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My Top 20 Songs in 2020

20 songs I’ve played on repeat on Spotify (in no particular order)

By Aaron DinnallPublished 3 years ago 7 min read
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1.Shardz - Army Rising

You know those songs you play to stir yourself up when training in the gym? For me, when I’m about to go evangelising with friends, this is one of those songs. By default this is also for me a benchmark in the faith space of the grime genre.

https://open.spotify.com/track/32jFc0Ye3PjXRIcg2HQwbH?si=rNL-A-gVQ_6a3YZ-h7oyDQ

2.Guvna B ft Wretch 32 - Fall On Me

This is one of the most emotional songs I’ve ever heard this year. Considering how this has been a year of uncertainty and losses have been felt, this is surely a comforting song that manages to give hope. For me, in the first Lockdown in the UK, it really opened me up to stay sympathetic to others who may feel like they’ve taken harder hits from life in 2020 and reflect on God’s goodness in my own life and be thankful.

https://open.spotify.com/track/1cQkvIQ4VTRY6XKvVo8qPq?si=YLESdso-Q7KrNCgk14TGaw

3.A-Star ft. Favour Young - Doubts

To be honest, very few Christian rap songs simply depict open and personal dialogue between a strong Christian artist and a non-Christian artist like this. And to give context, A-Star and Favour Young have been friends for years. Personally, this was the soundtrack I fell back on when having discussions like these with a colleague at a new workplace I started at in February. I connected with this song as a reminder to listen when people express their honest questions and doubts about Jesus and walking them through my own insights without preterm have all the answers.

https://open.spotify.com/track/0bc8eSPaQib618YdeLz8CL?si=QLyAf6uRRfeyb5yZ-h2t_g

4.Tyshan Knight - Unknown Numba

I heard this recently but I love this track simply cause it shows the man’s stance in holding up a standard against going for any and every woman who just wants to sleep around. I’ve heard this same message in songs sung by women as women with standards for commitment and that should continue. As a man though, hearing this song and on a style of music (reflective of my own Caribbean heritage) that tends to cater to misogyny in the mainstream music world is refreshing.

https://open.spotify.com/track/6BpnsWVZCrzSqp7Ycwbp0S?si=YDeIqlnjT3e_ZVXgGTXuog

5.TJ Cream ft Beloved Music - Wisdom Seeker

Taken from the album of the same name, this song gives me much encouragement for the younger generations of Christians coming up who take their faith seriously. I also very much like that urban guitar sound in RnB music from old school song from the 90-00s, so I get a lot of nostalgia from Wisdom Seeker.

https://open.spotify.com/track/1JBy48ChNqcBo6VDqD9f7y?si=bqJT9oovRdaNaYviWyeXrw

6.Imani Shola - Author Of My Life

Speaking of nostalgia, imagine driving a time machine back to the 90s when RnB and Soul peaked a new level and put praise lyrics on top of the instrumentals. Author Of My Life is the result. Again very enjoyable and I had this one on repeat for quite a while since it first came out.

https://open.spotify.com/track/3EAsAcgZQHGXivlLnf2dYX?si=kwrSj9P8S0SeBQBFDCahfA

7.Saint CJ fr Smsn - Drippin’

To be honest, I love Drippin for the same reasons as the previous two songs, adding that I see it as a contender for the BET charts.

https://open.spotify.com/track/6xhhPvMUHVSBTmd3TQpvNf?si=0yOnxOCCR16MScn5laLjgw

8.Presha J - Walk With

Classic grime music to dance to. For me, it’s about being confident about life and who God is shaping you to be. Another motivating track to get into the vibe for writing lyrics, hearing a bit of Presha’s story here makes for determination to confidently tell my own real stories as a creative.

https://open.spotify.com/track/3TjDP9oscdyYRuB7GxVncu?si=sw-ML5iuSqKIr-7bQ7mNMQ

9.Jon Keith ft WavelQ - Limitless

It’s not a drill song, but the energy is just exciting. And what always get me about this song is hearing the chorus. WavelQ’s not using patois, but I sure like to practise rhymes in the accent to the hook section. If you feel limitless then you don’t really allow circumstances to affect your mood or outlook on life and simply stick to the vision. God’s vision that is.

https://open.spotify.com/track/2MmbkxjIgTczTsm5nWWtsB?si=LAtcHBhtRImBHYsBYx0SVA

10.Triple O - Lightwork

The Bible talks about being a light (or a good example) to the world and about being a tool in the hands of God. Hence; the title of the song. The metaphors and punchlines are self-explanatory but the delivery makes it all the more powerful. I also find the changing of the music throughout to be engaging like a musical.

https://open.spotify.com/track/2wRK6DebcQj6mUodOk8BFa?si=fsiRCJLYT262D2utaiUiNQ

11.ANB (Nartz) - Preach

As well as the lyrics, the beat is a mix of the old school tunes you can imagine playing at your family function as well as your friends’ birthday party or wedding reception. The point of parties is to have a good time in company of the people you care about and celebrate. So having faith in Jesus and sharing that is something to celebrate in this song. So I’m certainly adding this to my playlist next time I get to handle the music at a party.

https://open.spotify.com/track/1qzDi6GCLCo7qH3hcCSTvK?si=z7eFAcO5SaSQqqS9g95R-g

12.ANB (Burgz) - Balls In Your Court

Simply put, this is another party track. For this summer and the next. And on a personal note; he’s my stepbrother showing one of his best recent solo tracks in top form.

https://open.spotify.com/track/7ye3x1Iyv1cNvOmKFMTBj2?si=BgXH91WcSfmwgHUyM89HIg

13.ANB - Silver Lining

This time, it’s the whole ANB collective. Again, I think about people going through hard times and bound up in cycles they can’t break by their own strength. The music is relaxing and hopeful.

https://open.spotify.com/track/28c6yWfcEAQuetseXV4ofe?si=J0Mw4QR1TLmVkaNh494L7g

14.Melvillous - Queens

If you think all hip hop is offensive to women, you haven’t heard this song. Melvillous effectively raps a sympathetic letter to all females who have been harassed or abused by men with predatory mindsets. It proves that it’s the people speaking on the music that makes it good or bad and I hope Queens shuts down the entire debate over whether or not there are rappers out there who don’t fall into the objectifications towards women once and for all. Not that there haven’t been examples before but this has been one of the clearest messages in song for men to do better in this area in 2020

https://open.spotify.com/track/3PG7xkC0zHMXx9bKhx22xP?si=BVnwkvUmSASl9MMeXRvF7Q

15.Wole Agbaje ft. Angeloh - Hiding Place

I must have played this song for two or three days straight when it came out. And it came out at a time this year where I was going up and down seeing that different people where okay. Not often do I listen to music while travelling and dance outwardly with a smile but Hiding Place was certainly an exception.

https://open.spotify.com/track/1J1Zs7p4RwOhPp0ptUhAiq?si=I48Ip_N1SN6RNkLzm2y3gg

16.TJ Cream ft. Shardz and Dia Day - Unusual

In the UK, one of our distinctive musical creations is garage. Think Artful Dodger and Mike Skinnner & The Streets for example. Being unusual as in not fitting in with the crowd on account of being a Christian is encouraged with the backdrop of music I recall enjoying from as far back as I can remember to age 11 when grime branched out and took over. Unusual took something classic and made it new again.

https://open.spotify.com/track/0yLJQuVnbl9L4DRo2O1gSw?si=dkkRR6vzRmycN7O0i0Imnw

17.Unique Creation - The Win

I often played this song as I went about my days on errands or going to work as a motivator to put my all into everything I was doing and let God take care of the rest. The simple singular line in the chorus means to me that being a winner isn’t about being recognised as better than your colleagues or running people down but about having a healthy can-do attitude.

https://open.spotify.com/track/0glpgbg0vKje0tXH4S84QE?si=zD-sSFU-SRaUv6bQXxyZPQ

18.Dru Bex & Kay Sade - Top Spot

Again, the high energy and call for humility among rappers makes for a blunt bit truthful message to rock with. Being a rapper myself, humility happens to be something I want to emulatate as much as I can.

https://open.spotify.com/track/6kwBlPKqqlSb5RPFdT2sDm?si=dQ_4rYolSp61F1KCe352NQ

19.StillShadey - Heaven

Thinking about Heaven, a better place than all the madness that could and has happened on this side of eternity is something we’ve all done. But as a Christian, I believe it’s real and a place I look forward to. And that makes life on Earth an exciting journey if you have hope in Jesus. That’s the full some of this song which I found to be a real breathe of fresh air from all the fears and uncertainties of 2020. Being released at the end of summertime, it’s music video very much illustrated our appreciation for community whose fellowships had been so strongly staggered in the previous months.

https://open.spotify.com/track/7knPXOL3QghyYIyRSGx8AA?si=dLJotNWARzODh_agL_movw

20.Sean C Johnson - Mountains

Unlike all the other songs on this playlist, Mountains came out much earlier than 2020. Also, unlike the other songs, I sing along to the whole first verse and chorus to Mountains. Firstly because I used to be on a praise team and seeking deep tenor voiced artists to chew on. Secondly because it’s like singing a prayer for others who may be questioning where God is in the midst of all the lockdowns, racist police attacks, social unrests and massacres.

https://open.spotify.com/track/7knPXOL3QghyYIyRSGx8AA?si=dLJotNWARzODh_agL_movw

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About the Creator

Aaron Dinnall

Passionate about Christian faith and theology, performing arts and encouraging and understanding people.

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