Every day, as we here at Complex comb through emails, SoundClouds, and tweets to bring you the latest music news and sharpest music criticism, we're often distracted by writing so excellent and impressive that we nag everyone else we know to hurry up and read it, too. All day we stay arguing about rap and thinkpieces until, inevitably, Christine shakes her fist and yells at us to mind our deadlines.

Since this year's biggest movers and shakers in hip-hop were, for the most part, young and unsigned, much of our favorite music reporting of 2014 comes from all corners of the Internet, from Nahright and Africa Is a Country, to Fader and the New York Times. FromMigos' rise and D'Angelo's resurgence, to Spotify's falling out with Taylor Swift, we've rounded up our favorite essays, profiles, and reporting of the past year—including our own writing, of course. Complex presents the Best Music Writing of 2014.

http://www.complex.com/music/2014/12/staff-picks-best-music-writing-of-2014