jam catches on as a worldwide sports anthem. It's actually amazing. I really dug that other Jay Rock / Kendrick track, "King's Dead" and apparently Kendrick is just a hype man here. This song is super fun and it could be picked up by some Hip-Hop stations but I honestly do struggle seeing it catch on with Top 40. There's a sly humour here, too. I love it.

"No Tears Left to Cry" by Ariana Grande

This track may be on its way out actually. I wanted to throw it in because of Ariana's apparently blossoming relationship with Pete Davidson. And she dated Mac Miller for like two years? What is Ariana's type? Scummy tattooed white boys? And I love Pete Davidson. I do love the vibin here. Even if it's honoring a mass tragedy. Maybe we should move on from this whole affair.

"Girls Like You" by Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B

This is one of those hundreds of new singles dropped this week, and the 99th featuring Cardi B in some capacity. This is typical Maroon 5 in that it's really just an exploitative grab at trends in order to make some money without any real artistic conviction behind it. I mean, why is Cardi B here? What does her style add to this track other than "People are into Cardi B right now." But like, this video! It's a definitive who's who of badass chicks (although I got their ploy at exploiting trends as soon as I say Phoebe Robinson. I mean, she's by far the best part of Ibiza [2018] and I hope she blows up, but you don't throw Phoebe Robinson in your video unless you're going after some very specific hip demographics). I dunno. Why couldn't the Rita Ora track literally named "Girls" feature something like this. Rita Ora is in this damn video! I kind of love this song, though.

"Meant to Be" by Bebe Rexha ft. Florida Georgia Line

I almost didn't include this this week, but I heard it on the car riding home and realized I wasn't sick of it yet, it's #7 in the country and still pretty listenable. Crossover country can be a pretty powerful thing and it's such a sweet thumper of a jam that it could probably thrown down here every week for the rest of the year.

"This is America" by Childish Gambino

Another week that this is ranked pretty high, even if I didn't actually listen to it that much, because a whole new batch of friends were discussing it. That holds way more weigh to to me than it actually getting airtime - this is a track that's started a significant conversation, even if I was talking to some real damn white people who didn't get shit. Also, SOLO (2018).

"Never Be The Same" by Camila Cabello

You know, none of the other Fifth Harmony girls got to be in the "Girls" video. This was another song I heard driving home like "Yeah, this is a momentous track!" I can never remember the name, though. I think it's going to be "Never Say Never" or something. In ten or fifteen years I can see this track slipping into the ether of nether-memory. That's what these lists are for, baby! In the year 2028, we got to go back and check out the June 4, 2018 Summer Jam List! That's hot, baby!

"Friends" by Marshmello & Anne Marie

Here we go - #1 song this week! This has been out for a while and isn't even high on the charts, but I dug it this week and it hit that right area between fresh, listenable, jammable, and cool. That's how we measure things around here, people. This music video is retarded.

Next week...

So, Cardi B also had new shit with J. Lo and herself, and they both kind of suck, but could catch on. I also was very close to sharing Weezer's "Africa" cover because right now Toto is more popular than any other artist on this list. It looks like the Weeknd is trying to do something but can't get as catchy as his last album. Ke$ha dropped "Hymn," one of my favourite songs off of Rainbow. And Kanye apparently cobbled together a new album that I'm not sure anyone cares about. All caught up? Any of these tracks could attract that hot hot fire, and to be honest, I've only got like four songs in my head so far this summer, so new blood would be good. Crank up the knob, true believers!

Does that even make sense anymore? Um...press the up arrow on your phone, true believers!

Summer Jam 2018 Week Three! Friends Peas Parties

As we round Memorial Day weekend there are a handful of songs that are still hot, but shuffling around. Or I at least only like three or four pop songs right now. They'll get pop accolades as long as I'm running this show, baby! Most of the rest of this list is just talking about songs I wanted to talk about. Crank those speakers up, baby!

Hot Jam of the Week: "Ring the Alarm" by The Black Eyed Peas



So, this song is clearly terrible and comes off more as a desperate attempt to capitalize on Kendrick Lamar or Childish Gambino-level racial awareness than anything else. The Black Eyed Peas aren't a politically conscious band - they're a party band. This is like the most ingenuous song ever. Also they couldn't even get Fergie. This band is all about Fergie, literally the only point to listening to them. As you can tell, I really really hate the Black Eyed Peas. Except for "Imma Be," weirdly enough. Anyway, they won the Summer Jam back in 2009, but you will never hear this song again.

"Welcome to the Party" by Diplo, French Montana, & Lil' Pump

Can you picture a bigger piece of shit collabo? In honor of Deadpool 2 (2018) we include this track, although we probably should have thrown in Celine Dion. That's a remarkably good soundtrack, for that song and this, which totally sound like songs that weren't created solely for this movie. Of course, dubstep is for pussies, but this is a fun track that could actually earn some Summer Jam Thumping creds if it catches on mainstream. Tho some of it feels kind of 2014, right?

"Rosanna" by Weezer

Weezer hasn't been on this list...maybe ever, but it's great to hear some new music from them, especially one that rocks as hard as this. It also has a classic tune to it and while I'd be pretty surprised if it catches on and gains momentum this summer, it's fun this week.

"Meant to Be" by Bebe Rexha ft. Florida Georgia Line

"Meant to Be" returns again and just...won't...die. This track was everywhere again this week and really hasn't peaked listenability for me, and apparently the country, either. Good for Bebe who is also pretty likable and deserves to have a track like this to distinguish herself from the thousands of other blonde starlets crooning for their supper these days.

"Friends" by Marshmello & Anne Marie

I really like this Marshmello character. Reminds me of the weird dancing robot from those old LMFAO videos. Anne Marie is clearly trying a little too hard and into some hardcore mugging for the camera, but I suppose that's what you have to do to stand out these days. This track is actually pretty old and took a while to grow on me, but it's starting to take off. It could contend in June.

"This is America" by Childish Gambino

His Lando is the best part of the #1 movie in the country and this track is still killing it, as the #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. It hasn't gotten much radio play, and it's kind of an awkward song to jam out to, but it's still the topic of much discussion and a surprising amount of memes who don't really understand what this track is about at all.

"No Tears Left to Cry" by Ariana Grande

I get these next too songs mixed up, both N - negative tracks. Anyway, I'm still in the middle of considering if this is a mournful sorrowful jam or an upbeat resilient jam. It's somewhere in the middle, and the way Ariana bounces between ballad and snippy is great. And she snagged Pete Davidson this week! Pete is definitely DEFINITELY batting up.

"Never Be The Same" by Camila Cabello

The clear winner this week, this jam was everywhere, and has now moved up each week this summer. Can Camilla win the Summer like she basically won the Fall and Winter? It's certainly possible, although generally tracks that peak in May don't have much legs. If this extends into June with some high numbers it's certainly possible. It's conceivably one of the lyrically shallower jams this week, but that's fine. Camila can work her pipes enough to make up for it.

Next week...

Camila's former gang, Fifth Harmony dropped a new jam this week, but it's shit. There was also new jams from Christina and Demi, and a J.Lo / DJ Khalid / Cardi B track that's also all shit. I was tempted to include Cardi B's "Be Careful," which finally got a music video this week, but it's not totally that hot anymore, tho still my favourite Cardi jam. And Drake. Drake's still around. All these folks may jump into the Winners List one of these weeks. Stay tuned, True Believers!

Summer Jam 2018 Week 2! Girls and Boys

Welcome, loyal pop audiophiles to the second week of summer - and boy has it been a cold, dumb, rainy one so far. We've got lots more jams along with more of the same crap from last week. Truly this is an age to behold! Let's just dive in.

Hot Jam of the Week: "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" by the Backstreet Boys



Yeah, so this is the first new BSB song in like twenty years, I had to let it drop here. Although they really aren't Backstreet Boys anymore, more like Backstreet Men. It's amazing, I would never listen to a group called Backstreet Men. That's not right. I'm kind of blown away by how un-notable this track is, they seemed totally comfortable to settle on the most generic song ever instead of anything that acknowledges a legacy or comeback. Also, are they still like, trying to chase girls and sing about having their hearts broken? You're 40, bro.

"Girls" by Rita Ora ft. Cardi B, Bebe Rexha, and Charli XCX

This is a little known fact, but this is actually the exact opposite of boys. Of course, Charli XCX already covered that. I do dig how this jam features every hot female artist of the moment and they come together pretty well. The track is fun enough if not exactly revolutionary or groundbreaking or anything. I'm down.

"The Middle" by Zedd, Maren Morris, Grey

This is another song that I can never remember either the name of or the slew of artists involved. It's actually remarkably restrained for a big EDM pop ballad with a really confident beat drop. It's also incredibly old, and we're still seeing it ride its big wave but it ought to die down pretty soon.

"Nice for What" by Drake

This song returns, under the radar again, but it's actually got a nice beat and flow to it. Do you think that Drake has crossed a boundary from rap into pop yet? It's totally plausible. This jam is actually better than I've given it credit for in the sense that it's really listenable and engaging, but I also don't necessarily think this will become an immortal track that we always think about in tandem with 2018.

"Chun-Li" by Nicki Minaj

I had "Barbie Tingz" last week, although this is definitely a better song. Nicki performed on SNL this week and this track has also been around for a while. It's kind of grown on me lately, and although there seems to be an artificially generated feud between her and Cardi, by all means they appear to be friendly. Although this film is hella assertive towards her rap dominance. I don't totally get why she's into Street Fighter, and there is some awkward appropriation here that doesn't make sense, but the beat is hot.

"Never Be the Same" by Camila Cabello

The hardest challenge every week is remembering how many "L's" are in both Camila and Cabello. This track is still just taking off and I think could have some legs, although may not ever reach #1. I get the feeling it's a perennial runner-up kind of song rather than one that truly captures some zeitgeist. It will probably inch up here or there, but I've definitely got my ears on it for now.

"This is America" by Childish Gambino

This was a tough call to not be #1, but I also feel like it's dropped a little bit, at least in its novelty. It's still dominating a lot of pop conversation, but the bigger question now is if it can last sonically. Even though it IS a very listenable song, it's hard to divorce that from the political implications. Like, would you play this at a wedding? Is it even comfortable to dance to? I mean, that distracting minstrelsy is the whole point. It's designed to make you uncomfortable. Can it still be a hot jam that way? Well, until it truly dies down, we'll list it pretty high.

"No Tears Left to Cry" by Ariana Grande

For some reason it took me a while to put it together that this song was about the Manchester concert massacre last year. That certainly adds a bit of weight to this jam in addition to it being a fantastic song from every level from Ariana's vocal prowress to the juicy beat. It was kind of every where this week, including this fantastic and surprisingly good-sounding Nintendo Labo performance.

Next week...

There was a shitload of new music that dropped this week, from Meghan Trainor to The Weeknd. It was all pretty shitty, though. I think the top three jams here will last for a bit, at least until something hotter drops sometime in June. What are you listening to this Summer?