Best of 2024 – Shahmir's Picks

THANK GOD by Umair, aleemrk

aleemrk is one of the most exciting voices in Pakistani hip-hop currently. With a style and delivery that reminds me of Scarface, he captures my attention instantly. Even better is the fact that Aleem & Umair are an undeniable duo who bring out the best in each other. aleemrk’s warm, straightforward and matter-of-fact style complements Umair’s less-is-more production approach perfectly. Easily one of the highlights of the year and hopefully a duo that releases much more music together.

Hungama by Hasan Raheem, Abdullah Kasumbi

In my view, Hassan Raheem’s best music has come when Abdullah Kasumbi has been behind the production (Since Eid really is my favorite Hassan Raheem song to date). They have a chemistry that I haven’t seen elsewhere. This shines through on Hungama, with a beautiful chorus and sticky production that just got stuck in my head. (Note: This was released on December 31st, 2023 but I chose to include it in this year’s selection)

Jhol (OG Version) by Abdullah Kasumbi, Maanu

I think this version of the song is amazing. Kasumbi brings out the best in the artists he works with and with Maanu, he gives a chance for his vocals to shine through accompanied with stripped back production and a warm feeling, that gives the song a completely different feeling. While the final version is amazing as well, this one takes the spot for me, simply because of how well these two artists work together.

STARGO TOR by Zahoor, Bilaal Avaz

STARGO TOR is one of Zahoor & Bilaal’s best songs to date in my opinion. The production is punchy and a great example of tension and release that builds up throughout the track. Zahoor complements this perfectly and sings beautifully throughout. This song also provides a blueprint for what I think Zahoor’s music can eventually blossom to, with his flair for R&B hooks shining through. Moreover, I think Bilaal can be the catalyst to bring this out in Zahoor as well.

Nasha by Natasha Noorani, Umair

When I heard this song it instantly became one of my favorite Natasha Noorani songs. In part because of that incredible chorus with the background vocals and the amapiano style production that Umair provides, which is something that I think he should delve into a bit more with newer work. To me, this is also a quintessential Natasha Noorani song; if I had to introduce anyone to Natasha, this would be the first song I would go to.

Honorable Mention:

Tere Bin by AOMI, Farheen Raza Jaffry

While this wasn’t released on DSP’s (digital streaming platforms) and clocks in at a very short timestamp, it’s a great example of the power of Farheen’s voice which is even more beautiful on some newer production (similar to her song Chameli with Talal Qureshi last year). Would love an extended version of this at some point and I’m very excited for any new music that she releases in the coming year