Last year around this time, Drake and Kendrick Lamar trading lyrical uppercuts was the biggest event in music. This year? We got Joey Badass vs. Ray Vaughn. Which is to say: as we approach the halfway point of 2025, it’s been a relatively quiet year—especially compared to the shenanigans of 2024.
That doesn’t mean the music hasn’t been good. In compiling our list of the best songs of 2025 so far, we found a healthy mix of viral novelty hits, reliable songs from veterans staying in their lane, mid-tier acts experimenting with new sounds, and breakout singles from some of pop’s youngest and brightest.
From streamers dabbling in rap to the return of hip-hop’s snow-loving brothers, it’s been a fascinating stretch worth documenting. Here are the best songs of 2025 (so far).
Album: League of My Own
Somehow, there’s a chance that LiAngelo ends up the most successful Ball brother despite never being able to hoop like Lonzo, who has limitless talent but can’t stay on the court, and LaMelo, who also has limitless talent but is a knucklehead.
Gelo was quick to notice that he wasn’t cut out for a career in basketball, but landed on top regardless. The momentum kicked off in early 2025 with “Tweaker,” a single so good it earned him a record deal with Def Jam. Its effortlessly catchy hook became a hit among rap fans everywhere, and scored devotees both in the rap world and the NBA. —Will Schube
Album: ZOO LIFE
The bleeping and blooping synths start so playfully that BabyChiefDoIt’s yells of “BAOW BITCH BAOW” explode like a car backfiring. It’s a delightfully frenetic introduction, a burst of inspiration from the Chicago rapper who included “yeyeezytunechiweezy” on his breakthrough 2025 tape ZOO LIFE. BabyChief’s delivery is matter of fact and propulsive, with each defiant one-liner earning equal gasps and chuckles. It’s remarkable that BabyChief won’t turn 18 for another year, his talent is that palpable, lived in, and mature. It’s a vicious line, but what better way to sum up Chief’s talent than one of “yeyeezytunechiweezy’s” most quotable bars? “One n*gga had got hit in his kidney, he ain’t die but it made him shit.” —Will Schube
Album: N/A
Thanks to the success of his In the Booth series, Plaqueboymax has quickly become the go-to engineer in the rap world. “Pink Dreads,” recorded with fellow rapper-turned-streamer—turned-rapper again?—DDG remains the highlight of the Max experience. The beat is sleek, playful, and atmospheric, tapping into the ongoing jerk rap revival while delivering something genuinely catchy.
The track ran into controversy over beat clearance, which led to the original music video being taken down from YouTube. Still, it didn’t slow Max’s momentum, as he continues to strengthen the bond between rappers and streamers. —Antonio Johri
Album: N/A
The Joey Badass vs. the entire West Coast battle got corny real fast, but the “Brooklyn Badmon” managed to hold his own and deliver some standout songs. “Crash Dummy” was his best. Cleverly sampling Tupac’s “Hit Em Up,” Joey surgically picks apart Ray Vaughn and the rest of his West Coast adversaries with lyrical precision. “ I think they forgot the last time I destroyed an average rapper who tried to take a cheap shot,” he raps, calling back the same bar he used in his Sway in the Morning freestyle dissing Troy Ave. “Crash Dummy” is really just a reminder that Joey was a man amongst boys during this squabble. —Jordan Rose
Album: N/A
Milwaukee’s low-end scene has become synonymous with carefree rapping, eclectic beat choices, and zany, charismatic rappers that bring the fun back to hip-hop. Amid a sea of male rappers from the region scoring big viral hits, Myaap has cut through the noise. With “Fairy” Myaap flaunts her knack for singalong choruses, mixed with quotable lines littered through the ass-shaking party jam. “Fairy” is the type of low stakes, sparse produced single that gets the schoolyard jumping, a resonant celebration of loving yourself. It’s a winning formula, shit talk and stuntin, serving as 2025’s quintessential pretty in the mirror pregame hype anthem. —Josh Svetz
Album: Let God Sort Em Out
Back like they haven’t missed a step. Seriously. That should just be the entire blurb because that’s all I’ve got to say. “Ace Trumpets” makes you smile, laugh, and bite your lip like you’re on a date. The Clipse’s menacing return single finds Pusha T and Malice rapping over a thunderous Pharrell Williams instrumental, providing tense and lyrically dense coke raps that make you wonder how no one else thought to make a cocaine reference out of Lady Gaga. Of course both Thornton brothers cook here, but it’s Malice who steals the show when he raps, “Never turn the other cheek, you’ll die at the Oscars.” —Trey Alston
Album: N/A
Yes, flipping “Lollipop” is kind of a cheat code. But honestly, if you’re as cool—and frankly as talented—as Young Miko, it’s hard to tax her for the move. A longtime Lil Wayne stan, Miko takes one of his most seductive and charming tracks and turns it into something icy. This is a song about stealing a girl from her man, and doing it with audaciousness. To top it off, the track ends with a burst of energy from one of rap’s most animated hype men: Lil Jon, who comes out of nowhere to offer moral support. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo
Album: N/A
Two thousand twenty-five desperately needed a song that made you want to dance on tables, scream-rap the lyrics, and engage in random acts of violence. Enter Pluto and YKNiece. Built around a sample of OJ da Juiceman’s “Wham Bam,” Pluto and YKNiece gave the girls another anthem while inspiring a wave of remixes, from Sexyy Red’s official version to Lizzo’s mega-viral stab at it. Their ass-shaking, fist-swinging single channels the golden age of Atlanta trap rap reimagined for a new generation, this time with women at the forefront. —Jade Gomez
Album: black british music
Jim Legxacy is emerging during what feels like a renaissance for the UK music scene, joining peers like YT, Fakemink, and Len in shaping the bubbling underground rap movement. His track “father” takes a deeply introspective turn, as Jim raps and sings about his experience with an absent parent. (In an interview with Kids Take Over, he mentioned that the song represented him “rewriting” his history.)
The song is built around a sample of the 1980 track “I Love My Father” by George F. Smallwood & Marshmellow Band, which Jim creatively flips so that the word “father” lands at the end of his bars as he tells his story. —Antonio Johri
Album: N/A
Stockton, California standout EBK Jaaybo has never been one to mask his emotions on record. On “F*ck Everybody (Free Maxx),” he takes the prompt introduced by his incarcerated friend, EBK MadMaxx on his January single “Fuck Everybody,” and raises the stakes. Here, Jaaybo airs his grievances with every single enemy—real and perceived—in his world, refusing to couch his anger, frustration, and general displeasure with his opps in any sort of soft language. The beat is an absolute Bay Area thumper, with a heaven-sent choir chop giving the song the gravitas of a big budget action thriller. —Will Schube
Album: N/A
There’s something familiar about “Latina Foreva.” It nods to N.O.R.E., Daddy Yankee, and Nina Sky’s classic “Oye Mi Canto,” but doesn’t rely on nostalgia as a crutch. Instead, Karol G blends old-school reggaetón with a girl-power ethos, crafting an anthem that’s equal parts feisty and contagious.
There’s a brutal efficiency to it: the song is just over two minutes long, but Karol breezes through two verses and an earworm chorus you couldn’t shake if you tried. In some ways, it feels like a return to basics for her—which might explain why, when she unveiled the song, she did it showcasing her natural brown hair. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo
Album: N/A
“ALIVE” first surfaced on Ye’s Instagram as a collaboration with YoungBoy Never Broke Again. Then, in true chaotic fashion, Playboi Carti dropped his own version. Let me be direct: Carti and YoungBoy’s edition is the better one. There is a genuine anarchy on the track that suits both styles here. The song—which samples an ad-lib from MUSIC—features so much screaming, distortion, and flexes in one insane package that you’ll have your fill for a year. —Trey Alston
Album: N/A
Last October, Ghanaian-American Afrobeats singer MOLIY casually leaked a snippet of a dancehall-infused track she was working on with producer Silent Addy. She didn’t think much of it—until “Shake It to the Max” went viral, blowing up on TikTok. And that was before the remix with Shenseea and Skillibeng even dropped. What started as a throwaway snippet is now a full-blown posse cut: one of the funnest, sweatiest dancefloor anthems of the year, primed to dominate the months ahead. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo
Album: Virgin
Lorde has always been one of pop’s more elusive figures. With one foot in the experimental underground and one in the mainstream, she’s filled the Sky Ferreira-sized hole in many hearts. After the divisive Solar Power, her third studio album, Lorde needed to remind people she still had it in her. Bookending a wild romp around New York City, “What Was That” distills her appeal and genius into three minutes. Her instantly recognizable quiver swells with strength as she recounts an indie-sleaze love story for the ages. Brat was so last year. We’re now entering “Melancholy Girl Summer.” —Jade Gomez
Album: N/A
Rising Nigerian superstar Arya Starr’s ascent has been rapid and sudden, making her arresting tunes about heartbreak and coming of age all the more compelling. But in Afrobeats, hits are determined by what gets the parties jumping, which the 22-year-old singer delivers on the WizKid-supported club banger, “Gimme Dat.” Riding the tropical percussion, her smokey voice sounds fit for sensual slowdown dances on sun-filled rooftops. Starr had great songs before, but “Gimme Dat” teases a future of household name status. She’s predestined—It’s all in the name. —Josh Svetz
Album: Let Me Fly
Rob49’s “WTHELLY” is the most playfully original single of the year. Everyone’s saying “What the helly,” and the track is so good that I’m willing to look past Rob shouting out my mortal enemy, Tyrese Haliburton, on the song. It’s hard to figure out why, exactly “WTHELLY” has taken over the rap world as efficiently and swiftly as it has, but maybe it comes down to a simple idea: people like saying really fun words, and for some reason, “What the helly,” are three of the most fun we’ve got. —Will Schube
Album: More Chaos
On “Blakk Rokkstar,” Ken Carson dials the fabled hedonism of ’80s rockstars to an 11. The song’s title—also used as a refrain throughout—spits in the face of institutions that tried to uphold rock’s whiteness. In times of economic downturn, obscene wealth and relentless flexing are often traded for humility and relatability. Carson doesn’t care. He’s not interested in making aspirational music. This is pure self-indulgence over blown-out 808s and bass, topped off with one of the sickest beat switches in recent memory. Rock isn’t dead, it’s just wearing Rick Owens now. —Jade Gomez
Album: I Live, I Die, I Live Again
Chuckyy has synthesized horror aesthetic as well as any modern rapper, and on “My World,” he cooks up his regular ol’ gore obsessed POV with something decidedly more emo. The song samples alt-pop songwriter EKKSTACY’s “i walk this earth all by myself,” and features Chuckyy fitting his usual deadpan, cascading delivery onto an entirely different sonic scheme. Despite the switch up, his bars remain the perfect blend of bleak and brilliant, like when he casually tosses off one of the best lines of the year: “Just because we went to school and I got rich don’t mean we teams.” —Will Schube
Album: N//A
It was surprising to hear Mariah say “‘Burning Blue’… wasn’t about anything specific.” The opening lyrics are so precisely analytical in their depiction of infatuation. This song feels incredibly present. You can follow Mariah as she moves through the emotions in real time, all chronicled by knocking drums and brooding, piercing strings.
There’s been plenty of online discourse about Mariah’s vocal chops, but what makes this track resonate is how approachable and repeatable the singing feels. It’s a joint you can belt in the shower and feel like you’re almost nailing it, even if you’re not a singer. —Miki Hellerbach
Album: SOS Deluxe: Lana
R&B group Switch’s classic 1970s track “I Call Your Name,” once memorably sampled by Rich Boy on “Throw Some D’s,” gets another modern reboot on “30 for 30,” a charismatic duet between two dominant forces in R&B and rap.
Both artists talk tough—SZA sings at one point, “Should I fold that bitch? No yoga mat”—but there’s a playful energy in their delivery, like you’re not meant to take them too seriously.— Robyn Mowatt
Album: N/A
Latto usually raps with a booming voice made for TED Talks. But “Somebody” flips the script, offering a glimpse of her softer side. Built around an interpolation of Aaliyah’s “Are You That Somebody,” the track finds Latto fully obsessed with her partner—willing to do anything for them. But instead of coming off as cringe, it’s smooth, silky, and completely alluring. Whoever that “somebody” is doesn’t realize how lucky they are. —Trey Alston
Album: $ome $exy $ongs 4 U
We’re far enough removed from the all-encompassing Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef to recognize, once again, that a banger is a banger. Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR’s $ome $exy $ongs 4 U is quintessential bachelor-core, no matter how much they want to posture themselves as being for the ladies. Nonetheless, the government mandated Drake dance track hits. Reminiscent of ‘80s freestyle and Miami bass, Drake leans into the cheesiness. One can’t help but exaggerate the “Who’s calling my phone?” call and response or do their worst Southern drawl when the “Babygurl” part comes up. —Jade Gomez
Album: MUSIC
Playboi Carti has long cited Lil Wayne as one of his biggest inspirations. And the influence is hard to miss. From outfits to the I AM MUSIC lettering on his album cover (a direct nod to the phrase tattooed above Wayne’s right eyebrow), Carti wears his Weezy standom proudly. But the true soundtrack to Carti’s Wayne obsession might be “Like Weezy.” The song is an upbeat trap anthem with a hook that references the two-tone AP watches Wayne used to flex. Carti sounds completely unhinged, delivering wild vocal inflections and quotables like, “I told her I’m big like Bieber, she ain’t believe me,” riding a glorious sample of “Bend Over” by Atlanta legends Rich Kidz. —Antonio Johri
Album: DOPAMINE
Lil Tecca is no longer the goofy, smooth-talking lyricist stitching together swag raps over chill instrumentals. On “Dark Thoughts,” the lead single from his upcoming fifth studio album DOPAMINE, he offers a supportive shoulder to a girl whose mind is clouded by the same darkness he knows intimately. Swapping booming 808s for the tethered bounce of an early 2000s Neptunes beat, Tecca rides each thump like a pop star in the making, turning heavy subject matter into an undeniable earworm. It’s a tricky balance to strike without sounding corny, but his authenticity holds it all together. —Trey Alston
Album: DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS
On “DtMF,” the title track of his sixth solo studio album, Bad Bunny croons about Puerto Rican sunsets, playing dominoes, and grabbing drinks in Santurce. The song plays like an ode to El Conejo Malo’s homeland and its rich musical legacy. Driven by a pulsating Bomba rhythm and accented with celebratory group chants that echo the track’s title, it feels like a full-on studio party. Yet beneath all the festive energy, there’s a subtle melancholy. The chorus—translated as “I should’ve taken more pictures when I had you”—adds a layer of nostalgia. As the percussion swells into what sounds like a live jam session, you can almost picture yourself gathered around a beach bonfire, surrounded by friends. —Antonio Johri
