Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us,’ Tinashe’s ‘Nasty’ and more make ‘Variety”s 50 Best Songs of 2024 list

Variety has released a list of its picks for the 50 best songs of 2024, and a few hip-hop and R&B stars secured a spot. Kendrick Lamar made the cut with “Not Like Us,” while his former TDE label mate Doechii was praised for striking “a balance between humor and darkness” on her song “Denial Like A River.”

Representing R&B were Ella Mai with “Hearts on Deck,” SZA‘s “Saturn” and “Big Boy” by Normani. Cynthia Erivo also made the list with “I’m Not That Girl,” as did The Weeknd and Annita‘s “São Paulo,” Beyoncé‘s Cowboy Carter cut “YaYa” and Tinashe‘s “Nasty.”

Speaking to ABC Audio earlier in the year, Tinashe shared why she thought her viral song resonated with so many people.

“Man. I mean, the song, just, it’s simple. It’s to the point. I feel like everybody clearly has their inner nasty girl because so many people just really loved it. I think it’s really got, you know, some of those elements that people want to hear, which is just something that feels like confident and flirty and sexy and cool and people love to embody that. So yeah, I don’t know, people just, people love to feel it,” she says.

“I feel like it gives everyone the opportunity to kind of just like express that different side of them,” Tinashe continues. “I think sometimes, you know, songs that make you feel a certain way or feel fun are sometimes undervalued, but they’re so important … people want to feel good.” 

The full list can be found on Variety‘s website.

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