When Jahron Brathwaite, also known as PartyNextDoor, first appeared on October’s Very Own Sound cloud page in the summer of 2013 there was a cloud of mystery surrounding the artist. A relative unknown from Mississauga, Ontonario, Canada, Party turned out to be the first official signee to Drake’s OVO Sound imprint label and showed signs of promise with his debut self titled EP PARTYNEXTDOOR. From that point forward he has made good on that promise, releasing two more full projects, PARTYNEXTDOOR TWO and PARTYNEXTDOOR 3, along with another EP PNDColours. While showing his talent as a viable solo artist Party has also proven himself to be one of Drake’s most trusted co-writer’s since his arrival on OVO helping produce records for the Canadian rapper on Nothing Was The Same, If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late and VIEWS. Party has also stepped out of from under the the OVO umbrella to also write for artists such as Rihanna, Usher, and Beyonce. With a considerable catalog to this point that features hit records and emotional tracks, here are the 25 best PartyNextDoor songs.
25. “Candy” feat. Nipsey Hussle Sing;e
24. “Options” PARTYNEXTDOOR TWO
23. “Nothing Easy to Please” PARTYNEXTDOOR3
22. “Belong to The City” PARTYNEXTDOOR TWO
21. “Girl From Oakland” PNDColours
20. “Bout It” PARTYNEXTDOOR TWO
19. “Don’t Know How” PARTYNEXTDOOR3
18. “Don’t Run” PARTYNEXTDOOR3
17. “Nobody” PARTYNEXTDOOR3
16. “Juss Know” feat. Travis Scott PNDColours
15. “Her Way” PARTYNEXTDOOR TWO
14. “Let’s Get Married” PNDColours
13. “FWU” PARTYNEXTDOOR TWO
12. “Don’t Do It For You No More” Single
11. “SLS” PARTYNEXTDOOR TWO
10. “You’ve Been Missed”
Album: PARTYNEXTDOOR3
“It’s so lonely in the 6 right now.” On “You’ve Been Missed” Party describes his struggles with avoiding temptation while trying to settle down with one woman. There aren’t many songs in Party’s discography where he is more vulnerable and honest than this one where he details how trouble follows him in the form of temptation from other women, exacerbating his troubles with settling down. The line “when you coming over baby? When you spending time with me, time with me? Quit reminding me, minding me how lonely I am,” rings hollow summing up how no matter how many other women are vying for his attention, Party is still empty without the woman he desires.
9. “Muse”
Album: PARTYNEXTDOOR TWO
Originally released along side “Candy” on Soundcloud, the song found its way onto PND2 as the outro to Party’s most cohesive album. The song is one of lust, which is what Party is most known for. His best stress reliever for his partner here is sex and that’s what he intends to use to cure her ailment while satisfying himself at the same time. Not known as the romantic type this falls right in line with Party’s comfort zone of late night sexcapades. The song also samples Ginuwine’s “Only when You’re Lonely” which closes out the song.
8. “Over Here” feat. Drake
Album: PARTYNEXTDOOR
The first PND and Drake collaboration is a celebration of life and success. With the typical self boasting from Party to a lover who gave up him in his time of struggle and need (“we were supposed to do big things, now you waiting for something better but girl what’s better than this?”) the hook is the most braggadocious of his career. Drake provides one of the stronger verses of his career detailing his come up from humble beginnings riding the bus to his rise to stardom and whipping his new Bugatti through his old neighborhood. Definitely one of the more feel good songs of Party’s career.
7. “Break From Toronto”
Album: PARTYNEXTDOOR
The breakthrough song for Party that introduced him to the world, “Break From Toronto” is infectious and catchy. Party samples Miguel’s “Girl With The Tattoo” so seamlessly that it sounds at home on the track. Party sings about the perks of fucking with him and how those perks embody what his city of Mississauga feels like in the night time and how this one night can serve as a break from Toronto for his love interest.
6. “Recognize” feat. Drake
Album: PARTYNEXTDOOR TWO
As stated before Party isn’t the romantic type, he’s upfront and honest. Almost brutally honest at times, and “Recognize” is one of those instances. The hook “you got niggas, I got bitches, I want you,” is about as blunt as one can be with somebody when trying to let them know of their intentions, disregarding the stable of other options available to himself and the person of interest. While Party is more brash and blunt here Drake provides a softer touch to the song, though he still shows himself to be possessive in typical Drake fashion.
5. “Thirsty”
Album: PARTYNEXTDOOR TWO
The title “Thirsty” in itself has double meaning in context of the song which is a strong example of Party’s biggest strength, his songwriting. The term is synonymous with somebody who is trying to get a member of the opposite sex’s attention. On one hand Party is wonders if his advances on his lover are too much and whether he’s moving too fast while on the other hand he’s in search of a woman who is as thirsty for him as he is for her. The song samples Missy Elliot’s “Ching A Ling” using the specific lines “thirsty, baby bring it over here” to help bring the song to life.
4. “Persian Rugs”
Album: “Persian Rugs” Single
Party is at his chauvinistic best (or worst) here describing his intimacy on Persian rugs, though his lover is actually from Nicaragua. This innocent faux pas actually does a good job of displaying Party’s charm before getting down to business with his woman, but he does’t have time to spare on the small talk and frivolous things. Party doesn’t have time to chill (“fuck I look like? I don’t want to chill”) and would rather get down to business here. The smooth vocals and airy production do a good job of masking the aggressive nature of the song, which turns out to be one of Party’s best to date.
3. “Come and See Me” feat. Drake
Album: PARTYNEXTDOOR3
The biggest song of Party’s career to date, the single details both his and Drake’s struggle with maintaining romance. Party struggles with fully committing to his lover, only hitting her up when it’s convenient for casual sex leading to said lover pleading for Party to come and spend time with her. Drake experiences the same issues with his woman who is “doing things to make him feel the way he makes her feel,” like potentially wearing less and going out more. One of the most well written songs in Party’s catalog.
2. “West District”
Album: “West District” Single
Party’s version of Drake’s “Days In The East” might be his most guarded and confrontational song of his career. Lines such as “young nigga from the city, aint shit pretty but my bitch and my mama anyone can get the drama (the Dalai Llama),” detail how his city is one of the more dangerous in Toronto and Party isn’t with the games. Different from any other song he’s done, “West District” is executed perfectly in the shift from violence to romance unexpectedly.
1. “Wus Good/Curious”
Album: PARTYNEXTDOOR
The quintessential PartyNextDoor song, “Wus Good/Curious” encapsulates everything that we have come to love from Party. The first half (Wus Good) details Party’s attempts to get a certain woman’s attention to hook up with him, while the second half (Curious) is him having her attention and piquing her interest in him. It’s PartyNextDoor at his best and the song that should be played first when introducing anybody to him.
Kameron Hay 