Super Empty's Best Of 2024, Pt. 3 (Songs)
Two dozen standout tracks that epitomized the year in NC hip-hop/R&B.

Editor's Note: This is one part of a three-part series on the best NC hip-hop/R&B of 2024. The others are Best Albums and Best EPs.
In the hustle and bustle of modern life, even the 20+ minutes it takes to digest a robust work of art can be hard to find. Thankfully, musical excellence doesn't only come in the form of albums and EPs, as this collection of two dozen North Carolina hip-hop/R&B/etc songs readily attests. While many are pulled from the top projects of the year — brief but representative samples of the excellence throughout our Best Of 2024 Parts 1 and 2 — others stood alone, like ChloTheGod's auspicious surprise remix with Mick Jenkins, Cyanca's defiant but nonchalant rejection of external validation and labels, and the trunk-rattling swagger of Godric's "Tiffany Mink."
For your listening pleasure (and convenience), they've all been compiled as a playlist on Apple Music. Enjoy.
"drunk prayer" - MAVI
In its arresting, hypnotic sound, densely woven lyrics and crushing subject matter, "drunk prayer" reflected not only the critically acclaimed work of MAVI's past, but also more of what was to come on 2024's equally celebrated shadowbox. On the Charlotte-raised 24-year-old's third album, the component parts are more finely tuned than ever, never more than on this desperate, conflicted appeal to a higher power — one who might be able to provide the answers, or at the very least, alleviate the suffering. Characteristic of MAVI's catalog at large, the song's greatest achievement may be that for all its intentionality and shimmering execution, it doesn't come off manufactured; this testimony feels undeniably (and heartbreakingly) honest.
"Trae The Truth In Ibiza" - J. Cole
When J. Cole followed through on his stated intention to actually delete a song off of an album titled Might Delete Later (presumably because his first choice — striking it from the historical record entirely — was not on the table), balance and justice were restored to the rap universe in more ways than one. With the plainly half-hearted "7-Minute Drill" gone, the album closer was now soulful, sample-driven "Trae The Truth In Ibiza," the perfect outro that had been hiding in plain sight all along. For all his detractors and cynics, almost no one has blended everyman sensibilities and mountaintop, 10,000-foot-view legacy raps over the past 15 years like Cole. Flexing that muscle once again on "Trae," he manages to make ambivalent musings on the life of a world-famous rapper ("Suddenly songs I was loving last year don't feel the same/ Somebody feel my pain... please, somebody say I changed/ All of these years done passed, I hope I ain't still the same") feel human and universal, as relatable for the head of Dreamville as for your local neighborhood emcee. It's a satisfying throwback to some of Cole's best work, and a much-needed chaser at the end of an album that — even aside from its ignominious track list revision — was not.
"UGOMDN Pt. 2" - ChloTheGod ft. Mick Jenkins
Though Fayetteville native ChloTheGod's ethereal and exasperated "UGOMDN" (short for "U Get On My Damn Nerves") had already had its moment of glory in 2023 — COLORS appearance and all — its stay was extended into the afterlife of 2024 courtesy of this perfectly paired team-up with Mick Jenkins, who would surely be considered for the position of Chicago's poet-rapper laureate if such a thing were to exist. On the updated rendition, Jenkins offers a pointed rebuttal that was absent from the one-sided original: "It's either that, or you legally blind/ Feel like your shades is equestrian, the place is pedestrian/ Came up thespian and still you'll deny." Chlo's hazy, register-hopping vocals are as captivating and expressive as ever, and the longer Mick's verse goes on, the more the track's ominous wobbles sound like the sonic underpinnings of his breakout 2014 mixtape, The Water[s]. No wonder he sounds right at home.
"Vintage" - Moses Sumney
Forlorn pining isn't supposed to sound this sexy and self-assured. But then again, that's sort of Moses Sumney's M.O. throughout all of his Sophcore EP, on which the Asheville-based singer/songwriter confronts and conveys love's terrifying unknowns and vulnerabilities while remaining — like an action movie hero who emerges from an explosion with merely some tousled hair and a cut on his face — impossibly, transfixingly cool. In the swelling, effervescent glow of its chorus, and only exaggerated by the (considerably more elaborate) choreography of its music video, "Vintage" calls back to the arresting and transportive power of Francis & The Lights' mid-2010s work with Chance The Rapper and Bon Iver/Ye, which by their rousing conclusions, induce a similar and discordant feeling: cheering for the protagonist's wishes to come true, but also not wanting the music to end.
"My Bad" - Cyanca
One of the first songs this year to really bounce around and gain traction on NC hip-hop social media, this "bless your heart"-flavored, sorry-not-sorry single from Charlotte singer/rapper Cyanca was described in our Song Of The Week column as the latest entry in a diverse catalog that defied easy categorization:
On "My Bad," Cyanca again branches into new territory, with a song that — from the prodding lyrics to the bracing production — is as openly confrontational as she's ever been. Call it the nature of our divided times, call it the flavor of the hip-hop moment (ask Nicki and Megan if conflict is good for business), or just call it another demonstration of the sonic ground Cyanca can cover without ever looking out of place. On a song about transcending peoples' preconceived notions, the high-quality execution of such an antagonistic track from the former choir singer ("Do you rap? Do you sing? Fuck you n****, I do me") is a meta moment in itself.

"The Grey" - Foreign Exchange
Released via an extremely short run (maybe too short) of limited-edition vinyl that sold out within minutes, The Foreign Exchange's no frills, two-track release last summer was among the year's most voraciously devoured, the R&B/electronic duo having not dropped a full album since 2015. As Tyler Bunzey wrote for Super Empty upon its release:
If anyone thought that sparse releases over the past five years might have rendered Phonte rusty, the Greensboro-raised emcee quickly puts those notions to rest over a bed of space-age synths and Galaga-esque sound effects within the first ten seconds of A-side “The Grey.” All of his beloved signatures unfold over the densely packed single verse: his puckish wordplay (“I do not gas, I do not overrate/ if we’re going to face off, let me exfoliate”), Golden Age references (“been waiting and debating like a Cool J song”), and doleful reflections (“God blessed me with the best of life/ but I still look at my sons and see two Trayvons”).
"Bat Phone" - Mez, SAINt JHN & MAVI
Considering that Mez is himself an accomplished music video director, it feels only slightly dramatic to call the lack of a video treatment for "Bat Phone" — the standout track of Mez's long-awaited and finely tuned Loading EP — one of the great creative crimes of last year. Beyond being the latest evidence that few sound more comfortable within ghostly, foreboding landscapes than the Raleigh native, the song is also a gratifying intra-state battle of wits with fellow poet-emcee MAVI, whose third album, shadowbox, is largely guided by the same dark sensibility. While the latter shows off the dizzying, labyrinthine writing ability that has made him an underground favorite at just 24, Mez at times needs only a few words to leave lasting impact: "I mean, things change/ What the Jazz look like now, post-Malone?/ And what does rap look like now? Post Malone." Given the visionary, auteur nature of the two, repeated future collaborations or projects are unlikely. But one can still dream — even if, musically speaking, those dreams probably sound like nightmares.
"One of One" - Leroy
"I'm not trying to yell too much. I did all that when I was younger." That's what Charlotte native leroy told writer Fola Onifade in our June 2024 feature on the emcee formerly known as WELL$. It's true that much of his breakout work in the mid-2010s was heavily laced with a snarling, chest-beating charisma that didn't command attention as much as it reached out and snatched it right off the listener's neck. It's also true that it served him well: his early work was a fixture on the online pages of Noisey, HotNewHipHop and XXL (back when such appearances meant something). The marked presence of a more regulated, calm tone in recent work — which surely, will only endure on a portion of songs — reflects the mileage of nearly a decade of life, and the wisdom that comes from it. When an early-stage creative career is burning bright, it's not always clear whether the source of our fixation is true artistic vision, or a finite burst of energy and abandon that will soon burn out. Longevity, for those who can grasp it, is a way of proving the spark that was there all along.
"He Shot Me" - Rapsody
Please Don't Cry may be remembered primarily for its author turning inward and sharing her most vulnerable thoughts, but throughout the album, Rapsody never fully abandons the instinct for political and social commentary on the outer world that marked her previous work. It's those two competing inclinations, along with an ever-sharpening musical sensibility, that give the album its power — never demonstrated better than on "He Shot Me," a chillingly smooth distress signal that weaves together an interpolation of Bob Marley's "I Shot The Sheriff" and the police killings of Breonna Taylor and Sean Bell for an affecting statement on the horrors of police violence that feels uniquely her own.
"HOT ONE" - Denzel Curry ft. TiaCorine & FERG
It's hard to call anything a "come-up" moment for an artist with an 11-million-play song under their diamond-studded Kirby belt. But with regards to Winston-Salem rapper and 2023 XXL Freshmen list awardee TiaCorine, that's still what "HOT ONE" felt like when it crashed onto the scene Kool-Aid Man-style this spring. Sandwiched between underground torchbearers Denzel Curry and A$AP Ferg, Tia's brief verse was surely many rap fans' first introduction to her assertive tone, over-the-top, anime-influenced style and distinctively nasal delivery ("panty line" = "painty loine," "mine" = moine," etc.). To those listeners, it was likely a hard debut to forget: months later, her 24 seconds on the mic still feel like the song's most electric moment.
"See Me Win" - Mique
For fans in Durham, NC (and beyond) fortunate enough to have witnessed the genesis and early stylings of hip-hop/R&B trio Young Bull, the undeniable vocal talent of singer Tahmique Cameron (stage name: Mique) is hardly news. But after keeping a relatively low profile in recent years, the fact that he's back to releasing music — with Jay Versace, no less — absolutely is. Lazy, dream-like and effortless, the production from Versace floats along like plume of incense or weed smoke, perfect for the textured, vintage crooning that Mique, if I had to guess, has been doing since the day he was born. It's good to have him back.

Also Worth Your Time:
- "Tiffany Mink" - Godric (Read the Song Of The Week feature from 6/14)
- "Holler Back" - Ol' Burger Beats ft. Kooley High
- "All The Things" - Shirlette Ammons ft. G Yamazawa, Kane Smego
- "BIRTH OF PHOENIX" - Nia J
- "GRAND CHERRY" - Reuben Vincent ft. SWAVAY, Chris Patrick
- "Can't Swipe Away" - Sonny Miles (from Gamma)
- "Iceman Cometh" - LesTheGenius (from Lap Around The Sun)
- "Festival" - BeMyFiasco ft. Phonte
- "Factor" - Slum Village, Elijah Fox, Eric Roberson
- "free myself" - pat junior
- "Lovin Nouns" - Larry Murvin, Flower In Bloom
- "LOST MY MIND" - FRGN-SPCMN ft. Deante' Hitchcock, Kourviosier (from RIDE AROUND THE SUN)
- "BACK TO THE BLUE ROOM" - FBE BIG JOHN ft. a ton of people
... and many, many, many more. Buy an album, cop some concert tickets, get yourself some merch, and let's keep our regional music scene — one of the most imporant respites and rebukes we have in the face of so much evil, cynicism and shameless greed — ticking for years to come.
