9. Salty and Travis World, “Free Up Yuhself”

Trinidadian MC/radio personality Salty seems to have had the golden touch since he began appearing on tracks of his own. With “Gyal Meets Brass,” the horn-fueled Dawg E. Slaughter production that was the runaway hit of Carnival 2016, to the viral dancehall chat of “Tic Toc,” he’s carved a unique lane for himself. Salty’s recently entered into a fruitful partnership with DJ/producer Travis World, beginning with “Free Up Yuhself,” easily one of the most advanced and futuristic sounding soca tunes of the year. — Jesse Serwer