2018 was a busy year for music. Cardi B proved she was here to stay and not just the one-hit-wonder behind “Bodak Yellow.” Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next” shattered the record for music video debut on YouTube. Rico Nasty broke into the semi-mainstream with her album Nasty. boygenius pushed the limits of how sad you can make music. Mitski challenged us to be the cowboy. And that’s just scratching the surface. Here are some of our staff members’ picks for the best songs of 2018.
The year’s best songs
1. Your Dog — Soccer Mommy
2. Nice For What — Drake
3. Nobody — Mitski
4. Falling Into Me — Let’s Eat Grandma
5. The Story of Adidon — Pusha T
6. How Simple — Hop Along
7. Pearly Gates (ft. James Baley) — U.S. Girls
8. Is It Cold In The Water — SOPHIE
9. Ketchum, ID — boygenius
10. I Like It — Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin
— Max Foley-Keene, opinion Editor
1. High (feat. Elton John) — Young Thug
2. Everybody Wants To Be Famous — Superorganism
3. Sun In Our Eyes — MØ, Diplo
4. Talia — King Princess
5. Groceries — Mallrat
6. Chasing Fire — Lauv
7. DaNcing in a RoOm — EZI
8. Nothing Breaks Like a Heart (feat. Miley Cyrus) — Mark Ronson
9. Feeling Lonely — boy pablo
10. Make Me Feel — Janelle Monáe
— Daisy Grant, copy desk chief
1. Shoota (feat. Lil Uzi Vert) — Playboi Carti
2. The Games We Play — Pusha T
3. Four out of Five — Arctic Monkeys
4. Sundress — A$AP Rocky
5. Uproar (feat. Swizz Beatz) — Lil Wayne
6. MIA (feat. Drake) — Bad Bunny
7. TONYA — BROCKHAMPTON
8. Loyal — ODESZA
9. High (feat. Elton John) — Young Thug
10. SKELETONS — Travis Scott
— Evan Haynos, Diversions staff writer
1. thank u, next — Ariana Grande
2. After The Storm (feat. Tyler, The Creator & Bootsy Collins) — Kali Uchis
3. 1999 WILDFIRE — Brockhampton
4. I Like It — Cardi B
5. God Is A Woman — Ariana Grande
6. Pynk — Janelle Monáe
7. Youngblood — 5 Seconds of Summer
8. Space Cowboy — Kacey Musgraves
9. STOP TRYING TO BE GOD — Travis Scott
10. Nameless, Faceless — Courtney Barnett
— Allison O’Reilly, Diversions senior staff writer
1. This Is America — Childish Gambino
2. Love It If We Made It — The 1975
3. Shallow — Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper
4. thank u, next — Ariana Grande
5. King’s Dead — Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Future, and James Blake
6. Four Out Of Five — Arctic Monkeys
7. Nice For What — Drake
8. Missing U — Robyn
9. SICKO MODE (feat. Drake) — Travis Scott
10. lovely — Billie Eilish & Khalid
— Morgan Pravato, Diversions staff writer
1. APESHIT — THE CARTERS
2. Shoota (feat. Lil Uzi Vert) — Playboi Carti
3. raindrops (an angel cried) — Ariana Grande
4. Hot Girl — Megan Thee Stallion
5. Countin’ Up — Rico Nasty
6. Rage — Rico Nasty
7. STOP TRYING TO BE GOD — Travis Scott
8. SICKO MODE (feat. Drake) — Travis Scott
9. Crazy, Classic, Life — Janelle Monáe
10. Bickenhead — Cardi B
— Ayana Archie, Diversions staff writer
1. Bickenhead — Cardi B
2. Eastside — Benny blanco, Halsey & Khalid
3. I Like That — Janelle Monáe
4. SICKO MODE (feat. Drake) — Travis Scott
5. Take You Down — Illenium
6. The Story of Adidon — Pusha T
7. Without Me — Halsey
8. Stir Fry — Migos
9. APESHIT — THE CARTERS
10. Supercut (El-P Remix) (feat. Run The Jewels) — Lorde
— Ryan Romano, editor in chief
