At times, 2017 felt like a parallel universe. U.S. pop stars collided with Latino artists, who have been long segmented by the mainstream music industry (by now, we all know the stories behind “Despacito” and “Mi Gente”). It was a year of renewed Latino visibility in U.S. pop music, raising challenging questions about representation, exploitation, and the complex global music moment we’re living in.
This year, our list attempts to capture the complexity of this musical landscape. Our list cuts across region and genre, capturing the sounds and scenes we believe are leading the pack in different diasporas. Ranked by our editorial and freelance staff, these are the top 50 songs of 2017.
Stream the best songs of 2017 via Spotify or Apple Music.