Best beat switches

[rainie]

was gonna just list some of my favs but in gathering songs, i realized the term beat switch actually covers a couple similar but distinct musical ideas -- thus i decided to separate sky picks into two different categories (and limit it to one song per artist bc otherwise my list would be very heavily skewed towards certain artists):

static beat switches (where the beat suddenly drops out and is replaced by a completely different one):

self care by mac miller
xxx by kendrick lamar and u2
family ties by baby keem and cousin
sicko mode by travis scott (really hate to endorse this man but i feel like it deserves a mention as the first song with a beat switch to really break through / still being the only #1 with a beat switch of this type)
faceshopping (a fun example because it's the only static beat switch i can think of that cuts back to the original beat -- seriously such a good song)
911 / mr lonely by tyler the creator
sister / nation by brockhampton
insecure by quadeca (the only diss track with a beat switch i can think of, though i'm sure there's more out there)
pineapple upside by queef jerky and ethan is online

then for something a bit rarer ,,,, progressive beat switches (where a beat morphs into an almost unrecognizable one over the course of a song, sometimes multiple times, but that transition is fluid / doesn't happen all at once):

whole new world / pretend world by sophie
pyramids by frank ocean
timmy turner by desiigner
bad habit by steve lacy
starry eyes by the weekend

then you also have songs like bohemian rhapsody / jesus of suburbia / 2112 with multiple parts that arguably count as a predecessor to beat switches, though i decided that including them would open a massive can of worms (namely in terms of whether a large number of progressive rock / musical theater tunes would also count) and since they were made in a completely different era of music anyways, i decided to leave them out

what are some other best switches y'all love ?

[Devil Marlena Nylund]

Blackstar - David Bowie

[PREDS PRIDE]

a few songs by the offspring (my all time favorite band) have cool beat switches in them. the main one I like that does this is have you ever, which has a very fast tempo for most of the song but then in the back half gradually slows down while playing the main riff and leads into a slower section that finishes out the song that sounds amazing. another beat switch song of theirs I think deserves a mention is it'll be a long time (an album track from smash). although overall the song is in the bottom half of the album in my opinion, the change in tempo is super cool. it starts off fast, then suddenly slows down for a section, then gradually speeds back up into what it was toward the end of the song. definitely unique and I admire how the band did that. and idk if this counts as a beat switch, but the title track and album closer from smash has multiple sections that could be perceived as beat switches, depending on how you look at it. but I've already rambled about songs by them enough so I won't explain.

in terms of rap songs definitely sicko mode, the beat changes in that song are very iconic imo. there are quite a few more rap songs I like with beat switches but I can't think of any more currently, might add some in later if I can remember them.

[Willow Rinadoobee Breakfast]

[willapted33]

nights by frank ocean
90210 by travis scott
m.a.a.d city by kendrick lamar
dreams and nightmares by meek mill
never by jid
house of balloons by the weeknd
throw away by future

[Au$tin]

bad guy by Billie Eilish - the outro of this song is SICK
Playboy / Positions by Shygirl - "let me just switch positions real quick" is so cheeky I love it
Love Without Tragedy / Mother Mary by Rihanna - the use of the guitar to modulate and switch songs is so damn clever
Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish - the ukulele morphing into the electric guitar alone had this song screaming for ROTY
Hard Feelings / Loveless by Lorde - "what is this tape? That's my favorite tape!" is fucking ICONIC

[Ｓｏｕｎｄｃｌ🕤ｃｋ]

agree with a lot of examples here, plus:

The Weeknd - I Was Never There
Kendrick Lamar - DNA
Kanye West - Famous

[Night Senses]

Doesn’t Really Matter by Janet. Not only does the bridge sound like a completely different song, there are three or four key changes throughout the song. So well-produced.

[B-Boy]

Missy Elliott had a number of songs with beat switches, but the one that stands out is "Irresistible Delicious" with Slick Rick. The beat is a back-and-forth between the "Lick The Balls" sample that's used for the verses and a mellow R&B arrangement used for the hook.

[🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲]

That epic breakdown in the middle of the song.