40 Musician & Rock Star Jokes: The 2018 “God’s Plan, This Is America & The Shallow Fall” Edition

In 2018, music became a visual and social battleground. Drake was playing Fortnite and breaking every streaming record, Cardi B was proving she was here to stay, and Lady Gaga showed us that she could win an Oscar by just singing “HAAA-AH-AH-AH-HAAA” alongside Bradley Cooper. It was the year of the “In My Feelings” challenge and the moment we realized that Childish Gambino could make the most uncomfortable and brilliant video of the decade.

The 2018 Soundboard Top 10: “God’s Plan, Shallow & The Scorpion Summer”

1. The Drake “God’s Plan” Philanthropy: Why was everyone crying? Because Drake gave away nearly a million dollars in a music video, proving that being the biggest rapper on Earth also meant being the ultimate secret Santa.
2. The Childish Gambino “This Is America” Shock: Why the viral analysis? Because Donald Glover released a masterpiece that made the entire world pause their Spotify and actually watch the screen to figure out what was happening in the background.
3. The Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper “Shallow”: Why the “HAAA-AH-AH-AH”? Because A Star Is Born proved that Gaga didn’t need a meat dress or a spaceship to dominate—just a parking lot and a very intense duet.
4. The Cardi B “Invasion of Privacy”: Why the “I Like It” beat? Because Cardi proved she wasn’t a one-hit wonder, turning 2018 into a giant “Okurrr!” celebration of her dominance.
5. The Ariana Grande “thank u, next”: Why the Burn Book? Because Ariana took all her personal drama and turned it into a pop masterclass, teaching us all how to move on with grace (and a record-breaking music video).
6. The Travis Scott “ASTROWORLD”: Why the amusement park? Because “SICKO MODE” proved that a song with three different beats and a Drake feature was the new standard for a global rager.
7. The Post Malone “Beerbongs & Bentleys”: Why the “Better Now”? For the man who officially became the face of the “streaming era” by being everyone’s favorite mix of rap, pop, and a little bit of country.
8. The Panic! At The Disco “High Hopes”: Why the building climb? Because Brendon Urie spent the entire year walking up walls and ruling the radio with a song that even your dentist liked.
9. The Juice WRLD “Lucid Dreams”: Why the Sting sample? For the arrival of the new king of “Emo-Rap,” who made every teenager in 2018 feel like they were back in their feelings.
10. The Janelle Monáe “Dirty Computer”: Why the “Pynk” pants? For the futuristic soul masterpiece that proved Janelle was the rightful heir to Prince’s throne of cool.

The Full 2018 Musician & Rock Star Archive

11. The Florence + The Machine “High as Hope”: Why the bare feet? For Florence getting intimate and soulful, proving she didn’t need a wall of sound to be powerful.
12. The Arctic Monkeys “Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino”: Why the moon base? For Alex Turner ditching the guitars for a lounge piano and a beard, confusing every “Do I Wanna Know?” fan.
13. The Pusha T “DAYTONA” vs. Drake: Why the “The Story of Adidon”? For the rap beef that revealed hidden children and reminded everyone that Pusha T is not someone you want to provoke.
14. The Kanye West “Wyoming Sessions”: Why five albums? For the summer Kanye produced five records in the mountains, proving he could still be a visionary even in the middle of total chaos.
15. The Kids See Ghosts Debut: Why the “Freeee”? For Kid Cudi and Kanye finding peace together in a psychedelic-rap dreamland.
16. The Kacey Musgraves “Golden Hour”: Why the “Space Cowboy”? For the album that finally made every indie kid and pop fan realize that country music could be “galactic” and perfect.
17. The Rosalía “El Mal Querer”: Why the flamenco? For the Spanish star who mixed ancient traditions with modern trap beats to become a global phenomenon.
18. The Brockhampton “Saturation” Aftermath: Why the “Iridescence”? For the world’s favorite boyband proving they could survive drama and still make the most creative hip-hop around.
19. The Ghost “Prequelle”: Why the “Dance Macabre”? For the Swedish metal band becoming a disco-rock juggernaut and making “Rats” a radio hit.
20. The Greta Van Fleet Buzz: Why the Zeppelin sound? For the kids who made everyone over 40 argue about whether “sounding like Robert Plant” was a crime or a blessing.
21. The Dua Lipa & Calvin Harris “One Kiss”: Why the 90s house vibe? For the song that soundtracked every European summer vacation and made Dua the new queen of the dancefloor.
22. The Maroon 5 & Cardi B “Girls Like You”: Why the rotating celebrities? For the song that stayed in the Top 10 so long we actually forgot what life was like before it existed.
23. The Twenty One Pilots “Trench”: Why the yellow tape? For the duo building an entire fantasy world called “Dema” and proving their fanbase was more like a dedicated army.
24. The Robyn “Honey”: Why the 8-year wait? For the Swedish pop legend returning to prove that “Dancing on My Own” wasn’t her only masterpiece.
25. The Mac Miller “Swimming”: Why the “Self Care”? For the beautiful, jazzy album that became a tragic final testament to Mac’s immense growth as an artist.
26. The Death of Avicii: Why the “Levels” silence? For the loss of the man who defined the EDM generation, reminding us that the brightest stars often carry the heaviest burdens.
27. The Death of Aretha Franklin: Why the “R-E-S-P-E-C-T”? For the passing of the Queen of Soul, leaving the world without its most powerful and divine voice.
28. The Death of Dolores O’Riordan: Why the “Zombie” echo? For the loss of The Cranberries’ frontwoman, whose unique voice was the heart of the 90s.
29. The Death of XXXTentacion: Why the “SAD!” peak? For the controversial and short-lived career of a SoundCloud icon that sparked a national conversation about art and accountability.
30. The Death of Vinnie Paul: Why the Pantera legacy? For the loss of one of metal’s greatest drummers, uniting with his brother Dimebag in the great mosh pit in the sky.
31. The Mitski “Be the Cowboy”: Why the “Nobody” dance? For the indie icon who proved that loneliness could be the most catchy and artistic thing in the world.
32. The Christine and the Queens “Chris”: Why the 80s funk? For the French star reinventing gender and pop music with a short haircut and a lot of groove.
33. The Troye Sivan “Bloom”: Why the “My My My!”? For the pop prince delivering a lush, queer anthem that felt like a new classic.
34. The Idles “Joy as an Act of Resistance”: Why the punk shouting? For the British band proving that being vulnerable, kind, and extremely loud was the new way to be a rock star.
35. The Shawn Mendes “In My Blood”: Why the vulnerability? For the teen idol growing up and being honest about anxiety while still writing massive stadium choruses.
36. The Halsey & Benny Blanco “Eastside”: Why the nostalgia? For the song that made everyone feel homesick for a town they probably never lived in.
37. The 5 Seconds of Summer “Youngblood”: Why the 80s-rock shift? For the band successfully moving from “pop-punk boys” to “serious rock contenders” with one massive hook.
38. The Sophie “Oil of Every Pearl’s…”: Why the “Ponyboy”? For the late visionary who was literally building the future of pop music out of digital latex and neon.
39. The George Ezra “Shotgun”: Why the “under the sun”? For the man whose deep voice and sunny chorus made him the king of the UK airwaves for the entire year.
40. The 2018 Final Music Vibe: Why did the year feel like a neon-lit amusement park? Because we spent the year doing the Kiki challenge, watching Lady Gaga become a movie star, and listening to Drake’s God’s Plan, while realizing that whether it was Scorpion or Astroworld, we were all just living in a streaming world now.