Kendrick Lamar proved that he was a rapper, not like any other.
Beyoncé and Shaboozey blurred the color lines in country music, and Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter gave us pop diva fever.
Here are the top 10 tracks that rocked our world in 2024.
1. Kendrick Lamar, “Not Like Us”
What started as a Drake diss track in rap’s biggest beef of 2024 became something bigger after all the dust from their dustup settled (in K-Dot’s favor). Hitting No. 1 in May and then again in July, “Not Like Us” became a hip-hop anthem for the ages — a rousing rallying call even played during the Democratic National Convention. Whereas Lamar told us to be “Humble” on his 2017 chart-topper, this is the fiercest of flexes from the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show headliner.
2. Ariana Grande, “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)”
Yes, a little film called “Wicked” put the Grammy-winning diva in the Oscar conversation. But she also dropped one of the year’s best LPs in “Eternal Sunshine,” a cloud-busting breakup album. Best of all was her ninth No. 1 single: A gently throbbing goodbye — with Grande’s ethereal vocal bringing real heart to the electro-pop beats — it’s bittersweet bliss.
3. Billie Eilish, “Birds of a Feather”
After coming on hard with the lustful “Lunch” — the first single off her stellar third studio album, “Hit Me Hard and Soft” — Eilish killed us softly with “Birds of a Feather,” a flight of fancy that glides through the airiest of grooves and never seems to touch the ground.
4. Bruno Mars & Lady Gaga, “Die With a Smile”
Forget the disaster that was “Joker: Folie à Deux” — Lady Gaga and Bruno were the dynamic duo that we didn’t know we needed on “Die with a Smile.” This superstar statement starts as a guitar-strumming “Shallow” ditty — quickly making you forget all about Bradley Cooper — and becomes a balls-to-the-wall wailer, with great singers bringing it on a great song.
5. Teddy Swims, “Lose Control”
Technically, the soul-crushing smash from this Georgia troubadour’s debut album, “I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1),” came out way back in 2023. But it didn’t hit the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 until January 2024 — where it remained for 45(!) weeks this year, including a March stint at No. 1. Swims — and his raw, unbridled passion — were unsinkable.
6. The Cure, “I Can Never Say Goodbye”
The goth gods — who had been left for (walking) dead after not releasing a new studio LP since 2008’s “4:13 Dream” — staged the unlikeliest of revivals with the best rock album of 2024: “Songs of a Lost World,” an enrapturing reflection on loss. And this haunting, heartbreaking ode to Robert Smith’s late brother, Richard, is the grief-ridden soul of it all.
7. Sabrina Carpenter, “Espresso”
Setting off Carpenter’s summer to remember in spring, “Espresso” was the triple shot that gave her career a much-needed jolt. A frothy, creamy confection that goes down more like a Mocha Frappuccino — sprinkled with pure sunshine — it finds the 25-year-old songbird cooing the immortal words “I’m working late, ’cause I’m a singer” with a wink and a sexy shimmy.
8. Beyoncé, “Bodyguard”
“Texas Hold ’Em” was the song that two-stepped to historic heights, topping both the pop and country charts, with Queen B becoming the first black woman to rule the latter. But there was an abundance of rustic riches on her groundbreaking “Cowboy Carter” opus, including this breezy bop — a shoulda-been smash that is the kind of seamless mix of country, pop and rock that you might expect more from, say, Sheryl Crow or Kacey Musgraves. But yet, it’s still Bey all day.
9. Shaboozey, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
First, Shaboozey was one of the black country artists showcased on Bey’s “Cowboy Carter.” Then, the Nigerian-American breakout succeeded “Texas Hold ’Em” at the top of the country charts with his own hand-clapping hoedown. Notching a record-tying 19 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, it never failed to get our giddy up.
10. Chappell Roan, “Good Luck, Babe!”
After releasing her debut album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” last year, Roan emerged as new pop royalty thanks to the sleeper success of her slow-burning single “Hot to Go!” and this even sweeter synth-pop delight. Despite all of her issues with fame, this hit sealed her stardom.
