Music is by far my favorite thing to talk and write about. It can make even the most boring tasks in life even slightly more interesting, as well as provide a very easy conversation starter. This time around, I’ve decided to critique nine randomly selected songs from the Billboard Top 100 songs.

#24) NEIKED, Mae Muller, Polo G – Better Days

The Swedish artist collective decided to team up with British singer-songwriter Mae Muller and Chicago rapper Polo G to create one of their latest singles, Better Days. This song feels like a strong, energetic summer song that was released during the winter. It’s all about living in the moment and embracing our emotions. NEIKED has done an amazing job picking up Mae Muller and Polo G for this single as both of them provide lyrics that perfectly match what this song should be. It does feel like you have the summer sun shining on you while you have this song on repeat.

“Living in a haze, staying in the shade / All I do is sit around and wait for better days”

Personal rating: 7.5/10

#86) Silk Sonic, Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak – Smokin Out The Window

Smokin’ Out The Window is the third single released from the anticipated album from Silk Sonic, An Evening with Silk Sonic. This single is relatively simple compared to the other two, making it a very easily accessible song. The song is also very easily listenable, making it very hard to get bored of even after several separate listenings. Mars and Paak provide listeners with a retro-style instrumental to give the song a similar feeling to R&B songs from the 70’s. All around, the song is extremely catchy and very smooth, making for an amazing track.

“Smokin’ out the window (Smokin’ out the window of the Benzo, the Benzo) / Singin’, “How could she do this to me?” (How? How could she do this?)” 

Personal rating: 8/10

#92) Gunna, Lil Baby – 25k Jacket

25k Jacket is a single from Gunna’s latest album, DS4Ever, which features other popular tracks such as pushin P, P power, and thought i was playing. On this single, Gunna and Lil Baby sound like their own selves on their 23rd collaboration and rap about money, cars, and the chance they have to live another day. The two-minute track utilizes a light trap beat accompanied by a flute, giving it a sort of sound that is identifiable as belonging to Gunna. The song is another great part of the DS4Ever album and is something you should listen to if you already like Gunna.

“If I put it up, we forever livin’ large / We’ll be okay if we make it to tomorrow”

Personal rating: 7/10

#61) Blxst, Tyga, Ty Dolla $ign – Chosen

Blxst has been having a really good year, managing to grow and expand his name throughout the music industry. With the release of the deluxe version of his No Lost Love album, we have six new songs from him, one of them being the track Chosen. The song features two of the largest names from the west coast, Tyga and Ty Dollar $ign, and features the trio praising their partners in life. The up-beat instrumental mixed with each rapper’s verse makes this song a very enjoyable listen. 

“Sign this NDA, no, you can’t bring no phones in / We walkin’ in there like, “What’s all the commotion?”

Personal rating: 7/10

#41) Billie Eilish – Happier Than Ever

I would like to preface this by saying that I do not like Billie’s music. I find her music very boring to listen to and there hasn’t been a track released by her to make me think otherwise. All of the tracks on When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? were indescribably unenjoyable to listen to. Fortunately, Happier Than Ever, the titular song for her second album Happier Than Ever, changes that.

The four-minute fifty-eight-second track talks about a relationship that can’t be described as unhealthy and toxic, but it isn’t a positive one either. She’s not happy about it, but there isn’t a solid reason for her being unhappy. The track starts slow but then slowly progresses into a rant by the artist about her relationship with the instrumental matching the pace of the lyrics. This track makes me want to listen to the rest of the album, which isn’t something typical of Billie.

“You call me again, drunk in your Benz / Drivin’ home under the influence / You scared me to death, but I’m wastin’ my breath /’Cause you only listen to your friends”

Personal rating: 6.5/10

#19) The Weeknd, Ariana Grande – Save Your Tears

Industry veteran The Weeknd teams up with Ariana Grande to create a remix of his 11th track from his previously released album After Hours. With an already solid background track, this remix was sure to impress its listeners– and impress it did. The track is used by the artists to talk about past experiences that they went through. This track is very synth-heavy, making it stand out compared to the rest of the tracks on the After Hours album. The magic from the track comes from the lyrics and how poetic it is hearing both artists say “save your tears for another day.” This remix made a great song even better.

“I kept my distance ’cause I know that you / Don’t like when I’m with nobody else / I couldn’t help it, I put you through hell”

Personal rating: 7.5/10

#13) Justin Bieber – Ghost

The track Ghost is a part of one of Bieber’s latest albums, Justice. The song is used to talk about losing a loved one, whether it be having them pass away or having them walk out on you. Bieber talks about how people weren’t able to see their family members because of the COVID-19 restrictions put in place. The song is pretty middle-tier; however, a bonus point can be added because of just how beautiful the music video for this track is. Bieber works with Diane Keaton as his fictional grandmother and helps her work through the grief of losing her husband. 

Sadly, Justin’s grandfather passed away the same day that the album was announced in his home on February 26, 2021. 

“That if I can’t be close to you, I’ll settle for the ghost of you / I miss you more than life (More than life) / And if you can’t be next to me, your memory is ecstasy / I miss you more than life, I miss you more than life”

Personal rating: 6/10

#91) Yung Bleu, Kehlani – Beautiful Lies

Beautiful Lies is the fourth track on Bleu’s fifth studio album, Moon Boy. From his humble beginnings of recording his music on his cellphone and using blank CDs back when he was just 11-years-old, Bleu used his hard work and dedication to make multiple big breaks throughout the years. The track features the vocals of American singer-songwriter Kehlani, and the duo does not disappoint. The song’s flow is very effortless and features grace from both of the artists. This is a pretty good listen if you want to explore the world of both Bleu and Kehlani.

“Don’t break my heart, tell me beautiful lies (Beautiful, mm-mm, mm-mm) / She’s an emotional wreck right now (Mm-mm, mm-mm)”

Personal rating: 6/10

#31) SZA – I Hate U

SZA uses this two-minute fifty-four-second track to tell the listeners about how she isn’t fond of a particular someone in her life and takes everyone on an emotionally riveting journey. SZA’s lyrics mixed in with her passions makes listening to her sing on the track amazing, along with nostalgic R&B hooks. The instrumental on the track manages to stay calm yet also enthralling, with an insane amount of energy while still maintaining a moderate tempo. This is a surprisingly good track coming from SZA.

“Treat me like corduroy, wear me out / Arguments, you air me out / Tripping ’bout your whereabouts”

Personal rating: 6/10