On Sunday (Dec. 27), Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson returned to the field from injury and caught an 81-yard bomb from Jalen Hurts, somersaulting into the end zone for a touchdown. Jackson has spent his entire 13-year NFL career as a deep threat — and all the while, he’s been an avid music fan, and aspiring artist himself.
Earlier this year, Jackson released Against All Odds, an 11-song project that featured artists like Snoop Dogg, Plies and Young Scooter, and included music that the wideout had been working on for over a half-decade. “I’ve just been rapping for a while, working on my music behind the scenes, so I figured it was time to put it out and let my fans hear it,” Jackson told Billboard during a call in mid-December. “I’m just continually trying to build and have fun with it.”
Jackson says that he’ll be “dropping some more” new music shortly; in the meantime, he shared his list of favorite songs from 2020, a wide array of hip-hop tracks that the Eagles veteran broke down in detail. Check out his full, unranked list and explanations below.
Lil Baby feat. 42 Dugg, “We Paid”
“I’m a visual person — I like songs, but if the video catches my eye and gives me the energy of the song’s concept… with ‘We Paid,’ once I listened to the song and saw the video, it made me put myself in that position. Young dudes having money, having a lifestyle and having fun. I love how they’re driving in the car, doing 360’s and donuts, throwing money — that’s just dope to me.”
Future feat. Drake, “Life is Good”
“The video, where they’re chefs and all these other lifestyles? That was dope. Future and Drake, I feel like they’re at the top of their games. Coming together on the mixtape, What A Time To Be Alive — for them to take that period of time off and then come back with a hit, that was big. I think a lot of people really enjoyed that mixtape, so when they dropped this single I feel like everybody was anticipating more tracks, but they just dropped this one. For me, I’m looking forward to them dropping something else again.”
Sada Baby, “Aktivated”
“My cousin put me onto that song. I gotta tune into Sada Baby more. That ‘Aktivated’ song makes me want to tap into him more.”
Drake feat. Lil Durk, “Laugh Now, Cry Later”
“That video was crazy, too. I remember when Marshawn Lynch was talking s–t — he tackled Drake and was like, ‘Get your ass off this field!’ But Drake always has something up his sleeves with his visuals. Even that DJ Khaled and Drake ‘Popstar’ song, the way they think about their visuals is just crazy to me. But I like how he got Kevin Durant, Marshawn, Odell [Beckham Jr.], all the athletes into it, at the Nike headquarters.”
YG, “Out On Bail”
Lil Baby, “The Bigger Picture”
“In the midst of all the police brutality, the Black Lives Matter [movement] and just the culture, I think he has a voice — he’s like the people’s choice for this generation. He’s young enough to connect to the youth, and I think that message he delivered was huge. The timing was perfect.”
Rod Wave feat. Lil Baby & ATR SonSon, “Rags 2 Riches”
Saweetie, “Tap In”
“Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, Saweetie — they’re all really changing the culture for female artists in 2020, and we got a lot to look forward to, because they’re spitting bars. Shout-out to Saweetie, who’s also from the Bay Area. She’s got that West Coast swag — that’s the reason I love her. Her enthusiasm is authentic to her. Bringing ‘Blow The Whistle’ back in? She’s a Bay Area legend for that one.”
Jack Harlow, “Whats Poppin”
“That remix is hard as hell too, the one with DaBaby, Tory Lanez and Lil Wayne. There were all competing with their verses.”
Roddy Ricch, “The Box”
“‘The Box’ was hard! I feel like Roddy Ricch had a very impressive album. … People are already waiting on new music, and I’m sure he’s got something up his sleeve. When he drops his new heat, it’s gonna be fire.”
Bonus 2019 Track: Nipsey Hussle feat. Roddy Ricch & Hit-Boy, “Racks In The Middle”
“Nipsey is one of my all-time favorites — a childhood friend, growing up in South Central Los Angeles. Nipsey’s one of my favorite artists — him and ‘Pac, coming from the West Coast.”
