This year music received some classic hooks from all genres, all walks of life. Their definite purpose, to create enjoyable, memorable melodies that will create a lasting impression certainly had its merit. There were a handful of odd choruses too that'll make this list purely based off their uniqueness in terms of approach. Here are the top 25 hooks of 2014, clicking the pictures will take you to the songs.
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'Tomorrow'
...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin
The definitive closer to The Roots' inner-city story sees Raheem DeVaughn voicing positive, something that's long been absent, over a simple piano-driven beat.
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'Sobriety'
Sobriety
The sole TDE female crooner recites her pitfalls with trying to stay sober in a self-conscious, yet entirely self-fulfilling way, that hinders on a flattened ego.
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'Colonize The Moon'
Perfect Hair
With the help of Pegasus Warning manning the chorus, Busdriver reflects on his childhood. It's cheerful, nostalgic, and obsessively contagious.
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'Closure'
These Days...
Ab-Soul's finale regarding his ex-girlfriend's death and current one's problems, 'Closure,' with a blaring bass to front makes for a tear-jerking chorus.
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'i'
I Single
It's about time positivity has begun to spread in Hip-Hop's mainstream, and down the line we'll have Kendrick's bluntly-lit chorus, proclaiming his love of himself to thank.
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'Versace Python'
Neon Icon
A chorus so smooth that one can almost ignore the fact that it makes absolutely no sense. For most that be a critique, but for Riff Raff the hilarity of the situation only makes his apparent seriousness that much better.
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'Tale Of 2 Citiez'
2014 Forest Hills Drive
J.Cole's thuggish story retelling a car robbery from two perspectives comes together in the chorus, as Pusha T's "uugh" comes into play. Matched with the grimy beat, the aggressive chorus pushes Cole's own boundaries.
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'Doctor Feelgood'
12 Step Program
Meant to bring feelgood vibes, P.U.T.S' closer does all that with a sampled chorus that repeats the title and add some scratches, all that's ever needed.
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'The Shackles Are Off'
riZe vadZimu riZe
A liberating song discussing one's release through music. The blaring trumpets represent a King's arrival, as R&B singing further accentuates the positivity.
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'Shades Of Cool'
Ultraviolence
Lana Del Rey's emphatic chorus, plush with momentous elevation, shows off her talents more than any other moment on the album. The rising timbre is just an example of the masterful hook.
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'Dominoes'
CLPPNG
The harsh realities of ghetto life bashed against innocence in the form of a children's choir. 'Dominoes' is unlike anything released this year, truly impactful.
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'Water Fountain'
Nikki Nack
tUnE-yArDs' odd take on American capitalism, complete with an infectious chorus. "Woo Hah, Woo Hah" is forever ingrained in the listener.
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'Just Have Fun/These Days'
These Days...
The two-part menace comes with a double-dip of stellar choruses. Ab-Soul's upbeat echoing of having fun matches with a somber melody reeking of regret.
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'Little Fang'
Enter The Slasher House
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks took a strange turn with 'Little Fang,' a straightforward chorus doused in Acid Rock and filled with cartoonishly spooky sound effects and joyful progression.
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'King Cookie Faced'
Perfect Hair
Blissful and pure, Busdriver opens up about a fake relationship he's currently enduring. The chorus featuring jittery vocal malfunctions and eery female accompaniment.
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'Shot You Down'
Cilvia Demo
If the one thing TDE signed Isaiah Rashad for was his ability to create buttery smooth choruses, it would have been a worthy investment. His voice, doused in southern slang, glistens with abundant slurring that's catchy to follow along.
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'Digital Witness'
St.Vincent
The most head-nodding-worthy song of the year, St.Vincent's critique of our changing technological culture wouldn't be worth half its weight if it weren't for the chorus that sports a disgruntled bass looming in the back, alternating midway through to coincide with Clark's vocal adjustments.
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'You Are Go(o)d To Me'
A Toothpaste Suburb
Part of a three-peat piece midway through Milo's debut album dedicated to his ex-girlfriend, 'You Are Go(o)d To Me' is the album's most sincere song. The chorus, featuring a mesmerizing assortment of sounds, airy and lofty, collide with Milo's beautifully naive words of clouds and melancholy men.
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'Sanctified'
Mastermind
Rick Ross' banger featuring Kanye West and Big Sean sent shock waves through the rap game in February, for Kanye's verse, and the beat itself. But where the song stood defiantly was in its chorus, featuring a sample of Betty Wright hollering religiously over a humming choir melody.
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'Jazz'
The Water[s]
While the chorus itself, pairing Jazz legends versus shit talking, is boisterous and confident, where Mick Jenkins shines the brightest is in its constant refinements. Building upon itself, beginning with a subtle, unassuming piece and ending with a barrage of instrumentation.
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'Taking Off'
CLPPNG
Not normally known for their hooks, clipping pulled out all the stops on 'Taking Off.' Detailing the lives of inner-city killers, Diggs embarks to set their afterlife in motion, as rockets take off to the clouds. Diggs' monotone calling is fostered with militant rolling drums and brooding bass.
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'Look Around'
Nikki Nack
Nikki Nack sported a plethora of catchy melodies, but none were more insistent than 'Look Around.' In it Garbus voices her love for her lover, with a heartfelt message that she'll never leave his side. Where it truly flashes its brilliance however is in its continued robotic distortion throughout.
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'Brooklyn Baby'
Ultraviolence
Lana Del Rey's ego-dripping ode to herself and tongue-in-cheek look at Brooklyn hipsters is every bit ludicrous as it is hilarious. From beat poetry to Jazz collections to calling herself cooler than her boyfriend, Del Rey's chorus is as catchy, upfront, and boisterous as anything this year.
'West Savannah'
Cilvia Demo
Rashad's ode to Outkast is every bit as enchanting as it is endearing. With the help of SZA to play his lover, Rashad croons with his southern slang, pondering the inseparable pair. The song reeks of nostalgia, nights gazing up at the stars, falling in love "debating something greater than suicide."
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'Man Of The Year'
Oxymoron
Oxymoron may have disappointed fans with its focus on singles, but no one can deny Schoolboy's ability to create them. 'Man Of The Year's' incredibly catchy chorus has been etched into heads all year long, completely deserving of the crown. The careening production only further adds to the earworm mentality.
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