ORR TOP 10s- VERSES

 

ORR TOP 10s

Oracle Rap Reviews is putting together a few top ten lists as a part of a series to reflect on some of our favorite music from such an awful year.

Rules: Artists cannot repeat, and are limited to one spot per entry, but are not limited in terms of features.

 

Up next, we have the TOP 10 Verses (or Features) of the year.

For this list, we are looking at the tracks that we classified as certified bangers, and standout in terms of punchlines and wordplay. We did not ask for help from any of our friends, as this list was personal for us. The discussion covers order ranking, and reasoning behind which tracks were selected.

 

What could be complied via Spotify has been made available via playlist, and can be found here.

 

Honorable Mentions

HR – Frank Lucas – Benny the Butcher (Freddie Gibbs Ft.)

“2 car garage – 2 broad massage – they say hustling a disease Ima die with the symptoms”

It is no secret that Griselda had one hell of year, but this surprisingly Benny’s only entry on a top 10 list from us. Still yet, his flow on this track was perfect, and worthy of an honorable mention.

HR- The Butcher and the Blade – Conway the Machine

“How can I not win? At least 3 of the albums I dropped in your top 10.”

Back to back entries for Griselda let you know what type of year they had. And while Benny held his own with, “The Ops get it in 2 days or less like Amazon Prime,” he was not able to dethrone Con here.

HR- KITT – Styles P (Curren$y Ft.)

“Got a house I aint sleep in yet – see a plane to a private island if you aint get to meet me yet.”

While Styles absolutely bodied his feature on this Spitta project (found in our top 10 albums of the year,) the real star of this track is Harry Fraud. While he is one of our favorite producers of all time, it cannot be overlooked how good a job Styles did riding this wave.

 

ORR TOP 10 Verses of 2020

10. Bulletproof – Maxo Kream (IDK Ft.)

9. Master Fard Mahamed – Busta Rhymes

8. New Chain – Yo Gotti (Moneybagg Yo/Blac Youngsta Ft.)

7. Pardon – Lil Baby (TI Ft.)

6. Pacman – Schoolboy Q (Gorillaz Ft.)

5. Roxycotin – Boldy James

4. Surf & Turf – Vince Staples (Boldy James Ft.)

3. The Adventures of Moon Man and Slim – Eminem (Kid Cudi Ft.)

2. Tyler Herro – Lil Wayne (No Ceilings 3)

1. Ziploc – Kevin Gates (2 Chainz Ft.)

 

The Breakdown

10. Bulletproof – Maxo Kream (IDK Ft.)

“Neo off the matrix- Young Dolph – Maxo Bulletproof”

Coming in at the number 10 spot is Maxo Kream. With an aggressive flow on an equally aggressive track the energy Maxo brings on this track is deserved of the tenth spot on our list.

 

9. Master Fard Mahamed – Busta Rhymes

“Special how I touch the people when I'm speakin
So precious like a moment of watchin a baby sleepin
Infectious like opponents that's always catchin a beatin
From journeys that I travel and missions I be completin
Put the mic down and leave it with mama for safe keepin”

It is noteworthy to mention that Rick Ross held his own on his feature for this track, but the breakdown Busta gives towards the end of his verse is one of the absolute best this year’s music has to offer.

 

8. New Chain – Yo Gotti (Moneybagg Yo/Blac Youngsta Ft.)

“If it ain't 'bout millions, let me be excused - Don't disrespect me, nigga, thinking it's cool
No fuck shit be tolerated in the crew- And we don't make worldstar, we make the news”

A few years ago Pusha T was thought to be the best drug rapper of our generation, however The Oracle has not forgotten about the contributions Yo Gotti has made many years. Around that same time, Gotti decided to level up by losing weight, and focusing more on the business aspect of the game. He stormed back with this feature however, reminding all who was the head of CMG.

 

7. Pardon – Lil Baby (TI Ft.)

“How you put the gun on safety? It don’t.”

While we have My Turn in our top ten album list, but it is the feature on Pardon that really solidifies a masterful year for Baby. His efforts award him the number 7 spot on our list.

 

6. Pacman – Schoolboy Q (Gorillaz Ft.)

“You make weed look bad – Ill ride the beat wont crash – I had to fill my bag, I had to hide my stash    You know the cops light flash – I had to clear my dash.”

2020 was not a year that saw a new Schoolboy Q project, but that did not stop him from bodying his features. Along with his appearance on Black Thought’s Streams of Thought 3, Schoolboy’s wave fits in with the abstract Gorillaz’ perfectly, awarding him the number 6 spot on our feature list.

 

5. Roxycotin – Boldy James

“Feds following a nigga private page think I’m dumb enough to hit the follow back.”

Boldy has had an outstanding year, making appearances on 3 of our 4 top 10 lists. His cadence was flawless on this track and did well to highlight his talent as an artist. The least mentioned member of Griselda, The Oracle thinks it is time he gets his recognition.

 

4. Surf & Turf – Vince Staples (Boldy James Ft.)

“Old friends wanna pop me, homie you can't stop me Thuggin' with the Wop, burning up Del Amo swap meet -You know who the opps was, ain't nobody shot me -But I shot, mm, hmm, hmm, maybe 'bout three”

As previously mentioned, Boldy had a hell of year, and in my opinion, was only outdone once in his list of feature artists. Vince Staples murdered his feature, and while Boldy certainly held his own, he was in fact, out rapped here.

 

3. The Adventures of Moon Man and Slim – Eminem (Kid Cudi Ft.)

“Half of us walking around like a zombie apocalypse- other half are just pissed on and – don’t wanna wear a mask and they’re just scoffin- and that’s how you end up catching the shit off em – I just used the same basket as you shoppin – now I’m in a fuckin casket from you coughin”

Eminem has taken his fair share of criticism this year, and some of it is warranted for sure. However, on The Adventures of Moon Man and Slim, Shady was nothing short of legendary. Highlighting many of the issues we have suffered this year, his verse earns him the number 3 spot on our list.

 

2. Tyler Herro – Lil Wayne (No Ceilings 3)

“Young Money so raw – no condom – no teeth- just jaws – just tonsils.”

As soon as No Ceilings 3 was announced, The Oracle was ready to feel like it was 2009 again. In conjuncture with the Dedication series, No Ceilings is arguably the pinnacle of mixtapes. To be completely honest, I have not seen Lil Wayne return to form since he was at the height of his powers, and was absolutely elated to find he turned back the hands of time for this track. It is noteworthy to mention that Big Sean held his own on his feature, but together, their combined efforts blew the tracks originator (Jack Harlow) out the water.

 

1. Ziploc – Kevin Gates (2 Chainz Ft.)

“Shaking back off a juice fast -Gorilla diet, went vegan
Diamond link chain bling in the coupe fast -Killers flyin' down seekin'”

In all my time of listening to music, I never could have imagined Kevin Gates would make the top of any list of mine. Yet, here we are, and I must give credit where credit is due. Gates flat out bodied his verse on Ziploc, and the punchline heavy 2 Chainz barely managed to keep up. Aggressive, confident, and rhythmic, The Oracle awards the top spot for best verse of 2020 to Kevin Gates.

-        And it wasn’t even close.

 

12.30.20 - The Oracle