11 Songs From 2014 That Are Killing It in 2015

"Trap Queen," "Cha Cha," and others are still going strong.

Not Available Lead
Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

Not Available Lead

Our channels for music consumption in 2015 are way, way more fragmented than ever before. Depending on the genre, the artist’s stature, their release strategy, and about a million other factors their music could be primarily residing in any one of a number digital homes: SoundCloud, Spotify, YouTube, iTunes, and, more so than you would expect, on the radio. Also consider that it seems like there is more music being released nowadays, and finding potential hits, and understanding why they will pop off, is more difficult for fans, critics, A&Rs, and everyone in between.

In this new landscape, a given year’s biggest hits might not be the most current. In fact, in 2015, and a few years before it, many of the nation’s most popular hits are many months or years old by the time they come to our dominate ear holes. You know that undeniable banger from the unheard rapper who’s been rapidly thrust into the spotlight? Yeah, that song was sitting on SoundCloud forever before it received the proper cosign, marketing push, or stroke of luck it needed to blowup. Maybe there’s been a song so dominant that despite being released last winter it’s still in contention for the song of the summer. Or perhaps an artist just released an awesome track in the wee hours of 2014, hoping to start 2015 with a hit under their belt.

Because of their release dates, and the very nature of their popularity, these songs are barred from any “Best of 2015” lists. But regardless of the date of their initial release they played a major part in shaping what this year’s popular music sounds like. So, in order to honor those contributors and to hopefully shine a light on how, why, and when songs catch our collective attention in 2015, let’s look at the 11 Songs From 2014 That Are Killing It in 2015.

Max Goldberg is a writer living in New York. Follow him @goopygold.

Fetty Wap “Trap Queen”

Not Available Interstitial

Producer: Tony Fadd

Label: 300 Entertainment

Released: April 2014

First released back in March 2014 (over 15 months ago), Fetty Wap’s “Trap Queen” defines a slow come-up. Back then, Fetty was just beginning to develop his now internationally known crooning abilities, and he released “Trap Queen” with hopes that it had that je ne sais quoi that makes a song of the summer a song of the summer. Fetty had the right hunch, but his timing was a year off. Although the song got a respectable amount of play last summer, both on NY/NJ radio stations and on Fetty’s SoundCloud, the track didn’t truly take off until it received a major push from Fetty Pendergrass’ new record label, 300 Entertainment.

Although everybody loves trumpeting the death of major labels and holding up artists like Chance the Rapper as examples of labels’ increasing irrelevance, there is no doubt that Trap Queen became the mega-smash that it is only after Atlantic Records’ 300 Entertainment gave it a kick in the ass.

In the wake of that push the record took off, as it soared up to the No. 2 spot on the Billboard charts this May. We now live in a post-“Trap Queen” world where endlessly annoying frat bros and sorority girls beat the term to death, overly analytical thinkpieces claim that its our generation’s one true love song, and out-of-touch old folks etymologize the song’s title until you feel like puking all over their old wrinkly faces.

OMI “Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix)”

Not Available Interstitial

Producer: Felix Jaehn

Label: Oufah/Columbia

Released: May 2014

Jamaican singer OMI released “Cheerleader,” a cheery and simple love song backed by a classically staccato reggae rhythm, all the way back in 2012. And then nothing really happened. The song wasn’t released outside of OMI’s native Jamaica and didn’t even do much there. Then, two years later it received a remix and a rocket ship-sized boost from German producer Felix Jaehn.

The remix toned down the song’s original reggae swing and replaced it with a more dancehall, club-ready tempo. Out went rhythm guitar and in came the thumping bass line that lets people know they are listening to a dancehall record. In the wake of the remake, the song became an international smash, reaching No. 1 in many countries and currently sitting at No. 4 here in the U.S. So yeah, hand us and everyone else a big fat late pass on this one.

Fetty Wap “679”

Not Available Interstitial

Producer: Peoples

Label: 300 Entertainment

Released: June 2014

As “Trap Queen” became even more of a massive success, the always critical and story-hungry media quickly speculated aloud whether Fetty would be a one-hit wonder. Like Rae Sremmurd before him, Fetty had to prove that he had more to offer than his first, out-of-left-field smash. “679,” a song that, fitting with the delayed timing of his entire come-up, had been out for over a year, became the third hit in the Patterson, N.J. artist’s meteoric rise.

“679” is an extension of everything that was so, so right with “Trap Queen.” For all those that thought his singing was too limited to work on multiple tracks, the infectiousness of “679” is your answer. Over a series of poppy, DJ-Mustardesque synth blips, Fetty’s ad-libs are as catchy as ever. If the Drake assist on “My Way” proved that Fetty had the powers that be of the music industry behind him, “679” and its combined 12 million YouTube/SoundCloud plays prove that he has a firm grasp on what the people want.

Chedda Da Connect “Flicka da Wrist”

Not Available Interstitial

Producer: Fred On Em

Label: eOne Music

Released: August 2014

Any conversation about Chedda Da Connect or “Flicka Da Wrist” has to begin with how absolutely awful of a rap name Chedda Da Connect is. It’s terrible. It sounds like what the animatronic robot from Chuck E. Cheese would call himself. It’s very seriously probably the worst rap name that’s ever existed in the history of the world. With that out of the way, let’s talk about how “Flicka Da Wrist” became one of 2015’s biggest bangers after being out for nearly half a year before heating up.

In our interview with Chedda Da Connect (god, that’s such a bad name), even he seemed somewhat surprised by the track’s success. Even though the song did come out of nowhere, its ascension makes sense. It takes a sound that’s extremely hot right now and does it spectacularly well. The beat is simple yet effective,and Chedda’s “look at the flicka da wrist” is intoxicating but also haunting, like he is a leaned-out ghost who has come back to wreak havoc on the trap. However, things aren’t looking great for Chedda. He’s openly mocked the Based God’s curse, which, if we’ve ever learned anything from professional basketball, means he is absolutely done for. Hopefully, Based God will spare him and bless him with a new moniker.

Tove Lo “Talking Body”

Not Available Interstitial

Producer: The Struts and Shellback

Label: Universal Music/Island/Republic

Released: September 2014

In 2014, Swedish song bird Tove Lo stepped out from behind the scenes with the hugely successful Queen of the Clouds. Before the album’s release Lo did most of her work away from the spotlight, contributing heavily to songs produced by human hit factory Max Martin and writing for scores of other pop stars. With “Talking Body,” Lo found herself excelling in being the center of attention.

“Talking Body,” and the album’s other single, “Habits (Stay High),” are both massive-sounding records. The track is powered by its driving synths and is most excellent when the chorus repeatedly enters its enrapturing crescendos. Her stadium-ready sound has landed her two of her songs on the upper reaches of the Billboard Hot 100 and made her days of writing solely for others a thing of the past.

D.R.A.M. “Cha Cha”

Not Available Interstitial

Producer: Gabe Niles

Label: N/A

Released: September 2014

No song is a better example of a niche Internet song crossing over and becoming an actual, real world hit than D.R.A.M’s “Cha Cha.” When Pigeons and Planes first posted D.R.A.M’s music back in September, you could tell “Cha Cha” had potential, but you’d be crazy to think that it would end up on major radio. After all, it’s just such a weird song. It’s built around a Super Mario sample, D.R.A.M’s singing is not for the faint of heart, and the entire aesthetic is goofiness personified.

Now, nine months after its release, “Cha Cha,” and D.R.A.M, have fully arrived. As if cosigns from Chance the Rapper and Rick Rubin and legitimate radio airplay weren’t enough, the Virginia rapper received the God-level cosign from none other than Beyoncé. The song was already amazing, but U.S. law dictates that anything Beyoncé likes, everyone likes, so if you didn’t like it before you are literally required to like it now. D.R.A.M’s come-up has been incredibly fun to watch, and all the smart money says it isn’t stopping here.

Future “F**k Up Some Commas”

Not Available Interstitial

Producer: DJ Spinz and Southside

Label: N/A

Released: October 2014

The less-than-stellar reaction to 2014’s Honest left Future on shaky ground. Critics and fans alike struck out at Future for the album’s ambiguity, as Future seemed stuck halfway between feeding the streets with the trap stylings that turned him into a legend and satisfying the mainstream with the softer, more melodic fare that dominated national airways.

Six months later Future decided to double down on the street shit, releasing the audio equivalent of a 10 megaton bomb in Monster. Trap Future shined bright on the tape, and nowhere was his recommitment to the grimiest of sounds more excellent than on “Fuck Up Some Commas.” Although not a single in any conventional sense, it became an instant favorite. On the track Future is like a muezzin, and “we don’t give no fucks” is his call to prayer. In addition to being a smash, “Fuck Up Some Commas” sent Future on a tear. He followed Monster with the equally punishing Beast Mode and 56 Nights as the Future-Hive grew to become one of the most powerful political contingents in the world today.

Mark Ronson f/ Bruno Mars “Uptown Funk”

Not Available Interstitial

Producer: Jeff Bhasker, Bruno Mars, and Mark Ronson

Label: Sony/Columbia/RCA

Released: November 2014

Few songs became as inescapably popular in 2015 as “Uptown Funk.” Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars essentially put on their mad scientist lab coats and stepped into the studio intent on cooking up the perfect pop song. And holy shit did they succeed. The track’s doo-wop bass lines and Nile Rodgers-esque guitar are drenched in the same musical nostalgia that helped Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories gain entry into the core of pop culture’s heart. Combine that with Mars’ now proven inability to sing anything not catchy, and this one was destined for glory from its inception.

Even though the song spent 14 weeks atop the Billboard charts, its greatest achievement is the fact that it has managed to not become completely hate-able. By this time last year, showing anything but utter disgust toward “Happy” made you the target of immense amounts of shade. “Uptown Funk,” though, is as fun as when it first came out. Although it was released more than seven months ago, you are as likely to hear the track blaring out of anybody’s car window this summer as you were last winter.

Omarion f/ Chris Brown and Jhene Aiko “Post to Be”

Not Available Interstitial

Producer: DJ Mustard

Label: Atlantic

Released: November 2014

“Four score and seven years ago.” “One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” Those are a couple epic sayings that are etched into the American memory forever. But, are they as important as “but he gotta eat the booty like groceries?” No. No, they are not.

Few sentences have had as much impact or been as vital to the growth of world culture as those eight words spoken by Jhene Aiko on Omarion’s “Post to Be.” Yes, the rest of the song is great, but in all honesty nothing else matters. DJ Mustard’s excellently bouncy production allowed him to add another notch to his presumably gigantic belt, and Omarion (are we just dropping that whole Maybach O thing?) sounds as good as he has since B2K. But none of that matters. In 1,000 years when aliens look back at our history to try and understand what we as a species were capable of, all that will be remembered is Jhene’s ode to eating butt.

A$AP Rocky “Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2”

Not Available Interstitial

Producer: Nez & Rio

Label: RCA

Released: December 2014

Everyone loves movie trailers. Those carefully curated two minutes give you just enough of a taste of Avengers 7 or whatever movie to leave you wrecked with anticipation for when the full product is actually going to drop. In the roll out for his album AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP, A$AP Rocky unleashed the same strategy to drive hype for one of the project’s standouts songs, “Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2.”

After a prolonged silence, Rocky returned to rap in October 2014 with the video for “Multiply.” As dope as the song was, in the wake of its release most people were focusing on a 30-second snippet of another song nestled in the video. The questions swirled. What was this song? When is it coming out? Why didn’t anyone tell me that Young Gleesh possesses the elegance and grace of a trap Baryshnikov?

Anticipation grew as Rocky informed us the song would be called “Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2,” making it the natural predecessor to the equally maniacal “Pretty Flacko.” Ultimately, the song reached “Trophies”-level hype and was fittingly released on New Year's Eve. The track has become one of those songs that, from its very first note, puts you in a state of mind where you are ready to murder someone or smash something. Nothing is safe when that first shrill whine blares out of the speaker and your limbs start flailing uncontrollably in a noble attempt to do your best Young Gleesh impression.

The Weeknd “Earned It”

Not Available Interstitial

Producer: Stephan Moccio and Jason Quenneville

Label: Republic

Released: December 2014

The Weeknd and 50 Shades of Grey is a match made in some sex-crazed BDSM heaven. Both have won the hearts of many with their overly seductive and borderline uncomfortable raunchiness. “Earned It,” the Weeknd’s orchestral ode to lust off the film’s soundtrack, is about as Weeknd-y a song as there is. The lyrics are concisely provocative, moving past the usual flirty-ness that defines most R&B and powering straight ahead into graphic eroticism.

Released as the soundtrack’s lead single back in December, the song peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May and still sits on there at No. 10. “Earned It” is joined in Billboard’s top 25 by the equally lewd “The Hills” and the absolutely perfect “Can’t Feel My Face.” Needless to say, almost two years removed from Kiss Land, the Weeknd is on a hot streak.

Latest in Music