25 Biggest Bangers of Summer 2016

Summer '16, we hardly knew you. It seems the days of pool parties, barbecues, summer Fridays and outdoor festivals go by faster every year. But luckily, rappers continue to provide a dope soundtrack for every occasion of the season.

This summer, hip-hop was filled with plenty of unorthodox collabs and surprise drops. And there were many cases of songs dropping in the early spring and rising to prominence just as the temperatures started going all the way up.

The always-entertaining DJ Khaled found a way to reinvent and market himself once again by harnessing the "fan love" of Snapchat. He actually figured out how to parlay his motivational words into the first No. 1 album of his career. Khaled's Major Key dropped right in the middle of a hot summer and made it even hotter. And the early standout off the project was "For Free" featuring Drake. With samples from Too $hort's "Blow the Whistle" and Akinyele's "Fuck Me for Free," Drizzy's verses, Nineteen85's production and Khaled's unmatched ability to hype up just about anything, the song helped Major Key move 96,000 units in its first week.

Speaking of the 6ix God, Drake finally got to bask in the glory of scoring his first No. 1 song in the U.S. of his career with "One Dance." When the record dropped, it dethroned Adele's 2015 single "Hello" for the title of most single streams in one week. And when Drizzy was the host and musical guest on Saturday Night Live, he said performing it was one of the hardest parts of the night. The dancehall-inspired hit off his platinum-selling fourth studio album, Views, was released in April 2016 as the LP's lead single, but it's clearly perfect for a summer turn up.

You didn't have to be a big-name artist to have a big song this summer either. Brooklyn MC Young M.A has enjoyed a upward trajectory these past few months thanks to the viral success of her song "OOOUUU." French Montana, Jadakiss and Uncle Murda have all blessed the track with their own remixes and 50 Cent straight up called Young M.A her "the hottest shit out" based off her bars. On the West Coast, newcomers like San Diego's Rob $tone and Portland's Amine´ have burst onto the scene with catchy bangers straight off SoundCloud.

From bubbling hits to certified chart-toppers, check out the hip-hop songs that ruled Summer '16. Consider this rundown your Labor Day barbecue playlist.