In looking back, there was a lot of great hip-hop released in 2012. So much so that we decided to do our year in review in 2 parts. Here’s part 1 of a 2-part playlist of the best songs of the year. Part 1 covers Jan – June and you’ll hear music from Nas, Slaughterhouse, Lupe Fiasco, Rick Ross, Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky, Schoolboy Q, Wu Block, Joey Bada$$, Warren G & Nate Dogg and way too many more great artists to name. Listen to the playlist below. Stay tuned for part 2 tomorrow. Related: Best Hip-Hop mixtapes of 2012 and Best hip-hop videos of 2012