The big event is going down at the Forum in Los Angeles, California. It'll air on TBS, TNT and truTV at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and simulcast on iHeartMedia stations nationwide, as well as on iHeartRadio, the all-in-one digital music and live streaming radio service. The turn up session is going to be lit for many reasons, but hugely because of the dope hip hop artists and songs that are nominated this year.
Most of the hottest songs of 2016 were rap tracks. Hip hop had everyone's speakers bumping and parties jumping with the amount of hot music that was being released every couple of weeks. Drake, Remy Ma and Fat Joe, DJ Khaled and Desiigner are some of the artists who we need to thank for this.
That brings us to the Hip Hop Song Of The Year category at the 2017 iHeartRadio Music Awards. Each and every nominee did their thing with their released music. But, only one MC can reign supreme. Let's take a look at these songs and the dope rappers who blessed us with them below.
Hip-Hop Song of the Year:
"All The Way Up" - Fat Joe and Remy Ma featuring French Montana and Infared
As soon as hip hop heads heard this, minds were lost almost immediately. This was one of the first major tracks we've heard from Remy since she was released from prison in 2014. It felt like old times when fans of Remy peeped her doing her thing with Fat Joe again. Terror Squad was back! And the two began topping charts and smashing records once again with this new fire, which is featured of their joint Plata O Plomo album. The single was even nominated for a Grammy this year. "All The Way Up" is a testimony that anytime someone counts you out, you can reach higher than ever before -- and you can stay up!
"Controlla" - Drake
Honestly, does Drake ever do any wrong? The 6ix God gave us all the Caribbean-flavored feels when he released this banger. The smooth track instantly gave listeners the urge to have zero cares in the world and grind to the beat, as if no one was watching. Featured on his number one album Views, Drizzy once again left no prisoners with this one. You couldn't go to a club or a cookout without hearing "Controlla" at least a million times. The song was THE song of summer 2016, that's for sure. While Drake was looking for revenge the entire season, he dropped some fire while he was at it.
"For Free" - DJ Khaled featuring Drake
This was another track that delivered like crazy. Featured on DJ Khaled's Major Key album, "For Free" was priceless (see what we did there?) music to our ears. From the production, to the bars, to the DJ's infamous ad-libs; this was a great song for hip hop fans everywhere. Plus, having Drake rapping over a Khaled beat ain't never hurt anybody, right? If anything, it made people hype. Especially people who can't get enough of good quality hip hop music... with a dash of keys on the side. This song was another fan favorite and it definitely deserves this iHeartRadio Music Award nomination. In our best Khaled voice, it was the best!
"One Dance" - Drake featuring Wizkid and Kyla
Back at it again with the Drizzy love. This time, it's for another one of the rapper's fire songs from Views -- there are so many to count! "One Dance" was, without a doubt, the one and only song from last year that made you want to perfect your twerking skills before you stepped out for a night on the town. You already knew that whenever you heard it play, you would be getting down! Once again, this track paid homage to the sexy vibe of the West Indies and we were't made at it. "One Dance" only made us want to dance two, three... even five more times whenever it was on. How many songs from 2016 made you feel the same way? We'll wait.
"Panda" - Desiigner
Last, but certainly not least, Brooklyn's own Desiigner brought that heat when he shared "Panda" with us. You couldn't walk down the block without hearing it blast. The hit song, which was inspired by the black X6 and the white X6, even made us want to hop in a whip and go for a joyride, as the track blasted through the speakers. "Panda," which was featured on Desiigner's New English album, is definitely one of the most recognizable songs of last year. It was always a turn up session when the beat dropped. Desiigner definitely did his thing with this one and hip hop was surely grateful for it.